NHL Player News

Vasilevskiy will be between the home pipes versus Buffalo on Thursday, per Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times.

Vasilevskiy had his eight-game winning streak halted Monday in a 2-1 loss to Florida. Vasilevskiy has been outstanding this season, reestablishing himself as a top-three NHL goaltender. The 30-year-old Russian is 29-16-3 with four shutouts, a sparkling 2.18 GAA and an impressive .923 save percentage across 48 starts this season. The Sabres are averaging 3.15 goals in 2024-25, 12th in the NHL.

Bobrovsky will get the starting nod against the Blue Jackets at home Thursday.

Bobrovsky is currently riding a three-game winning streak during which he posted a 1.34 GAA, one shutout and a .949 save percentage. After a pair of trades and some roster shuffling, the 36-year-old netminder finds himself being backed up by Vitek Vanecek, formerly of San Jose, but that won't impact Bobrovsky's workload -- he's a stellar goalie and will continue to see plenty of starts while almost certainly reaching the 50-game mark for the eighth time in the last nine seasons.

Driedger was reassigned to AHL Charlotte on Thursday, Alex Baumgartner of Five Reasons Sports reports.

Driedger was called up to the NHL after the Panthers traded Spencer Knight to Chicago but became expendable when a second deal brought Vitek Vanecek over from San Jose. Over the last two seasons, the 30-year-old Driedger has seen action in just two NHL games for the Kraken. Once viewed as a solid No. 2 during the 2020-21 campaign when he went 14-6-3 with three shutouts and a 2.07 GAA for Florida, Driedger has been relegated to an emergency depth option while playing in the AHL.

Soderblom made 22 saves in Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the Senators.

The game-winner came with some controversy, as Tim Stutzle crashed the net just 46 seconds into OT and wound up directing the puck past Soderblom with his skate, but it was ruled a good goal upon review. The 25-year-old netminder has appeared in five of Chicago's last six games, going 1-3-1 with a 3.28 GAA and .894 save percentage, but with Spencer Knight joining the team in the Seth Jones trade and likely to be handed the starting job at some point, Soderblom's workload should shrink down the stretch.

Merzlikins is expected to patrol the visiting crease in Florida on Thursday, according to Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site.

Merzlikins saw his three-game winning streak come to an end Tuesday in Tampa Bay, as he gave up five goals on 39 shots in a 6-2 loss. The 30-year-old netminder is 22-15-4 with a 3.02 GAA and an .896 save percentage over 41 contests in 2024-25. The Panthers are generating 3.26 goals per game this season, seventh in the NHL.

Ullmark turned aside 17 shots in Wednesday's 4-3 overtime win over Chicago.

The veteran netminder lost four straight starts in February after returning from a back injury, but March has been much kinder to Ullmark so far. Through three outings, he's gone 2-0-1 despite allowing 10 goals on 98 shots, as the Senators' offense has roared to life. Ullmark has been between the pipes for five straight games, and he figures to see a heavy workload down the stretch as Ottawa tries to stay in the playoff picture.

Ersson will defend the home crease versus Winnipeg on Thursday, Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Ersson was pulled early Tuesday, allowing three goals on five shots before the midway mark of the opening period versus Calgary. The 25-year-old is 18-10-4 with a pair of shutouts, a 2.91 GAA and an .890 save percentage across 35 appearances this season. Ersson will have a tough matchup against the Jets, who are third in NHL scoring this season, tallying 3.47 goals per game.

Shesterkin stopped 23 shots in Wednesday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Capitals.

The Rangers took a 2-1 lead into the third period, but Alex Ovechkin continued his march toward history midway through the frame to tie it up, and Tom Wilson then tapped home a slick feed from Dylan Strome in OT to end the night. Shesterkin has been sharp over his last five starts as New York tries to stay in the playoff picture, going 3-1-1 with a 1.99 GAA and .929 save percentage.

Lindgren made 15 saves in Wednesday's 3-2 overtime win over the Rangers.

The veteran netminder didn't face more than seven shots in any period, but the Rangers still took a 2-1 lead into the third period before Alex Ovechkin tied things up and Tom Wilson potted the OT winner. The victory was the third for Lindgren in his last four starts, and over seven outings since returning from an upper-body injury in late January, he's gone 4-2-1 with a 2.69 GAA and .883 save percentage.

Dostal allowed a goal on 15 shots in relief of John Gibson (lower body) in Wednesday's 3-2 loss to the Canucks.

Dostal was pressed into action after Gibson was hurt on a collision in the crease in the second period. While Dostal allowed just one goal, it was the decisive tally of the contest, scored by Carson Soucy. Dostal is now 4-2-1 with 15 goals allowed on 201 shots (.925 save percentage) over his last seven appearances. For the season, he's at an 18-14-5 record with a 2.87 GAA and a .911 save percentage in 38 games. If Gibson misses any length of time, Dostal is more than capable of filling in as the primary starter, while Ville Husso or Oscar Dansk are candidates to be called up from AHL San Diego to fill the backup role. The Ducks' next game is Friday at home versus the Blues.