NHL Player News

Montembeault stopped 28 of 32 shots in Friday's 5-2 loss to the Senators. The fifth goal was an empty-netter with 2:16 left in the third period.

Montembeault was coming off five straight wins before this matchup, and it was also the first time he had allowed at least four goals since March 25. One bad outing shouldn't erase what the 28-year-old netminder has done in recent weeks, though. He's gone 5-3-2 with a 2.81 GAA and a .900 save percentage over his past 10 appearances.

Tolopilo was called up from AHL Abbotsford on Saturday.

The move was an emergency recall, but there is no word as to whether Thatcher Demko or Kevin Lankinen are injured. Tolopilo is 18-14-2 with four shutouts, a 2.68 GAA and a .901 save percentage over 34 starts at AHL Abbotsford this season. He has yet to debut in the NHL.

Sorokin (lower body) is unavailable Saturday against the Flyers, per Andrew Gross of Newsday.

Sorokin will miss a second straight game as he recovers from a lower-body injury. Marcus Hogberg will get the start against the Flyers with Tristan Lennox backing him up. The Islanders will have three remaining regular-season games after Saturday -- the earliest Sorokin could return is Sunday against the Devils.

DeSmith will patrol the home blue paint versus Utah on Saturday, according to Stars radio analyst Bruce LeVine.

DeSmith is a perfect 2-0-0 versus Utah this season, giving up only three goals on 63 shots. He is 14-7-2 with a pair of shutouts, a 2.53 GAA and a .916 save percentage in 25 appearances this season. Utah is 22nd in NHL scoring, generating 2.87 goals per game.

Hogberg will get the starting nod on the road Saturday against the Flyers, Andrew Gross of Newsday reports.

With Ilya Sorokin (lower body) sidelined, Hogberg will have a chance to bounce back after being tagged for eight goals on 30 shots in Thursday's 9-2 loss to the Rangers. The 30-year-old Hogberg has made 13 appearances for the Islanders this year, going 2-5-2 with a 3.17 GAA and an .889 save percentage.

Woll will patrol the road crease versus Carolina on Sunday, per Luke Fox of Sportsnet.

Woll will get the second half of Toronto's back-to-back after Anthony Stolarz plays in Saturday's home game versus Montreal. The 26-year-old Woll has been superb in his last two appearances, going 1-0-1 while allowing only four goals on 67 shots. He is 25-14-1 with a 2.76 GAA and a .907 save percentage in 40 appearances this season. Carolina has registered 3.22 goals per game in 2024-25, the ninth-best mark in the NHL.

Per Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports, Stolarz will guard the home cage versus Montreal on Saturday.

Stolarz was sharp in a 25-save effort in Wednesday's 4-3 overtime win over Tampa Bay. He has won six straight outings, lifting his record to 19-8-3 with a 2.28 GAA and a .922 save percentage across 32 appearances in 2024-25. Montreal sits 15th in the league with 2.99 goals per game in 2024-25.

Ersson will guard the home cage versus the Islanders on Saturday, per Bill Meltzer of NHL.com.

Ersson is 2-2-0 in his last four games, allowing 18 goals on 107 shots (.832 save percentage). He has a 21-16-5 record with a pair of shutouts, a 3.15 GAA and an .881 save percentage in 45 outings this season. The Islanders are generating 2.77 goals per game this season, sitting 25th in the NHL.

Vanecek is expected to be between the home pipes versus Buffalo on Saturday, according to Colby Guy of The Palm Beach Post.

Vanecek shut out the Sabres on March 8, the last time the two teams met, turning aside 21 shots. The win has been the only one for Vanecek in a Florida uniform, as he is 1-3-1 since being acquired from San Jose. The Sabres rank seventh in the league with 3.26 goals per contest in 2024-25.

Shepard will patrol the visiting crease against Columbus on Saturday, per Bailey Johnson of The Washington Post.

Shepard will make his first start since being promoted from AHL Hershey on April 4. He has gone 22-11-3 with a 2.81 GAA and an .891 save percentage over 37 minor-league appearances this season. Columbus ranks 11th in the NHL this season with 3.17 goals per game.