The contests are starting back up! Stay tuned for an announcement tomorrow. Prize will be an autographed 8×10 photograph of an NHL player (no, it won’t be Wade Belak).

Goldie: Is this even surprising? Leclaire is out with an injury. Not sure on the extent. Here’s the kicker – I’m told Mike Brodeur has concussion issues. Say hi to Robin Lehner. Fantasy sleeper pick? If you have room and want to manage the risk, absolutely. Sens think he’s NHL ready, so he’ll get chances.

Ekman-Larsson – the silent defenseman. Great read.

Goldie: Peter Delmas has signed a 1Y-2W deal with Montreal. Tossed to the curb by the Avs, I’ve always considered Delmas as very capable. So what did the Habs see that the Avs didn’t? Obviously something. Keep an eye out!

Michalek over Regin on the top line continues to dumbfound me.

Alfredsson and Spezza need someone who can create plays and move the puck. Michalek can skate and shoot, but he doesn’t have the East-West mentality needed. Regin does.

Column on Matt Taormina coming tonight. I was mad at myself for not knowing much about him, so I spent the past few days doing some digging. Is he the next Dan Boyle?

Niclas Bergfors practiced as an alternate yesterday and may be healthy scratched for Atlanta’s next game. He has not looked comfortable playing under Craig Ramsay so far.

One player who has impressed me – Jack Skille. He’s big, fast, and has a good shot. Once he starts to see more minutes in offensive situations, I’d expect the goals and assists to follow.

Chris Butler could make his way into Buffalo’s lineup on Friday after being a healthy scratch for the first four games of the season. Shaone Morrisonn injured his groin yesterday and will miss a few games.

Butler is a solid puck mover but he is inconsistent in his own zone. I was surprised he didn’t earn a regular spot out of camp considering the weak competition.

Dmitri Kulikov has replaced Bryan McCabe on Florida’s top PP unit. On paper, a power play featuring, Kulikov, Wideman, Weiss, Booth, and Frolik should be decent.

The problem is the Panthers have zero secondary scoring (and not much primary scoring, either), so teams can key on their top players.

Matt Stajan is a game time decision for Calgary tonight. It is only a matter of time until he replaces Jokinen on the top line, as he is a much better fit for Iginla.

Getzlaf, Ryan, and Perry all scored last night against the Canucks. The three finally were able to use their speed and generate goals and chances off the rush.

Cam Fowler really impressed me too – he was out with less than two minutes to go protecting a one goal lead. I think it is safe to say he won’t be back in Windsor if he keeps his play up.

Clarke MacArthur has an impressive four goals through the first three Toronto games (all wins, in case you haven’t heard). He is a one-dimensional player who is excelling with that dimension (goal scoring) right now. Hard to say where he ends up – 20-25 goals is a realistic expectation assuming consistent second line/second unit PP time.

Alex Steen's strong finish last season wasn't a fluke. He has been arguably the best player for St. Louis early into this season. He isn't only a member of the top power play unit, he is the focal point of it. He plays the point opposing one of Colaiacovo or Johnson.

Marc-Andre Fleury's first three games of the season are exactly why I was happy to trade him this off-season in one of my keeper leagues. Great talent, incredibly inconsistent, miserable peripheral stats aside from wins.

New Jersey PP watch:

Taormina: 3:20 of PP time with an assist.

Greene: 2:42 of PP time with no points.

Jason Arnott has had a sluggish start to the season. He was never a speedster, but he looks to be several steps behind the play so far this season.

Jordan Leopold  led all Sabres in ice time last night. He has two goals and two assists through three games so far. I have never been a big Leopold fan from a fantasy standpoint (he is too passive and doesn't have a great shot), but in Buffalo he is getting a lot of ice time (and with the top players as well).

Nashville rookie Anders Lindback won his first ever NHL start last night against Chicago. He allowed only two goals on 25 shots. The Predators dressed two goalies with zero NHL experience (the other being Mark Dekanich).

Duncan Keith played 33 minutes last night. Nick Leddy and Nick Boynton both saw close to 20. Chicago is in tough for at least one more game with Hjalmarsson and Campbell out. Keith is one of the most fit players in the league, but playing 30+ a night will catch up on him pretty soon…

Cal O'Reilly had an assist and saw over three minutes with the man advantage. He needs to play in offensive situations to be a productive player, and so far so good.

Canucks still appear to be committed to their plan of 20 starts for Cory Schneider. GM Mike Gillis said the club expects him to average about two starts per every 10, depending on match ups, how Luongo is playing, and so on. It remains to be seen if this holds true, as it will be hard to pull Luongo off of a strong streak of four or five starts in a row.

Michal Neuvirth had another strong start last night. The Caps will give Varlamov a shot at playing once he regains his health, but Neuvirth can help his own cause with steady, consistent play on a game to game basis.

In his debut as an Islander, Michael Grabner had an assist in 13:17 of ice time.

Mike Green had 5:27 of power play time before leaving with an injury (some are speculating that he separated his shoulder).

Carlson had an assist and played only 2:15 on the power play. If Green is out for any extended period of time, Carlson should be above the five minute mark.

Brian Rolston was "placed" on LTIR by the Devils, clearing them of all cap issues (until he is set to return). I envision Lou and New Jersey management setting up Rolston's house like the one in Home Alone – swinging paint cans, micro machines everywhere, and scalding hot door knobs. It is a "miracle" that they were able to solve this issue so quickly.

This comment has nothing to do with hockey, but whatever. Maxime Lapierre is a gutless punk who plays with zero respect.  Video at the bottom of the ramblings.

DobberHockey member mister_mcgoo has a great breakdown of yesterday's Montreal/Tampa Bay game over on the forums. Check it out.

I have a column on the way featuring some players who should be on your radars – David Jones, Matt Taormina, and more. Should be posted by Friday morning.

Two games for Hjalmarsson is a joke (too short). I have criticized  Colin Campbell enough, but he does give idiots everywhere reason to hope they can one day hold a position of power.

I have a bit of a problem with Ryan Miller demanding accountability from players. I agree with the premise, but look down the bench (or in Miller's case, over to the bench) at #36 on the Sabres team. It is easy to call out other teams, but until teammates start holding each other accountable, I don't think much will change.

Sticking with that point, it was nice to see Bill Guerin step up vocally against Cooke after the Savard hit last season. Cooke is just like Kaleta and Lapierre – no respect, and because of the lack of accountability in the league these days they can get away with it.

Who is Derek Engelland? Ask Colton Orr:

Lapierre with a garbage hit on Steve Downie: