NHL Player News

Sorokin made 24 saves in Wednesday's 2-1 loss to the Maple Leafs.

Both pucks that got past Sorokin came in the first period, the game-winner on a Toronto power play, but the 31-year-old netminder shut the door the rest of the way and at least gave the Isles a chance to mount a comeback. Sorokin has played more than 50 games and produced at least 25 wins in each of the last five seasons, and his workload doesn't figure to slack in 2026-27 with 38-year-old Semyon Varlamov and his balky knee as his main backup.

Saros will get the starting nod at home against the Wild on Thursday, Max Herz of 102.5 The Game Nashville reports.

Saros will get the Opening Night start, which shouldn't come as a surprise considering he featured 59 times during the regular season last year. In those outings, the 31-year-old backstop went 28-22-8 with a career-worst 3.16 GAA. Despite the underwhelming numbers, Saros remains the unquestioned No. 1 option in Music City and could top the 60-game mark for the first time since 2023-24.

Lapierre potted a goal, distributed an assist, posted a plus-three rating and recorded four hits in Wednesday's 7-0 Opening Night win over Philadelphia.

Lapierre's Penguins debut was a massive success, as he picked up two points across two and a half minutes in the second period. He dished out the primary helper on Evgeni Malkin's power-play goal before he scored himself on a set-up from Filip Hallander. Lapierre struggled to carve out consistent playing time with the Capitals in 2025-26, where he posted four goals, 16 points, 53 shots on net and 49 hits across 74 regular-season games while averaging just under nine minutes of ice time. He could be in line for an increased role while Ben Kindel (lower body) remains on injured reserve to begin the 2026-27 season.

Hallander scored a goal, dished out two assists, posted a plus-four rating and placed three shots on net in Wednesday's 7-0 Opening Night win over the Flyers.

Hallander was awarded the first star of the game Wednesday, where he put together the first multi-point outing of his career. The 26-year-old forward played a hand in the team's fourth, fifth and sixth goals, with Pittsburgh's fifth tally of the night being his first goal of the season. He also showed a connection with his linemate on Pittsburgh's third forward unit, Hendrix Lapierre, when he assisted him early in the second period. Even with a handful of forwards injured to begin the year for the Penguins, Hallander is expected to play a larger role for the team in 2026-27, which was likely solidified for the time being with his three-point night Wednesday.

Robertson tallied two goals, fired four shots on net and served two PIM in Wednesday's 7-0 Opening Night win over Philadelphia.

Robertson's debut with the Penguins exceeded expectations, as he posted his first multi-goal game since April 5, 2024. He recorded the first goal for his new team before later adding a shorthanded tally in the third period. The 25-year-old winger had a career year with the Maple Leafs in 2025-26, where he compiled 16 goals, 32 points, 127 shots on net, 75 hits and 36 blocked shots across 78 regular-season games. His inclusion on the Penguins' top line could be a sign that the best hockey of his career has yet to come. For now, he's an intriguing deep-league fantasy option that holds his own in category coverage.

Vladar allowed seven goals on 38 shots on net in Wednesday's Opening Night loss to the Penguins.

While Vladar struggled against the high volume of shot attempts that Pittsburgh generated, the 29-year-old backstop was dealing with an upper-body injury during his ramp-up to Opening Night. Regardless, his performance Wednesday was in stark contrast to what he accomplished in 2025-26, where he posted a 29-14-7 record, a 2.42 GAA and a .906 save percentage across 52 regular-season appearances. Between last year's numbers all being career highs and the Flyers bringing in Joseph Woll to take on some of the workload between the pipes, Vladar could be due for slight regression in 2026-27. However, his expected share of opportunities keeps him as a low-end No. 2 goalie option in fantasy for the time being.

Silovs stopped all 19 shots on net he saw in Wednesday's 7-0 Opening Night win over the Flyers.

Silovs started the year on the right foot, posting the third shutout of his NHL career in Wednesday's big win. The 25-year-old goalie had an up-and-down year in 2025-26, where he posted a 19-12-8 record, a 3.07 GAA, an .887 save percentage and two shutouts across 39 regular-season outings. With rookie netminder Sergei Murashov expected to challenge Silovs for opportunities between the pipes, the latter's statement win Wednesday should keep him as the top option for now. Silovs currently holds solid streaming value in fantasy.

Laferriere notched two assists, two shots on goal and five hits in Wednesday's 8-4 loss to the Avalanche.

Laferriere's offense stagnated a bit last year with 44 points over 82 regular-season outings, up from 42 points in 77 games the year before. The 24-year-old is poised to see top-six minutes again in 2026-27. He plays as a power forward, and he should be a good source of hits this year. A larger role with the man advantage is also expected, which could help Laferriere approach the 50-point mark for the first time in his fourth NHL campaign.

Dumoulin scored a goal on two shots and blocked two shots in Wednesday's 8-4 loss to the Avalanche.

Dumoulin tallied the first goal of the season for the Kings. The 35-year-old defenseman is hardly a regular on the scoresheet -- he was limited to two goals and 17 points across 82 regular-season outings in 2025-26. Dumoulin also doesn't add much in the way of hits, though he could bounce back from having just 89 blocked shots last year. Overall, he's not the type of blueliner most fantasy managers will need to roster this year.

Armia scored a shorthanded goal on two shots in Wednesday's 8-4 loss to the Avalanche.

Armia is a strong contributor in shorthanded situations, having scored at least one shortie in every campaign since 2016-17. He wasted no time extending that streak this year with his tally in the season-opening loss. Armia is penciled in for fourth-line minutes this year, though he could move up to the third line if the Kings have too many absences at once. Armia has logged at least 25 points in three straight campaigns, so he may carry some appeal in deep fantasy formats.