NHL Player News

Merilainen will get the starting nod on the road versus Los Angeles on Monday, Senators on-air host Jackson Starr reports.

Merilainen is riding a three-game winning streak, during which he has allowed just seven goals on 80 shots for a .912 save pecentage. While his run of wins is impressive, it has come over the course of about four weeks, which means he still won't provide much fantasy value. The Senators don't have any upcoming back-to-backs, so it could be a while before Merilainen gets the net again.

Vejmelka was the first goalie to exit the ice Monday, Cole Bagley of KSL Sports reports, indicating he'll defend the cage at home versus Vegas.

Vejmelka has posted middling results of late, going 2-1-2 with a 2.77 GAA in his last five outings. Despite the overtime losses, the 29-year-old netminder was able to secure his team at least a point in four of those contests, keeping the Mammoth in the hunt for a playoff spot. With one more win, Vejmelka will earn his 10th victory of the season, a threshold he's reached in each of his prior four NHL campaigns.

Quick (lower body) isn't expected to be in the lineup for Monday's home game against St. Louis, Vince Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic reports.

Quick has posted a 3-3-0 record while allowing 10 goals on 177 shots in six appearances this season. He is undergoing an evaluation to determine a timeline for his return. The Rangers recalled Dylan Garand on Sunday from AHL Hartford to serve as Igor Shesterkin's backup against the Blues.

Ersson will patrol the road crease versus the Lightning on Monday.

Ersson has allowed three or more goals in all but one of his six outings but has still managed a 3-1-2 record. Even with the wins, the Swedish netminder is sporting career-worst numbers in both GAA (3.30) and save percentage (.846) to start the year. With a back-to-back against the Islanders and Devils on Friday and Saturday, respectively, Ersson is in line to make multiple starts this week.

Hofer will tend the twine on the road versus the Rangers on Monday.

Hofer has been splitting the workload with Jordan Binnington of late, featuring in two of the Blues' last five outings. In those appearances, the 25-year-old Hofer hasn't exactly impressed, posting a 0-1-1 record with seven goals allowed on 62 shots. Still, it seems the starting job is up for grabs in St. Louis, and a win Monday could improve Hofer's chances of getting more opportunities in the crease.

Merzlikins will defend the road crease against Washington on Monday, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.

Merzlikins has seen limited playing time recently, starting just once in the Blue Jackets' last eight games while Jet Greaves has served as the primary netminder. However, Merzlikins will have a chance to tend the twine Monday against a tough opponent, as the Capitals rank seventh in the league with 3.23 goals per game this season.

Shesterkin was the first goalie off during Monday's morning skate, Vince Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic reports, indicating that he'll draw the home start against the Blues.

Shesterkin is in the midst of a two-game losing streak, in which he's given up seven goals on 59 shots (.881 save percentage). However, he had a three-game winning streak prior to his recent skid and will attempt to turn things around against the Blues, who are scoring 2.68 goals per game this season, which is tied for the fifth-worst mark in the NHL.

Vasilevskiy was the first goalie off Monday, Lightning reporter Gabby Shirley reports, indicating he'll be between the pipes at home versus the Flyers.

Vasilevskiy is riding a three-game winning streak during which he has allowed just three goals on 80 shots for a .963 save percentage. After a rough start to the year in which the veteran backstop lost five straight appearances, it seems Vasilevskiy has turned things around. In his last 10 outings, the Russian is 8-2-0 with a 2.06 GAA, though he is still looking for his first shutout of the 2025-26 campaign.

Thompson was the first goalie to leave the ice ahead of Monday's home game versus Columbus, Sammi Silber of The Hockey News reports, indicating he'll be in goal.

Thompson has given up four or more goals in three of his last four outings, posting a 1-2-1 record, 4.44 GAA and .840 save percentage in that span. If the 28-year-old backstop continues to struggle, it could open the door for Charlie Lindgren to get a few more opportunities between the pipes.

Rittich posted a 19-save shutout in Sunday's 1-0 shootout win over the Kraken.

Rittich didn't have much work in this game, as the 19 shots faced were a season low for the 33-year-old veteran, but he still responded when needed. This was his first shutout of the season, and it also extended Rittich's winning streak to three starts. Over that stretch, he's allowed just four goals on 72 shots for an impressive .944 save percentage. The Islanders seem to be rotating goaltenders, so there's a reasonable chance Rittich won't be defending the crease against the Bruins on Wednesday.