NHL Player News

Skinner will defend the home crease against the Bruins on Thursday, Tony Brar of Oilers TV reports.

Skinner has picked up wins in three of his last four starts, and he'll be between the pipes for a third consecutive game Thursday. Across five appearances this month, the 26-year-old has gone 3-2-0 with a 2.64 GAA and a .906 save percentage. He took the loss against Florida in his last start but will face a more favorable matchup against the Bruins, who are generating just 2.61 goals per game this season, which is the sixth-worst mark in the league.

Jarry will tend the twine on the road versus Nashville on Thursday, Penguins play-by-play announcer Josh Getzoff reports.

Jarry is enjoying a strong run of play in December, having posted a 3-1-1 record and .892 save percentage in his last five outings. The netminder's penchant for giving up a goal on the first shot of the game remains, but his team is at least finding ways to win with him in the crease. At this point, it seems Pittsburgh will roll the dice with Jarry and hope he can return to being an All-Star caliber netminder again.

Soderblom will defend the home crease versus Seattle on Thursday, Charlie Roumeliotis of WGN Radio reports.

Soderblom has won his last two starts, as well as three of the past four games. Although Petr Mrazek (groin) was activated off injured reserve Thursday, Soderblom will make his sixth start in the last seven games. Soderblom is 4-7-1 with a respectable 2.70 GAA and .909 save percentage this season. He will face the Kraken, who are averaging 2.88 goals per game in 2024-25, which ranks 21st in the NHL.

Allen will be between the pipes on the road versus Columbus on Thursday, Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers reports.

Allen will be in the crease for the first time since Dec. 8 against Colorado, in part due to an upper-body injury. Over his last five appearances, the 34-year-old backstop has recorded a 2-3-0 record, 2.89 GAA and .896 save percentage. Even with Allen healthy again, he figures to remain the No. 2 option behind Jacob Markstrom this year, which will limit his viability in fantasy contests.

Vladar will serve as the starting netminder for Thursday's home game against the Senators, Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960 The Fan reports.

Vladar recently dealt with a lower-body injury, but he was available as a backup for Tuesday's game against Boston. While he didn't enter that matchup, he'll be between the pipes for Thursday's contest. The 27-year-old has had mixed results over his last five appearances, posting a 2-2-1 record, 4.17 GAA and .837 save percentage.

Montembeault is slated to start Friday's road game against the Red Wings, Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports.

Montembeault has been inconsistent recently, going 4-3-0 with a 2.47 GAA and a .914 save percentage over his last seven appearances. However, he's coming off a strong start against the Sabres on Tuesday, as he turned aside 20 of 21 shots (.952 save percentage) in a 6-1 victory. He'll have another favorable matchup Friday, as the Red Wings are scoring just 2.68 goals per game this year, the eighth-worst mark in the NHL.

Varlamov (lower body) was moved to long-term injured reserve Thursday, retroactive to Dec. 3, Stefen Rosner of NHL.com reports.

Varlamov has been hampered by a lower-body injury since early December, and his move to LTIR shouldn't impact his return timetable much since the transaction is retroactive to Dec. 3. It's not yet clear when the 36-year-old netminder will be in the mix to return, but Ilya Sorokin should continue to see plenty of playing time while Varlamov is sidelined.

Blackwood will protect the visiting crease versus San Jose on Thursday, Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette reports.

Blackwood was dealt from San Jose to Colorado just 10 days ago, and this will be the first time he has faced his ex-teammates. Blackwood started the season with a 6-9-3 record with the Sharks, along with a 3.00 GAA and a .909 save percentage. He is 1-1-0 with the Avalanche, allowing only four goals on 63 shots (.937 save percentage). The Sharks are averaging 2.76 goals per game this season which is the ninth-worst mark in the league.

Merzlikins will defend the home crease against the Devils on Thursday, Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers reports.

Merzlikins has struggled in recent outings, posting a 1-4-0 record, 3.23 GAA and .861 save percentage across his last five starts. He had lost out on some playing time to Jet Greaves recently, but Merzlikins will likely be in line for more looks in the near future after Greaves was sent back to the minors Wednesday.

Commesso was reassigned to AHL Rockford on Thursday, Charlie Roumeliotis of WGN Radio reports.

Commesso spent a week and a half with the NHL club since Petr Mrazek (groin) was sidelined. However, Commesso made just two appearances (one start) during his time with Chicago, posting an 0-1-0 record, 3.38 GAA and .846 save percentage. He'll head back to the minors, where he should see more consistent playing time, after Mrazek was activated from injured reserve Thursday.