October 07, 2009

Bieksa is IN tonight.

 

Kevin Bieksa is probably going to miss the Canuck game tonight due to the birth of his second child. If he does miss the game, look for Aaron Rome (who was very impressive during the pre-season) to draw in. This bumps Edler or Ehrhoff up to the top PP unit.

 

JP Dumont is out for tomorrow’s Nashville game, he is still experiencing some side-effects from the Robidas hit over the weekend. Dan Ellis will start in goal for the second straight game.

 

Colby Armstrong will miss the next contest with a groin injury.

 

Promising news for O’Sullivan owners – granted, he was held pointless last night, but hell so was Hemsky and Horcoff when they played with JF Jacques or Dustin Penner. Hemsky managed an assist in the third – but Quinn won’t keep these silly combos together if their top line isn’t scoring. I predict O’Sullivan on that line the first time the Oilers lose two in a row.

 

Milan Lucic was extended for three more years by the Bruins. He’ll be a 50-point player this campaign.

 

Pierre-Marc Bouchard is still battling concussion problems. The team denies it is a concussion – just “recurring headaches”. The team can call it lollypops and chocolate bars if they want. We know what it really is.

 

Belanger benefitted from PMB’s absence with a three-point game last night.

 

After being a healthy scratch in the first game, Nick Boynton played just nine minutes last night for the Ducks. How could he be in the dog house before the season starts? Luca Sbisa played just eight minutes. Meanwhile, their Big 3 each saw 27 minutes and Eminger saw 24.

 

Ryan Shannon missed last night’s contest with a concussion. He is day to day.

 

So far Erik Karlsson is not really getting power-play time. The Sens are going with Chris Campoli and four forwards.

 

Speaking of concussions, it is suspected that Leafs rookie Viktor Stalberg left with one. He got hammered by Anton Volchenkov

 

San Jose rearguard Jason Demers has two points in his last two games and is a plus-2. I had identified him in the guide as the rookie to crack the lineup and he has offensive upside. I would be shocked if he tops 35 points this year, but he’s seeing some power-play time – and he’s never had the likes of Heatley or Thornton to pass the puck to. Need a rearguard for your bench? Take him.

 

Matt Carle had FOUR assists last night. He saw seven minutes of PP time, which was second only to Pronger among d-men. Is this the year we finally see him take that step forward?

 

Mike Richards’ three goals is a good indication that…yeah, his shoulders are fine.

 

No ice time to go around? Briere still had almost 19 minutes, despite Carter and Richards each topping 20. Giroux also saw 15:37. On the other hand, JVR saw just 6:26 – he had to be helped off the ice in the second period after taking a hit from Jurcina.

 

Can anyone stop Ovechkin, Backstrom and Semin? Scary thought – they don’t enter their prime for a few years yet