NHL Player News

Wedgewood will defend the road net against Nashville on Tuesday, Corey Masisak of The Denver Post reports.

Wedgewood will return to the crease after missing three games due to a back injury. He has a 13-1-3 record with a 2.07 GAA and a .920 save percentage across 19 appearances this season. Nashville ranks 29th in the league with 2.61 goals per game during the 2025-26 campaign.

Blackwood will not be starting on the road against the Predators on Tuesday, contrary to a previous report, per Corey Masisak of The Denver Post.

Blackwood was the first goalie to leave the ice, which was a strong indication that he would be in the crease, but it seems that Scott Wedgewood will get the nod instead. The 29-year-old Blackwood has suffered one regulation loss in 10 outings this year while posting a 2.21 GAA and two shutouts.

DeSmith will be in goal Tuesday in Winnipeg, per Mike Heika of the Stars' official site.

DeSmith hasn't lost in regulation since Oct. 16, and he's 5-0-2 with a 1.68 GAA and a .940 save percentage over his last seven outings. The 34-year-old has served as an excellent backup to Jake Oettinger this season, and DeSmith will look to continue his success against a struggling Winnipeg team -- the Jets are 2-6-1 in their last nine games and have lost three of their past four.

Gibson recorded a 39-save shutout in Monday's 4-0 win over the Canucks.

Gibson has won three straight outings, and Monday's effort was his best of the year, albeit against a slumping Canucks team. The 32-year-old's recent success could help him claw back some playing time from Cam Talbot, as the two looked to be in a timeshare as recently as last week. Gibson is now 7-7-1 with a 3.34 GAA and an .881 save percentage through 16 appearances, so he can still be tough to trust in fantasy. That said, he has a favorable matchup ahead if he gets the start Wednesday in Calgary rather than Thursday in Edmonton.

Tolopilo stopped all six shots he faced in relief of Kevin Lankinen in Monday's 4-0 loss to the Red Wings.

Tolopilo played the third period, and Detroit's only goal in that frame went into an empty net. Through four appearances this season, Tolopilo has stopped 92 of 101 shots, good for a .911 save percentage. With Thatcher Demko (lower body) likely returning to action Thursday versus the Sabres, Tolopilo is probably going to be demoted to AHL Abbotsford, but he has shown well during this stint in the NHL even while the team in front of him has struggled.

Lankinen allowed three goals on 13 shots in Monday's 4-0 loss to the Red Wings.

Lankinen lasted just two periods before turning the crease over to Nikita Tolopilo. It's a sixth straight loss for Lankinen, who has gone 0-5-1 with a 3.61 GAA and an .845 save percentage in that span. Overall, he's at 4-10-3 with a 3.49 GAA and an .878 save percentage through 17 outings. Thatcher Demko (lower body) is targeting a return Thursday versus the Sabres, though Demko's long injury history means Lankinen may still be needed for 40-50 percent of the Canucks' starts to avoid burning out their top netminder.

Blackwood is scheduled to patrol the blue paint Tuesday in Nashville, Corey Masisak of The Denver Post reports.

Blackwood is on a roll of late, going 6-1-0 with a 1.70 GAA and a .941 save percentage across his last seven appearances. He's allowed two goals or less in six of those seven outings. This should be a favorable matchup for the 29-year-old, as Nashville has scored 2.61 goals per game this season, which is the fourth-worst mark in the league. Furthermore, Blackwood posted a 35-save shutout in Nashville on Nov. 22.

Grubauer allowed two goals on 27 shots in Monday's 4-1 loss to the Wild. The last two goals were empty-netters.

Grubauer did his best to keep the game close, but the Kraken didn't give him enough support. This was his first regulation loss of the season, dropping the 34-year-old to a 4-1-1 record through eight appearances. He's added a steady 2.54 GAA and .900 save percentage in the backup role behind Joey Daccord. With Daccord struggling lately, Grubauer may be called upon more frequently, though the Kraken have no back-to-backs coming up in the immediate future. They host the Kings on Wednesday in their next game.

Demko (lower body) could be ready to play against the Sabres on Thursday after head coach Adam Foote told reporters, "Well, [there's a] large percentage that Demko will be going Thursday, probably," per Canucks Army.

In order to play, Demko will need to be activated off injured reserve first, which will likely mean Nikita Tolopilo gets sent back to the minors. In 10 outings this year, the 30-year-old Demko is 5-4-0 with a 2.80 GAA and a .903 save percentage. Once given the all-clear, Demko should see the bulk of the workload for the Canucks going forward.

Gustavsson stopped 23 of 24 shots in Monday's 4-1 win over the Kraken.

Gustavsson limited the damage to a Jordan Eberle power-play goal in the second period. This was Gustavsson's first win in his last three outings, but he's given up just six goals on 87 shots in that span. For the season, he's at an 8-8-3 record with a 2.67 GAA and a .908 save percentage through 19 outings. If the Wild continue splitting the crease evenly, Jesper Wallstedt would face the Stars on Thursday, while Gustavsson would get the Senators on Saturday, with both games at home.