NHL Player News

Vanecek will not be in the lineup for Friday's preseason clash with the Rangers, Stefen Rosner of NHL.com reports.

Despite earlier reports indicating that Vanecek would start Friday, it seems the Islanders will utilize Semyon Varlamov in the crease while Joshua Kotai serves as the No. 2 option. Barring any setbacks, it seems likely that Varlamov will take the backup role to open the season, which would leave Vanecek headed for waivers or the minors.

Lindgren will start Saturday's preseason finale on the road against Philadelphia, Sammi Silber of The Hockey News reports.

Lindgren made his preseason debut Monday against the Flyers and turned aside 12 of 14 shots before being replaced by Clay Stevenson midway through the game. Lindgren will have another opportunity to face Philadelphia to close out the preseason, and the 32-year-old is expected to play the full game during his final tune-up ahead of the regular season.

Vanecek was the first goalie off the ice during Friday's morning skate, Stefen Rosner of NHL.com reports, indicating that he'll draw the preseason start at home against the Rangers.

Vanecek started in the Islanders' preseason opener Sunday and turned aside 20 of 22 shots during a 2-1 loss to New Jersey. He'll defend the crease once again during the penultimate game of the preseason as he continues to compete with Semyon Varlamov for the No. 2 goaltending job behind Ilya Sorokin.

Merzlikins (shoulder) was placed on non-roster injured reserve by the Blue Jackets on Friday.

Merzlikins underwent shoulder surgery in late August and failed his physical at the start of training camp. He's considered out indefinitely, so it isn't particularly surprising that he's been placed on non-roster injured reserve ahead of Opening Night. Jet Greaves should serve as the Blue Jackets' No. 1 netminder this year, while Cam Talbot will likely be the team's backup until Merzlikins is able to return.

Nedeljkovic posted a 21-save shutout in Thursday's 10-0 preseason win over the Ducks.

Nedeljkovic took care of his job, and the Sharks' offense did the rest. The 30-year-old netminder is poised to enter the season as Yaroslav Askarov's backup, but Nedeljkovic never went more than three games in a row without an appearance in 2025-26. Considering the Sharks are still on the rise, Nedeljkovic should have a good chance to match his 2.87 GAA and .896 save percentage from 40 games last year.

Husso stopped 13 of 19 shots in Thursday's 10-0 preseason loss to the Sharks.

The Ducks brought their most of AHL roster for this contest, aside from Husso, who is projected to be the NHL backup. The game went about as expected, with Husso getting no help in the ugly loss. Laurent Brossoit didn't do much better, allowing four goals on eight shots, so this isn't likely to change the pecking order for starts. Expect Lukas Dostal to operate as the starter in 2026-27 with Husso serving as backup as long as he can produce passable numbers.

Hill allowed four goals on 21 shots in Thursday's 5-4 preseason overtime win over the Mammoth.

Hill wasn't very good against a prospect-and-depth-heavy Utah lineup. The Golden Knights' defense already looks to be in form -- Hill has faced just 40 shots over two preseason outings, allowing six goals. Hill is probably going to operate as the backup netminder for Vegas this season, though he'll still be a decent target for wins in fantasy when he starts.

Cossa stopped 30 of 35 shots in Thursday's 5-4 preseason overtime loss to the Golden Knights.

Cossa looked good at times through the first two periods, but he couldn't hold back Vegas in the third. The 23-year-old will get a chance to be an NHL regular as Karel Vejmelka's backup in 2026-27. Cossa has allowed six goals on 47 shots over two preseason outings, though it'll likely be Vejmelka between the pipes for the preseason finale Saturday versus the Avalanche.

Cooley stopped 23 of 26 shots in Thursday's 4-3 preseason shootout loss to the Kraken.

Cooley has allowed six goals on 48 shots over two preseason outings. The 29-year-old netminder is firmly in the backup role for the Flames to begin the season, a spot that is unlikely to lead to many starts or wins. He'll likely play in the range of 25-30 games as Dustin Wolf's understudy in 2026-27.

Grubauer stopped 32 of 35 shots in Thursday's 4-3 preseason shootout win over the Flames.

Grubauer has done well this preseason, stopping 47 of 51 shots over two games. The 34-year-old isn't eligible to play Saturday against the Canucks due to limitations on veterans in the preseason, so his next start will come in the regular season. The Kraken have a back-to-back over the first weekend of the campaign, so Grubauer won't have to wait long to get back between the pipes.