NHL Player News

Schmid will guard the road goal versus the Kings on Wednesday, Dennis Bernstein of The Fourth Period reports.

Schmid has won his last two outings, stopping 39 of 43 shots in those games. The 25-year-old netminder is temporarily in the No. 1 role for the Golden Knights while Adin Hill (lower body) wraps up his recovery. The Kings have won just one of their last four games, scoring eight goals in that span.

Vladar sustained an undisclosed injury Wednesday versus the Sabres and will be evaluated after the game.

Vladar's injury occurred at some point in the first period. He allowed two goals on five shots prior to his exit, and Samuel Ersson took over in goal. If Vladar misses additional time, expect Aleksei Kolosov to get called up from AHL Lehigh Valley.

Luukkonen will protect the home goal versus the Flyers on Wednesday, Heather Engel of NHL.com reports.

Luukkonen has won five of his last six outings, allowing just 13 goals on 186 shots in that span. The 26-year-old netminder has taken over as the Sabres' top goalie with his recent run of success. The Flyers have lost their last three games, scoring just four goals in that span, so this is a good matchup for Luukkonen.

Grubauer will start Wednesday's road game versus the Devils, James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now reports.

The Kraken will start a goalie in consecutive games for the first time since Dec. 18-20. Grubauer has won five of his last six outings while allowing just nine goals in that span, so it appears this is a case of riding the hot hand. The Devils have scored just 14 goals over their last six games, going 2-4-0 in that span.

Merilainen is slated to start on the road versus the Rangers on Wednesday, Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press reports.

Merilainen will start back-to-back games, but James Reimer is set to back him up in this one after Hunter Shepard was reassigned to AHL Belleville earlier in the day. Merilainen stopped 19 of 20 shots in Tuesday's win over the Canucks, but he received an early hook the last time he started consecutive days, which was versus the Avalanche on Jan. 8.

Kuemper was the first goalie off the ice at the morning skate, John Hoven of SiriusXM NHL Network Radio reports, indicating he'll be between the pipes at home versus Vegas on Wednesday.

Kuemper has lost three straight outings, going 0-2-1 with a 4.08 GAA and an .820 save percentage. Since returning from an upper-body issue, the veteran netminder has conceded four or more goals in four of his six appearances. If Kuemper continues to struggle, the Kings may need to consider giving Anton Forsberg some extra work to hold on to a playoff spot.

Blackwood (lower body) was activated off injured reserve Wednesday.

The Avalanche assigned Trent Miner to AHL Colorado in a corresponding move. Blackwood will rejoin the Avalanche ahead of Friday's contest against Nashville. Blackwood missed six games due to a lower-body injury, and he'll look to continue his elite season following his absence. He has a 13-1-1 record, a 2.07 GAA and a .924 save percentage through 15 outings this season.

Miner was reassigned to AHL Colorado on Wednesday.

Miner has a 1-0-3 record, 2.03 GAA and .923 save percentage in four appearances with the Avalanche in 2025-26. His reassignment corresponds with Mackenzie Blackwood (lower body) being activated off injured reserve. Miner is likely to remain in the minors for the remainder of the regular season unless the Avalanche once again need a goaltender due to Blackwood or Scott Wedgewood being unavailable.

Vladar will start Wednesday's road game against Buffalo, Heather Engel of NHL.com reports.

Vladar has posted an 0-1-1 record over his last two starts, but he carried a three-game winning streak prior to that stretch. Overall, he's gone 3-1-1 with a 2.60 GAA and an .897 save percentage across his past five outings. Buffalo has scored 3.18 goals per game this year, which ranks 12th in the NHL.

Shepard was loaned to AHL Belleville on Wednesday, Julian McKenzie of The Athletic reports.

After serving as Leevi Merilainen's backup for two games, Shepard will head back to the AHL to make room for James Reimer, who signed a one-year deal with Ottawa on Monday. In 12 appearances with Belleville this season, Shepard has a 5-6-1 record with a 3.41 GAA and an .897 save percentage. His stats at both levels make him a tough option to trust in fantasy if he receives another call-up to the NHL later this year.