Lundqvist will start for the Rangers tonight. This isn’t normally news, but he was hit in the neck by a shot in practice yesterday and his status was questionable.

 

Latendresse is on the IR with a groin injury. The Wild need to make some new lines once he returns – sticking Koivu with Brunnete and Miettinen isn’t very smart.

 

Brunette is still effective on the PP, but he is too slow at even strength to keep up. Miettinen is too streaky. Put Latendresse and Havlat with Koivu, and slide Miettinen down to play with Bouchard and Cullen on the second line.

 

Colorado has recalled Kevin Shattenkirk. Look for him to draw into the lineup tonight against Vancouver.

 

The Hockey News tackles a tough list – the top 10 power forwards of all-time. I'd have Lindros ahead of Shanahan, but besides that the list looks good. Obviously more of a recent focus (this list is reserved for the men who skated during or after the label entered hockey's vernacular, says the Hockey News).

Kyle Palmieri scored his first career NHL goal for the Ducks last night. Keep an eye on him, he isn't far off from an NHL spot. It helps that Anaheim doesn't have much in terms of depth up front for the foreseeable future.

 

Swing and a miss once again – Teemu Selanne. I thought he was done, but apparently he had other ideas. Selanne looked great again last night, scoring a goal and adding an assist. He's on pace for 35 goals and 81 points…

 

Bobby Ryan played close to 27 minutes last night. Getzlaf and Perry both saw about 22 minutes. Depth issues, much?

 

Vishnovsky had two helpers after going pointless in his past two contests. He won't play close to 82 games, but I still like his chances at eclipsing the 60-point mark.

 

Nashville lost its first one-goal game in its past 23, dating back to February. Impressive statistic to say the least.

 

Lombardi and Erat both remain on the IR for the Preds.

 

Wolski had an assist last night – he didn't play much, but at least he wasn't a healthy scratch.

 

After starting the season with only one point in six games, Keith Yandle has two goals and a helper in his past four contests.

Would I trade Henrik Sedin for Evgeni Malkin in most league formats? Yes. Logic 101.

 

Too many times we look at current point totals when evaluating trades and players on the waiver wire. What you need to do is pretend that every single player has zero points, because that is how they will affect your team.

 

Stay with me here. For example, say Player A has 15 points and Player B has eight points. Both are free agents. Player A will be highly sought after and more wanted than Player B. You need to look beyond the numbers though. Pretend both players have the same point total. Who would you take, and why?

 

There are some fantasy hockey pools where you trade point totals along with the player, but in my experience these leagues are few and far between.

 

This logic is very basic, but it is an issue I see many poolies struggle with. It relates directly back to buying low and selling high.

 

Big things on the way here at DobberHockey – tomorrow’s ramblings are a MUST READ if you enjoy cool stuff.

 

It took Ed Jovanovski 979 NHL games to record his first hat trick.

 

Jarome Iginla has three goals in his past 28 games dating back to last season.

 

Sometimes you hit a home run – this year it has been Jeff Skinner. I have been touting the kid since May. Two goals last night as he was moved up to the Staal line. He is the real deal and then some.

 

Band-aid Boy Joni Pitkanen left the game with an upper body injury. Colaicovo, Pitkanen… who's next?

 

Rookie Jordan Caron led Boston forwards in shorthanded ice time. Now that is impressive.

 

The Sabres are struggling. I am not shocked – I thought they overachieved mightily last season, and going from Tallinder-Lydman to Morrisonn/Leopold is a downgrade any way you spin it.

 

Tim Connolly has been horrible for the Sabres – lazy passes, no offense, poor defensive play as well. He is healthy but he might as well be injured with how he has looked so far in 2010-11.

 

Quietly strong start (relative to expectations) – Michael Ryder. Contract year, he knows he needs to turn it around or he will be in Europe next season.

 

Chris Mason stopped 52 shots last night, including 22 in the second period. That isn't even the amazing thing though – it was Florida who the Thrashers were playing.

 

Little missed his second straight game with a concussion.

 

Brian Campbell scored his first goal of the season last night in only his second game back. Chicago has really missed his ability to bring the puck up the ice both quickly and effectively.

 

When does Dustin Byfuglien come back to earth? Has to be the front-runner for the Norris right now. A goal, an assist, 23 minutes played, two shots on goal, and seven hits last night.

 

Rich Peverley is quietly off to a productive start – nine points in 12 games. He only has one goal, but I like his upside as a sleeper for 65 or 70 points. The odds of that kid of production increase if Antropov continues to struggle.

 

I caught some of the Toronto/Washington game last night – some shoddy defense on both sides.

 

Kaberle becomes the man with Phaneuf out – and he is off to a terrific start. Two helpers last night in the shootout loss.

 

Buy low recommendation on Kaberle. Get on this ASAP.

 

After going pointless for seven games, Versteeg has three in his last two.

Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin both returned to the lineup for Pittsburgh last night. They combined for zero points and a miserable minus-5 rating.

 

The Morrow of old is back – one assist, 11 PIM.

 

Loui Eriksson is a tough player to get a read on – he is so good defensively that his offense often gets overlooked (I am guilty of doing this). He has 40-goal upside, especially if he sticks on the wing with Mr. Richards.

 

All it took was a Zach Parise injury to get New Jersey going. The Devils had five goals in a rare win over Chicago last night.

 

Brodeur left the game with a bruised elbow – x-rays were negative (which is good news), but he could miss some time.

 

Jamie Langenbrunner played almost 27 minutes last night as a forward. Kovalchuk was close to 25 minutes. Same with Travis Zajac.

 

New Jersey PP update:

 

Greene – 1:40 of PP time, one goal, four shots on goal.

 

Taormina – 4:34 of PP time, no points, three shots on goal.

 

Duncan Keith had a forgettable night – no points and a minus-4 rating. He is getting stretched with Chicago's lack of depth (close to 30 minutes again last night).

 

Patrick Sharp effectively killed my plus-minus this week with his minus-5 rating.

 

Mathieu Garon is a better goaltender than Steve Mason. If I am Scott Arniel, I keep Garon in there as long as he is playing good hockey. Outside of an insane two month stretch during his rookie campaign, Steve Mason has never really impressed me all that much.

 

Raffi Torres was the first ex-Oiler to score a hat trick against his former team. This stat is pretty surprising considering the quality of players who have left Edmonton for greener pastures…

 

DobberHockey's latest fantasy hockey planning tool – The Game Planner. Take a look at it here – fully customizable for whatever time frame your league works in.

 

Jakub Voracek has yet to score, but he played his best game of the young season on Tuesday night in Montreal. Look for him to pick up his production considerably.

 

Brenden Morrow looks like a brand new player this season. I am not sure what the catalyst has been, but he is playing like the scrappy, feisty, agitating scorer that made him so valuable earlier on in his career.

 

Carlo Colaiacovo is out with a concussion. Right on cue, Carlo. Look for Johnson or Pietrangelo to move up to the first unit to play the point opposite Alex Steen.

 

Picked up Wojtek Wolski yesterday – was surprised to see him on the wire already. One of hockey's streakiest players currently in a miserable slump. No place to go but up!

 

One player who has performed well above his goal and assist total – rookie Alex Burmistrov. He has only two points this season, but his defensive play and hockey IQ have stood out.

 

The fact that he can play hockey effectively at the NHL already bodes very well for his fantasy upside. Better defensively/more responsible = more ice time = greater chance for production. Pretty simple equation.

 

A great read by Darren Eliot on how the salary cap has created some bad contracts around the league.

 

The Monster lives up to his nickname – wow!

 

Loui Eriksson with a Forsberg-like goal last night: