NHL Player News

Hughes notched two power-play assists in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Canucks.

The star center had a hand in tallies by Jesper Bratt and Nico Hischier in the second period. The Devils struck three times with the man advantage in the contest. Hughes has looked good coming out of the gate this season, delivering a goal and four points in four games, with all three helpers coming on the power play.

Bratt had two power-play points, including a goal and an assist, in Saturday's 4-1 win over Vancouver.

He added five shots on net and four hits in some solid category coverage. The goal was Bratt's first of the season, but he's had a productive start to 2026-27. He has four points in four games, including three on the man advantage. Bratt also has seven hits and 15 shots on goal.

Hischier scored two goals and an assist, all on the power play, in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Canucks.

The New Jersey captain tied the game at 1-1 midway through the first period. He set up two more tallies in the second to help the home side pull away. It was an impressive display for Hischier, as he shook off his early-season mini-slump. He'd gone without a point in the first three contests of 2026-27, but he was bound to get rolling in short order -- he's produced at least 20 goals and 60 points in five straight regular seasons.

Allen made 20 saves in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Canucks.

A Linus Karlsson power-play tally early in the first period was the only puck that got past Allen in his 500th career NHL game. The 36-year-old has started three of the Devils' first four games this season, going 2-1-0 with an .896 save percentage. However, he will likely split the workload fairly evenly with Nico Daws over the long haul -- Allen hasn't appeared in more than 42 games in a season since 2018-19 with the Blues.

Karlsson scored a power-play goal in Saturday's 4-1 loss to the Devils.

The 26-year-old opened the scoring early in the first period with a one-timer from the faceoff circle, but New Jersey dominated play the rest of the afternoon. Karlsson is coming off a solid first full season in the NHL in 2025-26, producing 15 goals and 35 points in 79 regular-season contests, and he's had a quick start to the current campaign with a goal and five points in five games.

Lankinen allowed one goal on three shots in relief of Leevi Merilainen to take the loss in a 4-1 defeat against the Devils on Saturday.

Merilainen got the start but left the ice with less than six minutes remaining in the first period for some skate repairs. During that brief time, Lankinen gave up what proved to be the game-winning goal by Jesper Boqvist. Getting stuck with the unlikely loss sums up how Lankinen's season has gone so far. In five appearances (four starts), he's 1-4-0 with an atrocious .783 save percentage. The 31-year-old will likely get the nod for Sunday's road game against the Rangers, but his hold on the top spot on the Vancouver depth chart appears increasingly tenuous.

Merilainen stopped 31 of 34 shots for the Canucks during a 4-1 loss to the Devils on Saturday.

The 24-year-old netminder managed to avoid having the loss go on his record -- Merilainen left the ice late in the first period to get his skate repaired, and Kevin Lankinen wound up allowing the game-winning goal during his brief relief stint. All three pucks that got past Merilainen came on Devil power plays, and he made a number of big saves just to keep the game as close as it was. Through four appearances (two starts) this season, he boasts a .929 save percentage, compared to Lankinen's woeful .783 mark in five outings (four starts). Lankinen should get the start for Sunday's road contest against the Rangers, but Merilainen is making a strong case to take over the larger share of the workload in the crease for Vancouver.

Tanev (upper body) won't finish Saturday's game versus the Avalanche.

Tanev was injured in the first period and won't be able to continue. The 36-year-old defenseman's exit leaves Toronto with six healthy defensemen on the roster. He'll be day-to-day for now until the Maple Leafs provide additional information.

Vasilevskiy is set to start on the road against the Islanders on Saturday, per Stefen Rosner of NHL.com.

Vasilevskiy has won his past two starts, stopping 34 of 36 shots. He's gone 2-1-0 with a 2.05 GAA and a .900 save percentage in three appearances with Tampa Bay this year. The Islanders are 2-2-0 while averaging 3.25 goals per game in 2026-27.

Crotty (illness) will miss Saturday's game against Nashville, per the NHL media site.

It will be Crotty's second straight game on the shelf. He has no points, a plus-1 rating and one hit in two outings with Ottawa this season. When he's healthy, Crotty might serve as part of the third pairing, but there's no guarantee that he'll be put into the lineup once he's available.