NHL Player News

Markstrom will be between the home pipes versus Montreal on Thursday, Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports.

Markstrom last played Friday, as the Devils only had one game since then, and Jake Allen picked up the start. Markstrom is 5-4-1 with a 2.62 GAA and a .907 save percentage in 10 appearances with New Jersey this season. He will face the Canadiens, who are tied for 23rd in NHL scoring this season.

Forsberg was the first goalie off Thursday, TSN 1200 Ottawa reports, indicating he'll draw the start at home against the Islanders.

Forsberg has been on the bench for four of the Senators' last six games, but he'll be between the pipes as the team returns home Thursday. The 31-year-old picked up his second shutout of the season during his last start, turning aside all 22 shots he saw in a 3-0 win over the Kraken on Saturday.

Vasilevskiy was the first goaltender off the ice at morning practice, per Gabby Shirley of FanDuel Sports Network Florida & Sun, and is slated to guard the home crease versus Philadelphia on Thursday.

Vasilevskiy is 6-5-0 with a 2.59 GAA and a .903 save percentage this season. He was a top-three NHL goaltender for six seasons heading into the 2023-24 campaign, but he hasn't looked the same since undergoing back surgery during training camp in September of 2023. Vasilevskiy will face the Flyers, who are averaging only 2.62 goals per game.

Shesterkin will patrol the home crease versus Buffalo on Thursday, Mollie Walker of the New York Post reports.

Shesterkin is off to a great start, as he is 6-2-1 with a 2.22 GAA and a sizzling .933 save percentage. The talented Russian has been a top-three goaltender this season and will face the Sabres, who are 15th in NHL scoring, averaging 3.15 goals.

Bobrovsky was the first goalie off Thursday, Colby Guy of The Palm Beach Post reports, indicating he'll draw the start at home against the Predators.

Bobrovsky has picked up wins in each of his last three starts, posting a 2.33 GAA and .921 save percentage during those outings, which all came on the road. The 36-year-old will attempt to remain hot against the Predators, who rank fourth-worst in the league with 2.38 goals per game to begin the season.

Thompson stopped 33 shots in Wednesday's 3-2 win over the Predators.

The former Golden Knight is a perfect 6-0-0 to begin his first campaign with the Capitals, allowing three goals or less in five of his six starts with a 2.81 GAA and .903 save percentage. The strict rotation between Thompson and Charlie Lindgren is working out great for Washington, but it's the latter that's been between the pipes for all three of the team's losses so far.

Saros made 33 saves in Wednesday's 3-2 loss to the Capitals.

The teams traded goals through two periods before Alex Ovechkin wired home the winner midway through the third. Saros has given up three goals or less in eight of his last nine starts, posting a 2.57 GAA and .914 save percentage over that stretch, but he has just a 3-5-1 record to show for it due to the Predators' struggling offense.

Skinner allowed three goals on 34 shots in Wednesday's 4-2 loss to the Golden Knights. The fourth goal was an empty-netter.

Skinner had a 2-1 lead to protect going into the third period, but Noah Hanifin's pair of goals flipped it in favor of the Golden Knights. While it wasn't a poor start from Skinner, it was his third regulation loss in his last six games. He's now at a 3-5-1 record with a 3.28 GAA and an .885 save percentage through nine starts this season. The Oilers haven't strung together more than two consecutive wins all year, which has made it tough for both Skinner and Calvin Pickard to get into a rhythm. Their next game is Saturday in Vancouver.

Hill stopped 27 of 29 shots in Wednesday's 4-2 win over the Oilers.

Hill gave up both goals in a span of 3:38 during the second period, but the Golden Knights were able to rally for the win over the last 10 minutes of the game. This was the team's first road win of the season, with Hill having previously lost his first two starts away from Vegas. The 28-year-old is now at a 6-2-0 record with a 3.01 GAA and an .882 save percentage across eight outings. Hill is expected to start again Friday in Seattle since Ilya Samsonov (undisclosed) is out and not on the road trip.

Saros will protect the road goal Wednesday versus the Capitals, Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press reports.

Saros has lost three of his last four games (1-2-1), but the Predators have scored just eight goals in that span. Saros has 12 goals allowed in that span as well, but the lack of consistent scoring support has been a big problem amid his early struggles. The Capitals present a challenge -- they're averaging 4.18 goals per game, ranking third in the league.