NHL Hockey Player News

The Jets have not played since Sunday and will return to Hellebuyck in the crease for the fourth straight time to start the season when they host the San Jose Sharks on Friday. Last year's Vezina-trophy winner has been outstanding to start the 2024-25 campaign, posting a ridiculous 0.66 GAA and .976 SV% through three games (3-0-0). The Jets are one of three teams without a loss this season and enter Friday's contest as gargantuan -373 home favorites against the Sharks.

Blomqvist entered the season as the Penguins' third string goalie but has worked his way into the mix due to a preseason injury to Alex Nedeljkovic. In a surprising turn of events, Blomqvist has been the Penguins best goalie this season, outperforming a struggling Tristan Jarry, and will start for the third time in their first six games. The 22-year-old Blomqvist has a 2.86 GAA and .913 SV% in three appearances this season (2-1-0). The Penguins enter action on Thursday as +146 home underdogs against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Woll was projected to be the opening night starter for the Maple Leafs but suffered a last-minute lower-body ailment that resulted in Anthony Stolarz taking over the crease. That said, Stolarz has been terrific this season filling in, posting a 1.70 GAA and .940 SV% in three games (2-1-0), which could pose an obstacle for Woll's playing time when he returns to the lineup. In 25 games played in 2023-24, Woll had a 12-11-1 record with a 2.94 GAA and .907 SV%.

Guhle played 23:09 time-on-ice in Thursday's 4-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings but suffered a lower-body injury at some point. The 22-year-old defenseman has had a strong start to the 2024-25 season, tallying four points (1G / 3A), 20 blocks, seven hits, and a +4 plus/minus rating in five games.

Hunt being recalled likely indicates that Jared Spurgeon (lower body) will not be ready to return to Minnesota's lineup on Saturday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 22-year-old Hunt has played one game with Minnesota this season, tallying 8:01 time-on-ice and two shots on goal.

Mailloux was the 31st overall pick of the Canadiens in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. The 21-year-old played one game with the Canadiens last season, his NHL debut, and recorded one assist. He has four points (2G / 2A) in two games this season with the Laval Rocket (AHL).

Kasper was the eighth overall pick of the Red Wings in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. The 20-year-old has played one NHL game, back in the 2022-23 season, but has spent the majority of his professional career in the AHL. He has 37 points (15G / 22A) in 73 games with the Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL).m

Seattle started Grubauer in their first game of the season and have alternated goalies in each game since. They will return to Grubauer between the pipes in their fifth game of the 2024-25 campaign on Thursday night against the Philadelphia Flyers. Seattle is 2-2-0 to start the season, with both of their wins coming when Grubauer was the backup to Joey Daccord. Despite his winless record (0-2-0), Grubauer has not received ample goal support this season, as evident by his respectable 2.59 GAA. Seattle enters action on Thursday as a -129 home favorite against the Flyers.

Johnson suffered the injury after colliding with teammate James van Riemsdyk in the second period of Thursday's game and did not return. We should expect to receive an update on the injury prior to Columbus' game against the Wild on Saturday.

Eklund played 21:45 time-on-ice in Tuesday's 3-2 shootout loss to the Dallas Stars but was unavailable for practice on Wednesday due to an upper-body injury and was considered questionable for tonight's game. The talented 22-year-old has one point (0G / 1A) in three games and is averaging a massive 22:27 time-on-ice.

The Blackhawks will turn to Mrazek for the third straight game on Thursday when they host the San Jose Sharks. Despite a 1-2-0 record, Mrazek has been solid for the Blackhawks to start the season, showcasing a 2.71 GAA and .911 SV%, nearly mirroring the 3.05 GAA and .907 SV% he had last season. The Blackhawks enter the action on Thursday as -183 home favorites against a Sharks club that was defeated 3-2 in a shootout by the Dallas Stars in their previous game.

The Predators, one of only two teams without a point early in the 2024-25 season (0-3-0), will turn to Saros on Thursday when they attempt to snap their losing skid. The 29-year-old Saros has been unspectacular to start the season, posting an ugly 4.19 GAA and .855 SV% in two games (0-2-0). That said, slow starts are nothing new for Saros, who had a .892 SV% in his first 14 games last season (5-9-0) before steadying to a .913 SV% in his next 47 (29-14-4). The Predators enter action on Thursday as +110 home underdogs against an Edmonton Oilers club that won their first game of the season on Tuesday.

Spence will immediately re-enter the lineup after sitting out Wednesday's game in Toronto. Kyle Burroughs will sit in his place.

Burroughs will sit for the first time this season as the Kings opt to get some fresh legs into the lineup on the tail-end of their back-to-back. Jordan Spence will draw back into the lineup in his place.

Quinn played 12:27 time-on-ice in Wednesday's 6-5 overtime loss to the Penguins, his lowest ice time of the season thus far. Through five games this season, Quinn only has one points (0G / 1A), five shots on goal, four hits, and -4 plus/minus rating.

Hill will make his fourth start of the season when the Golden Knights travel to Tampa Bay on Thursday. Hill struggled his last time out, allowing four goals on just 22 shots in a 4-2 defeat in Washington. The 28-year-old netminder has managed a 2-1-0 record for the young season despite not posting a SV% above .900 in any of his three starts. He'll have his hands full again on Thursday as Vegas enters action as +125 underdogs.

Tampa Bay will continue to roll with Vasilevskiy in net for their third game to start the season. After a pedestrian 2023-24 campaign when he posted a 2.90 GAA and .900 SV% in 52 games (30-20-2), the former Vezina-trophy winner seems to have found his elite form early in the season, boasting a stellar 1.00 GAA and .958 SV% through two games (2-0-0). Tampa Bay enters action on Thursday as a -137 home favorite against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Rittich will make his second start in as many nights after getting the nod in Toronto on Wednesday. Rittich struggled against the Maple Leafs before being replaced by Pheonix Copley in the second period, allowing four goals on just 14 shots as the Kings suffered a 6-2 defeat. With Darcy Kuemper sidelined, the Kings will be hoping Rittich can regain his form from a season ago sooner rather than later. He has a good chance of securing his first win of the season tonight as the Kings find themselves as -135 favourites in Montreal.

The Devils will turn to Markstrom in between the pipes on Thursday against the Ottawa Senators. The 34-year-old Markstrom has had an up-and-down start to his tenure with the Devils, posting a 2.79 GAA and .904 SV% in four games (2-2-0), despite allowing three or more goals in each of his last three contests (1-2-0). The Devils enter the action on Thursday as -132 road favorites against a Senators club that scored eight goals in their previous game, a whirlwind 8-7 overtime victory over the Los Angeles Kings.

The Stars have an afternoon contest against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday and are opting to keep Jake Oettinger fresh for that matchup, resulting in DeSmith occupying the crease on Thursday against the Washington Capitals. DeSmith was excellent in his only start of the season, saving all 25 shots he faced in a 2-0 victory over the Seattle Kraken. The undefeated Dallas Stars (4-0-0), one of only three remaining teams without a loss, enters Thursday's matchup as a -153 road favorite against the Capitals.