NHL Player News

Head coach Rod Brind'Amour said Thursday that Kochetkov is dealing with a minor injury, Chip Alexander of The Raleigh News & Observer reports.

While the exact nature of Kochetkov's injury isn't yet clear, it seems unlikely that the issue will force him to miss too much time, and he should tentatively be considered day-to-day. Kochetkov went 27-16-3 with a 2.60 GAA and .897 save percentage over 47 regular-season appearances last year, and assuming he's healthy for the start of the 2025-26 campaign, he should split playing time with Frederik Andersen.

Luukkonen (lower body) is expecting to be ready for Opening Night against the Rangers on Oct. 9, Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News reports Thursday.

Luukkonen practiced for the first time during training camp Thursday, but look for the team to ease him back into action -- if the netminder plays in a preseason game at all. The Sabres have four more opportunities for Luukkonen to face some rubber before the season opener. In the meantime, Alex Lyon and Alexandar Georgiev figure to continue battling for the No. 2 spot in Buffalo.

Vladar is slated to start Thursday's preseason game on the road against the Capitals, Charlie O'Connor of PHLY Sports reports.

While the 28-year-old will draw the start Thursday, head coach Rick Tocchet said that Vladar will only play the first period against Washington. The Flyers have been cautious with their top netminders during the preseason, but Vladar and Samuel Ersson are expected to play in full exhibition games next week.

Montembeault will defend the home crease in preseason action Thursday versus Toronto, Stu Cowan of The Montreal Gazette reports.

Montembeault drew the start in Monday's preseason opener against the Penguins, and he'll defend the crease again Thursday. Montembeault is slated to return as the Canadiens' No. 1 goaltender this season after posting a 31-24-7 record with a 2.82 GAA and a .901 save percentage across 62 regular-season appearances in 2024-25.

Luukkonen (lower body) returned to practice Thursday, per Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News.

Luukkonen will partake in his first practice session in training camp. The 26-year-old starting netminder was 24-24-5 with a 3.20 GAA and an .887 save percentage across 55 regular-season contests in 2024-25. Luukkonen will be challenged for the top spot, as the Sabres signed Alexandar Georgiev and Alex Lyon to compete with Luukkonen and Devon Levi between the pipes.

Vasilevskiy (undisclosed) has not skated since Friday, Lightning reporter Gabby Shirley reports.

Vasilevskiy is hoping to return to practice on the weekend, according to head coach Jon Cooper. "Basically he's just going through some treatments and stuff. It's player management so he'll be out probably a few days, latest hopefully a week and, then, he'll be back in there," Cooper said last Saturday. Vasilevskiy is still expected to get the Opening Night start at home versus Ottawa on Oct. 9.

Georgiev will defend the road crease during Thursday's preseason game against Detroit, Heather Engel of NHL.com reports.

Georgiev will draw the start Thursday, and he's also slated to play the full game against the Red Wings. The Sabres also announced that Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will have his first full practice Thursday, and Georgiev's opportunities to begin the regular season will likely be limited if Luukkonen is healthy.

Talbot will start Thursday's preseason game at home against the Sabres, Sean Shapiro of DLLS Sports reports.

Talbot was in the starter's crease during Thursday's morning skate, and he'll ultimately draw the preseason start against Buffalo. He's slated to play approximately half the game, while Michal Postava is expected to patrol the crease for the second half of the matchup.

Rittich is expected to defend visiting crease versus the Rangers on Thursday, Stefen Rosner of NHL.com reports.

Rittich will be backed up by Marcus Hogberg as Ilya Sorokin gets the night off. Rittich was the backup goaltender for the Kings in 2024-25, going 16-14-2 with a 2.84 GAA and an .886 save percentage across 34 regular-season games. Rittich will battle the injured Semyon Varlamov (knee) and Hogberg for the No. 2 spot with the Islanders in 2025-26.

Kuemper will guard the road goal in Wednesday's preseason game versus the Ducks, Ducks PA Announcer Phil Hulett reports.

Kuemper is set for his first preseason action. The 35-year-old is set to reprise his role as the Kings' No. 1 netminder in 2025-26 after posting a 31-11-7 record, a 2.02 GAA and a .921 save percentage over 50 regular-season games last season.