NHL Player News

Wallstedt will start Saturday's road game in Winnipeg, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.

Marc-Andre Fleury took a narrow 2-1 loss to Utah on Friday, so Wallstedt will work the second half of a back-to-back. In his season debut last Sunday, Wallstedt stopped 24 of 27 shots in a 3-2 loss to the Golden Knights. He's also struggled in the AHL, but the Wild will continue to give the top prospect some looks until Filip Gustavsson (lower body) can play again.

Montembeault allowed three goals on 28 shots in Friday's 4-3 win over the Red Wings.

Montembeault picked up his second win in a row and his fifth victory in his last eight games. He's had ups and downs in that span, but he's generally been good at keeping the Canadiens competitive this season. Montembeault improved to 11-13-2 with a 2.93 GAA and a .901 save percentage over 26 appearances. Cayden Primeau is likely to get a start at home in Saturday's rematch with the Red Wings.

Luukkonen is slated to start on the road versus the Bruins on Saturday, Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550 reports.

Luukkonen is slated to be back in the crease after being pulled from Friday's game versus the Maple Leafs. He surrendered four goals on 13 shots before being replaced by James Reimer early in the second period. It appears that quick hook was to keep Luukkonen fresh -- per Hamilton, head coach Lindy Ruff did not place the blame for Friday's 6-3 loss on his goalie.

Wedgewood will start Friday's road game versus Anaheim, Ducks PA Announcer Phil Hulett reports.

Wedgewood lost his last start, giving up three goals on 22 shots against Utah. The 32-year-old has won three of five outings with the Avalanche, including one shutout, and he's allowed just nine goals since he was traded from the Predators. Wedgewood has a favorable matchup Friday, though the Avalanche are playing the second half of a back-to-back.

Hofer is expected to start on the road against Florida on Friday, Matthew DeFranks of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Hofer has a 7-3-1 record, 2.72 GAA and .907 save percentage in 11 appearances in 2024-25. Jordan Binnington started Thursday, but Hofer stepped in after Binnington allowed three goals on 11 shots. Hofer stopped the seven shots he faced over 24:21 of ice time, though the Blues still suffered a 3-1 loss to Tampa Bay. Florida ranks fifth in goals per game with 3.58.

Kochetkov is expected to start in goal on the road against Washington on Friday, per Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press.

Kochetkov has a 13-5-0 record, 2.47 GAA and .902 save percentage in 19 outings in 2024-25. He's coming off a 32-save shutout victory over the Islanders on Tuesday. The Capitals are a difficult adversary, as they rank second in the NHL with 3.81 goals per game.

Luukkonen is expected to start in Friday's home tilt against Toronto, per Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News.

Luukkonen has been charged with the loss in each of his past eight appearances (0-6-2) while allowing 29 goals on 230 shots (.874 save percentage). That's dropped him to 8-10-3 with a 3.00 GAA and .896 save percentage across 22 outings in 2024-25. To be fair to Luukkonen, Buffalo is in the midst of an 11-game losing streak, so he's far from the only member of the Sabres who has left plenty to be desired recently. The Sabres will see if they can end their slump against the Maple Leafs, who have a 20-10-2 record and are tied for 17th in goals per game with 3.03.

Lindgren will serve as the starting netminder for Friday's home game against the Hurricanes, Sammi Silber of The Hockey News reports.

Lindgren and Logan Thompson have alternated starts for most of the season, and that trend will continue Friday. Lindgren snapped a four-game winning streak Monday against the Stars, as he allowed three goals on 24 shots (.875 save percentage). The 31-year-old has had mixed results this season, posting a 9-6-0 record, 2.69 GAA and .899 save percentage, and he'll have his hands full Friday since the Hurricanes rank fourth in the league with 3.61 goals per game to begin the 2024-25 campaign.

Pickard will defend the home crease against the Sharks on Saturday, Oilers play-by-play announcer Jack Michaels reports.

Pickard has made 11 appearances this season, going 7-3-0 with a 2.41 GAA and .901 save percentage. He'll draw the start in the first half of a back-to-back set Saturday, meaning that Stuart Skinner will likely tend the twine against the Senators on Sunday. Pickard will have a favorable matchup Saturday, as the Sharks average just 2.74 goals per game, which is the ninth-worst mark in the league.

Gibson will be between the home pipes versus Colorado on Friday, Derek Lee of The Hockey News reports.

Gibson halted a three-game losing streak Saturday as he turned aside 39 shots in a 4-3 victory in Columbus. Gibson is 5-4-1 with a 3.00 GAA and a .906 save percentage across 10 outings this season. The Avalache are averaging 3.26 goals per game in 2024-25, which ranks ninth in the NHL.