NHL Player News

Vladar will defend the home goal versus St. Louis on Thursday, Charlie O'Connor of PHLY Sports reports.

Vladar will try and rebound from his mediocre performance in Dallas on Saturday, as he allowed five goals on 28 shots in a 5-1 loss. Overall, the 28-year-old is 6-4-1 with a 2.42 GAA and a .909 save percentage, as he has solidified the goaltending situation in Philadelphia. The Blues are generating only 2.75 goals per game this season, tied for 26th in the NHL.

Ellis made 29 saves in Wednesday's 6-2 loss to Calgary.

The rookie netminder crashed back to earth in the third period Wednesday, giving up four goals on 14 shots as the Flames blew open a 2-2 tie. Ellis was mainly the victim of bad luck and bad defensive play in front of him however -- the final puck to get past him caromed off the back glass, came over the top of the net and deflected in off his skate before he could even locate it. Ellis has started four of the last five games for a Buffalo team searching for some stability in net, going 2-2-0 with a 3.77 GAA and .886 save percentage, and the 25-year-old may not be the solution.

Cooley turned aside 28 shots in Wednesday's 6-2 win over Buffalo.

The 28-year-old netminder collected his first win of the season with a sharp performance that included denying the Sabres on all 13 of their shots in the third period as the Flames began to pull away. Cooley has made only six appearances this season while working behind Dustin Wolf, going 1-2-1, but his usage could increase considering he has yet to allow more than three goals in any of those outings, resulting in a 1.80 GAA and .935 save percentage.

Thompson made 26 saves in Wednesday's 7-4 win over the Oilers.

The Capitals jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, and while the visitors kept things close -- the final score got padded by a couple empty-netters -- Thompson did enough to ensure the lead never slip away. The 28-year-old netminder has been alternating solid outings and shakier ones in November, going 3-2-1 in six starts with a 2.65 GAA and .902 save percentage.

Skinner stopped 14 of 19 shots in Wednesday's 7-4 loss to the Capitals, with Washington's final two goals getting scored into an empty net.

The Oilers' defense was simply outmatched most of the night, and Skinner couldn't do much with any of the pucks that got past him. The 27-year-old netminder has allowed at least four goals in four of his last six outings, going 3-3-0 during that stretch with a rough 3.86 GAA and .848 save percentage.

Korpisalo stopped 29 of 33 shots in Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the Ducks.

The Bruins were able to overcome an early 2-0 deficit, but Ian Moore's tally with 3:35 left in the third period sent Korpisalo to his second straight loss. The Finnish netminder has allowed eight goals on 54 shots over those two defeats. On the year, he has posted a 4-5-0 record with a 3.43 GAA and an .878 save percentage in nine appearances. Jeremy Swayman has been starting two out of every three games lately, which will likely send Korpisalo back to the bench for Friday's contest versus the Kings.

Dostal stopped 36 of 39 shots in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Bruins.

Dostal was kept busy in this contest but came away with his second straight win. Two of the Bruins' goals came on their power plays. Dostal is up to 10-5-1 with a 2.81 GAA and a .904 save percentage through 16 starts this season. He's on pace to easily shatter his career high of 23 wins from last year. Look for Petr Mrazek to start Thursday versus the Senators, while Dostal should be back between the pipes Saturday against the Golden Knights.

Andersen allowed three goals on 18 shots in Wednesday's 4-3 shootout loss to the Wild.

Andersen never received a lead to protect in this contest despite facing significantly less traffic than Jesper Wallstedt in the other crease. The 36-year-old Andersen has gone 0-1-2 with 10 goals allowed on 68 shots over his last three outings. He dropped to 5-4-2 with a 3.07 GAA and an .883 save percentage in 11 starts overall. If he continues to struggle, Pyotr Kochetkov may start to receive more playing time, and Brandon Bussi is also in the mix. The Hurricanes' road trip continues in Winnipeg on Friday.

Wallstedt stopped 42 of 45 shots in Wednesday's 4-3 shootout win over the Hurricanes.

The Hurricanes brought a ton of pressure, but Wallstedt was up to the challenge. He kept them off the board until Jackson Blake's second-period tally. Wallstedt has won four outings in a row, allowing just five goals on 136 shots in that span. The 23-year-old is up to 5-0-2 on the year with a 2.20 GAA and a .926 save percentage over seven games. He's doing everything he can to push Filip Gustavsson for playing time between the pipes. The Wild's next game is Friday in Pittsburgh.

Cooley will start in goal on the road versus the Sabres on Wednesday, Heather Engel of NHL.com reports.

Cooley will get the nod in the second half of a back-to-back. The 28-year-old has given up just seven goals on 108 shots over five appearances, but he's 0-2-1 on the year. The Sabres have been heating up with 18 goals over their last five games, though they have just two wins in that span.