NHL Player News

Wedgewood stopped 26 of 29 shots in Thursday's 7-3 win over the Flames.

Wedgewood wasn't great in his first start of the year, but the Avalanche gave him plenty of support. The 34-year-old netminder did well with a steady workload in 2025-26, posting a 2.02 GAA and a .921 save percentage over a career-high 45 regular-season games. With Mackenzie Blackwood off to a strong start this year, that kind of consistent playing time may not be available to Wedgewood. Expect Blackwood to be back in the crease Saturday versus the Maple Leafs, though the two goalies should split next week's home-and-home set against the Stars.

Wallstedt made 32 saves in a 3-2 loss to the Lightning on Thursday.

It was Wallstedt's first regulation loss of the season, but the loss wasn't on him. He earned the game's third star for his performance. Wallstedt is now 2-1-1 with a 1.98 GAA and .927 save percentage; he has started all four Minnesota games so far.

Hildeby made 34 saves in a 3-2 win over Minnesota on Thursday.

He was named the game's second star in his Lightning debut. Hildeby is a massive, athletic netminder who is getting his first true shot as an NHL backup. He started 14 games in Toronto last season, going 5-7-4 with a 2.86 GAA and .914 save percentage. Hildeby now plays in a stronger system and will get 20-25 starts this season. He's a solid play in daily formats when he's in the blue paint.

Hofer stopped 24 of 27 shots in Thursday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Sharks.

Hofer let a couple of one-goal leads slip away, and Darnell Nurse made him pay for that with the overtime winner. It's still not all that bad of a game for Hofer, who has gone 1-1-1 with five goals allowed on 71 shots over his three starts to open the campaign. The 26-year-old netminder is doing his part to maintain the starting job for the Blues despite the presence of Jordan Binnington on the roster. The Blues' next game is Saturday at home versus the Blue Jackets, which is a solid matchup for whichever goalie gets the nod.

Nedeljkovic stopped 24 of 26 shots in Thursday's 3-2 overtime win over the Blues.

Nedeljkovic put in a solid performance in his first start of the season. The Sharks did their part, twice coming back from one-goal deficits before Darnell Nurse tallied in overtime. Nedeljkovic has functioned as Yaroslav Askarov's backup to begin 2026-27, but the two worked in a timeshare at various points in 2025-26. If Nedeljkovic's play remains strong, he could carve out more time. The Sharks have a tough matchup ahead when they host the Oilers on Saturday.

Wedgewood will protect the road goal versus the Flames on Thursday.

Wedgewood will make his first start of the season while the Avalanche wrap up a back-to-back set. Mackenzie Blackwood has looked good while going 2-1-0 with eight goals allowed over his first three starts of the year. If Blackwood continues to start regularly, Wedgewood will have to settle for the backup role, though he's also a fairly reliable goalie in his own right.

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

Soderblom will make his second start of the season, despite Spencer Knight coming off a win Tuesday versus the Blues. Soderblom gave up six goals on 32 shots versus the Mammoth in his season debut last Thursday. Until the 27-year-old shows more reliable results between the pipes, he's a risky fantasy option.

Kochetkov will tend the twine at home versus the Canucks on Thursday, Ryan Henkel of The Hockey News reports.

Kochetkov allowed two goals on 18 shots against the Flyers in his season debut on Saturday. Brandon Bussi struggled against the Canadiens in his last start, so Kochetkov will get a chance to bring some stability to the crease. While Kochetkov is nominally in the backup role to begin the year, this could become a timeshare if he continues to play well.

Bobrovsky will tend the twine on the road versus Vegas on Thursday, Mark Masters of TSN reports.

Bobrovsky has lost his first two appearances for the Maple Leafs, going 0-2-0 with a 3.06 GAA and .887 save percentage. So far, Toronto has been splitting the workload between Bobrovsky and Anthony Stolarz, a trend that could continue if the veteran Bobrovsky doesn't start picking up wins.

Hill was the first goalie off during Thursday's morning skate, SinBin.vegas reports, indicating that he'll defend the home crease against the Maple Leafs.

Carter Hart has started three of the first four games of the season for the Golden Knights, but Hill will defend the crease for the second time this year Thursday. During Hill's start in Vancouver on Sunday, he turned aside 18 of 20 shots en route to a 3-2 victory.