NHL Player News

Rittich will be between the home pipes versus Utah on Thursday, Stefen Rosner of NHL.com reports.

Rittich will make his sixth straight start, as Ilya Sorokin continues to remain out of action with a lower-body injury. Rittich is 3-1-1 in his last five games, allowing eight goals on 144 shots. He is 10-4-2 with a pair of shutouts, a 2.27 GAA and a .917 save percentage over 16 games this season. The Mammoth are scoring 2.98 goals per game, 19th in the NHL.

Oettinger will defend the road goal in Chicago on Thursday, according to Mike Heika of the Stars' official site.

Oettinger has not allowed more than three goals in his last 14 starts, dating back to Nov. 11. The star netminder is 16-6-3 with a pair of shutouts, a 2.51 GAA and a ,910 save percentage across 25 outings this season. The Blackhawks are tumbling down the NHL standings, going 2-7-1 in their last 10 games.

Vejmelka (upper body) will be a game-time decision versus the Islanders on Thursday, per Stefen Rosner of NHL.com.

Vejmelka is currently on injured reserve and will need to be activated if he is healthy enough to get the start. The 29-year-old is 16-10-2 with a 2.70 GAA and an .894 save percentage across 29 appearances this season. If he is unable to play, Vejmelka will get a chance to start Saturday in New Jersey.

Merilainen will start Thursday's home game against the Capitals, Graeme Nichols of The Hockey News reports.

Merilainen has seen limited playing time in recent weeks, but he'll draw a second consecutive start for the first time this season during Thursday's matchup. Over his last seven appearances, he's gone 1-6-0 with a 3.49 GAA and .870 save percentage.

Dobes will protect the visiting cage in Carolina on Thursday, Eric Engels of Sportsnet reports.

Dobes will make his first start in four games. He is 12-5-3 with a 2.90 GAA and an .894 save percentage across 20 appearances this season. The Hurricanes are generating 3.23 goals per game, ninth in the NHL.

Knight will defend the home goal versus Dallas on Thursday, Tracey Myers of NHL.com reports.

Knight snapped a five-game losing streak in regulation time Tuesday, with a 3-2 overtime loss to the Islanders. Knight has been terrific this season, posting a 10-11-2 record with a 2.62 GAA and a .910 save percentage across 27 starts. The Stars are second in NHL scoring, producing 3.43 goals per game.

Thompson will get the starting nod on the road against Ottawa on Thursday, Bailey Johnson of The Washington Post reports.

Thompson has been struggling of late, giving up four or more goals in three of his last four outings while posting a 1-3-0 record and a 4.25 GAA. Despite the recent slump, the 28-year-old backstop remains on pace to reach the 25-win mark for the third straight year.

Silovs was the first goaltender off the ice at morning practice, and is slated to defend the home net versus Detroit on Thursday, according to Penguins play-by-play announcer Josh Getzoff.

Silovs has won his last two starts, boosting his record to 6-5-6 with a 3.21 GAA and an .886 save percentage in 18 games. Silovs will face the red-hot Red Wings, who are tied with Carolina atop the Eastern Conference standings with 51 points.

Dostal turned aside 25 shots in Wednesday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Lightning.

The Ducks never held a lead in the game, but Dostal didn't let the deficit grow to more than one goal before Darren Raddysh finally ended things in OT. The 25-year-old had a bumpy end to 2025, giving up 14 goals on just 68 shots over his final three outings, and on the season, Dostal is 13-9-2 with a 3.15 GAA and .888 save percentage.

Vasilevskiy stopped 25 shots in Wednesday's 4-3 overtime win over the Ducks.

The Lightning kept taking one-goal leads only to see the home squad quickly tie things up, but the back-and-forth contest ended on Darren Raddysh's OT winner that Vasilevskiy picked up an assist on. The perennial Vezina contender has won four straight starts, and he heads into the new year with a 15-7-2 record, 2.33 GAA and .913 save percentage on the season.