NHL Player News

Blackwood stopped 18 of 21 shots in Thursday's 6-3 win over the Sabres.

Blackwood wasn't great, but he didn't need to be as the Avalanche jumped out to a quick lead. The Sabres were able to briefly tie the game late in the second period before Gavin Brindley put Colorado ahead for good. Blackwood is 2-0-1 through three starts, but he's allowed 10 goals on 77 shots so far. After the game, head coach Jared Bednar announced Scott Wedgewood will start Sunday versus the Islanders, per Ryan Boulding of NHL.com, so it looks like Blackwood will continue to have to be patient when it comes to getting more chances to play. As long as Wedgewood's play remains strong, Blackwood may not have an opportunity for anything more than an even split of starts.

Tarasov made 37 saves in a 6-3 win over Washington on Thursday.

It was his first win of the season (fifth start). "[Tarasov] was incredible, especially early in the game and early in the third when they had a few pushes and he was able to shut the door," Sam Reinhart told reporters after the game. "We were able to hold onto it." Tarasov is now 1-3-1 with a 2.60 GAA and .902 save percentage.

Wedgewood will get the home start versus the Islanders on Sunday, Ryan Boulding of NHL.com reports.

Mackenzie Blackwood was between the pipes for a 6-3 win over the Sabres on Thursday. Wedgewood has been operating as the No. 1 netminder to great results this season, especially when Blackwood was working his way back from a lower-body injury. Wedgewood has posted a 2.00 GAA and .927 save percentage during his five-game winning streak, and his strong play earned him a one-year contract extension Thursday.

Wolf recorded a 16-save shutout in Thursday's 2-0 win over the Sharks.

Wolf was hardly tested in this contest, and he was more than capable of putting an end to the Sharks' recent run of success. The California native always seems to have his best performances against the Sharks -- this was his first shutout against his hometown team, but he's 8-1-0 with a 1.88 GAA and a .923 save percentage in nine career matchups against them. For 2025-26, Wolf improved to 5-10-1 with a 3.03 GAA and an .897 save percentage over 16 starts. While this was a positive performance, the Flames still need to play a lot better in front of Wolf to give him a chance at wins. They're back in action for a tough home game Saturday versus the Jets.

Askarov stopped 34 of 35 shots in Thursday's 2-0 loss to the Flames. The second goal was an empty-netter.

Blake Coleman created a turnover and scored at 5:46 of the second period for the only goal that got past Askarov. While this was the end of Askarov's four-game winning streak, he still put forth an excellent performance. He's now allowed exactly one goal in four straight outings. For the season, the 23-year-old is 5-5-1 with a 3.09 GAA and a .906 save percentage over 11 starts. The Sharks' next game is Saturday in Seattle, and if Alex Nedeljkovic (personal) isn't back with the team by then, it's safe to assume Askarov will make another start.

Kuemper made 12 saves in a 4-3 overtime win over Toronto on Thursday.

Kuemper has notched four straight wins, with just six goals allowed and one shutout in that span. Overall, he's 7-3-3 with a 2.44 GAA and .903 save percentage with one shutout this season.

Hildeby made 33 saves in a 4-3 overtime loss to Los Angeles on Thursday.

It was Hildeby's fourth straight appearance since being recalled Saturday. He did his part, but his mates didn't. They continued to give up too many chances while failing to get volume on Darcy Kuemper. Hildeby faced 37 shots, while Kuemper saw just 15.

Gibson (upper body) will be evaluated in the coming days after exiting Thursday's game versus the Ducks, Max Bultman of The Athletic reports.

Gibson appeared to get clipped by an opposing player late in the second period and ultimately didn't return for the third. The 32-year-old allowed two goals on 17 shots prior to his exit. Gibson can be considered day-to-day until the Red Wings establish a timeline for him, but expect the team to be cautious since he has a lengthy injury history.

Luukkonen won't start in Thursday's road game against Colorado despite a previous report to the contrary, per Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550.

Luukkonen has a record of 1-1-1 with a 2.90 GAA and an .877 save percentage in three appearances this season. Alex Lyon is expected to start Thursday. Colten Ellis is also on the active roster, and Luukkonen is seeing limited work despite appearing in over 50 games in each of the previous two campaigns.

Lyon will start in goal on the road versus the Avalanche on Thursday, Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550 reports.

This is contrary to a previous report that said Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen would start, but Lyon was the first goalie on the ice Thursday for warmups. Since the Sabres are carrying three goalies, it's unlikely this is an injury situation and simply just a mix-up. Lyon has lost his last four outings (0-1-3) with 14 goals allowed on 129 shots in that span.