NHL Player News

Vanecek will guard the road goal versus the Maple Leafs on Wednesday, Catherine Bogart of Utah's official site reports.

Vanecek will handle the second half of a back-to-back after Karel Vejmelka guided the Mammoth to a 2-1 overtime win over the Sabres on Tuesday. Vanecek has gone 2-1-0 with six goals allowed on 69 shots over his first three outings with Utah. The Maple Leafs have averaged 3.62 goals per game, but they've also given up just as many, so this could be a high-event game.

Askarov is set to start on the road against Seattle on Wednesday, per Max Miller of NHL.com.

Askarov has a 2-4-1 record, 4.29 GAA and .862 save percentage through seven outings in the 2025-26 campaign. While he's had some rough appearances, he did stop 36 of 38 shots to earn a 3-2 overtime victory over Colorado in his last start Saturday. Seattle is 6-2-4 and ranks 24th in goals per game with 2.75.

Lankinen is set to start at home against Chicago on Wednesday, per Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet 650.

Lankinen has a 2-3-0 record, 3.53 GAA and .885 save percentage in five appearances with Vancouver in 2025-26. He's surrendered at least three goals in four of those five outings, but he could bounce back against the Blackhawks. Chicago has dropped three straight games (0-2-1) while scoring only six goals over that stretch.

Daccord was the first goalie off during Wednesday's morning skate, Max Miller of NHL.com reports, indicating that he'll draw the home start against the Sharks.

Daccord has been relatively solid recently, going 3-0-2 with a 1.98 GAA and a .930 save percentage over his last five appearances. He'll draw his sixth consecutive start even though Seattle is still carrying three goaltenders on the roster. San Jose has averaged 3.23 goals per game to begin the season, which ranks 14th in the NHL.

Skinner stopped 24 of 27 shots in Tuesday's 4-3 shootout loss to the Stars.

Skinner hasn't lost in regulation over his last five games, but he is just 2-0-3 in that span. He wasn't able to hold the Oilers' early two-goal lead, and he allowed two of the three Dallas attempts during the shootout. Skinner is now 4-3-3 on the year with a 2.54 GAA and an .899 save percentage through 10 appearances. The Oilers return home for their next game, which is a tough matchup against the Avalanche on Saturday.

DeSmith stopped 23 of 26 shots in Tuesday's 4-3 shootout win over the Oilers.

DeSmith got the nod for this game to allow Jake Oettinger (personal) some rest, though the new dad Oettinger was able to dress as the backup. The 34-year-old DeSmith had some early struggles, allowing two goals in the first 7:07 before settling in to allow the Stars to make a comeback. The result was DeSmith's second win in four outings, giving him a 2-1-1 record with a 3.15 GAA and an .876 save percentage this season. He won't get a lot of opportunities between the pipes as a backup. Oettinger will likely start Thursday at home versus the Ducks, but DeSmith should be in line for another start this weekend, either at Nashville on Saturday or at home against the Kraken on Sunday.

Annunen gave up three goals on 24 shots in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Wild.

The Predators were fortunate to force overtime, with Steven Stamkos scoring in the final second of regulation. The officials and NHL situation room determined that Annunen dislodged the net when Marcus Johansson had an imminent scoring chance, resulting in an awarded goal at 3:38 of overtime. It's one of the more unique ways to lose a game, and Annunen dropped to 0-2-1 on the year because of it. He's allowed 11 goals on 79 shots across his three starts this season. Expect Juuse Saros to be back between the pipes for Thursday's home game against the Flyers.

Gustavsson stopped 32 of 34 shots in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime win over the Predators.

Gustavsson nearly had the win in regulation, but Steven Stamkos was able to score within the final second of the third period. The Wild still came away victorious after Marcus Johansson was awarded a goal in overtime when Justus Annunen dislodged the net. Odd happenings aside, Gustavsson has won two games in a row for the first time all year, allowing just four goals on 62 shots in that span. He's at a 4-6-1 record with a 3.11 GAA and a .900 save percentage through 11 appearances. The Wild have a road back-to-back coming up, with visits to the Hurricanes on Thursday and the Islanders on Friday, so Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt can be expected to split those games.

Luukkonen will patrol the home crease for Thursday's matchup with the Blues, Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald reports.

Luukkonen has appeared in two games for the Sabres this season, in which he posted a 1-0-1 record to go with a 3.33 GAA. The 26-year-old backstop has reached the 50-game mark in each of his previous two years. Despite missing nearly a month of the 2025-26 campaign due to injury, he may still have enough time to hit that threshold again this season.

Greaves will defend the road crease against Calgary on Wednesday, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.

Greaves is in the midst of a two-game winning streak in which he's posted a 2.44 GAA and .935 save percentage, a stretch that has continued his strong start to the season. He's alternated starts with Elvis Merzlikins early in the 2025-26 campaign, and that pattern will continue Wednesday. Greaves will have a favorable matchup against the Flames, who are averaging 2.14 goals per game this season, which is the worst mark in the NHL.