NHL Player News

Demko (undisclosed) won't be an option for Sunday's home matchup versus the Avalanche, according to Ben Kuzma of Postmedia.

Although Demko will remain sidelined Sunday, he will potentially be available for Tuesday's home game against the Jets, per Kuzma. Kevin Lankinen is set to start again Sunday after picking up a win over Columbus on Saturday, while Jiri Patera will be the backup against Colorado. Demko last played Monday, stopping 25 of 29 shots during a 5-4 win in Nashville.

Lankinen will be between the home pipes Sunday against Colorado, Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet 650 reports.

Lankinen was in goal for Saturday's 4-3 win over Columbus, but he'll start again Sunday as a result of Thatcher Demko dealing with an undisclosed injury. Lankinen will look to win two straight games for the first time this year, but that will be a challenge against a Colorado squad that is rolling -- the Avs are 4-0-1 in their last five games and scored nine goals during Saturday's win in Edmonton. The 30-year-old netminder has allowed fewer than three goals in just one of his seven appearances this season, so he'll be hard to trust Sunday.

Murray will patrol the blue paint Sunday in Dallas, per the NHL media site.

Murray will draw the start in the second half of Seattle's back-to-back set after Philipp Grubauer was in net during Saturday's 4-3 overtime win over St. Louis. The 31-year-old Murray has made two appearances this season, stopping a combined 32 of 36 shots, but he has yet to find the win column. The Stars also played Saturday, picking up a 5-4 win in Nashville. Dallas has generated 3.00 goals per game in 2025-26, which ranks 18th in the NHL.

Vanecek will tend the road twine Sunday versus the Senators, according to Catherine Bogart of Utah's official site.

After starting the year 2-1-0 while allowing just two goals in each of his first three appearances, Vanecek stumbled in his last start, conceding four goals on 18 shots in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to Toronto. The Mammoth and Senators both played Saturday -- Utah lost 6-2 to Montreal, while Ottawa defeated Philadelphia in overtime by a score of 3-2. Vanecek is 1-1-0 with an .878 save percentage and a 3.18 GAA over three career outings against the Sens.

DeSmith will protect the home net against Seattle on Sunday, Sam Nestler of DLLS Stars reports.

DeSmith will get the second half of Dallas' back-to-back after Jake Oettinger played in Saturday's 5-4 win over Nashville. The 34-year-old DeSmith has a 2-1-1 record this season while stopping 92 of the 105 shots he has faced. Seattle sits 26th in the league this campaign with 2.71 goals per game.

Bussi will start in net Sunday against the Maple Leafs, Adam Gold of 99.9 The Fan reports.

Bussi hasn't started since Oct. 30, a 6-2 win against the Islanders in which he made 26 saves on 28 shots on goal. The 27-year-old has been solid when called upon this season, compiling a 3-1-0 record, 2.25 GAA and a .916 save percentage. He faces a Maple Leafs offense that is top five in the league, scoring 3.67 goals per game this season.

Hildeby will patrol the home crease against Carolina on Sunday, per Mark Masters of TSN.

Hildeby made 19 saves on 20 shots in Saturday's 5-3 loss to Boston after Anthony Stolarz got the hook. The 24-year-old Hildeby has a 2-2-1 record with a 2.74 GAA and an .890 save percentage through five appearances with AHL Toronto this campaign. Carolina ranks fourth in the league with 3.79 goals per game this season.

Merilainen will get the start against the Mammoth on Sunday, Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports.

Merilainen is back in the NHL for a second stint after briefly being sent down. The 23-year-old earned his way back up after a strong AHL start and now will have another chance to make a mark in an NHL crease. At the NHL level, he is 1-1-0 with a 4.58 GAA and an .833 save percentage. He faces a tough task in trying to slow down a Mammoth team that's averaging 3.27 goals per game this season.

Kuemper will guard the road goal against the Penguins on Sunday, Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site reports.

Kuemper is coming off a 23-save performance in Tuesday's 3-0 shutout win over Winnipeg. He has a 4-3-3 record this season with a 2.57 GAA and a .900 save percentage through 10 appearances. Pittsburgh ranks sixth in the league with 3.44 goals per game this campaign.

Soderblom will defend the road net against Detroit on Sunday, per Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times.

Soderblom is coming off a 21-save effort in Monday's 3-1 loss to Seattle. He has a 1-2-1 record this season while allowing 12 goals on 104 shots. Detroit sits 21st in the league with 2.87 goals per game this campaign.