NHL Player News

  • Oilers' Stuart Skinner: Strong but lacks support in loss

    Skinner stopped 15 of 16 shots in Tuesday's 1-0 loss to the Golden Knights.

    Skinner took the hard-luck loss here, as the Oilers couldn't get any of their 28 shots past Adin Hill. The 26-year-old Skinner has gone 3-2-0 with 11 goals allowed over his last five starts, finding more steady play between the pipes after a tumultuous first month of the campaign. The Edmonton native is 8-7-2 with a 2.97 GAA and an .889 save percentage through 17 starts this season. The Oilers will look to regroup at home Thursday versus another team that got shut out Tuesday, the Blue Jackets.

  • Adin Hill G | LV

    Golden Knights' Adin Hill: Steps up big in shutout win

    Hill posted a 28-save shutout in Tuesday's 1-0 win over the Oilers.

    Hill had to protect that 1-0 lead for nearly 50 minutes after Ivan Barbashev scored at 10:47 of the first period. The 28-year-old Hill did his part and came away with his second shutout of the season while earning his third win in his last four starts. He's gone seven outings without allowing more than three goals. The 28-year-old is 11-4-2 with a 2.67 GAA and a .900 save percentage over 17 starts. He's been splitting time pretty evenly with Ilya Samsonov lately, but Hill has been the better goalie over the last two-plus weeks, so he may be due to see a larger role. That said, Samsonov will likely start the second half of a back-to-back when the Golden Knights visit the Ducks on Wednesday.

  • Panthers' Spencer Knight: Struggling to keep lights on

    Knight made 11 saves in a 5-4 loss to Pittsburgh on Tuesday.

    Knight sat back in the third and watched his teammates roar back from a 4-1 deficit with three goals in 4:33 to force OT. The winner came on a 2-on-1 just 1:31 into the extra frame. Knight will be the guy in the blue paint while Sergei Bobrovsky (personal) is away from the team because of the birth of his child. Unfortunately, he's 1-3-1 including a shutout in his last five starts. He has allowed 12 goals in the other four games. Knight may not be your best option right now, but don't count him out either - the kid's elite talent will keep him in games and help you win.

  • Capitals' Logan Thompson: Kept team in low-scoring game

    Thompson made 29 saves in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Sharks on Tuesday

    The Caps were strong in the first and then let their game slide in the second and third frames, leaving Thompson to fend off the better-than-expected Sharks. After the Caps tied the game in the second, the Sharks outshot them 18-6 for the remainder of the game, including 13-4 in the third alone. Thompson, who is 10-1-2 with a 2.52 GAA and .913 save percentage, has been the strong side of a platoon with Charlie Lindgren (7-5-0, 2.95 GAA and .893 save percentage) and a revelation this season. Expect the two men to continue to split starts going forward, though -- the team will need both men sharp down the stretch to maintain its strong play.

  • Dan Vladar G | CGY

    Flames' Dan Vladar: Picks up shutout win

    Vladar posted a 16-save shutout in Tuesday's 3-0 win over the Blue Jackets.

    Vladar bounced back from his worst start of the season, a six-goal meltdown in Pittsburgh on Saturday, to earn his second shutout of the campaign. The 27-year-old netminder has done a decent job in a timeshare role this season. He's at 5-5-3 with a 2.65 GAA and a .904 save percentage through 13 appearances. Vladar's outing Tuesday marked just the second time he's started consecutive games all season, though he may get a third straight nod given the win. The Flames host the Blues on Thursday.

  • Sharks' Mackenzie Blackwood: Stifles Caps offense

    Blackwood made 27 saves Tuesday in s 2-1 win over Washington.

    Blacky made some great saves in the first period and then locked the net down after Nic Dowd's goal at 13:02 of the second. Otherwise, he flat-out stifled the Caps offense on Tuesday, especially as San Jose had to kill off three penalties. Blackwood has won two straight games, and he has a .909 save percentage in 19 games played this season.

  • Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Gets no help in loss

    Merzlikins stopped 19 of 21 shots in Tuesday's 3-0 loss to the Flames. The third goal was an empty-netter.

    Merzlikins played well in a close game, but the Flames got two power-play goals from defensemen. This was enough to hand Merzlikins his first regulation loss in eight outings. The 30-year-old netminder is down to 8-6-2 with a 3.00 GAA and an .894 save percentage over 16 starts. He'll likely split the Blue Jackets' upcoming back-to-back with Daniil Tarasov. That pair of games features tricky matchups against the Oilers on Thursday and the Canucks on Friday.

  • Jets' Connor Hellebuyck: Loses again Tuesday

    Hellebuyck stopped 28 of 31 shots in Tuesday's 4-1 loss to the Blues. The fourth goal was an empty-netter.

    Hellebuyck's losing streak is now at three games, though he's allowed just eight goals on 93 shots in that span. The Jets have given him exactly one goal of support in each of those losses -- of Hellebuyck's five defeats this year, he's received multiple goals of support just once. He's down to 15-5-0 with a 2.16 GAA and a .927 save percentage over 20 starts. Given he's played fairly well during the skid, the Jets have little reason to rest their starter -- expect him to be in goal Thursday against the Sabres.

  • Joel Hofer G | STL

    Blues' Joel Hofer: Sharp in win

    Hofer allowed one goal on 23 shots in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Jets.

    Hofer picked up his second win in a row to bounce back from a three-game losing streak. The 24-year-old has run a little streaky in the backup role for the Blues this year -- he won his first three starts of the season. He's now 5-3-0 with a 2.93 GAA and a .904 save percentage over eight appearances. Hofer has played once every three or four games for the most part, so it's unclear when he might start again since the Blues don't have a back-to-back on their road trip through western Canada. Their next stop is Thursday in Calgary.

  • Canadiens' Sam Montembeault: Comes out on top

    Montembeault stopped 30 of 31 shots in Tuesday's 2-1 overtime win over the Islanders.

    Montembeault got the better of Ilya Sorokin in a goalie battle at Bell Centre. The win put an end to a three-game losing streak for the goalie, who's been largely inconsistent through 19 outings (18 starts). He brings a 2.99 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage into Thursday's home game against Nashville.

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