NHL Player News

Swayman is expected to start on the road against Vancouver on Saturday.

Swayman will attempt to rebound after allowing a staggering eight goals on 35 shots en route to a blowout loss to Winnipeg on Tuesday. He's 9-10-2 with a 3.27 GAA and an .885 save percentage in 21 appearances in 2024-25. The Canucks are tied for ninth in goals per game with 3.29.

Varlamov (lower body) was placed on injured reserve Saturday, per the NHL media site.

Varlamov has been dealing with a lower-body issue since Dec. 2, and he hasn't played since Nov. 29 against Washington. He has posted a 3-4-3 record with a 2.89 GAA and an .889 save percentage across 10 appearances this season. It's unclear when he will be ready to return, but he didn't accompany the Islanders on the team's upcoming three-game road trip.

Binnington will defend the road net versus Dallas on Saturday, per Lou Korac of The Hockey News.

Binnington has lost his last two outings, surrendering eight goals on 52 shots. He has posted a record of 8-11-2 with one shutout, a 2.98 GAA and an .896 save percentage through 22 appearances this season. Dallas is tied for ninth in the league with 3.29 goals per game in 2024-25.

DeSmith is set to miss Saturday's game against St. Louis because of the flu, per Lou Korac of The Hockey News.

DeSmith has a 3-4-0 record, 2.57 GAA and .906 save percentage in eight appearances in 2024-25. Jake Oettinger is expected to start Saturday, and Magnus Hellberg was recalled from AHL Texas to serve as Oettinger's understudy.

Hill will guard the road goal against Edmonton Saturday, per SinBin.Vegas.

Hill has stopped 106 of 113 shots during his four-game winning streak. He has a 13-4-2 record with two shutouts, a 2.59 GAA and a .904 save percentage across 19 appearances this season. Edmonton is tied for 13th in the league with 3.14 goals per game in 2024-25.

Skinner is expected to start at home against Vegas on Saturday, per Tony Brar of Oilers TV.

Skinner has a 10-7-2 record, 2.81 GAA and .895 save percentage in 19 appearances in 2024-25. While those season numbers aren't great, he's been superb recently, posting a 5-2-0 record, 2.03 GAA and .925 save percentage across his past seven starts. Vegas ranks sixth in goals per game with 3.48.

Vejmelka is set to start on the road against San Jose on Saturday, per Belle Fraser of The Salt Lake Tribune.

Vejmelka has a 5-7-2 record, 2.36 GAA and .917 save percentage in 16 outings in 2024-25. He stopped 23 of 24 shots en route to a 4-1 victory over Colorado on Thursday. The Sharks rank 23rd in goals per game with 2.75.

Lankinen isn't expected to dress for Saturday's home game against Boston due to an illness, according to Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet 650.

Lankinen has a 14-4-3 record, 2.52 GAA and .912 save percentage in 21 appearances in 2024-25. Thatcher Demko is set to start against the Bruins, and Arturs Silovs was recalled from AHL Abbotsford to serve as Demko's understudy.

Blackwood will protect the home net against Nashville on Saturday, according to Guerilla Sports.

Blackwood will finally make his Avalanche debut after being acquired from San Jose on Monday. He has a 6-9-3 record with a 3.00 GAA and a .909 save percentage through 19 appearances this season. Nashville ranks 32nd in the league with 2.27 goals per game in 2024-25.

Saros was the first goalie off the ice during Saturday's morning skate, indicating he'll tend the twine on the road versus the Avalanche on Saturday night, Ryan Boulding of NHL.com reports.

Saros is in a deep slump -- he's gone 0-4-3 with a 3.46 GAA and an .882 save percentage over his last seven games. In that span, the Predators have given him a total of 14 goals of support, so it's on Saros to steal a result here and there amid the team's scoring struggles. The Avalanche have won four of their last six games, scoring 21 goals in that span.