Another chance for Ryan Carter. The Panthers waived him, the Devils claimed him. He has until Zajac gets back in a month or so to prove that he belongs. We have yet to see anything from this guy.

The Jackets have sent David Savard to the minors.

Surprise! Max Pacioretty is a “game-time decision“. And here I was shopping him. Off the table now.

Evgeni Malkin returned to the lineup Tuesday and played a strong game. He'll miss, I'm guessing, one in every three games for the next couple of months – then either his knee gets stronger or it gets worse. Really wish I had a crystal ball for this one. He played 19:19 and was pointless, but skated hard when he needed to.

I don't know what Richard Park learned in Switzerland, but he's back over here playing like a 45-point guy. He has four points in the last three games and seeing around 13 minutes per game. For now, I would say that he's a definite option as a No.8 winger if you need one. At worst, he'll help your plus minus and get you a point every three games. But right now, he's much better than that.

Pascal Dupuis is, gulp, an even better No. 7 or No. 8 wing option. Give him eight points on the campaign already. Without PP time.

James Neal was held off the scoresheet but still wired five shots at Nabokov.

Dustin Jeffrey – 11 minutes, one shot. Still getting his feet wet, still not worth owning in one-year leagues.

LIKE the Dobber Sports Facebook page. Why? Because on November 2nd – Wednesday – I will draw 12 names. The first name drawn from the list of “likes” will receive an EASTON Stealth RS hockey stick – this stick kicks ass, take it from me. The one I have is a left shot, so if you shoot right and your name is drawn I have a Synergy EQ50 I can send you instead. The second name drawn will receive – courtesy of forum buddy Sin Bin – an autographed Sergei Gonchar picture. The next 10 names drawn will recieve 10 free premium memberships at Pick’em First, which is a kick-ass fantasy tool that helps you find and read information on players of interest quickly and easily. The app itself is free, but the premium features are not – but I have 10 memberships I can give away. So get on it!

In the last two games, Mark Streit is minus-6.

Craig Anderson… is it just me, or is he shutting the door for the first 45 or 50 minutes of most games this season… and then shitting the bed in the final few minutes? The last two games, actually, he's been pretty good throughout. But he has been letting in late goals, whether they were stoppable or not. He does yeoman's work for the first two periods, keeping the Sens in the game when they shouldn't be… but then a goal sneaks by him and he's shaky after that. If he can solve that problem, then he'll be back to being the Craig Anderson that was filled with awesomeness in the final five weeks last year.

So I looked it up, and Anderson stopped 79/88 in the first this season; 66/73 in the second; 58/70 in the third.

So that's it – Mika Zibanejad has played Game 9. Does he go back to Sweden? Stay tuned. He has one point and is minus-3, with 12 shots.

Brett Connolly, by the way, will stay with the team this year.

Brad Boyes with two points last night. Nice of him to show up. Just 12 minutes of ice time though.

The line on Ville Leino is – two points and minus-3 in eight games.

Interesting to see the Sabres not put Nathan Gerbe out on the power play. But hey, as long as Leino and Boyes are getting their minutes, right? Gerbe's five points equal Leino and Boyes combined. Let's see what he can do with more PP time!

Steve Mason left the game briefly, but returned a few minutes later. He injured his arm, perhaps the funny bone because it wasn't serious.

Ryan Johansen played a great game, notching his first goal of the season as well as an assist.

The Jackets won their first game the day Wisniewski returned. They eased him into the lineup though – he only played 27:21. The Wiz knocked David Savard out of the lineup.

Steve Mason stopped 30 of 31 shots. That's just the confidence boost he needs, and I'm pretty happy I acquired him as my No.3 goaltender. In fact, my No.2 goalie (Fleury) got a shutout and my No.4 goalie (Khabibulin) stopped 35 of 37 for the win. Nice night!

Now is the time to "buy low" on Henrik Zetterberg. Even a bad year for him is 70 points, so act accordingly.

Jiri Hudler is pointless, minus-3 with one shot in the last three games.

Eight points in eight games for the Nuge. Can they send him down if he gets nine in nine? Really? I don't think they have a choice, he has to stay.

Take away the first game, in which he unfairly faced 52 shots and allowed six of them in, and Mike Smith is 2-1-2, with 10 goals allowed on 135 shots (0.926).

Mike Green update – he will travel with the team, so there is a chance he plays next game.

Damn it! I almost noted after the Josefson injury that Zubrus could see more ice and PP time. Well, I didn't so I didn't help you. I kept my mouth (fingers?) shut. And now look – two points and plus-3 Tuesday, with nearly 18 minutes of ice time and two minutes on the PP.

31-save shutout for Johan Hedberg. The guy does his job, that's for sure. Politics will keep him out of the No.1 job when Brodeur is healthy. After all, how do you give a low-paid backup the No.1 job over a Hall-of-Famer? The 4-1-1, 0.937, 1.86 unfortunately probably will not matter. But I'm pulling for him.

Roberto Luongo got the hook after giving up three quick goals in the second. Luongo owners are getting antsy. I don't own him in any league – he's a hard guy to get, as he is in such high demand. But at this point, I'm kinda happy about my misfortune.

David Booth saw 15:49 in his Vancouver debut.

Yikes! Patrick Kane with a beauty setup: