NHL Player News
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Joel Hofer G | STL
Blues' Joel Hofer: Guarding cage against Kraken
Hofer will patrol the crease at home versus Seattle on Thursday, Lou Korac of NHL.com reports.
Hofer and Jordan Binnington were splitting the workload ahead of the Olympic break, and that trend figures to continue now that the NHL is back in action. In his last four outings, the 25-year-old Hofer went 1-2-1 with a 3.97 GAA and .824 save percentage.
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Karel Vejmelka G | UTA
Mammoth's Karel Vejmelka: Set to face Colorado
Vejmelka is expected to start Wednesday's home game against Colorado, per Brogan Houston of the Deseret News.
Vejmelka joined Team Czechia for the 2026 Winter Olympics, but he didn't play in the tournament. His most recent start was Feb. 4, when he turned aside 29 of 30 shots en route to a 4-1 win over Detroit. Vejmelka has a 27-14-2 record, 2.58 GAA and .902 save percentage in 44 outings with Utah in 2025-26. The Avalanche lead the league in goals per game with 3.84. That comfortably surpasses the second-place Lightning (3.55).
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Filip Gustavsson G | MIN
Wild's Filip Gustavsson: Set to start Thursday
Gustavsson will start Thursday's road game against Colorado, Jessi Pierce of NHL.com reports.
Gustavsson saw some playing time for Sweden at the 2026 Winter Olympics, but he'll draw the start in Minnesota's first game following the layoff. Over his seven starts leading up to the Olympic break, he went 6-0-1 with a 3.19 GAA and .888 save percentage.
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Anthony Stolarz G | TOR
Maple Leafs' Anthony Stolarz: Starting against Tampa Bay
Stolarz will start Wednesday's road game against Tampa Bay, Mark Masters of TSN reports.
Stolarz went 1-2-0 with a 3.73 GAA and .874 save percentage over three outings before the Olympic break after returning from a lengthy injury absence. His appearance between the pipes could lead to Joseph Woll starting in the second half of the road back-to-back against Florida on Thursday.
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Dan Vladar G | PHI
Flyers' Dan Vladar: In goal Wednesday
Vladar will get the starting nod on the road against the Capitals on Wednesday, Jackie Spiegel of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Vladar was struggling prior to the break, going 1-1-2 in his last five outings despite a decent 2.54 GAA. With the Czech backstop getting the start Wednesday, fantasy managers can probably expect to see Samuel Ersson (lower body) play in Thursday's road matchup versus the Rangers, assuming he's healthy enough to play.
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Logan Thompson G | WAS
Capitals' Logan Thompson: Starting Wednesday's matchup
Thompson will start Wednesday's home game against the Flyers, Sammi Silber of The Hockey News reports.
Although Thompson saw some playing time for Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics, he won't require additional rest time following the break in the NHL schedule and will start during the Capitals' first game back. Over his six starts leading up to the Olympic break, he went 2-4-0 with a 3.06 GAA and .892 save percentage.
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Jake Allen G | NJ
Devils' Jake Allen: Starting against Buffalo
Allen was the first goalie off during Wednesday's morning skate, Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports, indicating that he'll draw the home start against the Sabres.
Allen was somewhat shaky leading up to the Olympic break, going 1-6-0 with a 3.08 GAA and .880 save percentage over his seven appearances since the start of the calendar year. However, he'll draw the start during the Devils' first game back in action after Jacob Markstrom played for Sweden at the Olympics.
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Remi Poirier G | DAL
Stars' Remi Poirier: Sent down by Dallas
Poirier was loaned to AHL Texas on Wednesday.
Poirier's return to the minors after being recalled Tueday signals that Jake Oettinger should be available to serve as Casey DeSmith's backup in Wednesday's home game against the Kraken. Poirier has yet to make his NHL debut, and he's gone 16-14-4 with a 2.74 GAA and .906 save percentage across 34 AHL appearances this year.
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Carter Hart G | LV
Golden Knights' Carter Hart: Moves to LTIR
Hart (lower body) was transferred to long-term injured reserve on Tuesday, per PuckPedia.
Hart's move to LTIR created the cap flexibility necessary to activate Brayden McNabb (upper body). Hart's status hasn't been updated since he landed on injured reserve Jan. 15. Adin Hill and Akira Schmid will handle the goaltending for Vegas while Hart remains out.
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Erik Portillo G | LA
Kings' Erik Portillo: Sent back to minors
Portillo was loaned to AHL Ontario on Tuesday.
After getting the call-up earlier Tuesday, Portillo will return to Ontario, which indicates that Darcy Kuemper will likely be available for the Kings' matchup Wednesday. If the Kings end up needing Portillo during their upcoming back-to-back, he'll likely be called back up before the second game. Across 20 appearances in the AHL this season, the 25-year-old netminder has a 14-3-1 record, a 2.47 GAA and a .905 save percentage.