NHL Player News

Demko is set to start at home against Calgary on Thursday, Jeff Paterson of CanucksArmy.com reports.

Demko underwhelmed in 2024-25 with a 10-8-3 record, 2.90 GAA and .889 save percentage in 23 outings, but injury issues were a major factor. Unlike last year, he's healthy going into this season. Demko is a prime candidate for a bounce-back campaign.

Wolf will guard the road goal versus the Canucks on Thursday, Jeff Paterson of CanucksArmy.com reports.

Despite facing 35 shots Wednesday versus the Oilers and playing both games on the road, Wolf will work both halves of a back-to-back set. It's unclear if this is a vote of confidence in Wolf or an indication the Flames don't fully trust Devin Cooley in the backup role. In any case, Wolf will look to keep his strong start to the season going after earning a shootout win Wednesday in Edmonton.

Schmid will occupy the road crease in Thursday's game versus the Sharks, Max Miller of NHL.com reports.

Schmid will get his first start of the season after Adin Hill was in goal for Wednesday's 6-5 shootout loss to the Kings. Schmid made just five NHL appearances the 2024-25 regular season after logging a total of 37 games over the previous two years combined. He'll get the first crack at being Vegas' backup goalie in 2025-26.

Blackwood (lower body) isn't available for Thursday's home game against Utah.

Blackwood also missed Colorado's season opener Tuesday due to the injury. His next opportunity to play is Saturday versus Dallas. Blackwood is expected to reclaim his role as Colorado's No. 1 netminder once he's healthy, but in the meantime, the Avalanche are likely to lean on Scott Wedgewood.

Gustavsson is expected to start on the road against St. Louis on Thursday, per Matthew DeFranks of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Gustavsson had a 31-19-6 record, 2.56 GAA and .914 save percentage in 58 regular-season appearances with the Wild last year. He's got a good chance of getting a similar workload in 2025-26, and it's plausible that he'll hit the 30-win mark again thanks in no small part to the strength of the team in front of him.

Saros will protect the home goal versus the Blue Jackets, Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site reports.

Saros will predictably get the nod for Opening Night. The 30-year-old's numbers have regressed in each of the last two years, but he'll be looking to turn things around in 2025-26. Even if he doesn't fully bounce back, Saros should still get enough playing time to help fantasy managers.

Dobes is expected to start in Thursday's road clash against Detroit, per Arpon Basu of The Athletic.

Dobes is getting his first start of the season after Sam Montembeault stopped 22 of 25 shots en route to a 5-2 loss to Toronto on Wednesday. The 24-year-old Dobes had a 7-4-3 record, 2.74 GAA and .909 save percentage in 16 regular-season outings with Montreal last year. He's starting the campaign as Montreal's backup netminder, and Dobes has his work ahead of him in order to steal starts from Montembeault.

Soderblom will protect the road goal Thursday versus the Bruins, Scott Powers of The Athletic reports.

Soderblom will get his first start of the season in the Blackhawks' second game. The 26-year-old goalie is looking to build upon his 3.18 GAA and .898 save percentage, from 36 games last year, all of which were career-best marks. Soderblom will likely fill the backup role behind Spencer Knight, but it's possible this crease becomes a timeshare if neither goalie finds consistency.

Lyon will guard the home goal versus the Rangers on Thursday, Heather Engel of NHL.com reports.

Lyon is set to hold onto the No. 1 job in goal until Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (lower body) is healthy. Thursday will mark Lyon's debut with the Sabres after he signed a two-year deal at the start of free agency.

Korpisalo is set to start at home against Chicago on Thursday, per Belle Fraser of the Bruins' official site.

Korpisalo is getting his first start of the campaign after Jeremy Swayman turned aside 35 of 36 shots en route to a 3-1 win over Washington on Wednesday. Swayman is expected to get the bulk of the workload in net for the Bruins this year, which will likely leave Korpisalo with 20-30 opportunities to play between the pipes.