NHL Player News

Toews scored twice on three shots, added two PIM and went plus-3 in Thursday's 7-3 win over the Flames.

Toews had the Avalanche's first two tallies of the game. The 32-year-old defenseman has a pair of multi-point outings this season, earning two goals, two assists, five shots on net, two hits, four PIM and a plus-6 rating over four contests. Toews is in his usual spot on the first pairing, and he's also working on the second power-play unit, which should raise his floor on offense. He's worth rostering as a depth blueliner in fantasy.

Makar scored twice, added an assist and went plus-2 in Thursday's 7-3 win over the Flames.

The Calgary native was one of three Avalanche skaters to log two goals. Makar has three goals, three assists, 10 shots on net, six blocked shots and a plus-3 rating over four contests so far this season. That's a good pace for any defenseman. Makar should continue to pile up points throughout the year.

Hughes had a goal and an assist in a 3-2 loss to Tampa Bay on Thursday.

Hughes has put up points in all four Minnesota games this season (two goals, four assists), and he has recorded 14 shots. He played a whopping 32:36 on Thursday night, something that could cause significant wear and tear if it continues at that level. At the same time, Hughes is averaging 28 minutes which is consistent with his ice time in both Minny and Vancouver last season. He's delivered 76 points in three of his last four years, and he's also put up a 92-point season in 2023-24. This will be a huge year for Hughes.

Carlson scored twice in 3-2 win over the Wild on Thursday. He fired nine shots.

The goals were his first two with the Lightning. He signed a two-year, $17 million contract with the team on July 1. Carlson's first pushed the scored to 2-0 in the first period and his second -- a power-play blast -- came in the second and stood as the winner. The goals extended Carlson's point streak to three games and four points. The defender is running the top power play unit and will get plenty of opportunity to match his 60 points from last season.

Nurse scored a goal on two shots and blocked two shots in Thursday's 3-2 overtime win over the Blues.

Nurse tallied just over a minute into overtime to give the Sharks their third win of the year. All of those victories have come past regulation time. The goal was Nurse's first point for the Sharks, and he's added five shots on net, six hits, 10 blocked shots, four PIM and an even plus-minus rating. At his best, he's a multi-category contributor in fantasy, but he could be limited on offense since he's not receiving power-play time early in the campaign.

Trudeau (upper body) won't finish Thursday's game versus the Canadiens.

Trudeau, a former Canadiens prospect, was hurt in the first period of Thursday's game against his former team. The 23-year-old defenseman was playing in his third career NHL contest and has been gaining momentum on Nashville's blue line. Trudeau can be considered day-to-day for now, and if he misses time, Jack Ahcan would likely get back into the lineup.

Ristolainen (undisclosed) won't play Thursday versus the Senators, Gabriela Carroll of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Ristolainen is slated to miss his second straight game. He has one goal, four hits and seven blocked shots over three outings this season. With Ristolainen out, David Jiricek is in a top-four role and Simon Benoit is getting playing time on the third pairing. Ristolainen's next chance to play is Saturday in Boston, which is the first half of a back-to-back set.

Maatta (lower body) won't play Thursday versus the Lightning.

David Spacek will enter the lineup. Maatta can be considered day-to-day for now. His next chance to play is Saturday versus the Panthers. Maatta has one assist, three blocked shots and a minus-1 rating over three appearances this season.

Crotty (illness) won't play Thursday versus the Flyers, per TSN 1200 Ottawa.

Crotty's absence, along with the ongoing injury concerns for Jake Sanderson (lower body) and Artem Zub (knee), will give Hoyt Stanley a chance to make his NHL debut. Crotty can be considered day-to-day beyond Thursday. The Senators' next game is Saturday at home versus the Predators.

Bernard-Docker (upper body) was activated from injured reserve Thursday.

Bernard-Docker began the regular season on injured reserve due to his upper-body issue, but he's been cleared to return after missing the Red Wings' first three games of the year. He made 63 regular-season appearances for Detroit last year, recording a goal, four assists, 87 blocked shots, 66 hits and 25 PIM while averaging 14:49 of ice time.