NHL Player News

Gibson (lower body) will defend the crease on the road versus Nashville on Thursday, Derek Lee of The Hockey News reports.

Gibson will suit up for the first time since facing the Canucks on March 5, a game in which he gave up two goals on 21 shots before being forced out of the game. With Gibson back in the mix, Ville Husso will be hard-pressed to see much in the way of starts, as Gibson will likely split the workload with Lukas Dostal.

Skinner is expected to defend the home crease against the Jets on Thursday, Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic reports.

Although Calvin Pickard has started two of the Oilers' last three games, Skinner will return to the net at home Thursday. Skinner has had mixed results recently, going 3-2-0 with a 2.60 GAA and .891 save percentage over his last five starts.

Kuemper will be between the road pipes against Chicago on Thursday, Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site reports.

Kuemper snapped a four-game winning streak Monday against the Wild by allowing two goals on 21 shots (.905 save percentage). However, he'll draw a fifth consecutive start Thursday and will have a favorable opportunity to bounce back, as the Blackhawks are converting just 2.69 goals per game this year, which is tied for the fifth-lowest mark in the league.

Vejmelka will be between the pipes at home against the Sabres on Thursday, Belle Fraser of The Salt Lake Tribune reports.

Vejmelka was pulled from Tuesday's game against the Oilers at the end of the first period after he allowed three goals on 14 shots. However, he'll have a chance to bounce back in his 12th consecutive start Thursday. Over his 11 starts since the 4 Nations break, he's gone 6-3-2 with a 2.31 GAA and .904 save percentage.

Bobrovsky will start Thursday's road game against the Blue Jackets.

Bobrovsky has taken losses in two of his last three starts, going 1-2-0 with a 2.76 GAA and .875 save percentage during that time. He'll attempt to bounce back against the Blue Jackets, who are tied for ninth in the NHL with 3.19 goals per game this year.

Montembeault will defend the road crease against the Islanders on Thursday.

Montembeault is in the midst of a three-game winning streak in which he's posted a 2.00 GAA and .923 save percentage. He'll draw a third consecutive start and will have a relatively favorable matchup, as the Islanders are scoring 2.70 goals per game this season, which is tied for the sixth-worst mark in the NHL.

Annunen will tend the twine at home versus Anaheim on Thursday, Emma Lingan of The Hockey News reports.

Annunen has played in just five games over the Predators' last 14 contests, posting a 2-2-1 record, 3.14 GAA and .885 save percentage. If the young backstop can put together a strong performance, he should be capable of pushing Juuse Saros for more opportunities.

Wolf is slated to start Thursday's road game against New Jersey, Derek Wills of Sportsnet 960 The Fan reports.

Wolf hasn't had results go his way in recent weeks, as he's gone 2-3-2 with a 2.66 GAA and .907 save percentage over his last seven starts. He hasn't yet started against the Devils this year, but they have a middling offense, as they're tied for 14th in the NHL with 2.97 goals per game.

Binnington will be between the home pipes during Thursday's home game against the Canucks, Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic reports.

Binnington has been effective since the 4 Nations break, going 6-2-0 with a 2.42 GAA and .903 save percentage. The Canucks are generating just 2.78 goals per game this season, which is the 10th-worst mark in the NHL.

DeSmith will serve as the starting netminder for Thursday's home game against the Lightning, Brien Rea of FanDuel Sports Network Southwest reports.

DeSmith has seen sporadic playing time in recent weeks, but he's picked up wins in each of his last six starts while posting a 2.01 GAA and .931 save percentage during that time. He'll face a tough test against the Lightning, as they rank second in the league with 3.51 goals per game.