NHL Player News

Kochetkov will start at home versus the Canucks on Friday, Ryan Henkel of The Hockey News reports.

Kochetkov's last outing was a brief relief appearance versus the Capitals on Tuesday, in which he didn't face a shot. Frederik Andersen (concussion) exited that contest, so Kochetkov could get an increase in playing time as long as Andersen is out. For Friday's game, Kochetkov will catch a bit of a break, as the Canucks will be without Quinn Hughes (undisclosed).

Demko (lower body) was placed on injured reserve Friday, Jeff Paterson of CanucksArmy.com reports.

Demko sustained a lower-body injury during Tuesday's game against the Jets, and the issue is expected to sideline him for approximately 2-3 weeks, per hockey insider Frank Seravalli. Kevin Lankinen will presumably serve as the Canucks' primary netminder in Demko's absence.

Gibson (upper body) was cleared and will be active Saturday versus Buffalo, Ansar Khan of MLive.com reports Friday.

Head coach Todd McLellan did not name a starter for Saturday at his Friday press conference, but did say that Gibson is good to go. Gibson, who left Thursday's game after two periods with the injury, is 4-5-0 with a 3.14 GAA and an .882 save percentage across 10 starts this season.

Ersson will defend the road crease against the Blues on Friday.

Ersson has seen limited playing time in recent weeks, but he'll draw the start for the second time in the Flyers' last three games. He's been relatively effective when called upon this season, going 2-1-2 with a 3.03 GAA and .866 save percentage.

Skarek was reassigned to AHL San Jose on Friday.

Skarek was recalled Thursday to back up Yaroslav Askarov, as Alex Nedeljkovic (personal) was placed on non-roster injured reserve. Nedeljkovic was activated Friday in a corresponding move.

Nedeljkovic (personal) was added back onto the 23-man roster Friday.

Nedeljkovic had been on the non-roster list while attending to a personal matter, but he has rejoined the team for Friday's practice session. The 29-year-old backstop is undefeated in regulation over his last four outings, posting a 3-0-1 record and 2.44 GAA. Given how well Yaroslav Askarov has performed of late, going 3-1-0 with a 1.00 GAA in his previous four contests, the duo could be headed for a split share of the goaltending duties.

Montembeault will be between the home pipes versus Boston on Saturday, Eric Engels of Sportsnet reports.

Montembeault has had a pair of shaky appearances, allowing a total of six goals on 31 shots in his last two outings. Overall, the 29-year-old netminder is 4-4-1 with a 3.61 GAA and an .857 save percentage across 10 appearances. The Bruins saw their seven-game winning streak snapped Thursday in a 5-3 loss to Ottawa.

Lankinen will draw the road start against Carolina on Friday, Dan Murphy of Sportsnet reports.

Lankinen has seen increased playing time recently while Thatcher Demko (lower body) has been hampered by injuries. Lankinen has had mixed results over his last four appearances, going 1-2-1 with a 3.61 GAA and .884 save percentage during that time. He'll draw the start for the fourth time in five games Friday but will face a tough test against the Hurricanes, who rank third in the league with 3.69 goals per game.

Woll (personal) was activated to the 23-man roster Friday.

Woll's return to the team comes at a good time, considering Anthony Stolarz (upper body) is currently on the shelf. It's unclear when Woll might be given his first start of the NHL season, though he could be in the mix as early as Saturday's road clash with Chicago.

Akhtyamov was assigned to AHL Toronto on Friday.

Akhtyamov was called up by the Maple Leafs to serve as the backup goaltender for Thursday's game against the Kings, but he'll head back to the minors a day later since Joseph Woll (personal) was activated to the roster Friday. Akhtyamov has made six appearances for the Marlies this year, going 4-2-0 with a 2.82 GAA and .894 save percentage.