NHL Player News

Vejmelka will protect the home goal versus the Islanders on Friday, Andrew Gross of Newsday reports.

Vejmelka has gone 2-2-0 with 12 goals allowed on 85 shots over four games in November. The Islanders have been decent at filling the net, scoring 20 times over their last six games while going 4-1-1 in that span, which could make this a tough matchup for Vejmelka and the Mammoth.

Binnington will protect the home goal versus the Flyers on Friday, Lou Korac of NHL.com reports.

Binnington has won two of his last three starts, allowing eight goals on 81 shots. The 32-year-old netminder has a favorable matchup Friday, as the Flyers have scored just 13 goals over their last six games.

Andersen (concussion) will not suit up for Friday's game versus the Canucks, Ryan Henkel of The Hockey News reports.

Andersen was injured late in Tuesday's contest versus the Capitals and will be held out for at least one full game. The 36-year-old netminder's lengthy injury history will force the Hurricanes to be cautious with Andersen's recovery. Pyotr Kochetkov will start Friday and will likely see most of the playing time in Andersen's absence, while Brandon Bussi will fill the backup role.

Kochetkov will start at home versus the Canucks on Friday, Ryan Henkel of The Hockey News reports.

Kochetkov's last outing was a brief relief appearance versus the Capitals on Tuesday, in which he didn't face a shot. Frederik Andersen (concussion) exited that contest, so Kochetkov could get an increase in playing time as long as Andersen is out. For Friday's game, Kochetkov will catch a bit of a break, as the Canucks will be without Quinn Hughes (undisclosed).

Demko (lower body) was placed on injured reserve Friday, Jeff Paterson of CanucksArmy.com reports.

Demko sustained a lower-body injury during Tuesday's game against the Jets, and the issue is expected to sideline him for approximately 2-3 weeks, per hockey insider Frank Seravalli. Kevin Lankinen will presumably serve as the Canucks' primary netminder in Demko's absence.

Gibson (upper body) was cleared and will be active Saturday versus Buffalo, Ansar Khan of MLive.com reports Friday.

Head coach Todd McLellan did not name a starter for Saturday at his Friday press conference, but did say that Gibson is good to go. Gibson, who left Thursday's game after two periods with the injury, is 4-5-0 with a 3.14 GAA and an .882 save percentage across 10 starts this season.

Ersson will defend the road crease against the Blues on Friday.

Ersson has seen limited playing time in recent weeks, but he'll draw the start for the second time in the Flyers' last three games. He's been relatively effective when called upon this season, going 2-1-2 with a 3.03 GAA and .866 save percentage.

Skarek was reassigned to AHL San Jose on Friday.

Skarek was recalled Thursday to back up Yaroslav Askarov, as Alex Nedeljkovic (personal) was placed on non-roster injured reserve. Nedeljkovic was activated Friday in a corresponding move.

Nedeljkovic (personal) was added back onto the 23-man roster Friday.

Nedeljkovic had been on the non-roster list while attending to a personal matter, but he has rejoined the team for Friday's practice session. The 29-year-old backstop is undefeated in regulation over his last four outings, posting a 3-0-1 record and 2.44 GAA. Given how well Yaroslav Askarov has performed of late, going 3-1-0 with a 1.00 GAA in his previous four contests, the duo could be headed for a split share of the goaltending duties.

Montembeault will be between the home pipes versus Boston on Saturday, Eric Engels of Sportsnet reports.

Montembeault has had a pair of shaky appearances, allowing a total of six goals on 31 shots in his last two outings. Overall, the 29-year-old netminder is 4-4-1 with a 3.61 GAA and an .857 save percentage across 10 appearances. The Bruins saw their seven-game winning streak snapped Thursday in a 5-3 loss to Ottawa.