NHL Player News

Lankinen suffered an undisclosed muscle strain that forced him to exit Wednesday's game versus the Golden Knights, Thomas Drance of The Athletic reports.

Lankinen stopped 19 of 20 shots prior to his exit, and he won't end up with a result from the contest, as the scored was tied at 1-1. Nikita Tolopilo took over in goal for the Canucks. Lankinen ends 2024-25 with a 25-15-10 record, a 2.62 GAA, a .902 save percentage and four shutouts over 51 appearances. If the injury is significant, or even moderate, Lankinen may not be an option for Finland at the 2025 IIHF World Championship.

DeSmith stopped all 12 shots he faced in relief of Jake Oettinger in Wednesday's 5-1 loss to the Predators.

Once the game turned into a blowout in the second period, head coach Pete DeBoer turned to DeSmith to play the final frame of the regular season. Barring an injury to Oettinger, this was likely DeSmith's last playing time for a while. DeSmith allowed 15 goals on 117 shots over his last four appearances as part of a larger seven-game losing streak for the Stars. Overall, DeSmith ends the season at a 14-8-2 record with a 2.59 GAA and a .915 save percentage across 27 appearances in his first year with the Stars.

Oettinger stopped 17 of 22 shots before he was pulled from Wednesday's 5-1 loss to the Predators.

Oettinger probably shouldn't have been starting in the regular-season finale, but he got the nod anyway. He wasn't able to shake his recent skid, which is up to four straight losses (0-3-1), a span in which he's allowed 17 goals on 134 shots. Oettinger ends the regular season at 36-18-4, one win shy of his career high from 2022-23, and he also posted a 2.59 GAA and a .909 save percentage in 58 starts. He'll be the man between the pipes for the Stars' playoff run, which begins with Game 1 versus the Avalanche on Saturday.

Saros stopped 29 of 30 shots in Wednesday's 5-1 win over the Stars.

Saros put in a solid performance in the regular-season finale. The 29-year-old won two of his last three starts in 2024-25, but he had the fewest wins (20) among all goalies to make at least 50 appearances. Saros concludes the season 20-31-6 with a 2.98 GAA and an .895 save percentage over 58 appearances. If he's up to it, Saros would likely be Finland's top option in goal for the 2025 IIHF World Championship after representing his country in the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Schmid will guard the road goal versus the Canucks on Wednesday.

Schmid will get the nod in the regular-season finale, allowing Adin Hill a bit more rest before the playoffs. The 24-year-old Schmid is 1-0-1 with four goals allowed on 73 shots (.945 save percentage) over four NHL outings. He may stick with the Golden Knights for the playoffs, but the 24-year-old won't see the ice unless both Hill and Ilya Samsonov get hurt.

Lyon will start on the road versus the Devils on Wednesday, James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now reports.

Lyon is set to play for the second time in three games. He won over the Lightning on Friday, stopping 18 of 21 shots (.857 save percentage) in a 4-3 overtime victory. Lyon has often functioned as the Red Wings' No. 3 goalie this year, though this will be his 30th game of the season.

Gibson (lower body) won't suit up versus the Jets on Wednesday.

Gibson will miss his seventh straight game to close out the season. The oft-injured netminder is under contract for another two years at a $6.4 million cap hit. He also has a 10-team no-trade list, but his name has come up in rumors for years, and those could surface again during the offseason following the emergence of Lukas Dostal as a viable No. 1 goalie in 2024-25.

Husso will guard the road goal versus the Jets on Wednesday, Derek Lee of The Hockey News reports.

Husso is 1-0-1 with eight goals allowed on 90 shots over three games with the Ducks. The 30-year-old will start in the second half of a back-to-back. Husso will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Daws will draw the home start against the Red Wings on Wednesday, Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports.

Daws was called up by the Devils on Wednesday, and he'll officially draw the start in the team's regular-season finale, while Jake Allen will serve as the backup. Daws has made five appearances for New Jersey this year, going 3-0-0 with a 0.88 GAA and .966 save percentage. He could stay with the big club as extra goaltending depth since AHL Utica is not in the Calder Cup Playoffs.

Skinner is set to start on the road against San Jose on Wednesday, Tony Brar of Oilers TV reports.

Skinner stopped 17 of 18 shots en route to a 4-1 win over Winnipeg on Sunday. He has a 25-18-4 record, 2.87 GAA and .894 save percentage over 50 appearances in 2024-25. San Jose ranks 31st in the NHL in goals per game with 2.57.