NHL Player News

Kochetkov will protect the road goal versus the Devils on Friday.

Kochetkov has alternated wins and losses over his last eight starts, with a mediocre .902 save percentage but a strong 2.45 GAA in that span. The 25-year-old netminder is entrenched as the Hurricanes' No. 1 goalie and should continue to see a fairly heavy workload. However, it'll probably be Dustin Tokarski in the second half of the home-and-home set when the Hurricanes host the Devils on Saturday.

Woll will protect the road goal versus the Red Wings on Friday, David Alter of The Hockey News reports.

Woll has lost three of his last four outings, surrendering 15 goals in that span. The 26-year-old will catch the Red Wings in their first game with Todd McLellan as head coach after he replaced Derek Lalonde. Woll has a 2.61 GAA and a .908 save percentage over 15 games this season, but this is a fairly decent matchup considering he's well rested.

Luukkonen will protect the home goal versus the Blackhawks on Friday, Heather Engel of NHL.com reports.

Luukkonen ended his personal nine-game skid when he stopped 27 of 28 shots versus the Islanders in a 7-1 win Monday. The 25-year-old Luukkonen will look to build some momentum now. The Blackhawks have averaged just 2.57 goals per game this season, so this is a favorable matchup for the Finnish netminder.

Ersson will protect the road goal versus the Ducks on Saturday, Kevin Kurz of The Athletic reports.

Ersson has gone 2-4-0 with a 4.28 GAA and an .810 save percentage over six games since he returned from a lower-body injury. He'll look to get back on track after the holiday break, and he has a favorable matchup to do so against the Ducks, who have averaged just 2.42 goals per game.

Daccord will not play Saturday versus the Canucks due to an undisclosed injury, per Emerald City Hockey.

Daccord reportedly sustained the injury during last Sunday's game versus the Avalanche. Ales Stezka was called up from AHL Coachella Valley on Friday, but it'll likely be Philipp Grubauer who tends the twine in Vancouver. Daccord's next chance to play is Monday against Utah.

Vanecek was put on injured reserve Friday, per Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News.

Vanecek was injured Dec. 17 when he was struck by the puck while on the bench and can be activated whenever he's healthy. He has a 3-8-1 record, 3.84 GAA and .885 save percentage in 14 appearances in 2024-25. Klim Kostin was taken off injured reserve in a corresponding move.

Demko is set to start at home against Seattle on Saturday, per Jeff Paterson of CanucksArmy.com.

Demko has a 2-1-2 record, 3.14 GAA and .889 save percentage in five appearances in 2024-25. He stopped 26 of 29 shots en route to a 4-3 victory over San Jose in his last start Monday. Seattle ranks 23rd in goals per game with 2.78.

Hofer is expected to start at home against Nashville on Friday, per Matthew DeFranks of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Hofer has a 7-3-1 record, 2.63 GAA and .909 save percentage in 12 appearances in 2024-25. He stopped 25 of 27 shots en route a 2-1 overtime loss to Florida in his previous start last Friday. Nashville is a more favorable matchup than Florida was -- the Predators rank last in goals per game with 2.40.

Hill is expected to start on the road against San Jose on Friday, per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now.

Hill has won his past two starts while saving 50 of 52 shots (.962 save percentage). He has a 15-5-2 record, 2.61 GAA and .905 save percentage in 22 outings in 2024-25. The Sharks rank 24th offensively with 2.73 goals per game.

Merzlikins (undisclosed) is slated to start at home against Boston on Friday, per Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site.

Head coach Dean Everson said Monday that Merzlikins was dealing with "bumps and bruises," which led to the goaltender being scratched for Monday's 5-4 victory over Montreal. It appears the holiday break came at an opportune time for Merzlikins, though, given that he's ready to play between the pipes after missing just one game. The 30-year-old netminder has a 10-9-3 record, 3.13 GAA and .889 save percentage in 22 outings this season. Boston ranks 26th in goals per game with 2.64, but the Bruins have been hot lately, posting an 11-4-1 record dating back to Nov. 21.