NHL Player News

Rittich was the first goalie off during Monday's morning skate, Andrew Gross of Newsday reports, signaling that he'll get the preseason start at home against the Rangers.

The Islanders are playing their penultimate preseason game Monday, so it could be Rittich's final opportunity to make his case for the No. 2 netminder job behind Ilya Sorokin. Rittich wasn't particularly effective during his preseason debut against the Rangers on Thursday, as he turned aside 20 of 24 shots while playing two periods. He may need to have a stronger performance Monday if he hopes to stave off Marcus Hogberg for the backup job while Semyon Varlamov (knee) remains out, even though Hogberg has also had some struggles during preseason play.

Bobrovsky will defend the home crease in Monday's preseason game against the Hurricanes, George Richards of Florida Hockey Now reports.

After winning a second consecutive Stanley Cup last year, Bobrovsky will continue to serve as the Panthers' No. 1 netminder during his age-37 season. He made 54 regular-season appearances during the 2024-25 campaign, going 33-19-2 with a 2.44 GAA and .906 save percentage.

Kochetkov (undisclosed) skated with the non-game group Monday, Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site reports.

Carolina has been extremely cautious with injuries during training camp, and Kochetkov had been off the ice since Thursday due to a minor issue. If he doesn't return to the lineup for Saturday's preseason finale in Nashville, he still could be an option for Opening Night on Oct. 9 versus New Jersey.

Vladar will defend the road net in Monday's preseason game versus Boston, according to Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia.

Vladar will play the entire game against the Bruins. He stopped eight of the nine shots he faced in one period of work in a 5-1 loss to Washington on Thursday. Vladar could compete with Samuel Ersson for playing time this campaign.

Demko is projected to start in Sunday's preseason matchup against the Oilers, Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet 650 reports.

Demko will make his second start of the preseason after stopping 11 of 12 shots in Wednesday's tune-up game versus the Flames. The San Diego native is No. 1 on Vancouver's goaltending depth chart, but Kevin Lankinen should see his fair share of starts in 2025-26 when taking into account Demko's lengthy injury history. The 29-year-old Demko inked a three-year, $25.5 million contract extension with the Canucks in the offseason.

Skinner is expected to start Sunday's exhibition game versus the Canucks.

The plan is for Skinner to play all three periods in Sunday's tune-up game against a divisional foe. The 26-year-old conceded three goals on 18 shots in Wednesday's 4-1 loss to the Kraken. Skinner posted a 26-18-4 record with three shutouts, an .896 save percentage and a 2.81 GAA over 51 regular-season outings in 2024-25.

Annunen will tend the road twine in Sunday's preseason game versus the Hurricanes, per Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site.

Annunen will get into his third exhibition contest Sunday -- he has allowed a total of two goals on 26 shots in preseason action. The 25-year-old figures to have the No. 2 netminding gig locked up behind Juuse Saros for the 2025-26 campaign. Annunen went 15-15-1 with a 3.18 GAA and an .883 save percentage over 34 regular-season appearances between Colorado and Nashville last season.

Primeau will start Sunday's preseason game at home against the Predators, Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site reports.

Primeau started the Hurricanes' preseason opener against the Lightning on Monday and turned aside 18 of 20 shots while playing the whole game. He'll have another chance to start Sunday, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him head to the minors ahead of the regular season.

Gustavsson will defend the home crease in Sunday's preseason game against Chicago, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.

Gustavsson will make his first start of the preseason with a week and a half remaining before Minnesota's Opening Night matchup against the Blues on Oct. 9. The 27-year-old made a career-high 58 regular-season appearances last year and went 31-19-6 with a 2.56 GAA and a .914 GAA. Once the 2025-26 regular season gets underway, Gustavsson is in line to serve as the Wild's No. 1 netminder once again.

Nedeljkovic missed practice Sunday due to a personal matter, Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Nedeljkovic figures to battle for starts this season with Yaroslav Askarov, though Askarov probably has the inside track in the fight for the No. 1 gig. The 29-year-old Nedeljkovic had a 14-15-5 record, 3.12 GAA and .894 save percentage in 38 outings with Pittsburgh in 2024-25.