Player news from trusted outlets
Combined summaries and individual breaking-news reports, all in one recency-first feed.
Philipp Grubauer is scheduled to make his first start of the new campaign on the road against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday. Grubauer posted a 2.65 GAA and a .909 save percentage across 32 appearances with Seattle during the 2025-26 regular season. He faces a depleted Edmonton squad missing key forwards Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Matt Savoie, though the Oilers have already scored 14 goals over two games.
Devon Levi is slated to protect the home goal against the Seattle Kraken on Saturday. Levi earned a victory in his season debut on Thursday against Vancouver despite allowing seven goals on 22 shots. While Tristan Jarry remains a veteran option behind him following a loss on Opening Night, Levi gets the nod once again as he looks to stabilize his performance in net for his second consecutive start of the young season.
Sebastian Cossa is slated to make his season debut on the road against Columbus on Saturday. Cossa serves as the firmly established No. 2 goaltender for the Utah Mammoth behind Karel Vejmelka, who earned a 15-save shutout in the team's season opener against Chicago. Vejmelka is projected to handle the majority of the workload this season, leaving Cossa to make spot starts such as Saturday's matchup.
Gustav Forsling is dealing with an upper-body injury and is expected to be a game-time decision for Sunday's matchup in Anaheim, per Jameson Olive. Forsling previously missed Thursday's 4-3 overtime loss to San Jose. If able to play, he will likely serve in a top-four capacity. Florida is managing roster limits after Aleksander Barkov exited Thursday's game with a knee injury, leaving the Panthers deciding whether Forsling can return or if they must summon a replacement from the minors.
Pyotr Kochetkov will guard the road goal against Philadelphia on Saturday for his season debut, per Walt Ruff. Brandon Bussi started the first two games for Carolina, going 0-1-1 while surrendering six goals on 47 shots. Kochetkov posted a 6-2-0 record with a 2.33 GAA and an .899 save percentage across nine appearances during the 2025-26 regular season. The Philadelphia squad enters the matchup having scored just two goals through their first two games of the campaign.
Spencer Knight will start in goal for the Chicago Blackhawks in Saturday's road matchup against the Buffalo Sabres. The 25-year-old netminder is seeking his first victory of the new season after taking a loss in Opening Night's 5-2 defeat to the Vegas Golden Knights, where he stopped 32 of 36 shots. Knight is coming off a 2025-26 campaign in which he posted a 19-25-11 record, 2.82 GAA, .902 save percentage, and three shutouts over 55 games.
Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov has been placed on long-term injured reserve following a left leg injury sustained against San Jose on Thursday. Barkov fell awkwardly in a board battle with Darnell Nurse and will miss at least 10 games and 24 days. Head coach Paul Maurice noted Barkov will see team physicians on Monday to determine the full extent. This comes after Barkov missed the entire 2025-26 season with torn right knee ligaments.
Devin Cooley is slated to make his first start of the campaign on the road against Vancouver on Saturday. Cooley recorded a 10-10-6 record with a 2.69 GAA and a .909 save percentage across 31 regular-season appearances with the Calgary Flames during the 2025-26 season. He faces a tough test against a potent Canucks offense that averaged 6.50 goals per game in its opening two matchups against Edmonton.
Anton Forsberg is set to make his first start of the 2026-27 campaign in Saturday's road clash against the Sharks, taking over after Darcy Kuemper started the opener. Forsberg posted a 16-12-5 record, a 2.57 GAA, and a .909 save percentage across 36 games last season. If he maintains his strong form, he could push Kuemper for playing time and provides a solid streaming option against a young San Jose offense.
Dylan Garand turned aside all 22 shots he faced in a 2-0 win over Detroit, securing his first career shutout in his fourth NHL game. Recalled from Hartford after Joonas Korpisalo went on IR with a lower-body injury, the 24-year-old rookie earned high praise from coach Mike Sullivan. Garand hopes his stellar performance will help him secure the reliable backup role behind Igor Shesterkin as the Rangers navigate a demanding early schedule.
Yaroslav Askarov will protect the home net against the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday, coming off a 23-save performance in a 4-3 overtime win over Florida on Thursday. Askarov carries a 3-1-0 record, 2.94 GAA, and .878 save percentage across four previous regular-season outings against the Kings, facing a Los Angeles squad looking to bounce back from an 8-4 loss to Colorado.
Casey DeSmith will defend the road net against Nashville on Saturday, taking the second half of Dallas' back-to-back after Jake Oettinger played in Friday's 4-0 loss to St. Louis. The 35-year-old netminder looks to build on a solid 2025-26 campaign where he posted a 15-8-6 record, a 2.43 GAA, and a .907 save percentage across 30 regular-season appearances for the Stars.
Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Bowen Byram will miss Saturday's game against his former team, the Buffalo Sabres, due to a personal family matter. Byram, who signed a six-year, $75 million deal after being traded from Buffalo in June, has gone pointless through two games this season with a minus-4 rating. With Byram unavailable and Sam Rinzel scratched, defensemen Kevin Korchinski and Ethan Del Mastro are set to step into the lineup.
Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will take the home crease Saturday against the Chicago Blackhawks. Luukkonen looks to bounce back after allowing five goals on 22 shots in Thursday's 6-3 defeat to the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Finnish netminder holds an impressive 6-0-0 career regular-season record against Chicago, boasting a 1.67 GAA and a .928 save percentage across six career outings.
Colorado Avalanche goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood is expected to protect the home net against St. Louis on Saturday after being the first goalie off the morning skate. Blackwood is poised for his second start, having made 27 saves in Wednesday's 8-4 win over the Kings. The Blues enter after earning a 4-0 victory over Dallas on Friday.
Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes will defend the road net against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday. Dobes previously made 26 saves in a 3-2 win over Toronto on Tuesday. Saturday's matchup serves as Pittsburgh's home opener following a convincing 7-0 road win over Philadelphia on Wednesday.
Seattle Kraken forward Mackie Samoskevich (upper body) was activated from injured reserve on Saturday. After missing Thursday's 6-1 win over Calgary, he appears poised to return to the lineup against Edmonton. Samoskevich secured a top-six role and a spot on the second power-play unit during training camp. Jacob Melanson was placed on the IR list in a corresponding move.
Nico Daws will guard the road net against the New York Islanders on Saturday, according to Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site. Daws posted a 2-1-0 record while allowing eight goals on 87 shots across three NHL appearances for New Jersey during the 2025-26 regular season. He will match up against an Islanders team playing their home opener following a 2-1 road loss to Toronto on Wednesday.
Arturs Silovs will protect the home net for the Pittsburgh Penguins against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday, according to Michelle Crechiolo of the team's official site. Silovs comes into the matchup fresh off a 19-save performance in a 7-0 shutout victory over Philadelphia on Wednesday. During the 2025-26 season, the netminder stopped 22 shots to lead Pittsburgh to a 3-2 shootout win over Montreal on Dec. 21, 2025.
Jakob Chychrun picked up right where he left off last season, recording a power-play goal and an assist in the Washington Capitals' 5-2 season-opening victory against the Carolina Hurricanes. The 28-year-old defenseman added three shots on goal and two penalty minutes to his stat line. Chychrun is coming off a stellar 2025-26 campaign where he posted 60 points across 80 regular-season games and led all NHL blueliners with 26 goals.
