NHL Player News

Lyon (upper body) had a setback in his recovery and is without a timeline to return, the team announced Thursday.

According to the team, Lyon was originally expected to be in the crease for Tuesday's road clash with Montreal before suffering his setback. Even once given the all-clear, there may not be enough games to go around to make Lyon more than a low-end fantasy target, especially as long as Buffalo continues rostering three goalies.

Hildeby is expected to return to the lineup for Thursday's clash against the Kraken, per Benjamin Pierce of the Lightning's official site.

Hildeby will likely be available to back up Andrei Vasilevskiy in Thursday's clash after Jonas Johansson was sent back to AHL Syracuse. Before Hildeby's one-game absence, the 25-year-old netminder posted a win in his lone outing of the season, stopping 34 shots in a 3-2 win over the Wild. Now that he appears to be healthy, he'll likely see another appearance within Tampa Bay's next handful of games.

Knight will guard the home net in Thursday's clash against the Jets, per Jack Bushman of Chicago Hockey Now.

Knight will look to build momentum off his second win of the 2026-27 campaign, where he made 24 saves in a 5-3 win over Pittsburgh. Overall, the 25-year-old netminder has a 2-3-0 record, a 3.64 GAA and an .885 save percentage across five appearances. While he's trending in the right direction in fantasy, he'll face off against the Jets on Thursday, who have won four of their first six games to open the new season. Knight is a decent spot start for Thursday, but fantasy managers should exercise caution with him until the Blackhawks can string together multiple sound defensive performances.

Nedeljkovic will start Thursday's road game against Nashville, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports.

Nedeljkovic has seen limited playing time early in the 2026-27 campaign, as he started just one of the Sharks' first six games of the year. He was effective during his previous start, turning aside 24 of 26 shots (.923 save percentage) during an overtime win over the Blues on the road. Nedeljkovic made a pair of road starts against the Predators last year, going 1-1-0 with a 4.00 GAA and .830 save percentage.

Levi will start Thursday's home game against the Mammoth, Mark Spector of Sportsnet reports.

Levi has picked up wins in each of his first four starts of the season, and the Oilers will continue to ride the hot hand against Utah on Thursday, as he'll start for the fifth time in the team's last six games. The 24-year-old has posted a 2.76 GAA and a .903 save percentage across his four starts to begin the 2026-27 campaign.

Skinner is expected to be between the pipes on the road versus Chicago on Thursday, Mitchell Clinton of the Jets' official site reports.

Skinner remains undefeated in regulation, posting a 3-0-1 record, 2.47 GAA and .917 save percentage in four outings. With no end in sight to the Connor Hellebuyck (suspension) situation, fantasy managers should be confident that the 27-year-old Skinner will continue to carry the bulk of the workload in Winnipeg and could top the 30-win mark for the first time since 2023-24.

Saros will patrol the home crease in Thursday's clash against the Sharks, per Nick Kieser of Lower Broad Hockey.

Saros struggled between the pipes during Frozen Frenzy, where he allowed five goals on 25 shots attempts against the Golden Knights. Overall, the 31-year-old netminder has a 2-2-1 record a, 3.17 GAA and an .897 save percentage across five appearances. He's had an up and down season to this point, making him a wild card in fantasy for the time being. He'll have a decent chance to get back on track Thursday, however, as the Sharks have averaged just 2.67 goals per game to open the new season, making Saros a strong fantasy option.

Varlamov will get the starting nod on the road against the Senators on Thursday, Andrew Gross of Newsday reports.

Varlamov gave up three goals on 22 shots in his only other appearance this season, falling 5-2 to the Rangers on Oct. 6. While the veteran netminder isn't going to supplant Ilya Sorokin as the No. 1 option for the Islanders, the coaching staff has expressed its desire to give Varlamov about one start per week, which would equate to roughly around 30 starts over the course of the season.

Merilainen was the first goalie off during Thursday's morning skate, Thomas Drance of The Athletic reports, indicating that he'll draw the road start against Florida.

Merilainen will draw a second consecutive start after he allowed three goals on 38 shots during a 3-2 regulation loss to the Islanders on the road Tuesday. He's appeared in five games to begin the regular season, going 1-1-0 with a 2.40 GAA and .927 save percentage.

Annunen (undisclosed) is considered a game-time decision for Thursday's home matchup against San Jose, Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean reports.

Annunen was also deemed a game-time decision for Tuesday's matchup against the Golden Knights, but he was held out once again as he remains on injured reserve. Even if the 26-year-old is activated ahead of Thursday's matchup, Juuse Saros appears likely to serve as the Predators' starter against San Jose.