NHL Player News

Blackwood allowed three goals on 24 shots in relief Thursday after entering the 8-1 loss to Tampa Bay to start the second period.

Vitek Vanecek was mercy pulled after allowing five goals on 12 shots in the first period. Blackwood was already earning the majority of starts, and that could tick up even more given Vanecek's recent performances. Blackwood entered the game with a .909 save percentage and 2.94 GAA over 16 starts compared to Vanecek's .894 save percentage and 3.52 GAA across 10 starts.

Vanecek surrendered five goals on 12 shots in the first period of Thursday's game against Tampa Bay and was replaced by Mackenzie Blackwood to start the second period.

The Lightning struck five times in the first, including three goals in a span of 1:26. It was a mercy pull for Vanecek. His team was awful, and he also struggled mightily. Vanecek came into the game with just three wins, along with a 3.52 GAA and .894 save percentage. He could begin to see a decline in starts given Blackwood's superior numbers.

Daccord will protect the road goal versus the Islanders on Thursday, Andrew Gross of Newsday reports.

Daccord ended the Kraken's skid with a win over the Hurricanes on Tuesday, and he'll now start in a third straight game. He's 3-3-0 with 15 goals allowed over his last six starts, and he has a favorable matchup against an Islanders team that is averaging 2.50 goals per game.

Montembeault is slated to guard the home goal against Nashville on Thursday, according to Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site.

Montembeault stopped 30 of 31 shots en route to a 2-1 overtime victory against the Islanders on Tuesday. He's 7-10-2 with a 2.99 GAA and a .901 save percentage across 19 outings in 2024-25. Nashville has struggled this year, posting a 7-13-6 record and ranking last in goals per game with just 2.31.

Annunen is expected to start on the road against Montreal on Thursday, per Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site.

Annunen had a 6-4-0 record, 3.22 GAA and .872 save percentage in 11 appearances with Colorado this season before he was traded to Nashville on Saturday. This will be his first start with his new squad. Montreal is in a three-way tie for 22nd in goals per game with 2.80.

Vasilevskiy will start at home versus the Sharks on Thursday, Gabby Shirley of FanDuel Sports Network Florida & Sun reports.

Vasilevskiy has allowed 15 goals over his last four games, going 1-3-0 in that span. While the Sharks are near the bottom of the Pacific Division, they have won four of their last six games while piling up 26 goals in that span.

Kochetkov is expected to start at home against Colorado on Thursday, per Chip Alexander of The Raleigh News & Observer.

Kochetkov has a 10-3-0 record, 2.55 GAA and .900 save percentage across 14 outings in 2024-25. He missed four straight games due to a concussion but returned Tuesday, stopping 24 of 28 shots en route to a 4-2 loss to Seattle. The Avalanche are a difficult adversary, ranking 10th in goals per game with 3.27.

Luukkonen is slated to serve as the starting goaltender for Thursday's home game against the Jets, Michael Augello of The Hockey News reports.

Luukkonen will be between the pipes for the fourth time in the Sabres' last five games, but he's largely struggled over his last three outings, going 0-2-1 with a 3.34 GAA and .892 save percentage. Although the Jets have cooled off from their hot start to the season, they're still tied for fourth in the league with 3.65 goals per game.

Demko (knee) believes he's at a point in his recovery where he might be able to serve as the backup goaltender within Vancouver's next three games, Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet 650 reports Thursday.

The Canucks' next three games will all be at home. They'll host Columbus on Friday, Tampa Bay on Sunday and St. Louis on Tuesday. Demko was fantastic in 2023-24, posting a 35-14-2 record, 2.45 GAA and .918 save percentage in 51 regular-season appearances. Given that he suggested he might start as an understudy, Vancouver might slowly ease him back toward his typical workload. Even still, his return would likely result in Arturs Silovs being sent to the minors. Kevin Lankinen, who has done fine as the temporary No. 1 with a 12-3-3 record, 2.66 GAA and .906 save percentage across 18 outings this campaign, will see his role significantly diminish, especially once Demko is back up to speed.

Binnington will patrol the road crease in Calgary on Thursday, Matthew DeFranks of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Binnington is 3-2-1 with a 1.97 GAA and a .926 save percentage in his last six starts. Overall, the 31-year-old is 7-9-2 with one shutout, a 2.87 GAA and an .899 save percentage across 19 appearances this season. He will face the Flames, who are 10-3-0 at home, scoring 37 times during those 13 games (2.85 goals per game).