NHL Player News

Hellebuyck made 17 saves in a 5-2 win over the Flames in preseason action on Wednesday.

Hellebuyck looked much better than he did Friday night when the wheels came off just 92 seconds into the game. He allowed the first puck past him that night and got the hook after allowing eight goals in 40 minutes of action. Hellebuyck and the Jets weren't too worried about that game, as they had plenty of non-regulars on the ice. They iced more regulars Wednesday, and the game reflected that. Hellebuyck is one of the league's best, and he should nail down a Vezina-quality season.

Wolf made 22 saves in a 5-2 loss to the Jets on preseason action on Wednesday.

He was sharp, but couldn't hold back the Jets in the third when they broke a 2-2 tie and never looked back. The athletic netminder has little to prove in the AHL, but he will be tested by talented NHL lineups this season. Wolf is a two-time AHL top goalie (2022, 2023) and AHL MVP (2023), among a litany of awards over his young career. He's competing with Dan Vladar for the starter's role, but 27-year-old journeyman Logan Cooley has also impressed Flames brass. Wolf could end up in a three-headed goalie situation in the first few weeks of the regular season, but that shouldn't interfere with his fantasy value this season. The Flames could settle into a "hot hand" approach in net as the team rebuilds, and Wolf will be a sharp daily play.

Vejmelka will start on the road versus the Ducks in Wednesday's preseason game, per the NHL media site.

Vejmelka will make his third start of the preseason, having previously given up five goals on 49 shots while winning both of his first two starts. Entering the regular season, Vejmelka is poised to compete with Connor Ingram for playing time.

Rodrigue will protect the road goal versus the Kraken in Wednesday's preseason game.

Rodrigue will make his third start of the preseason. He has allowed nine goals on 54 shots in his first two appearances. Calvin Pickard (upper body) left his previous start but is expected to be fine for Opening Night, so Rodrigue is most likely to head to AHL Bakersfield after this appearance.

Wedgewood will guard the road goal versus the Hurricanes in Wednesday's preseason game.

Wedgewood will make his second start of the preseason in this contest. In his previous game, he gave up six goals on 23 shots, so he'll be looking to put in a better performance. Wedgewood figures to have minimal playing time in 2024-25 as a backup behind workhorse starter Juuse Saros.

Perets will start at home versus the Predators in Wednesday's preseason game, Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site reports.

Perets will get the nod after Spencer Martin was placed on waivers Wednesday. Ultimately, both Martin and Perets are likely to begin 2024-25 with AHL Chicago. Perets played with ECHL Norfolk last year, going 18-11-3 with a 2.99 GAA and an .889 save percentage in 34 regular-season appearances and also made one NHL appearance when injuries impacted the Hurricanes' goaltending group.

Knight will protect the road goal versus the Lightning in Wednesday's preseason game, Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports.

Knight has struggled in preseason play, allowing seven goals on 53 shots over three appearances (two starts). He's likely in line to play the full game Wednesday, which could be his last chance to audition for the backup job behind Sergei Bobrovsky. Chris Driedger has allowed eight goals on 65 shots over three games this preseason, representing the biggest threat to Knight making the Opening Night roster.

Kinkaid inked a one-year, minor-league contract with AHL Charlotte on Wednesday.

Kinkaid had started the preseason on a professional tryout deal with the Islanders, but it seems he will be heading south to link up with the Checkers. The fact that the 35-year-old backstop is on a minor-league-only deal means that Kinkaid won't be suiting up in the NHL this season -- unless somebody comes calling with an NHL-level contract.

Dostal will serve as the starting goaltender in Wednesday's home preseason game against Utah, Derek Lee of The Hockey News reports.

Dostal is expected to play the entire game in his third start of the preseason Wednesday. He last started against the Kings on Saturday and turned aside 30 of 33 shots. Dostal will likely serve as the No. 1 goaltender for the Ducks once the regular season gets underway, but he'll see increased competition for playing time once John Gibson (appendectomy) is cleared to return.

Lyon is expected to start in Friday's home preseason contest against Ottawa, per Ansar Khan of MLive.com on Wednesday.

Cam Talbot is slated to serve between the pipes in Thursday's home contest versus Toronto. Lyon had a 21-18-5 record, 3.05 GAA and .904 save percentage in 44 games with Detroit in 2023-24. He'll be competing with Talbot and Ville Husso for starts in 2024-25. With Detroit's crease crowded, it's possible that no member of the trio will get much more than 40 starts over the course of the upcoming campaign.