NHL Player News

Askarov allowed four goals on 16 shots in Tuesday's 7-2 loss to the Golden Knights.

Askarov lasted just 14:57, leaving after digging the Sharks a 4-0 hole. Alex Nedeljkovic did no better in relief, allowing three goals on 10 shots even with the Golden Knights letting up significantly in pressure. Askarov has lost his last two outings, and he's given up at least three goals in seven straight contests, a major downturn after his strong November. Overall, he's 12-10-1 with a 3.37 GAA and an .898 save percentage through 23 starts. The holiday break may serve him well to reset, but if Askarov's struggles persist, Nedeljkovic could begin to pull closer to an even split of starts.

Hart stopped 21 of 23 shots in Tuesday's 7-2 win over the Sharks.

Hart was spotted a five-goal lead after the first period, making this a fairly easy win even after he allowed a tally in each of the last two frames. He had lost his last two outings, but he appears to be the Golden Knights' preferred No. 1 in goal for now, starting two of every three games since Dec. 7. He's at a 4-1-2 record with a 2.48 GAA and a .904 save percentage over seven appearances.

Wolf stopped 34 of 39 shots in Tuesday's 5-1 loss to the Oilers.

The Oilers pressured early with a pair of first-period goals, and the Flames never really looked to make a comeback. Wolf has stumbled a bit heading into the break, allowing four-plus goals in three of his last five outings, though he's 3-2-0 in that span. For the season, the 24-year-old is at an 11-14-2 record with a 3.00 GAA and an .895 save percentage. He's not in danger of losing the starting job, but it wouldn't be surprising for Devin Cooley to play more regularly in the second half of the campaign to keep Wolf's workload reasonable.

Ingram stopped 18 of 19 shots in Tuesday's 5-1 win over the Flames.

The Oilers' top players were dominant, giving Ingram plenty of support as he collected his second win in as many starts. The 28-year-old netminder has started consecutive contests, and with the pair of wins, he's in a great position to continue challenging Calvin Pickard's grip on the starting job in the absence of Tristan Jarry (lower body). The Oilers have a rematch with the Flames in Calgary on Saturday to resume the season after the holiday break.

Thompson allowed six goals on 20 shots Tuesday in a 7-3 loss to the Rangers.

Tuesday was a hot mess for the Caps, who were leading until Taylor Raddysh tied the game 3-3 on a fluke deflection at 8:10 of the third period. The floodgates opened, and Thompson was hung out to dry. The Rangers sniped five unanswered goals. Thompson is 1-3-1 with one shutout and 17 goals allowed in his last five starts. Overall, the Caps have lost six of seven games (1-4-2), so Thompson needs to be benched until the team gets this figured out. He's solid, but he's not a superstar.

Shesterkin made 29 saves in a 7-3 win over the Capitals on Tuesday.

The game was tight until the second half of the third period when Shesterkin's teammates scored five unanswered goals, starting at the 8:10 mark, to seal the win. He's 4-1-0 in his last five starts, but he's done it with an .887 save percentage, including two four-goal games.

Gibson made 19 saves in a 4-3 overtime win over Dallas on Tuesday.

Two of the goals came on the power play. December has been Gibson's month. He's 8-0-0 with two shutouts and a .927 save percentage. Gibson's overall stat line remains average (3.01 GAA and .891 save percentage), so there might be a manager or two who haven't noticed he's gotten hot. You might be able to get him relatively cheap.

DeSmith made 21 saves in a 4-3 overtime loss to Detroit.

DeSmith was leading until 15:57 of the third when Dylan Larkin beat him, and then Larkin scored again 34 seconds into the overtime frame. The four goals were the most DeSmith has allowed since his first game of the season (Oct. 16; five goals). That's also the last time he lost in regulation -- he's 9-0-4 in 13 starts since, and his 2.33 GAA and .915 save percentage overall continue to shine. DeSmith is one of the NHL's best backups.

Daccord will protect the road goal versus the Kings on Tuesday, Dennis Bernstein of The Fourth Period reports.

Daccord will take the second half of a back-to-back after Philipp Grubauer won a 3-1 game over the Ducks on Monday. Daccord has allowed nine goals on 129 shots while going 2-2-0 over his last four games. The Kings are also playing their second game in as many days, so this could be a sloppy game despite both teams having solid defensive structures.

Copley will protect the home goal versus the Kraken on Tuesday, John Hoven of SiriusXM NHL Network Radio reports.

Copley will make his first NHL appearance of 2025-26 as the Kings play in the second half of a back-to-back. The 33-year-old will get a fairly easy assignment -- the Kraken have scored 14 goals over their last six contests and played Monday as well, earning a 3-1 win over the Ducks.