NHL Player News

Samsonov (upper body) won't return to action Thursday versus the Kraken.

Samsonov will be out for a seventh straight game, and there's yet to be an indication he'll be ready before the playoffs. The Golden Knights have three games left on the schedule after Thursday. Adin Hill is starting Thursday and could split the starts with Akira Schmid if Samsonov remains out until the postseason.

Grubauer (illness) is available for Thursday's road game against Vegas, per the NHL media site.

Joey Daccord will get the start, but Grubauer is the only other goaltender on Seattle's roster, so it seems he will serve as the understudy. Grubauer has a 7-17-1 record, 3.52 GAA and .875 save percentage in 25 appearances this season.

Daccord will start on the road versus the Golden Knights on Thursday, Jesse Granger of The Athletic reports.

Daccord will make his fifth straight start. He's 3-1-0 with nine goals allowed over the last four games, though he gave up seven goals versus Utah in his last start. The Golden Knights figure to put up quite a challenge as they try to strengthen their lead in the Pacific Division, though they've scored just 13 goals over their last six games and will be without Jack Eichel (upper body).

Hellebuyck will protect the road goal versus the Stars on Thursday, Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press reports.

Hellebuyck will play in an important game, as a win for the Jets will make it impossible for the Stars to pass them in the standings. Hellebuyck is 2-1-0 against the Stars this season, allowing a total of four goals across those three games.

Reimer is expected to start on the road against Columbus on Thursday, per Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News.

Reimer has a 9-8-2 record, 2.79 GAA and .905 save percentage in 21 appearances between Anaheim and Buffalo this season. While those are mediocre overall numbers, he's won his past seven outings while stopping 197 of 214 shots (.921 save percentage). Columbus ranks 11th in goals per game with 3.17.

Greaves will protect the home goal versus the Sabres on Thursday, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.

Greaves was called up under emergency conditions Thursday to cover for the absence of Elvis Merzlikins (undisclosed). At the NHL level this season, Greaves is 2-2-2 with a 2.83 GAA and a .905 save percentage, though he'll have his hands full with a Sabres team that has scored 24 times during a five-game winning streak.

Swayman will protect the home goal versus the Blackhawks on Thursday, Scott McLaughlin of WEEI reports.

Swayman has won his last two starts, including a 19-save performance in Tuesday's 7-2 win over the Devils. The 26-year-old netminder had allowed 29 goals during a seven-game losing streak prior to his recent reversal of fortunes. He'll have a favorable matchup Thursday, but Swayman's overall play this season has likely led fantasy managers to be cautious with him.

Skinner (head) will be available for Friday's home game against San Jose, Jason Gregor of Sports 1440 Edmonton.

Goaltender Olivier Rodrigue was returned to AHL Bakersfield because Skinner is ready to return. The 26-year-old Skinner has a 24-18-4 record, 2.91 GAA and .894 save percentage in 49 appearances in 2024-25. Starting with Friday's clash, the Oilers will conclude the regular season with a busy stretch of four games in just six days, so it wouldn't be shocking if Skinner and Calvin Pickard evenly split that workload.

Rodrigue was reassigned to AHL Bakersfield on Thursday.

Rodrigue's demotion could be an indication that Stuart Skinner (head) will be available for Friday's clash with the Sharks -- though the move could be undone prior to puck drop. With the available cap space, the Oilers brought up Cam Dineen from the minors to give them six healthy blueliners.

Dostal is set to start on the road against Los Angeles on Thursday, per Derek Lee of The Hockey News.

Dostal stopped 45 of 47 shots (.957 save percentage) en route to a 3-2 win over Edmonton on Monday. It was a strong showing in what has been a challenging campaign overall -- he's 23-21-6 with a 3.05 GAA and a .905 save percentage in 51 outings. The Kings are tied for 18th in the league in goals per game with 2.94.