NHL Player News
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Filip Gustavsson G | MIN
Wild's Filip Gustavsson: Tending twine Thursday
Gustavsson will defend the home goal versus Detroit on Thursday, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.
Gustavsson has won his last two starts, giving the 27-year-old a 16-9-5 record with a 2.56 GAA and a .908 save percentage across 31 appearances this season. He will face a tired Detroit team, which played in Toronto on Wednesday, winning 2-1 in overtime.
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Spencer Knight G | CHI
Blackhawks' Spencer Knight: Tending twine Thursday
Knight will defend the road crease against Carolina on Thursday, Vinnie Parise of The Hockey News reports.
Knight is coming off a shutout win over the Jets at home Monday, and he'll tend the twine Thursday for the fourth time in the Blackhawks' last five games. He'll face a tough test against the Hurricanes, who rank fourth in the NHL with 3.38 goals per game.
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Tristan Jarry G | EDM
Oilers' Tristan Jarry: Facing ex-teammates
Jarry will be between the home pipes versus Pittsburgh on Thursday, Tony Brar of Oilers TV reports.
Jarry will face his former Pittsburgh teammates for the second time since he was dealt to Edmonton on Dec. 12. Jarry was victorious against the Penguins in Pittsburgh on Dec.16, turning aside 26 shots in a 6-4 win in only his second game in an Edmonton uniform. Jarry is 13-4-2 with a 2.61 GAA and a .908 save percentage over 20 games with both clubs this season. The Penguins are 12th in NHL scoring, generating 3.24 goals per game this season.
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Casey DeSmith G | DAL
Stars' Casey DeSmith: Starting Thursday
DeSmith will defend the visiting net in Columbus on Thursday, per Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers.
The 34-year-old veteran has been one of the best backup goaltenders in 2025-26, posting a 10-3-5 mark with one shutout, a 2.46 GAA and a .911 save percentage over 19 appearances. The Blue Jackets are generating 2.94 goals per game, 21st in the NHL this season.
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Akira Schmid G | LV
Golden Knights' Akira Schmid: First goalie off Thursday
Schmid was the first goalie off during Thursday's morning skate, Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports, indicating that he'll draw the road start against Boston.
Schmid is in the midst of a four-game winning streak in which he's posted a 2.07 GAA and .917 save percentage. Although Adin Hill will likely serve as the Golden Knights' primary netminder now that he's healthy, Schmid should be able to earn some playing time if he can continue to perform at a high level. Schmid will have a tough matchup Thursday, as the Bruins rank ninth in the NHL with 3.28 goals per game.
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Joseph Woll G | TOR
Maple Leafs' Joseph Woll: Win slips away in OT
Woll stopped 39 shots in Wednesday's 2-1 overtime loss to the Red Wings.
Both netminders played well, but Woll got let down by his defense in OT -- Easton Cowan lost his footing, and control of the puck, on the wrong side of center ice while trying to cycle back, springing Dylan Larkin and Moritz Seider for a two-on-nothing break that Larkin converted. It was still a strong return to form for Woll after he'd coughed up 11 goals on 62 shots in his prior two outings. The 27-year-old netminder has only one regulation loss in his last 11 appearances, going 6-1-3 with a 3.20 GAA and .902 save percentage.
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John Gibson G | DET
Red Wings' John Gibson: Sharp in OT win
Gibson made 30 saves in Wednesday's 2-1 overtime win over the Maple Leafs.
Scott Laughton whacked a puck past the veteran netminder early in the first period, but Gibson slammed the door shut the rest of the way and was eventually rewarded. He extended his win streak to seven starts in the process, a stretch in which he's posted a dazzling 1.83 GAA and .934 save percentage, and Gibson is the fourth goalie in the NHL this season to reach 20 wins, a group that includes Tampa Bay's Andrei Vasilevskiy, Colorado's Scott Wedgewood and Utah's Karel Vejmelka.
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Juuse Saros G | NSH
Predators' Juuse Saros: Facing Senators
Saros will be between the home pipes versus Ottawa on Thursday, according to Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site.
Saros was a top-10 goaltender as recently as two seasons ago, but his play since the start of the 2024-25 campaign has been average at best. He is 19-16-3 with a 3.01 GAA and an .897 save percentage in 38 appearances this season. The Senators are tied for 10th in NHL scoring, generating 3.27 goals per game in 2025-26.
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Connor Hellebuyck G | WPG
Jets' Connor Hellebuyck: Set to start Thursday
Hellebuyck is slated to start Thursday's home game against the Panthers, Mitchell Clinton of the Jets' official site reports.
Hellebuyck got the night off in the second half of a back-to-back set Tuesday against St. Louis, but he'll return to the crease Thursday for the sixth time in the Jets' last seven games. Across his last five outings, he's gone 3-1-1 with a 2.79 GAA and .905 save percentage.
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Elvis Merzlikins G | CLB
Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Backing up Thursday
Merzlikins (illness) is well enough Thursday to back up Jet Greaves versus Dallas, according to Columbus sports reporter Dave Maetzold.
Merzlikins was forced to leave Tuesday's tilt versus Ottawa after the first stanza due to his illness. Merzlikins was saddled with the loss, giving up two goals on seven shots in a 4-1 defeat. He is 8-8-1 with a 3.81 GAA and an .882 save percentage across 18 games this season.