NHL Player News

Eller scored a shorthanded goal and added an even-strength assist in Thursday's 4-3 shootout win over the Flames.

The 36-year-old center opened the scoring for Ottawa midway through the first period before setting up Artem Zub for a tally early in the third. It was Eller's first multi-point performance of the season, and after being held off the scoresheet through the first three games of the season, he's bounced back with two goals and six points in the last nine contests.

Khusnutdinov scored the game-winning goal in overtime during Thursday's 4-3 win over the Sabres.

The 23-year-old winger cruised into the Buffalo zone on an odd-man rush, got into the faceoff circle and snapped the puck over Alex Lyon's glove to end the night. The goal was Khusnutdinov's first of 2025-26 and just his second point in eight games, but he saw a season-high 15:20 of ice time as he skated on the top line with David Pastrnak at even strength. The assignment may not last long, however -- No. 1 center Elias Lindholm left the game early with a lower-body injury, and some line shuffling could be coming if he's forced to miss any further action.

Byfield registered two assists, two shots on goal and a plus-2 rating in Thursday's 4-3 shootout loss to the Red Wings.

Byfield will have two points from this game either way, but his second assist was originally credited as a goal that went through traffic in front and was later given to Corey Perry. The 23-year-old Byfield had been held off the scoresheet in his previous three games, but he's still been one of the Kings' better forwards. For the season, he's at two goals, eight helpers, 28 shots on net, 14 hits and a minus-1 rating through 12 appearances.

Kasper scored two goals on three shots and added two hits in Thursday's 4-3 shootout win over the Kings.

Kasper's first goal came on the power play, and he added an even-strength tally to stretch the Red Wings' lead to 3-1 at 14:45 of the third period. The 21-year-old has had a slow start in 2025-26, but he's still in a second-line role and holding onto a power-play role. He's scored three goals, fired 17 shots on net, doled out 31 hits and posted a minus-3 rating through 11 appearances. Kasper isn't a must-have in fantasy, but he'll be worth picking up if Thursday's effort leads to a long stretch of productivity.

Mercer scored two power-play goals on four shots and went minus-2 in Thursday's 5-2 loss to the Sharks.

Mercer has been back on the second line for a couple of games since Juho Lammikko entered the lineup. The 24-year-old Mercer has been productive from every spot he's played in so far, and he's potted three goals over his last two games. For the season, he has six goals, 11 points (four on the power play), 20 shots on net, 14 blocked shots, 10 hits and a plus-6 rating through 11 appearances. If Mercer's hot start is here to stay, he'll provide excellent fantasy value for the rest of the campaign.

Smith scored a goal on two shots, added two PIM and went plus-2 in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Devils.

Smith has scored in consecutive games for the first time this season. The 20-year-old has racked up four goals and two helpers over his last five outings as he starts to get into a groove on offense. For the season, he's produced 10 points, 24 shots on net, eight PIM and a plus-2 rating across 11 appearances. He should continue to see time in a top-six role and on the first power-play unit, so the only thing fantasy managers can ask for now is a little more game-to-game consistency.

Kurashev scored a goal on three shots, added an assist and went plus-3 in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Devils.

Kurashev is on a roll with five points over his last three games. He's bounced back well from a two-game stint as a healthy scratch. The 26-year-old is seeing ice time in all situations and playing on the second line at even strength, which gives him a good chance to stay productive on offense. Overall, he has three goals, three assists, 17 shots on net, eight hits, five blocked shots and a plus-4 rating over nine outings this season.

Wennberg scored a goal, added an assist, blocked two shots and went plus-2 in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Devils.

This was Wennberg's second multi-point effort in a row. He set up a Philipp Kurashev goal before scoring one of his own as part of the Sharks' three-goal first period. Wennberg was skating in his 800th career game Thursday. The two-way center has three goals, four helpers, 12 shots on net, 11 blocked shots and a minus-4 rating through 11 appearances in a strong first month of the campaign. As a veteran on a young Sharks team, he should continue to see plenty of ice time.

Stankoven had a goal and an assist in a 6-2 win over the Islanders on Thursday.

His goal was the final dagger at 19:49 of the third period to drive the score to 6-2. Stankoven has three points, including two goals, in his last two games, and he has seven points (four goals, three assists) and 22 shots in 10 games this season. That's a nice bump for Stankoven, who put up nine points in 19 contests last year after arriving from Dallas in a trade. The young spark plug is a great fit in the Carolina system. His future is bright.

Savoie scored a power-play goal in Thursday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Rangers.

Savoie's goal was the first of his NHL career, and it put the Oilers ahead 2-1 in the second period. The 21-year-old has been a regular in the lineup this season, but he's yet to find much success on offense. He's at two points, 13 shots on net, eight blocked shots and a minus-5 rating through 12 appearances in a middle-six role. However, he's earned some trust on the defensive side of things, as he's seeing regular penalty-killing minutes, which will go a long way to keeping him in the lineup.