NHL Player News

Greaves rejected 29 of the 31 shots he saw in Thursday's 2-1 loss to Nashville.

While Greaves will start the 2025-26 campaign with a loss, he allowed just one goal through the first two periods of the contest before surrendering Ryan O'Reilly's game-winning tally on a Nashville power play early in the third. The 24-year-old Greaves now has a 0-1-0 record with a 2.04 GAA and a .935 save percentage. The young netminder showed elite flashes down the stretch last season, as he finished the year with a 7-2-2 record, 1.91 GAA and .938 save percentage in 11 appearances. Columbus head coach Dean Evason and the rest of the Blue Jackets' staff displayed their confidence in Greaves by giving him the starting nod Thursday over Elvis Merzlikins. However, the two goalies are expected to operate in a timeshare to open the season. Nonetheless, Greaves has breakout potential this season and is a top name to keep an eye on in fantasy. Thursday's performance is a strong building block for the 24-year-old moving forward.

Soderblom stopped 29 shots in Thursday's 4-3 overtime loss to Boston.

Getting the nod for Chicago's second game of the new campaign, Soderblom gave up a goal in each period, getting beaten for the winner by Fraser Minten in the extra frame. The 26-year-old netminder is expected to back up Spencer Knight this season, but it's not yet clear how much of a workload that will entail. Soderblom set career bests with 10 wins, a 3.18 GAA and an .898 save percentage over 36 appearances in 2024-25.

Saros stopped 37 of the 38 shots he faced in Thursday's 2-1 season-opening win over the Blue Jackets.

Saros bounced back from last year's struggles in a big way Thursday, allowing just one goal late in the first period to Blue Jackets forward Dmitri Voronkov. The 30-year-old Saros will begin the year with a 1-0-0 record, 1.00 GAA and .974 save percentage. Nashville's top netminder is coming off the worst statistical season of his career after posting 31 losses, a 2.98 GAA and an .895 save percentage across 58 appearances in 2024-25. This performance should serve as a confidence booster for Saros moving forward, as he is set to be a key factor for the Predators' livelihood this season. If he can string together a stretch of wins to begin the season, the netminder could return to the elite levels of fantasy production he posted in the early 2020s.

Hellebuyck stopped 32 of 37 shots in Thursday's 5-4 loss to the Stars.

The reigning Hart and Vezina Trophy winner failed to make a big impact in this season opener, allowing five goals en route to a loss. To put things into context, Hellebuyck allowed five or more goals just seven times throughout last year's regular season and playoffs. Fantasy managers should continue to trust Hellebuyck even if this wasn't the start of the season many hoped for. His next chance to play will come against the Kings on Saturday.

Oettinger stopped 21 of 25 shots in Thursday's 5-4 win over the Jets.

Oettinger was beaten once in the first period and three more times in the third, but the Stars provided him with enough support on offense so he could open the season with a win. Oettinger should be one of the best goaltenders in fantasy once again in 2025-26, as he figures to handle a big workload on a contending team. He went 36-18-4 with a 2.59 GAA and .909 save percentage last season.

Binnington stopped 16 of 21 shots in Thursday's 5-0 loss to the Wild.

Binnington was stellar in the preseason after posting a .973 save percentage on 73 shots faced, but he was unable to carry over those strong numbers in the campaign opener. Binnington went 28-22-5 with a 2.69 GAA and a .900 save percentage across 56 regular-season appearances in 2024-25, so there's a strong chance this subpar showing was just a one-off performance from the veteran netminder. Binnington will aim to bounce back when the Blues take on the Flames on Saturday.

Gustavsson stopped the 26 shots he faced in Thursday's 5-0 win over the Blues.

Gustavsson responded every time he was needed and couldn't have posted a stronger performance to open the season. The Swedish netminder had a 31-19-6 record, 2.56 GAA and .914 save percentage in 58 regular-season appearances with the Wild in 2024-25, and he figures to have a big workload again in 2025-26. His next chance to feature will come against the Blue Jackets on Saturday.

Nedeljkovic allowed four goals on 31 shots in Thursday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Golden Knights.

Vegas earned its first two goals, but Nedeljkovic had some sour luck on the last two. Jack Eichel tied the game at 18:26 of the third period with a long-range shot that skipped off the ice and eluded Nedeljkovic. In overtime, the 29-year-old netminder tried to play the puck well outside his crease but turned it over, allowing Reilly Smith to score the game-winner. It's a team debut to forget for Nedeljkovic, who will compete with Yaroslav Askarov for starts this season. Expect Askarov to get the nod in Saturday's home game against the Ducks.

Schmid stopped 20 of 23 shots in Thursday's 4-3 overtime win over the Sharks.

Schmid handled the second half of a back-to-back, but he never had a lead to protect. The Sharks took three separate leads, only for the Golden Knights to answer each one. A fluky goal on a dump-in by Jack Eichel tied it late in the third period, and Reilly Smith scored on a misplay by Alex Nedeljkovic to seal the win in overtime. Schmid didn't put a great effort on display in his season debut, but Adin Hill struggled in the season opener versus the Kings on Wednesday. It's still possible the Vegas crease ends up as a timeshare, but Schmid has a shorter leash if the team opts to upgrade its goaltending group. It'll likely be Hill between the pipes in Seattle on Saturday.

Dostal allowed three goals on 31 shots in Thursday's 3-1 loss to the Kraken.

Dostal gave up a tally in each period and didn't get enough help from his teammates to keep the game competitive. While it's a discouraging start to the year, Dostal is poised to take a step up in his second campaign as a full-time starter. The 25-year-old should continue to provide reliable goaltending, and if the Ducks improve as a team throughout the year, he'll collect more wins than the 23 he had over 54 outings in 2024-25. Dostal is a low-end No. 2 with potential in fantasy this season. The Ducks play in San Jose on Saturday for the second game of the campaign.