NHL Player News

Miller picked up two assists, one on the power play, in Thursday's 6-5 overtime loss to San Jose.

After helping to set up Mika Zibanejad for a tally early in the second period, Miller fed Taylor Raddysh for his third goal of the night midway through the third to tie things up at 5-5. Miller, along with the rest of the Rangers, has had a bumpy start to the season, but the veteran center still has two goals and six points in nine games.

Smith scored two goals, one the overtime winner, and added two assists in Thursday's 6-5 victory over the Rangers.

Smith scored his first two goals of the season and San Jose's final two tallies of the night, banging home a rebound early in the third period just after a two-man advantage had expired before ripping a one-timer past Igor Shesterkin in the extra frame. The 20-year-old Smith is showing signs of becoming a very effective Robin to Macklin Celebrini's Batman, and through seven games to begin the season, Smith has eight points.

Celebrini scored three goals, one on the power play, and added two assists in Thursday's 6-5 overtime win over the Rangers.

The Sharks' young franchise player beat Igor Shesterkin twice in the first period and again in the second to record his second career hat trick, before helping to set up Will Smith for the team's final two tallies, including the OT winner. Celebrini nearly managed a point-a-game pace as a rookie last season, producing 63 points (25 goals, 38 assists) in 70 games, but he's blown past that to begin his sophomore campaign as he speeds toward superstardom, delivering five goals and 11 points in seven contests.

Geekie scored two goals on four shots with three hits and a minus-2 rating in Thursday's 7-5 loss to the Ducks.

The 27-year-old did the best he could to keep his team in the game, giving Boston a 2-1 lead midway through the second period, then tying it up at 5-5 late in the third, but it wasn't enough. Geekie has had a strong start to 2025-26, finding the back of the net five times in nine games with seven points in total as he looks to improve on last season's career-best 33 goals and 57 points in 77 regular-season contests.

Highmore was reassigned to AHL Bridgeport on Friday, according to Stefen Rosner of NHL.com.

Highmore was recalled Thursday and was a healthy scratch in the Islanders' 7-2 win over Detroit. The 29-year-old has four assists in four AHL games this season.

Nesterenko notched four assists while adding two shots on net, a blocked shot, a hit and a plus-4 rating in Thursday's 7-5 win over the Bruins.

It was a career-best performance for the 24-year-old, who came into Thursday's contest with just six goals and eight points in his prior 36 NHL regular-season games dating back to 2022-23 -- including goose eggs in his first four games this year. However, Nesterenko has flashed some offensive upside in college and the minors, including 13 goals and 34 points in 50 regular-season games for AHL San Diego last year, so the outburst isn't a complete shock. If he sticks in Anaheim's middle six and sees consistent time with centers like Mikael Granlund (two goals and five points Thursday), Nesterenko could put together a surprisingly productive campaign.

Sasson scored a goal in Thursday's 2-1 loss to the Predators.

Sasson has found the back of the net in three of his five appearances this season. He's been extremely effective since he has three goals on six shots, so it'd be fair to expect some regression in the efficiency department. Still, the 25-year-old should continue to have opportunities to produce as long as he remains in a top-six role for Vancouver.

Granlund scored two goals, one on the power play, and added three assists in Thursday's 7-5 win over the Bruins.

The veteran center added five shots on net, a blocked shot and a plus-4 rating to his ledger. The five points were a career high for Granlund, who came into the contest having been held off the scoresheet in his prior three games. The 33-year-old has topped 60 points in three of the last four regular seasons while bouncing between Nashville, Pittsburgh, San Jose and Dallas. He's well on his way to reaching that mark again in his first campaign with Anaheim, collecting two goals and eight points through seven games.

O'Reilly scored a shorthanded goal in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Canucks.

O'Reilly broke the deadlock for the Preds at 9:01 of the second period with a wrister, giving him three goals on the year. The veteran center hasn't delivered eye-popping performances, but he remains a consistent weapon on offense for Nashville. He's now riding a three-game point streak, tallying one goal, two assists, five shots on goal, two hits and five blocked shots in that span.

Cooley scored three goals, added an assist and fired four shots on target in Thursday's 7-4 win over St. Louis.

Cooley's first big performance of 2025-26 arrived in the form of a four-point first period, including a hat trick in which all three goals were tallied in the span of less than five minutes. It was one of the best individual performances to start a game in recent memory, and it brings the 21-year-old's season totals to five goals, two assists and 17 shots on net in eight games. His connection with Dylan Guenther and JJ Peterka on the second line was evident, and that unit will look to take a big step forward in 2025-26 to help the Mammoth make the postseason for the first time since their move to Salt Lake City. Cooley is on pace to build upon his 65-point output from a year ago and could be in store for a point total north of 70 for the first time in his three-year NHL career.