NHL Player News

Lyon allowed three goals on 19 shots in Monday's 4-1 preseason loss to the Penguins. The fourth goal was an empty-netter.

Lyon allowed two goals at even strength and one on the power play in the Sabres' preseason opener. The veteran netminder wasn't at his best in this game, specifically on the game's opening goal, which was scored by Connor Dewar. Lyon will almost certainly see more action during Buffalo's preseason schedule, which concludes at home Saturday against Pittsburgh.

Knight turned aside 19 shots on 22 tries in Monday's 4-3 overtime preseason win over Minnesota.

Knight made his preseason debut Monday, where he ran into trouble in the third period before shoring up his defenses down the stretch in the OT win. The 25-year-old netminder is coming off an up-and-down campaign, where he posted a 19-25-11 record, a 2.82 GAA, a .902 save percentage and three shutouts across 55 regular-season appearances. Considering it was his first full season as a starter and Chicago invested in its defensive core by bringing in Bowen Byram, Knight could see his numbers rise during the 2026-27 campaign.

Pickard made 16 of 20 saves in Monday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Blackhawks.

Pickard allowed one goal in each of the first three periods before he allowed the OT winner to Chicago's Bowen Byram just under 30 seconds into the extra stanza. The 34-year-old netminder has played each of Minnesota's last two preseason outings, where he has a combined stat line of 30 saves on 36 total attempts. Despite Monday's struggles, the veteran netminder is expected to play a role for Minnesota early in the season with Filip Gustavsson (hip) expected to miss roughly one month.

Byram scored three goals, including the OT winner, placed five shots on net and recorded two hits in Monday's 4-3 overtime preseason win against the Wild.

In his first official appearance since signing a six-year, $75 million contract with Chicago, Byram found favor with his new fanbase by scoring a hat trick. He found the back of the net in the second and third periods before placing the puck five hole past Minnesota's Calvin Pickard in overtime to secure the exhibition win. The 25-year-old blueliner is coming off a career year in 2025-26, where he posted 11 goals, 42 points, 109 shots on net, 50 hits and 93 blocked shots across 82 regular-season games. If Monday's showing was any indication of what's to come for the rising star, Byram may have found his new home in Chicago, where he'll likely lead the team's blueline at even strength and on the power play.

Murashov turned aside all 13 shots he faced in Monday's 4-1 preseason win over Buffalo.

Murashov played the first half of Monday's contest, while Joel Blomqvist finished out the game. The Penguins goaltending depth chart is murky at this time, and it seems unlikely that the team will carry three goaltenders for much, if any, of the regular season. General manager Kyle Dubas said Aug. 22 his expectation is that Murashov and Blomqvist will be competing for a roster spot this year, so it's a situation to keep an eye on as training camp continues.

Cozens scored a goal and dished out an assist in Monday's overtime preseason loss to Montreal.

Cozens played a hand in each of Ottawa's goals on Monday, as he picked up the lone helper on William Eklund's first preseason goal before later scoring himself. The 25-year-old Cozens took a step forward during his first full season with the Senators, as he posted 28 goals, 59 points, 205 shots on net and 215 hits across 82 regular-season games. With Brady Tkachuk's departure to Florida, Cozens will likely have a larger role offensively in 2026-27, which could lead to him building upon his already impressive fantasy file in all league formats.

Caufield notched two goals, including the OT winner, and placed four shots on net in Monday's 3-2 overtime preseason win against Ottawa.

Caufield took over down the stretch, scoring the game-tying goal with just over nine minutes remaining before burying the OT winner just past the left post on a shot from distance. The 25-year-old winger's multi-goal night helped him pick up right where he left off, as he posted 51 tallies in 2025-26, with 12 of those being game-winning scores. Caufield has developed into one of the league's best goalscorers and will likely carry a 50-goal ceiling headed into the 2026-27 campaign.

Garland scored the game-winning goal in Monday's 1-0 exhibition shootout win over the Red Wings.

Garland received 20:27 of ice time Monday, which was the most among Blue Jackets forwards. That's a relatively encouraging sign for the 30-year-old winger, who averaged just 13:01 of ice time over 21 games with Columbus last season, compared to the 18:57 he averaged across 50 games with Vancouver in 2025-26. Garland registered at least 46 points between 2021-22 and 2024-25, so he could end up having appeal as a depth option for fantasy managers if he earns the trust of head coach Rick Bowness when the regular season commences.

Montembeault turned away seven of eight shots on net he saw in Monday's 3-2 overtime preseason win over the Senators.

While Montembeault started the preseason off on the wrong foot by allowing a goal to William Eklund just under 90 seconds into regulation, he recovered decently and kept the Senators off the scoresheet for the remaining 30 minutes he played. The 29-year-old netminder has played solid this preseason, now totaling 20 saves on 21 total attempts across two preseason outings. He'll continue to face the tough task of winning back one of the team's top two goalie spots, as Jakub Dobes and Jacob Fowler currently appear to be the favorites for Montreal's goalie tandem in the 2026-27 campaign.

Ersson stopped 32 of 35 shots on net in Monday's 3-2 overtime preseason loss to the Canadiens.

Ersson's first official game with Ottawa ended up being a mixed bag, where he allowed just one goal across the first 51 minutes before surrendering two tallies to Cole Caufield down the stretch. While the late collapse was slightly discouraging, the blame isn't all on Ersson, who looked a step above his output from 2025-26. In 33 regular-season games a year ago, the 26-year-old backstop struggled with a 3.12 GAA and an .870 save percentage. With a performance that contained highs and lows, we'll likely see Ersson suit up one more time this preseason before an official decision is made regarding Ottawa's backup netminder.