NHL Player News

Barkov sustained an apparent left leg injury Thursday versus the Sharks, but an update on his status isn't expected until Friday, Panthers TV Rinkside Reporter Katie Engleson reports.

Barkov's injury isn't related at all to his devastating right ACL and MCL injuries from last year. His left leg buckled underneath him as he fell to the ice in a board battle during the second period Thursday, and Barkov was visibly upset when he left the ice. While it's definitely possible he'll miss time, the severity of the injury won't be known until his evaluation is completed.

Zibanejad had a goal and an assist in Thursday's 5-1 win over the Lightning.

Zibanejad opened the scoring in the first on the power play. It was a huge confidence boost for the team at home, as they didn't score at Madison Square Garden last season until 57 seconds into their fourth game. Zibanejad is fresh off a 34-goal, 78-point season, the third-highest point total of his career. This is his 16th season. His 35 power-play points last season was the second-highest total of his career.

Hughes scored the game-winning goal to lift the Devils to a 3-2 overtime win over the Flyers on Thursday.

Hughes took a pass down the slot from Jesper Bratt on what was essentially a 2-on-0 and made no mistake. The 25-year-old pivot delivered 77 points, including 27 goals, in 61 games last season -- that's a 104-point pace. Unfortunately, Hughes hasn't managed a full season in his career -- his best year came with 99 points in 78 games in 2022-23. That earned him an eighth-place finish in the Hart voting that season. Since then, he has missed at least 20 games each season, averaging 74 points. The Devils need a healthy Hughes to get them to the postseason this year.

Broz (lower body) was taken off non-roster injured reserve and reassigned to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Thursday, per the AHL's official site.

Broz had 16 goals, 39 points and 41 PIM in 47 regular-season appearances with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in 2025-26. The 23-year-old is expected to spend the majority of the campaign in the minors, but there is a real chance of him getting an opportunity to play for Pittsburgh at some point during 2026-27.

Kindel (lower body) was cleared to take contact during Thursday's practice, Wes Crosby of NHL.com reports.

Kindel skated with the fourth line while Blake Lizotte (lower body) was sidelined. Given how well the trio of Filip Hallander, Hendrix Lapierre and Ville Koivunen performed in the season opener, Kindel could find himself relegated to a fourth-line role once activated off injured reserve.

Sissons scored a goal on two shots, added two hits and blocked two shots in Wednesday's 2-1 win over the Islanders.

Sissons tallied in the first period for his first goal as a Maple Leaf. The 32-year-old defensive forward has slotted onto the third line to begin his tenure in Toronto. For the second year in a row, he is ostensibly serving as a team's replacement for Nicolas Roy, as the Maple Leafs dealt that forward to Colorado at the trade deadline last year. Sissons has a little less scoring upside, but he should be able to do better than his 11-point effort over 66 regular-season games with the Golden Knights last year. Sissons also missed the 100-hit mark for the first time in five years in 2025-26, but he's already racked up six hits and three blocks over two games in 2026-27.

Head coach Todd McLellan said Thursday that Larkin (upper body) will be out for Friday's game against the Rangers and Sunday's game against the Jets, Max Bultman of The Athletic reports.

Larkin was sidelined during training camp due to an upper-body injury but has been practicing recently. He's considered day-to-day, but he'll be held out for the Red Wings' first two games of the regular season. Across 74 regular-season appearances with Detroit last year, the 30-year-old logged 34 goals, 33 assists, 48 PIM, 46 hits and 33 blocked shots while averaging 20:11 of ice time. Larkin requested a trade during the offseason but appears to be set to suit up for the Red Wings once he's healthy.

Lizotte suffered a lower-body injury and will not practice Thursday.

Lizotte was able to shake off an upper-body injury in time to play against the Flyers on Wednesday, but it seems he has now picked up a secondary injury. In that contest, the 28-year-old winger failed to produce a point while generating four shots and one block while averaging 13:13 of ice time. If Lizotte does miss any time, it could open up a spot in the lineup for David Gustafsson.

Lundestrom (Achilles) was labeled month-to-month by general manager Rick Bowness, Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers reports Thursday.

Lundestrom's recovery timeline shouldn't come as a surprise considering he underwent offseason Achilles surgery. Even once given the all-clear, the 26-year-old forward may need a conditioning stint in the minors before he is fully ready to get into an NHL game. As such, fantasy managers probably don't need to worry about stashing him this season.

The Stars placed Duchene (lower body) on long-term injured reserve Thursday, retroactive to Sept. 29.

Duchene landed on injured reserve Wednesday and is now facing a lengthier absence to begin the regular season. The 35-year-old has been dealing with a lower-body injury since the start of training camp, and he recently experienced a setback in his recovery process that is set to sideline him until at least late October. Colin Blackwell and Arttu Hyry were recalled from AHL Texas to provide additional depth in Duchene's absence.