NHL Player News

Vasilevskiy was the first goaltender off the ice at morning skate, per Benjamin Pierce of the Lightning's official site, and he's slated to protect the home crease versus Boston on Thursday.

Vasilevskiy has been sharp in his last 11 games, going 7-4-0 with a 2.12 GAA and a .924 save percentage. The 30-year-old goaltender is 18-5-2 with a pair of shutouts this season. The Bruins are averaging only 2.58 goals per game this season, 29th in the NHL.

Miner turned aside 17 shots in Wednesday's 3-1 loss to Chicago.

The rookie goalie was beaten once in each period in his first career NHL start, while his offense had trouble solving Petr Mrazek in the other crease. Miner may not see any more action before returning to AHL Colorado -- the Avs don't play another back-to-back set until the final weekend of January, but Scott Wedgewood (lower body) figures to be back by then to back up Mackenzie Blackwood.

Nedeljkovic will be between the pipes for Thursday's home clash with Edmonton, Penguins play-by-play announcer Josh Getzoff reports.

Nedeljkovic has been middling at best this season, going 6-6-4 with a 3.22 GAA and .888 save percentage in 17 appearances. With Tristan Jarry continuing to underwhelm -- he's 0-1-2 in his last three starts -- a strong performance from either backstop could result in an uptick in starts.

Thompson stopped 30 shots in Wednesday's 2-1 overtime win over the Canucks.

The 27-year-old was the busier of the two netminders, as Washington was out-shot 31-18, but a Conor Garland power-play tally late in the second period was all that stood between Thompson and his first shutout of the season. Thompson has won five straight starts, and he has only one regulation loss since the beginning of December, going 7-1-1 with a 1.99 GAA and .929 save percentage over the latter stretch. The Capitals have been reluctant to deviate from a strict timeshare in the crease, but Thompson is making a strong case to claim a larger share of the workload and relegate Charlie Lindgren to a backup role.

Merzlikins will patrol the home crease versus Seattle on Thursday, per Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site.

Merzlikins is 5-1-1 in his last seven starts, allowing 24 goals on 215 shots (.888 save percentage). Overall, the 30-year-old netminder is 14-10-3 with one shutout, a 3.17 GAA and an .887 save percentage this year. The Kraken are averaging 2.85 goals per game this season, which is tied for 22nd in the NHL.

Lankinen made 16 saves in Wednesday's 2-1 overtime loss to the Capitals.

The 29-year-old netminder shut down most of the Washington lineup, but Pierre-Luc Dubois got pucks past him late in the first period and in the final minute of OT, and the Vancouver offense wasn't able to get much going. Lankinen has appeared in five straight games, starting four of them, while Thatcher Demko has dealt with back spasms, but the former has gone just 1-2-2 with a 2.59 GAA and .882 save percentage. Demko dressed as the backup Wednesday, and he could resume No. 1 duties as soon as Saturday's game in Carolina.

Shesterkin (upper body) will get the starting nod at home against New Jersey on Thursday, Peter Baugh of The Athletic reports.

Shesterkin will return to action following a four-game stint on the shelf due to his upper-body issue. Prior to getting hurt, the 29-year-old center was bogged down in a three-game losing streak during which he posted a 4.60 GAA and .843 save percentage. With Shesterkin coming off IR, fantasy managers can expect Louis Domingue to be reassigned to the minors shortly.

Ersson (lower body) will return to action at home versus Dallas on Thursday, Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Ersson had missed the previous three games with his injury. The 25-year-old netminder was 3-1-0 with a 2.95 GAA and an .885 save percentage in his four games prior to getting hurt. He will have a tough matchup at home versus the Stars, who are averaging 3.26 goals per game in 2024-25, which is tied for ninth in the NHL.

Vejmelka allowed two goals on 31 shots in Wednesday's 4-1 loss to the Panthers. The last two goals were empty-netters.

Vejmelka did a good job of keeping the game close, but Utah's offense didn't make enough of an impact. The 28-year-old netminder has now gone 1-4-1 with 17 goals allowed over his last six contests. He's not playing poorly, but it's another rough patch for an Utah team that has run a bit streaky in 2024-25. He's 9-11-3 with a 2.43 GAA and a .915 save percentage over 25 appearances this season. Utah's next two games come in a home back-to-back as they host the Sharks on Friday and the Islanders on Saturday, both of which represent favorable matchups, as they have offenses in the bottom quarter of the league.

Bobrovsky allowed one goal on 27 shots in Wednesday's 4-1 win over Utah.

Bobrovsky gave up a third-period power-play goal to Logan Cooley, which cut the Panthers' lead to 2-1 at the time. A pair of empty-netters provided some late help. The Panthers' usually formidable offense has been limited to 14 goals over the last seven games, and Bobrovsky has gone 2-3-0 with 11 goals allowed over his five starts in that span. He's now 18-9-1 with a 2.69 GAA and a .903 save percentage through 28 starts this season. The Panthers' next game is at home Saturday versus the Bruins.