NHL Player News

Vladar will defend the road cage versus Dallas on Thursday, Derek Wills of Sportsnet 960 The Fan reports.

Vladar has appeared in just five of the Flames' last 23 contests but will be in the crease for the third time in the previous six outings. The uptick in opportunities for the netminder is likely aimed at keeping starter Dustin Wolf primed for a postseason push, rather than an indication that Vladar might take over the No. 1 job.

Blackwood will tend the twine at home versus San Jose on Thursday, Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette reports.

Blackwood started the season with the Sharks, going 6-9-3 with a 3.00 GAA, .909 save percentage and one shutout in 19 outings. Since his move to Colorado, the 28-year-old Ontario native has posted career-best numbers in both GAA (2.12) and save percentage (.921).

Luukkonen is expected to guard the cage on the road against the Lightning on Thursday, Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News reports.

Luukkonen will face a tough matchup in a Bolts squad that loaded up offensively ahead of the deadline. The 25-year-old netminder has been struggling of late, going 2-3-0 in his last six appearances while registering a 3.77 GAA and .854 save percentage. That poor run includes losses to San Jose, Nashville and Montreal -- none of which are currently in a playoff spot -- so facing the Lightning is far from an ideal matchup.

Comrie will guard the visiting net in Philadelphia on Thursday, according to John Lu of TSN.

Comrie will get a rare start as Connor Hellebuyck has started 47 of 62 games heading into action Thursday. Comrie is 6-8-1 with a 2.56 GAA and a .912 save percentage over 15 starts this season. The Flyers are generating 2.89 goals per game, 17th in the league this season.

Saros will be between the pipes for Thursday's home clash with Seattle, Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean reports.

Saros has been wildly inconsistent of late, allowing just one goal in two of his last five outings while also giving up four or more goals twice over that stretch. Overall, it's been a tough season for the 29-year-old netminder, as he has managed just 14 wins in 46 appearances and will miss the 30-win mark for the first time since 2020-21.

Oettinger will defend the home crease versus Calgary on Thursday, Stars radio analyst Bruce LeVine reports.

Oettinger will attempt to win his third game in a row. He has stopped 68 of 73 shots (.932 save percentage), in victories over St. Louis and Los Angeles in the last week. Oettinger is 29-13-2 with a 2.44 GAA and a .911 save percentage over 44 outings this season. The Flames are tied for last in NHL scoring this season, generating a paltry 2.59 goals per game.

Vasilevskiy will be between the home pipes versus Buffalo on Thursday, per Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times.

Vasilevskiy had his eight-game winning streak halted Monday in a 2-1 loss to Florida. Vasilevskiy has been outstanding this season, reestablishing himself as a top-three NHL goaltender. The 30-year-old Russian is 29-16-3 with four shutouts, a sparkling 2.18 GAA and an impressive .923 save percentage across 48 starts this season. The Sabres are averaging 3.15 goals in 2024-25, 12th in the NHL.

Bobrovsky will get the starting nod against the Blue Jackets at home Thursday.

Bobrovsky is currently riding a three-game winning streak during which he posted a 1.34 GAA, one shutout and a .949 save percentage. After a pair of trades and some roster shuffling, the 36-year-old netminder finds himself being backed up by Vitek Vanecek, formerly of San Jose, but that won't impact Bobrovsky's workload -- he's a stellar goalie and will continue to see plenty of starts while almost certainly reaching the 50-game mark for the eighth time in the last nine seasons.

Driedger was reassigned to AHL Charlotte on Thursday, Alex Baumgartner of Five Reasons Sports reports.

Driedger was called up to the NHL after the Panthers traded Spencer Knight to Chicago but became expendable when a second deal brought Vitek Vanecek over from San Jose. Over the last two seasons, the 30-year-old Driedger has seen action in just two NHL games for the Kraken. Once viewed as a solid No. 2 during the 2020-21 campaign when he went 14-6-3 with three shutouts and a 2.07 GAA for Florida, Driedger has been relegated to an emergency depth option while playing in the AHL.

Soderblom made 22 saves in Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the Senators.

The game-winner came with some controversy, as Tim Stutzle crashed the net just 46 seconds into OT and wound up directing the puck past Soderblom with his skate, but it was ruled a good goal upon review. The 25-year-old netminder has appeared in five of Chicago's last six games, going 1-3-1 with a 3.28 GAA and .894 save percentage, but with Spencer Knight joining the team in the Seth Jones trade and likely to be handed the starting job at some point, Soderblom's workload should shrink down the stretch.