NHL Player News

Lindgren was the first goaltender off the ice at practice, according to Tarik El-Bashir of Monumental Sports Network, and he's slated to get the home start versus Montreal on Thursday.

The Capitals have not allowed many shots in Lindgren's four starts, as he is seeing an average of 23.75 shots per game. Lindgren is 2-2-0 with a 2.52 GAA and .895 save percentage this season. The Canadiens have found the back of the net 29 times in 10 games.

Ersson is expected to serve as the starting goaltender for Thursday's home game against the Blues, Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Ersson put together his first shutout win of the season Tuesday against the Bruins, and he'll start for a second consecutive game Thursday. The 25-year-old has been somewhat inconsistent over his first seven outings this year, posting a 3-2-1 record, 2.99 GAA and .891 save percentage.

Lyon made 23 saves in Wednesday's 6-2 loss to Winnipeg.

The Jets grabbed a 3-0 lead in the first period and never trailed in the game, saddling Lyon with his second straight loss and third of the season. The veteran goalie saw a heavy workload early but appears to have fallen back into a timeshare with Cam Talbot -- and he may not be done falling, having allowed 10 goals on 47 shots over his last two starts. Despite those stumbles, Lyon still has a 2.78 GAA and .916 save percentage in six appearances.

Hellebuyck turned aside 19 shots in Wednesday's 6-2 win over the Red Wings.

The Jets grabbed a 3-0 lead in the first period, and Hellebuyck never looked back as he bounced back in impressive fashion from his first loss of 2024-25. The reigning Vezina Trophy winner has given up three goals or less in seven of his first eight starts this season, winning all seven while posting a stellar 2.13 GAA and .923 save percentage.

Merzlikins made 26 saves in Wednesday's 2-0 win over the Islanders.

It's the first shutout of the season for Merzlikins, and after a few rough years the 30-year-old netminder may be slowly regaining his confidence while working behind the tighter defensive structure of new head coach Dean Evason. Merzlikins has won two straight starts, allowing just one goal on 58 shots, and he's building a case to break out of a timeshare with Daniil Tarasov and reclaim the No. 1 job for the Blue Jackets.

Varlamov stopped 24 of 25 shots in Wednesday's 2-0 loss to the Blue Jackets, with Columbus' last goal getting scored into an empty net.

He was locked in a scoreless tie with Elvis Merzlikins until early in the third period, when Damon Severson flipped a pass toward the front of the net that deflected past Varlamov off the skate of Ryan Pulock. The veteran netminder has had an up and down start to the season in a timeshare with Ilya Sorokin, and the Islanders' offensive struggles haven't helped -- Varlamov is 1-3-1 in five appearances with a 3.21 GAA and .876 save percentage.

Markstrom posted a 20-save shutout in Wednesday's 6-0 win over the Canucks.

Markstrom picked up his first shutout of the year and the 21st of his career, and it came against a team he spent parts of seven seasons with. The 34-year-old has won consecutive starts for the first time this season, improving to 5-3-1 with a 2.68 GAA and a .903 save percentage through nine starts. Those aren't elite numbers, but Markstrom has been as advertised -- an improvement on last year's rotating crop of goalies in the Devils' crease. The Devils continue their road trip Friday in Calgary, which is another one of Markstrom's former NHL homes.

Silovs gave up six goals on 22 shots in Wednesday's 6-0 loss to the Devils.

Silovs didn't get any scoring help, but the 23-year-old struggled after watching the last five games from the bench. He's now allowed 15 goals on 74 shots while going 0-2-1 over three outings this season. It's been a nightmarish start to the season for Silovs, and he could be at risk of losing the backup job to Jiri Patera while Thatcher Demko (knee) remains on season-opening injured reserve. Patera has gone 1-1-1 with a 2.73 GAA and an .896 save percentage over four outings at AHL Abbotsford this season, and Silovs is waivers-exempt, so making such a switch would be relatively easy if the Canucks deem it necessary.

Samsonov allowed six goals on 27 shots in Wednesday's 6-3 loss to the Kings.

Samsonov allowed the first four goals of the game, and the Golden Knights weren't able to create much of a comeback effort. This was easily his worst start of the campaign, and he's now allowed 10 goals on 76 shots over his two road outings. Samsonov is 3-1-1 with a 2.95 GAA and a .906 save percentage through five starts. He's alternated games with Adin Hill over the last five contests -- if that pattern holds, Hill would start Saturday at home versus Utah while Samsonov would line up for a road start in Edmonton next Wednesday.

Kuemper stopped 23 of 26 shots in Wednesday's 6-3 win over the Golden Knights.

Kuemper was able to extend the Golden Knights' road woes, sending them to their fourth straight road loss (0-3-1) of the year. The 34-year-old netminder has allowed five goals on 52 shots over two starts since he returned from a lower-body injury. Kuemper still looks set to be eased into the No. 1 job again -- the Kings play at home Saturday versus the Blackhawks before a road back-to-back in Nashville on Monday and Minnesota on Tuesday. Kuemper is 3-0-2 with a 3.16 GAA and an .895 save percentage through five starts this season.