NHL Player News

Daccord gave up two goals on 25 shots in Thursday's 2-1 loss to the Golden Knights.

Daccord has started five straight games in April, going 3-2-0 with 11 goals allowed, though seven of them were in Tuesday's game in Utah. The 28-year-old netminder will not be able to reach the 30-win mark after Thursday's loss dropped him to 27-22-5 with two contests left on the Kraken's schedule. He's added a 2.69 GAA and a .908 save percentage over 56 appearances. Philipp Grubauer (illness) was cleared to back up Thursday, but it's unclear if he'll play Saturday versus the Blues or Tuesday against the Kings.

Hogberg surrendered eight goals in Thursday's 9-2 loss to the Rangers.

Hogberg got the nod with Ilya Sorokin (upper body) on the shelf. However, Hogberg wasn't particularly effective. Even if he sees an uptick in playing time late in the regular season, fantasy managers should avoid him, as he last won Jan. 18, and he's gone 0-3-2 with a 4.68 GAA and .840 save percentage over seven appearances since then.

Hill stopped 24 of 25 shots in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Kraken.

Hill has won seven of his last nine outings, and this was the fourth time in that stretch he's allowed just one goal. It was a fluky one that broke up his shutout bid Thursday, as Jared McCann poked home the puck amid a scramble near the net. Hill is up to 31-13-5 with a 2.46 GAA and a .908 save percentage over 49 starts this season. He has alternated starts with Akira Schmid lately -- if that workload pattern continues, Schmid would play Saturday versus the Predators, and Hill would be in line to start Tuesday against the Flames, though it's unclear if Ilya Samsonov (upper body) will be ready to return prior to either of those games.

Vejmelka allowed three goals on 31 shots in Thursday's 4-3 shootout loss to the Predators.

Vejmelka took just his second loss in his last six outings. The 28-year-old squandered a two-goal lead before giving up the lone shootout tally to Filip Forsberg. For the season, Vejmelka is 25-21-8 with a 2.51 GAA and a .907 save percentage over 56 appearances. Vejmelka has started 22 consecutive games, and it's unclear if head coach Andre Tourigny has any plans to give the netminder rest after Utah was eliminated from playoff contention while idle Wednesday. Utah's last three games are on the road, beginning with Saturday's matchup against the Stars.

Saros stopped 39 of 42 shots in Thursday's 4-3 shootout win over Utah.

Saros snapped a three-game losing streak, during which he gave up 12 goals, with this strong performance. The Predators erased a two-goal deficit, and while they couldn't hold a lead for long in the third period, Saros was sharp late and also stopped all three shootout attempts. He's up to 19-30-6 with a 2.96 GAA and an .895 save percentage over 56 outings. This will go down as Saros' worst full year in the NHL, though the 29-year-old could still get a couple more games to try to finish on a high note. The Predators visit the Golden Knights on Saturday.

Shesterkin made 44 saves in a 9-2 win over the Islanders on Thursday.

The Rangers provided plenty of offensive support, scoring four goals in the first period and another four tallies in the third. However, Shesterkin was still excellent between the pipes, posting a standout performance. He hasn't delivered a Shesterkin-like season -- he's 26-28-5 with a 2.87 GAA and .905 save percentage. The Rangers are a long shot to make the postseason, as the team needs to win all three remaining contests, and the Canadiens can't pick up a point. Shesterkin will be up to the challenge.

Blackwood stopped 26 of 29 shots in Thursday's 4-1 loss to the Canucks. The fourth goal was an empty-netter.

Blackwood put in a decent effort, but the Avalanche's offense was drastically less effective without Nathan MacKinnon (undisclosed). The 28-year-old Blackwood has allowed 12 goals while going 1-3-0 over his last four games. He's now 28-20-6 on the year with a 2.50 GAA and a .913 save percentage. The Avalanche wrap up their regular season with a road back-to-back this weekend, so expect Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood to split the next two games, which are Saturday in Los Angeles and Sunday in Anaheim.

Bobrovsky made 27 saves in a 4-1 win over Detroit on Thursday.

Alex DeBrincat was the only Wing to beat him; it came early in the first period. Bobrovsky has won two straight games, and he allowed only one goal in each contest. Bob's 2.39 GAA puts him fifth in the NHL this season and his .908 save percentage is 15th in the league. Bobrovsky is peaking for the postseason, but daily managers need to watch his deployment carefully. The Panthers have three games left, and they will likely give him some rest heading into the postseason.

Lankinen stopped 31 of 32 shots in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Avalanche.

Lankinen didn't have to deal with Nathan MacKinnon (undisclosed), which ended up making the Avalanche a much easier opponent. This was Lankinen's second win in his last seven outings, and the first time in five games he's allowed fewer than three goals. He's now at a 25-15-9 record with a 2.63 GAA and a .901 save percentage over 49 appearances. The Canucks are out of playoff contention, so Lankinen could see an uptick in playing time if the team decides not to risk Thatcher Demko's health over the last three games.

Talbot made 27 saves Thursday in a 4-1 loss to Florida.

Since the start of April, Talbot has gone 2-2-1 with 12 goals allowed in five starts. But prior to that, he rang up six consecutive losses (21 goals allowed). Talbot had seen his starts decline after Petr Mrazek (head) was injured seven games ago. Mrazek returned Thursday as the backup, so Talbot could be relegated to the end of the pine again. Monitor carefully, especially in daily formats deep in the fantasy playoffs.