September 18, 2007
Dobber Sports
2007-09-18
Please vote in today's poll if you haven't already. Thanks.
Stoll will play between Robert Nilsson and Raffi Torres against the Leafs tonight.
The Wild have cut AJ Thelen. The minor cuts are starting to pour through across the NHL now. I will mention all the notables as they come.
Big surprise (not to me, I've been saying this would happen for two years now), the Toronto Sun is reporting that Simon Gamache is having a fantastic camp on a line with Matt Stajan and ALEX Steen. He is one of the most skilled players not in the NHL in my opinion and he deserves a shot. If he makes the team, it will not be as a checker.
Sean Burke retired from hockey today.
The St.Louis Post-Dispatch is reporting that Patrick Berglund could make the team this season. He had a very impressive rookie camp and will play some preseason games with Paul Kariya. Keep an eye on this. I had him as a lock to make the team next year, so moving up a year wouldn't be a huge surprise.
Andrei Kostitsyn and Alexei Kovalev worked very well together, combining for five points in a 3-2 win over the Pens. Defensemen Andrew Archer (eye) and Mathieu Carle (knee) each left the game with injuries. Archer's injury was from a fight with Laraque.
Boston returned several players, including Chris Collins, to the minors last night.
Los Angeles had high hopes for Erik Ersberg, but he has been cut already. The goaltending battle is between Cloutier, Labarbera, Bernier and Aubin now.
The Leafs made some cuts on Monday, sending their 2007 top pick (74th overall) Dale Mitchell back to the Oshawa Generals of the OHL. Goaltender James Reimer was sent back to the Red Deer Rebels of the WHL.
Paul Stastny had two goals and Jaroslav Hlinka had two assists to lead the Avs to a 4-3 win over the Coyotes. Martin Hanzal had an assist for Phoenix. Hlinka and Stastny played with David Jones. Hlinka should make the team this season and will make a strong impact if he can hang onto a second-line spot over Marek Svatos.
Brad Richardson has injured his wrist and will be out of the lineup for three to four weeks.
Josh Gratton broke his finger in a fight with Sean O'Donnell on Sunday and will be out for three weeks. He'll also probably not fight right away when he gets back, so keep him on reserve for a week or two after he returns.
Gratton also says that Daniel Carcillo is a master at what he does – agitate. He knows him from previous leagues and says Carcillo always got under his skin. Carcillo is my dark horse in roto leagues – 30 or 35 points and 200+ PIMs.
Line combo last night: York, Reinprecht and Doan. Mueller with Vrbata and Thomas.
Lehtinen (shoulder), Barnes (shoulder) and Ribeiro (ankle) will all sit out of tonight's contest for the Stars. None of the injuries are said to be serious.
It is starting to look like Aaron Downey could make the Red Wings. They need a physical presence and he has been providing one. I wouldn't expect him to play every game, but they'll dress him when they need him -if he makes the squad.
The Caps love the chemistry that Kozlov has with Ovechkin as his pivot and Nylander has with Semin. That means that Backstrom will either center the third line, or will be moved to right wing. So far, the team has moved him to right wing to play with Nylander and Semin.
Cam Janssen may have dislocated his shoulder in one of his two fights against Jesse Boulerice last night. If so, the door swings even wider for the likes of David Clarkson, who will rack up the PIM's if given the chance.
David Vyborny's knee injury is only a minor sprain and he should be back in the lineup by the weekend.
Kevin Klein injured his shoulder last night and is expect to miss three to four weeks for Nashville.
Alexei Kaigorodov played in a Russian League game yesterday. As far as I knew, he was in camp in Phoenix…so obviously, unreported by the Phoenix media, he did not arrive there. Stroke him off your lists (if he was on them) because he's obviously not playing in Russia for a few days and then coming over – he's either here now or not at all.
Despite not playing with the twins, or Naslund for that matter, Ryan Shannon picked up an assist last night and by all accounts played an excellent hockey game. Keep an eye on him, as he will eventually land a spot on the top two lines.
The best damn fantasy hockey guide on the web will be updated in…