NHL Player News

Eichel dished out two assists and placed three shots on goal in the United States' 5-1 win over Latvia in Olympic round-robin play Thursday.

Eichel was the top playmaker for the United States' power play, as he recorded each of the primary helpers on the team's two goals scored with a man advantage. His first was on Tage Thompson's goal midway through the second period before later making the pass that led to a goal for team captain Auston Matthews. Prior to Eichel receiving the keys to Team USA's power play, he recorded 27 points across his last 18 games with the Golden Knights. The 29-year-old center should see a large chunk of ice time this tournament from the United States' top six.

Hughes supplied three assists and put a shot on goal in the United States' 5-1 win over Latvia in Olympic round-robin play Thursday.

Hughes led the United States in points Thursday with an assist on three of the team's last four goals. He slid the primary helper on each of Brock Nelson's two goals in the second period before sealing the hat trick of helpers with a secondary apple on Auston Matthews' power-play tally in the third. After missing New Jersey's final three games before the Olympic break, he showed no lingering signs of injury while skating on the productive fourth line for Team USA. He should remain in the mix to lead the United States in points for the Olympics if he can maintain a spot in the lineup moving forward.

Tkachuk distributed two assists and fired four shots on net in the United States' 5-1 win over Latvia in Olympic round-robin play Thursday.

Tkachuk secured his two-point performance inside the first two periods of the contest. He picked up his first helper with the primary pass to his brother, Brady Tkachuk, for the opening tally before later helping Brock Nelson score the United States' fourth goal. Between a limited sample size with the Panthers this season and the Olympic opener, Tkachuk has showcased a steady involvement in both offenses. The assistant captain earned a spot on the United States' top line and power-play unit, which gives him the chance to post big offensive numbers in the Olympic tournament.

Nelson scored two goals and placed three shots on net in the United States' 5-1 win over Latvia in Olympic round-robin play Thursday.

Nelson caught fire in the United States' opening contest for the Olympic tournament with a pair of goals in the second period, which included Thursday's go-ahead goal. The two-goal performance could have been even larger, but he was denied two goals late in the first period due to a ricocheted shot off the post and goalie interference committed by his linemate J.T. Miller. Before the Olympic break, Nelson led the NHL with 15 goals since Dec. 29, and his two-goal effort Thursday proved that his hot hand hasn't disappeared. The 34-year-old center has the potential to steal the show at the Olympics with his current scoring pace across all competitions.

Merzlikins stopped 33 of 38 shots on goal in Latvia's 5-1 loss to the United States in Olympic round-robin play Thursday.

Merzlikins had the odds stacked against him in Thursday's contest and played well to not allow the game-winning goal before the 30-minute mark. His early effort Thursday reflected where he left off with Columbus before the Olympic break, as he had a 3-0-0 record, a 1.67 GAA, a .933 save percentage and a shutout across his last three starts. He'll likely receive one more start during Olympic round-robin play and should get a game of rest if Latvia turns to Penguins netminder Arturs Silovs to change things up.

Hellebuyck turned aside 17 of 18 shots on net in the United States' 5-1 win over Latvia in Olympic round-robin play Thursday.

After a busy first period where Renars Krastenbergs scored Latvia's lone goal of the contest, Hellebuyck shut down Latvia for the remainder of the game while the United States' offense tallied four goals through the first two periods. His solid overall showing should lead him to more starts for Team USA later in the Olympic tournament. While the 32-year-old netminder hasn't replicated the numbers from his Hart Trophy campaign through 36 games with Winnipeg this season, he picked up where he left off on the world stage after posting a 2-1-0 record, a 1.59 GAA and a .932 save percentage across three starts at the 4 Nations Face-Off last year.

Grubauer is set to start for Team Germany against Denmark on Thursday at the 2026 Winter Games.

Grubauer has an 11-6-3 record, 2.43 GAA and .916 save percentage in 22 outings with Seattle in 2025-26. This is the first game of the tournament for both Denmark and Germany. Grubauer won't be facing many NHL players in this match, but Denmark does include forwards Oliver Bjorkstrand, Nikolaj Ehlers and Lars Eller.

Andersen will start for Denmark during Thursday's game against Germany at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Andersen is in the midst of one of the worst seasons of his career in the NHL, as he's gone 7-10-5 with a 3.26 GAA and .871 save percentage over 22 appearances with the Hurricanes. He made three appearances for Denmark to help the team qualify for the Olympics, and he went 3-0-0 with a 1.31 GAA and .938 save percentage in those outings.

Dostal made 31 saves in Czechia's 5-0 loss to Canada in Olympic round-robin play Thursday.

Czechia's offense, led by NHL stars such as David Pastrnak and Martin Necas, couldn't solve Jordan Binnington in the other crease, but it was Dostal's defense that really let him down in the rout. Czechia should have a much easier time in their next game Friday against France, but it's not clear yet whether Dostal will get the start in that contest over Karel Vejmelka or Dan Vladar.

Harley notched two assists in Canada's 5-0 win over Czechia in Olympic round-robin play Thursday.

The Stars blueliner had a hand in tallies by Bo Horvat in the second period and Nick Suzuki in the third. Harley isn't the top defenseman for Canada in the tournament and may not see much power-play time as a result -- that honor belongs to Cale Makar -- but the 24-year-old should still have a key role for one of the tournament favorites.