NHL Hockey Player News

The Kings will turn to Talbot for the 12th time this season when they host the Blues on Saturday. Talbot was as sturdy as ever against the Panthers on Thursday, stopping 30 of the 31 shots he faced enroute to a narrow 2-1 victory. The 36-year-old netminder has enjoyed a sensational start to his Kings career, owning an 8-3-1 record to go along with his .927 SV% and 2.11 GAA. He draws another strong matchup at home on Saturday with the Kings being -180 favourites over the Blues.

Binnington will be back in the Blues' crease on Saturday after Joel Hofer got the nod in Thursday's 5-1 defeat to the Sharks. Binnington relieved Hofer in that game after the latter allowed four goals on just 21 shots. Binnington has enjoyed a bit of renaissance to begin the 2023-24 season, owning an impressive .930 SV% and 2.23 GAA across 11 appearances. He's been unfortunate to rack up just five wins despite his efforts, and things won't get any easier tonight with the Blues going off as +150 underdogs in Los Angeles.

Demko backed up Casey Desmith in the Canucks previous game but will take over the starting job for the eighth time in the last 10 contests as he is set to start Saturday vs. Seattle. The 27-year-old is off to an incredible bounce-back year so far in 2023-24, with his 8-3-0 record, .932 SV%, 2.04 GAA, and two shutouts. He will face Seattle, who snapped a three-game losing streak with a victory last game but are struggling to score as they are 29th in the NHL in goals per game (2.56).

Schmidt had played 11 straight games for the Jets, tallying only one point (0G / 1A), seven hits, and five shots, before being a healthy scratch on Friday against the Buffalo Sabres. Logan Stanley will sit in place of Schmidt.

Markstrom will be back in net for the Flames on Saturday in search of his fourth straight victory. He stopped 20 of the 22 shots he faced enroute to a 5-2 victory over the red-hot Canucks on Thursday. The 33-year-old netminder is slowly rounding into form. He owns a .906 SV%, a 2.66 GAA, and a 4-6-1 record across 11 appearances. Markstrom and the Flames are slight favourites (-140) to secure a victory over the Islanders on Saturday.

Sorokin will return to the Islanders' crease on Saturday after Semyon Varlamov got the call in Thursday's 4-3 loss in Seattle. Sorokin last appeared in Wednesday's game in Vancouver, allowing four goals on 43 shots in the 4-3 overtime loss. Sorokin is off to a relatively slow start to his 2023-24 season, registering a 3-3-4 record to go along with his .907 SV% and 3.28 GAA. He and the Islanders are slight road underdogs at +120 tonight in Calgary.

Hughes last played on November 3rd when he fell awkwardly into the boards but appears ready to return to action on Saturday after being a full participant at practice on Friday. This would mark approximately two weeks since Hughes last played, the low end of his initial two-to-four-week timeline. Before his injury, Hughes led the league with 20 points (5G / 15A) in 10 games and is expected to retake his place on the Devils' top line and top powerplay unit.

Swayman will be back between the pipes on Saturday after Linus Ullmark got the nod in Tuesday's 5-2 victory over the Sabres. Swayman has picked up right where he left off last season, owning a league best .944 SV% and 1.69 GAA to go along with his sparkling 6-0-1 record. The Canadiens will be hard-pressed to deliver Swayman his first regulation loss of the season on Saturday, with Swayman and the Bruins currently being favoured at -260 to pick up the victory.

The Devils will turn to Vanecek for the second straight game after he allowed just two goals on 23 shots in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Penguins. Given the struggles of Akira Schmid, Vanecek has been just solid enough to maintain a firm grasp on the Devils' starting job. He owns an impressive 7-3-0 record on the season despite an .889 SV% and a 3.30 GAA. Vanecek and the Devils are very slight home favourites (-120) to secure a victory over the Rangers on Saturday.