NHL Player News

Halverson will start on the road against Utah on Saturday, per Gabby Shirley of FanDuel Sports Network Florida & Sun.

Jonas Johansson isn't an option because he's back in Tampa Bay due to a family matter. Halverson has a 2.32 GAA and a .913 save percentage in 34 appearances with AHL Syracuse in 2024-25. Although Halverson made an NHL relief appearance during the 2017-18 campaign, this will be the 28-year-old's first career start at the top level. Utah ranks 20th in goals per game with 2.83.

Kochetkov will guard the road goal against the Kings on Saturday, Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site reports.

Kochetkov has stopped 109 of 115 shots during his five-game winning streak. He has a 25-11-3 record with two shutouts, a 2.37 GAA and a .907 save percentage through 40 appearances this season. The Kings sit 22nd in the league with 2.81 goals per game in 2024-25.

Rittich is expected to start at home against Carolina on Saturday.

Rittich has a 13-12-2 record, 2.75 GAA and .885 save percentage in 28 appearances in 2024-25. He's making his first start since he stopped 27 of 32 shots en route to a 6-5 win over Vegas on March 9. Carolina ranks eighth in goals per game with 3.24.

Vladar is expected to start on the road against the Islanders on Saturday, according to Andrew Gross of Newsday.

Vladar has a 9-11-6 record, 2.90 GAA and .893 save percentage in 27 appearances in 2024-25. He made only 12 saves in a 2-1 win over the Rangers on Tuesday. The Islanders are tied for 24th in goals per game with 2.72.

Thompson is set to start at home against Florida on Saturday, according to Tom Gulitti of NHL.com.

Thompson is 30-4-5 with a 2.29 GAA and a .917 save percentage in 39 outings in 2024-25. He's won his past five starts while saving 117 of 129 shots (.907 save percentage). Florida ranks 10th in goals per game with 3.16.

Korpisalo was the first goalie off the ice at the morning skate, Max Miller of NHL.com reports, indicating he will defend the road net against San Jose on Saturday.

Korpisalo is coming off a 27-save effort in Monday's 3-2 overtime loss to Buffalo. He has a 10-7-3 record with three shutouts, a 2.78 GAA and an .896 save percentage through 23 appearances this season. San Jose sits 30th in the league with 2.58 goals per game in 2024-25.

Vejmelka is expected to start in Saturday's home game against Tampa Bay, per Belle Fraser of The Salt Lake Tribune.

Vejmelka stopped 25 of 27 shots en route to a 5-2 victory over Buffalo in his last start Thursday. He's 20-18-6 with a 2.49 GAA and a .908 save percentage in 46 appearances. The Lightning rank second in goals per game with 3.49 and are on a three-game winning streak.

Samsonov is expected to guard the home goal against Tampa Bay on Sunday, per SinBin.Vegas.

Samsonov will get the second half of Vegas' back-to-back after Adin Hill plays in Saturday's home game versus Detroit. The 28-year-old Samsonov has a 15-9-3 record with two shutouts, a 2.81 GAA and an .889 save percentage through 27 appearances this season. Tampa Bay ranks second in the league with 3.49 goals per game in 2024-25.

Vanecek is expected to start on the road against Washington on Saturday, per Doug Plagens of the Panthers Radio Network.

Vanecek has a 4-11-3 record, 3.64 GAA and .888 save percentage between San Jose and Florida this season. He's appeared in two games with the Panthers since being traded March 5, posting a 1-1-0 record, 1.53 GAA and .944 save percentage over that stretch. The Capitals own a 46-15-8 record and a league-leading 3.62 goals per game, making the team a challenging adversary.

Hofer will guard the home net Saturday against Chicago, Lou Korac of NHL.com reports.

Hofer will make his fifth appearance in seven games, including his fourth start. The 24-year-old netminder has been excellent of late, going 2-0-1 with a .939 save percentage in that span. Hofer is 13-7-3 with a .903 save percentage and a 2.71 GAA this year.