Dobber’s article for Puck Daddy is up, check it out here!

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Behind the Net has a page that counts for penalties drawn. I was curious and glad to see that it is being kept track of somewhere! Check it out here.

Game of the night tonight: SJ is playing in Washington. Derek Joslin got the call up for the Sharks for this one (although I highly doubt he is the reason you will be tuning in).

Just a random thought I had – wouldn’t a stat to track “penalties drawn” be extremely useful/interesting? It would give great insights to any ref biases, divers, and players who are tough to contain.

JP Dumont is back in the lineup for the Predators today. They really need the Sullivan-Arnott-Dumont line to get going.

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Nashville has recalled Cal O’Reilly and demoted Mike Santorelli. David Legwand will shift to wing to allow O’Reilly to center the second line.

After tempting fate for too long, Marty Havlat has fallen victim to the injury bug. He pulled his groin last night, but it doesn’t sound serious. However, the Wild are having enough problems scoring with him in the lineup, so I can’t imagine how tough it will be without him.

James van Riemsdyk is returning to the lineup tomorrow after missing five games with a concussion (Thanks to RP for the heads up, he never was diagnosed with a concussion, it was just a precautionary measure taken). He skated with Asham and Pyorala at practice, but should see some time on the second PP unit.

So much for the doom and gloom – Thomas Vanek should be back by Saturday. He was initially said to be out for “weeks.” Vanek out obviously would have hurt his linemates (most notably Roy).

Crosby and Getzlaf both played over 20 minutes in respective wins, and both were held pointless! Time to jump ship poolies! Crosby for Carle, anyone? Relax, take a deep breath, and don’t panic until at least game 20 or 25. That doesn’t mean you can’t be proactive, but that means dealing players like Carle, Del Zotto, and so on in order to maximize on the return. Never sell low with durable and proven elite talent.

Dan Ellis, after seemingly breaking ahead of Pekka Rinne in the Predators goaltending duel, surrendered three goals on three shots. He didn’t have much of a chance on any of them, but I think that stat speaks for itself. The Nashville goaltending situation will be a headache all season for poolies with either Ellis or Rinne.

Jonas Hiller with another strong game, and it looks like he won’t suffer any slump after stealing the starting position in Anaheim last season. He stopped 32 of 34 shots in a Ducks win.

Chicago sure is fun to watch.. the Oilers are probably one of only a handful of NHL clubs that can skate with them.

Look for Calgary to try splitting up Iginla and Jokinen, as they did near the end of the Columbus game. Both are shoot-first players who don’t really mesh well together. Iginla and Langkow have proven to be complementary players, and Jokinen has proven he can carry a line on his own.

Dallas’ second line tore the Predators apart on Wednesday night. Richards, Eriksson, and Neal combined for nine points. Neal has been a favourite of mine for a while, and I managed to acquire him in all of my pools over this past summer. However, I didn’t expect this kind of production right away. Couple those three with Ribeiro, Morrow, Benn line, and Dallas has six very enticing fantasy forwards. Benn was very impressive when I caught him live against the Canucks on Sunday night. He plays an NHL game and I don’t see Jere Lehtinen bumping him off that line any time soon.

A healthy Marian Gaborik sure is a joy to watch. I bit the bullet and took him again in a few pools. Enjoying the ride so far! The Rangers have gone from arguably the most boring team in the NHL to watch (under Renney) to one of the most exciting (under Tortorella). They attack with four lines and Gaborik is proving to be worth every penny of that $7.5 million-per-season deal he signed in July… now time for me to knock on every piece of wood I own…

Gilbert Brule had an assist in the Edmonton loss on Wednesday night, giving him a very respectable five points in six games. He is skating hard and hitting hard, two hallmarks of his impressive WHL career. He had every GM in the NHL drooling at his upside after a simply stunning career with the Vancouver Giants, but he was rushed to the NHL, and never seemed to find his place in the league. It may be happening now.

Cam Ward absolutely robbed Bill Guerin with a save that is sure to be among the best of the 2009-10 season. Check it out here. Ward finished with 36 saves on 38 shots in a losing effort.

Michael Del Zotto continued his torrid pace to start the season, posting two assists in under 15 minutes of ice time. He runs the PP beautifully and is here to stick for the season! His keeper value is probably through the roof right now, so hopefully you took a chance on him in the summer!

The Coyotes have demoted Mikkel Boedker to the AHL. He has played decently, but he needs more ice time and the Coyotes want him to start shooting the puck more. San Antonio (their AHL affiliate) is stacked, as it also boasts players like Kyle Turris and Viktor Tikhonov.

Michael Grabner has been recalled by the Canucks, and he will skate on the top line with Burrows and Sedin Friday night in Calgary. In addition, he will see time on the second PP unit with Wellwood, Kesler, Edler, and Ehrhoff.

Sergei Shirokov had three points on Wednesday night, as the Moose knocked off Abbotsford 5-4 in a shootout. Shirokov has seven points in four games since being sent down. While Daniel Sedin is out, expect both Grabner and Shirokov to see some action for the Canucks. Shirokov should be a full-time roster player for Vancouver by mid-season or so. Check out Shirokov’s goal at the 3:37 mark of this highlight package.