NHL Player News

Lankinen is expected to start at home against Vegas on Wednesday, per Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet 650.

Lankinen has lost five of his past six appearances (1-2-3) while allowing 21 goals on 178 shots (.882 save percentage). He's 25-15-10 with a 2.64 GAA and a .901 save percentage across 50 outings in 2024-25. Vegas is tied for fifth in the NHL in goals per game with 3.33, but the Golden Knights will probably rest some players as they prepare for the playoffs.

Georgiev was the first goalie off during Wednesday's morning skate, Max Miller of NHL.com reports, indicating that he'll draw the home start against the Oilers.

Georgiev hasn't been particularly sharp in recent weeks, going 0-2-3 with a 4.92 GAA and .858 save percentage over his last five appearances, but he'll draw the start in Wednesday's regular-season finale. He made a home start against Edmonton on Nov. 30, turning aside 28 of 31 shots (.903 save percentage) en route to a loss.

Oettinger will defend the road crease against Nashville on Wednesday, Lia Assimakopoulos of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Oettinger and Casey DeSmith have alternated starts in recent weeks as the year winds down. However, Oettinger will draw a second consecutive start to close out the regular season. Over three starts against Nashville this year, he's gone 2-1-0 with a 2.36 GAA and .922 save percentage.

Saros is expected to start at home against Dallas on Wednesday, per Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site.

Saros will attempt to rebound after allowing six goals on 35 shots in a 7-3 loss to Utah on Monday. He has a 19-31-6 record, 3.02 GAA and .894 save percentage over 57 appearances in 2024-25. Dallas ranks third in goals per game with 3.38, but the Stars might rest players as they prepare for the playoffs.

Villalta was assigned to AHL Tucson on Wednesday.

Villalta spent the past few weeks in the NHL, but he made just one appearance for Utah, turning aside 28 of 31 shots (.903 save percentage) en route to a win over Nashville on Monday. However, he'll head back to the minors now that Utah's regular season is over.

Kochetkov is expected to start on the road against Montreal on Wednesday, per Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports.

Kochetkov has surrendered at least three goals in each of his past six appearances, going 2-4-0 with a 4.06 GAA and an .830 save percentage over that stretch. He's 27-15-3 with a 2.59 GAA and an .897 save percentage in 46 outings this season. The Canadiens, who will be looking to earn at least one point Wednesday to secure their postseason berth, rank 17th in goals per game with 2.95.

Knight saved 34 of 37 shots on goal in Tuesday's 4-3 overtime win over the Senators.

Knight was excellent Tuesday as he allowed just one goal at even strength early in the first period. After the Senators scored two power-play goals in the second period, Knight tended a clean final frame before the Blackhawks would take the win early in the extra period. Overall, the 23-year-old netminder wraps up the season with a 17-16-3 record, a 2.72 GAA and a .902 save percentage across 38 appearances. Knight posted 72 saves across his last two starts. He has one year left in his current contract, making him the safe bet to be the Opening Night starter for Chicago next season.

Forsberg saved 12 of 16 shots on goal in Tuesday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Blackhawks.

While he kept Chicago off the scoresheet for the rest of regulation after the 2:24 mark in the second period, the Ottawa netminder allowed the game-winning tally 48 seconds into overtime. The 32-year-old Forsberg will probably wrap up the regular season with an 11-12-3 record, a 3.72 GAA and a .901 save percentage in 30 appearances. Even though Forsberg ended with a tough performance, he improved his GAA and save percentage by a sizable margin in 2024-25 from his previous campaign.

Hellebuyck was the first goalie off during Wednesday's morning skate, Mitchell Clinton of the Jets' official site reports, indicating that he'll draw the home start against the Ducks.

Hellebuyck has picked up wins in each of his last three starts, posting a 1.62 GAA and .931 save percentage during that time, a span that includes a shutout win over Dallas last Thursday. He made a home start against the Ducks on Jan. 2 and turned aside 20 of 24 shots (.833 save percentage) in an overtime loss.

Daws was recalled from AHL Utica on Wednesday.

The Devils have already clinched a spot in the postseason, so Daws will join the NHL club ahead of the regular-season finale at home against the Red Wings on Wednesday. The Devils haven't yet announced a starter for Wednesday's matchup, but it wouldn't be surprising to see Daws tend the twine if Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen need some rest ahead of the playoffs. Daws will presumably head back to the minors before postseason play begins.