NHL Player News

Draisaitl scored a goal on five shots and went plus-2 in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Kraken.

Draisaitl's tally at 17:33 of the third period stood as the game-winner. The 30-year-old has three goals, two assists, 15 shots and a plus-4 rating across three contests this season. Draisaitl is also playing on the right wing on Edmonton's top line, so he could gain positional versatility in fantasy this year if he continues to stick in that spot while the Oilers deal with numerous injuries.

Pinchuk was recalled from AHL Milwaukee on Sunday.

Pinchuk played for the Admirals in Saturday's contest before he was called back up to the majors ahead of the Predators' three-game week. He nearly made Nashville Opening Night roster after he posted an effective season with KHL Minsk in 2025-26, compiling 31 goals and 66 points across 65 regular-season outings. His move to the majors in the regular season displays that the Predators want to find a role for him in the 2026-27 campaign, but it remains to be seen if his role will warrant any fantasy relevance this season.

Cooley pocketed two power-play assists in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Blue Jackets.

Both helpers came in the third period as the Mammoth put the game away. Cooley has three assists through two games, all with the man advantage, but the 22-year-old has yet to find the back of the net as he looks to deliver his fourth straight 20-goal campaign.

Schmaltz scored two goals, one the game-winner and the other on the power play, on a game-high eight shots on net in Saturday's 4-1 victory over the Blue Jackets.

The 30-year-old gave the Mammoth a 2-0 lead late in the first period before wrapping up the scoring midway through the third. Schmaltz potted a career-high 33 goals and 74 points in 2025-26 over 82 regular-season games, and he's already tickled twine three times in his first two contests this season.

Kindel tallied a power-play goal, fired five shots on net and dished out two hits in Saturday's 6-5 overtime win over Montreal.

After starting the new season on injured reserve, Kindel was cleared before Saturday's contest and made a big impact with his power-play goal. The 19-year-old center had one of the steadiest rookie campaigns across the NHL in 2025-26, where he compiled 17 goals, 35 points, 151 shots on net, 30 hits and 58 blocked shots across 77 regular-season games. Now that he's back in the lineup, Kindel should continue to center a line in Pittsburgh's middle six for the foreseeable future. If you stashed him on your IR spot in deep fantasy leagues, hold onto him while he's off to a strong start.

Aho scored two goals, one on the power play, and added a power-play assist in Saturday's 3-2 overtime win over the Flyers.

Carolina's No. 1 center found the back of the net just 10 seconds into the game, then tied the game at 2-2 early in the third before helping to set up Shayne Gostisbehere for the OT winner. Aho has collected three goals and four points through three games to begin the season as he looks to reach 30 goals for the sixth time and 80 points for the fifth time.

McDavid scored a goal and added an assist in Saturday's 3-1 win over Seattle.

Both points came in the third period as the Oilers broke open a 1-1 tie. McDavid has been locked in to begin the season, recording three straight multi-point performances while racking up two goals and nine points as he looks to defend his Art Ross Trophy win from 2025-26, when he piled up 138 points (48 goals and 90 helpers) in 82 regular-season games.

Malkin scored a power-play goal, distributed two assists and served two PIM in Saturday's 6-5 overtime win over the Canadiens.

After scoring a power-play goal during the Penguins' Opening Night matchup, Malkin replicated that performance and more Saturday. He tallied the lone goal of the first period before later assisting his linemate Tommy Novak twice, which included his pass on the game-winning goal. Through two appearances, Malkin is up to four points, a plus-two rating and three shots on net. He was held to just four power-play goals a season ago, so already posting two tallies with a man advantage is an encouraging sign for the 21-year NHL veteran. Regardless, Malkin has displayed that he has enough juice left in the tank to be a leader for the Pens' offense in 2026-27, where we fantasy managers could expect to see him post another campaign with 60-plus points.

McMann scored a power-play goal in Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Oilers.

The 30-year-old tied the game at 1-1 in the second period by going top shelf on Devon Levi from below the faceoff dot, but it was the only offense the Kraken could muster. McMann produced career highs with 29 goals and 46 points last season in 78 regular-season games split between Seattle and Toronto, and he'll have a good chance to repeat those numbers in a top-six role and spot on the first power-play unit.

Novak scored two goals, including the OT winner, dished out an assist and placed three shots on net in Saturday's 6-5 overtime win over Montreal.

Novak emerged as the hero in Saturday's contest, as he found the back on a one-time slapshot off a feed from Evgeni Malkin. The 29-year-old Novak also picked up two points in the second period, including his first goal of the 2026-27 season. Across the Penguins first two games, half of his four points have been posted on the power play, where he is set to play with the team's first unit, at least until Bryan Rust (upper body) returns. Novak is off to a solid start, making him a decent streaming option in fantasy given his current role as the team's No. 2 center.