NHL Player News

Ersson turned aside 31 of 35 shots in Tuesday's 5-3 loss to the Red Wings, with Detroit's final goal getting scored into an empty net.

Making his first start of the season, Ersson's misplay on a bouncing puck early in the first period led directly to an Alex DeBrincat tally and sparked a four-goal surge for the home side that put the game out of reach. With Linus Ullmark (undisclosed) banged up, Ersson could be in line for more work than expected in the short term, but he'll need better performances than this to hang onto his spot as Ottawa's No. 2 netminder. Ullmark's availability will determine which of them is between the pipes Thursday in a home clash with the Flyers.

Dobes stopped 28 of 33 shots in Tuesday's 6-4 loss to the Hurricanes, with Carolina's final goal getting scored into an empty net.

Montreal got out-shot 34-20 on the night, and none of the pucks that got past Dobes came from long distance as his defense gave up plenty of high-danger chances. It was the first regulation loss of the season for the 25-year-old netminder, who's gone 1-1-1 in three starts with a rough 4.43 GAA, allowing 13 goals on 91 shots. His ratios should improve, but the Habs will need to tighten up their play in their own zone for Dobes to post numbers similar to his 2025-26 performance (2.78 GAA, .901 save percentage).

Bussi made 16 saves in Tuesday's 6-4 win over the Canadiens.

Montreal built a 3-2 lead in a wild first period, but Bussi settled down the rest of the way while Carolina's offense kept rolling. It was the first win in three starts this season for the 28-year-old netminder, who has a somewhat shaky 3.24 GAA in the early going while giving up 10 goals on 67 shots. Bussi is still the clear No. 1 between the pipes for the defending Stanley Cup champs, but Pyotr Kochetkov could get the nod at home Thursday against the Canucks.

Saros made 32 saves in a 5-4 overtime loss to Toronto on Tuesday.

The Preds staked him a 3-0 lead and then the team allowed the Leafs to claw its way back for the home win. The 31-year-old Saros is hoping to rebound after two difficult seasons where he went 48-53-14 and delivered below league-average GAA and save percentages. The Preds are in a retool right now, and oddmakers have the team finishing outside the playoffs. Saros has enough talent to change that by himself, but the demons of his last two seasons will need to be exorcised first.

Stolarz made 21 saves Tuesday in a 5-4 overtime victory over the Predators.

Stolarz and Sergei Bobrovsky have split the Leafs games so far, and the former has had the better go of it. While he has allowed five goals in two games, Stolarz has won both his starts (Bob is still looking for his first), and he sports a 2.44 GAA and .904 save percentage. Try to marry these two on your fantasy roster. The Leafs will preserve Bobrovsky for a potential shot at the postseason, so Stolarz will get a lot of starts.

Allen made 26 saves in a 5-3 loss to Utah on Tuesday.

Allen has started 1-1-0 with a 3.47 GAA and .875 save percentage. He has been OK, but not great so far, just like the entire team. Head coach Sheldon Keefe showed his frustration post-game: "The goals against, they weren't even structure-related but habit-related. Stopping the puck, don't expose good ice, don't get beat back to your net. Very fundamental things that we just have to do a better job of." Allen isn't the kind of goalie who can carry a team that struggles, so the whole squad needs to clean up its game before his fantasy value can climb.

Vejmelka made 30 saves in a 5-3 win over the Devils on Tuesday.

He has started three of Utah's first four games, going 2-1-0 with one shutout, a 2.02 GAA and .913 save percentage. Vejmelka finished second in the NHL last season with 38 wins in 63 starts, and he is poised to carry a similarly heavy workload this year. His fantasy value will skyrocket if he can maintain the kind of ratios he's delivering so far. Last year, he finished with a 2.75 GAA and .897 save percentage.

Kuemper allowed two goals on 28 shots in Tuesday's 2-1 loss to the Panthers.

Kuemper's second start of the season went significantly better than his first, when he gave up eight goals on 29 shots to the Avalanche. The 36-year-old still took the loss, but he allowed just one goal in each of the second and third periods. Kuemper and Anton Forsberg have both started slow this season, and it's possible the Kings use a timeshare in the crease rather than leaning on either goalie for the majority of the starts. The Kings' next game is a tough one on the road in Vegas on Saturday.

Markstrom stopped 19 of 20 shots in Tuesday's 2-1 win over the Kings.

The Kings struck first on Alex Laferriere's goal late in the first period, but Markstrom locked things down after that to help the Panthers pull off a comeback win. Markstrom is now 2-0-1 with four goals allowed on just 56 shots over three games this season. If the Panthers' defense continues to be this sharp, he won't have to do a lot to pile up wins throughout the years, though the absence of Aleksander Barkov (knee) hurts the team's overall structure. The Panthers are heading home to face the Wild on Saturday in their next game.

Grubauer stopped six of seven shots in relief of Joey Daccord in Tuesday's 6-2 loss to the Golden Knights.

Grubauer played the third period after a lackluster performance from Daccord and the Kraken as a whole over the first 40 minutes. Grubauer has done well in two outings this season, giving up three goals on 31 shots against playoff-caliber opponents. The 34-year-old netminder could work his way into a more even split of playing time if he continues to do well. The Kraken are heading on the road for a five-game trip, which begins in Detroit on Friday.