NHL Player News

Hildeby was the first goalie off the ice during Thursday's morning skate and is slated to start at home against the Wild, Erik Erlendsson of LightningInsider.com reports.

Hildeby didn't appear in any of the Lightning's first three games of the regular season, but he's set to make his first start of the year Thursday. Across 20 regular-season appearances with the Maple Leafs last year, Hildeby went 5-7-4 with a 2.85 GAA and .912 save percentage.

Ullmark was the first goalie off the ice at Senators' morning skate, indicating that he'll guard the home crease in Thursday's contest against the Flyers, per Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia.

Ullmark has been dealing with an undisclosed injury since he exited Monday's 4-1 win over the Bruins at the start of the third period. However, he appears to be good to go Thursday, where he'll look to continue his strong start to the 2026-27 campaign. Between his two outings, he has a 2-0-0 record, a 1.20 GAA and a .949 save percentage across 39 shots on goal. He'll face off against the Flyers, who have been held to just five goals across their first four games of the new season. Ullmark is a strong start in most fantasy formats and is a top waiver-wire candidate ahead of Thursday's slate of games.

James (hand) will not be in the lineup versus the Wild on Thursday, Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

There had been some speculation that James might be ready to make his season debut versus the Wild, but it seems he will have to wait at least one more outing. For now, the Lightning will continue utilizing seven defensemen while the 24-year-old winger is on the shelf, though they could shift up their deployment when he returns.

Luukkonen was the first goalie off during Thursday's morning skate, Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic reports, indicating that he'll draw the home start against the Stars.

Luukkonen will start for the third time in the Sabres' first four games of the season. Across his first two outings, he's gone 1-1-0 with a 4.03 GAA and .784 save percentage, but he's coming off a 4-3 win over the Blackhawks on Saturday and will attempt to maintain his momentum Thursday.

Fowler will start Thursday's home game against the Predators, Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports.

Fowler was called up by the Canadiens on Wednesday, and his starting nod against the Predators suggests that Sam Montembeault (undisclosed) won't be available Thursday. Fowler made 17 regular-season appearances for Montreal last year, going 9-6-2 with a 2.43 GAA and .908 save percentage.

Johansson was demoted to AHL Belleville on Thursday.

Johansson's reassignment to the minors likely means that Linus Ullmark (undisclosed) will be at least healthy enough to serve as the backup, if not the outright starter, against the Flyers on Thursday. If Samuel Ersson continues to struggle out of the gate, the Senators could decide to give Johansson a longer look at the NHL level, but for now he'll remain in Belleville.

Zub, who has been recovering from a knee injury, was seen skating during Senators' morning skate Thursday, per Wayne Scanlan of Sportsnet.

Zub faced a setback in his recovery in the late stages of Ottawa's training camp. While he's missed each of the Senators' first three games of the new season, his presence at morning skate Thursday indicates that he could be nearing a return. The 31-year-old blueliner had a career year offensively in 2025-26, where he compiled five goals, 30 points, 92 shots on net, 66 hits and 120 blocked shots across 81 regular-season games. Once he's ready to return, he'll likely occupy a top-four pairing alongside either Thomas Chabot or Jake Sanderson.

Carlsson logged two power-play assists, two PIM and a minus-2 rating in Wednesday's 5-2 loss to the Oilers.

Carlsson has multiple points in three straight games to begin the season. He's done it mostly as a playmaker, earning one goal, six assists (five on the power play), two shots on net, three blocked shots and a minus-2 rating. The 21-year-old is centering the top line and should be a steady source of offense throughout the campaign.

Sennecke scored two power-play goals on seven shots, sevred four hits and added two PIM in Wednesday's 5-2 loss to the Oilers.

Sennecke gave the Ducks a good start with both goals coming in the first period. The Oilers woke up with a five-goal second period in response. Sennecke has done fairly well to begin the campaign, earning three goals, one assist, 11 shots on net, six hits, three blocked shots and a plus-1 rating over three contests. He continues to play on the second line and first power-play unit.

Husso stopped both shots he faced in relief of Lukas Dostal in Wednesday's 5-2 loss to the Oilers.

Husso played the third period after Dostal gave up five goals in the middle frame. This was the first action of the year for Husso, and it'll serve as a tune-up with the 31-year-old likely to start over the weekend. The Ducks have a back-to-back upcoming, as they'll play in Winnipeg on Friday and then in Calgary on Saturday. Beyond that back-to-back, Husso is likely to resume serving in a backup role.