NHL Player News

Nugent-Hopkins scored a goal on four shots and went plus-2 in Friday's 4-0 win over the Penguins.

Nugent-Hopkins quickly stretched the Oilers' lead to 3-0 just 16 seconds into the third period, squashing the Penguins' chances of a comeback. This was his first goal of the campaign, and he's now gotten on the scoresheet in three straight games. The 31-year-old forward is at four points, 15 shots on net and an even plus-minus rating through eight contests. Nugent-Hopkins' offense is reliant on the Oilers' power play, so fantasy managers will want to be patient with him as the team tries to jump-start its offense.

Draisaitl scored a goal on three shots in Friday's 4-0 win over the Penguins.

The Oilers dominated play for quite a while before Draisaitl snapped in a shot at 13:00 of the second period for the opening goal. The 28-year-old is on a five-game point streak (three goals, three assists), a span in which the Oilers have won three games. For the season, he's at four goals, seven points, 19 shots on net, four hits and 10 PIM over eight contests.

Smith scored a goal on two shots and blocked four shots in Friday's 3-2 loss to the Predators.

Smith has three goals this season, all of which have come over his last three games. The 35-year-old winger continues to play in a fourth-line role when he's in the lineup, limiting his scoring potential. He's added 12 shots on net, six hits, seven blocked shots and a minus-3 rating through six appearances.

Bedard scored a goal on four shots in Friday's 3-2 loss to the Predators.

Bedard gave the Blackhawks a 2-0 lead in the second period. The tally was his second of the season, and this was the first time Bedard had just one point in a game -- he's posted three multi-point efforts and four zeroes so far. The 19-year-old star has two goals, six assists, 29 shots on net and a minus-2 rating over eight contests. While there are still some struggles ahead for the Blackhawks, Bedard remains one of the league's best young players.

Novak logged a power-play assist in Friday's 3-2 win over the Blackhawks.

Novak earned his first helper of the season on Brady Skjei's third-period tally, which was the game-winner. The 27-year-old Novak has four points, 16 shots on net and a plus-1 rating through seven contests so far. His ice time was limited to 10:45 in Friday's win, though it's unclear if he's in danger of being a healthy scratch. He'll have limited fantasy value in a bottom-six role, though if he can turn his performance around, he could be a candidate for the second line again.

Nyquist scored a shorthanded goal, dished an assist and went plus-2 in Friday's 3-2 win over the Blackhawks.

Nyquist set up Filip Forsberg's goal at 13:41 of the second period before scoring the game-tying goal himself on a shorthanded rush just over three minutes later. After opening the year with no points over four games, Nyquist has two goals and two assists over his last three contests. The top-line winger has added 10 shots on net and an even plus-minus rating through seven appearances. Nyquist is more of a complementary player who should offer assists and power-play production on a fairly consistent basis.

Cotter notched an assist in Friday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Islanders.

After a hot start to the campaign, Cotter has been limited to two points over his last seven games. The 24-year-old winger has seen the occasional top-six look, but his playing style is best suited for third-line usage. He's at five goals, two assists, 20 shots on net, 31 hits, six PIM and a minus-2 rating over 11 appearances. Cotter's ability to rack up hits gives him some appeal in deep formats, though he can be streamed when his offense is hot.

Hischier scored a goal on three shots and blocked two shots in Friday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Islanders.

Hischier took a share of the NHL goals lead with his eighth tally of the season. He's been particularly good lately with five goals and a helper over his last four games. The two-way center has 11 points, 39 shots on net, nine blocked shots and a plus-2 rating through 11 contests overall. Hischier will continue to see top-six minutes and ample power-play time as one of the Devils' most reliable forwards.

Pageau notched a power-play assist, two shots on goal and three hits in Friday's 4-3 overtime win over the Devils.

Pageau earned his first power-play point of the year on an Anders Lee tally in the first period. The 31-year-old Pageau has a total of three points, 13 shots on net, 14 hits and a minus-2 rating over seven contests. The defensive center continues to play on the third line at even strength, though he'll have a bit more upside as long as he's on the top power-play unit.

Barzal registered an assist, four shots on goal and two blocked shots in Friday's 4-3 overtime win over the Devils.

Barzal found Bo Horvat for the game-winning goal in overtime. The 27-year-old Barzal is up to four points, 16 shots on net, eight blocked shots and a plus-1 rating through seven contests. His spot on the top line is secure, and his offense should more or less mirror the Islanders' overall production -- they've been inconsistent as a team with three shutout losses so far, which partially explains Barzal's somewhat limited offense.