NHL Player News

Bobrovsky stopped 23 of 26 shots in Wednesday's 3-2 loss to the Maple Leafs.

Bobrovsky has lost consecutive starts in regulation for the first time since Jan. 13-16. He's allowed six goals on 48 shots over his last two outings, so he's not really slumping as much as he's just not getting enough goal support. The 36-year-old netminder has been strong this season with a 31-17-2 record, a 2.45 GAA and a .906 save percentage across 50 starts. The Panthers finish off this road trip with another back-to-back with stops in Ottawa on Saturday and Detroit on Sunday. Look for Bobrovsky and Vitek Vanecek to split those starts.

Stolarz stopped 29 of 31 shots in Wednesday's 3-2 win over the Panthers.

Stolarz won his fourth start in a row, a span in which he's given up just eight goals on 116 shots. The 31-year-old gave up the first and last goals in this contest, but the Maple Leafs did enough in between to win and secure their playoff berth. Stolarz has played in a career-high 30 games this season, and he set a personal best with his 17th victory. He's at 17-8-3 with a 2.34 GAA and a .920 save percentage. Stolarz and Joseph Woll have shared the goaltending duties lately, and if that pattern holds, Woll would play Saturday versus the Blue Jackets while Stolarz would get to face his former team again in a rematch with the Panthers on Tuesday.

Askarov (lower body) did not dress for Wednesday's AHL game between San Jose and Ontario, Josh Frojelin of San Jose Hockey Now reports.

All signs pointed to Askarov suiting up after he took warmups, but he was a late scratch. Nonetheless, he's close to a return and may start one of the Barracuda's two games versus AHL Colorado on Friday or Saturday.

Askarov (lower body) is backing up Gabriel Carriere in AHL San Jose's game Wednesday versus AHL Ontario, Josh Frojelin of San Jose Hockey Now reports.

Askarov will dress for the first time since Feb. 19, but he won't be the starter in his return to action. However, it looks like he's close to getting back between the pipes in a game. Given how much time he's missed, it wouldn't be surprising for Askarov to close out 2024-25 in the AHL before competing for an NHL job in training camp.

Daccord will protect the road goal versus the Canucks on Wednesday, Jeff Paterson of CanucksArmy.com reports.

Daccord will attempt to get back on track after going 1-2-1 with 13 goals allowed over his previous four games. He won his only other start versus the Canucks this season, stopping 28 of 31 shots in a 6-3 win March 1. The 28-year-old will have to contend with a team desperate for points in the playoff race, though the Canucks are just 2-2-2 over their last six contests.

Thompson (upper body) is doubtful to return to Wednesday's game versus the Hurricanes.

Thompson was tagged for three goals on 12 shots in the first period before exiting the contest. It's possible the Capitals are taking a cautious approach here since they entered Wednesday 11 points clear of every other team in the Eastern Conference. More information on Thompson's status should be known prior to Friday's game versus the Blackhawks. Charlie Lindgren took over in goal and will likely see a starter's workload should Thompson miss additional time.

Skinner (head) is not expected to play during the Oilers' upcoming three-game road trip, Oilers play-by-play announcer Jack Michaels reports Wednesday.

Skinner's continued absence means opponents should see a heavy dose of Calvin Pickard ahead of the postseason. In fact, if Pickard is in peak form heading into the playoffs, the 26-year-old Skinner may be hard-pressed to steal back the starting job. Over his last 10 outings, Skinner has underwhelmed with a 4-4-0 record and 3.21 GAA.

Pickard will serve as the starting netminder for Thursday's road game against San Jose, Oilers play-by-play announcer Jack Michaels reports.

Pickard has been inconsistent for most of March, but he's in the midst of a two-game winning streak in which he's posted a 1.97 GAA and .920 save percentage. He'll have a favorable matchup against the Sharks, who are generating just 2.58 goals per game this year, which is the third-lowest mark in the NHL.

Thompson is slated to guard the cage on the road against Carolina on Wednesday, Tom Gulitti of NHL.com reports.

Thompson will be looking to rebound from his previous tilt in which he gave up seven goals on 22 shots (.682 save percentage) in a defeat to the Sabres. That disastrous outing notwithstanding, it's been a solid year for Thompson, as he has set new personal bests in wins (31) and GAA (2.43) -- though he continues to split the workload with Charlie Lindgren.

Wedgewood is expected to start on the road against Chicago on Wednesday, per Conor McGahey of Altitude TV.

Wedgewood stopped 25 of 27 shots (.926 save percentage) in a 3-2 shootout loss to Calgary on Monday. It's unusual for the Avalanche to offer such mild goal support, so there's a solid chance Wedgewood will find himself back in the win column if he's able to put up a similar performance versus the Blackhawks, who rank 27th in the NHL in goals per game with 2.70. Wedgewood is 11-6-2 with a 2.38 GAA and a .908 save percentage in 21 outings between Nashville and Colorado this season.