NHL Player News

Talbot will defend the cage on the road against the Panthers on Thursday, Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Talbot will look to extend his four-game winning streak during which he recorded a 2.98 GAA and .885 save percentage. After a winless December, the veteran backstop is now undefeated in January. Even with three netminders on the roster, Talbot will likely continue to see the bulk of the workload as long as he maintains his winning ways.

Hofer will guard the home crease versus Calgary on Thursday, according to Lou Korac of NHL.com.

Hofer gave up two goals on 23 shots in a 6-2 victory over Anaheim on Jan. 9, the last time he was between the pipes. Hofer is 9-4-1 with a 2.86 GAA and a .902 save percentage over 15 appearances this season. He will face the Flames, who are averaging 2.63 goals per game in 2024-25, which ranks 27th in the league.

Hellebuyck will defend the home crease against the Kraken on Thursday, Ken Wiebe of The Winnipeg Free Press reports.

Hellebuyck has been stellar over his last three starts, going 3-0-0 with a 1.00 GAA and .959 save percentage. He'll tend the twine for a third consecutive game and will have a relatively favorable opponent, as the Kraken rank 19th in the NHL with 2.91 goals per game.

Merilainen will tend the twine for Thursday's home matchup with Washington, Graeme Nichols of The Hockey News reports.

Merilainen will make his fourth consecutive start after posting an impressive 3-0-0 record, 0.67 GAA and two shutouts in his previous three tilts. With the 22-year-old backstop going Thursday, the team could decide to give Anton Forsberg the first game of a back-to-back against the Bruins on Saturday while saving Merilainen to face New Jersey on Sunday. Either way, Merilainen should continue to see plenty of starts moving forward given his strong level of play.

Georgiev will tend the twine on the road against Columbus on Thursday, Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers reports.

Georgiev snapped a six-game losing streak Tuesday against Detroit, and he'll attempt to stay hot in his second consecutive start Thursday. The 28-year-old has made eight starts since joining San Jose, going 2-6-0 with a 3.57 GAA and .887 save percentage. He'll have a tough test Thursday, as the Blue Jackets rank fifth in the NHL with 3.36 goals per game.

Ersson will patrol the visiting crease versus the Islanders on Thursday.

Ersson has won his last two starts, allowing three goals on 45 shots (.933 save percentage), including a 22-save shutout over Anaheim on Saturday. Ersson has been inconsistent for most of the season, going 11-7-2 with a solid 2.87 GAA but a mediocre .887 save percentage. The Islanders are averaging only 2.60 goals per game, which ranks 29th in the NHL this season.

Bobrovsky will patrol the home crease versus Detroit on Thursday, according to Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site.

Bobrovsky has struggled in his last two starts, going 0-1-1 while allowing eight goals on 47 shots (.830 save percentage). Overall, Bobrovsky is 18-10-2 with one shutout, a 2.78 GAA and an .899 save percentage this season. Bobrovsky had plenty of success last season against the Red Wings, as he was 3-0-1 with a pair of shutouts, allowing only five goals on 94 shots (.947 save percentage). The Red Wings are averaging 2.86 goals per game in 2024-25, which ranks 23rd in the NHL.

Sorokin was the first goalie off Thursday, Stefen Rosner of NHL.com reports, indicating that he'll draw the home start against the Flyers.

Sorokin sat out Saturday's game against Utah due to an illness, and he got the night off Tuesday against the Senators. However, he'll return to the net Thursday and will attempt to extend his win streak to three games. Across his last five starts, the 29-year-old has gone 3-2-0 with a 2.20 GAA and .921 save percentage.

Woll went through his regular game-day routine and is expected to be between the home pipes versus New Jersey on Thursday, according to David Alter of The Hockey News.

Woll has struggled in his last two starts, allowing nine goals on only 56 shots (.839 save percentage) en route to back-to-back losses. Overall, the netminder is 14-8-0 with one shutout, a 2.65 GAA and a .908 save percentage over 22 starts this season. The Devils are averaging 3.11 goals per game during the 2024-25 campaign, which ranks 11th in the NHL.

Merzlikins is expected to be in goal at home against the Sharks on Thursday, Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers reports.

Merzlikins comes into Thursday's contest with some extra rest, having served as the backup to Jet Greaves and Daniil Tarasov against the Blues and Flyers, respectively. For his part, the 30-year-old Merzlikins is riding a three-game winning streak during which he posted a 2.92 GAA and .897 save percentage. Even with the extra time off, Merzlikins remains the No. 1 option in Columbus and should see plenty of work down the stretch.