NHL Player News

Samsonov (upper body) won't return to the lineup Saturday versus the Predators.

Samsonov is set to miss his eighth straight game. His last chances to return during the regular season will be in a road back-to-back with contests in Calgary on Tuesday and in Vancouver on Wednesday. It's unclear at this time if Samsonov will be able to suit up for either of those games.

Skinner will start in goal on the road versus the Jets on Sunday, Jason Gregor of Sports 1440 Edmonton reports.

Skinner returned in the backup role Friday versus the Sharks, and he'll get back between the pipes a game later. Calvin Pickard will likely draw the start in Monday's home matchup versus the Kings in the second half of Edmonton's back-to-back. Skinner was out for seven games due to a head injury, and before his absence, he was 4-3-0 with a 3.11 GAA and an .873 save percentage over nine games in March.

Blomqvist, who is playing for AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, has recovered from his undisclosed injury, Tony Androckitis of Inside AHL Hockey reports Saturday.

Blomqvist has a 2.93 GAA and a .910 save percentage in 15 outings with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in 2024-25. He also has a 4-9-1 record, 3.81 GAA and .885 save percentage across 15 appearances with Pittsburgh. Unless Tristan Jarry or Alex Nedeljkovic sustains an injury, Blomqvist will probably spend the rest of the campaign in the minors.

Knight will protect the home net against Winnipeg on Saturday, Mark Lazerus of The Athletic reports.

In his last outing, Knight allowed five goals on 27 shots in a 5-0 loss to Pittsburgh on Tuesday. He has a 4-8-1 record with a 3.16 GAA and an .889 save percentage across 13 appearances with Chicago this season. Winnipeg ranks third in the league with 3.39 goals per game in 2024-25.

Hellebuyck will guard the road goal versus the Blackhawks on Saturday, Mitchell Clinton of the Jets' official site reports.

The Jets are showing no mercy to the Blackhawks, as Hellebuyck will go in the first half of a back-to-back set that includes Sunday's home game versus the Oilers. Hellebuyck is 6-2-0 with a 1.63 GAA and a .930 save percentage over his last eight games. Remarkably, those numbers are better than his elite 1.99 GAA and .925 save percentage for the season.

Luukkonen will defend the road net against Florida on Saturday, according to Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News.

Luukkonen is coming off a 17-save performance in a 6-3 win over Boston on Sunday. He has a 24-23-4 record with two shutouts, a 3.23 GAA and an .885 save percentage through 53 appearances this season. Florida sits 13th in the league with 3.04 goals per game, but Aleksander Barkov (rest) and Sam Reinhart (rest) will be among the team's lengthy list of scratches.

Lankinen is set to start at home against Minnesota on Saturday, CanucksArmy reports.

Lankinen has a 25-15-9 record, 2.63 GAA and .901 save percentage in 49 appearances in 2024-25. He stopped 31 of 32 shots en route to a 4-1 win over Colorado in his last start Thursday. With Thatcher Demko (illness) unavailable, Nikita Tolopilo will be Lankinen's backup. Minnesota ranks 26th in goals per game with 2.74.

Kuemper will patrol the home crease against Colorado on Saturday, per Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site.

Kuemper is coming off a 24-save effort in Thursday's 6-1 win over Anaheim. He has a 29-11-7 record with five shutouts, a 2.01 GAA and a .922 save percentage through 48 appearances this season. Colorado sits fifth in the league with 3.31 goals per game in 2024-25, but the team is resting several integral offensive contributors in Saturday's matchup.

Blackwood is expected to start on the road against the Kings on Saturday.

Blackwood has a 28-20-6 record, 2.50 GAA and .913 save percentage in 55 outings between San Jose and Colorado in 2024-25. He'll try to get back into the win column after losing his past two appearances while allowing seven goals on 50 shots (.860 save percentage). Los Angeles ranks 16th in goals per game with 2.97.

Binnington is expected to start on the road against Seattle on Saturday, according to Lou Korac of The Hockey News.

Binnington excelled from Feb. 23-April 1, recording an 11-2-0 record, 2.00 GAA and .919 save percentage across 13 appearances. However, the 31-year-old's hot stretch appears to be over after allowing four goals in each of his past two starts. Seattle ranks 17th in goals per game with 2.96.