NHL Player News

Hofer will defend the home crease against the Panthers on Thursday, Lou Korac of NHL.com reports.

Hofer wasn't particularly dominant over limited playing time in January, going 2-3-0 with a 3.16 GAA and .898 save percentage over six appearances. He didn't appear in either of the Blues' last two games but will draw the start against the Panthers, who rank sixth in the NHL with 3.27 goals per game.

Gustavsson will patrol the home crease versus Carolina on Thursday, according to Jessi Pierce of NHL.com.

Gustavsson has struggled since shutting out Carolina on Jan. 4, going 2-5-0 with a 4.35 GAA and an .873 save percentage. Gustavsson is 20-11-3 with a 2.66 GAA and a .913 across 35 appearances this season. The Hurricanes were shut out in Winnipeg on Tuesday and are generating 3.26 goals per game, seventh in the NHL this season.

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 home start against the Senators.

Vasilevskiy has gone 2-0-1 with a 2.02 GAA and .935 save percentage across his last three starts, and he'll tend the twine for a fourth consecutive game Thursday. The Senators are tied for 17th in the NHL with 2.87 goals per game this season.

Merzlikins will get the starting nod at home versus Utah on Thursday, Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers reports.

Merzlikins has dropped two straight games in which he posted a combined 4.19 GAA and .867 save percentage. Despite the recent slump, the 30-year-old backstop needs just one more victory to reach the 20-win threshold for the first time since 2021-22 and the second time in his NHL career.

Fedotov will patrol the home crease versus Washington on Thursday, according to Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia.

Fedotov is 0-3-2 with a 2.93 GAA and an .880 save percentage over seven appearances since Nov. 29. Overall, the 28-year-old netminder is 4-7-3 with a 3.21 GAA and an .881 save percentage across 16 outings this season. The Capitals are second in NHL scoring this season, averaging 3.55 goals per game.

Dobes allowed five goals on 36 shots in Wednesday's 6-3 loss to the Kings. The sixth goal was an empty-netter.

The Kings had a 2-1 lead through two periods before the game opened in the third, and Dobes couldn't keep pace. He's now given up 12 goals while going 0-2-1 over his last three outings. He's 5-2-1 with a 2.45 GAA and a .917 save percentage through eight NHL starts. The 23-year-old has played well enough at times to earn a little leeway, especially since Cayden Primeau had virtually no good moments during his time in the NHL to begin the season. The Canadiens have a home back-to-back prior to the 4 Nations Face-Off break with games against the Devils on Saturday and the Lightning on Sunday. Sam Montembeault and Dobes are likely to split that pair of tough matchups.

Kuemper stopped 18 of 21 shots in Wednesday's 6-3 win over the Canadiens.

All three of the Canadiens' goals came from defensemen, though two of them were on odd plays. It's still a second consecutive win for Kuemper, though he has allowed three or more goals in three of his last five games. The 34-year-old netminder is 16-6-6 with a 2.19 GAA and a .919 save percentage through 29 appearances. The Kings have a home back-to-back up next as they host the Stars on Friday and the Ducks on Saturday, so Kuemper and David Rittich should each be expected to make a start in that stretch.

Soderblom stopped 34 of 38 shots in Wednesday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Oilers.

Soderblom did well to hold the fort late in the third period, allowing the Blackhawks to erase a two-goal deficit. A penalty in overtime put the Oilers on the power play, and Zach Hyman cashed in to hand Soderblom his third loss past regulation time in his last five outings. The 25-year-old netminder slipped to 7-12-4 with a 2.93 GAA and a .908 save percentage over 24 appearances this season. He'll likely make another start before the 4 Nations Face-Off break -- the Blackhawks host the Predators on Friday and visit the Blues on Saturday, which should allow one start each for Soderblom and Petr Mrazek.

Pickard stopped 29 of 32 shots in Wednesday's 4-3 overtime win over the Blackhawks.

The Blackhawks rallied from two goals down to force overtime, but the Oilers won it with a power-play tally in the extra session. Pickard has now won his last six decisions, allowing a total of 15 goals over seven outings in that span. He's been reliable when called upon, though he often handles easier matchups. The 32-year-old is 14-4-0 with a 2.50 GAA and a .901 save percentage over 20 appearances this season. Pickard will likely be back in the backup role for Friday's tough home game against the Avalanche.

Korpisalo stopped 19 of 22 shots in Wednesday's 3-2 loss to the Rangers.

Korpisalo had a 2-1 lead to protect after two periods and failed to do so, giving up a pair of goals, including a shortie, in the third. The 30-year-old has lost in regulation in consecutive games for the first time this season, allowing a total of eight goals on 49 shots in those contests. He's now at 9-6-2 with a 2.86 GAA and an .892 save percentage over 19 outings in the backup role behind Jeremy Swayman. This was likely Korpisalo's last start before the 4 Nations Face-Off -- the Bruins play just once more prior to the break when they host the Golden Knights on Saturday.