NHL Player News

Wedgewood (back) will suit up for Tuesday's game against the Predators, Corey Masisak of The Denver Post reports Sunday.

Mackenzie Blackwood started both ends of Colorado's back-to-back over the weekend while Wedgewood was sidelined. The 33-year-old Wedgewood's return means the Avalanche will have both of their regular goalies available Tuesday against the Predators. It remains to be seen which of the two goalies will get the start.

Miner was reassigned to AHL Colorado by the Avalanche, the team announced Sunday.

Miner was up as the backup to Mackenzie Blackwood in the absence of Scott Wedgewood (back). With Wedgewood set to suit up Tuesday against the Predators, Miner will return to AHL Colorado, where the 24-year-old Miner is 4-1-0 with a 2.16 GAA and a .908 save percentage.

Rittich will start Sunday's game against the Panthers, Stefen Rosner of NHL.com reports.

After four straight starts by Ilya Sorokin, the net will be Rittich's on Sunday as the Islanders finish up a back-to-back. The 33-year-old Rittich has had a good season so far, holding a 6-2-1 record with a 2.61 GAA and a .901 save percentage. Rittich faces a Panthers team coming off a seven-goal performance against the Blue Jackets in its last game.

Hart (lower body) will return to the lineup in Sunday's road game against the Rangers, SinBin Vegas reports.

Akira Schmid made 24 saves in a 3-0 shutout win against New Jersey on Friday, and Hart sat out the contest. Vegas returned Jesper Vikman to AHL Henderson on Sunday, paving the way for Hart's return. However, it's unclear who will start for the Golden Knights against the Rangers.

Vikman has been re-assigned to AHL Henderson by the Golden Knights, the team announced Sunday.

Vikman was called up for one game to serve as the backup goaltender to Akira Schmid. The fact that he's being sent down already seems to be a good sign for the health of Carter Hart (lower body), who is day-to-day. The 23-year-old Vikman will return to the AHL, where he's 4-4-0 with a 3.40 GAA and an .871 save percentage.

Kochetkov (lower body) will protect the home net against San Jose on Sunday, Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site reports.

Kochetkov will return to the crease after missing the last eight games. In five appearances this season, he has earned a 4-0-0 record while surrendering only seven goals on 95 shots. San Jose sits 25th in the league with 2.79 goals per game this year.

Tarasov will get the start Sunday against the Islanders, Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports.

It will be a rare start for Tarasov, who has appeared in just eight games this season while serving as the backup to Sergei Bobrovsky. The 26-year-old Tarasov has solid numbers, sporting a 2-4-1 record with a 2.67 GAA and a .907 save percentage. With his team on the second of a back-to-back, he'll lead the charge against the Islanders, who have won three straight games.

Wedgewood (back) won't be in the lineup for Sunday's road matchup against Philadelphia.

Wedgewood will miss his third straight game, and it's unclear when he will be ready to return to the lineup. He has posted a 13-1-3 record with a 2.07 GAA and a .920 save percentage across 19 appearances this season. Mackenzie Blackwood will make his third consecutive start in Sunday's game versus the Flyers.

Ersson led the Flyers out for warmups and will get the start Sunday against the Avalanche, Adam Kimelman of NHL.com reports.

Ersson will reach double-digit appearances with Sunday's start. Through his first nine appearances, the 26-year-old is 5-2-2 with a 2.97 GAA and an .869 save percentage. He has won two straight starts, stopping 55 of 60 shots on goal in those outings. It will be difficult to extend that winning streak against the first-place Avalanche, who lead the NHL with 4.00 goals per game.

Blackwood will defend the road net against Philadelphia on Sunday, Corey Masisak of The Denver Post reports.

Blackwood will play for the second time in two days after stopping 24 shots in Saturday's 3-2 overtime win over the Rangers. He has a 7-1-1 record this season while allowing only 19 goals on 238 shots. Philadelphia ranks 23rd in the league this year with 2.85 goals per game.