NHL Hockey Player News

After saving 98 of the first 103 shots he faced this season (.951 SV%) and recording a 2-1-0 record, Vejmelka has been somewhat of a liability between the pipes, allowing 16 goals on the subsequent 115 shots (.861 SV%), failing to record a victory in the process (0-3-1). The Coyotes are listed as slight +102 road underdogs on Thursday but will hope Vejmelka can shut the door against the St. Louis Blues and their 28th-ranked offence (2.36 GF / GP).

Pesce has missed the Hurricanes' previous eight games due to a lower-body injury but will be a game-time decision Friday as the team heads to Florida. The 28-year-old will make a welcome return to the lineup as he's averaged at least 21:42 TOI in each of the last four seasons and has a goal, an assist, seven SOG, four PIMs and a +3 plus/minus through five games prior to the injury.

Ullmark will likely be the starter for the Bruins on Thursday as the team continues their back-and-forth rotation between netminders. Entering Thursday's game against the New York Islanders, Ullmark boasts a 2.30 GAA and .926 SV% through six games (4-1-1) but has allowed four or more goals in two of his last three starts (1-1-1). The Bruins are -128 home favourites against an Islanders team that, despite a respectable 5-3-3 record, scores the sixth-fewest goals in the league (2.65 GF / GP).

Prosvetov will likely get his second start of the season as the Avalanche seem to be shifting to an approach that will allow Alexandar Georgiev more rest. In two appearances, Prosvetov has a 0.88 GAA and .970 SV% and is looking more and more like a viable option for the Avalanche as Georgiev, who started the teams' first eight games, has struggled immensely of late, posting a .844 SV% in his four most recent games (1-3-0). The Avalanche initially intended on a more even split with Pavel Francouz (LTIR), but with him unavailable for the foreseeable future, another strong performance for Prosvetov could go a long way in securing him more time in between the pipes.

Mrazek has started three of the last five contests for the Blackhawks and is set to start again on Thursday when they take on the Tampa Bay Lightning. Considering the Blackhawks' 4-7-0 record and 24th-ranked team defence (3.45 GA / GP), Mrazek has been tremendous, boasting a 2.81 GAA and .923 SV% through seven appearances (3-3-0). Despite his stellar play, the Blackhawks are sizeable +202 road underdogs against a Lightning team that has scored at least five goals in each of their last three games (2-0-1).

After a 5-0-1 start to the season, Oettinger will look to snap a two-game losing streak as he will start for the Dallas Stars on Thursday. Oettinger is still sporting an impressive 2.11 GAA and .933 SV% through eight games (5-2-1) and has still managed an adequate .912 SV% during his losing streak. The Stars defeated the Blue Jackets on October 30th by a score of 5-3, a game where Oettinger saved 22 of 25 shots (.880 SV%). Oettinger and the Stars are -226 road favourites against the Blue Jackets, who have lost six of their last seven (1-3-3).

Highly touted goaltending prospect Dustin Wolf has been recalled by the struggling Calgary Flames after posting an impressive 2.34 GAA and .924 SV% in six games (5-1-0) with the Calgary Wranglers. The Flames seem intent on carrying three goaltenders for the time being, but Wolf will likely see game action at some point and be given the opportunity to showcase his talents.

Johansson will likely return to the crease on Thursday after watching Matt Tomkins tend the twine on Tuesday. Johansson has done an admirable job filling in for Andrei Vasilevskiy but after recording consecutive shutouts, has struggled of late, allowing at least four goals in each of his last three games (1-0-2), posting a .867 SV%. That said, the Lightning have a favourable matchup as -229 home favourites against a Chicago Blackhawks team that scores the third-fewest goals in the league (2.36 GF / GP).

Tuch has been nursing an injury for the last couple of weeks but taking advantage of maintenance days has prevented him from missing any game action, yet he is still considered day-to-day. His status for Friday's game against the Minnesota Wild is yet to be determined but if he cannot go Mathew Savoie is expected to make his NHL debut. Tuch has been producing at an impressive rate lately, recording nine points (4G / 5A) in his last seven games.

Holmberg was recalled to give the Maple Leafs some defensive depth as Maxime Lajoie was sent down to the Marlies (AHL). Holmberg has spent seven games with the Maple Leafs this season, recording zero points, a -2 plus/minus, four blocks, and three hits.

Lajoie played one game for the Maple Leafs after being recalled from the Marlies (AHL) on November 4th. The 26-year-old defenseman played 4:54, accumulating one hit and a -1 plus/minus rating.

Hofer is expected to start for the Blues on Thursday as the team seems to be gaining confidence in the rookie goaltender. On Saturday, Hofer saved 30 of 33 shots, guiding the Blues to a 6-3 victory over the Montreal Canadiens, his second win of the season. Hofer will have his work cut out for him as the Blues face an Arizona Coyotes team that has points in four of their last five (3-1-1) and ranks in the top half of league scoring (3.25 GF / GP). A strong performance from Hofer could go a long way in securing more time between the crease, as teammate Jordan Binnington has allowed four or more goals in three of his last four starts (1-3-0).

DeSmith has been serviceable when called upon for the Canucks and will start his fourth game of the season on Thursday against the Ottawa Senators. In his first season with the Canucks, DeSmith is sporting a 3.07 GAA and .905 SV% in four appearances (2-0-1). After seeing more regular action to start the season, DeSmith will be making his first appearance in the crease since October 28th, a game where he allowed four goals on 24 shots in a 4-3 overtime loss to the New York Rangers. The Canucks have won four straight and are -120 road favourites against a Senators team that has lost five of their last seven (2-5-0).

Brossoit will tend the twine on Thursday, marking his first action since October 28th. As expected, Connor Hellebuyck has been a workhorse between the pipes for the Jets, limiting Brossoit to only two games thus far. In those two games (0-1-1), Brossoit has a much-to-be-desired 3.38 GAA and .873 SV%. The Jets are -129 home favourites against a Nashville Predators team coming off a 4-2 loss against the Calgary Flames, in which they gave up four unanswered goals.

Gustavsson will make his first appearance in the Wild crease since being pulled in last Saturday's shootout victory over the Rangers when he allowed three goals on just four shots. One of the breakout goaltenders of the 2022-23 season, Gustavsson has struggled mightily to recapture that same form this year. Through seven starts he owns an ugly .871 SV% and a 4.89 GAA. The good news for Gustavsson owners is that Marc-Andre Fleury has hardly played any better, with just an .898 SV% to show for his efforts, so the starting job could still be up for grabs if Gustavsson is able to get his game back on track. He's got a good chance of getting back in the win column tonight with the Wild being -105 to pick up the win in Buffalo.

Fleury was expected to take a backseat at the start of the season, but the 38-year-old veteran netminder will start for the fourth time in the last six games as he has been the more reliable option between the pipes for the Wild so far this season. Through six games (3-2-1), Fleury has a 2.69 GAA and .899 SV%, highlighted by saving 40 of the last 43 shots he has faced (.930 SV%) in his last two appearances. The Wild are +106 road underdogs against a New York Rangers team that will likely turn to Louis Domingue as their starting goalie on Thursday.

Mantha is coming off his best performance of the season, scoring two goals but exiting in the third period after suffering an upper-body injury. He will miss at least the next two games and could be replaced by Michael Sgarbossa, who was recalled by the Capitals earlier in the week.