NHL Player News

Dostal turned aside 17 of 19 shots during Wednesday's 2-1 preseason loss to the Kings.

Dostal got his first taste of preseason action ahead of the 2026-27 campaign Wednesday, but he allowed a pair of goals late in the first frame and didn't get much offensive support. Dostal appears to be in line to serve as the Ducks' primary netminder once again this year after he went 30-20-4 with a 3.10 GAA and .888 save percentage across 56 regular-season appearances during the 2025-26 campaign.

Forsberg allowed a goal on 25 shots during Wednesday's 2-1 preseason win over Anaheim.

Forsberg allowed three goals on 16 shots during his preseason debut against the Golden Knights, but he was much more effective Wednesday. He gave up the first goal of the game in the opening frame, but the Kings responded with a pair of goals later in the period en route to the victory. Forsberg will likely begin the 2026-27 season as the Kings' backup netminder but could see increased opportunities if Darcy Kuemper struggles.

Poirier posted a 24-save shutout in Wednesday's 2-0 preseason win over the Wild.

Poirier was given the start on short notice after Jake Oettinger (lower body) was scratched. The 24-year-old Poirier made good use of the opportunity, and he's now stopped 35 of 36 shots over two preseason appearances. He's likely ticketed for AHL Texas, but Poirier would presumably be the first call-up on the list if Oettinger or Casey DeSmith is unavailable at any point in 2026-27.

Wallstedt stopped 22 of 24 shots in Wednesday's 2-0 preseason loss to the Stars.

Wallstedt was tasked with his first start of the preseason, but the team in front of him was largely an AHL-level roster. In that context, this was a good performance for Wallstedt, who will also play in Minnesota's preseason finale at home versus the Stars on Friday. The 23-year-old netminder will carry a heavy load in goal to begin 2026-27 while Filip Gustavsson (hip) misses the first month-plus of the campaign.

Ullmark stopped 20 of 23 shots in Wednesday's 4-2 preseason loss to the Maple Leafs. The fourth goal was an empty-netter.

Ullmark got the whole game, but the Senators as a whole struggled. The 33-year-old netminder is eligible for one more preseason game, though it's not yet clear if he'll make a start when the Senators have another split-squad set against the Canadiens on Saturday. In any case, expect Ullmark to handle the bulk of the workload in goal in 2026-27.

Stolarz stopped 19 of 21 shots in Wednesday's 4-2 preseason win over the Senators.

Stolarz was backstopping a younger group of Maple Leafs, but he did his job well. With the preseason slate now done, Stolarz is poised to handle backup duties behind Sergei Bobrovsky. Stolarz battled upper-body and groin injuries in 2025-26 while also playing behind an underwhelming team, but his numbers should bounce back with a lighter workload expected in 2026-27.

Bobrovsky stopped 13 of 14 shots in a 6-1 preseason win over the Senators on Wednesday.

Bobrovsky was facing a largely minor-league squad from Ottawa, so it's no surprise he didn't have much work to do. The 38-year-old has given up just two goals on 25 shots over his two preseason starts. He should be between the pipes Tuesday when the Maple Leafs open their regular-season slate.

Merilainen allowed six goals on 27 shots in a 6-1 loss to the Maple Leafs on Wednesday.

Merilainen played into the third period, but he was pulled after giving up a sixth goal. He may get one more chance to audition during preseason action, but this wasn't a particularly encouraging effort put forth for a goalie who needed to impress to win a roster spot. Expect Merilainen to start 2026-27 with AHL Belleville.

Oettinger is dealing with lower-body tightness and is questionable to play Friday in a preseason road game versus the Wild, Lia Assimakopoulos of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Oettinger was scratched from his expected start Wednesday because of the issue. With the 27-year-old goalie being questionable for Friday, it's possible he ends up seeing no game action during the preseason. That said, the issue doesn't appear to be something that will linger into the regular season, which begins when the Stars host the Blues on Oct. 2.

Poirier will guard the home goal in Wednesday's preseason game versus the Wild, Robert Tiffin of NHL.com reports.

Poirier will get his second start of the preseason after having stopped 11 of 12 shots Saturday versus the Blues. The 24-year-old netminder is starting again after Jake Oettinger (undisclosed) was scratched Wednesday.