NHL Player News

Thompson made 31 saves in a 4-2 loss to Carolina on Tuesday. He allowed three goals.

Thompson rebounded nicely from his stumble against Seattle on Sunday. The winning goal came on a power play on the hardest shot to stop -- a backhand roof-down by Andrei Svechnikov. Thompson is 3-2-0 with a 2.84 GAA and .904 save percentage. Consider Sunday's outing as a true outlier. Thompson is a great fantasy netminder.

Protas was held off the score sheet Tuesday in a 4-2 loss to Carolina.

Protas is off to a quiet start this season. He has two assists and seven shots in six games in a very deep Washington lineup. Protas is a 5v5 producer -- he gets no time on the power play. But he's likely living out a childhood dream skating with Alex Ovechkin and his kid brother, Ilya Protas. The trio made their debut together late last season, but they're regular linemates this year. Production will come, but temper expectations a little short term as opposing teams key on Ovechkin in his last NHL season.

Jenner scored a goal Tuesday in a 4-2 loss to Carolina.

Three games. Three goals. Jenner is currently tied with Alex Tuch for the team lead in goals (three). The Caps may have the deepest forward corps in the NHL and that means opportunities for production will come -- it's almost impossible to stop every forward unit on any given night. And with focus on the top lines, Jenner and his bottom-six compadres will get ample opportunities to score. He will have increased upside in bruise leagues with his consistent triple-digit annual result in hits.

Leonard set up both Washington goals in a 4-2 loss to Carolina on Tuesday.

Leonard is on a four-game, five-point scoring streak that includes four assists and 10 shots. He has six points (two goals, four assists) in six games this season from his role on the third line, and he's averaging almost two minutes a game (1:57) on the power play. Leonard is one of the league's young stars, but he toils in one of, if not the deepest forward corps in the NHL. Ice time will be spread around 5v5, but his power-play usage keeps his fantasy value high.

Greig was held out of the third period of Tuesday's game versus the Blues due to a strain, Julian McKenzie of The Athletic reports.

The general area of the strain was not revealed. The Senators lost the contest 7-2, so there may have been an element of caution in keeping Greig out. The 24-year-old is day-to-day ahead of Thursday's contest versus the Islanders.

Kochetkov made 20 saves in a 4-2 win over Washington on Tuesday.

Kochetkov is on a four-game winning streak with a 1.72 GAA and .911 save percentage. He is undefeated this season. Kochetkov and Brandon Bussi are in a straight platoon, with each man earning four starts so far this season. Kochetkov's numbers are significantly better than Bussi's (2-1-1, 2.95 GAA and .871 save percentage), but Bussi was really sharp in his last start. Expect the platoon to continue as-is unless one of the two men truly falters.

Robinson scored a goal Tuesday in a 4-2 win over the Capitals.

His shot in the second period deflected off the stick of a Washington defender and into the net. Robinson was skating with Jackson Blake and Logan Stankoven in Taylor Hall's (upper body) absence, but it is likely short-lived. Nikolaj Ehlers has the kind of skill to play on line two, and Robinson is better suited in the bottom six. Still, he has managed four points (two goals, two assists), 10 shots and a plus-3 rating in his last four games.

Aho delivered two assists in a 4-2 win over Washington on Tuesday.

The points extended Aho's streak to seven games and 13 points (six goals, seven assists; 23 shots). Those 13 points moved him into a tie for the NHL lead in points. Aho has been Carolina's most consistent point producers for as long as he's been in the league. He has 316 goals, 406 assists, 2,092 shots and 221 power-play points (78 goals) in 763 games. Aho has had no hangover from a long playoffs that culminated in a Stanley Cup.

Jankowski score a goal on two shots in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Capitals.

Jankowski extended his scoring streak to five games (five goals, one assist). And with news of Jordan Staal's (calf) multi-month absense, the pivot is going to see continued opportunity and ice time. Jankowski's face-off effectiveness is less than ideal (44.4 percent), but he could provide depth offense in deep formats.

Hall's upper-body injury doesn't look good according to head coach Rod Brind'Amour, Chip Alexander of The Raleigh News & Observer reports Tuesday.

Hall is likely to miss some time due to the injury, which he sustained versus the Capitals on Tuesday. The Hurricanes already recalled Bradly Nadeau to fill out the forward group, but it remains to be seen how the middle-six lines will shake out in Hall's absence. A firm timeline for Hall's return has yet to be established.