NHL Player News

Greaves made 23 saves in Thursday's 6-3 win over the Sabres.

The 25-year-old did get beaten twice in the second period while the outcome was still in doubt, but Greaves slammed the door on Buffalo in the third as Columbus pulled away. Greaves is locked into the No. 1 spot in the crease after a breakout 2025-26, but an unusual early-season schedule for the Blue Jackets that sees them get a five-day layoff next week before playing back-to-back sets each of the following two weekends will allow him to ease into the new campaign. He should be between the pipes Saturday for a home tilt against the Mammoth, however.

Luukkonen stopped 17 of 22 shots in Thursday's 6-3 loss to the Blue Jackets, with Columbus' final goal getting scored into an empty net.

The Sabres grabbed an early 1-0 lead on a Mattias Samuelsson tally, but the Jackets stormed back with three goals before the end of the first period to go ahead for good, and Luukkonen couldn't stem the tide. Two of the pucks to get past the 27-year-old netminder came on power plays, but it was still a rough way to start the new season. With Alex Lyon (upper body) on the shelf, Luukkonen could see a heavy workload out of the gates -- Buffalo doesn't play back-to-back games until Oct. 12-13.

Merilainen stopped 10 of 11 shots in relief of Kevin Lankinen in Thursday's 9-7 loss to the Oilers.

Merilainen did his part in the latter half of the game, almost allowing the Canucks to put together a comeback. Lankinen has struggled heavily to start the campaign, though it's tough to expect Merilainen to do any better behind a roster that will be outmatched most of the time. Both goalies should get a start this weekend since the Canucks will host the Flames on Saturday and the Golden Knights on Sunday.

Lankinen allowed eight goals on 20 shots before he was pulled in Thursday's 9-7 loss to the Oilers.

Lankinen stole a win over the Oilers on Tuesday, but he couldn't do it again. He's now allowed 13 goals on 57 shots over two games versus Edmonton, though not all of his appearances will be against such a tough offense to face. Still, the Canucks' defense looks about as bad as expected, which means it will be a long campaign for the team's goaltenders. With a back-to-back up next -- Saturday versus the Flames and Sunday against the Golden Knights, both at home -- expect Lankinen and Leevi Merilainen to split the next two starts.

Levi allowed seven goals on 22 shots in Thursday's 9-7 win over the Canucks.

Levi had a great chance to stake a claim to the Oilers' No. 1 job, but he looked bad under low pressure for two periods. The Canucks found a groove in the third, and only Edmonton's offense was able to bail out Levi's poor performance. Considering Tristan Jarry gave up six goals in an overtime loss to Vancouver on Tuesday, the Oilers are no closer to having a clear starter in goal yet. Their next game is at home versus the Kraken on Saturday, though neither Jarry nor Levi has done enough to be trusted in fantasy yet.

Schmid allowed four goals on 32 shots in Thursday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Sharks.

Schmid didn't have an answer for the Sharks' top line, though the Panthers' offense did enough to carve out a point in the standings. Schmid likely got this start because the Panthers made a cross-country trip after opening the season in Raleigh on Tuesday. Jacob Markstrom is projected to handle a majority of the starts for Florida this year, and he should be between the pipes Sunday versus the Ducks. Schmid will be a streaming option in fantasy when he gets a good matchup.

Askarov stopped 23 of 26 shots in Thursday's 4-3 overtime win over the Panthers.

The Sharks looked good for two periods but got shaky in the third. Askarov kept them from falling behind, setting the stage for Luca Cagnoni's heroics in overtime. This could be a preview for the season as a whole -- the Sharks have assembled some young talent and complemented the kids with veterans in key spots, but it could take a while for the roster to mature to avoid blowing leads. Askarov should have a slight edge over Alex Nedeljkovic for starts as long as he plays well. The Sharks are set to host the Kings on Saturday.

Vejmelka posted a 15-save shutout in Thursday's 6-0 win over the Blackhawks.

Vejmelka had no trouble in this contest, which the Mammoth took control of quickly. The 30-year-old had just two shutouts in all of the 2025-26 regular season, when he went 38-20-3 with a 2.75 GAA and an .896 save percentage. Utah's roster beefed up in the offseason, though that mainly was due to additions up front. In any case, Vejmelka has proven he can handle a strong workload, and he's got plenty of upside on a team poised to take a step up in 2026-27. The Mammoth have a back-to-back on the road this weekend, visiting the Blue Jackets on Saturday and the Rangers on Sunday, so expect Vejmelka and Sebastian Cossa to split those contests.

Soderblom allowed six goals on 32 shots in Thursday's 6-0 loss to the Mammoth.

Soderblom didn't put in a great showing, but the Blackhawks' defense didn't do him in any favors. With a young blue line in front of him, it could be rough early in the season. Soderblom also hasn't logged a save percentage better than .898 in any of his NHL campaigns, so it's unlikely he'll be able to steal a game when his teammates are off their game. The Blackhawks wrap up their season-opening road trip in Buffalo on Saturday, which will likely be a start for Spencer Knight.

Vasilevskiy made 20 saves Thursday in a 5-1 loss to the Rangers. He allowed four goals.

This was not on Vasilevskiy. The Lightning offense was moribund, especially in the third frame when they managed just six shots despite being on the power play for close to seven minutes. Vasilevskiy is all-world, but he can't win without a little help from his team.