NHL Player News

Vejmelka was the first goaltender off the ice at morning skate, Brogan Houston of the Deseret News reports, and is expected to patrol the home crease versus Minnesota on Friday.

Vejmelka is 27-15-2 with a 2.61 GAA and a .901 save percentage across 45 contests this season. He will face the Wild, who are 10th in NHL scoring, generating 3.34 goals per game.

Hofer stopped 23 of 24 shots in Thursday's 5-1 win over the Kraken.

Hofer didn't have a lot of work against an anemic Seattle offense that has scored just two goals in two games since the league resumed. It also allowed Hofer to get back to winning ways, as he had allowed six goals on 28 shots in a loss to Nashville before the break in his previous outing. Hofer is alternating with Jordan Binnington, and the latter is likely to get the start against the Devils on Saturday. Hofer has gone 13-11-3 with a 2.87 GAA and an .897 save percentage this season.

Grubauer stopped 27 of 31 shots in Thursday's loss to the Blues. The fifth goal was an empty-netter with 3:01 left in the game.

Grubauer made his first start since returning from Olympic duty but wasn't at his best. The struggles have been real of late for Grubauer, who has given up at least three goals in three of his last four starts dating back to Jan. 23. He owns a 2.56 GAA and a .911 save percentage since the beginning of January, however, so he's been much better than those recent numbers indicate.

Shesterkin allowed three goals on 24 shots in Thursday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Flyers.

The 30-year-old goaltender was making his return to the lineup after missing the Rangers' last 13 games due to a lower-body injury. Shesterkin has made 35 starts this season, and while his 17-12-5 record is far from ideal, he's been one of the few bright spots for a struggling Rangers team in 2025-26 with a 2.47 GAA and a .912 save percentage.

Ersson stopped 22 of 24 shots in Thursday's 3-2 overtime win over the Rangers.

Ersson protected the Flyers' crease for the first time since Jan. 29, when he gave up five goals on 20 shots in a loss to the Bruins, but he did a good job this time out. It was Ersson's first win since Jan. 23, but he should revert to his regular backup role behind Dan Vladar when the Flyers take on the Bruins on Saturday.

Girard missed practice Friday while being evaluated for a lower-body injury.

Girard appears to have been injured in his Penguins debut against the Devils on Thursday. In that outing, the 27-year-old defenseman made four blocks, which may have resulted in his injury. If Girard does miss any time, it will open up a spot in the lineup for Ryan Graves or Ilya Solovyov.

Schmid will defend the road crease against Washington on Friday, Tom Gulitti of NHL.com reports.

Schmid competed for Switzerland at the 2026 Winter Olympics, and he'll make his first start following the NHL layoff Friday. Across nine appearances for the Golden Knights since the start of the calendar year, he's gone 5-2-2 with a 2.59 GAA and .894 save percentage.

Malkin notched two assists, one on the power play, in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Devils.

The 39-year-old stepped up in the absence of Sidney Crosby (lower body), having a hand in tallies by Thomas Novak in the first period and Yegor Chinakhov in the third. Malkin has gotten onto the scoresheet in 11 of the last 13 games, racking up four goals and 15 points over that stretch, and he's now just eight points away from 1,400 for his career.

Silovs turned aside 29 shots in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Devils.

A Dougie Hamilton blast from the blue line deflected past Silovs off Paul Cotter early in the second period, but otherwise the 24-year-old netminder shut down the New Jersey offense. Silovs has just one regulation loss in his last seven starts dating back to Jan. 13, going 4-1-2 with a dazzling 1.98 GAA and .929 save percentage.

Markstrom stopped 33 of 36 shots in Thursday's 4-1 loss to Pittsburgh, with the Penguins' final goal getting scored into an empty net.

The game was tied 1-1 heading into the third period, but goals 50 seconds apart by Connor Clifton and Yegor Chinakhov early in the frame ended the Devils' hopes. Markstrom has lost three of his last four starts dating back to Jan. 25, and since the beginning of January he's gone 6-5-0 with a 3.00 GAA and .884 save percentage.