NHL Player News

Rittich will start at home versus the Ducks on Saturday, Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site reports.

Darcy Kuemper (personal) won't suit up, so Rittich will start back-to-back games, and Pheonix Copley will serve as backup. Rittich battled to earn a 5-4 shootout win over the Stars on Friday, stopping 26 of 30 shots. He has won two of his last six outings, allowing at least four goals on three occasions.

Montembeault surrendered four goals on 22 shots in a 4-0 loss to the Devils on Saturday.

The Canadiens outshot New Jersey by a 34-22 margin, but Jake Allen was perfect for the Devils. Montembeault has lost four of his last five outings, allowing three goals or more in each game. His record drops to 18-20-3 with a 3.02 GAA and an .896 save percentage through 41 appearances this season.

Vasilevskiy made 34 saves in a 6-3 win over Detroit on Saturday.

He got a lot of support from his teammates, including four goals over 15:13 of the first period. Detroit peppered Vasilevsky with shots, and Vladimir Tarasenko, Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat found the back of the net. Still, Vasilevskiy was a difference-maker in Saturday's win. It was his third straight win and fourth in his last five games (4-0-1).

DeSmith is expected to start on the road against San Jose on Saturday, per Mike Heika of the Stars' official site.

DeSmith has an 8-6-0 record, 2.46 GAA and .912 save percentage in 16 appearances in 2024-25. He's won his past two starts while stopping 60 of 63 shots (.952 save percentage). The Sharks rank 30th in goals per game with 2.59.

Demko (undisclosed) won't return to Saturday's game versus the Maple Leafs.

Demko lasted 10:00 into the contest, stopping all six shots he faced. Kevin Lankinen took over in goal when Demko exited. The one silver lining here is that Demko will have two weeks to recover before the Canucks' visit to Vegas on Feb. 22 because of the 4 Nations Face-Off. The severity of the 29-year-old goalie's injury is unclear at this time.

Allen stopped 34 shots in Saturday's 4-0 win over Montreal.

Allen ended his two-game winless skid with a bang before the break for the 4 Nations Face-Off. Montreal outshot the Devils 14-6 in the second period and 12-7 in the third, but Allen shut the door for his fourth shutout of 2024-25. He has a 9-11-1 record with a 2.56 GAA and a .912 save percentage through 21 appearances this season. Allen has been superb between the pipes, and the Devils will continue to lean on him while Jacob Markstrom (knee) recovers.

Vanecek will protect the home net against Dallas on Saturday, Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Vanecek is coming off a 22-save effort in Thursday's 2-1 overtime loss to Vancouver. He has a 3-8-2 record with a 3.70 GAA and an .887 save percentage across 15 NHL appearances this season. Dallas ranks 10th in the league with 3.19 goals per game in 2024-25.

Kochetkov made 36 saves in Saturday's 7-3 win over Utah.

The 25-year-old goalie gave up a tally in each period, two of them on the power play, but Carolina scored four times in the second period alone to effectively put the game away. Kochetkov has just one regulation loss in his last eight starts, going 5-1-2 over that stretch with a .910 save percentage, and Saturday's victory was his 20th of the season -- the second straight campaign in which he's reached that mark.

Vejmelka stopped 31 of 37 shots in Saturday's 7-3 loss to Carolina, with the Hurricanes' sixth goal going into an empty net.

The 28-year-old netminder kept things close at 1-1 in the first period despite being outshot 16-8, but Carolina blew the game open with four goals on 12 shots in the second frame. Vejmelka heads into the break for the 4 Nations Face-Off, having gone 2-4-1 over his last seven starts with a shaky .875 save percentage while working primarily in a timeshare with Connor Ingram.

Kuemper (personal) won't participate in Saturday's home game against Anaheim.

Kuemper has a 16-6-6 record, 2.19 GAA and .918 save percentage in 29 appearances in 2024-25. The Kings recalled Pheonix Copley from AHL Ontario on an emergency basis due to Kuemper's absence. The starting goaltender for Saturday's matchup is unclear, but David Rittich could play in back-to-back games after stopping 26 shots in Friday's 5-4 shootout win over Dallas.