NHL Player News

Talbot posted a 15-save shutout in Thursday's 4-0 preseason win over the Penguins.

Talbot looked good, though he was essentially up against the AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton roster. With three goals allowed on 41 shots over two games this preseason, Talbot has put in a good audition for the backup role behind Jet Greaves. Pheonix Copley, who cleared waivers Thursday, is also in the mix for that spot, but he can be moved to the AHL without needing waivers again for the next 30 days, which gives Talbot a bit more security.

Murashov allowed three goals on 16 shots in Thursday's 4-0 preseason loss to the Blue Jackets.

Murashov was playing behind a largely AHL-level roster for this game, while the Blue Jackets brought a more experienced group. He has allowed three goals on 29 shots over two appearances this preseason. As a rookie, Murashov could be given another chance to play Saturday versus the Sabres, though the Penguins may want to give Arturs Silovs a second chance to get work in after he gave up seven goals versus the Red Wings on Tuesday. Murashov may have to settle for timeshare usage early in 2026-27, but he'll get every chance to win the No. 1 job outright.

Tarasov stopped 17 of 19 shots in a 3-2 overtime win over the Sabres on Thursday.

Tarasov played the full contest. He looks ready for the regular season after allowing just two goals on 34 shots over his two preseason appearances so far. The 27-year-old is projected to serve as John Gibson's backup in 2026-27.

Ellis stopped 16 of 18 shots in Thursday's 3-2 preseason overtime loss to the Red Wings.

It's not clear if it was planned for Ellis to play in this game, but he ended up checking in when Alex Lyon (upper body) got hurt in the first period. Ellis put in a decent performance despite the overtime loss. The 25-year-old netminder would handle a traditional backup role if Lyon is out for any length of time, though both goalies may still end up on the roster after head coach Lindy Ruff indicated before camp that the Sabres are ready to roster three netminders again in 2026-27. Ellis made 16 appearances in the 2025-26 regular season under similar circumstances, posting a 2.90 GAA and a .903 save percentage.

Lyon sustained an upper-body injury in the first period of Thursday's preseason game against the Red Wings, Rachel Lenzi of The Buffalo News reports.

Lyon was injured diving for a puck late in the first frame. He stopped seven of eight shots prior to his early exit. The Sabres were already planning on carrying three goalies to start 2026-27, but if Lyon misses time, expect Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to be the starter with Colten Ellis featuring as the backup.

Cossa is slated to start in Thursday's preseason road game against Vegas, per Jesse Granger of The Athletic.

Cossa had a 2.33 GAA and a .915 save percentage in 39 regular-season appearances in 2025-26. This will be his second game of the 2026 preseason after he turned aside 11 of 12 shots across 40 minutes manning the net during Sunday's 4-1 loss to Colorado.

Cooley will tend the twine on the road in Thursday's preseason game versus the Kraken, per the NHL media site.

Cooley stopped 19 of 22 shots in a 4-2 loss versus the Kraken in Calgary on Sunday. He'll get another shot in Seattle as he makes his second preseason appearance. Cooley was effective in the backup role in 2025-26, and he'll likely see similar usage behind Dustin Wolf in 2026-27, though the weakness of the Flames' roster could make it difficult to replicate last year's numbers.

Husso will protect the road goal in Thursday's preseason game versus the Sharks, Max Miller of NHL.com reports.

Husso is set for his first start of the preseason. He's projected to be the backup to Lukas Dostal to begin the 2026-27 campaign. Husso went 10-8-2 with a 3.25 GAA and an .884 save percentage over 20 regular-season outings in 2025-26.

Grubauer will protect the home goal Thursday in a preseason game versus the Flames, per Sound of Hockey.

Grubauer stopped 15 of 16 shots against the Flames over two periods in his start Sunday. The 34-year-old netminder will make his last appearance of the preseason in this contest. Grubauer is set to open the year as Joey Daccord's backup, though the two could operate more as a tandem if one doesn't pull away from the other in terms of performance.

Jarry will protect the road goal in Thursday's preseason game versus the Canucks, per the NHL media site.

Jarry will get the nod behind a largely untested lineup, so this could be a challenging preseason outing for him. It's his second game of the preseason, so he won't be between the pipes Saturday against the Flames. Jarry and Devon Levi are competing for the No. 1 job for the Oilers, and it's not yet clear who will get the Opening Night start against the Canucks on Tuesday.