NHL Player News

Forsberg won't start at home versus the Penguins as previously reported, with Linus Ullmark instead getting the nod, Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports. The team later reported that Forsberg sustained a minor injury prior to the pregame warmup.

Per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, Forsberg's absence will be covered by an emergency backup goaltender. Ullmark will start both halves of the Senators' back-to-back, while Forsberg will have to wait for another chance to end a skid that has seen him lose four of five starts with 16 goals allowed in that span.

Luukkonen will defend the road net against Washington on Saturday, per Tom Gulitti of NHLcom.

Luukonen has gone six straight games (0-4-2) without a win while allowing 20 goals on 179 shots. He has posted a record of 8-8-3 with one shutout, a 2.79 GAA and a .903 save percentage through 20 appearances this season. Washington ranks first in the league with 3.96 goals per game in 2024-25.

Shesterkin surrendered five goals on 21 shots before being pulled in Saturday's 5-1 loss to the Kings.

Jonathan Quick entered the game in relief at 5:04 of the second period and stopped all 11 shots he faced. Shesterkin has lost seven of his last nine outings during the Rangers' recent struggles. He has a 10-11-1 record with a 3.08 GAA and a .907 save percentage through 22 appearances this season.

Forsberg will protect the home goal versus the Penguins on Saturday, per TSN 1200 Ottawa.

Linus Ullmark picked up a shutout Friday versus the Hurricanes, and Forsberg will get the second half of the back-to-back. Forsberg has lost four of his last five outings, giving up 16 goals on 116 shots in that span. The Penguins have turned things around recently, winning four of their last six games and scoring at least five goals in each of those victories.

Swayman is expected to start on the road against Vancouver on Saturday.

Swayman will attempt to rebound after allowing a staggering eight goals on 35 shots en route to a blowout loss to Winnipeg on Tuesday. He's 9-10-2 with a 3.27 GAA and an .885 save percentage in 21 appearances in 2024-25. The Canucks are tied for ninth in goals per game with 3.29.

Varlamov (lower body) was placed on injured reserve Saturday, per the NHL media site.

Varlamov has been dealing with a lower-body issue since Dec. 2, and he hasn't played since Nov. 29 against Washington. He has posted a 3-4-3 record with a 2.89 GAA and an .889 save percentage across 10 appearances this season. It's unclear when he will be ready to return, but he didn't accompany the Islanders on the team's upcoming three-game road trip.

Binnington will defend the road net versus Dallas on Saturday, per Lou Korac of The Hockey News.

Binnington has lost his last two outings, surrendering eight goals on 52 shots. He has posted a record of 8-11-2 with one shutout, a 2.98 GAA and an .896 save percentage through 22 appearances this season. Dallas is tied for ninth in the league with 3.29 goals per game in 2024-25.

DeSmith is set to miss Saturday's game against St. Louis because of the flu, per Lou Korac of The Hockey News.

DeSmith has a 3-4-0 record, 2.57 GAA and .906 save percentage in eight appearances in 2024-25. Jake Oettinger is expected to start Saturday, and Magnus Hellberg was recalled from AHL Texas to serve as Oettinger's understudy.

Hill will guard the road goal against Edmonton Saturday, per SinBin.Vegas.

Hill has stopped 106 of 113 shots during his four-game winning streak. He has a 13-4-2 record with two shutouts, a 2.59 GAA and a .904 save percentage across 19 appearances this season. Edmonton is tied for 13th in the league with 3.14 goals per game in 2024-25.

Skinner is expected to start at home against Vegas on Saturday, per Tony Brar of Oilers TV.

Skinner has a 10-7-2 record, 2.81 GAA and .895 save percentage in 19 appearances in 2024-25. While those season numbers aren't great, he's been superb recently, posting a 5-2-0 record, 2.03 GAA and .925 save percentage across his past seven starts. Vegas ranks sixth in goals per game with 3.48.