Bobrovsky will start on Thursday in Ottawa. Bobrovsky was unspectacular in the Panthers' season-opening 6-4 win over the Boston Bruins on Tuesday but was good enough to secure the victory, saving 24 of 28 shots (.857 SV%). The 36-year-old Bobrovsky is coming off his best season in nearly a decade, finishing third in Vezina-trophy voting and posting a solid 2.37 GAA and .915 SV% in 58 games (36-17-4). Bobrovsky will return to the crease for the Panthers on Thursday in a matchup against the Ottawa Senators, where they are -133 road favorites. Source: Doug Plagens
Ullmark will start Ottawa's season opener on Thursday vs. Florida. Days after signing a freshly minted four-year, $33 million contract extension, Ullmark will debut for the Senators in their season opener on Thursday against the Florida Panthers. Before being traded to the Senators, Ullmark enjoyed tremendous success in his three years in Boston, including a Vezina Trophy and William Jennings Trophy in 2023. He went 88-26-10 with a 2.28 GAA and .924 SV% in 130 games with the Bruins. The Senators enter action as +119 home underdogs against a Panthers club that defeated the Boston Bruins 6-4 in their season opener on Tuesday. Source: Julian McKenzie
Hildeby will make his NHL debut and start on Thursday in New Jersey. With Toronto on the back end of a back-to-back and Anthony Stolarz coming off a 1-0 loss to Montreal, Dennis Hildeby will make his NHL debut and start for Toronto on Thursday in New Jersey. The towering 6'7" netminder had a solid season as the Toronto Marlies (AHL) starter in 2023-24 with his 21-11-7 record, 2.41 GAA and .913 SV%. He will head to New Jersey to take on the undefeated (2-0-0) Devils, whose new head coach Sheldon Keefe will be looking for a revenge victory against the team that let him go during the offseason. Source: Bill Spaulding
Markstrom will start against the Maple Leafs on Thursday. Markstrom was excellent in his first game as a New Jersey Devil, saving 30 of 31 shots (.968 SV%) in a 4-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres as part of the NHL Global Series in Prague. The Devils will return to Markstrom in net for their first contest in North America on Thursday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Devils are -132 home favorites against a Maple Leafs squad that played their season opener last night and were shut out 1-0 against the Montreal Canadiens despite firing 48 shots on goal.Source: Amanda Stein
Kuemper will start the Kings' season opener in Buffalo on Thursday. Kuemper was acquired via trade with the Washington Capitals in the offseason in exchange for Pierre-Luc Dubois. The 34-year-old Kuemper had a forgettable 2023-24 campaign, posting a career-worst 3.31 GAA and .890 SV% in 33 appearances (13-14-3). Before last season, Kuemper was the picture of consistency, posting a superb 2.53 GAA and .918 SV% in 225 games (112-80-24) in his previous five seasons combined. After a solid preseason performance, posting a 1.52 GAA, .918 SV%, and one shutout in three contests (2-1-0), Kuemper is motivated to return to his form of years past. The Kings enter action on Thursday as slight -104 road underdogs against the Buffalo Sabres.Source: Mike Harrington
Luukkonen will start on Thursday vs. Los Angeles. The Sabres alternated between Luukkonen and Devon Levi in their back-to-back set to open the season in Prague as part of the NHL Global Series and will return to Luukkonen between the pipes for their first contest in North America. Luukkonen struggled in his first game, allowing three goals on 22 shots (.864 SV%) but is coming off a splendid 2023-24 campaign where he posted an impressive 2.57 GAA and .910 SV% in 54 appearances (27-22-4). The Sabres enter action on Thursday as +100 home underdogs against the Los Angeles Kings.Source: Lance Lysowski
Primeau will start on Thursday in Boston. The Canadiens won their season opener 1-0 over the Toronto Maple Leafs last night, courtesy of an outstanding 48-save shutout performance by Sam Montembeault. However, the Canadiens will turn to Primeau between the pipes on Thursday for the tail end of their back-to-back set. The 25-year-old Primeau faced the heaviest workload of his young career last season and was impressive doing so, posting a solid 2.99 GAA and .910 SV% in 23 appearances (8-9-4). The Canadiens enter action on Thursday as sizeable +239 road underdogs against the Boston Bruins. Source: Montreal Canadiens
Swayman will start on Thursday vs. Montreal.Swayman missed the entirety of training camp due to ongoing contract negotiations and finally joined the team to serve as their backup in their first game of the season on Tuesday, a 6-4 loss to the Florida Panthers. Jonas Koorpisalo struggled immensely in the loss, allowing six goals on 35 shots (.829 SV%), likely thrusting Swayman back into the starter's crease sooner than expected. Swayman cemented his place in the Bruins' crease last season after posting a tremendous 2.53 GAA and .916 SV% in 44 games (25-10-8), ultimately leading to his massive eight-year, $66 million ($8,250,000 AAV) contract extension. Source: Fluto Shinzawa
Ingram will start on Thursday in New York. Ingram was solid in his season debut for the Utah Hockey Club on Tuesday, saving 24 of 26 shots (.923 SV%) in a 5-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. The 27-year-old Ingram made his mark known in the 2023-24 season, posting an impressive 2.91 GAA, .907 SV%, and six shutouts in 50 games (23-21-3). Utah HC plays their first road game on Thursday and is a +132 underdog against a New York Islanders club playing their first game of the season.Source: Cole Bagley
Varlamov will start the Islanders season opener on Thursday. Ilya Sorokin has fully recovered from offseason back surgery but will start the season backing up Varlamov, as he did for much of the stretch run and into the playoffs last season. Varlamov has a report with head coach Patrick Roy from their days with the Colorado Avalanche and could find himself in a position to garner more starts again this season if his play warrants it. The 36-year-old Varlamov is coming off a solid 2023-24 campaign, posting a .260 GAA and .918 SV% in 28 games (14-8-4). Source: Andrew Gross
Blomqvist will start Thursday in Detroit. Blomqvist will make his NHL debut on Thursday as the Penguins gear up to play their second game in as many nights to open their season. A former second-round pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, Blomqvist impressed with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL) last season, posting a .921 SV%, a 2.16 GAA and a 25-12-6 record across 45 appearances. He has a decent chance of starting his career off in the win column as the Penguins enter action as slight underdogs at +125 on Thursday. Source: Josh Getzoff
Husso will start Detroit's season opener on Thursday vs. Pittsburgh. The Red Wings enter the 2024-25 campaign without a firm starting netminder. Cam Talbot and Alex Lyon are both in the mix for heavy workloads this season but Husso will get the first opportunity to showcase his talents in their season opener against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday. The 29-year-old Husso spent most of the 2023-24 campaign battling injuries and was unreliable when called upon, posting a 3.55 GAA and .892 SV% in a limited 19-game sample size (9-5-2). Source: Carley Johnston
Merzlikins will start the Blue Jackets' season opener on Thursday in Minnesota. The Blue Jackets will turn to Merzlikins in their season opener on Thursday against the Minnesota Wild. After an outstanding rookie season in 2019-20, where he posted a 2.35 GAA, .923 SV%, and five shutouts in 33 games (13-9-8), Merzlikins' quality of play has tailed off significantly and has been borderline abysmal. In his last two seasons combined, Merzlikins has a horrid 3.77 GAA and .889 SV% in 71 appearances (20-35-10). The Blue Jackets enter action as +223 road underdogs against the Wild. Source: Jeff Svoboda
Gustavsson will start Minnesota's season opener on Thursday vs. Columbus. There is some uncertainty in Minnesota's crease this season with veteran Marc-Andre Fleury and rookie Jesper Wallstedt in the mix, but the club will turn to Gustavsson for their season opener on Thursday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 26-year-old Gustavsson showcased a winning pedigree in the 2022-23 season when he posted a remarkable 2.10 GAA and .931 SV% in 39 appearances (22-9-7), before posting a forgetful 3.06 GAA and .899 SV% in 45 2023-24 appearances (20-18-4). If Gustavsson is unable to revert to the talent he displayed two years ago, there will be two eager netminders waiting on deck to steal starts. Source: Michael Russo
Oettinger will start Dallas' season opener on Thursday in Nashville. To no one's surprise, Oettinger will start for the Stars in their season opener against the Nashville Predators, who will likely turn to Oettinger's former understudy between the pipes, Scott Wedgewood. With the departure of Wedgewood from Dallas, the Stars signed Casey DeSmith to serve as Oettinger's backup this season. The 33-year-old DeSmith has started more than 30 games only once in his career, an indication that Oettinger will likely start more than the 53 times he did last season. As an impending RFA, Oettinger will also be hoping to improve on his statistics from last season when he posted an unspectacular 2.72 GAA and .905 SV% in 54 appearances (35-14-4). Source: Owen Newkirk
Wedgewood will start the Predators' season opener against the Stars on Thursday. With starting netminder Juuse Saros temporarily sidelined due to a lower-body injury, Wedgewood will make his Predators debut in a matchup against his former club, the Dallas Stars. Wedgewood was a steadying force as the backup goalie for the Stars for three seasons, posting a reliable 2.83 GAA and .907 SV% in 61 appearances (28-16-11). The vastly improved Predators enter action as +109 home underdogs against a Dallas Stars club they are expected to battle with for supremacy in the Central Division this season.Source: Nick Kieser
Hofer will start on Thursday in San Jose. On the front end of a back-to-back, the Blues will turn to Hofer in the crease on Thursday evening against the San Jose Sharks. The Blues were victorious in their opening night contest in a 3-2 come-from-behind victory on Tuesday with Jordan Binnington in net against the Seattle Kraken. The 24-year-old Hofer had a steady workload last season as Binnington's backup, posting a solid 2.65 GAA, .913 SV%, and one shutout in 30 appearances (15-12-1). The Blues enter action as -154 road favorites against an improved Sharks club that finished 31st in the league offensively last season with 181 goals.Source: Jeremy Rutherford
Blackwood will start San Jose's season opener on Thursday vs. St.Louis. Yaroslav Askarov missed the entirety of training camp so he will begin the season with the San Jose Baracuda (AHL), leaving Blackwood and Vitek Vanecek to duel it out for the Sharks crease. Blackwood was serviceable last season, especially considering the Sharks ranked 31st offensively with 181 goals, posting a 3.45 GAA and .899 SV% in 44 games (10-25-4). After finishing dead last in the NHL last season, the Sharks should improve this season but still enter their opening night matchup as +140 home underdogs against the St. Louis Blues. Source: Max Miller