NHL Player News

Kochetkov stopped 24 shots in Thursday's 3-2 win over the Blue Jackets.

Carolina held a 3-0 lead after Mark Jankowski scored just 16 seconds into the third period, but Kochetkov needed to be sharp as Columbus staged a rally in the final frame that fell just short. The 27-year-old goalie remains unbeaten, going 9-0-0 with a 1.66 GAA and .919 save percentage to begin the Hurricanes' defense of their Stanley Cup championship.

Johnson scored a power-play goal in Thursday's 3-2 loss to the Hurricanes.

The 24-year-old winger tapped home a Charlie Coyle feed from the edge of the crease midway through the third period for the game's final goal. Johnson scored just seven goals in 76 regular-season games during a rough 2025-26, but he's already matched that total in 11 contests this season, compiling 11 points, 24 shots on net, six hits, five blocked shots, six PIM and a plus-1 rating.

Greaves made 24 saves in Thursday's 3-2 loss to Carolina.

The 25-year-old netminder hadn't played since Oct. 20 thanks to a light schedule for the Blue Jackets, as he missed just two games, but the time off for Greaves didn't solve the team's issues at both ends of the ice. Through seven outings (six starts) so far in 2026-27, he's gone 2-4-0 with a 3.29 GAA and .884 save percentage, and since a 6-3 win over Buffalo in Columbus' opener, Greaves' offense has averaged just 2.0 goals a game in his appearances.

Mercer logged an assist and three shots on goal in Thursday's 6-4 loss to the Lightning.

The current headliner of the return for Connor Hellebuyck, Mercer's arrival in Winnipeg has gotten off to a slow start. The helper was his first point in three games with his new team. The 25-year-old has had some bad luck so far, coming up empty on 28 shots while adding five assists, nine hits, nine blocked shots and a minus-4 rating over 13 appearances between the Jets and the Devils. He's in a middle-six role with ice time in all situation, so he should be able to get his offense going soon, as long as he can adjust to his new teammates.

Perfetti logged two assists, three shots on goal, two hits and a plus-2 rating in Thursday's 6-4 loss to the Lightning.

Perfetti snapped a three-game slide with the two helpers. The 24-year-old remained on the top line amid a shuffling of the forward combinations for this contest. While the Jets' hot start has quickly faded, Perfetti is still in a good spot for offense. He has six goals, five assists, 38 shots on net, 22 hits and a plus-2 rating across 13 appearances on the year.

Viel notched an assist in Thursday's 6-4 win over the Jets.

The helper was Viel's first point in nine games for the Lightning. The 29-year-old was signed to a five-year contract in July, which was a bit of a head-scratcher at the time even at a reasonable $2.5 million cap hit. He has done what he was supposed to do -- add toughness. He's logged 29 hits and 16 PIM so far and should continue to ramp up the physicality whenever he's in the lineup.

Geekie scored a goal on two shots and added five hits in Thursday's 6-4 win over the Jets.

Geekie has scored in consecutive contests, adding five shots on net in that span. The 22-year-old forward continues to fill a bottom-six role at even strength while featuring on the second power-play unit. He's up to three goals, 16 shots and 36 hits across 12 outings, and he looks like he'll be in the Lightning's lineup more often than not this year.

Stutzle logged three assists, three hits and a plus-2 rating in Thursday's 6-5 overtime loss to the Kings.

Stutzle saw a four-game point streak snapped in Vegas on Tuesday. He bounced back Thursday with the three helpers, including one on the power play. The 24-year-old center continues to spearhead the Senators' offense from the top line and first power-play unit. Stutzle has an impressive eight goals, 11 assists, 27 shots on net, 34 hits and a plus-4 rating across 14 appearances this season.

Kleven scored a goal on two shots and blocked two shots in Thursday's 6-5 overtime loss to the Kings.

Kleven snapped a seven-game point drought with the tally. He was back in a third-pairing role after spending most of the first month of the season filling in higher up the lineup due to numerous injuries on the Senators' blue line. Now, Kleven will have to maintain a decent level of play to avoid losing time to Carter Yakemchuk. Kleven has two goals, one assist, 19 shots on net, 25 hits, 38 blocked shots, eight PIM and a plus-4 rating over 14 appearances. He's not a great source of offense but can pile up non-scoring production.

Pinto scored a goal on two shots and added three hits in Thursday's 6-5 overtime loss to the Kings.

Pinto has three goals over his last five games, and he's racked up 14 shots on net in that span. The third-line center continues to chip in decent supporting offense, in part thanks to his power-play usage. Pinto is up to four goals, five assists, 28 shots, 25 hits, eight blocked shots, eight PIM and a minus-4 rating across 14 appearances this season.