NHL Player News

Benn scored a goal and placed two shots on net in Thursday's 5-2 loss to the Canadiens.

Benn's even-strength tally Thursday came midway through the second period and cut the Stars' deficit to two scores. Overall, the 37-year-old forward now has two goals, four points, 19 PIM, 17 shots on net and 16 hits across 13 appearances this season. He's posted two of his four points this season over his last three outings, which could be a sign that he's turning a corner offensively. He's secured 15-plus goals in each of the last five seasons, which remains a solid target for the 18-year NHL veteran. Given his category coverage and resume, he's a serviceable streaming option in deep fantasy leagues.

Johnston tallied a power-play goal, dished out an assist and placed two shots on net in Thursday's 5-2 loss to Montreal.

Johnston has been heating up as of late, as he's posted exactly one goal and assist in three of his last four appearances. Following Thursday's performance, the 23-year-old forward is up to three goals, 10 points, 29 shots on net, 11 hits and seven blocked shots across 11 outings this season. While his season got off to a slow start, he seemed to shake off any lingering rust from the offseason, compiling nine points over his last eight games. He still has a strong chance to challenge the 85-point threshold once again, making him a high-level fantasy option with positional flexibility.

Dobson registered two assists, launched four shots on net and recorded two blocked shots in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Stars.

Dobson secured his first multi-point game of the 2026-27 campaign in Thursday's big win. He chipped in with a helper on each of Alex Newhook's goals, which were both scored in the first half of Thursday's clash. With the pair of apples, Dobson is up to five assists, 30 shots on net, 16 hits and 18 blocked shots over 13 appearances this season. While he might rotate in and out of the Canadiens' top defensive pair with veteran Mike Matheson (lower body), Dobson is currently playing in all scenarios during the latter's absence. The 26-year-old Dobson remains a solid fantasy option in standard-size leagues that value category coverage.

Danault tallied an empty-net goal, recorded an assist, posted a plus-2 rating and placed two shots on net in Thursday's 5-2 win over Dallas.

Danault sealed the deal in Thursday's contest with his empty-net tally in the final minute of the game. The 33-year-old center's goal was his first of the 2026-27 campaign, which raised his stats up to five points, 20 shots on net and a plus-7 rating across 13 appearances this season. With Nick Suzuki (upper body) still facing a multi-week absence, Danault has absorbed a larger role on Montreal's penalty kill in his absence. The veteran center has a higher ceiling in fantasy for the time being from the Habs' third line, making him a decent streaming option in deeper fantasy leagues for as long as Suzuki is on the shelf.

Newhook notched two goals, went plus-2 and put two shots on net in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Stars.

Newhook recorded his first multi-goal game since the 2025-26 postseason in Thursday's clash, as he secured his pair of goals within the first 27 minutes of regulation. Overall, the 25-year-old center has three goals, six points, 14 shots on net, 15 hits and nine blocked shots across 13 outings this season. In the absence of Nick Suzuki (upper body) Newhook has taken a while to adjust to his new role on the top line. However, Thursday's performance displayed that things are starting to click for him once again. He's displayed big-game potential with two multi-point efforts this season, making Newhook a solid waiver-wire pickup in deep leagues while Suzuki remains sidelined.

Caufield scored two goals, posted a plus-2 rating and placed three shots on net in Thursday's 5-2 win over Dallas.

Caufield came out of the gate hot in Thursday's contest, as he struck the back of the net two times across the first 16 and a half minutes of the contest. With the pair of twine finders, he's up to eight goals, 12 points, a plus-6 rating, 42 shots on net and nine hits across 13 appearances this season. Thursday's performance marked his third multi-goal game of the new season, which keeps him on pace to match or surpass his total of 12 multi-goal performances from the 2025-26 campaign. Without his go-to running mate Nick Suzuki (upper body), Caufield's upside is temporarily capped, but he's proven to have a stable floor in his center's absence. With 10 points over his last eight appearances, Caufield remains an elite fantasy option in all formats moving forward.

Oettinger turned away 16 of 20 shots on goal in Thursday's 5-2 loss to the Canadiens.

Oettinger had a rare blip to his success this season, as he had his four-game winning streak snapped in Thursday's contest. In the losing effort, he allowed three goals in the first period, including a pair of goals within a 27-second span. Overall, the 27-year-old netminder now has a 6-3-1 record, a 1.69 GAA, a .917 save percentage and a league-leading three shutouts across 10 outings. Despite Thursday's rough outing, he remains an elite-level fantasy option with a level of upside that could capture him his first-career Vezina Trophy.

Dobes stopped 17 of 19 shots on net in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Stars.

Dobes cruised to his first win since Opening Night on Thursday, as he allowed just one goal in each of the contest's first two periods. With the big win, the 25-year-old netminder is up to a 2-2-2 record, a 4.05 GAA and an .853 save percentage across six appearances. While he's likely ceded the lead role between the pipes to Jacob Fowler, who is currently on a six-game winning streak, Thursday's effort was a step in the right direction for Dobes in terms of earning the top spot on the depth chart back. Even if Dobes continues to sit behind Fowler in the majority of Montreal's remaining games, the former should still see a solid workload given his success as the team's lead option in 2025-26, which gives him a solid floor in fantasy. For now, however, Dobes is best left on waivers outside of deep fantasy leagues.

Malkin notched two assists in Thursday's 4-3 overtime win over Utah.

The 40-year-old missed the Penguins' prior game with an illness, but Malkin looked 100 percent in his return as he helped set up tallies by Erik Karlsson in the second period and Ben Kindel late in the third, the latter of which appeared to be the game-winner until the Mammoth tied it up with one second left on the clock. Malkin hasn't yet announced a decision on whether this will be his last NHL season, but he certainly looks like he's got plenty left in the tank, delivering six goals and 11 points in his first 12 games of 2026-27.

Kindel produced a goal and an assist in Thursday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Mammoth.

Seeing his first action since Oct. 19 after a scary incident on the team plane in which he lost consciousness due to a sudden drop in blood pressure and heart rate. Kindel seemed fully recovered as he set up Erik Karlsson for the Penguins' opening goal in the second period, before giving his squad a 3-2 lead with just 25 seconds left in the third. The 19-year-old Kindel will have his health monitored closely, but assuming there aren't further vasovagal syncope episodes, he should continue to skate on the second line and hold down a spot on the second power-play unit. Through 10 games this season, Kindel's produced three goals and six points.