NHL Player News

Wedgewood exited Thursday's game versus the Sabres with an apparent lower-body injury after a collision in the third period, Jesse Montano of Guerilla Sports reports.

Wedgewood couldn't put any weight on his right leg as he left the ice. He's been fantastic in a backup role since he was traded from Nashville, though he was saddled with four goals on 18 shots Thursday -- the fourth goal coming on the play that left him injured. The Avalanche may need to make a move for another goaltender prior to Saturday's game versus the Canadiens if Wedgewood's injury is as bad as it looks.

Woll made 32 saves in a 2-1 win over the Islanders on Thursday.

Woll stole the game for the Leafs -- he made some huge saves to bail out his teammates, who coughed up the puck a few too many times on the night. Overall, Woll is 11-6-0 with one shutout in 16 starts this season, with a 2.48 GAA and .913 save percentage. Anthony Stolarz (knee) remains out for another few weeks, so take advantage of Woll's increased workload right now. Heading to the postseason, the Leafs may revert to a timeshare so both men are fresh for the postseason.

Vasilevskiy will guard the road goal versus the Sharks, Gabby Shirley of FanDuel Sports Network Florida & Sun reports.

Vasilevskiy has gone 6-2-0 with a 2.14 GAA and a .925 save percentage over his last eight games. He'll get a fairly easy matchup Thursday, as the Sharks have scored just 17 times over their last eight contests.

Grubauer will guard the home goal versus the Canucks on Thursday, per Davy Jones' Locker Room.

Joey Daccord (upper body) remains sidelined, so Grubauer will earn his third straight start. He's won his last two games, including a 5-4 overtime victory against the Canucks on Saturday. They put up four goals on 22 shots in that game, so they'll still offer a firm challenge for Grubauer even with Quinn Hughes (undisclosed) and Elias Pettersson (undisclosed) out of the lineup.

Vejmelka is expected to start on the road against Calgary on Thursday, according to Cole Bagley of KSL Sports.

Vejmelka is on a personal three-game losing streak, and he's allowed nine goals on 96 shots (.906 save percentage) during that stretch. He's 8-10-2 with a 2.40 GAA and a .916 save percentage in 22 outings in 2024-25. The Flames rank 25th in goals per game with 2.65.

Luukkonen will guard the road goal versus the Avalanche on Thursday, Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News reports.

Luukkonen's winning streak was snapped at three games when he allowed three goals on 32 shots versus the Stars on Tuesday. The 25-year-old has played better lately after struggling heavily early in December. That said, this is a second straight tough matchup, as the Avalanche have scored at least four goals in five straight contests.

Kochetkov will guard the road goal versus the Panthers on Thursday, Doug Plagens of the Panthers Radio Network reports.

Kochetkov is set to start for the third time in four games. He's been in a bit of a rut lately, going 4-5-1 with a 2.65 GAA and an .893 save percentage over his last 10 outings. He did not play in either of the Hurricanes' losses in a home-and-home set late in November -- his last matchup against the Panthers was a 45-save shutout performance Feb. 22, 2024.

Demko is slated to start on the road against Seattle on Thursday, per Rob Simpson of Vancouver Hockey Now.

Demko wasn't available for the start of the season due to a knee injury, and he's struggled since making his season debut Dec. 10, posting a 2-1-3 record, 3.42 GAA and .879 save percentage in six appearances. He stopped 24 of 29 shots en route to a 5-4 overtime loss to the Kraken in his last start Saturday. Seattle ranks 21st in goals per game with 2.89.

Samsonov is set to guard the home goal in Thursday's tilt against Philadelphia, per Jesse Granger of The Athletic.

Samsonov has a 9-3-1 record, 2.74 GAA and .906 save percentage in 13 appearances in 2024-25. He's won his past four starts while allowing just five goals on 96 shots (.948 save percentage). The Flyers are tied for 16th in goals per game with 3.05.

Skinner will protect the home goal versus Anaheim on Friday, according to Tony Brar of Oilers TV.

Skinner is 3-0-1 in his last four starts, giving up eight goals on 103 shots. Skinner is 14-8-3 with one shutout, a 2.81 GAA and an .897 save percentage across 25 appearances this season. The Ducks are averaging a measly 2.47 goals per game this season, which is the second-worst mark in the league.