NHL Player News

Vejmelka gave up three goals on 18 shots before being replaced by Vitek Vanecek to begin the third period of Thursday's 5-3 loss to the Blues.

The switch didn't seem to be prompted by the score or by Vejmelka's play -- the score was tied 3-3 after 40 minutes -- but with the Mammoth locked into a wild-card spot, coach Andre Tourigny elected to give his No. 1 netminder a little bit of extra rest ahead of the playoffs. Vejmelka finishes the regular season with a career-high 38 wins, one short of NHL leader Andrei Vasilevskiy, along with a 2.75 GAA, an .896 save percentage and a league-leading 64 outings and 3,692:45 in ice time.

Cowan was demoted to AHL Toronto on Friday.

Cowan put up solid numbers to end the regular season, generating seven points in his last eight contests, including two goals and two assists with the man advantage. While the 21-year-old winger will be finishing the year in the minors, he should continue to be a full-time NHL option next year and could see top-six minutes once again.

Villeneuve was returned to AHL Toronto on Friday.

Villeneuve saw action in just three NHL games this year in which he recorded five blocks, two shots and one hit while averaging 17:20 of ice time. In the minors this year, the 24-year-old defenseman has been significantly more productive, racking up 29 points in 59 contests.

Holloway picked up two assists in Thursday's 5-3 win over the Mammoth.

Both assists came on Robert Thomas tallies in the second period, as Holloway helped his linemate to his second career hat trick. Holloway took his game to another level after the Olympic break once he'd recovered from an ankle injury, and over the last 25 games of the Blues' season he erupted for 14 goals and 34 points with a massive plus-26 rating. The 24-year-old should be locked into a top-six role in 2026-27 and will have significant sleeper appeal.

Thomas scored three goals in Thursday's 5-3 win over Utah.

With the Blues down 2-1 midway through the second period, Thomas got rolling by potting two tallies in less than three minutes before wrapping up the scoring late in the third with an empty-netter. It was the second career hat trick for Thomas, both coming in April this season, and through 64 contests on the campaign he delivered 25 goals and 64 points, the third straight season in which he's produced at a point-a-game pace.

Hofer made 20 saves in Thursday's 5-3 win over the Mammoth.

The 25-year-old netminder finishes the 2025-26 campaign as the clear top option in the crease for St. Louis. Hofer won his last three starts and five of his last six, and through 46 outings on the season he compiled a 24-13-5 record with a 2.61 GAA and .909 save percentage. Jordan Binnington still has one more year left on his current contract at a $6 million cap hit, which will make him difficult to move given his poor numbers (3.33 GAA, .873 save percentage), but Hofer should head into next season as the No. 1 goalie for the Blues regardless of whether Binnington returns.

Lankinen stopped 29 of 35 shots in Thursday's 6-1 loss to the Oilers.

It was a disastrous end to the season for Lankinen, who allowed four goals -- including a hat trick to Matt Savoie -- in the first period alone. The 30-year-old netminder ends a disappointing 2025-26 season having won three of his last four starts, but that shouldn't hide the fact that the Canucks were a disaster defensively throughout the campaign. Lankinen went 11-27-5 with a 3.70 GAA and an .875 save percentage across 47 appearances in 2025-26. Both the GAA and save percentage were career-worst marks for the 30-year-old netminder.

Ingram stopped 11 of 12 shots in Thursday's 6-1 win over the Canucks.

Ingram didn't have a lot of work Thursday in a game the Oilers dominated from start to finish, allowing him to end the season on a decent note with a win. The 29-year-old veteran went 5-4-1 with a 2.37 GAA and a .907 save percentage over his last 10 contests, though, and he figures to open the postseason as the No. 1 goaltender for Edmonton. He went 16-10-3 with a 2.60 GAA and an .899 save percentage through 32 appearances in the regular season.

Nugent-Hopkins scored a power-play goal on four shots in Thursday's 6-1 win over the Canucks.

Nugent-Hopkins joined the party in the second period, scoring his 20th goal of the season at the 16:46 mark of that frame. The 33-year-old veteran has been skating on the second line, but it wouldn't be surprising if he sees a role change once Leon Draisaitl (lower body) returns to action during the playoffs. Nugent-Hopkins ended the regular season with 20 goals and 56 points across 72 contests, racking up 133 shots on goal, 25 hits and 31 blocked shots as well.

Dach recorded a goal, an assist, five PIM, four hits, two blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Thursday's 6-1 win over the Canucks.

Dach missed 12 games between March 12 and April 4 due to an undisclosed injury, but he appeared in the Oilers' last five regular-season contests, tallying two goals and one assist. As good as the Oilers have been on offense all season long, Dach shouldn't be a reliable fantasy alternative as long as he continues to play in a bottom-six role. He recorded just four points (two goals, two assists) in eight appearances with Edmonton in the 2025-26 regular season after being acquired from the Blackhawks before the trade deadline.