NHL Player News

Skinner stopped 28 of 32 shots in Friday's 5-2 preseason loss to the Avalanche. The fifth goal was an empty-netter.

Skinner allowed five goals on 64 shots over his two preseason starts. The 27-year-old faced the Avalanche both times, and while he struggled Friday, he looks prepared for the upcoming campaign. Expect Skinner to get as many starts as he can handle early in the season, as the Jets will likely want to ease Domenic DiVincentiis into the backup role.

Wallstedt stopped 16 of 18 shots in Friday's 2-1 preseason loss to the Stars.

Wallstedt lost both of his preseason outings, giving up three goals on 42 shots. He faced an NHL-caliber roster Friday, so the narrow loss is nothing to be concerned about. Expect to see a heavy amount of starts for Wallstedt while Filip Gustavsson (hip) finishes his recovery early in 2026-27.

DeSmith stopped 26 of 27 shots in Friday's 2-1 preseason win over the Wild.

DeSmith stopped 56 of 58 shots over his two preseason games, winning both of them. The Stars didn't get to see Jake Oettinger (lower body) during the preseason, but the injury is not considered too serious. Still, if Oettinger misses the start of the season or any time throughout the campaign, DeSmith is a capable backup. DeSmith enters 2026-27 as a spot-start streamer in fantasy whenever he's between the pipes.

Shesterkin stopped 15 of 16 shots in Friday's 6-1 preseason win over the Islanders.

Facing a largely AHL-level lineup, Shesterkin had little work to do. The 30-year-old netminder is ready to handle the bulk of the time in goal for the Rangers in 2026-27, though he'll have a capable backup on hand in Joonas Korpisalo. Shesterkin may struggle to get wins for a team in a retooling phase, but he should post decent ratios even with a heavy workload.

Swayman allowed three goals on 35 shots in Friday's 3-2 preseason overtime loss to the Capitals.

Swayman allowed four goals on 56 shots over his two preseason games. The 27-year-old is the Bruins' unquestioned No. 1 between the pipes and will likely see a significant workload in 2026-27 since he'll have an inexperienced backup in Michael DiPietro. Swayman has played at least 55 contests in consecutive seasons and could push for 60 if he stays healthy this year.

Thompson allowed two goals on 22 shots in Friday's 3-2 preseason overtime win over the Bruins.

Thompson gave up four goals on 52 shots over his two preseason games. The 29-year-old will rest up for a week before presumably getting the start in the Capitals' season opener next Friday versus the Hurricanes. Thompson has been one of the best goalies in fantasy over the last two years and looks set to perform at an elite level again.

Skinner will guard the road goal in Friday's preseason game versus the Avalanche, Bailey Curtis of DNVR Sports reports.

Skinner did well in his first start of the preseason, stopping 31 of 32 shots against the Avalanche. The 27-year-old is poised to be the top goalie for the Jets to begin the season, though that could change if the team gets a goalie back in any eventual trade for Connor Hellebuyck (suspension). Skinner is set to have Domenic DiVincentiis as his backup to open the campaign.

Johansson was traded to the Senators from the Lightning on Friday in exchange for future considerations.

Johansson cleared waivers Thursday, and now the Lightning have found a trade partner to give him a fresh start. Since he has already cleared waivers, Johansson is likely to start 2026-27 with AHL Belleville. He'll be first in line for a call-up if Linus Ullmark or Samuel Ersson becomes unavailable for any reason.

Swayman will protect the road goal versus the Capitals in Friday's preseason game.

Swayman stopped 20 of 21 shots in his preseason debut Tuesday versus the Flyers. The 27-year-old will get another chance to prepare for the upcoming campaign with this appearance, which has most of the Bruins' expected Opening Night roster in front of him.

Demko (hip) isn't expected to be ready for the start of the regular season, per Thomas Drance of The Athletic on Friday.

Demko doesn't have a timetable for his return, but he also hasn't been a full participant in training camp. It wouldn't be surprising if he needs a meaningful amount of time to get up to speed after he does recover from his hip injury. In the meantime, Kevin Lankinen and Leevi Merilainen, who was claimed off waivers from Ottawa on Friday, are likely to compete for starts.