NHL Player News

Vejmelka stopped 15 of 16 shots in Thursday's 6-1 win over the Wild.

The Utah offense was in good form Thursday. The power play cashed in twice early, and Clayton Keller led the charge with a five-point game to give Vejmelka more than enough support. This was Vejmelka's fourth straight win, and he's allowed just five goals on 86 shots in that span. For the season, the Czech netminder is up to 16-15-4 with a 2.44 GAA and a .910 save percentage over 37 contests. His strong play coming out of the 4 Nations Face-Off break is giving Vejmelka a strong case to be Utah's No. 1 goalie as the team pursues a playoff spot. Utah hosts New Jersey on Saturday.

Swayman made 18 saves in a 2-1 loss to the Islanders on Thursday.

Swayman wasn't perfect -- he'd like to have at least one of the goals back for the second game in a row - but the Bruins didn't score for him, either. Swayman has struggled all season long, and he has faced the ire of fans who are frustrated by his inconsistency. Swayman is 1-2-2 in his last five games with one shutout and two contests where he allowed at least four goals. He's not an automatic start right now given his struggles, but his personal brand and past reputation also make it hard to sit him.

Comrie allowed two goals on 30 shots in Thursday's 2-1 loss to the Predators.

Comrie's three-game winning streak came to a close. This was the first time since Jan. 10-11 that the Jets have been involved in a back-to-back -- Comrie's last four starts (3-1-0) came with at least a day between games. The 29-year-old netminder has done alright in a light-duty backup role, going 6-8-1 with a 2.56 GAA and a .911 save percentage across 15 appearances. The Jets are back home for a game Saturday versus the Flyers, but their next back-to-back is March 6 and 7 versus the Flyers and Devils, respectively, so Comrie shouldn't have to wait very long for his next start.

Sorokin made 38 saves in a 2-1 win over the Bruins on Thursday.

It was a great bounce back for Sorokin, who allowed five goals on 11 shots Tuesday before being pulled and who had struggled over his last four contests. On Thursday, David Pastrnak, who extended his career-high streak to 16 games, was the only player to beat him. Otherwise, Sorokin was perfect. He has to be tired, though -- he has played in 29 of the Islanders' last 34 games. No-one else in the NHL has been busier.

Saros stopped 23 of 24 shots in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Jets.

The Jets weren't at their best in the second half of their back-to-back, and that was largely because Saros was dialed in. The 29-year-old picked up his second win in his last three starts, a span in which he's allowed six goals on 81 shots. Saros has struggled for much of the campaign, to the tune of a 13-24-6 record with a 2.88 GAA and a .900 save percentage over 44 appearances. He's played three tough opponents in a row and looked to be in better form recently. The Predators begin their three-game road trip with a back-to-back, visiting the Islanders on Saturday and the Rangers on Sunday. Look for Saros and Justus Annunen to split those games.

Gibson (upper body) is still out for Thursday's game versus the Canucks, Derek Lee of The Hockey News reports.

Gibson will miss his third straight game with the injury. Lukas Dostal is getting the start Thursday, and Oscar Dansk is once again filling the backup role. Gibson's next chance to play is Saturday versus the Blackhawks.

Saros is expected to start at home against Winnipeg on Thursday, per Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site.

The Jets are tied for second in goals per game with 3.58 and are on an 11-game winning streak that's brought their record up to 42-14-3, so to suggest this will be a tough assignment for Saros would be underselling it. Saros also hasn't inspired much confidence this season with his 12-24-6 record, 2.93 GAA and .899 save percentage in 43 appearances. He struggled in his past two starts against the Jets, going 0-2-0 while allowing seven goals on 57 shots (.877 save percentage).

Comrie will protect the road goal versus the Predators on Thursday, Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site reports.

Comrie will get the second half of a back-to-back after Connor Hellebuyck was in goal for Wednesday's 4-1 win over the Senators. Comrie has won his last three outings, allowing five goals on 75 shots in that span. The 29-year-old has a favorable matchup Thursday -- the Predators have scored just 13 goals over their last six games.

Kochetkov will guard the home goal versus the Sabres on Thursday, Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News reports.

Kochetkov has been mediocre in February, going 1-2-0 with 10 goals allowed on 90 shots over his three outings this month. The 25-year-old netminder will face a Sabres team that ranks 10th in the league with 3.21 goals per game despite being in last place in the Atlantic Division.

Swayman is set to start in Thursday's home clash against the Islanders, per Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald.

Swayman will look to get back into the win column after posting a record of 0-1-2 across his past three starts. He also allowed 12 goals on 96 shots (.875 save percentage) in that span, giving him an 18-18-6 record, 3.02 GAA and .897 save percentage in 42 outings in 2024-25. The Islanders rank 27th in goals per game with 2.70.