NHL Player News
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Laurent Brossoit G | CHI
Blackhawks' Laurent Brossoit: Goalie goal in AHL win
Brossoit (hip) stopped 33 of 36 shots and scored a goal in AHL Rockford's 5-3 win over Milwaukee on Friday.
Brossoit has gone 2-1-0 with 10 goals allowed on 100 shots over his first three games on his conditioning loan. He was loaned Dec. 2 and can stay with the IceHogs for two weeks, so he is starting to run out of time. The Blackhawks are looking for a change of scenery for the netminder, who is coming off surgeries on his knee and hip that have kept him out of action since April of 2024. If no trade can be arranged, he could be waived to stay with Rockford, though it doesn't look like he'll immediately be in contention for NHL action.
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Philipp Grubauer G | SEA
Kraken's Philipp Grubauer: Getting start versus Mammoth
Grubauer will guard the road goal Friday versus the Mammoth, per Circling Seattle Sports.
Grubauer will make his second start in the last three games. While he took a loss versus the Wild on Monday, he stopped 25 of 27 shots. Grubauer is carving out a larger role amid Joey Daccord's recent struggles, and it's possible the two goalies share the crease for a while going forward.
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Spencer Knight G | CHI
Blackhawks' Spencer Knight: In goal Friday
Knight will protect the road goal versus the Blues on Friday, Matthew DeFranks of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Knight posted a shutout in a 3-0 win over the Rangers on Wednesday to pick up his third win in his last five outings. The 24-year-old continues to operate as the Blackhawks' No. 1 in goal. This is a favorable matchup for him Friday, as the Blues are coming off a 7-2 loss to the Predators on Thursday.
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Joel Hofer G | STL
Blues' Joel Hofer: Tending twine versus Blackhawks
Hofer will guard the home goal versus the Blackhawks on Friday, Lou Korac of NHL.com reports.
Hofer will get the starting nod after making a relief appearance versus the Predators on Thursday. The 25-year-old has been gaining momentum in the crease amid Jordan Binnington's recent struggles. A strong showing from Hofer on Friday could help him carve out more playing time.
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Lukas Dostal G | ANA
Ducks' Lukas Dostal: Activated Friday
Dostal (upper body) was activated off injured reserve Friday.
Dostal hasn't been between the pipes since Nov. 22 due to the injury. He's 11-5-1 with a 2.81 GAA and a .904 save percentage in 17 outings this year. Vyacheslav Buteyets was returned to ECHL Tulsa in a corresponding move. Dostal should now serve as the No. 1 goaltender. Ville Husso will shift to the No. 2 job, but once Petr Mrazek (lower body) is ready to return, he might take that spot from Husso.
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Vyacheslav Buteyets G | ANA
Ducks' Vyacheslav Buteyets: Sent down Friday
Buteyets was assigned to ECHL Tulsa on Friday.
Buteyets was called up by Anaheim at the beginning of December, but he made just one appearance during his time with the NHL club. He'll head back to the minors after Lukas Dostal (upper body) was activated off injured reserve, and Buteyets should see more consistent playing time with Tulsa.
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Joel Hofer G | STL
Blues' Joel Hofer: Makes relief appearance
Hofer stopped six of seven shots in relief of Jordan Binnington in Thursday's 7-2 loss to the Predators.
Hofer played the third period and gave up a power-play goal to Michael Bunting. Hofer has allowed seven goals on 117 shots over his last five outings, two of which have come in relief. If he keeps this up, the 25-year-old could end up taking over the starting role for the Blues, though the team's overall struggles will still keep Hofer from being much of an option in fantasy.
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Connor Hellebuyck G | WPG
Jets' Connor Hellebuyck: Nearing return to action
Hellebuyck (knee) is "getting closer" to returning to action, according to head coach Scott Arniel, who wouldn't rule out the netminder playing against Washington at home Saturday, Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press reports.
Hellebuyck appears to be well ahead of schedule, even if he isn't ready to suit up right away Saturday. Prior to getting hurt, the 32-year-old netminder was putting up pedestrian numbers by his standards, going 8-6-0 with a 2.51 GAA in 14 outings. Hellebuyck will need to seriously step up his game down the stretch if he is going to take home a third straight Vezina Trophy.
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Andrei Vasilevskiy G | TB
Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Could return Monday
Head coach Jon Cooper said Friday that Vasilevskiy (undisclosed) could return to action Monday against the Panthers, Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Vasilevskiy has missed the last five games due to his undisclosed injury, and he'll be unavailable for at least one more matchup Saturday against the Islanders. However, he practiced Friday and could be able to return from injured reserve as early as Monday. Over 19 appearances prior to his absence, he went 11-6-2 with a 2.31 GAA and .916 save percentage.
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Karel Vejmelka G | UTA
Mammoth's Karel Vejmelka: Between pipes against Seattle
Vejmelka was the first goalie off during Friday's morning skate, Brogan Houston of Deseret News Sports reports, indicating that he'll draw the home start against the Kraken.
Vejmelka has been relatively effective recently, posting a 2.33 GAA and .920 save percentage over his last six appearances, but he has a lackluster 2-3-0 record during that time. He'll have a favorable matchup Friday, as the Kraken are scoring just 2.50 goals per game this year, which is tied for the worst mark in the NHL.