According to Elliotte Friedman, Max Pacioretty is expected to be out for approximately six weeks (reportedly a fractured foot), while the Golden Knights are waiting for further information on Mark Stone. The team's Twitter account later clarified that Pacioretty is out week-to-week, while Stone is currently day-to-day and currently being evaluated. Pacioretty and Stone were Vegas's two leading scorers last season, so these injuries could be a major blow early on.

Thinking on the Stone injury (because he's on more than one of my rosters), this appears to be something more concerning than just cramps. It may be a core muscle injury, which can make it incredibly difficult to move around, having experienced this myself. Stone could be out multiple weeks as well, especially if surgery is required. But it sounds like the delay is about getting a second opinion that could avoid a lengthy absence.  

I'd expect Evgenii Dadonov to move up into the top 6 for sure, as he filled in for Stone when he left Thursday's game. If Dadonov is available in your league, I'd give him a look. He's featured in this week's Looking Ahead. Nolan Patrick and Peyton Krebs are also possibilities for increased roles. As well, the other scoring line of William Karlsson, Jonathan Marchessault, and Reilly Smith will likely be leaned on as the top line. We really won't know how things shake out for a few days, though, as Vegas' next game is on Wednesday.

Dobber has also updated the Fantasy Guide to account for the Pacioretty/Stone injuries, so be sure to download.

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The Lightning were able to pull off a 2-1 overtime victory over Washington, but it came at a cost. Nikita Kucherov left the game in the third period after bumping into (or trying to avoid?) Garnet Hathaway. He appeared to be in a lot of discomfort, so hopefully this isn't something serious. Jon Cooper did not have an update after the game and said not to "hit the panic button", so we'll have to wait and see if this is anything serious.

This does not look good 🥺@TBLightning's Nikita Kucherov leaves the game. pic.twitter.com/5ffpNfMyPE

— Bally Sports Sun: Lightning (@BallyLightning) October 17, 2021

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So… because of the groin injury to Petr Mrazek (expected to miss two weeks), the Leafs decided to sign University of Toronto goalie Alex Bishop to an amateur tryout to back up Jack Campbell on Saturday. Zamboni driver jokes aside, when a team signs a local emergency backup goalie, it's usually because one of the regular goalies has suffered a game-day skate injury or has come down with the flu. Yet in this case, the Leafs' problems are entirely self-inflicted. They could not call up Michael Hutchinson for cap reasons, which would be the usual course of action for a team.

Fortunately, the Leafs did not need a backup goalie on Saturday. Jack Campbell stopped 20 of 21 shots he faced to earn a 3-1 win over Ottawa. Campbell should see more work than expected for at least the next couple weeks, which should help his cause to earn the title of number one goalie.

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The Leafs weren't the only team that had roster issues. The Avalanche dressed only 11 forwards as a result of Jack Johnson going to COVID protocol and numerous other injuries. Another of those absences is of course Nathan MacKinnon, who is also in COVID protocol.

The Avs weren't able to get over their roster shortage on Saturday. David Perron scored twice with four shots in leading the Blues to a 5-3 win. Dating back to last season, Perron has scored at over a point per game with 60 points in just 57 games. The 33-year-old Perron is included in the Top 100 Roto Rankings again this month because he just keeps on scoring. Hopefully you were able to swap him into your lineup at the last minute, as he was a game-time decision on Saturday.

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On Saturday the Coyotes gave the nod to Karel Vejmelka, a 25-year-old goalie who has proven himself in the Czech league, but has zero experience in North America. He managed to earn a quality start, stopping 32 of 33 shots in what eventually turned out to be a 2-1 shootout loss to the Sabres in the NHL tank battle. For more on Vejmelka, see his Dobber Prospects profile.

If you didn't watch this day game, you didn't miss much. You probably didn't have a lot invested fantasy-wise in this game either. It is worth mentioning, however, that the Buffalo Sabres are now 2-0. This might be the high point of their season, unless they can also pull off a win against the Canucks on Tuesday.  

If you had Dmitrij Jaskin as a potential sleeper for some icetime in Arizona, you would have been disappointed to learn he was a healthy scratch on Saturday. Jaskin did not score a point in nearly 15 minutes of icetime in Thursday's season opener. It should be no wonder that he didn't score at all, as his most frequent even-strength linemates were Canucks castoffs Jay Beagle and Antoine Roussel.

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Since he is just 4 percent rostered in Yahoo leagues and 15 percent rostered in Fantrax leagues, Thomas Greiss is obviously not a popular goalie to own. Yet is he not respected enough in fantasy leagues? Greiss was easily the first star on Saturday, stopping 40 of 41 shots in a win over the Canucks. Greiss has managed to carry over his strong play from last season, when he went 4-0-2 with a 1.17 GAA and .962 SV% over his last seven games. Obviously the acquisition of Calder Trophy finalist Alex Nedeljkovic will ensure that Greiss remains a timeshare goalie, but you could do a lot worse in net than Greiss.

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So will Sam Bennett fall back to earth this season? That sure didn't happen on Saturday. Bennett recorded a hat trick to go with a plus-3 and six shots and three hits against the Islanders. Since being traded to Florida at the trade deadline, Bennett has scored 18 points (9 G, 9 A) in just 12 games. After the game, Bennett stated that he thought linemate Jonathan Huberdeau is the best playmaker in the league. Playing on a line with Huberdeau has been a major reason for Bennett's success in Florida.

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With no Crosby or Malkin in the Penguins lineup, Danton Heinen has scored goals in all three games. Playing on Heinen's line, Jeff Carter has points in all three games. I thought Carter might be an early-season sleeper between the injuries and his red-hot play after he joined the Penguins late last season, but I had no idea about Heinen. He probably gets dropped down the lineup once the stars return, but it's worth mentioning that his 15:42 in icetime over those three games is higher than any of his previous season averages. He won't score a goal in every game going forward, but maybe he'll be worth a look in fantasy leagues, especially if he stays on a line with Carter and Jake Guentzel.

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Not that you need convincing to start Connor McDavid in your starting lineup, but here's an incredible stat. With three goals against Calgary on Saturday, McDavid now has 26 goals in 31 career games against the Flames, including 15 goals in his last 15 games against the Oilers' provincial rival. That's something you'll want to remember if you play daily fantasy.

If it stays together, the McDavid – Leon Draisaitl – Jesse Puljujarvi line might become the league's strongest. It's not difficult to understand why, since McDavid and Draisaitl were the league's top two scorers last season. Draisaitl recorded three assists in this game, while Puljujarvi scored a goal and added two assists. The player who will benefit the most from this arrangement is Puljujarvi, who with four points in two games appears primed for a breakout. Lucky the Oilers didn't trade him. And of course, kudos to those fantasy owners who have been patient with him all this time.

Also early congratulations to you if picked Mike Smith in the 47^th round of your draft. In the Oilers’ two games (both of which I watched), Smith has looked outstanding. Smith followed up a 38-save win on Wednesday with a 43-save win on Saturday, allowing two goals in each game. The Oilers play a run-and-gun style, reminiscent of their teams in the 1980s, which might mean that Smith faces a lot of shots. Fortunately, they will outscore many of their defensive woes because of the names listed above. Smith is hardly a long-term option in your keeper league because he is 39 years old, but he might be exactly what your team needs in net to get through today, especially if your league counts wins.

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One more late-round goalie that has started the season strong is Elvis Merzlikins. No doubt inspired by the memory of his late teammate and fellow Latvian Matiss Kivlenieks, Merzlikins has posted two wins in his two starts, allowing a combined three goals. Columbus might not be considered a team that will win a ton of games, but Merzlikins might still be available in your league. Cal Petersen was considered by many to be the late-round goalie to draft, but he was no longer a secret by the time drafts rolled around. So once Petersen was gone, Merzlikins appeared to be the best goalie of what was left once I was ready to draft a third or fourth goalie.

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For more fantasy hockey discussion, or to reach out to me, you can follow me on Twitter @Ian_Gooding