Any FANTASY HOCKEY GUIDES that are ordered will be emailed at 9:30am EST Sunday.

James Sheppard signed a contract with the Wild, who then assigned Petr Kalus and Benoit Pouliot to the minors. Sheppard is now on the team and will produce little at first and lots later on. Look for 45 points or so…maybe 10 or 15 in the first half and 25 to 30 in the second half. 

Anthony Stewart and Kamil Kreps have been cut. Kreps is a bit of a surprise, but for Stewart it's the same ol' same ol'.

Mike Cammalleri scored the first goal of the NHL season and added another one later. Anze Kopitar had two assists as the Kings beat the Ducks 4-1. Bobby Ryan scored his first NHL goal in the loss.

TB cut Kari Ramo last night. Mark Denis will be the starter due to his stellar play this preseason. 

Steve Bernier is in camp 12 pounds lighter than last year and in great shape. He is skating with Pavelski and Clowe.

Alexander Semin left last night's contest in the third period, but the team says he is fine. Stay tuned.

Alexander Ovechkin tallied four points last night. Tomas Fleischmann picked up two points as well.

Both Pouliot and Sheppard had strong games for the Wild last night. Tough call as to who will make it. Foy had a weak game, but would have to clear waivers so he is still the favorite. 

Craig MacTavish on Andrew Cogliano: "He's virtually a lock to start on Thursday, given the way he's played, the way he's practised," MacTavish said. "He's been a threat wherever he plays in the lineup."

Owen Nolan tweaked his groin and left the contest in the second period last night. That will bother him off and on throughout the year, so expect no more than 70 or 75 games from him tops.

Derek Roy has 10 points in his last two preseason games. Whoa. Don't let preseason influence you here though. He will not get 90 points. But 80 or 85 is starting to look real good right now, which is higher than I had him pegged for in the guide.

Ray Emery will play in both preseason games for the Sens this weekend. He is mostly recovered from his wrist injury. Mike Fisher is also expected to be back from his groin injury.

Cam Janssen will undergo surgery on his shoulder which will keep him on the shelf for two months. Look to David Clarkson for high PIMs to start the season.

Patrice 'Breeze-by' Brisebois will make his preseason debut today.

J-S Giguere has still not recovered from his sports hernia surgery and will miss both of this weekend's games. They play three more games next week as well, so it looks doubtful he will make those. Bryzgalov will start the opener.

Rostislav Olesz missed yesterday's contest for the Panthers. His hand that he jammed last week is still sore. He may not be ready in time for the season opener either.

Tom Gilbert will likely be sent to the AHL later today. 

If you haven't selected a site to run your fantasy hockey pool yet, take a look at this:

Let's do some bragging. Rotoworld figured Dan Ellis would be off to the AHL. The Nashville Tennessean acted surprised. In fact, any time the battle between Ellis and Pekka Rinne was talked about in the media, all had already given the role to Rinne. Except one. Dobber . If you bought my pool guide , then you would know that Rinne's contract this year was two-way. Ellis is on a one-way deal. Yesterday, Rinne was sent to the AHL. So while all the hockey pool magazines on the newsstands are telling your opponent to grab Rinne, because he could share duties with Mason, YOU will have my guide that explains why Ellis is the man. Bragging is done….now.

Preparing for his first season as the team's No. 1 goalie, Mason is 2-0 this preseason, with a .932 save percentage and 2.11 goals-against average.

Both Jagr and Avery missed last night's game and will miss today's game. Jagr has a hip flexor injury while Avery is a new member of the groin injury club.

In a surprising and funny twist, Brent Sopel has signed with the Blackhawks. Detroit quickly made a contract offer to him, but he left for Chicago. It's funny, because I love it when employers get screwed for dragging their feet on rewarding employees. Happened to me all the time – the last time of which…I quit on the spot and began DobberHockey (and freelance writing) full time. Haven't looked back.

With the additions of Pilar and Sopel, suddenly Magnus Johansson does not look like he will have an NHL job. It also hurts Barker and Seabrook for this season, because I can see Pilar as the No.1 PP guy, while Sopel could very well be No.2. As for even strength, Sopel may log all the minutes! Savard is very impressed with Pilar so far. 

Zdeno Chara has a mildly separated shoulder and will miss the rest of the preseason and possibly a game or two to begin the year. I doubt the latter, but don't expect huge numbers to start. 

Bought the Pool Guide? Here is a one-page supplemental sheet to give you the update.

Cuts of note from Friday night/Saturday morning:

Klemm, Los Angeles

Rinne, Nashville

Bourque, Washington 

Ramo, Tampa Bay 

Those of you new to DobberHockey, please note that I update the ramblings several times in a day. To read yesterday's ramblings, click "Next" below.