NHL Player News
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Leon Draisaitl C | EDM
Oilers' Leon Draisaitl: One of each in win
Draisaitl scored a goal on four shots, added an assist and went plus-2 in Saturday's 6-2 win over the Rangers.
Draisaitl set up a Vasily Podkolzin goal in the first period before netting the game-winning tally midway through the second frame. Draisaitl has potted a goal in three straight outings, and he has seven tallies and seven assists over his last eight competitions. For the season, the 29-year-old superstar is at 16 goals, 14 helpers, 60 shots on net and a plus-10 rating over 22 appearances. He has a share of the league lead in goals and is one of eight players to reach the 30-point mark.
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Tomas Tatar LW | NJ
Devils' Tomas Tatar: Two points in win
Tatar scored a goal on the man advantage and added an even-strength assist in Saturday's 3-2 win over the Capitals.
Tatar scored his first power-play goal of the season to tie the game at 1-1 in the opening frame, and he registered the primary helper on Brenden Dillon's first goal of 2024-25 in the second frame. Tatar added two shots, one block, and a plus-1 rating in a team-low 9:30 of ice time. The 33-year-old has points in back-to-back games, but his fourth-line role will limit his path to consistent offensive production. Tatar has accounted for three goals, five assists and a plus-2 rating through 23 games.
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Connor McDavid C | EDM
Oilers' Connor McDavid: Powers up with three points
McDavid scored twice, added an assist and went plus-3 in Saturday's 6-2 win over the Rangers.
McDavid has six multi-point efforts, including four with at least three points, over nine contests since returning from an ankle injury. He set up a Leon Draisaitl tally in the second period before lighting the lamp twice in the third frame. McDavid is up to 11 goals, 28 points, 69 shots on net and a plus-7 rating through 19 appearances this season. Even with his three-game absence, he ranks among the top 10 producers and is trending upward.
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Stuart Skinner G | EDM
Oilers' Stuart Skinner: Cruises to win
Skinner stopped 33 of 35 shots in Saturday's 6-2 win over the Rangers.
Skinner received plenty of goal support, allowing him to overcome allowing two tallies to Artemi Panarin. Skinner has won four of his last six outings, but he's given up at least three goals in four of those contests. He improved to 7-6-2 this season with a 3.23 GAA and an .882 save percentage. The Oilers are off for five days before visiting Utah on Friday and heading to Colorado next Saturday. Expect Skinner and Calvin Pickard to split those starts.
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Charlie Lindgren G | WAS
Capitals' Charlie Lindgren: Valient effort in loss
Lindgren stopped 30 of 33 shots in Saturday's 3-2 loss to New Jersey.
Lindgren allowed just one goal at even strength, but New Jersey's lethal power play cashed in twice Saturday. The Devils rank second in the NHL in power-play percentage, so Lindgren can hardly be faulted for his performance. The Minnesota native has been solid overall this season -- he hasn't allowed more than three goals in a game since his first appearance of the campaign. The 30-year-old is sporting a 5-5-0 record, .901 save percentage and 2.64 GAA through 10 outings while splitting starts between the pipes with Logan Thompson.
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Jake Walman D | SJ
Sharks' Jake Walman: Slings assist
Walman notched an assist, three shots on goal, two blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Saturday's 4-2 loss to the Sabres.
The defensive pair of Walman and Cody Ceci was on the ice for the Sharks' two goals and none of the Sabres' tallies. With four points over five contests since he returned from an upper-body injury, Walman doesn't appear to have lost a step. The defenseman is at two goals, 11 helpers, 53 shots on net, 29 blocked shots, 16 hits and a plus-4 rating over 18 outings this season while seeing top-pairing minutes.
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Alex Wennberg C | SJ
Sharks' Alexander Wennberg: Deals helper in loss
Wennberg provided an assist in Saturday's 4-2 loss to the Sabres.
Wennberg has two goals and three assists over his last four contests. The center has been flanked by Luke Kunin and Tyler Toffoli recently, and that's a line combination that can play a valuable two-way game. Wennberg is up to five goals, seven helpers, 29 shots on net, 18 blocked shots and a minus-5 rating over 23 appearances. He'll likely stay on the third line as long as Mikael Granlund and Macklin Celebrini stay healthy.
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William Eklund LW | SJ
Sharks' William Eklund: Puts up assist
Eklund managed an assist and two blocked shots in Saturday's 4-2 loss to the Sabres.
Eklund was a game-time decision for Saturday, but he was able to play 20:08, in line with his usual workload. He has two goals and six assists over his last seven contests as he continues to thrive in a top-six role. The winger is up to four goals, 13 helpers, 36 shots on net and a minus-3 rating through 22 outings. Eklund offers valuable category coverage, but his main contributions are his offensive numbers.
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Tyler Toffoli RW | SJ
Sharks' Tyler Toffoli: Nabs assist Saturday
Toffoli logged an assist, six shots on goal and four hits in Saturday's 4-2 loss to the Sabres.
Toffoli set up a Luke Kunin tally in the second period. Those two forwards have been centered by Alexander Wennberg in recent contests, making for a veteran trio to absorb tougher minutes while freeing up Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith for easier assignments. Toffoli has three goals and two assists over his last six games, though his four-game slump earlier in November seemingly cost him a top-line role for now. The 32-year-old winger remains fairly productive with nine goals, seven helpers, 72 shots on net, 16 hits and a minus-8 rating through 23 appearances.
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Roman Josi D | NSH
Predators' Roman Josi: Scores twice in win Saturday
Josi scored two goals, including an empty-netter, in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Jets.
Josi opened the scoring for Nashville midway through the first period with a slap shot from the blue line, and he closed things out with an empty-netter when the Jets were all out on the attack trying to mount a late comeback. Josi earned his first multi-goal performance of the season, and the veteran defenseman has cracked the scoresheet in six of his last eight appearances, tallying three goals and six assists in that span.