NHL Player News

Nugent-Hopkins scored a goal on four shots and added an assist in Thursday's 6-5 shootout win over the Hurricanes.

Nugent-Hopkins was sidelined for nine games by a lower-body injury. The 33-year-old returned to center the second line, but it was his inclusion on the first power-play unit that helped him in his debut -- that's where he earned both of his points. With the Oilers' top line humming, expect Nugent-Hopkins to be dependent on the power play as his main source of offense. The 33-year-old had 56 points, including 29 with the man advantage, during the 2025-26 regular season.

Draisaitl scored a pair of power-play goals on four shots and added three assists (one on the power play) in Thursday's 6-5 shootout win over the Hurricanes.

Draisaitl and Connor McDavid posted matching scoring lines to help the Oilers prevail in one of their toughest games of the year. The five points were a season high for Draisaitl, who has multiple points in six of 10 contests so far. He's racked up 10 goals, 11 helpers, 36 shots, six hits and a plus-14 rating. Head coach Mike Babcock finally has his preferred top six available, but it doesn't look like splitting up Draisaitl and McDavid will happen any time soon considering how they've dominated the opening stages of 2026-27.

Spence scored his first goal of the season Thursday in a 6-2 loss to San Jose.

The young defender has just three points, including the one he scored Thursday, in 11 games. Spence has talent, and he's coming off a career year (seven goals, 24 assists; 79 games). The return of Jake Sanderson and Artem Zub from injury Tuesday stabilized the back end of the Sens, so Spence might flourish under a reduced burden.

McDavid scored twice on three shots and added three power-play assists in Thursday's 6-5 shootout win over the Hurricanes.

McDavid's absurdly good start to the season continued with his third five-point effort of the year. He's just the fourth player in NHL history to top the 30-point mark in the first 10 games of the season. McDavid has done so with 31 points (eight goals, 23 assists), including 11 on the power play, and he's added 25 shots on net, 14 hits and a plus-18 rating. He's the best player in the league playing at one of the highest levels he's ever attained.

Levi allowed five goals on 27 shots in Thursday's 6-5 shootout win over the Hurricanes.

Levi had some struggles against the defending champions, but he clutched up with a perfect performance in the shootout. He had gone five games without allowing more than five goals, though this slip-up can be forgiven considering the opponent he faced. Levi is now 6-1-0 with a 3.11 GAA and an .887 save percentage over seven outings this season. The Oilers are set to host the Maple Leafs on Saturday in what could be another high-scoring affair.

Sturm chipped in an assist and three hits in Thursday's 2-1 loss to the Flames.

Sturm battled a concussion earlier in October, and this was his second game back in the lineup. The 31-year-old forward has a clear path to playing time while Marcus Foligno (lower body), Nick Foligno (upper body) and Max Shabanov (upper body) are all out. Sturm has one helper, two shots on net and eight hits over five contests. He hasn't reached the 15-point mark in any of the last three regular seasons, so he's best left on the waiver wire in most fantasy formats.

Stutzle notched a goal in Thursday's 6-2 loss to San Jose. He had five shots.

Stutzle is on a three-game, four-point scoring streak (two goals, two assists). But the shot bump-up is notable -- he had five shots total in his previous four games. Stutzle's 15 points (seven goals, eight assists) in 11 games so far put him on pace for more than 100 points this season if he stays healthy.

McCarron scored a goal and added two hits in Thursday's 2-1 loss to the Flames.

McCarron's tally at 4:39 of the third period spoiled Devin Cooley's shutout bid. The 31-year-old McCarron has been a constant in the Wild's bottom six to start the year. He's earned a goal, four assists, 18 shots on net, 32 hits, 11 blocked shots, seven PIM and a plus-4 rating through 11 appearances. McCarron is a decent roster candidate for banger leagues, but his offense isn't likely to stay at this level throughout the campaign.

Wallstedt stopped 20 of 22 shots in Thursday's 2-1 loss to the Flames.

Both of Calgary's goals came on the power play. This wasn't a terrible outing for Wallstedt, but given the opponent, expectations were higher. He dropped to 6-2-2 with a 2.19 GAA and a .915 save percentage through 10 starts this season. Wallstedt continues to handle a heavy workload ahead of Calvin Pickard while the Wild wait for Filip Gustavsson (hip) to get to full health. Up next is a back-to-back with stops in Seattle on Saturday and in Vancouver on Sunday. Expect Wallstedt and Pickard to split those games, with Minnesota the likely favorite in each one.

Suniev scored a power-play goal on three shots in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Wild.

Suniev is looking good in a middle-six role with power-play time so far. This was his first point with the man advantage. He's up to a total of three goals, one assist, 10 shots on net, five hits, six blocked shots and a minus-2 rating across six appearances this season. With hardly any better options available, Suniev should be able to stay at the NHL level for most or all of the rest of the campaign.