NHL Player News

Scheifele notched two assists and a plus-2 rating in Wednesday's 3-2 win over the Avalanche.

While linemates Kyle Connor and Cole Perfetti are off to hot starts this year, Scheifele had been left in the dust. He changed that Wednesday, setting up a goal for each of his wingers in this impressive win. Scheifele has added six shots on net, two hits and an even plus-minus rating. Even with the slow start, the 33-year-old center's top-line usage and history of strong offense should give fantasy managers confidence he'll get on track sooner rather than later.

Perfetti scored a goal on two shots and went plus-2 in Wednesday's 3-2 win over the Avalanche.

Perfetti's goal streak is up to three games, and he's yet to be held off the scoresheet this season. The 24-year-old winger has three goals, three assists, four power-play points, 12 shots on net, seven hits and a minus-1 rating over four appearances. Perfetti is playing right wing alongside the well-established top-line duo of Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor. If he stays there, Perfetti has a good chance of getting back to the 50-point mark after missing that threshold with 32 points over 68 outings in 2025-26.

Connor scored twice on four shots and went plus-2 in Wednesday's 3-2 win over the Avalanche.

Connor tied the game at 1-1 just 1:10 after the Avalanche opened the scoring in the second period. The winger scored again with a minute left in the third, giving the Jets the win. Connor is blazing hot to start the season, earning five goals, two assists, 24 shots on net, three blocked shots and a minus-1 rating over four contests in his typical top-line spot.

Skinner stopped 32 of 34 shots in Wednesday's 3-2 win over the Avalanche.

Skinner faced one of the league's toughest opponents and came away with a win, allowing just a pair of goals to Colorado's third line. That's the second straight win for Skinner, who has faced heavy traffic through three games. He's stopped 91 of 99 shots while going 2-0-1, but the 27-year-old hasn't often displayed extended runs of success, so there may be some luck involved so far. He's taken a firm grasp of the starting job for the Jets, and he's worth rostering in fantasy as long as the results keep going in his favor. The Jets' next game is at home versus the Ducks on Friday.

Robertson scored a goal and logged two PIM in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to the Capitals.

Robertson opened the season in a more prominent role, but the return of Bryan Rust (upper body) bumped him down to the fourth line. With three goals over four contests, Robertson has done his part so far. He has added seven shots on net, two blocked shots, four PIM and a plus-3 rating. The 25-year-old may get moved around the lineup depending on how the Penguins' lines shake out through the campaign.

Novak scored a goal on three shots and blocked two shots in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to the Capitals.

Novak has had a strong start to the year while centering the second line. He has three goals, two assists, eight shots on net, four blocked shots and a plus-2 rating over four appearances. Novak has topped the 40-point mark in three of the previous four years, so he's definitely worth considering in fantasy, though his contributions will be mostly limited to points and shots.

Rust scored a goal on three shots and blocked two shots in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to the Capitals.

Rust missed the first three games of the season due to an upper-body injury. He also looked to labor a couple of times during the contest, but he was taking top-line shifts by the end of the game. Rust was initially used on the third line with Ben Kindel and Ville Koivunen, but his long-term chemistry with Sidney Crosby makes it virtually inevitable Rust will officially move up soon. The winger had 65 points over 72 regular-season outings in 2026-27, including a career-best 24 power-play points, so he should be a productive player in fantasy.

Silovs stopped 22 of 27 shots in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to the Capitals.

It's tough to lay too much blame on Silovs, as the Penguins' defense had a clear turnover problem in this contest. The team as a whole was charged with 21 giveaways. Silovs is now 2-1-0 with 10 goals allowed on 71 shots over his three games this season, though he also had a shutout in the season opener. The 25-year-old's experience from last year gave him the edge for the starting job to begin 2026-27, but any extended slump will open the door for Sergei Murashov to see more playing time. The Penguins wrap up this two-game road trip in Columbus on Friday.

Beauvillier scored a goal, dished out four hits and went plus-2 in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Penguins.

Beauvillier wasted no time in starting the scoring in the Capitals' home opener, tallying 23 seconds into the game. The winger was given a bump up to the top line at even strength, though he still saw just 10:46 of ice time. The 29-year-old now has 300 points in his career after getting on the scoresheet for the first time in 2026-27. He's added six shots on net, seven hits and a plus-2 rating through three appearances this season.

Leonard scored a power-play goal on two shots, doled out four hits and added two PIM in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Penguins.

Leonard's third-period tally restored a two-goal lead for the Capitals. The 21-year-old winger has two goals, eight shots on net, nine hits and a plus-1 rating over three contests this season. He was moved to the fourth line ahead of this game, but the depth of the Capitals' forward group -- along with Leonard's continued power-play usage -- should keep his offense at an acceptable level.