NHL Player News

Samuelsson (undisclosed) was injured in Tuesday's preseason game versus the Blue Jackets, and he'll be evaluated further Wednesday, Rachel Lenzi of The Buffalo News reports.

Samuelsson was injured on a blocked shot in the second period. The 26-year-old defenseman's status should be updated prior to Thursday's preseason contest against the Red Wings, but expect the Sabres to be cautious with Samuelsson prior to the regular season.

Zellweger sustained a concussion in Tuesday's preseason game versus the Blue Jackets, Rachel Lenzi of The Buffalo News reports.

Zellweger will need to clear concussion protocol before he's able to get back into game action. The 23-year-old defenseman could now be at risk of missing the start of the season. If he ends up on injured reserve, Dennis Gilbert and/or Zach Metsa may begin the season with the Sabres.

Kuemper will protect the home goal in Tuesday's preseason game versus the Mammoth, Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site reports.

Kuemper is coming off a down year in which he went 19-14-15 with a 2.78 GAA and an .891 save percentage over 50 regular-season games. The 36-year-old netminder has a loose grip on the No. 1 job in goal for the Kings, but he'll be pushed by Anton Forsberg early in the campaign.

Hart will guard the road goal in Tuesday's preseason game versus the Sharks, Max Miller of NHL.com reports.

Hart will get his first taste of preseason action in this contest. The 28-year-old netminder is poised to enter the season as the Golden Knights' top goalie.

Pyyhtia (lower body) won't return to Tuesday's game versus the Sabres.

Pyyhtia was ruled out prior to the start of the third period. The 24-year-old was already a long shot for the Opening Night roster, and an injury makes things more complicated for him. Pyyhtia is likely to spend most of 2026-27 with AHL Cleveland.

Lankinen will protect the road goal in Tuesday's preseason game versus the Flames, Canucks play-by-play announcer Brendan Batchelor reports.

Lankinen will get his first start of the preseason. The 31-year-old netminder could be in line for No. 1 duties early in the season as Thatcher Demko (hip) continues to recover from his surgery. However, Lankinen has little fantasy appeal as the backstop for a rebuilding club.

Vladar (upper body) won't return to Tuesday's preseason game versus the Bruins.

Vladar appeared to injure his arm or shoulder on the Bruins' first goal of the game. The 29-year-old's status will be up in the air until the Flyers provide an additional update. Vladar is the presumptive starter in goal for Philadelphia this year, but if he misses time, Joseph Woll would see a larger share of playing time.

Hildeby will start Tuesday's road preseason matchup against Nashville, Lightning reporter Gabby Shirley reports.

Hildeby earned a 5-7-4 record with a 2.85 GAA and a .912 save percentage in 20 appearances for Toronto during the 2025-26 regular season. As a member of the Lightning, he will be Andrei Vasilevskiy's backup in the 2026-27 campaign.

Annunen will start Tuesday's home preseason game versus the Lightning, Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site reports.

Annunen will get in some preseason work as he prepares for another year as backup to Juuse Saros. In 2025-26, Annunen made some improvements with a 2.68 GAA and a .906 save percentage over 28 appearances. While he's unlikely to get a lot of work, Annunen will be a serviceable fantasy streaming option in low-scoring matchups.

Talbot will defend the road net in Tuesday's game against Buffalo and patrol the home crease in Thursday's matchup versus Pittsburgh, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports.

Talbot posted a 12-9-6 record with a 3.19 GAA and an .883 save percentage over 34 appearances for Detroit in the 2025-26 regular season. Talbot will likely be Jet Greaves' backup to begin the 2026-27 campaign due to the absence of Elvis Merzlikins (shoulder).