NHL Player News

Gustavsson will defend the visiting crease in Anaheim on Friday, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.

Gustavsson will attempt to win his fourth straight game. He has given up four goals on 98 shots during his three-game winning streak, giving the 26-year-old netminder a 12-4-3 record with outstanding peripherals of a 2.04 GAA and .929 save percentage. The Ducks are scoring 2.50 goals per game.

Hill is expected to start at home against Dallas on Friday, per Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Hill has an 11-4-2 record, 2.67 GAA and .900 save percentage in 17 outings in 2024-25. He posted a 28-save shutout victory over Edmonton in his last start Tuesday. Dallas ranks ninth in goals per game with 3.32.

Oettinger will be between the pipes against Vegas on the road Friday, Mike Heika of the Stars' official site reports.

Oettinger has struggled for wins of late, going 3-2-0 despite a 2.83 GAA and .899 save percentage. Still, the backstop trails only Connor Hellebuyck (16) for the league lead in victories and should still be in the mix for the Vezina Trophy at the end of the campaign. Oettinger will no doubt continue to benefit from a defense that is allowing just 27.2 shots per game (fifth-fewest in the NHL).

Demko (knee) will serve as the backup for Vancouver at home versus Columbus on Friday, Thomas Drance of The Athletic reports.

Demko looks poised to return to action sooner rather than later. While he will sit on the bench behind Kevin Lankinen on Friday, it could open the door for Demko to make his first start of the season in a home matchup versus Tampa Bay on Sunday. Lankinen's strong play -- he's 12-3-3 on the season -- could see Demko eased back into action, but he should eventually reclaim the No. 1 spot in the crease.

Lankinen is expected to start at home against Columbus on Friday, per Thomas Drance of The Athletic.

Lankinen has a 12-3-3 record, 2.66 GAA and .906 save percentage in 18 appearances in 2024-25. Those are acceptable numbers, but he's been vulnerable recently, allowing at least three goals in six of his past seven outings. Thatcher Demko (knee) will serve as the understudy Friday, and Demko's return will enable Vancouver to lean far less on Lankinen going forward. In the meantime, the Blue Jackets shouldn't be taken lightly. They rank eighth in goals per game with 3.44.

Montembeault stopped all 29 shots he faced in Thursday's 3-0 win over the Predators.

Montembeault has been turning things around after he gave up four goals in a 4-3 defeat to the Rangers on Nov. 30, going 2-0-0 with a 0.49 GAA and stopping 59 of 60 shots in his subsequent two appearances. The 28-year-old is firmly entrenched as the Canadiens' starting netminder, and he'll aim to keep his positive streak going when Montreal takes on Washington on Saturday.

Annunen stopped 27 of 29 shots in Thursday's 3-0 loss to the Canadiens. The third goal was an empty-netter with 46 seconds left in the third period.

Annunen made his first appearance for his new club since being traded from the Avalanche on Nov. 30, but the 24-year-old couldn't secure the win. Annunen is expected to hold the same role he had with Colorado, and he'll operate as Juuse Saros' backup between the pipes.

Gibson will patrol the home crease versus Minnesota on Friday, Eric Stephens of The Athletic reports.

Gibson is off to a fast start after missing the first 13 games of the season while recovering from an appendectomy operation. He is 4-2-1 with a 2.57 GAA and a .915 save percentage. Gibson is having his best season since the 2017-18 campaign when he went 31-18-7 with a 2.43 GAA and a .926 save percentage. Gibson will have a tough matchup, as the Wild sit atop the NHL standings with a 17-4-4 record.

Ullmark stopped 19 of 20 shots in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Red Wings.

Ullmark has come out on top in two of his last three starts, going 2-0-1 with a 2.27 GAA and a .925 save percentage in the process. That's a clear step in the right direction compared to the numbers he was posting, as he endured a four-game losing streak in mid-November, going 0-3-1 with a 4.27 GAA and a woeful .835 save percentage between Nov. 14 and Nov. 23.

Husso stopped 30 of 32 shots in Thursday's 2-1 loss to the Senators.

Husso has started in five of the nine games he's been available for this season, but the results haven't been encouraging. He's gone 0-3-2 with a 3.69 GAA and an .877 save percentage in his five outings, so the early returns aren't positive. Perhaps the lone positive aspect is that he's posted a save percentage above .900 in his last two starts, but even with his recent success, he's far from being a reliable fantasy alternative.