NHL Player News

Greaves will serve as the starting goaltender for Thursday's Opening Night matchup on the road against Nashville, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports.

Although Greaves saw limited playing time for the Blue Jackets last year, he had a stellar late-season performance that nearly propelled the team to the playoffs. Overall, he went 7-2-2 with a 1.91 GAA and .938 save percentage over 11 regular-season appearances, and he'll be rewarded with the Opening Night start to begin the 2025-26 campaign. Elvis Merzlikins should still see his fair share of playing time this season, but it seems as though Greaves will have ample opportunities to make an impact.

Markstrom is slated to patrol the visiting crease on Opening Night in Carolina on Thursday, according to Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site.

Markstrom rebounded from a tough couple of seasons to post a 26-16-6 record with four shutouts, a 2.50 GAA and a .900 save percentage across 49 outings in 2024-25. He'll face a Carolina side that is expected to be at or near the top of the Metropolitan Division standings this season.

Hellebuyck will defend the home net Opening Night versus Dallas on Thursday, Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press reports.

Hellebuyck, the reigning Hart and Vezina Trophy winner, was outstanding in 2024-25, posting a 47-12-3 mark with eight shutouts, a 2.00 GAA and a .925 save percentage. He is currently the best goaltender in hockey, and he'll attempt to begin the 2025-26 campaign on a high note Thursday.

Vladar will start Thursday's Opening Night matchup on the road against Florida, Charlie O'Connor of PHLY Sports reports.

Vladar was the first goalie off following Thursday's morning skate, and head coach Rick Tocchet officially named him the Opening Night starter afterward. Vladar made 30 regular-season appearances for Calgary last year, going 11-6-2 with a 2.80 GAA and .898 save percentage. Samuel Ersson will likely see the majority of starts for the Flyers this year, but it wouldn't be surprising to see the two netminders in some sort of timeshare.

Jarry will patrol the home crease versus the Islanders on Thursday, per Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Jarry did not start Opening Night as Arturs Silovs shut out the Rangers in a 3-0 victory. Head coach Dan Muse said Thursday that he wanted both goaltenders to play early in the season, so Jarry will see some time in the net Thursday. Jarry was 16-12-6 with a 3.12 GAA and an .892 save percentage across 36 regular-season appearances for Pittsburgh in 2024-25.

Head coach Rod Brind'Amour said Thursday that Kochetkov (undisclosed) was "nicked up" and will not back up Frederik Andersen versus New Jersey on Thursday, Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site reports.

Kochetkov missed practice Wednesday and Thursday with the injury. Andersen will get the Opening Night start, while Brandon Bussi serves as the backup. Kochetkov should tentatively be considered day-to-day as the regular season gets underway.

Shesterkin will defend the road crease against the Sabres on Thursday, Jim Cerny of NHL.com reports.

Shesterkin drew the Opening Night start against the Penguins on Tuesday, and he turned aside 27 of 28 shots but didn't get any offensive help from the Rangers in the loss. He'll have another opportunity to pick up his first win of the 2025-26 campaign during Thursday's road matchup.

Sorokin will be between the visiting pipes in Pittsburgh on Thursday, Stefen Rosner of NHL.com reports.

Sorokin rebounded from an inconsistent 2023-24 campaign to go 30-24-6 with four shutouts, a 2.71 GAA and a .907 save percentage across 61 regular-season appearances in 2024-25. The 30-year-old netminder was a perfect 3-0-0 against the Penguins last season, stopping 73 of 81 shots.

Vasilevskiy was the first goalie off during Thursday's morning skate, Benjamin Pierce of the Lightning's official site signaling that he'll draw the Opening Night start at home against the Senators.

Vasilevskiy dealt with an undisclosed injury for most of training camp, but he suited up in Tampa Bay's preseason finale against Florida on Saturday and will unsurprisingly draw the start in Thursday's regular-season opener. He made 63 regular-season appearances last year, going 38-20-5 with a 2.18 GAA and .921 save percentage, and he should remain one of the league's top netminders during the 2025-26 campaign.

Bobrovsky was the first netminder off the ice at morning skate, an indication that he will defend the home crease versus Philadelphia on Thursday, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Bobrovsky picked up his first win of the season Opening Night, stopping 17 of 19 shots versus Chicago on Tuesday. Bobrovsky was stellar in 2024-25, leading the Panthers to their second straight Stanley Cup. He had a GAA of 2.44 in 54 regular-season games last year and should be considered among the top netminders in the NHL.