NHL Player News

Markstrom is expected to start on the road against Pittsburgh on Thursday, according to Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site.

Markstrom has a 15-13-1 record, 3.20 GAA and .882 save percentage in 30 appearances in 2025-26. This will be his first start since posting a 1.97 GAA and a .936 save percentage across three outings with Sweden in the 2026 Winter Games. Pittsburgh ranks fifth in goals per game with 3.41 this season, but the Penguins are missing superstar forward Sidney Crosby (lower body).

Bussi will protect the home net versus the Lightning on Thursday, Ryan Henkel of The Hockey News reports.

Bussi will get the start in the first game after the Olympic break. Prior to the pause in the schedule, Bussi won seven straight outings, allowing just 12 goals on 152 shots (.921 save percentage). The Lightning are one of the hottest teams in the league, so this will be a high-stakes battle for Bussi.

Johansson will protect the road goal versus the Hurricanes on Thursday, Ryan Henkel of The Hockey News reports.

Johansson will handle the second half of a back-to-back after Andrei Vasilevskiy earned a 4-2 win over the Maple Leafs on Wednesday. Johansson played just three times in January, allowing 10 goals on 70 shots. He's got a tough matchup ahead, especially since he hasn't played since Jan. 24.

Woll is expected to start on the road against Florida on Thursday, per David Alter of The Hockey News.

Woll has won his past two starts while turning aside 56 of 60 shots (.933 save percentage), but due in large part to the Olympic break, he hasn't played between the pipes since Feb. 2. He has a 13-7-4 record, 2.92 GAA and .908 save percentage in 25 appearances this season. Florida is set to play in its first game since the break. The Panthers were struggling before the Olympics, going 1-5-0 across their past six games.

Kuemper is slated to defend the home crease against the Oilers on Thursday, John Hoven of SiriusXM NHL Network Radio reports.

Kuemper largely struggled heading into the Olympic break, going 2-2-0 with a 3.37 GAA and .866 save percentage over his last five outings. He'll face a tough test in the second half of a back-to-back set Thursday, as the Oilers rank fourth in the NHL with 3.44 goals per game.

Ersson is set to start on the road against the Rangers on Thursday.

Ersson has an 8-10-5 record, 3.51 GAA and .856 save percentage in 24 outings in 2025-26. He was struggling before the Olympic break, allowing 17 goals on 105 shots (.838 save percentage) across his past four appearances. However, the Rangers are also going through a rough patch, as they're 3-13-2 while averaging 2.61 goals per game across their past 18 games.

Robinson (upper body) will be in the lineup versus the Lightning on Thursday, per NHL.com.

Robinson was sidelined for seven games prior to the Olympic break due to his upper-body injury. Offensively, the New Jersey native was struggling before getting hurt, recording just three points in his last 13 outings. Set to fill a bottom-six role, Robinson is unlikely to offer more than low-end fantasy value.

Kartye was put on waivers by Seattle on Thursday.

Kartye has three goals, eight points, 21 PIM and 98 hits in 40 appearances with Seattle in 2025-26. He's struggled to get into the lineup recently, appearing in just six of Seattle's past 21 games. Kartye is expected to head to the AHL if he goes unclaimed.

Askarov will tend the twine at home against the Flames on Thursday, Sheng Peng of SanJoseHockeyNow.com reports.

Askarov has lost six of his last seven outings, posting a 1-5-1 record and 3.89 GAA. With the 23-year-old backstop struggling, the Sharks could give some more starts to Alex Nedeljkovic, but they'll likely continue to rely on Askarov in at least a split share of the starts.

Joseph was designated as a non-roster player Thursday.

Joseph has made 39 appearances for the Blues this year, logging two goals, nine assists, 85 hits and 28 blocked shots while averaging 12:41 of ice time. He saw inconsistent playing time prior to the Olympic break and will now have to settle for an AHL role if he goes unclaimed on waivers.