NHL Player News

Lankinen made 16 saves in Wednesday's 2-1 overtime loss to the Capitals.

The 29-year-old netminder shut down most of the Washington lineup, but Pierre-Luc Dubois got pucks past him late in the first period and in the final minute of OT, and the Vancouver offense wasn't able to get much going. Lankinen has appeared in five straight games, starting four of them, while Thatcher Demko has dealt with back spasms, but the former has gone just 1-2-2 with a 2.59 GAA and .882 save percentage. Demko dressed as the backup Wednesday, and he could resume No. 1 duties as soon as Saturday's game in Carolina.

Shesterkin (upper body) will get the starting nod at home against New Jersey on Thursday, Peter Baugh of The Athletic reports.

Shesterkin will return to action following a four-game stint on the shelf due to his upper-body issue. Prior to getting hurt, the 29-year-old center was bogged down in a three-game losing streak during which he posted a 4.60 GAA and .843 save percentage. With Shesterkin coming off IR, fantasy managers can expect Louis Domingue to be reassigned to the minors shortly.

Ersson (lower body) will return to action at home versus Dallas on Thursday, Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Ersson had missed the previous three games with his injury. The 25-year-old netminder was 3-1-0 with a 2.95 GAA and an .885 save percentage in his four games prior to getting hurt. He will have a tough matchup at home versus the Stars, who are averaging 3.26 goals per game in 2024-25, which is tied for ninth in the NHL.

Vejmelka allowed two goals on 31 shots in Wednesday's 4-1 loss to the Panthers. The last two goals were empty-netters.

Vejmelka did a good job of keeping the game close, but Utah's offense didn't make enough of an impact. The 28-year-old netminder has now gone 1-4-1 with 17 goals allowed over his last six contests. He's not playing poorly, but it's another rough patch for an Utah team that has run a bit streaky in 2024-25. He's 9-11-3 with a 2.43 GAA and a .915 save percentage over 25 appearances this season. Utah's next two games come in a home back-to-back as they host the Sharks on Friday and the Islanders on Saturday, both of which represent favorable matchups, as they have offenses in the bottom quarter of the league.

Bobrovsky allowed one goal on 27 shots in Wednesday's 4-1 win over Utah.

Bobrovsky gave up a third-period power-play goal to Logan Cooley, which cut the Panthers' lead to 2-1 at the time. A pair of empty-netters provided some late help. The Panthers' usually formidable offense has been limited to 14 goals over the last seven games, and Bobrovsky has gone 2-3-0 with 11 goals allowed over his five starts in that span. He's now 18-9-1 with a 2.69 GAA and a .903 save percentage through 28 starts this season. The Panthers' next game is at home Saturday versus the Bruins.

Demko (back) is backing up Kevin Lankinen in Wednesday's game versus the Capitals.

Demko has not suited up due to back spasms over the last two games. The Canucks will likely try to avoid going to Demko unless necessary Wednesday, but his return to the crease should be considered imminent, perhaps as early as Friday against the Hurricanes.

Husso was recalled from AHL Grand Rapids on Wednesday under emergency conditions.

Husso's promotion comes after Alex Lyon (upper body) sustained an injury in Tuesday's game versus the Senators. Cam Talbot will likely take on a starting role while Lyon is out -- the Red Wings don't have a back-to-back within the next week, so Husso may not get a start if Lyon's injury only causes a brief absence.

Kuemper and the Kings won't face Calgary on Wednesday after the game was postponed due to wildfires.

With concerns regarding health and safety, the NHL made the decision to postpone this game to a future date. The Kings head out on a five-game road trip starting Friday versus Winnipeg, so there shouldn't be any additional impacts on Los Angeles' schedule moving forward.

Vladar and his Calgary teammates will not play the Kings on Wednesday following the game's postponement due to wildfires in Los Angeles.

Vladar was expected to get the starting nod after Dustin Wolf was in the crease against the Ducks on Wednesday in the first game of the back-to-back. Either netminder could get the nod when the Kings visit Calgary on Saturday -- though Wolf seems to likely starter given his recent workload.

Bobrovsky is expected to start on the road against Utah on Wednesday.

Bobrovsky has lost his past two starts, but that's due to a lack of offensive support rather than struggles on his part. In fact, he was solid over those two outings, stopping 68 of 72 shots (.944 save percentage). Perhaps Florida will give him more help Wednesday -- the Panthers do rank 10th in goals per game with 3.24, so their recent issues are unusual. Utah ranks 22nd with 2.90 goals per game.