NHL Player News

Wedgewood made 22 saves in a 4-1 win over Columbus on Friday.

Wedgewood has been getting a lot of starts and ice time given Mackenzie Blackwood's lower body injury, and Wedgewood is making the most of it. Wedgewood could be in line for close to 30 starts (or slightly more) this season given his strong work to hold the fort for Blackwood. Wedgewood is 4-0-1 with a 1.58 GAA and .939 save percentage.

Andersen stopped 23 of 24 shots in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Ducks.

Andersen allowed a goal to Leo Carlsson in the second period, but that was the extent of the damage in a game the Hurricanes controlled throughout. This was Andersen's third straight start to begin the season and his best performance of the three. He's allowed seven goals on 69 shots in those games, though the Hurricanes' defense has largely prevented him from seeing too many pucks. The road trip continues with a game in Los Angeles on Saturday.

Merzlikins made 32 saves in a 4-1 loss to Colorado on Thursday.

He allowed three goals. Merzlikins and Jet Greaves are splitting starts right now, and both netminders have great save percentages (.920 for Merzlikins; .932 for Greaves). Wins and GAA will be tough categories with Merzlikins, so use him in matchups as they present themselves.

Forsberg stopped 22 of 25 shots in Thursday's 4-2 loss to the Penguins. The fourth goal was an empty-netter.

Forsberg has a brief chance to fill in as the Kings' top goalie while Darcy Kuemper (lower body) is out. This wasn't a great showing for Forsberg, who is now 1-0-1 with eight goals allowed on 60 shots over his two starts this season. The 32-year-old could cede some starts to Pheonix Copley if his play doesn't improve. The Kings have a tough matchup ahead when they host the Hurricanes on Saturday.

Silovs stopped 30 of 32 shots in Thursday's 4-2 win over the Kings.

Silovs was torched for six goals in his last start, but he bounced back well in this outing. Both goals allowed came within the first 10 minutes before the Latvian netminder settled in to allow the Penguins to make a comeback. Silovs has given up eight goals on 87 shots while going 2-1-0 through three starts this season. He's split the crease evenly with Tristan Jarry, and if that continues, Jarry would play Saturday in San Jose before Silovs gets the nod at home versus the Canucks on Tuesday.

Shesterkin made 22 saves in a 2-1 overtime loss to Toronto on Thursday.

Shesterkin was brilliant, but the Rangers struggled offensively. The team finally scored a goal in the third period, and it was the club's first in 170:39. The Rangers had been shut out in each of their prior two games. Shesterkin is one of the NHL's best, but not even the best can fix what ails this team.

DeSmith stopped 21 of 26 shots in Thursday's 5-3 loss to the Canucks.

The last goal was nearly an empty-netter, but Quinn Hughes' long-range shot found the net faster than DeSmith could get to the bench. This was a lackluster season debut for DeSmith, who is likely to fill the backup role throughout 2025-26. He went 14-8-2 with a 2.59 GAA and a .915 save percentage over 27 games in the 2024-25 regular season, which suggests he will likely play no more than once every three games this year.

Demko stopped 28 of 31 shots in Thursday's 5-3 win over the Stars.

Demko had his worst game of the season but still came away with a win thanks to a four-goal second period by the Canucks. The 29-year-old netminder has given up just six goals on 85 shots over his three starts this season. He'll likely get a rest Friday when the Canucks visit the Blackhawks, but Demko should be back between the pipes Saturday versus the Capitals.

Stolarz made 28 saves in a 2-1 overtime win over the Rangers on Thursday.

Stolarz was the difference maker Thursday. He had to fend off several 2-on-1 plays and made a few cross-crease stretches to keep his team in the game. The Leafs have been scoring less this season than in years past, so they will need Stolarz to excel like this until they figure out the little things, like fixing their breakouts.

Andersen will protect the road goal versus the Ducks on Thursday, Ducks PA announcer Phil Hulett reports.

Andersen will get his third start in four games to begin the season. He's won his first two outings, but he's allowed six goals on 45 shots. The Ducks' offense has been lively so far with 12 goals over three contests.