NHL Player News

Stolarz made 29 saves in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Canadiens.

The Habs and the Leafs traded goals through the first two periods, but Stolarz shut the door in the third as his squad pulled away. The 31-year-old netminder is coming off a career-best campaign in his first season with Toronto, recording 21 wins with a 2.14 GAA and .926 save percentage over 34 regular-season contests, and with Joseph Woll (personal) away from the team indefinitely, Stolarz figures to see a heavy workload in the early portion of 2025-26.

Montembeault stopped 22 of 25 shots in Wednesday's 5-2 loss to the Maple Leafs. Toronto's final two goals were scored into an empty net.

The 28-year-old netminder kept things close on the road in the Canadiens' season opener, but his offense couldn't find an equalizer after Morgan Rielly potted what proved to be the game-winner midway through the third period. Montembeault is coming off a career-best campaign in which he racked up 31 wins and a 2.82 GAA in 62 games, and a stronger Montreal lineup in front of him could help him maintain that level of play or even exceed it in 2025-26.

Thompson stopped 18 of 20 shots he faced in Wednesday's 3-1 loss to the Bruins. The third goal was an empty-netter with 58 seconds left in the game.

Thompson allowed a tally in the first period at even strength and in the third period on the power play. By the time the Bruins added a third goal, Thompson was already on the bench and Washington was pushing for an equalizer with an extra attacker. Thompson went 31-6-6 with a 2.49 GAA and a .910 save percentage across 43 regular-season appearances in 2024-25. He'll aim to clinch his first win of the season in a road matchup against the Islanders on Saturday.

Swayman stopped 35 of 36 shots in Wednesday's win over the Capitals.

Swayman was beaten by Tom Wilson in the third period, a goal that made it a 1-1 tie, but he was outstanding the rest of the way and kicked off the new season with a win. Swayman is coming off a woeful season in 2024-25, going 22-29-7 with a 3.11 GAA and an .892 save percentage, but he certainly enjoyed a positive start to the season with this outing. The Bruins play the second leg of a back-to-back set Thursday, so it wouldn't be surprising if Swayman is rested against the Blackhawks, giving Joonas Korpisalo the chance to start.

Skinner stopped 19 of 22 shots in Wednesday's 4-3 shootout loss to the Flames.

A couple of bad bounces led to the Flames' first two goals, but it was Skinner's own puck-handling mishap early in the third that led to the tying tally. He then stopped six of eight shootout attempts, but Dustin Wolf was one save better, leaving Skinner on the hook for a frustrating loss to open the season. The 26-year-old can't afford many blunders this year, as the spotlight has already been on him for his playoff struggles despite the team's overall success. Should Skinner go through an extended slump, Calvin Pickard could earn an even split of time in the crease, or the Oilers could opt to make a move to upgrade their goaltending altogether. The Oilers are back in action at home versus the Canucks on Saturday.

Wolf stopped 32 of 35 shots in Wednesday's 4-3 shootout win over the Oilers.

The Oilers started well and took a 3-0 lead before the halfway mark of regulation. Two of those goals were on the power play, but Wolf was able to stay calm and provide steadiness between the pipes as the Flames put together a comeback win. He also stopped seven of eight shootout attempts to complete the effort. Wolf is locked in as Calgary's No. 1 goalie after producing an impressive 29-16-8 record, 2.64 GAA and .910 save percentage over 53 games in 2024-25. He'll likely get a breather Thursday as the Flames visit the Canucks, with Devin Cooley likely to start that contest before Wolf gets back between the pipes for the home opener Saturday against the Blues.

Hill stopped 21 of 26 shots in Wednesday's 6-5 shootout loss to the Kings.

Hill's season debut wasn't great, especially after he allowed two goals over the last nine minutes to squander a 5-3 lead. The 29-year-old stopped just one of three attempts in the shootout to complete the Golden Knights' collapse. The good news is that his team's offense is looking strong early on, which should give Hill some leeway if he's unable to replicate his 2.47 GAA and .906 save percentage from 50 regular-season appearances in 2024-25. Should Hill struggle, Akira Schmid could get a chance to carve out a timeshare in the crease. It'll likely be Schmid between the pipes for Thursday's contest in San Jose as the Golden Knights begin a three-game road trip.

Forsberg stopped 30 of 35 shots in Wednesday's 6-5 shootout win over the Golden Knights.

The Kings' defense wasn't up to par when the Golden Knights' top players were on the ice. Forsberg did what he could, and he got enough support to guide the game to a shootout, where he stopped two of three attempts to claim the win. The 32-year-old netminder should continue to fill the backup role, though it's not clear when he'll get his next start, as the Kings don't have another back-to-back in the next week.

Forsberg will guard the road goal versus the Golden Knights on Wednesday, Dennis Bernstein of The Fourth Period reports.

Forsberg will get the second half of the Kings' back-to-back set to open the season. Darcy Kuemper was in net for a 4-1 loss to the Avalanche on Tuesday. This outing will be Forsberg's official Kings debut after he signed with the team in free agency. Given that Los Angeles has two veteran goalies, expect Forsberg to start at least once in every back-to-back set as well as some additional times throughout the year to keep Kuemper fresh.

Hill was the first goalie off during Wednesday's morning skate, Jesse Granger of The Athletic reports, signaling that he'll draw the Opening Night start at home against the Kings.

Hill had one of the best years of his career for the Golden Knights last season, going 32-13-5 with a 2.47 GAA and .906 save percentage over 50 regular-season appearances. He secured a six-year extension in March and is in line to serve as Vegas' No. 1 netminder once again during the 2025-26 campaign.