NHL Player News

Ersson (lower body) will not be an option against Toronto on Tuesday but is not expected out long term, Kevin Kurz of The Athletic reports.

Ersson will be out of action for his third straight game due to his lower-body issue. Prior to getting hurt, the Swedish netminder appeared to be finding his stride, going 3-1-0 with a 2.95 GAA in his last four outings, including a shutout victory over the Sharks. With Ersson still out, Ivan Fedotov will get the nod Tuesday.

Fedotov will be between the home pipes versus Toronto on Tuesday, Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Fedotov made his first appearance in the crease in a month against the Leafs on Saturday, stopping 22 of 25 shots in an overtime loss. It seems the 28-year-old backstop will get another crack at toppling Toronto, with the Flyers opting to utilize Fedotov over the struggling Aleksei Kolosov. In the long term, it figures to be Samuel Ersson's crease to lose once he returns from a lower-body injury.

Markstrom will patrol the road crease against the Kraken on Monday, Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports.

Markstrom has lost back-to-back games in regulation for the first time this season -- the Swedish netminder allowed a combined six goals split evenly between losses to Anaheim and San Jose on the Devils' current four-game West Coast road trip. Markstrom has a 4-2-0 record, 2.58 GAA and .892 save percentage in seven career appearances against the Kraken.

Lankinen will be between the road pipes versus the Canadiens on Monday, per Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet 650.

Lankinen will make his 27th appearance of the season Monday -- the 29-year-old is sporting a 15-7-4 record, .908 save percentage and 2.54 GAA. Montreal is tied for 19th in the NHL with 2.95 goals per game. While their record is nothing to write home about, the Canadiens have played very well lately, going 4-1-0 in their last five games.

Luukkonen will defend the home crease Monday against the Capitals, per Heather Engel of NHL.com.

After a brief three-game winning streak in which Luukkonen allowed two goals or less in each outing, the Finnish netminder has allowed nine goals combined in back-to-back losses. It won't get any easier for the 25-year-old against a Capitals team that ranks first in the NHL with 3.72 goals per game. Luukkonen has a 4-1-2 record and a 2.93 GAA over seven career appearances against Washington.

Montembeault will defend the home crease against the Canucks on Monday.

Montembeault has been productive in recent outings, going 5-2-0 with a 2.61 GAA and .900 save percentage over his last seven starts. He rested in the second half of a back-to-back set Saturday against the Avalanche but will return to the net against a middling opponent, as the Canucks are tied for 14th in the NHL with 3.03 goals per game this year.

Bobrovsky will tend the twine for Monday's road game against Colorado.

Bobrovsky hasn't allowed more than three goals in any of his last six appearances but has gone 4-2-0 in that span. Still, with 17 wins in 26 outings, the 36-year-old Russian is primed to reach the 30-win mark for the third time in the last four seasons. While it's possible Spencer Knight gets a few extra starts to keep Bobrovsky well rested, the veteran is the clear No. 1 option for Florida.

Grubauer was the first goalie to leave the ice Monday, Kate Shefte of The Seattle Times reports, indicating he'll get the starting nod at home versus the Devils.

Grubauer has given up three or more goals in five of his last six outings, posting a 2-3-1 record, 3.51 GAA and .875 save percentage. With Joey Daccord (upper body) still on injured reserve, the Kraken have little choice but to keep rolling with Grubauer -- unless they want to start Ales Stezka, who has yet to make an NHL appearance.

Demko (back) isn't expected to be available for Monday's road game against the Canadiens, Ben Kuzma of Postmedia reports.

Although Demko is traveling with the Canucks as they begin their road trip, it appears as though he'll be forced to miss at least one more game. Head coach Rick Tocchet said after Monday's morning skate that he doesn't think Demko will play unless "he feels great," so the goaltender's next opportunity to return will presumably be Wednesday in Washington.

Blackwood will get the starting nod at home versus Florida on Monday, Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette reports.

Blackwood is undefeated in regulation over his last six contests, posting a 5-0-1 record, 1.68 GAA and .934 save percentage. It took the 28-year-old netminder just eight games with the Avalanche to match his win total (six) from his 19 outings with the Sharks this year. Fortunately for Colorado, Blackwood seems to be thriving, as the club is currently without backup Scott Wedgewood (lower body) and may have to rely even more heavily on Blackwood.