NHL Player News

Shesterkin stopped 32 of 34 shots in a 3-1 loss to the Flyers on Friday. The final goal was scored on an empty net.

Shesterkin got into trouble early, surrendering two goals in the first 4:24 minutes of the game. He was perfect after that, but the Rangers were unable to recover from the early deficit. Shesterkin has now lost each of his past four starts, dropping to 8-8-1 in 2024-25. On the bright side, he ended his run of four straight outings in which he allowed three or more goals, so perhaps he's turning a corner, despite the outcome Friday not being in his favor.

Portillo will start in Friday's game against the Ducks, Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site reports.

Portillo was recalled from AHL Ontario last Sunday, and the 24-year-old will make the first start of his career after dressing as the backup goaltender in the Kings' last few games since being called up. Portillo has a 4-2-0 record with Ontario this season, posting a 2.68 GAA and a .906 save percentage.

Gibson will start between the pipes in Friday's game against the Kings, Derek Lee of The Hockey News reports.

Gibson didn't make his season debut until Nov. 10, but he's been excellent when called upon duty. The 31-year-old has yet to lose in regulation, going 4-0-1 with a 2.57 GAA and a .919 save percentage in his five appearances. The Kings rank 16th in the league with 3.00 goals scored per game in 2024-25.

Grubauer will patrol the road crease Friday against the Sharks, Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

The 32-year-old has been struggling all season long and has gone 1-6-0 with a 3.11 GAA and an .881 save percentage over seven starts. This will be his first start since Nov. 17, when he lost 2-0 to the Rangers. The Sharks average 2.64 goals per game this season, the 10th-worst mark in the league.

Vasilevskiy is a healthy scratch for Friday's road tilt against Nashville, per Erik Erlendsson of LightningInsider.com.

Jonas Johansson is starting for the Lightning while Matt Tomkins, who was recalled from AHL Syracuse on Friday, is the backup netminder. That allows Vasilevskiy to take the day off entirely. The 30-year-old Vasilevskiy will likely start in Saturday's home game against Toronto.

Lyon (undisclosed) won't be in the lineup Friday versus New Jersey, Ansar Khan of MLive.com reports.

Cam Talbot will get the start with Ville Husso as his backup. Lyon was injured during the Red Wings' morning skate Wednesday. He is 4-4-0 with a 2.74 GAA and a .911 save percentage in nine appearances this season.

Talbot is set to guard the home goal against New Jersey on Friday, per Ansar Khan of MLive.com.

Talbot has a 6-4-2 record, 2.47 GAA and .923 save percentage in 13 appearances in 2024-25. He saved 24 of 25 shots en route to a 2-1 overtime win over Calgary on Wednesday. The Devils have an impressive 15-8-2 record and rank ninth offensively with 3.36 goals per game.

Lankinen will patrol the road crease in Buffalo on Friday, Brian Koziol of WGR 550reports.

Lankinen shut out the Bruins in his last start, turning aside 33 shots in a 2-0 victory. Lankinen is 10-3-2 with a pair of shutouts, a 2.56 GAA and a .909 save percentage across 15 starts in 2024-25. The Sabres are averaging 3.09 goals per game this season, 15th in the NHL.

Saros is expected to start in Friday's home tilt versus Tampa Bay.

Saros stopped 20 of 23 shots en route to a 3-2 overtime loss to Philadelphia on Wednesday. He's 6-10-3 with a 2.59 GAA and a .913 save percentage in 19 appearances in 2024-25. Tampa Bay ranks fourth offensively with 3.81 goals per game.

Markstrom is starting in Friday's game against the Red Wings, Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports.

The veteran goaltender led the Devils onto the ice for warm-ups Friday, so he'll get the nod and will aim to bounce back following his defeat against the Blues on Wednesday. Markstrom has dropped two of his past four starts, going 2-2-0 with a 2.53 GAA and an .889 save percentage in that stretch. The Red Wings rank 28th in the league with 2.50 goals scored per game.