NHL Player News

Demko (back) is backing up Kevin Lankinen in Wednesday's game versus the Capitals.

Demko has not suited up due to back spasms over the last two games. The Canucks will likely try to avoid going to Demko unless necessary Wednesday, but his return to the crease should be considered imminent, perhaps as early as Friday against the Hurricanes.

Husso was recalled from AHL Grand Rapids on Wednesday under emergency conditions.

Husso's promotion comes after Alex Lyon (upper body) sustained an injury in Tuesday's game versus the Senators. Cam Talbot will likely take on a starting role while Lyon is out -- the Red Wings don't have a back-to-back within the next week, so Husso may not get a start if Lyon's injury only causes a brief absence.

Kuemper and the Kings won't face Calgary on Wednesday after the game was postponed due to wildfires.

With concerns regarding health and safety, the NHL made the decision to postpone this game to a future date. The Kings head out on a five-game road trip starting Friday versus Winnipeg, so there shouldn't be any additional impacts on Los Angeles' schedule moving forward.

Vladar and his Calgary teammates will not play the Kings on Wednesday following the game's postponement due to wildfires in Los Angeles.

Vladar was expected to get the starting nod after Dustin Wolf was in the crease against the Ducks on Wednesday in the first game of the back-to-back. Either netminder could get the nod when the Kings visit Calgary on Saturday -- though Wolf seems to likely starter given his recent workload.

Bobrovsky is expected to start on the road against Utah on Wednesday.

Bobrovsky has lost his past two starts, but that's due to a lack of offensive support rather than struggles on his part. In fact, he was solid over those two outings, stopping 68 of 72 shots (.944 save percentage). Perhaps Florida will give him more help Wednesday -- the Panthers do rank 10th in goals per game with 3.24, so their recent issues are unusual. Utah ranks 22nd with 2.90 goals per game.

Jarry turned aside 26 shots in regulation and overtime and one of three shootout attempts in Tuesday's 4-3 loss to the Blue Jackets.

Rickard Rakell struck twice in the third period to give the Penguins a 3-1 lead, but Jarry couldn't make it stick before Pittsburgh's skaters came up empty in the shootout. Jarry has just one win in his last five starts, going 1-2-2 with a 2.95 GAA and .899 save percentage, and he seems to be slipping back into a timeshare with Alex Nedeljkovic as the Pens try to find some consistency between the pipes.

Merzlikins stopped 20 shots in regulation and overtime, plus both shootout attempts he faced in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Penguins.

The 30-year-old netminder wasn't exactly sharp, but Merzlikins came through when it counted, denying Bryan Rust and Sidney Crosby in the shootout to secure his fourth win in his last five starts. That success has been the product of strong offensive support from the Blue Jackets rather than Merzlikins' level of play, however, as he has posted a 3.30 GAA and .881 save percentage during that stretch, but Columbus has scored at least four goals in each one of those outings.

Fleury played in relief and stopped each of the 15 shots he faced to earn the win in Tuesday's 6-4 victory over the Blues.

Fleury stepped onto the ice and saved the day for the Wild, as he looked impressive between the pipes and allowed Minnesota to mount a comeback. This was Fleury's second straight win, and even though he's firmly in a backup role behind Filip Gustavsson, he has gone 3-2-0 with a 2.59 GAA over his last five appearances.

Gustavsson stopped 14 of 18 shots before getting pulled in Tuesday's 6-4 win over the Blues.

From a statistical perspective, Gustavsson had one of his worst games of the season Tuesday, but Minnesota turned things around right after he was pulled. This outing also snapped a productive stretch for the 26-year-old Swede, who was coming off a shutout Saturday against the Hurricanes, and he had posted a .939 save percentage across his five starts ahead of Tuesday's matchup.

Binnington stopped 20 shots in Tuesday's 6-4 loss to the Wild. Minnesota's sixth goal was an empty-netter.

Binnington didn't have his best performance fresh off resting in the Blues' previous game, and the five goals he allowed were his second-worst output of the campaign. It also ended his short-lived two-game winning run, and Binnington has dropped seven of his last 10 starts, going 3-6-1 with a 2.87 GAA in that span.