NHL Player News

Blackwood (illness) took the ice for warmups ahead of Friday's game versus the Flames, indicating he'll dress as the backup goalie.

Scott Wedgewood will start Friday's contest. Blackwood wasn't feeling well early in the day, but he's improved enough to be available in a pinch. The 28-year-old netminder will probably be able to start Sunday in a big Central Division showdown versus the Stars.

Mrazek will guard the road goal versus the Hurricanes on Friday, Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal reports.

Mrazek won his Red Wings debut, stopping 23 of 26 shots versus the Sabres on Wednesday. The Red Wings are carrying three goalies, with Cam Talbot and Alex Lyon also in the mix, but it looks like head coach Todd McLellan may be taking a win-and-stay-in approach to the crease. This will be a tough matchup for Mrazek, as the Hurricanes have won five straight games while scoring 15 times in that span.

Andersen will start at home versus the Red Wings on Friday, Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal reports.

Andersen will handle the goaltending duties for the first half of a back-to-back set, leaving Pyotr Kochetkov to start Saturday in Philadelphia. Andersen has won his last two starts, allowing just three goals on 47 shots in that span.

Pickard will start in goal on the road versus the Islanders on Friday, Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic reports.

Pickard hasn't seen the ice since he was pulled from a March 4 game versus the Ducks after giving up four goals on 11 shots. He'll get a chance to redeem himself here in the second half of a back-to-back as the Oilers try to salvage a road trip that's started 0-2-0.

Merzlikins (personal) is temporarily unavailable, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports Friday.

That would explain why Jet Greaves was recalled from the minors on an emergency basis. It seems Merzlikins won't be an option Saturday versus the Rangers, so look for either Greaves or Daniil Tarasov to get the start. Merzlikins has a 22-18-4 record, 3.04 GAA and .896 save percentage in 44 appearances in 2024-25.

Greaves was summoned by Columbus on an emergency basis Friday.

Greaves has a 2.84 GAA and a .915 save percentage in 34 outings with AHL Cleveland in 2024-25. He also has a 2-1-2 record, 2.98 GAA and .906 save percentage in five appearances with Columbus. His promotion under emergency circumstances suggests that either Elvis Merzlikins or Daniil Tarasov might miss Saturday's home game against the Rangers.

Hofer stopped both shots he faced in relief of Jordan Binnington in Thursday's 5-3 loss to the Penguins.

Binnington was pulled after giving up a goal to Bryan Rust in the third period, and Hofer was barely tested after entering the contest. The Penguins' last tally was an empty-netter. Hofer has allowed seven goals on 52 shots over four appearances (three starts) since the 4 Nations Face-Off break, as the Blues have tried to ride the momentum of Binnington backstopping Canada to the tournament win. Hofer's likely to be limited to backup duties up until the point the Blues are eliminated from playoff contention, which could go down to the wire. However, a back-to-back this weekend -- at Minnesota on Saturday, at home versus the Ducks on Sunday -- should allow each netminder to get a start.

Jarry stopped 33 of 36 shots in Thursday's 5-3 win over the Blues.

Jarry has been nothing short of outstanding since he got the start in the 3-1 win over the Wild on Sunday. The 29-year-old netminder has made three starts in a row for the Penguins, winning them all while notching a 1.99 GAA and an excellent .941 save percentage. He's not expected to play at this level for an extended stretch, but there's no question Jarry is trending in the right direction following this string of excellent outings.

Binnington stopped 15 of 19 shots before being pulled in the third period of Thursday's 5-3 loss to the Penguins.

Binnington had a disastrous performance in this loss and was lifted midway through the third frame after Bryan Rust made it 4-2 for the Penguins. This was just the second loss Binnington has suffered in regulation since the beginning of February, though, so fantasy managers shouldn't overreact to one bad outing. Binnington has gone a solid 7-2-1 with a 2.62 GAA and an .898 save percentage over his last 10 starts.

Vejmelka will defend the road goal in Seattle on Friday, according to Cole Bagley of KSL Sports.

Vejmelka has been sharp of late, going 6-1-2 with a 2.12 GAA and a .916 save percentage in his last nine starts. The 28-year-old is the undisputed No. 1 goaltender with Utah as Connor Ingram (personal) is sidelined in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. The Kraken are generating 2.97 goals per game this season, 15th in the NHL.