NHL Player News

Demko (lower body) is expected to be evaluated Wednesday and Thursday before a timetable for his recovery will be determined, per Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK.

Demko's current injury is a new issue that's unrelated to past injuries, including the undisclosed problem that resulted in him skipping Saturday's and Sunday's games against Columbus and Colorado, respectively. Assuming Demko misses time, Kevin Lankinen will probably get the bulk of the starts during Demko's absence, but Jiri Patera might end up getting into some games as well.

Skarek posted a 27-save shutout in AHL San Jose's 7-0 win over Abbotsford on Tuesday.

Skarek took advantage of a reeling opponent, and he received plenty of support to earn his first shutout of the season. Through six outings, Skarek has a 3.63 GAA and an .875 save percentage despite posting a 4-2-0 record. It may have been a good time to make an impression -- Alex Nedeljkovic (personal) is away from the Sharks during their road trip, which likely means the big club will need to call up either Skarek or Gabriel Carriere. The latter has posted better numbers this season, but Skarek is more experienced.

Murray stopped 33 of 34 shots in Tuesday's 2-1 shootout loss to the Blue Jackets.

Murray put in his best performance of the season so far, but he wasn't able to snag a win as Jet Greaves kept things level in the other crease. The 31-year-old Murray has allowed seven goals over four appearances (three starts) to begin his tenure with the Kraken, but he's 0-2-1. He's started the last two games over Philipp Grubauer and has likely earned additional time while Joey Daccord (upper body) is on the mend. It's quite possible Murray is playing for his roster spot, as it could be untenable for the Kraken to carry three goalies once Daccord is healthy.

Greaves stopped 22 of 23 shots in Tuesday's 2-1 shootout win over the Kraken.

Greaves played both halves of the Blue Jackets' back-to-back. He was torched for five goals on 24 shots Monday in Edmonton, but he fared much better against the Kraken's pedestrian offense, earning his first win in his last three starts. This was also his first instance of starting consecutive games this season. Greaves is up to 4-4-1 with a 2.89 GAA and a .901 save percentage over nine starts. The 24-year-old has been fine for a middling team, but it's unlikely he'll fully pull ahead of Elvis Merzlikins in the competition for time in the crease. The Blue Jackets' next game is at home against the Oilers on Thursday.

Lankinen stopped 20 of 21 shots in relief of Thatcher Demko (lower body) in Tuesday's 5-3 loss to the Jets.

The Canucks were able to cover Demko's damage from the first period, leaving Lankinen to take the loss despite a sharp performance. The injury to Demko is unrelated to his previous undisclosed issue that kept him out of action over this past weekend. It's likely Lankinen will retake control of the No. 1 job between the pipes, and Jiri Patera will be his backup as long as Demko is out. Lankinen is now 3-5-1 with a 3.57 GAA and an .885 save percentage over nine appearances. The Canucks begin a three-game road trip versus the Hurricanes on Friday.

Hellebuyck stopped 30 of 33 shots in Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Canucks.

Hellebuyck had played well in a couple of losses earlier in the road trip. He wasn't quite as sharp in this contest, but the Jets' offense bounced back enough to get him back in the win column. Hellebuyck is now 7-5-0 on the year with a 2.35 GAA and a .921 save percentage over 12 starts. The 32-year-old netminder will look to build some momentum from this performance, should he get the start Thursday in Seattle.

Dostal stopped 32 of 35 shots in Tuesday's 4-1 loss to the Avalanche. The fourth goal was an empty-netter.

Dostal's six-game winning streak -- and the Ducks' seven-game winning streak -- came to an end at the hands of the only team above them in the standings. This was still a solid performance for Dostal, but it's proof that the Ducks' hot start will have some bumps in the road at times. The 25-year-old is now 8-4-1 with a 2.69 GAA and a .908 save percentage over 13 starts. The Ducks' road trip continues in Detroit on Thursday.

Demko left Tuesday's game with a lower-body injury that is considered unrelated to the issue that caused him to take maintenance days over the weekend, Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet 650 reports.

Demko's injury being a new one isn't exactly a comforting revelation for fantasy managers. Head coach Adam Foote reiterated that Demko was ready to play Tuesday, but the new injury could be a problem. For now, look for the Canucks to turn to Kevin Lankinen and Jiri Patera to handle the goaltending until Demko is healthy.

Hildeby stopped 19 of 21 shots after entering Tuesday's 5-3 loss to Boston at the start of the second period. He drew into the clash because starter Anthony Stolarz left the game due to an upper-body injury.

Hildeby had come off a 42-save performance on Sunday. There is no timetable for Stolarz's return, but head coach Craig Berube believes the injury is mild. Hildeby will obviously remain with the big club until Stolarz can go. Joseph Woll (personal) is playing Wednesday in the AHL, which tees up a possible Thursday return for him.

Swayman made 30 saves in a 5-3 win over Toronto on Tuesday.

Swayman is on a four-game winning streak in which he's allowed 10 goals. Overall, he's 7-4-0 with a 3.08 GAA and a .900 save percentage. Any save percentage over .896 is above league average this season, so Swayman is starting to stabilize his game. He has two games with a combined 13 goals against and eight with three or less.