NHL Player News

Ersson will be between the home pipes versus Winnipeg on Thursday, Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Ersson is sharing the net with Dan Vladar in the early going. Ersson gave up four goals on 39 shots in a 4-3 overtime loss to Edmonton on Saturday. The Jets have scored 12 goals in three games this season.

Merzlikins will defend the home crease during Thursday's game against the Avalanche, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports.

Merzlikins and Jet Greaves have alternated starts in net for the Blue Jackets early in the 2025-26 campaign, and that trend will continue Thursday. Merzlikins made his season debut against the Wild on Saturday, allowing four goals on 52 shots (.923 save percentage) en route to the 7-4 victory.

Stolarz will start at home against the Rangers on Thursday, Mark Masters of TSN reports.

Stolarz has taken losses in each of his last two starts, but he'll attempt to bounce back Thursday against the Rangers, who have gotten off to a slow start this year by averaging just 2.00 goals, which is tied for the second-worst mark in the league. During his two-game skid, Stolarz posted a 3.58 GAA and .854 save percentage.

Lyon made 32 saves in Wednesday's 8-4 win over the Senators.

The veteran netminder wasn't exactly sharp, giving up two goals early in the third period to make things interesting after the Sabres had taken a 5-2 lead into the second intermission, but his teammates made sure the game never got any closer. Lyon is handling No. 1 duties while Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (lower body) is on the shelf, starting all four Buffalo games to begin the season and going 1-3-0 with a 3.05 GAA and .911 save percentage, but UPL returned to practice Tuesday and could be ready for his 2025-26 debut soon.

Merilainen stopped 19 of 26 shots in Wednesday's 8-4 loss to the Sabres. Buffalo's final goal was scored into an empty net.

The Senators actually held a brief 2-1 lead early in the second period, but Merilainen couldn't hold back the tide as the Sabres finished the night with three power-play goals, plus a shorthanded tally. It was a rough season debut for the 23-year-old netminder, but Ottawa is counting on Merilainen to show that his impressive 2024-25 numbers (1.99 GAA, .925 save percentage in 12 appearances) were no fluke as he handles No. 2 duties behind Linus Ullmark.

Binnington allowed a goal on seven shots in Wednesday's 8-3 loss to the Blackhawks.

Binnington played the final 12:15 of the second period after Joel Hofer allowed four goals to begin the contest. However, the Blues went back to Hofer in the third. It's an uncommon usage pattern, but there's not much to take from Binnington's cameo. He remains at 1-1-0 through three outings while allowing eight goals on 57 shots in a shaky start to the campaign. The 32-year-old is likely to get the nod for a difficult home start versus the Stars on Saturday.

Hofer stopped 15 of 22 shots in Wednesday's 8-3 loss to the Blackhawks.

Hofer started, but he gave up four goals in the first 24:32 of the game. Jordan Binnington came into the game in the second period, but Hofer returned to the crease in the third and yielded three more tallies. Through two starts, Hofer has had mixed results, allowing a total of nine goals on 51 shots while going 1-1-0. The 25-year-old will stay in the backup role if he can't provide more consistency, though he would be a long shot to challenge Binnington's playing time anyway. It'll likely be Binnington who gets the tough home start versus the Stars on Saturday.

Soderblom stopped 23 of 26 shots in Wednesday's 8-3 win over the Blues.

The Blackhawks' scoring outburst gave Soderblom plenty of support even though he wasn't at his best. The 26-year-old is 1-0-1 to start the season, but he has allowed seven goals on 59 shots. Soderblom can be expected to continue handling the backup role, with Spencer Knight likely to get the nod for Friday's home game versus the Canucks.

Cooley stopped 29 of 31 shots in Wednesday's 3-1 loss to the Mammoth. The third goal was an empty-netter.

While he took the loss in his Flames debut, he kept the game from getting out of hand. Cooley won't be expected to play much behind burgeoning star goalie Dustin Wolf, but performances like this one should help Cooley stay with the big club. Expect Wolf back between the pipes for Saturday's game in Vegas.

Vejmelka stopped 19 of 20 shots in Wednesday's 3-1 win over the Flames.

Vejmelka has won his last two starts and looks to be in a groove early in the season. He's allowed a total of five goals on 70 shots this season, with his lone mistake Wednesday being an unlucky bounce of a Rasmus Andersson shot. Vejmelka is likely to continue getting a majority of the starts for the Mammoth, who host the Sharks on Friday for their next game.