NHL Player News

Oettinger was the first goalie to leave the ice Thursday, Stars radio analyst Bruce LeVine reports, indicating he'll guard the cage at home versus Ottawa.

Oettinger has appeared in just two of the Stars' last four outings, which is a significant shift considering he had made eight straight appearances prior to that. With 17 wins in 27 outings this year, the 26-year-old Minnesota native is well on pace to reach the 50-game threshold for the third consecutive season and the 30-win mark for the fourth straight year.

Talbot will be in the opposing crease in Columbus on Thursday, according to Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers.

Talbot has lost five straight starts dating back to Nov. 29, allowing 21 goals on 151 shots, which included a relief appearance against Vancouver on Dec. 1. Overall, Talbot is 6-9-2 with a 2.98 GAA and a .906 save percentage in 19 outings this season. The Blue Jackets are averaging 3.29 goals in 2024-25.

Swayman was the first goalie to leave the ice Thursday, Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic reports, indicating he'll defend the road cage against the Rangers.

Swayman has given up three or fewer goals in each of his last six outings, posting a 4-1-1 record, 1.65 GAA and one shutout. After a slow start to the season, the 26-year-old backstop is 13-11-3 in 27 outings to go with a 2.90 GAA and .891 save percentage. Given how well Swayman has been performing, he should continue to see the bulk of the workload moving forward.

Fleury will patrol the blue paint in Washington on Thursday, per Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press.

Fleury has lost his last two starts, allowing eight goals on only 51 shots. The 40-year-old veteran is playing in his last season as he announced before the start of the year that he would retire at the end of the 2024-25 campaign. Fleury is 6-3-1 with a 2.81 GAA and an .898 save percentage in 11 appearances this season. The Capitals are atop the Eastern Conference standings with 52 points in 37 games.

Hellebuyck will tend the twine at home versus Anaheim on Thursday, Mitchell Clinton of the Jets' official site reports.

Hellebuyck has gone undefeated in regulation over his last 10 games, posting a 9-0-1 record, 1.68 GAA and .937 save percentage. That run includes his current six-game winning streak during which he recorded a pair of shutouts. The veteran netminder currently leads the league with 24 victories, well ahead of Jacob Markstrom (19), and should be in contention for a second straight Vezina Trophy.

Bobrovsky will be between the pipes at home versus Carolina on Thursday.

Bobrovsky appeared in eight of the Panthers' 13 games in December, posting a 6-2-0 record and 2.34 GAA. The veteran netminder currently sits tied for third in victories this season behind Connor Hellebuyck (24) and Jacob Markstrom (19). Bobrovsky is on pace to reach the 50-game mark for the fourth consecutive season and should also cruise to the 30-win mark.

Varlamov (lower body) resumed skating Thursday, Stefen Rosner of NHL.com reports.

Varlamov has been sidelined since early December due to a lower-body injury, and his activity Thursday marked the first time he's skated since sustaining his injury. The 36-year-old remains on long-term injured reserve and doesn't yet have a timetable to return, but he seems to be trending in the right direction.

Lindgren was the first goaltender off the ice at practice and is expected to be in the home crease versus Minnesota on Thursday, according to Bailey Johnson of The Washington Post.

Lindgren has lost three of his last four starts, giving the 31-year-old netminder a 10-8-0 record to go with a 2.69 GAA and an .898 save percentage. While he has been splitting the net with Logan Thompson on a fairly even basis, Thompson's stats are far superior, as he is 15-2-2 in 2024-25. The Wild are scoring 2.95 goals per game this season.

Merzlikins is expected to get the starting nod at home against Detroit on Thursday, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.

Merzlikins has made consecutive appearances between the pipes just once over the Jackets' last 10 contests but seems poised for an uptick in opportunities moving forward. In his last five outings, the 30-year-old backstop is 3-1-1 with a 3.11 GAA and .901 save percentage.

Quick will patrol the home crease versus Boston on Thursday, Peter Baugh of The Athletic reports.

Quick is the No. 1 goaltender with the Rangers at this time, as Igor Shesterkin was placed on injured reserve Tuesday with an upper-body injury. Quick is 5-4-0 with a pair of shutouts, a 2.69 GAA and a .907 save percentage across 12 appearances in 2024-25. The Bruins have found the back of the net 102 times in 39 games this season, ranking 25th in the NHL.