NHL Player News
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Cam Talbot G | DET
Red Wings' Cam Talbot: Bounce-back effort not enough
Talbot stopped 27 of 29 shots in Saturday's 2-1 loss to the Bruins.
Talbot delivered a bounce-back performance Saturday, as he had allowed eight goals on 74 shots over his previous two appearances, but it wasn't enough to get back in the win column. The 37-year-old netminder is now riding a three-game losing streak, going 0-2-1 while stopping 99 of 109 shots for a .908 save percentage in that span.
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James Reimer G | BUF
Sabres' James Reimer: Sharp in win over former team
Reimer stopped 31 of 33 shots in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Sharks.
Reimer has had two stints with the Sharks, mostly recently in 2022-23. The 36-year-old made his Buffalo debut after signing with the Sabres in the offseason. He was lost on waivers to the Ducks before ultimately being reclaimed. The netminder is 1-2-0 with 11 goals allowed on 99 shots over three appearances this season. He should improve behind a Sabres team that has established itself as a playoff contender through the first quarter of 2024-25. Reimer's playing time is likely to be limited behind Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. Still, Reimer should have an opportunity to start next weekend with the Sabres playing at home versus the Canucks on Friday before facing the Islanders on the road Saturday.
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Quinn Hughes D | VAN
Canucks' Quinn Hughes: Ejected for boarding
Hughes received a game misconduct and five-minute major for boarding in the first period of Saturday's 4-3 win over Ottawa.
He drilled Josh Norris into the boards from behind. It wasn't a hard hit, but Norris was cut and left the game temporarily. The officials had no option but to issue a major on the play -- rule 41.5 issues an automatic game misconduct if "an injury to the face or head of the opponent" occurs on a boarding penalty. Hughes and Norris are close friends who played for the USNTDP and the University of Michigan. Still, a suspension is unlikely.
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Jayden Struble D | MON
Canadiens' Jayden Struble: Tallies in loss
Struble scored a goal on one shot, blocked one shot and delivered one hit in Saturday's 6-2 loss to the Golden Knights.
Struble snuck up toward the net and took advantage of a rebound to score his first goal of the season. The third-pair defenseman has four points and three assists through 14 outings after recovering from an upper-body injury that cost him the first five games of the year.
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Emil Heineman LW | MON
Canadiens' Emil Heineman: Notches power-play tally
Heineman scored a power-play goal in Saturday's 6-2 loss to Vegas.
Heineman slightly shifted his position to open a passing lane for Joel Armia, who fed the rookie for Montreal's first goal. It was the fourth tally of the season for Heineman and his second on the power play. He skates in a bottom-six role at even strength and has three power-play points despite limited ice time during man-advantage situations.
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Pavel Buchnevich LW | STL
Blues' Pavel Buchnevich: Offers power-play assist
Buchnevich notched a power-play assist in Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Islanders.
The helper was Buchnevich's second over the last five games. He's been decent in November with two goals and five assists through 11 appearances, but the fact that he's in a top-line role while carrying an $8 million cap hit suggests that he should be capable of more. For the season, the 29-year-old has five goals, eight assists, four power-play points, 39 shots on net and a minus-6 rating over 22 appearances.
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Robert Thomas C | STL
Blues' Robert Thomas: Slides power-play helper
Thomas provided a power-play assist and two PIM in Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Islanders.
Thomas has returned to his playmaking roots, earning an assist in each of his first three games since returning from a broken ankle. The 25-year-old is up to one goal, eight assists (three on the power play), 19 shots on net, 11 blocked shots and a minus-5 rating through 10 appearances this season. He's been able to replicate his improved shooting volume from 2023-24, so the goals should eventually follow, even though he's lit the lamp once so far this campaign.
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Jake Neighbours LW | STL
Blues' Jake Neighbours: Scores on power play in loss
Neighbours scored a power-play goal on five shots, added six hits and went minus-2 in Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Islanders.
Neighbours has three goals, nine shots and 12 hits over his last four contests. The 22-year-old winger has scored two of those tallies on the power play. He's up to seven goals, 10 points, 41 shots, 54 hits, 16 PIM and a minus-12 rating through 22 appearances. That's a similar scoring pace to last year, and Neighbours continues to see top-six usage, so he'll carry decent fantasy value in formats that reward his gritty play.
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Cayden Primeau G | MON
Canadiens' Cayden Primeau: Guards net for third period
Primeau replaced starter Sam Montembeault for the third period of Saturday's 6-2 loss to the Golden Knights.
For the third time this season, Primeau replaced an ineffective Montembeault, who gave up five goals in the second period. Primeau faced just three shots, giving up a goal to Jack Eichel. Montembeault is ripe for being replaced as the No. 1, but Primeau sports an ugly 4.59 GAA and a disappointing .842 save percentage through eight appearances.
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Linus Ullmark G | OTT
Senators' Linus Ullmark: Queasy season continues
Ullmark made 17 saves in a 4-3 loss to Vancouver on Saturday.
He wasn't bad, but he wasn't great, and that's been the theme of his time in Ottawa early in the 2024-25 campaign. Ullmark is a strong netminder, but he has just four wins and has struggled with a 3.10 GAA and an .881 save percentage through 13 appearances. He should stabilize eventually, though it's been a difficult adjustment playing behind the Senators' defense after benefiting from Boston's system in his previous three seasons.