NHL Player News

Tavares notched two assists in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Canadiens.

The 35-year-old helped set up Bobby McMann for the Leafs' first goal of the season exactly one minute into the first period with a faceoff win, then chipped in on a William Nylander empty-netter late in the third. Toronto's Core Four is now a Big Three since Mitch Marner is in Vegas, but Tavares' role as the No. 2 center behind Auston Matthews shouldn't change much.

Bolduc scored his first goal of the season in Wednesday's 5-2 loss to the Maple Leafs.

After coming over from the Blues in a trade this offseason, Bolduc wasted little time making his mark with the Canadiens, giving his new team a 2-1 lead early in the second period as he banged home the rebound on a Brendan Gallagher shot. Bolduc skated on the top power-play unit in the Habs' opener alongside the likes of Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Lane Hutson, and if he can hang onto that assignment, the 22-year-old will be in prime position to top the 19 goals and 36 points he amassed over 72 regular-season games with St. Louis in 2024-25.

Geekie recorded an empty-net goal and an even-strength assist in Wednesday's 3-1 win over the Capitals.

Geekie was involved in the build-up of Boston's first goal, courtesy of David Pastrnak with a snap shot midway through the first period, and he'd later close out the scoring with an empty-netter in the final minute of the contest. Geekie signed a six-year, $33 million contract extension with the Bruins in the offseason, and he should remain a regular on both the first line and the power-play unit. Geekie should have plenty of opportunities to produce on offense as long as he continues to skate alongside Pastrnak and Elias Lindholm.

Lindholm recorded a power-play goal and an even-strength assist in Wednesday's 3-1 win over the Capitals.

Lindholm scored the go-ahead goal at the 7:41 mark of the third period, shortly after Tom Wilson had equalized for the Capitals, with a backhander on the power play. The playmaker, who had 47 points across 82 regular-season games in 2024-25, also set up Morgan Geekie's empty-netter in the final seconds of the game. As long as Lindholm skates on the first line and on the power play alongside David Pastrnak, he should have plenty of opportunities to keep producing.

McDavid provided a pair of assists, including one on the power play, and five shots on goal in Wednesday's 4-3 shootout loss to the Flames.

While we won't get to enjoy contract-year McDavid after he signed a two-year deal Monday, his regular level of production is still quite exciting. He helped out on first-period tallies by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Andrew Mangiapane to open his account for 2025-26. McDavid has logged at least 100 points in eight of the last nine seasons, and that's the bare-minimum expectation for him as long as he can stay relatively healthy. He could be more productive this year if he's able to increase his shot volume -- he averaged just 2.9 shots per game in the 2024-25 regular season, his lowest mark since his rookie year.

Draisaitl scored a goal on six shots and added an assist in Wednesday's 4-3 shootout loss to the Flames.

Both of Draisaitl's points came on the power play. The goal was the 400th of his career, a milestone he reached in his 791st regular-season contest. The 29-year-old is off to a positive start in 2025-26 as he sets his sights on a fifth straight 100-point campaign. Barring disaster, Draisaitl will likely also reach the 1,000-point mark this season -- he's now 42 away after his two-point effort in the season opener.

Nugent-Hopkins scored a goal on three shots, added two assists and logged two PIM in Wednesday's 4-3 shootout loss to the Flames.

Nugent-Hopkins' goal and one of his assists came on the power play. The 32-year-old production is likely to rely heavily on the man advantage -- he earned 20 of his 49 points on the power play during the 2024-25 regular season as well as eight of his 20 points during the playoffs. He's centering his own line to begin 2025-26 because Leon Draisaitl is playing on the wing alongside Connor McDavid early on, but that could change if head coach Kris Knoblauch opts to spread the talent around the lineup.

Coleman scored a goal on two shots and added two hits in Wednesday's 4-3 shootout win over the Oilers.

Stuart Skinner mishandled a dump-in, and Coleman was there to pounce on it for his first goal of the season. The 33-year-old Coleman plays an honest game and will be a middle-six fixture for the Flames once again this year. He has recorded at least 30 points in seven straight seasons, including 15 goals and 39 points over 82 appearances in 2024-25. Fantasy managers can also count on Coleman for hits and PIM, as long as they can tolerate just average offense.

Zary scored a power-play goal on three shots in Wednesday's 4-3 shootout win over the Oilers.

Zary was able to knock down a rebound of an Adam Klapka shot, and it was upheld as a legal goal. The 24-year-old Zary has potted 27 goals over his first 117 career games, but now entering his third NHL campaign, he could be due for a breakout year. He was on the third line Wednesday and saw just 14:22 of ice time in the season opener, but a strong performance early in the year will likely lead to more ice time for the forward, especially given the lack of established high-end scorers in the Flames' lineup.

Eichel scored a goal on five shots, dished three assists and went plus-2 in Wednesday's 6-5 shootout loss to the Kings.

Eichel had a hand in both of Pavel Dorofeyev's power-play goals in the second period. In the third, Eichel scored to put Vegas ahead 4-3 and set up an Ivan Barbashev tally. All in all, it was an excellent day for Eichel, who signed an eight-year, $108 million contract extension earlier in the day to remain as the centerpiece of the Golden Knights' offense for years to come. The 28-year-old had a career-high 94 points in 77 regular-season outings in 2024-25, and he should be able to replicate that production as long as he stays healthy this year.