NHL Player News

Vejmelka stopped 24 of 26 shots in Wednesday's 3-2 overtime win over the Canucks.

Utah trailed 2-0 early in the third period but rallied back with the help of Vejmelka preventing the Canucks from growing their lead. The 28-year-old goalie has won three straight and earned at least a standings point in five straight games. He improved to 7-7-2 with a 2.37 GAA and a .915 save percentage through 18 appearances this season. Connor Ingram (upper body) has not progressed in his recovery, so it's safe to assume Vejmelka will function as Utah's No. 1 goalie through at least the end of December. Utah visits Minnesota on Friday.

Comrie stopped 28 of 31 shots in Wednesday's 3-2 loss to the Ducks.

The Jets were leading 2-1 late in the third period, but the Ducks scored twice in the final five minutes to steal it away. This was Comrie's fifth straight loss, and he's allowed at least three goals in each of those defeats. For the season, he's at a 3-5-0 record with a 3.05 GAA and a .902 save percentage over eight appearances. Expect Connor Hellebuyck to get the nod Saturday versus the Wild.

Dostal stopped 21 of 23 shots in Wednesday's 3-2 win over the Jets.

The Ducks were behind 2-1 after Mark Scheifele's goal early in the third period, but Frank Vatrano and Troy Terry scored in the final five minutes. Dostal came away with his second win over four starts in December, and he's allowed just 10 goals on 108 shots this month. Overall, he improved to 7-8-3 with a 2.65 GAA and a .920 save percentage through 18 appearances. Dostal and John Gibson have been alternating starts over the last six games -- if that trend continues, Gibson would play at home Friday versus the Avalanche, while Dostal would be lined up for a road start Sunday in Utah to begin a back-to-back.

Comrie will protect the road goal versus the Ducks on Wednesday, Ducks PA Announcer Phil Hulett reports.

Comrie will get the second half of a back-to-back after Connor Hellebuyck won a 4-3 game over the Sharks on Tuesday. The 29-year-old Comrie has lost his last four games, allowing 13 goals on 120 shots in that span, but the Ducks make for a good chance for him to get back on track.

Lankinen (illness) is no longer dealing with flu symptoms but won't start in Wednesday's road game against Utah.

Head coach Rick Tocchet said Lankinen could have played Wednesday if needed, but the bench boss decided to start Thatcher Demko to give Lankinen an extra day off. Lankinen is instead likely to play between the pipes in Vegas on Thursday. The 29-year-old Lankinen has a 14-4-3 record, 2.52 GAA and .912 save percentage in 21 appearances in 2024-25.

Vanecek is expected to be sidelined for 2-3 weeks due to an upper-body injury, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports Wednesday.

The exact nature of Vanecek's injury wasn't specified by head coach Ryan Warsofsky, but it certainly appears to be serious after the netminder was hit in the head by a puck while on the bench Tuesday. Since the 28-year-old will be out longer term, Yaroslav Askarov will get the opportunity to compete for starts alongside Alexandar Georgiev. While not on injured reserve yet, fantasy managers can likely expect Vanecek to be designated as such in the coming days given his recovery timeline.

Demko will be between the road pipes for Wednesday's matchup against Utah, Brogan Houston of Deseret News Sports reports.

Demko went through his starting routine during Wednesday's morning skate, and he'll officially draw the start for the fourth time in the Canucks' last five games. The 29-year-old missed the first two months of the season while rehabbing from a knee injury that he sustained last year, and he's posted a 1-1-1 record, 3.32 GAA and .881 save percentage over his three appearances since returning to action.

Bobrovsky will tend the twine for Wednesday's road game against Minnesota, Jessi Pierce of NHL.com reports.

Bobrovsky has been effective recently, and he'll draw the start for the fifth time over the Panthers' last six games. The 36-year-old has picked up wins in five of his last six outings, going 5-1-0 with a 2.47 GAA and .901 save percentage during that time.

Dostal will serve as the starting goaltender for Wednesday's home game against Winnipeg, Patrick Present of The Hockey News reports.

Dostal has alternated starts with John Gibson in recent games, and that trend will continue for Wednesday's home game. Dostal has made three starts this month, posting a 1-1-1 record, 2.54 GAA and .906 save percentage during that time. Although the Jets have cooled off slightly following their hot start to the season, they're still averaging 3.67 goals, which ranks third in the league.

Askarov was recalled from AHL San Jose on Wednesday.

Askarov's promotion comes after Vitek Vanecek was hit by an errant puck during Tuesday's matchup with Winnipeg. Considering Alexandar Georgiev has given up a combined seven goals on 53 shots (.868 save percentage) in his last two outings, the Sharks may have been planning to give Tuesday's start versus Colorado to Vanecek. Instead, it could be an opportunity for Askarov to make his third NHL appearance this season -- or the team will simply go back to Georgiev.