NHL Player News
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Igor Shesterkin G | NYR
Rangers' Igor Shesterkin: Facing Jets
Shesterkin will defend the visiting crease in Winnipeg on Thursday, Vince Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic reports.
Shesterkin is on a two-game winning streak, giving up four goals on 66 shots in victories over Toronto and Philadelphia. Overall. the 30-year-old netminder is 20-12-6 with a 2.49 GAA and a .913 save percentage in 39 contests this season. The Jets are tied for 23rd in NHL scoring, averaging 2.83 goals per game.
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Dustin Wolf G | CGY
Flames' Dustin Wolf: Receives starting nod Thursday
Wolf will patrol the road crease in Thursday's clash with New Jersey, per Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960 The Fan.
Wolf will draw his second consecutive start Thursday after allowing four goals in his most recent outing. Since the Olympic break, the 24-year-old netminder has posted a 2-3-0 record, a 3.18 GAA and a .904 save percentage across five appearances. Overall, he has an 18-24-3 record, a 3.02 GAA and an .896 save percentage across 46 appearances this season. He's been a workhorse for Calgary this season, but will draw a solid matchup Thursday against New Jersey's offense, which ranks 30th in the league with 2.53 GAA this season. The matchup primes Wolf as a solid bounce-back candidate, giving him decent value across most fantasy formats.
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Andrew Copp C | DET
Red Wings' Andrew Copp: Out two weeks
Head coach Todd McLellan said Thursday that Copp (leg) will miss at least the next two weeks, Jonathan Mills of DetroitRedWings.com reports.
Copp will be reevaluated in two weeks. He was injured Tuesday in Florida. Copp has eight goals and 29 assists over 65 games this season. The Red Wings recalled John Leonard on Wednesday and he is expected to draw into the lineup in place of Copp.
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William Eklund LW | SJ
Sharks' William Eklund: Game-time call Thursday
Eklund (lower body) has been deemed a game-time decision ahead of Thursday's road clash with the Bruins, per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now.
After Eklund stated that he'd be in the lineup for Thursday's game, head coach Ryan Warsofsky had a different opinion, saying that the 23-year-old winger will be a game-time call. Eklund has 27 assists, 38 points, 143 shots on net, 50 hits and 44 blocked shots across 58 games this season. If he can suit up, he'll likely step back into his role on the Sharks' second line Thursday and will look to find the scoresheet again after posting a three-game point streak just over one week ago.
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Alex Nedeljkovic G | SJ
Sharks' Alex Nedeljkovic: Starting Thursday
Nedeljkovic will protect the visiting crease in Boston on Thursday, according to Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now.
Nedeljkovic is 11-9-3 with a 2.83 GAA and a .900 save percentage across 27 appearances this season. The Bruins are generating 3.31 goals per game this season, 11th best in the league.
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Ilya Sorokin G | NYI
Islanders' Ilya Sorokin: Tending twine Friday
Sorokin will patrol the home paint in Friday's clash with the Kings, per Stefen Rosner of NHL.com.
With the Islanders slated for a back-to-back this upcoming weekend, Sorokin will get the first start before David Rittich will guard the team's crease in game two. Sorokin has played his part for the Isles since the Olympic break, going 4-1-0 with a 3.00 GAA and an .896 save percentage across his last five games. Overall, he has a 24-14-2 record, a 2.51 GAA and a .913 save percentage across 40 games this season. He'll look to tidy up his performance as he hunts for his fifth win in six games in Friday's clash with the Kings. They are set to be a favorable matchup for Sorokin, as Los Angeles currently ranks 29th in the NHL with 2.58 goals per game this season.
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Yaroslav Askarov G | SJ
Sharks' Yaroslav Askarov: May not dress Thursday
Askarov (lower body) may be a game-time decision to back up Alex Nedeljkovic on Thursday, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports.
Askarov tweaked something on Thursday. Should he be unable to go, the Sharks will need to recall a goaltender, and if they are unable to get to Boston on time, an emergency goaltender may be required.
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David Rittich G | NYI
Islanders' David Rittich: Starter for Saturday
Rittich will guard the home crease versus Calgary on Saturday, per Stefen Rosner of NHL.com.
Ilya Sorokin will grab the start Friday against the Kings, leaving Saturday's tilt to Rittich. Rittich is 13-9-3 with a 2.69 GAA and an .896 save percentage over 25 games this season. The Flames are last in NHL scoring this season, averaging 2.44 goals per game.
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Erik Gudbranson D | CLB
Blue Jackets' Erik Gudbranson: Could join team
Gudbranson (upper body) might join the Blue Jackets ahead of the team's road matchup against Philadelphia on Saturday, per Aaron Portzline of The Athletic.
Head coach Rick Bowness stated he hopes to have Gudbranson join the team for Saturday's game. If Gudbranson is to make the trip, it could indicate that he feels good enough to play. The 34-year-old blueliner has three points, 19 shots on net, 27 hits and 29 blocked shots across 21 games this season and would likely reclaim a role on the Blue Jackets' second or third pairing.
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John Gibson G | DET
Red Wings' John Gibson: Facing Lightning
Gibson will tend the visiting twine in Tampa Bay on Thursday, Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Gibson is having a resurgence this season in his first year with the Red Wings. He is 24-14-2 with four shutouts, a 2.56 GAA and a .906 save percentage over 42 games in 2025-26. The Lightning have dropped six of their last seven games and have fallen to second place in the Atlantic Division, four points in arrears of the Sabres.