NHL Player News

Jarry made 35 saves in Wednesday's 6-0 loss to the Rangers.

The 29-year-old netminder got no help from the Penguins at either end of the ice. and Jarry was staring at a 3-0 deficit by the end of the first period. He had a losing record for the first time in his career over a full season in 2023-24, going 19-25-5 with a disappointing 2.91 GAA and .903 save percentage, and this was far from an encouraging start to the current campaign. With Alex Nedeljkovic (lower body) on the shelf to begin the season though, Jarry figures to see a hefty workload early.

Shesterkin stopped 29 shots in Wednesday's 6-0 win over the Penguins.

The Rangers scored three times in the first period, and the only suspense over the final 40 minutes was around whether Shesterkin would record his 16th career shutout. New York's defense made sure he wasn't overly bothered -- Pittsburgh didn't manage more than 10 shots in any period. Shesterkin has won either 36 or 37 games in each of the last three seasons, but he could take a run at 40 in 2024-25 if the Blueshirts keep playing at the level they showed in their opener.

Montembeault turned aside 48 shots in Wednesday's 1-0 win over the Maple Leafs.

Toronto fired at least 13 shots at Monty in every period, but the 27-year-old shone in the spotlight of Montreal's season opener and completely shut down Auston Matthews and company for his second career shutout. Montembeault has never posted a GAA below 3.00 in the NHL, so while he's locked in as the No. 1 netminder for the Canadiens, nights like this are likely to be few and far between without a significant improvement by the defense in front of him.

Stolarz made 26 saves in Wednesday's 1-0 loss to the Canadiens.

The 30-year-old played well in his Maple Leafs debut -- the only puck to get past him came on a Cole Caufield one-timer on the power play -- but Sam Montembeault stood on his head in the other crease. Stolarz was expected to back up Joseph Woll (lower body) this season, but given the latter's sketchy injury history and the fact that he's already on the shelf, that's still likely to lead to a career-high workload in 2024-25.

Silovs allowed six goals on 26 shots in Wednesday's 6-5 overtime loss to the Flames.

Silovs was spotted a 4-1 lead after the first period, but the Flames showed resilience to get back into the game, and the Latvian goalie couldn't match it. The 23-year-old received the first nod in goal over Kevin Lankinen, but it's expected the Canucks will utilize both netminders regularly until Thatcher Demko (knee) can play. Silovs is essentially in an extended audition for the backup role, though he'll need to put together a better performance than he did in this contest to avoid a demotion to AHL Abbotsford.

Vladar saved 20 of 25 shots in Wednesday's 6-5 overtime win over the Canucks.

Vladar gave up four goals in the first period before settling in. He allowed a tally to J.T. Miller late in the third period, which forced overtime, but the Flames were able to get the win on Connor Zary's goal in the extra session. This was Vladar's first regular-season action since March 12, as he recovered from hip surgery over the offseason. This performance wasn't an encouraging first attempt to stake his claim to the No. 1 job, so expect Vladar and Dustin Wolf to battle for playing time. Both should make starts this weekend, as the Flames host the Flyers on Saturday before visiting the Oilers on Sunday.

Hellebuyck posted a 30-save shutout in Wednesday's 6-0 win over the Oilers.

Hellebuyck was dialed in right away to begin the season, and his first win of the year was a shutout against a strong offense. The reigning Vezina winner has logged at least four shutouts in each of the last five seasons. He was away from the Jets earlier in the week to attend to a personal matter. The Jets begin a four-game homestand Friday versus the Blackhawks.

Pickard allowed a goal on seven shots in Wednesday's 6-0 loss to the Jets.

Pickard relieved Stuart Skinner just over halfway through the game, but the damage was already done. The lone goal against Pickard was a Mark Scheifele power-play tally in the third period. Last season, Pickard saw action in 23 games, posting a 2.45 GAA and a .909 save percentage in the regular season. The 32-year-old will back up Skinner to begin 2024-25, though both goalies should be due for a start this weekend with the Oilers set to host the Blackhawks on Saturday and the Flames on Sunday.

Skinner gave up five goals on 13 shots in Wednesday's 6-0 loss to the Jets before he was pulled in favor of Calvin Pickard.

Skinner had a rough preseason, and that continued with this poor outing to begin the regular season, though the Jets are a decent opponent. The 25-year-old goalie carried a 3.16 GAA and an .881 save percentage over 17 games between October and November last season, so it's possible he will have another slow start this year. In addition to stopping more pucks, Skinner will need the Oilers' offense to wake up after it produced a goose egg Wednesday. Edmonton hosts Chicago on Saturday and Calgary on Sunday, so both Skinner and Pickard should get a chance to start.

Shesterkin will protect the road goal in Wednesday's season opener versus the Penguins, Peter Baugh of The Athletic reports.

Shesterkin struggled in his last preseason game, but there was never any doubt he'd start Opening Night. The 28-year-old, who is beginning a contract year, will have plenty of motivation to put forth a good season. He has won at least 36 games in three straight years and has never finished with a save percentage worse than the .912 he posted over 55 games in 2023-24.