NHL Hockey Player News

Hurricanes Head Coach Rod Brind'Amour started Brandon Bussi in the first two games of the season, but he seems to be easing into a more balanced goalie rotation, with Kochetkov returning to the crease on Tuesday. The 27-year-old Kochetkov has been solid early this season, posting a 1.64 GAA and .912 SV% in three games (3-0-0). He saved 18 of 19 shots (.947 SV%) in his previous outing, a 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. The Hurricanes enter Tuesday's contest as -149 home favourites against a 3-2-0 Washington Capitals team.

Gibson had a tremendous inaugural season with the Red Wings in 2025-26, nearly leading them to a postseason berth, but 2026-27 has started rocky for the team, including Gibson. The 33-year-old American goalie had a brutal previous outing, allowing five goals on 15 shots (.667 SV%) in a 6-3 loss to the Seattle Kraken. He has a 3.43 GAA and .862 SV% in four games this season (1-3-0). The Red Wings enter Tuesday's contest at home with -105 odds against a New Jersey Devils team that lost 4-1 to the Ottawa Senators last night.

The Islanders are off to a subpar 2-3-0 start this season, but can't fault Sorokin, who has been tremendous between the pipes. The 31-year-old Russian goalie boasts an outstanding 1.77 GAA, .937 SV%, and one shutout in four games this season (2-2-0). He hasn't posted a save percentage above .909 since the 2022-23 season, when he finished as the runner-up for the Vezina Trophy. The Islanders enter Tuesday's contest as sizeable -214 home favourites against a Vancouver Canucks team that has been outscored 35-24 through seven games (2-5-0).

Garland is battling an illness, and his status for Tuesday's game against the Florida Panthers is uncertain. The 30-year-old forward is averaging a career-low 12:25 of ice time through four games this season and has yet to record a point. Since the Blue Jackets acquired him last season, Garland has yet to find his offensive game, scoring just seven points (5G / 2A) in 25 combined games.

Jet Greaves has struggled early in the 2026-27 season, allowing veteran Cam Talbot to make his case for more playing time in his second start on Tuesday against the Florida Panthers. The 39-year-old Talbot was solid in his only outing this season, saving 20 of 22 shots (.909 SV%) in a 3-2 shootout victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Blue Jackets enter Tuesday's contest as -121 home favourites against a Panthers team that has scored only 12 goals in its first six games (2-2-2).

Beck was recalled from Laval (AHL) earlier this week and will suit up for his season debut with the Canadiens on Tuesday against the Buffalo Sabres. The 22-year-old forward played 15 games with Montreal last season, averaging 9:11 time-on-ice and scoring one goal.

The Canadiens have relied exclusively on Jacob Fowler between the pipes for their last three games, but they will turn to Dobes on Wednesday for his first start in over a week. Dobes struggled in his most recent game, allowing five goals on 32 shots (.844 SV%) in a 6-4 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. The 25-year-old Czech goalie is coming off an impressive postseason run and earned a three-year deal worth $5,357,575 AAV ($16.073M total), but he has had an ugly start to the 2026-27 season, posting a 4.43 GAA and .856 SV% in three games (1-1-1). The Canadiens enter Wednesday's contest as +108 road underdogs against a Washington Capitals team on a two-game losing streak (0-2-0).

Matheson played 23:01 time-on-ice in Montreal's previous game, but he is battling a lower-body injury and will not play on Tuesday against the Buffalo Sabres. The 32-year-old defenseman is averaging 24:09 time-on-ice and has one assist in five games this season.

Samuel Montembeault's disastrous 2025-26 season, which led to a demotion to the AHL, thrust Fowler into NHL action, but Montembeault started the 2026-27 season with the Canadiens, so Fowler played with Laval (AHL). That said, an early-season injury to Montembeault has given Fowler an NHL opportunity, and he has thrived in a small early-season sample. The 21-year-old Fowler stopped all 30 shots in his most recent outing, recording a shutout in a 1-0 shootout win over the Detroit Red Wings. The Canadiens enter Tuesday's contest as -153 home favourites against a Buffalo Sabres team that improved to 3-3-0 yesterday after defeating the Florida Panthers 5-3.

Gibson had a tremendous inaugural season with the Red Wings in 2025-26, nearly leading them to a postseason berth, but 2026-27 has started rocky for the team, including Gibson. The 33-year-old American goalie had a brutal previous outing, allowing five goals on 15 shots (.667 SV%) in a 6-3 loss to the Seattle Kraken. He has a 3.43 GAA and .862 SV% in four games this season (1-3-0). The Red Wings enter Tuesday's contest at home with -105 odds against a New Jersey Devils team that lost 4-1 to the Ottawa Senators last night.

With Igor Shesterkin (lower body) out for the season, and Joonas Korpisalo (lower body) still several weeks away from returning, Garand has been thrust into the spotlight for the Rangers. The 24-year-old goalie cleared waivers earlier this season, but now thrives as the Rangers' de facto starter. Garand saved 19 of 21 shots (.905 SV%) in his previous outing, a 6-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks to improve to 2-1-0 with a 1.20 GAA and .945 SV% this season. The Rangers enter Tuesday's contest as +144 home underdogs against the Tampa Bay Lightning, who are riding a four-game winning streak.

Skinner has been stellar early in his tenure with the Jets and will return to the crease on Tuesday against the Minnesota Wild. The 27-year-old goalie was outstanding in his most recent outing, saving 32 of 34 shots (.941 SV%) in a 3-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche. Skinner has a 2.62 GAA and .920 SV% in three games (2-0-1) this season. The Jets enter Tuesday's contest as slight -108 home favourites against a Wild team off to a strong 4-1-1 start.

Jacob Markstrom exited yesterday's 5-3 loss to the Buffalo Sabres early in the second period for precautionary reasons and was replaced by Akira Schmid, who saved 18 of 21 shots (.857 SV%) in the losing effort. The 26-year-old Schmid hasn't been tested much this season, and will likely start for just the second time. The Panthers enter Tuesday's contest as +109 road underdogs against the 2-2-0 Columbus Blue Jackets.

Hill saw limited action in the latter half of last season and into the playoffs as Carter Hart became the team's go-to guy between the pipes, but Hill returns to the crease Tuesday for his third start in eight games. The 30-year-old Hill hasn't been spectacular this season, but has been serviceable when called upon, posting a 2.41 GAA and .886 SV% in two outings (2-0-0). The Golden Knights enter Tuesday's contest as -121 road favourites against the 2-1-2 Nashville Predators.

The Devils are coming off a 4-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators yesterday and will return to Allen on Tuesday. The 36-year-old Allen has been serviceable early in the 2026-27 season, outdueling counterpart Nico Daws, posting a 2.65 GAA and .896 SV% in three games (2-1-0). The Devils enter Tuesday's contest as -105 road favourites against a Detroit Red Wings team that has scored only 10 goals in five games this season (1-3-1).