NHL Player News

Daccord will not play Saturday versus the Canucks due to an undisclosed injury, per Emerald City Hockey.

Daccord reportedly sustained the injury during last Sunday's game versus the Avalanche. Ales Stezka was called up from AHL Coachella Valley on Friday, but it'll likely be Philipp Grubauer who tends the twine in Vancouver. Daccord's next chance to play is Monday against Utah.

Vanecek was put on injured reserve Friday, per Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News.

Vanecek was injured Dec. 17 when he was struck by the puck while on the bench and can be activated whenever he's healthy. He has a 3-8-1 record, 3.84 GAA and .885 save percentage in 14 appearances in 2024-25. Klim Kostin was taken off injured reserve in a corresponding move.

Demko is set to start at home against Seattle on Saturday, per Jeff Paterson of CanucksArmy.com.

Demko has a 2-1-2 record, 3.14 GAA and .889 save percentage in five appearances in 2024-25. He stopped 26 of 29 shots en route to a 4-3 victory over San Jose in his last start Monday. Seattle ranks 23rd in goals per game with 2.78.

Hofer is expected to start at home against Nashville on Friday, per Matthew DeFranks of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Hofer has a 7-3-1 record, 2.63 GAA and .909 save percentage in 12 appearances in 2024-25. He stopped 25 of 27 shots en route a 2-1 overtime loss to Florida in his previous start last Friday. Nashville is a more favorable matchup than Florida was -- the Predators rank last in goals per game with 2.40.

Hill is expected to start on the road against San Jose on Friday, per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now.

Hill has won his past two starts while saving 50 of 52 shots (.962 save percentage). He has a 15-5-2 record, 2.61 GAA and .905 save percentage in 22 outings in 2024-25. The Sharks rank 24th offensively with 2.73 goals per game.

Merzlikins (undisclosed) is slated to start at home against Boston on Friday, per Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site.

Head coach Dean Everson said Monday that Merzlikins was dealing with "bumps and bruises," which led to the goaltender being scratched for Monday's 5-4 victory over Montreal. It appears the holiday break came at an opportune time for Merzlikins, though, given that he's ready to play between the pipes after missing just one game. The 30-year-old netminder has a 10-9-3 record, 3.13 GAA and .889 save percentage in 22 outings this season. Boston ranks 26th in goals per game with 2.64, but the Bruins have been hot lately, posting an 11-4-1 record dating back to Nov. 21.

Georgiev is set to start at home against Vegas on Friday, according to Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now.

Georgiev has a 9-9-0 record, 3.44 GAA and .873 save percentage in 21 appearances between Colorado and San Jose in 2024-25. He's allowed at least three goals in each of his past three games. Vegas ranks fourth in goals per game with 3.50.

Blackwood will defend the visiting crease in Utah on Friday, Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette reports.

Blackwood inked a five-year, $26.25 million contract extension earlier in the day and will get a chance to celebrate it on the ice against Utah. Blackwood has been sensational since his trade from San Jose on Dec. 9. He is 3-1-0 with a 2.03 GAA and a .931 save percentage in four outings with the Avs. Utah is averaging 3.00 goals per game this season.

Vejmelka will patrol the home crease versus Colorado on Friday, according to Cole Bagley of KSL Sports.

Vejmelka saw his four-game winning streak come to an end Monday versus Dallas. He is 8-8-2 with a strong 2.33 GAA and a .917 save percentage. The Avalanche are averaging 3.33 goals per game this season.

Korpisalo will defend the visiting crease in Columbus on Friday, per Jim McBride of the Boston Globe.

Korpisalo spent the first eight years of his NHL career with the Blue Jackets. He is 7-3-1 with a 2.42 GAA and a .904 save percentage in 12 appearances with the Bruins this season. The Blue Jackets are averaging 3.31 goals per game in 2024-25.