NHL Player News

Guentzel picked up an assist in Thursday's 4-3 win over Vegas.

Guentzel has recorded at least one point in each of his first three appearances of the season, totaling four assists during that time. Guentzel is known as a goal scorer, but he hasn't scored yet this season. There's no reason for concern -- he looks like a strong fit on the top line, and the goals will come. Last season, Guentzel scored 30 goals between Pittsburgh and Carolina, and he has two 40-goal campaigns in his career.

Strome tallied a goal, a minus-1 rating and two shots during Thursday's 3-2 win over the Stars.

Strome has points in all three appearances for the Capitals this season and is picking up right where he left off as Washington's leading scorer from the 2023-24 season. The 27-year-old is in a prime position on the first line alongside Alex Ovechkin and should be able to top the 60-point mark for a third consecutive season as long as he can stay healthy.

Johnson's upper-body injury looks like it will cost him time, but the Blue Jackets will know more on the 21-year-old's status Friday, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports.

Head coach Dean Evason had a similar reaction to Johnson's injury as the one Erik Gudbranson (upper body) suffered earlier in the week, which landed the defenseman on injured reserve. Johnson was off to a great start with five points in four appearances this season, but it looks like his potential breakout campaign will be paused. Kevin Labanc would likely draw back into the lineup if Johnson is officially ruled out for Saturday's game versus the Wild.

McMichael tallied an assist and fired two shots during Thursday's 3-2 win over the Stars.

McMichael fed Tom Wilson on Washington's opening goal less than a minute into the second period. McMichael is settling in well on the second line with two assists in three appearances to start the season, and he could be in for a breakout campaign if he can stay locked in as a top-six forward.

Back tallied a short-handed assist while logging 9:02 of ice time during Thursday's 3-2 loss to the Capitals.

Back's helper was his first career NHL point and comes in his fifth NHL appearance after signing a one-year contract with Dallas in June. The third-round pick from the 2018 NHL Entry Draft could be returning to the minors before too long since Tyler Seguin (lower body) is nearing a return.

Blackwell tallied a short-handed goal and added two shots and three hits during Thursday's 3-2 loss to the Capitals.

Blackwell opened the scoring on a short-handed breakaway in the first period. The 31-year-old winger has a goal and two points in five appearances to start the season, but he's not expected to generate much fantasy relevance this season unless he can carve out a more meaningful role.

Johnson left Thursday's game against Buffalo due to an upper-body injury and won't return.

Johnson registered an assist in 6:26 of ice time before exiting the contest. The Blue Jackets' next game is Saturday against Minnesota. If Johnson isn't available for that clash, then Kevin Labanc might draw into the lineup.

Seguin (lower body) has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Capitals and is considered day-to-day.

Seguin saw at least 14 minutes of ice time in each of his first three appearances of the season, but he's dealing with a lower-body injury that will force him to miss a second consecutive game. However, it doesn't appear as though the Stars expect him to miss significant time since he's labeled as day-to-day. His next chance to suit up will be at home against the Oilers on Saturday.

Domi recorded two assists and went plus-3 in Wednesday's 6-2 win over the Kings.

Domi helped out on goals by Bobby McMann and Morgan Rielly as the Maple Leafs jumped out to a 5-0 lead through two periods. Domi has settled into a playmaking role on the second line, providing five assists and a plus-6 rating over four contests. He has just two shots on goal so far, and while he's not a particularly high-volume shooter, he'll get more looks over time. The 29-year-old's place alongside William Nylander makes Domi an interesting depth option in fantasy.

McLeod scored a goal on two shots and added two PIM in Wednesday's 6-5 overtime loss to the Penguins.

McLeod's Sabres career got off to a slow start with no points over his first three games. With the team's offense showing more life, he's picked up a goal and an assist over the last two contests while filling a third-line role with minimal power-play time. The 25-year-old center was acquired from Edmonton over the summer after racking up 30 points in 81 regular-season games in 2023-24. He should be able to produce at a similar rate this year.