NHL Player News

Lankinen is expected to defend the road net against the Rangers on Sunday, according to Thomas Drance of The Athletic.

Lankinen has struggled mightily early in the 2026-27 campaign, posting a 1-4-0 record and surrendering 23 goals on 106 shots. The Rangers (4-2-0) have scored 16 goals in six outings to begin the season.

Garand will patrol the home crease against Vancouver on Sunday, Peter Baugh of The Athletic reports.

In two appearances this season, Garand has posted a 1-1-0 record while allowing only one goal on 34 shots. With Igor Shesterkin (lower body) and Joonas Korpisalo (lower body) unavailable, the 24-year-old Garand is poised to get a significant workload boost. Despite a 2-4-0 start to the 2026-27 campaign, Vancouver has scored 22 goals in six games.

Ellis stopped 26 of 30 shots on net in Saturday's 4-1 loss to the Mammoth.

After anchoring the Sabres to a victory in his season debut Tuesday, Ellis took a step back in Saturday's loss. He didn't surrender the lead until late in the second period, where Utah's Nick Schmaltz buried a power-play goal for the eventual game-winning tally. Ellis now holds a 1-1-0 record, a 2.90 GAA and an .880 save percentage across 50 shots on net between two outings. With Alex Lyon (upper body) still recovering from injury, Ellis should continue to see work in the interim with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen struggling as the lead option. Ellis is best in fantasy as a streaming option in deep leagues when given a favorable matchup.

Vejmelka halted 23 of 24 shots on net in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Sabres.

Vejmelka continued his solid start to the 2026-27 season Saturday, where he yielded just one power-play goal early in the contest. Being able to halt Buffalo's offense is no easy task, making his performance Saturday even more impressive than the numbers imply. Overall, the 30-year-old netminder now has a 3-1-0 record, a 2.13 GAA, a .907 save percentage and a shutout across five appearances. After compiling 38 wins across 64 regular-season outings in 2025-26, Vejmelka appears poised to challenge for 30-plus wins once again in the new season. He's a low-end No. 1 goalie option between the pipes in fantasy moving forward.

Blackwood made 17 saves in a 6-3 loss to Toronto on Saturday.

He allowed five goals. Blackwood is being given every chance to earn the starter's role, and he's 2-2-0 with a 3.30 GAA and .867 save percentage in four starts. Colorado will need more from him, especially with Scott Wedgewood (1-0-0) sitting on the end of the bench. Blackwood's battery-mate went 31-6-6 with four shutouts, a 2.02 GAA and .921 save percentage in 2025-26. The Avs play back-to-back games with the Stars this coming week and again against the Flyers and Devils the next week. Blackwood will need to nail the crease down in his half of the contests to avoid a controversy.

Bobrovsky made 30 saves Saturday in a 6-3 win over Colorado.

It was his first win as a member of the Maple Leafs. Bobrovsky is 1-2-1 with a 2.97 GAA and .907 save percentage in four starts. The two-time Vezina and Stanley Cup winner was brought into Toronto to help them win a Cup. Bob is doing his part. Now the team has to step up.

Kuemper stopped 30 of 32 shots in Saturday's 2-1 overtime loss to the Golden Knights.

Kuemper put in a good performance, but the Golden Knights' power play cashed in twice, and that was the difference. The 36-year-old is still searching for his first win of the year, opening with a 0-2-1 record and 12 goals allowed on 91 shots over three starts. The Kings have another tough matchup ahead when they host the red-hot Oilers on Tuesday.

Murray stopped 18 of 20 shots in Saturday's 3-2 shootout loss to the Senators.

Murray helped protect a 2-0 first-period lead before conceding a power-play goal to Tim Stutzle in the second. He remained steady for much of the third period, but Drake Batherson tied the contest with 1:23 remaining in regulation, and the Senators would eventually win the game in the shootout. Despite the loss, he delivered a respectable performance. He should remain Nashville's No. 2 goaltender until Justus Annunen (undisclosed) is ready to return, and when that happens, Murray will likely head back to AHL Milwaukee. Given his role, Murray shouldn't carry a ton of fantasy appeal outside of specific matchup-based scenarios.

Ullmark stopped 16 of 18 shots in Saturday's 3-2 shootout win over the Predators.

Ullmark endured a difficult opening period, surrendering goals to Ross Colton and Jonathan Marchessault as Nashville established a 2-0 lead. However, the veteran netminder settled down and kept the Predators scoreless through the final two periods and overtime, allowing Ottawa to complete its comeback. Ullmark finished with an .889 save percentage and extended his strong start to the campaign. He's won each of his first four starts while allowing two or fewer goals each time. That translates to an impressive 81 saves on 86 shots faced -- good for a .941 save percentage.

Hart allowed one goal on 27 shots in Saturday's 2-1 overtime win over the Kings.

This was Hart's best start of the season, and it had to be as the Golden Knights posted their lowest goal total of the campaign. The 28-year-old did his part, and goals by Trevor Connelly and Mitch Marner did the rest. Hart is 3-1-0 with nine goals allowed on 100 shots over his four outings this season. He'll continue to be the Golden Knights' top goalie as long as the results stay positive. Up next is a road back-to-back with stops in Minnesota on Monday and in Nashville on Tuesday, which will likely lead to Hart and Adin Hill splitting the next two games.