NHL Player News

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.

Driedger was reassigned to AHL Charlotte on Wednesday.

Driedger was waived by Florida on Tuesday, but he still served as the backup goaltender for Florida's 6-4 victory over Boston in that evening's game. His demotion to the minors corresponds with the Panthers calling up Spencer Knight, who will serve as the new No. 2 goaltender behind Sergei Bobrovsky.

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

Woll's placement on IR is somewhat surprising, as he was still in contention to get the starting nod versus New Jersey on Thursday. However, he'll be forced to miss at least a week and won't be eligible to return until at least Oct. 16, when the Maple Leafs face off against the Kings. In Woll's absence, Anthony Stolarz and Dennis Hildeby should see increased playing time.

Blackwood is expected to start at home against St. Louis on Thursday, per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now.

Blackwood had a 10-25-4 record, 3.45 GAA and .899 save percentage in 44 games with the Sharks in 2023-24. Although he's getting the Opening Night assignment, Vitek Vanecek is likely to challenge him in goal, and the two netminders might split San Jose's starts fairly evenly in 2024-25.

Vladar will tend the twine on the road against Vancouver on Wednesday, Derek Wills of Sportsnet 960 The Fan reports.

Vladar has never reached the 30-game mark in his three seasons with the Flames, so fantasy players can expect him to get significantly more opportunities this year. Still, the Czech backstop certainly won't be handed the No. 1 job and will have to stave off youngster Dustin Wolf, who is expected to challenge for starts after a phenomenal season with AHL Calgary in 2023-24.

Georgiev is slated to start on the road against Vegas on Wednesday, per Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette.

Although Georgiev got 38 wins in the 2023-24 regular season, that was largely thanks to Colorado's offensive might, as the goaltender struggled with a 3.02 GAA and an .897 save percentage across 63 appearances. The 28-year-old will look to do better this campaign, but facing the Golden Knights in Vegas is a tough opening assignment. The Golden Knights went 27-12-2 at home while averaging 3.29 goals per game during the 2023-24 regular season.

Hill was the first goalie off Wednesday, Jesse Granger of The Athletic reports, indicating he'll be in the home crease for the Golden Knights' Opening Night matchup against the Avalanche.

Hill had a shaky end to the preseason by allowing six goals on 29 shots against San Jose, but he allowed two goals on 16 shots against Utah during his other start. However, the 28-year-old still enters the 2024-25 campaign as the Golden Knights' No. 1 goalie, while Ilya Samsonov will be available as a backup. Over 35 appearances last year, Hill posted a 19-12-2 record, 2.71 GAA and .909 save percentage.

Silovs is expected to start at home against Calgary on Wednesday, per Thomas Drance of The Athletic.

Silovs is going into this campaign with just nine regular-season games worth of NHL experience, though he held his own with AHL Abbotsford in 2023-24, posting a 2.74 GAA and a .907 save percentage across 34 regular-season outings. Silovs will compete with Kevin Lankinen for starts to begin the season, but Thatcher Demko (knee) is expected to assume the No. 1 goaltending slot once he's healthy.

Husso will serve as the starting goaltender in Thursday's Opening Night matchup at home against the Penguins, Max Bultman of The Athletic reports.

Husso struggled during the 2023-24 campaign, posting a 9-5-2 record, 3.55 GAA and .892 save percentage over 19 appearances. However, he had a strong preseason this year and will be in the home crease for the Red Wings' regular-season opener. It seems likely that Cam Talbot will still be the team's No. 1 option at goalie this year, but Husso could make a push from playing time if he has a bounce-back campaign.

Saros is dealing with a lower-body injury and is questionable for Thursday's home game against Dallas, per Robby Stanley of NHL.com on Wednesday.

Given that Saros hasn't been ruled out for the upcoming contest yet, his injury might not be major. The 29-year-old had an inconsistent 2023-24 regular season, posting a 2.86 GAA and a .906 save percentage in 64 games, but he had an incredible 14-2-2, 2.25 GAA and .924 save percentage from Feb. 17-April 7, which played a key role in Nashville making the playoffs. Some rough patches last season aside, he's typically been a vital part of the Predators and figures to be so again in 2024-25. If he's not available Thursday, though, then Scott Wedgewood might start while Matt Murray, who was recalled from AHL Milwaukee on Wednesday, is projected to be the backup netminder.