NHL Player News

Ersson will defend the road crease against the Blues on Friday.

Ersson has seen limited playing time in recent weeks, but he'll draw the start for the second time in the Flyers' last three games. He's been relatively effective when called upon this season, going 2-1-2 with a 3.03 GAA and .866 save percentage.

Skarek was reassigned to AHL San Jose on Friday.

Skarek was recalled Thursday to back up Yaroslav Askarov, as Alex Nedeljkovic (personal) was placed on non-roster injured reserve. Nedeljkovic was activated Friday in a corresponding move.

Nedeljkovic (personal) was added back onto the 23-man roster Friday.

Nedeljkovic had been on the non-roster list while attending to a personal matter, but he has rejoined the team for Friday's practice session. The 29-year-old backstop is undefeated in regulation over his last four outings, posting a 3-0-1 record and 2.44 GAA. Given how well Yaroslav Askarov has performed of late, going 3-1-0 with a 1.00 GAA in his previous four contests, the duo could be headed for a split share of the goaltending duties.

Montembeault will be between the home pipes versus Boston on Saturday, Eric Engels of Sportsnet reports.

Montembeault has had a pair of shaky appearances, allowing a total of six goals on 31 shots in his last two outings. Overall, the 29-year-old netminder is 4-4-1 with a 3.61 GAA and an .857 save percentage across 10 appearances. The Bruins saw their seven-game winning streak snapped Thursday in a 5-3 loss to Ottawa.

Lankinen will draw the road start against Carolina on Friday, Dan Murphy of Sportsnet reports.

Lankinen has seen increased playing time recently while Thatcher Demko (lower body) has been hampered by injuries. Lankinen has had mixed results over his last four appearances, going 1-2-1 with a 3.61 GAA and .884 save percentage during that time. He'll draw the start for the fourth time in five games Friday but will face a tough test against the Hurricanes, who rank third in the league with 3.69 goals per game.

Woll (personal) was activated to the 23-man roster Friday.

Woll's return to the team comes at a good time, considering Anthony Stolarz (upper body) is currently on the shelf. It's unclear when Woll might be given his first start of the NHL season, though he could be in the mix as early as Saturday's road clash with Chicago.

Akhtyamov was assigned to AHL Toronto on Friday.

Akhtyamov was called up by the Maple Leafs to serve as the backup goaltender for Thursday's game against the Kings, but he'll head back to the minors a day later since Joseph Woll (personal) was activated to the roster Friday. Akhtyamov has made six appearances for the Marlies this year, going 4-2-0 with a 2.82 GAA and .894 save percentage.

Montembeault stopped four of six shots Thursday after replacing Jakub Dobes to begin the third period of a 7-0 loss to the Stars.

Neither netminder got much help from their defense, and both goals that Montembeault allowed came from right on his doorstep, as a Dallas player was allowed to bang home a loose puck. Montembeault has started four of Montreal's last six games, more due to Dobes' struggles than anything else, and over that stretch he's gone 2-1-1 with a 3.38 GAA and .872 save percentage.

Dobes gave up five goals on 13 shots before being replaced by Sam Montembeault to begin the third period of Thursday's 7-0 loss to the Stars.

Nothing went right for Montreal in an embarrassing home loss, and while Dobes got lifted after a four-goal second period by Dallas, he was still on the hook for his first regulation loss of the campaign. It's the first time this season the 24-year-old netminder has allowed more than four goals in a start, but his last start Nov. 6 was the first time in 2025-26 he's given up more than three. Over his last four outings, Dobes has stumbled to a 4.05 GAA and .839 save percentage.

DeSmith made 24 saves in Thursday's 7-0 rout over the Canadiens.

The shutout was the first of the season for DeSmith and the 13th of his career. The veteran backup to Jake Oettinger hasn't taken a regulation loss since his first start of 2025-26, going 4-0-1 over his last five outings with a dazzling 1.75 GAA and .933 save percentage, and that level of play has been earning DeSmith a bigger share of the workload of late -- those five starts have come in the Stars' last 10 games.