NHL Player News

Lavoie (undisclosed) will play Thursday versus the Maple Leafs, per Ryan Wallis of Fox Sports Las Vegas.

Lavoie missed the first four games of the campaign due to the undisclosed injury. His return coincides with Victor Olofsson's exit from the lineup due to an undisclosed injury that has left him labeled week-to-week. Lavoie will fill a bottom-six role to start his season.

Celebrini (lower body) is considered a game-time decision for Thursday's game against the Blues, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports.

Celebrini is considered day-to-day after he was a late scratch for Monday's game against the Stars due to a lower-body injury. He participated in Thursday's morning skate after being evaluated over the past few days, but the Sharks will wait to see how he feels in the hours leading up to Thursday's puck drop before determining his status against St. Louis. Ty Dellandrea is a candidate to remain in the lineup if Celebrini is unavailable.

James (hand) will not be in the lineup versus the Wild on Thursday, Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

There had been some speculation that James might be ready to make his season debut versus the Wild, but it seems he will have to wait at least one more outing. For now, the Lightning will continue utilizing seven defensemen while the 24-year-old winger is on the shelf, though they could shift up their deployment when he returns.

Carlsson logged two power-play assists, two PIM and a minus-2 rating in Wednesday's 5-2 loss to the Oilers.

Carlsson has multiple points in three straight games to begin the season. He's done it mostly as a playmaker, earning one goal, six assists (five on the power play), two shots on net, three blocked shots and a minus-2 rating. The 21-year-old is centering the top line and should be a steady source of offense throughout the campaign.

Draisaitl recorded four assists, two shots on goal, two hits and a plus-4 rating in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Ducks.

Draisaitl played facilitator during the Oilers' five-goal second period, assisting on all of their even-strength tallies. All of the helpers were primary assists. Draisaitl hasn't gotten quite as much buzz as Connor McDavid or Evan Bouchard to start the year, but he's been virtually just as important. Draisaitl has three goals, six assists, 17 shots on net, three hits and a plus-8 rating over four contests this season.

McDavid scored a goal, dished two assists (including one on the power play), added two hits and went plus-4 in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Ducks.

McDavid has multiple points in all four of the Oilers' games this season. The 29-year-old superstar has three goals, nine assists, eight shots on net, four hits, three blocked shots and a plus-11 rating. McDavid is already in his usual spot atop the points leaderboard, though this pace is above even his lofty abilities. He'll be a force on offense all season as long as he avoids injuries.

Svechkov scored a goal on two shots, dished an assist, added two PIM and went plus-2 in Wednesday's 3-2 loss to the Jets.

Svechkov has opened the season as the Avalanche's third-line center. The 23-year-old typically plays more of a defensive role, so it's unlikely he'll be a major force on offense. These were his first two points of the season, and he's added four shots on net, two blocked shots, one hit and a plus-3 rating over three appearances.

Scheifele notched two assists and a plus-2 rating in Wednesday's 3-2 win over the Avalanche.

While linemates Kyle Connor and Cole Perfetti are off to hot starts this year, Scheifele had been left in the dust. He changed that Wednesday, setting up a goal for each of his wingers in this impressive win. Scheifele has added six shots on net, two hits and an even plus-minus rating. Even with the slow start, the 33-year-old center's top-line usage and history of strong offense should give fantasy managers confidence he'll get on track sooner rather than later.

Perfetti scored a goal on two shots and went plus-2 in Wednesday's 3-2 win over the Avalanche.

Perfetti's goal streak is up to three games, and he's yet to be held off the scoresheet this season. The 24-year-old winger has three goals, three assists, four power-play points, 12 shots on net, seven hits and a minus-1 rating over four appearances. Perfetti is playing right wing alongside the well-established top-line duo of Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor. If he stays there, Perfetti has a good chance of getting back to the 50-point mark after missing that threshold with 32 points over 68 outings in 2025-26.

Novak scored a goal on three shots and blocked two shots in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to the Capitals.

Novak has had a strong start to the year while centering the second line. He has three goals, two assists, eight shots on net, four blocked shots and a plus-2 rating over four appearances. Novak has topped the 40-point mark in three of the previous four years, so he's definitely worth considering in fantasy, though his contributions will be mostly limited to points and shots.