NHL Player News

Protas picked up two assists in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Kraken.

The 24-year-old continues an impressive start to the season by having a hand in Ryan Leonard's second-period tally and Tom Wilson's empty-netter late in the third. Protas has racked up four goals and eight points through the Capitals' first seven games as he looks to prove his 2024-25 breakout -- 30 goals and 66 points in 76 regular-season contests -- was no fluke.

Dowd produced a goal and an assist in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Kraken.

The veteran grinder opened the scoring midway through the first period by tapping home a slick feed from John Carlson before getting the puck to Tom Wilson for an empty-netter late in the third. Dowd had gone without a point through the first six contests of the season, but offense isn't his game -- last regular season's 14 goals and 27 points were career highs. With 14 hits in those seven appearances, he's well on his way to reaching triple digits in that category for a seventh straight campaign.

Savoie produced a power-play assist and two shots on goal in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime win over the Senators.

The Oilers had their second power-play unit on the ice during overtime, and Savoie cashed in with a helper on Jake Walman's winning tally. The assist was Savoie's first point in seven appearances this season, and it was his second helper in 12 career games. The 21-year-old has slotted into a middle-six role and racked up 10 shots on net, five blocked shots, two hits and a minus-1 rating so far this year. He's averaging just 13:16 of ice time per game, so he'll need to see an uptick in ice time to emerge as a more reliable scorer in fantasy.

Bardakov logged an assist and two hits in Tuesday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Mammoth.

Bardakov helped out on a Cale Makar goal in the first period. The assist was Bardakov's first point in two NHL appearances. The 24-year-old center won a job in training camp and will likely spend most of the season battling for playing time on the fourth line. Without a secure spot in the lineup, he's not a great option in fantasy.

Drury scored a goal on two shots and added two PIM in Tuesday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Mammoth.

Drury tied the game at 2-2 early in the third period with his goal. The 25-year-old center is filling a third-line role so far this year, and it's not one that's come with a lot of offense. He has two points, nine shots on net, three hits, three blocked shots and four PIM across seven appearances. His fantasy value will be limited to deeper formats that reward faceoffs.

Necas scored a goal on two shots and added two hits in Tuesday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Mammoth.

Necas again saw his point streak on the line late, and he was able to extend it with a tough-angle shot to beat Karel Vejmelka with 2:16 left in the third period. That goal helped the Avalanche get one standings point, but the Mammoth won it 33 seconds into overtime on a Dylan Guenther goal. During Necas' season-opening point streak, he's put up five goals and six assists over seven games. He's added 16 shots on net, six hits and a plus-9 rating. Expect him to remain consistent on offense in a top-line role.

Schmaltz scored a power-play goal on four shots and blocked four shots in Tuesday's 4-3 overtime win over the Avalanche.

Schmaltz is humming on offense now with four goals and eight assists during a four-game point streak. The 29-year-old got the Mammoth on the board with his second-period tally. He's at 10 points (four on the power play) with 27 shots, six blocks and a plus-2 rating through seven contests this season. As long as he's playing alongside Clayton Keller on the top line, Schmaltz is a virtual lock for strong scoring production.

Cozen scored a goal in a 3-2 overtime loss to Edmonton on Tuesday.

Cozens beat Stuart Skinner blocker side with a wrist shot on the power play early in the third; the goal cut the lead to 2-1. Cozens has quietly put together a five-game, five-point scoring streak to start the season. It includes a three-game goal streak. Cozens delivered 16 points (five goals, 11 assists) in 21 regular-season games last year after arriving in Canada's capital in a trade. The move seemed to inject life into his game, and this season, he could come close to replicating his career mark of 68 points, including 31 goals, from the 2022-23 regular season.

Jost scored a goal on two shots in Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the Ducks.

Jost saw 14:17 of ice time in this contest, the third game in a row he's been over 13 minutes. He's still officially in a bottom-six role, but he's gotten a larger share of minutes while Jonathan Marchessault (lower body) is on the shelf. Jost's goal was his first point to go with 14 shots on net, seven hits, three blocked shots and a minus-3 rating over seven appearances. While he may play regularly for the Predators, his ceiling on offense is likely around 25 points, so he's not a good option for most fantasy formats.

McBain (upper body) is being evaluated after leaving Tuesday's game versus the Avalanche and is questionable to return.

McBain appeared to hit his head against the boards prior to his exit. The Mammoth did not reveal in their in-game announcement if he is being checked for a concussion, but it's certainly a possibility. His status for the Mammoth's upcoming road trip, which begins Thursday in St. Louis, will likely be decided in the coming days.