NHL Player News

Frondell picked up two assists Saturday in a 4-3 loss to Buffalo.

This season has been tough on the entire Hawks squad. They were outscored 11-2 in losses to Vegas and Utah in their first two contests this season, and they mustered just 15 shots at Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen on Saturday. Frondell played 16:06 and had one shot and one hit against the Sabres. The assists are his first points this season. The team compete level was far better Saturday than earlier in the week, and Frondell's job will get easier when Connor Bedard (shoulder) returns. Until then, temper expectations -- no individual player can lift an entire team.

Stamkos scored a power-play goal on four shots in Saturday's 2-1 win over the Stars.

Stamkos tied the game for the Predators with a one-timer from the left circle at 4:46 of the first period, just under four minutes after Miro Heiskanen opened the scoring for Dallas. The tally was Stamkos' 625th career goal, moving him into a tie with Joe Sakic and Jarome Iginla for 17th on the NHL's all-time list. Stamkos has opened the 2026-27 season with points in back-to-back games after he delivered an assist in the 3-1 loss to Minnesota on Oct. 1.

MacKinnon registered three assists, four shots on goal and a plus-3 rating in Saturday's 6-1 win over the Blues.

After showing off his scoring skills with two goals in the season opener, MacKinnon demonstrated some playmaking in this contest. He's added 12 shots on net and a plus-1 rating through two appearances. He won't put up multiple points every game, but that's something he did in 42 of his 80 regular-season outings last year, which makes him as close to a sure thing as there is in fantasy hockey.

Horvat scored a power-play goal in Saturday's 6-0 win over the Devils.

Horvat scored the Islanders' first power-play goal of the season at 12:08 of the second period, taking a feed from Matthew Schaefer and beating Nico Daws from the right circle to extend the lead to 3-0. The tally represented Horvat's 100th goal and 200th point as an Islander. He has opened the campaign with points in consecutive games after assisting on Emil Heineman's short-handed goal in Wednesday's loss to Toronto, and the 31-year-old should be a steady offensive contributor for the Isles as long as he stays healthy, given his first-line role on both even-strength and power-play shifts.

Schenn scored a goal on four shots and added an assist in Saturday's 6-0 win over the Devils.

Schenn doubled the Islanders' advantage at the 5:00 mark of the second period, finishing from in front of an empty net after Victor Eklund collected the rebound from Matthew Schaefer's shot and slipped the puck through to the veteran. The 35-year-old was not done, however, and he picked up an assist on Eklund's first NHL goal in the third period. After opening the season without a point against Toronto, Schenn made an immediate impact alongside youngsters Eklund and Ritchie on the Islanders' revamped second line. Schenn is looking to improve on his 2025-26 numbers with the Isles, where he notched six goals and 11 points across 19 regular-season contests since being traded from the Blues on March 6.

Roy scored a goal on three shots, added an assist, doled out three hits and logged two PIM in Saturday's 6-1 win over the Blues.

Roy is off to a hot start this season despite filling a fourth-line role. He's picked up two goals, one helper, five shots, five hits, two blocked shots and a plus-2 rating over two contests. There's a little extra ice time to go around among the forwards since the Avalanche have rolled out a lineup with seven defensemen in both games, though one or both of Zachary L'Heureux or Logan O'Connor could come back from their respective lower-body injuries next week to fill out the forward group.

Necas scored twice on four shots, added an assist and went plus-4 in Saturday's 6-1 win over the Blues.

The Avalanche's top line dominated the contest, with Necas leading the charge. He was held to one assist in the season opener, but he's capable of popping off for multiple points at any given time. Necas has four points, eight shots and two hits across two contests this season while filling a top-line role.

Thompson had a goal and an assist in a 4-3 win over the Blackhawks on Saturday.

His goal was classic big man hockey. Thompson won the draw, drove the net and deflected the point shot past Spencer Knight. The big pivot is coming off his third 40-goal season in his last four campaigns and an 81-point, 85-hit season. Thompson is also fourth on the goal scorer's list in the last three seasons with 85 behind Leon Draisaitl (90), Cole Caufield (90) and Nathan MacKinnon (87).

Kulich scored a goal Saturday in a 4-3 win over Chicago.

Cue the tears -- it was Kulich's first goal in 11 months after the talented young player missed most of last season with a blood clot. He last scored Oct. 24, 2025; his last game was Nov. 1. "That was probably the main thing I was dreaming about the whole year (after) not playing," Kulich told reporters after the game. "After that one, it was a lot of emotions. So, yeah, that one is going to be special for sure." Kulich returned to hockey Thursday in the season opener. The competitive forward has a fantastic shot and 25-30 goal upside if his development curve resumes. The Sabres will ease him back into the game on the fourth line for now.

Matthews scored a goal Saturday in a 3-2 loss to Ottawa.

He showed off his silky mitts on a beautiful tip from a Morgan Rielly shot early in the second period to open the scoring for the Leafs. Matthews fired a team-high six shots in 21:50, second only in ice time to Darren Raddysh. The superstar has had a quiet start to the season -- this was his first point in three games. But he rang the post and had a jump in his step Saturday. Matthews is looking to rebound from an injury-riddled 2025-26 where he scored just 27 goals and 26 assists in 60 games. Right now, he's working on chemistry with new linemate Kirill Marchenko, a duo that could light up the league when they fully click.