NHL Player News

Tolopilo was reassigned to AHL Abbotsford on Thursday.

Tolopilo was 2-1-0 with a 2.74 GAA and a .911 save percentage across four NHL appearances this season. The Canucks will get Thatcher Demko back in net Thursday for the first time in 12 contests.

Demko (lower body) will patrol the home crease versus Buffalo on Thursday, Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet 650 reports.

Demko has missed the last 12 games due to his lower-body injury. He is 5-4-0 with a 2.80 GAA and a .903 save percentage across 10 appearances. The Sabres are tied for 15th in NHL scoring, generating 3.00 goals per game.

Oettinger will start Thursday's road game against Minnesota, Mike Heika of the Stars' official site reports.

Oettinger is in the midst of a six-game winning streak in which he's posted a 1.82 GAA and .934 save percentage. He made a home start against the Wild on Oct. 14 and turned aside 39 of 41 shots (.951 save percentage) in a 5-2 win.

Blackwood will be between the home pipes versus Florida on Thursday, Corey Masisak of The Denver Post reports.

Blackwood has been sensational since returning from a lower-body injury that cost him the first 10 games of the season. He is 8-1-1 with a 2.21 GAA and a .920 save percentage across 10 appearances this season. The Panthers are tied for 10th in NHL scoring, scoring 3.14 goals per game.

Ullmark will tend the twine on the road against Columbus on Thursday, TSN 1200 Ottawa reports.

Ullmark has lost three of his last four contests while posting a 3.58 GAA and .860 save percentage. Despite the slump, the veteran continues to see the bulk of the workload ahead of Leevi Merilainen. With 10 wins in 22 outings, Ullmark is on pace to reach the 20-win threshold for the fifth straight year.

Askarov (illness) will back up Alex Nedeljkovic in Toronto on Thursday, Max Miller of NHL.com reports.

Askarov has been stellar this season after a tough start, going 9-4-0 with a 2.36 GAA and a .928 save percentage since Nov. 1. The netminder is 10-8-1 overall, with a 3.14 GAA and a .901 save percentage across 19 appearances. He is expected to start Saturday in Pittsburgh.

Korpisalo will defend the road crease against Winnipeg on Thursday, Jim McBride of The Boston Globe reports.

Korpisalo didn't start in either of the Bruins' last two games, but he'll return to the crease Thursday. Over his last three outings, he's gone 1-1-0 with a 3.18 GAA and .917 save percentage. The Jets are scoring 3.00 goals per game this season, which is tied for 15th in the NHL.

Ellis (concussion) was placed on injured reserve Thursday, Rachel Lenzi of The Buffalo News reports.

Ellis landed in the concussion protocol after exiting Tuesday's game against the Oilers, and he'll be sidelined for at least a week while he recovers. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Alex Lyon should see time in the crease while Ellis is unavailable.

Skinner will defend the home goal versus Edmonton on Thursday, according to Mark Spector of Sportsnet.

Skinner is 10-8-4 with a pair of shutouts, a 2.91 GAA and an .887 save percentage across 22 games this season. Skinner gave up three goals on 24 shots in a 4-2 loss to the Red Wings on Oct. 19. Detroit is 13th in NHL scoring, tallying 3.13 goals per game.

Schmid will start Thursday's road game against Philadelphia, Steve Carp of The Sporting Tribune reports.

Schmid has lost out on some playing time recently since Carter Hart is now eligible to suit up for the Golden Knights. However, Hart won't start against his former team Thursday, so Schmid will defend the crease for the second time in the team's last six games. Schmid has made 10 starts since the beginning of November, and he's gone 5-1-4 with a 2.15 GAA and .909 save percentage during that time.