NHL Player News

Vladar made 32 saves in a 4-1 win over the Predators on Thursday.

Valdar has been a bit of revelation in Philly -- this was his fourth win in six starts (4-2-0), and he's sporting a career-best 1.67 GAA and .939 save percentage to begin the year. That's likely to regress, as he has no track record for this type of performance. However, Vladar should be trusted until the cracks start to show.

Saros made 14 saves in a 4-1 win over the Flyers on Thursday.

Saros has been strong for a struggling team. He put up back-to-back wins prior to Thursday's loss, and he is 4-3-2 in nine starts with a 2.84 GAA and a .905 save percentage. Saros is doing everything in his power to give his team a chance. However, the Preds have struggled to score -- they have scored more than two goals in a game just once in their last eight contests. At some point, this situation will change. Until then, Saros is a tough option in leagues that prioritize wins, but his solid counting stats may offset that, depending on the format.

Knight is expected to start on the road against Winnipeg on Thursday, Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Knight has won his past three starts while stopping 88 of 94 shots (.936 save percentage). That gives him a 4-2-1 record, 2.11 GAA and .930 save percentage in seven outings overall. Winnipeg is tied for 13th in goals per game with 3.40.

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

Binnington is looking to shake a four-game skid, during which he is 0-3-1 with 14 goals allowed on 92 shots for an .848 save percentage. The Canucks have scored just nine goals over their last five contests, so this could be just the matchup Binnington needs to get back on track.

Saros will guard the road goal versus the Flyers on Thursday, Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site reports.

Saros has allowed at least four goals in four of his last five appearances, going 2-3-0 in that span. The Flyers have won four of their last five games, but three of those victories have come past regulation time, so expect this one to be a close contest.

Lankinen is expected to guard the road goal against St. Louis on Thursday, per Olivia McDonald of Canucks Insider.

Lankinen has a 1-3-0 record, 3.73 GAA and .873 save percentage in four appearances this season. He's dropped his past two outings while allowing nine goals on 50 shots (.820 save percentage). The Blues are 3-6-1 and tied for 21st in goals per game with 2.90 this year, so this is a favorable matchup.

Kuemper is expected to start at home against Detroit on Thursday, per Zach Dooley of LA Kings Insider.

Kuemper has a 3-2-2 record, 2.82 GAA and .895 save percentage in seven appearances in 2025-26. He stopped 37 of 40 shots en route to a 4-3 win over San Jose on Tuesday. Detroit has a 7-3-0 record and ranks 10th in goals per game with 3.50 this year.

Allen is expected to start on the road against San Jose on Thursday, per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now.

Allen is off to a fantastic start, posting a 5-0-0 record, 1.93 GAA and .923 save percentage in six appearances in 2025-26. He's allowed two or fewer goals in four of those six outings. San Jose is 2-6-2 and ranks 17th in goals per game with 3.20 this year.

Shesterkin will tend the visiting twine in Edmonton on Thursday, according to Vince Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic.

Shesterkin has played well this season despite his 2-4-2 record. The 29-year-old Russian netminder has a 2.25 GAA and a .916 save percentage across eight starts this season. The Oilers are 18th in NHL scoring, averaging 3.18 goals per game.

Nedeljkovic will serve as the starting netminder for Thursday's home game against the Devils, Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Nedeljkovic hasn't been particularly sharp early in the season, going 1-2-1 with a 4.00 GAA and an .875 save percentage over his first four starts. He'll face a tough test against the Devils, who have averaged a league-high 3.90 goals per game to begin the season.