NHL Player News

Stolarz (upper body) has been ruled out for Thursday's home game versus Los Angeles and is considered day-to-day, Dave McCarthy of NHL.com reports.

Stolarz has not been sharp at all this season. He has a 6-5-1 record to go with a 3.51 GAA and an .884 save percentage, a huge turnaround from last season when he led the NHL in save percentage at .926. He could return as early as Saturday in Chicago. Dennis Hildeby will start for the Maple Leafs at home against the Kings on Thursday.

Merilainen will occupy the home crease versus Boston on Thursday, according to TSN 1200 Ottawa.

Merilainen is 2-1-0 this season, allowing 11 goals on 85 shots. He was less than stellar in his first game of the season, giving up seven goals on 26 shots, but he has turned things around in his last two starts, winning both while allowing four goals on 59 shots over those games. The Bruins have won seven straight games and are sixth in NHL scoring, generating 3.39 goals per game.

Tarasov will defend the home crease versus Washington on Thursday, per George Richards of Florida Hockey Now.

Tarasov will make his second start in three games, as the Panthers are giving Sergei Bobrovsky some extra time off. Tarasov is 0-3-1 with a 2.50 GAA and a .891 save percentage in four starts. The Capitals are 21st in NHL scoring this season, generating 2.88 goals per game, after finishing second in 2024-25 with 3.49 goals per contest.

Hildeby will get the starting nod at home versus the Kings on Thursday, Mark Masters of TSN reports.

Hildeby will be making his fourth straight appearance in the crease after starting one of his prior three outings and coming off the bench in the other two. How much work Hildeby gets in net will depend on when Joseph Woll (personal) or Anthony Stolarz (upper body) is ready to return to action. For now, Hildeby will be the goalie of record versus the Kings, with the rest of the goalie rotation currently in flux.

Greaves will be between the home pipes versus Edmonton on Thursday, Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers reports.

Greaves will make his third consecutive start as he looks to take over the No. 1 role with the Blue Jackets. He is 4-4-1 with a 2.89 GAA and a .901 save percentage across nine starts this season. The Oilers are averaging 3.00 goals, tied for 17th in the NHL.

Vladar turned aside 30 shots in Wednesday's 2-1 overtime loss to the Oilers.

A defensive miscue at center ice by Cam York led to a two-on-none break in OT by Edmonton, and there wasn't much Vladar could do to stop Jack Roslovic's game-winner. The 28-year-old netminder has still had a fantastic beginning to his first season with the Flyers, allowing two goals or fewer in eight of 10 outings while going 6-3-1 with a 2.15 GAA and .919 save percentage. Vladar's career high in wins is 14, set with the Flames in 2022-23, but he's on pace to blow past that mark by Christmas.

Skinner made 20 saves in Wednesday's 2-1 overtime win over the Flyers.

A Matvei Michkov power-play tally late in the second period spoiled his shutout bid, but Skinner otherwise had an answer for everything Philly fired at him. The 27-year-old netminder has just one regulation loss in his last seven starts, going 4-1-2 over that stretch, but for the most part his success has been due to his offense -- he's got a 3.15 GAA and .876 save percentage in those seven outings.

Johansson turned aside six of seven shots after replacing Andrei Vasilevskiy to begin the third period of Wednesday's 7-3 loss to the Rangers.

It was a frustrating night for the Lightning in general, as they scored three times in the first period but still headed into the intermission down 4-3, and their offense went cold the rest of the way. Vasilevskiy got lifted as much to save him from himself as to try and spark Tampa Bay into a comeback that never materialized. The one puck that did get past Johansson in the third, on a Vincent Trocheck shot from the slot, came with a little bit of contact from Alexis Lafreniere that wasn't judged to rise to the level of goalie interference. Johansson is 3-1-0 through five appearances this season with a 2.83 GAA and .913 save percentage, and with the Bolts facing back-to-back games this weekend, look for him to get one of those starts.

Vasilevskiy gave up five goals on 13 shots before being replaced by Jonas Johansson to begin the third period of Wednesday's 7-3 loss to the Rangers.

The two teams combined for seven goals in the first period alone but the Lightning offense went quiet for the final 40 minutes. Vasilevskiy tripped over his own skates, shifting in his crease on a Vincent Trocheck tally late in the second that gave New York a 5-3 lead, Tampa Bay head coach Jon Cooper decided to mercifully give his netminder the final frame off. Vasilevskiy hasn't looked his usual Vezina-worthy self to begin the season, going 5-5-2 in 12 outings with a 2.92 GAA and .892 save percentage, but he has plenty of time to get into a groove.

Shesterkin made 33 saves in Wednesday's 7-3 win over the Lightning.

The two teams combined for seven goals in the first period, but Shesterkin shut the door on the Bolts over the final 40 minutes as the Rangers pulled away. The 29-year-old netminder has struggled to find some consistency along with the rest of his team, but on the season he's gone 6-6-2 in 14 starts with a respectable 2.50 GAA and .909 save percentage.