Shesterkin takes the crease for the Rangers' second game of the 2022-23 season. It was much the same for last year's Vezina winner in Tuesday's opening game as New York beat Tampa Bay 3-1 on the back of the Russians' 25-save effort (.962). He will look to prove impressive in another tough matchup as the Rangers head to Minnesota Thursday.
Vejmelka draws a tough opening night matchup as the Coyotes head to Pittsburgh to take on Sidney Crosby and the Penguins. The 26-year-old Czech netminder struggled mightily in his rookie season in 2021-22 posting a .898 SV% alongside finishing third last among starters with a 3.68 GAA. Vejmelka will hope 2022-23 brings his win rate up after securing victory in only 25% of the games he played.
Hischier was on the ice for the morning skate but will sit out for the season opener. Hischier said he's “not where I want to be," so monitor his status heading into Saturday's home opener.
Blackwood is expected to get the first Devil's start of the season as they take on the Flyers in Philadelphia. The 25-year-old is entering his fifth season as a member of the Devils, posting a career SV% of .907 while winning 55 games in 123 starts. He will be looking to bounce back this season with an exciting Devils' roster after posting an SV% below .900 for the first time in his career in 2021-22 (.892).
Farabee is three and a half months removed from disk replacement surgery and will be in the opening night lineup vs. New Jersey. Farabee, who had 34 points (17G / 17A) in 63 games last season, will skate on the third line with Noah Cates and Owen Tippett.
Blueger has been battling an upper-body injury and has officially been ruled out of Thursday's game vs. the Coyotes. Ryan Poehling will centre the fourth line with Blueger out.
Jarry will lead the Penguins between the crease as they take on the lowly Arizona Coyotes in their season opener in Pittsburgh. Jarry finished 2021-22 sixth in GAA (2.42), and SV% (.919) while also finishing eighth in wins (34) across the entire NHL.
It is little surprise that Montreal's backup goalie will take the crease after Jake Allen led the Canadiens to a 4-3 victory over the Maple Leafs the night prior. The 28-year-old Lindgren returns to Montreal after 24 career games between 2015-2020 which saw him collect 10 wins on 24 starts while producing a .907 SV%. Lindgren enjoyed success in a small sample size in 2021-22, posting a .958 SV% while winning five of five starts as a member of St.Louis.
Schueneman split his 2022 season between the AHL and NHL, registering six points (2G / 4A) in 24 games with Montreal. Schueneman takes Mike Matheson's spot on the roster after Matheson was placed on IR.
Matheson underwent an MRI on Wednesday and missed the Canadiens' season opener with a lower-body injury. The MRI must not have revealed positive news, as he hits IR to open up a roster spot for Corey Schueneman to be called up.
Jarry will lead the Penguins between the crease as they take on the lowly Arizona Coyotes in their season opener in Pittsburgh. Jarry finished 2021-22 sixth in GAA (2.42), and SV% (.919) while also finishing eighth in wins (34) across the entire NHL.
Sorokin will be tasked with facing last season's highest-scoring team in the Florida Panthers for the Islanders opening night battle. The 25-year-old Russian netminder will be looking to continue his hot run of form as he finished 2021-22 third in SV% (.923%), fourth in GAA (2.40) on his way to finishing sixth in Vezina voting.
Hart will get the Flyers' first start of the season under new head coach John Tortorella. The Flyers' netminder will be looking to achieve an SV% above .905% for the first time in three seasons as he enters 2021-22. The 24-year-old has struggled for the last two seasons, averaging a nearly 3.30 GAA average across 69 starts during that time.
Ristolainen left Wednesday's practice early and did not participate in Thursday's morning skate. Ristolainen is considered day-to-day and will not play in the season opener. Justin Braun will move up to the top-4 and Nick Seeler will suit up with Ristolainen unavailable.
Sorokin will be tasked with facing last season's highest-scoring team in the Florida Panthers for the Islanders opening night battle. The 25-year-old Russian netminder will be looking to continue his hot run of form as he finished 2021-22 third in SV% (.923%), fourth in GAA (2.40) on his way to finishing sixth in Vezina voting.
The league's oldest player 41-year-old netminder Craig Anderson takes the crease for the Sabres' opening home matchup against Ottawa. The 19-year veteran struggled in 2021-22 achieving his lowest SV% (.897) in nearly 16 seasons while collecting his 308th career win after a 31 start season.
Head coach Jim Montgomery has stated that the 25-year-old left-winger had left the teams opening matchup against Washington after an upper-body injury. Debrusk managed two hits and three shots on goal before leaving prematurely with 11:06 TOI. The Bruins will update on the severity of the injury in the upcoming days.
Dellandrea broke his finger on September 29th but is ready to go in the Stars season opener in Nashville. The 2018 No.13 overall pick, who had 50 points (23G / 27A) in 68 AHL games last season, is expected to skate on the second line with Tyler Seguin and Mason Marchment.
Mayfield was sidelined last week with an illness but was back at practice on Wednesday and is expected to play on Thursday. Mayfield had three goals and 15 assists (18 points) in 61 games a season ago.
