NHL Player News
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Sam Reinhart C | FLA
Panthers' Sam Reinhart: Two points in Monday's loss
Reinhart scored a shorthanded goal and added a power-play assist in Monday's 5-2 loss to the Flyers.
The veteran winger's efforts briefly tied the game at 2-2 midway through the third period, but the Panthers' offense went silent the rest of the way. Reinhart was held off the scoresheet in the first two games of the season but has two goals and three points in the last two, and Florida figures to lean on him even more heavily with Aleksander Barkov (knee) and Matthew Tkachuk (groin) both facing long absences from the lineup.
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Dawson Mercer C | NJ
Devils' Dawson Mercer: Strikes twice including GWG
Mercer scored two goals, one on the power play and the other the game-winner, in Monday's 3-2 victory over the Blue Jackets.
The 23-year-old banged home a one-timer on an odd-man rush midway through the second period to give the Devils a 2-1 lead, then his empty-netter late in the third wound up being the GWG when Dmitri Voronkov found the back of the net with 21 seconds left in regulation. The goals were Mercer's first of the season, and he's produced three points in three games. With a top-six role at even strength and a spot on the second power-play unit, Mercer may be able to regain the form that saw him deliver a career-high 27 goals and 56 points over 82 regular-season games in 2022-23.
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Quinton Byfield C | LA
Kings' Quinton Byfield: Nets PP goal, adds helper Monday
Byfield scored a power-play goal and added an even-strength assist in Monday's 4-3 shootout loss to the Wild.
Byfield was one of two players who recorded multi-point games for the Kings in this shootout loss, with Adrian Kempe being the other. This was the second time Byfield recorded two or more points in a game in the Kings' last three outings, notching four points in that span.
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Auston Matthews C | TOR
Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews: Eight shots, one assist in loss
Matthews picked up an assist in Monday's 3-2 loss to Detroit.
Matthews has had a quiet start to the season -- he has a goal and assist in three games. But he wired eight shots at Cam Talbot on Monday night, and he now has 15 in those three contests. Matthews' shooting percentage is a low 6.7 percent, so it's only a matter of time before the goals come as his rate gets closer to his career mark of 15.8.
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Brayden Schenn C | NYI
Blues' Brayden Schenn: Two points in win Monday
Schenn recorded an even-strength goal and a power-play assist in Monday's 5-2 win over the Canucks.
Schenn doubled the Blues' lead at the 2:10 mark of the second period, and he'd later set up Jimmy Snuggerud's power-play tally in the same frame. Schenn went pointless in the first two games of the season, but he finally got on the scoresheet in this comfortable win. Schenn had 50 points in 82 regular-season games in 2024-25, so it seems it was just a matter of time before he'd get things going offensively after tallying just one shot on goal in the first two outings of the campaign.
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Calle Jarnkrok C | TOR
Maple Leafs' Calle Jarnkrok: Extends season-opening goal streak
Jarnkrok scored a goal Monday in a 3-2 loss to Detroit.
It extended his season-opening goal streak to three games. Jarnkrok buried a wrist shot from the right circle over Cam Talbot's blocker to tie the game 2-2 at 13:42 of the third period. He's making the most of limited ice time -- Jarnkrok saw a season-high 12:04 on Monday.
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Dylan Larkin C | DET
Red Wings' Dylan Larkin: Point in each game this season
Larkin scored a goal and six PIM in Monday's 3-2 win over Toronto.
Larkin opened the scoring on the power play late in the first period. He backhanded a loose puck at the top of the crease over Anthony Stolarz's glove during a scramble in the crease. Larkin has a point in each of the Wings' first three games (two goals, one assist; 12 shots). Both goals have come with the man advantage.
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Mason Appleton C | DET
Red Wings' Mason Appleton: Nets winner with 45 seconds left
Appleton scored the game-winning goal Monday in a 3-2 victory over the Maple Leafs.
Appleton grabbed the rebound of Ben Chiarot's point shot and whipped it over Anthony Stolarz's blocker from just above the left dot with just 45 seconds left in the third frame. His best season came in Winnipeg in 2023-24 when he delivered 14 goals and 22 assists with 122 shots and a plus-16 rating. Appleton won't be a regular fantasy contributor, but his tenacity is fun to watch.
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Jean-Gabriel Pageau C | NYI
Islanders' Jean-Gabriel Pageau: Finds twine in loss
Pageau scored a goal and had two shots on net in Monday's 5-2 loss to Winnipeg.
Pageau scored the latter of New York's two goals Monday and was assisted by Jonathan Drouin and the team's young phenom Matthew Schaefer. Pageau's goal was his first point of the season, giving him a high shooting percentage with just three shots on target this season. The 32-year-old center is locked into the third-line center role after posting 42 points in 79 regular-season games a year ago, which was his best mark since the year he was traded to the Islanders in 2019. Pageau's goal in the early stages of this season bodes well for him to be a solid deeper-league option in fantasy for stretches of this campaign.
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Casey Mittelstadt C | BOS
Bruins' Casey Mittelstadt: Snipes goal in loss
Mittelstadt scored a goal Monday in a 4-3 loss to Tampa Bay.
Mittelstadt scored on a wrist shot from the slot that beat Jonas Johansson to the short side at 1:09 of the second period. The native of Eden Prairie, Minnesota failed to impress in Boston after he arrived last season, putting up just four goals and two assists in 18 games. Mittlestadt's best seasons came in 2022-23 and 2023-24 when he delivered back-to-back 59 and 57 point campaigns. He's just 26 years old, so the pivot has every opportunity to get back to that level in the right situation. Time will tell if Boston is the right place.