NHL Player News

Forsberg stopped 23 of 24 shots in Wednesday's 2-1 overtime win over the Blues.

The Kings turned to Forsberg in the first half of a back-to-back, and he delivered a strong outing to get a critical win. This was the first time he allowed fewer than three goals in a start since Feb. 28 versus the Flames, which explains why Darcy Kuemper has seen the bulk of the work since the start of March. Forsberg improved to 12-11-5 with a 2.74 GAA and a .903 save percentage over 31 contests this season. Kuemper will be between the pipes Thursday versus the Predators in another pivotal matchup, and if he struggles, it could open the door for Forsberg to see more time over the last two weeks of the season.

Wedgewood stopped five of six shots in relief of Mackenzie Blackwood in Wednesday's 8-6 loss to the Canucks.

The Canucks also had an empty-netter after Wedgewood came off the ice for an extra attacker. It was a tough-luck loss for Wedgewood after the Avalanche rallied to tie the game at 6-6 in the third period. For the season, Wedgewood is down to 27-6-6 with a 2.19 GAA and a .916 save percentage over 41 appearances. He's been the better of the Avalanche's two goalies lately, going 6-2-1 over his last nine outings with just 13 goals allowed on 191 shots. Expect both netminders to get a game over the weekend as the Avalanche visit the Stars on Saturday and host the Blues on Sunday.

Blackwood stopped 13 of 19 shots in Wednesday's 8-6 loss to the Canucks.

While it looked like a good matchup in theory, Blackwood's dreadful performance likely burned a lot of fantasy managers at a bad time of year. The silver lining was that he didn't end up with the loss, as the Avalanche were able to cover his damage. He's gone just 4-3-0 with 30 goals allowed on 194 shots over his last 10 outings, though Blackwood is still seeing the edge for playing time over Scott Wedgewood, who allowed one goal on six shots in relief. Blackwood remains at 21-9-1 with a 2.57 GAA and an .899 save percentage over 34 appearances this season. He'll likely start one of the next two games as the Avalanche visit the Stars on Saturday before hosting the Blues on Sunday.

Lankinen stopped 24 of 30 shots in Wednesday's 8-6 win over the Avalanche.

The Canucks were up 6-2 at one point, but Lankinen let in four straight after that. Marcus Pettersson saved the day late, scoring the game-winner at 14:21 of the third period and setting up Brock Boeser for an empty-netter. This ended a stretch of six outings without a win for Lankinen, though it's no surprise that he struggled even in a victory. The 30-year-old netminder is now 9-26-5 with a 3.69 GAA and an .875 save percentage over 44 appearances this season. Nikita Tolopilo is likely to get the nod in Minnesota on Thursday.

Clang logged a 27-save shutout in AHL San Diego's 3-0 win over Tucson on Wednesday.

Clang has earned all three of his AHL shutouts this season. He's matched his career high with 32 appearances, posting a 16-8-6 record with a 2.75 GAA and an .896 save percentage. The Swedish netminder has done a fine job, but it would take an injury to Lukas Dostal or Ville Husso for Clang to get an NHL call-up.

Copley posted a 23-save shutout in AHL Ontario's 7-0 win over Coachella Valley on Wednesday.

Copley wasn't all that busy in the lopsided contest. This was his first shutout in 32 appearances this season. He's up to 20-11-1 with a 2.64 GAA and an .899 save percentage, though he's 9-1-1 over his last 11 contests.

Postava posted an 18-save shutout in AHL Grand Rapids' 5-0 win over Rockford on Wednesday.

Postava earned his third shutout of the campaign. He's up to 14-6-0 with a 1.77 GAA and a .935 save percentage, showing that he can keep pace with prospect goalie Sebastian Cossa. Postava was recently with the Red Wings as a backup while Cam Talbot (undisclosed) was ailing, but Postava still has some developing to do before challenging for an NHL job.

Dostal will guard the road goal versus the Sharks on Wednesday, Max Miller of NHL.com reports.

Dostal went 6-3-1 with a 3.07 GAA and an .889 save percentage over 10 outings in March. The Ducks have alternated him with Ville Husso over the last six games and will continue that trend Wednesday, which may be a method to give Dostal rest before the Ducks' likely playoff run. The Sharks have scored 12 goals over their last four contests.

Kuemper will protect the home goal versus the Predators on Thursday, Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site reports.

Kuemper was pulled Saturday versus the Mammoth, and even with three days between games, he'll fill the backup role Wednesday against the Blues. Kuemper should see a majority of the starts down the stretch as the Kings compete for a playoff spot. The Kings have just one more back-to-back after this week's set.

Forsberg will start in goal at home versus the Blues on Wednesday, Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site reports.

Forsberg will take the first half of the back-to-back to afford Darcy Kuemper an extra day of rest. Forsberg was perfect in relief of Kuemper on Saturday versus the Mammoth, stopping all 11 shots he faced. The Blues have played well lately, winning four of their last six games with 18 goals scored in that span.