NHL Player News

Ovechkin announced that 2026-27 will be his last NHL season Monday.

Ovechkin will go down as the greatest goalscorer in NHL history, having racked up 929 goals in his career -- a total he will likely continue to add to over the next 82 games of the 2026-27 campaign. The world-class winger figures to get plenty of accolades from opponents throughout the year as he takes one final lap around the league.

Lilleberg (undisclosed) has been ruled out for Monday's game against the Flyers and is expected to miss approximately one week, Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Lilleberg suffered an undisclosed injury early in the third period of Saturday's game against the Capitals, and he'll be forced to miss some time. Max Crozier, Jansen Harkins and Scott Sabourin are candidates to see increased playing time in Lilleberg's absence.

Donovan was recalled from AHL Belleville on Monday.

Donovan hasn't earned a point in two minor-league appearances this season. With Jake Sanderson (lower body) dealing with an injury, the 22-year-old Donovan will provide Ottawa with some additional defensive depth.

Bertucci (undisclosed) was assigned to AHL Texas on Saturday.

After beginning the 2026-27 NHL campaign on the injured non-roster list, Bertucci returned to the lineup for Dallas' top minor-league affiliate over the weekend. He contributed an assist in Saturday's 4-3 shootout loss to AHL Iowa.

Miller scored a goal on his lone shot in Sunday's 4-2 win over the Mammoth.

Miller gave the Rangers some breathing room at 12:47 of the third period, going to the net and redirecting Vladislav Gavrikov's point shot off his skate and past Vejmelka to make it 3-1. Utah answered just over two minutes later, allowing Miller's tally to stand as the game-winner. It was the captain's first goal of the season as New York extended its winning streak to three games, snapping a slow start to the season that saw him record no points, a plus-one rating and five shots on goal in his first three appearances.

Shesterkin stopped 28 of 30 shots and added an assist in Sunday's 4-2 win over the Mammoth.

Shesterkin kept Utah off the board until Nick Schmaltz converted a rebound on the power play at 14:29 of the second period, then surrendered a goal to Andrew Peeke in the third period, but the Rangers had given him enough cushion to cruise to the win. The star goalie also contributed offensively for a second straight game, starting the sequence that led to Eeli Tolvanen's empty-netter. Shesterkin has earned a win and recorded a point in consecutive appearances after scoring a goal against Tampa Bay in his previous appearance. He has stopped 72 of 77 shots through three starts in 2026-27, good for an impressive .935 save percentage.

Vejmelka stopped 18 of 21 shots in Sunday's 4-2 loss to the Rangers. The fourth goal was an empty-netter.

Vejmelka was coming off a 15-save shutout in Thursday's 6-0 win over Chicago, but he couldn't replicate that performance against a Rangers team that was coming off back-to-back wins. He allowed a goal in the first period but conceded two more in the third, and the Rangers added a fourth on an empty-netter when Utah pushed for a late equalizer. Vejmelka has a 1-1-0 record in his first two appearances this season while stopping 33 of 36 shots thus far.

Gavrikov scored a goal on three shots and added an assist in Sunday's 4-2 win over the Mammoth.

Gavrikov opened the scoring at 17:18 of the first period, beating Karel Vejmelka through traffic from the point for his first goal of the season. The defenseman then helped set up the eventual game-winner in the third, as his point shot redirected off J.T. Miller's skate to give New York a 3-1 lead. Gavrikov recorded his first multi-point performance of the campaign as the Rangers earned their third consecutive victory, and it was also the first time he cracked the scoresheet in 2026-27. He's also adding value in formats that reward physicality, with four hits and 13 blocked shots in his first four contests.

Schmaltz scored a power-play goal on three shots in Sunday's 4-2 loss to the Rangers. He also added two PIM and posted a minus-3 rating.

Schmaltz tied the game at 14:29 of the second period, converting a rebound past Igor Shesterkin for his fourth goal of the season. The tally extended his season-opening goal streak to three games. With 13 shots in his first three outings, expect Schmaltz to remain involved offensively for Utah as a go-to scoring threat.

Tolvanen scored an empty-net goal on two shots in Sunday's 4-2 win over the Mammoth. He also added two blocked shots.

Tolvanen sealed the victory at 18:45 of the third period, finishing a sequence started by Igor Shesterkin and Will Cuylle to restore New York's two-goal advantage. The winger has scored in three consecutive games after being held off the scoresheet in the season opener and is enjoying an impressive start to the season, especially since he's been skating as a bottom-six forward on the third line alongside Cuylle and Noah Laba.