NHL Player News

Draisaitl scored a pair of power-play goals on four shots and added three assists (one on the power play) in Thursday's 6-5 shootout win over the Hurricanes.

Draisaitl and Connor McDavid posted matching scoring lines to help the Oilers prevail in one of their toughest games of the year. The five points were a season high for Draisaitl, who has multiple points in six of 10 contests so far. He's racked up 10 goals, 11 helpers, 36 shots, six hits and a plus-14 rating. Head coach Mike Babcock finally has his preferred top six available, but it doesn't look like splitting up Draisaitl and McDavid will happen any time soon considering how they've dominated the opening stages of 2026-27.

McDavid scored twice on three shots and added three power-play assists in Thursday's 6-5 shootout win over the Hurricanes.

McDavid's absurdly good start to the season continued with his third five-point effort of the year. He's just the fourth player in NHL history to top the 30-point mark in the first 10 games of the season. McDavid has done so with 31 points (eight goals, 23 assists), including 11 on the power play, and he's added 25 shots on net, 14 hits and a plus-18 rating. He's the best player in the league playing at one of the highest levels he's ever attained.

Sturm chipped in an assist and three hits in Thursday's 2-1 loss to the Flames.

Sturm battled a concussion earlier in October, and this was his second game back in the lineup. The 31-year-old forward has a clear path to playing time while Marcus Foligno (lower body), Nick Foligno (upper body) and Max Shabanov (upper body) are all out. Sturm has one helper, two shots on net and eight hits over five contests. He hasn't reached the 15-point mark in any of the last three regular seasons, so he's best left on the waiver wire in most fantasy formats.

Stutzle notched a goal in Thursday's 6-2 loss to San Jose. He had five shots.

Stutzle is on a three-game, four-point scoring streak (two goals, two assists). But the shot bump-up is notable -- he had five shots total in his previous four games. Stutzle's 15 points (seven goals, eight assists) in 11 games so far put him on pace for more than 100 points this season if he stays healthy.

McCarron scored a goal and added two hits in Thursday's 2-1 loss to the Flames.

McCarron's tally at 4:39 of the third period spoiled Devin Cooley's shutout bid. The 31-year-old McCarron has been a constant in the Wild's bottom six to start the year. He's earned a goal, four assists, 18 shots on net, 32 hits, 11 blocked shots, seven PIM and a plus-4 rating through 11 appearances. McCarron is a decent roster candidate for banger leagues, but his offense isn't likely to stay at this level throughout the campaign.

Zacha delivered two assists Thursday in a 6-0 win over the Predators.

One helper came on the power play. Zacha has six points (two goals, four assists) on eight shots in his last five contests; all seven of his points (two goals, five assists, four PPP) have come in his last six games. Zacha is the Bruins top center between David Pastrnak and JJ Peterka, and that's a license to print money -- ok, score points. The big 29-year-old could eclipse his career mark in points (65) set last season.

Lindholm scored a power-play goal Thursday in a 6-0 victory over Nashville.

Don't look now, but Lindholm is quietly having his best season since his Calgary days. He has three goals and one assist in his last four games and has eight points (four goals, four assists) in 11 games on the season. Two of his goals (three points) have come on the power play. Lindholm is on a 61-point pace; he delivered 64 (22 goals, 42 assists) in a Flames uniform in 2022-23.

Mittelstadt scored a goal Thursday in a 6-0 win over Nashville.

His goal stood as the winner. Mittelstadt beat Justus Annunen high stick side from the left circle. The forward has three goals, two assists and 15 shots in 11 games this season, but his ice time (13:47) is the lowest since 2019-20. Last season, Mittelstadt averaged 15:10, and he was on the ice more than 17 minutes a night in 2024-25 when he split time between Colorado and Boston.

Kastelic scored a goal Thursday in a 6-0 win over the Predators. He fired four shots.

Kastelic toils on Boston's fourth line, where he has been quite productive. He has two goals, four assists, 13 shots, 24 hits and 11 blocked shots in 11 contests this season. Kastelic's best season came last year when he delivered 22 points (12 goals, 10 assists), 140 PIM, 215 hits, 100 shot and a sparkling 60.8 shooting percentage (343 face-off wins). He's ahead of that pace this season, at least with the offensive production.

Faksa (undisclosed) was injured Thursday versus the Jets, and the Stars will know more about his status Saturday, Lia Assimakopoulos of The Dallas Morning News reports.

It's not yet clear what kind of injury is bothering Faksa. He previously had a brush with a lower-body injury but didn't miss any time with it. The 32-year-old forward should be considered day-to-day for now.