NHL Player News

Merilainen will patrol the road crease in Saturday's clash against the Oilers, per Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet.

Merilainen will make his second consecutive start Saturday, where he'll look to bounce back after struggling against the Jets. Across 12 outings this season, the 24-year-old Merilainen has posted a 2-6-1 record, a 3.56 GAA and an .889 save percentage. Even though he's cooled off after a strong start to the season, he's outplayed Kevin Lankinen so far this season and remains the top option for the Canucks. However, he'll be a difficult fantasy option to trust Saturday against the league's top offense.

Blackwood will defend the home crease in Saturday's game against the Red Wings, per Aarif Deen of Colorado Hockey Now.

Blackwood has been steady over his last six appearances, as he's avoided losing in regulation despite posting mixed numbers. Overall, the 29-year-old netminder now has an 8-3-1 record, a 2.81 GAA and an .893 save percentage across 13 appearances this season. While he was handed an overtime loss in his most recent outing, he'll have a more favorable matchup Saturday against the Red Wings, who currently rank 25th in the NHL with 2.76 goals per game this season. Start Blackwood with confidence in all fantasy leagues for the time being.

Jarry (illness) will be available to play in Saturday's home clash against the Canucks, per Janson Duench of The Athletic.

Jarry missed Thursday's clash due to an illness, but he'll return to the lineup to back up Devon Levi on Saturday. Prior to the illness, Jarry put together solid numbers, compiling a 4-1-3 record, a 2.57 GAA, two shutouts and an .898 save percentage across eight appearances this season. Fantasy managers outside of deep leagues might want to hold off on adding either Levi or Jarry for the time being, as it remains to be seen how the Oilers' will divide the opportunities in net with the former back from injured reserve. However, Jarry remains a solid option in deep leagues given his recent success.

Oettinger will get the nod for Saturday's home matchup against San Jose, per Lia Assimakopoulos of The Dallas Morning News.

Oettinger has won his last two outings while allowing six goals on 50 shots. He owns an 8-3-1 record, a 1.91 GAA, a .909 save percentage and three shutouts in 12 appearances this season. San Jose (7-10-1) sits 30th in the league in the 2026-27 campaign with 2.44 goals per game.

Levi (undisclosed) will defend the home crease in Saturday's clash against the Canucks, per Janson Duench of The Athletic.

Levi will be activated off injured reserve ahead of Saturday's contest to make his return following a seven-game absence. When healthy, the 24-year-old backstop has been solid with a 6-1-0 record, a 3.11 GAA and an .887 save percentage across seven appearances. Prior to going down, he appeared to be the lead netminder in Edmonton, as he made three sets of consecutive starts. The Oilers' crease will be closely monitored over the team's next few outings for fantasy purposes, as Tristan Jarry (illness) is also making his return Saturday. Levi will draw a favorable matchup Saturday against the Canucks, making him a solid spot start in most leagues.

Fowler will guard the road net in Saturday's clash against the Maple Leafs, per Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports.

Fowler will look to shake off Tuesday's historic loss, as the Habs' defense fell apart down the stretch to allow the Jets to steal a 5-4 win in overtime. Thursday's outing was one of the only knocks on an impressive season for Fowler, who has compiled a 7-1-1 record, a 2.17 GAA, two shutouts and a .925 save percentage over nine appearances. He remains a solid fantasy option in all formats given his hot start to the season. Despite the tough matchup, start the 21-year-old netminder with confidence Saturday against the Maple Leafs.

Saros will patrol the home crease in Saturday's clash against the Blues, per Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site.

Saros will look to pick up where he left off, as he was excellent in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the defending champs. Overall, he has a 4-3-4 record, a 2.77 GAA and a .908 save percentage across 11 outings this season. He's slated to be a solid No. 2 goalie option in all fantasy formats Saturday against the Blues, who rank 19th in the NHL with 3.06 goals per game so far this season.

Hildeby will guard the road goal against Minnesota on Saturday, Lightning reporter Gabby Shirley reports.

In his last outing, Hildeby made 23 saves in a 5-4 overtime loss to Utah on Oct. 24. He has surrendered nine goals on 78 shots during his 2-0-1 start to the 2026-27 campaign. Minnesota (12-3-3) ranks 13th in the league this season with 3.33 goals per game.

Hofer will defend the road goal in Saturday's clash against the Predators, per Lou Korac of NHL.com.

Hofer played well in his last appearance, making 28 saves, but he was left on an island by his offense and was handed the loss. Overall, the 26-year-old netminder has a6-4-1 record, a 2.39 GAA, a shutout, and a .918 save percentage across 11 appearances. He remains the clear No. 1 option in St. Louis given Jordan Binnington's struggles over the past two seasons. Hofer will draw a favorable matchup Saturday in Nashville, making him a strong No. 2 goalie option in all fantasy formats.

Sorokin is expected to guard the home net in Saturday's clash against New Jersey, per Andrew Gross of Newsday.

With Saturday's start, Sorokin will take sole possession of second place for most goalie appearances in Islanders history, trailing only Billy Smith. Across 10 appearances in the 2026-27 campaign, the 31-year-old Sorokin has posted a 6-4-0 record, a 2.41 GAA, a shutout and a .911 save percentage. He'll face a relatively tough matchup Saturday against New Jersey, but fantasy managers should start Sorokin with confidence given his track record as a consistent top-10 goalie in the NHL.