NHL Player News

Lankinen was the first goalie off during Thursday's morning skate, Thomas Drance of The Athletic reports, indicating that he'll draw the road start against Carolina.

Lankinen will start for the fourth time in the Canucks' first five games of the regular season. He hasn't been particularly sharp over his first three starts, going 1-2-0 with a 6.49 GAA and .812 save percentage.

Swayman will patrol the home crease in Thursday's clash against the Mammoth, per Andrew Fantucchio of Inside the Rink.

Swayman will return to action Thursday after he allowed four goals to the Senators in Monday's loss. However, the Bruins' defense looked spotty in the defeat, so the whole team will be looking to bounce back Thursday against the Mammoth, who have won three of their first four outings in 2026-27. Despite the tough matchup, Swayman remains a solid starter in all fantasy formats. He has a 2-1-0 record, a 2.31 GAA, a .914 save percentage and a shutout across his first three appearances this season.

Montembeault (undisclosed) will not play in Thursday's clash against the Predators, per Stu Cowan of The Montreal Gazette.

Montembeault suffered an undisclosed injury during Wednesday's practice and has been undergoing evaluation to understand the expected timeline for his injury since then. The 29-year-old netminder had yet to play in the regular season, but he looked sharp in the preseason, stopping 14 shots in a win over the Senators on Sept. 27. He's expected to serve as the organization's No. 3 goalie option moving forward, so Jakub Dobes and Jacob Fowler will carry on with their current roles until Montembeault is ready to return.

Hildeby was the first goalie off the ice during Thursday's morning skate and is slated to start at home against the Wild, Erik Erlendsson of LightningInsider.com reports.

Hildeby didn't appear in any of the Lightning's first three games of the regular season, but he's set to make his first start of the year Thursday. Across 20 regular-season appearances with the Maple Leafs last year, Hildeby went 5-7-4 with a 2.85 GAA and .912 save percentage.

Ullmark was the first goalie off the ice at Senators' morning skate, indicating that he'll guard the home crease in Thursday's contest against the Flyers, per Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia.

Ullmark has been dealing with an undisclosed injury since he exited Monday's 4-1 win over the Bruins at the start of the third period. However, he appears to be good to go Thursday, where he'll look to continue his strong start to the 2026-27 campaign. Between his two outings, he has a 2-0-0 record, a 1.20 GAA and a .949 save percentage across 39 shots on goal. He'll face off against the Flyers, who have been held to just five goals across their first four games of the new season. Ullmark is a strong start in most fantasy formats and is a top waiver-wire candidate ahead of Thursday's slate of games.

Luukkonen was the first goalie off during Thursday's morning skate, Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic reports, indicating that he'll draw the home start against the Stars.

Luukkonen will start for the third time in the Sabres' first four games of the season. Across his first two outings, he's gone 1-1-0 with a 4.03 GAA and .784 save percentage, but he's coming off a 4-3 win over the Blackhawks on Saturday and will attempt to maintain his momentum Thursday.

Fowler will start Thursday's home game against the Predators, Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports.

Fowler was called up by the Canadiens on Wednesday, and his starting nod against the Predators suggests that Sam Montembeault (undisclosed) won't be available Thursday. Fowler made 17 regular-season appearances for Montreal last year, going 9-6-2 with a 2.43 GAA and .908 save percentage.

Johansson was demoted to AHL Belleville on Thursday.

Johansson's reassignment to the minors likely means that Linus Ullmark (undisclosed) will be at least healthy enough to serve as the backup, if not the outright starter, against the Flyers on Thursday. If Samuel Ersson continues to struggle out of the gate, the Senators could decide to give Johansson a longer look at the NHL level, but for now he'll remain in Belleville.

Husso stopped both shots he faced in relief of Lukas Dostal in Wednesday's 5-2 loss to the Oilers.

Husso played the third period after Dostal gave up five goals in the middle frame. This was the first action of the year for Husso, and it'll serve as a tune-up with the 31-year-old likely to start over the weekend. The Ducks have a back-to-back upcoming, as they'll play in Winnipeg on Friday and then in Calgary on Saturday. Beyond that back-to-back, Husso is likely to resume serving in a backup role.

Dostal allowed five goals on 17 shots in Wednesday's 5-2 loss to the Oilers.

Dostal was pulled after the Oilers put up a five-spot in the second period against him. Ville Husso played the third period and made two saves. This was the first rough patch of the year for Dostal, who is 2-1-0 with 10 goals allowed on 78 shots over three games. He'll likely start one of the next two games -- the Ducks have a road back-to-back up next with stops in Winnipeg on Friday and Calgary on Saturday.