NHL Player News

McMichael scored a goal on 10 shots and went plus-2 in Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Rangers.

McMichael alone had over half as many shots as the Rangers had as a team. The 23-year-old had racked up 12 shots over his first seven outings, so this is likely a bit of an anomaly, but it was impressive nonetheless. McMichael is setting the stage for a breakout campaign with four goals, five assists, 22 shots and a plus-8 rating through eight contests this season. He's done that from a second-line role at even strength while also playing on both sides of special teams.

Protas scored a goal on three shots, added two assists and went plus-3 in Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Rangers.

Protas helped out on both of Alex Ovechkin's first-period tallies, then added a goal of his own in the second that stood as the game-winner. This was Protas' first multi-point effort of the campaign. The 23-year-old is seeing top-line usage at even strength, though he's not yet routinely in the power-play mix. He has two goals, five assists, 16 shots on net and a plus-4 rating over eight contests. Protas doesn't play with an edge, but he's got potential as a scoring-only option for fantasy managers.

McCann recorded two assists, including one on the power play, along with one shot and one block in Tuesday's 8-2 win over the Canadiens.

McCann assisted on a Ryker Evans' even-strength tally then was the primary helper on the second of Brandon Montour's two power-play markers. The two-point night extended the 28-year-old center's point streak to seven contests. McCann, who led the Kraken with 62 points in 2023-24, is off to a fast start with five goals and nine assists through 10 appearances.

Frost logged an assist, two hits and two PIM in Tuesday's 2-0 win over the Bruins.

Frost has two helpers over the last three games. The 25-year-old center continues to see reduced ice time -- he played 12:30 in Tuesday's contests and hasn't been over 14 minutes in four of his last five games. He's earned five assists (four on the power play), 24 shots on net, nine hits, 10 blocked shots, eight PIM and a minus-11 rating over 10 appearances this season. While Frost's talent is evident, he needs to clean up his overall game to get back in the good graces of head coach John Tortorella.

McDavid (lower body) returned to Edmonton for further evaluation and won't suit up Thursday in Nashville, per The Athletic.

McDavid sustained the injury on his first shift of Monday's game in Columbus. The Oilers did not provide an update on his status Tuesday, so the severity of the injury remains unknown. His earliest possible return is Sunday versus the Flames, but until the results of his tests are known, it's tough to tell when he might next take the ice.

Colton (foot) was placed on injured reserve Tuesday, per the NHL media site.

Colton suffered the injury in Monday's 5-2 loss to Chicago. He has compiled eight goals, one assist, 37 shots on net, nine blocked shots and 28 hits across 10 appearances this season. A timetable for Colton's return is unclear, but he will miss at least the next two games following his placement on the IR list. If Jonathan Drouin (upper body) and Artturi Lehkonen (shoulder) remain out versus Tampa Bay on Wednesday, Nikolai Kovalenko might move up to the top line, and Ivan Ivan could get an increase in power-play time.

Wennberg scored a power-play goal on six shots, added an assist and went plus-4 in Monday's 5-4 overtime win over Utah.

Wennberg helped out on Tyler Toffoli's game-tying goal before scoring the game-winner himself at 1:26 of overtime. The standout number here is six shots -- that matches Wennberg's career high for shots in a game, a mark he last achieved Oct. 14, 2014 in his rookie campaign. The playmaking center has four points, 15 shots on net, 10 blocked shots and a minus-4 rating through 10 outings this season, with all of his points coming over the last three contests.

Smith logged an assist and two shots on goal in Monday's 5-2 win over the Avalanche.

Smith has found a little chemistry with Lukas Reichel on the fourth line early in the campaign. The 35-year-old Smith has three goals and two assists over his last five games, accounting for all of his offense through eight outings this season. The winger has added 15 shots on net, eight hits, eight blocked shots and a minus-2 rating. Smith's offense will likely fade given his role on a rebuilding team, but he may be worth a look as a streaming option for Thursday's game against the Sharks.

Vilardi scored a goal on two shots and added a power-play assist in Monday's 6-4 loss to the Maple Leafs.

The Jets didn't get much depth scoring in their first loss of the season, but the top line was in fine form. Vilardi, Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor combined for all four goals and a total of eight points in the loss. Vilardi hasn't started as well as his linemates but still has two goals, six points (three on the power play), 12 shots on net and a minus-4 rating over nine outings. As long as he's on the top line, the 25-year-old should be a reliable scoring-only option for fantasy managers.

O'Reilly scored a power-play goal on three shots in Monday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Lightning.

O'Reilly continues to offer steady offense from the top line. He's gotten on the scoresheet in seven of nine games so far, and two of his three goals have come on the power play. The center has a total of eight points, 17 shots on net, eight blocked shots and a minus-4 rating while averaging 20:53 of ice time.