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Charlie Lindgren G | WAS
Capitals' Charlie Lindgren: Leaves ice first
Lindgren was the first goalie to exit the ice Thursday, Bailey Johnson of The Washington Post reports, indicating he'll be between the pipes at home versus the Blues.
Lindgren is undefeated in regulation over his last three outings, posting a 2-0-1 record to go with a 3.64 GAA. Despite his strong run, the 31-year-old netminder has found himself playing second fiddle behind Logan Thompson, who has been seeing the bulk of the starts recently. Still, Lindgren should see more opportunities than most No. 2 goalies in the league.
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Andrei Vasilevskiy G | TB
Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Set to start against Calgary
Vasilevskiy was the first goalie off during Thursday's morning skate, Benjamin Pierce of the Lightning's official site reports, indicating that he'll draw the start at home against the Flames.
Vasilevskiy has picked up wins in each of his last six starts, posting a 2.00 GAA and .937 save percentage across that span. He made a road start against the Flames on Dec. 12 and turned aside 19 of 22 shots en route to an 8-3 victory. Calgary is averaging just 2.65 goals this season -- the fifth-lowest mark in the NHL -- so it wouldn't be surprising to see Vasilevskiy's hot streak continue Thursday.
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Alex Nedeljkovic G | SJ
Penguins' Alex Nedeljkovic: Tending twine Thursday
Nedeljkovic will be between the home pipes versus Philadelphia on Thursday, per Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports.
Nedeljkovic will get the start in a rematch of Tuesday's game in Philadelphia where he allowed six goals on 38 shots in a 6-1 loss. Nedeljkovic is 12-11-5 with a 3.16 GAA and an .893 save percentage over 29 appearances this season. The Flyers are scoring 2.90 goals per game, 16th in the NHL in 2024-25.
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Sergei Bobrovsky G | TOR
Panthers' Sergei Bobrovsky: Exits ice first Thursday
Bobrovsky was the first goalie to leave the ice Thursday, George Richards of Florida Hockey Now reports, indicating he'll get the starting nod at home versus the Oilers.
Bobrovsky has conceded more than two goals in just one of his last seven outings, posting a 5-2-0 record and 1.74 GAA along the way. Since Spencer Knight has secured wins in three straight games, the veteran Bobrovsky could get some extra time off down the stretch to keep him ready for another deep postseason run.
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Ilya Sorokin G | NYI
Islanders' Ilya Sorokin: In goal Thursday
Sorokin will get the starting nod on the road against Boston on Thursday, Stefen Rosner of NHL.com reports.
Sorokin is mired in a four-game losing streak during which he has conceded 18 goals on 99 shots (.818 save percentage). Since Semyon Varlamov (lower body) is still on the shelf, the Isles don't have a ton of alternatives in the net behind Sorokin -- unless they want to throw youngster Jakub Skarek to the wolves.
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David Rittich G | NJ
Kings' David Rittich: Poor showing in spot start
Rittich stopped 14 of 17 shots in Wednesday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Canucks.
It wasn't a good performance for Rittich, who gave up a goal in each of the first two periods and one more in overtime. He's now lost his last two outings past regulation time and has just one win in his last six games. Rittich is 12-11-2 with a 2.60 GAA and an .888 save percentage through 26 games. Until he can get more positive results, he won't pose much of a threat to Darcy Kuemper's role as the Kings' top goalie. Rittich likely won't have to wait long for his next start -- the Kings have a road back-to-back up next with games in Dallas and St. Louis on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
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Kevin Lankinen G | VAN
Canucks' Kevin Lankinen: Wins in overtime
Lankinen stopped 24 of 26 shots in Wednesday's 3-2 overtime win over the Kings.
Lankinen couldn't protect a 2-0 lead in the third period, but Conor Garland saved the day with his second tally of the game coming in overtime. This was Lankinen's fourth win in his last six outings, and he's allowed two or fewer goals in five of those games. The 29-year-old netminder has earned his first 20-win NHL season at 20-9-7, and he's added a 2.50 GAA and a .907 save percentage across 36 outings, one shy of his career high. Lankinen will operate as the Canucks' top goalie as long as Thatcher Demko (lower body) remains out, though it'll likely be Arturs Silovs getting the nod for the second half of the back-to-back Thursday in Anaheim.
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Nicolas Daws G | WPG
Devils' Nico Daws: Makes brief relief appearance
Daws played the final 1:42 of Wednesday's 5-1 loss to the Avalanche and did not face a shot.
Jake Allen was on the hook for all five goals, including three in a span of 4:04 late in the third period. Daws' time on the NHL roster may be coming to a close soon, as Jacob Markstrom (knee) is practicing with the Devils during their current five-game road trip. That leaves the goaltending plans a bit up in the air for this weekend's back-to-back (Saturday at Utah, Sunday at Vegas). If Markstrom is not cleared to return for either of those games, Daws would likely split the starts with Allen.
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Jake Allen G | NJ
Devils' Jake Allen: Pulled late in loss
Allen allowed five goals on 36 shots in Wednesday's 5-1 loss to the Avalanche.
Allen played nearly the whole game, but exited with 1:42 left in the third period after giving up the fifth goal, three of which came in a span of 4:04. There was no report of an injury following the contest, so it's safe to assume the 34-year-old netminder is good to go for the remainder of the road trip. Allen is now 9-13-1 with a 2.70 GAA and a .906 save percentage through 23 appearances. Jacob Markstrom (knee) is on the trip, but it's unclear if he'll be ready to go in time to start one of the Devils' next two games, which are in a back-to-back set this weekend with stops in Utah on Saturday and Vegas on Sunday.
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MacKenzie Blackwood G | COL
Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Strong in win against former team
Blackwood stopped 22 of 23 shots in Wednesday's 5-1 win over the Devils.
Blackwood allowed just one goal on 67 shots across two matchups against the Devils this season. The 28-year-old had to play well early in this contest, which was close until the Avalanche ran away with the lead late in the third period. Blackwood improved to 21-16-5 with a 2.50 GAA and a .916 save percentage through 43 appearances this season. The Avalanche are in action Friday at home versus the Wild in a game that has significant weight in the Central Division standings.