Tim Thomas with the start tonight. Tuukka Rask lied to the Boston media this morning… not a great way to endear yourself to poolies, Tuukka!

Lecavalier is IN tonight.

Josh Bailey is out tonight with a minor hip flexor injury.

Smith and Ellis have both been struggling for Tampa Bay. If I had to pick one for a fantasy team, I’d go with Ellis. Smith is very athletic and skilled but he seems to lack the consistency and technical skills required to be a starting NHL goaltender.

Ryan Suter will be out until at least October 28th with an injury. It will be interesting to see who steps up in his absence.

Cody Franson has had a rough start to the season. I’d expect the trio of O’Brien, Boullion, and Klein to see elevated minutes.

It will be interesting to see how the Preds do without Suter. Weber gets a lot of the praise (for good reason), but Suter is almost as important to the team.

If you aren’t using the new fantasy tool we have, you are crazy. Check out the Game Planner featuring tonight’s Toronto/New York match up.

A solid read on Sens prospect Bobby Butler. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him up with the big club pretty soon.

Drew Doughty is out for at least one game with an upper-body injury. He was hit hard early in the game by Erik Cole and didn’t return. I’ll post an update when one becomes available. (Dobber: early word is – possible concussion)

A few goalie starts tonight: Gustavsson (TOR), Rask (BOS), and Biron (NYR).

Johan Franzen is returning tonight against Calgary. He missed only one game with a concussion. Health is the issue with him – if he ever plays 75 or more games, I’d expect 35-40 goals at least.

Franzen is one of the most physically dominating players in the league.

Jamie Benn is playing tonight for Dallas. He will center the third line. I don’t see him sticking there for long – he is too talented to not be on the Ribeiro/Morrow line.

Jonathan Bernier stopped 14 of 15 shots in the third period for the Kings as they squeeked out a 4-3 win. He let in a few soft goals but made the saves that mattered late in the game.

Roberto Luongo had a bounce back game last night, but he was lit up in the shootout by Toews, Sharp, and Kane.

Dan Hamhuis missed his second straight game with a bruised foot. Vancouver acquired Hamhuis and Ballard because of their durability, and both are already injured and we aren't even a month into the season yet!

Turco looked great for Chicago – he always plays the Canucks tough.

I find it amazing that the Sedins are among the league leaders in scoring and they are still showing signs of rust. Expect them to really take off once Alex Burrows returns (November 2^nd is the date I am hearing).

Someone needs to test Marian Hossa's urine for an abnormally high amount of talent. Holy hell has he been fun to watch so far!

Nikita Filatov was on the ice for only two shifts during the third period last night, despite the Jackets being short a forward.

Apparently Ottawa and Minnesota are talking trade. The Sens need a few things, as do the Wild. Any potential fits you guys/gals can see for a move here?

Mark Methot led Columbus in ice time last night during their 3-1 win.

After being healthy-scratched for a few games to start the year, Chris Butler has worked his way into the top six. He had two helpers last night and played almost seven minutes on the PP.

How often does an 18-year-old rookie play 2:35 on the PK? Atlanta has to love the two-way game they are already seeing from Burmistrov. I made this point a few weeks ago – he is very non-Russian (not to slight Russian players, it is just that many of them tend to be more offensive and enigmatic as young players).

Niclas Bergfors was a healthy scratch for the Thrashers.

Nik Antropov has struggled too, but his poor play can be attributed to a hip that still isn't 100% after offseason surgery.

Jason Pominville skated on his own yesterday. Keep an eye on his progression over the next week.

Daniel Sedin has 17 goals in his last 17 regular season games.

The three worst teams in terms of shots allowed this season are Anaheim (far from a surprise), Dallas (no surprise), and Phoenix.

The Coyotes were one of the best defensive clubs in the league last season. Their veterans (Morris, Jovanovski, Aucoin) have all lost a step (especially Morris, who looks like he is skating in mid most of the time), but the biggest reason for the change is the loss of Zbynek Michalek.

Atlanta's leading goal scorers are Chris Thorburn and Anthony Stewart. Raise your hand if you saw things playing out this way!

Chris Mason has played well for the Thrashers. Like I said in the summer, he isn't a great goalie, but he is very consistent and his work ethic is infectious (Atlanta is obviously expecting it to rub off on Ondrej Pavelec).

Bryan Little has looked good to me as well early on this season. The key difference between his 30 goal year and last season – his energy and his willingness to go to the net/corners without abandon. That edge looks to be back.

If you enjoyed the Business of Fantasy Hockey column series that myself and Mike Colligan put together this past summer… you will be happy to know that the next edition is in the works. Look for it to be published at some point over the next two weeks.

Some slow starters to target:

Roberto Luongo (always a slow starter)

Jakub Voracek (both for one year and keeper league formats)

Jamie Benn (back from concussion – could be the best player in Dallas in a few years)

Wojtek Wolski (very streaky, I see him approaching 70 points this season)

Ryan Kesler (Canucks have been juggling lines… once Burrows returns in two-ish weeks expect things to go back to normal. Malhotra will take a lot of the tough defensive minutes away from Kesler as well)

I am enjoying the free preview of NHL GameCenter online. The quality is amazing running at 3000 kb/s. Only 10 more days to go…

It has nothing to do with hockey, but my take on the Rypien situation – give him 10 to 15 games. Completely out of line – no matter what the fan said, a player simply cannot engage in that situation.

The video of the Gaborik injury – dirty hit?

Halakamania is running wild in St. Louis already: