NHL Player News

Shesterkin is set to start on the road against Tampa Bay on Wednesday, per Mollie Walker of the New York Post.

Shesterkin stopped 27 of 30 shots en route to a 6-3 win over Nashville on Monday. He's 5-6-2 with a 2.46 GAA and a .909 save percentage in 13 outings this year. Tampa Bay has an 8-5-2 record and ranks 16th in goals per game with 3.07.

Pickard will be between the pipes for Thursday's road clash with the Blue Jackets, Oilers play-by-play announcer Jack Michaels reports.

Pickard has seriously underwhelmed this season, giving up four or more goals in four of his six outings to start the year. The veteran netminder is 2-2-1 with an .836 save percentage. With the Oilers utilizing Stuart Skinner on the road against the Flyers on Wednesday, that will give Pickard the nod for the second half of the back-to-back.

Skinner will get the starting nod on the road against the Flyers on Wednesday, Oilers play-by-play announcer Jack Michaels reports.

Skinner will make his fourth straight appearance in the crease, having gone 1-1-1 despite a 4.31 GAA in his last three outings. Fortunately for the 27-year-old backstop, he doesn't need to be perfect to pick up wins when backed by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Still, Skinner could be in danger of losing opportunities to Calvin Pickard if he doesn't improve his save percentage.

Vladar is set to start at home against Edmonton on Wednesday.

Vladar has won his past two starts while stopping 39 of 44 shots (.886 save percentage). He's 6-3-0 with a 2.18 GAA and a .917 save percentage in nine outings this year. Edmonton ranks 17th in goals per game this year with 3.06.

Montembeault turned aside 21 of 25 shots in Tuesday's 5-1 loss to Los Angeles, with the Kings' final goal getting scored into an empty net.

The Habs spotted Montembeault a 1-0 lead late in the first period, but it evaporated quickly in the second as the Kings struck three times in the first six minutes of the frame. The 29-year-old netminder has given up at least four goals in five of his last seven starts, stumbling to a 3.80 GAA and .853 save percentage over that stretch with a 3-3-1 record.

Kuemper stopped 21 shots in Tuesday's 5-1 win over the Canadiens.

Josh Anderson ripped a shot over Kuemper's glove late in the first period to give the Habs a 1-0 lead, but the veteran netminder shut down Montreal the rest of the way as his offense roared to life. Kuemper has won three straight starts while allowing only three goals on 78 shots. He has a 6-3-3 record in 12 outings this season with a 2.40 GAA and a .908 save percentage.

Kochetkov didn't face a shot in 3:36 of ice time after replacing Frederik Andersen (concussion) late in the third period of Tuesday's 4-1 loss to the Capitals.

Kochetkov was on the bench for an extra skater when Alex Ovechkin scored Washington's final tally into an empty net. The two Carolina netminders had been alternating starts since Kochetkov recovered from a lower-body injury and made his season debut Nov. 4. The 26-year-old Kochetkov could see his workload increase significantly in the short term if the team is cautious with Andersen, who has had multiple concussions in his career.

Thompson made 30 saves in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Hurricanes.

Nikolaj Ehlers jammed home a rebound midway through the second period, but that was the only puck to get past Thompson on the night. The 28-year-old netminder continues to build an early Vezina case, as he has yet to allow more than three goals in a start while going 7-4-0 with a 1.56 GAA and .935 save percentage.

Demko (lower body) is expected to be evaluated Wednesday and Thursday before a timetable for his recovery will be determined, per Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK.

Demko's current injury is a new issue that's unrelated to past injuries, including the undisclosed problem that resulted in him skipping Saturday's and Sunday's games against Columbus and Colorado, respectively. Assuming Demko misses time, Kevin Lankinen will probably get the bulk of the starts during Demko's absence, but Jiri Patera might end up getting into some games as well.

Skarek posted a 27-save shutout in AHL San Jose's 7-0 win over Abbotsford on Tuesday.

Skarek took advantage of a reeling opponent, and he received plenty of support to earn his first shutout of the season. Through six outings, Skarek has a 3.63 GAA and an .875 save percentage despite posting a 4-2-0 record. It may have been a good time to make an impression -- Alex Nedeljkovic (personal) is away from the Sharks during their road trip, which likely means the big club will need to call up either Skarek or Gabriel Carriere. The latter has posted better numbers this season, but Skarek is more experienced.