NHL Player News

Blackwood allowed two goals on 26 shots in Friday's 5-2 preseason win over the Jets.

Blackwood played the full game Friday after working half a game versus the Mammoth on Sunday. The 29-year-old netminder will likely get at least half of the starts in 2026-27, though a lot will depend on how Scott Wedgewood performs after his career year in 2025-26. Blackwood has the talent to be a No. 1 on his own, but the Avalanche have the luxury of not needing to push either goalie too hard.

Niederreiter scored a goal on four shots, dished an assist, added four PIM and logged two hits in Friday's 5-2 preseason loss to the Avalanche.

Niederreiter is poised for a bottom-six role to begin 2026-27, though he could score his way into middle-six usage. He may also factor in on the power play at times -- his goal Friday came with the man advantage. The winger struggled to 19 points in 61 games in 2025-26, and at 34 years old, a bounce-back season is far from guaranteed.

Skinner stopped 28 of 32 shots in Friday's 5-2 preseason loss to the Avalanche. The fifth goal was an empty-netter.

Skinner allowed five goals on 64 shots over his two preseason starts. The 27-year-old faced the Avalanche both times, and while he struggled Friday, he looks prepared for the upcoming campaign. Expect Skinner to get as many starts as he can handle early in the season, as the Jets will likely want to ease Domenic DiVincentiis into the backup role.

Wallstedt stopped 16 of 18 shots in Friday's 2-1 preseason loss to the Stars.

Wallstedt lost both of his preseason outings, giving up three goals on 42 shots. He faced an NHL-caliber roster Friday, so the narrow loss is nothing to be concerned about. Expect to see a heavy amount of starts for Wallstedt while Filip Gustavsson (hip) finishes his recovery early in 2026-27.

DeSmith stopped 26 of 27 shots in Friday's 2-1 preseason win over the Wild.

DeSmith stopped 56 of 58 shots over his two preseason games, winning both of them. The Stars didn't get to see Jake Oettinger (lower body) during the preseason, but the injury is not considered too serious. Still, if Oettinger misses the start of the season or any time throughout the campaign, DeSmith is a capable backup. DeSmith enters 2026-27 as a spot-start streamer in fantasy whenever he's between the pipes.

Zibanejad scored a goal, dished an assist and added two hits in Friday's 6-1 preseason win over the Islanders.

Zibanejad looks set to open the season as the Rangers' top center. While the team around him has gotten a remodel in recent years, Zibanejad stood out with a 78-point effort in 81 games in 2025-26. He also had 105 hits last year, topping the 100-hit mark for the first time since 2018-19. The 33-year-old can offer a little of everything, making him a quality middle-round fantasy option.

Fox logged three assists, two shots on goal and a plus-2 rating in Friday's 6-1 preseason win over the Islanders.

Fox looked sharp in this contest. The 28-year-old defenseman is set to lead the Rangers' blue line in 2026-27, and he should be a high-quality option in fantasy, though a step down from the NHL's top tier of blueliners. Fox has missed the 70-point mark in consecutive seasons but should still be capable of generating significant offense, particularly as part of the first power-play unit.

Faber sustained an apparent upper-body injury after being hit with a puck in the second period of Friday's preseason game versus the Stars, Joe Smith of The Athletic reports.

Faber initially remained in the game, but he was pulled during the second intermission. The 24-year-old defenseman's status wasn't updated after the game, though Smith reports there was at least an element of precaution involved. Faber will have a decent amount of time to get healthy ahead of the Wild's season opener Thursday in Nashville.

Shesterkin stopped 15 of 16 shots in Friday's 6-1 preseason win over the Islanders.

Facing a largely AHL-level lineup, Shesterkin had little work to do. The 30-year-old netminder is ready to handle the bulk of the time in goal for the Rangers in 2026-27, though he'll have a capable backup on hand in Joonas Korpisalo. Shesterkin may struggle to get wins for a team in a retooling phase, but he should post decent ratios even with a heavy workload.

Swayman allowed three goals on 35 shots in Friday's 3-2 preseason overtime loss to the Capitals.

Swayman allowed four goals on 56 shots over his two preseason games. The 27-year-old is the Bruins' unquestioned No. 1 between the pipes and will likely see a significant workload in 2026-27 since he'll have an inexperienced backup in Michael DiPietro. Swayman has played at least 55 contests in consecutive seasons and could push for 60 if he stays healthy this year.