Morning Player Notes in the Draft (Nov 5)

An upper-body injury has sidelined Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen and there are plenty of questions as to the nature of the injury and how long he might be out. Ristolainen didn't join the team for the morning skate yesterday, where it was announced he was day-to-day with the ailment, but that's all the news we really received, other than him not playing against the Stars.  The Sabres could have used their number one blueliner as well, dropping the game against Dallas, 5-1.

For Benson's team, it has been trying to keep the pace with the leaders, but he has dropped back a little bit, down to 3rd place, thanks to only 25 points this week.  He's still within spitting distance of 1st, only 4 points back of Jeremy, so it's not all doom and gloom.

Saturday night marked the return of Roberto Luongo to the Florida Panthers' crease, after he missed the last few weeks with a hand injury.  The return didn't quite warrant 2 points, however, as the Panthers were not able to snag that extra goal in overtime, giving the Rangers a 5-4 victory instead.

With Luongo back, that means that the Panthers have three healthy pool goalies and that meant one was going to be the odd-man out.  It should come as no surprise that the odd-man out was the recently acquired Antti Niemi, who had to make a couple of appearances for the Panthers since his arrival, but still no wins.  His future might be the waiver wire, yet again.

Stuart's 12th place team gets a goalie back, while Derek B.'s 6th place team never really got much out of his goalie, but will certainly get nothing if Niemi doesn't get any NHL ice to play on.

In the post-game presser for the Dallas Stars, head coach Ken Hitchcock said that Radek Faksa, who scored a goal in their 5-1 win over Buffalo, had suffered an injury and is considered to be day-to-day.  There wasn't much in the way of what kind of injury it was, but Hitchcock did say that it would be updated at some point on Sunday.  He'll be considered to be day-to-day for right now and it would take something fairly significant to warrant an update on the blog. 

Faksa has been decent for Stacey M.'s team already this season, picking up 7 points in his first 14 games, including 2 points this week.  Stacey's team has been good this week, picking up 30 points and jetting up to 6th place in the standings and she still has three projected games left.

Noon Player Notes in the Draft (Nov 4)

Ahead of the first game of back-to-backs this weekend, the Montreal Canadiens had decided on Friday that their number one goalie will not play in the first half in Winnipeg, opting to give him the night off completely.  Price didn't practice on Friday, getting treatment for a minor lower-body injury and the team recalled Charlie Lindgren to backup Al Montoya against the Jets.  The second half of the back-to-back will be played in Chicago and we'll probably know around game time tonight, what the team's plan is for their number one.  Currently, he's considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

For Dale C., his team is right in the thick of the Mover & Shaker mix again this week and he hasn't had much production from his 1st round draft pick at all.  Dale's team goes into the night, 1 point back of the weekly lead and in 4th place overall in the standings, only 3 points back of 1st.  A quick recovery would go a long ways here.

Johansson Out With a Concussion

Bad news for the New Jersey Devils, it sounds like Marcus Johansson might be on the shelf for a little while, as his latest upper-body injury has been deemed a concussion.  Johansson suffered the injury mid-week against the Canucks and he has been ruled out of the weekend already and will go through all the proper testing, before he rejoins the team.

Johansson had seemed to have found a good fit with the Devils, early on in this season, finding 3 goals and 5 points in his first 10 games with the club.  It hasn't been an amazing streak of scoring, but it hasn't been too bad either.  Even after Friday night's schedule, he still ranks 293rd in overall scoring in the hockey pool, which isn't too bad, considering he has now missed a few games to injury, including Friday night's game against the Oilers.

It's another tough week for Scott B., who now leads the way for back-to-back Basement Dweller nods, only having 5 points through Friday night's action, 4 points back of Cam, Eric and Steve.  The gap between his team and 24th place is now as wide as 9 points and it only seems to be getting wider.

Goalie Announcements (Nov 3)

Well, this will be the last goalie post of the week, mostly just to announce that all 10 teams that are left in the survivor pool have indeed survived this week and we'll start fresh again on Monday.

It's Friday and it's pretty light on the NHL schedule, including two games out here in the western time zones, so I will give you the starters for those two games and take the weekend off from this post.  Hooray!

Cory Schneider (Jeremy) versus Cam Talbot (Wes)
The Devils continue their trek through Western Canada with a stop in Edmonton tonight and it appears to be the two number ones going.  Schneider will go for the (tied for) pool-leading team, which belongs to Jeremy, while Wes is hopeful that his number one can get some number one type numbers out of Talbot and the Oilers.  Wes sits 14th, 23 points back of Jeremy's team.

Pekka Rinne (Dale B.) versus John Gibson (Tony)
In Anaheim, the Predators are in town to take on the Ducks at the pond.  Dale B. and Tony are separated by 10 points in the standings and their goalies are taking to the ice for a pretty good rivalry match-up between the Predators and Ducks. 

Well, that was easy.  See you on Monday!

Noon Player Notes in the Draft (Nov 3)

Last night, Brett Ritchie, forward for the Dallas Stars, was held out of the lineup for the game against the Winnipeg Jets, due to an upper-body injury.  Details on the injury, when, where and how long, were in short supply this morning, but he is only listed as day-to-day, so we'll have to leave it at that for the moment.

Ritchie was Ryan's 13th round pick in the draft and the young forward hasn't quite been the bargain that Ryan was hoping for with only 2 points in 12 games this season.  Ryan's team is still having an okay week without him, already potting 12 points and staying away from the absolute bottom of the standings, currently 15 points clear.

On Wednesday night, Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic sustained an upper-body injury, believed to be to the head, after taking an awkward hit from Nashville's Ryan Johansen.  Vlasic had to leave the game, not to return, but the Sharks coaching staff doesn't believe that the injury is serious and there has been no mention of having to go through the concussion protocol.  His participation for the weekend is still up in the air, but it hasn't been ruled out yet.

Clayton's team hasn't quite found its stride this week, ranking 15th in Week Five points with 13, dropping out of the top 10 because of it.  Vlasic has 4 points in 12 games this season, so he hasn't exactly been a big positive, in terms of blueline points, but it's still a void to fill in his lineup.

Goalie Announcements (Nov 2)

The goalie survivor pool, as expected, saw three more teams qualify for Week Six on Wednesday night, leaving only three teams left to qualify for next week and all three of those teams get a start tonight in the busy Thursday night schedule.

Jaroslav Halak (Benson) versus Braden Holtby (Grant)
Grant gets a Washington game tonight, the first of the week and the opponent is the New York Islanders.  Benson's team briefly held the lead this week and now sits 5 points back of 1st place and could really use a spoiler win tonight to help his team get back up top.

Jimmy Howard (Dale C.) versus Craig Anderson (Tony)
Dale's team is currently looking at posting back-to-back Mover & Shaker weeks in the hockey pool, currently sitting in 2nd place in the standings, and he will also get the chance to play spoiler with Jimmy Howard, with Tony getting a start from Craig Anderson in Ottawa tonight.  The Senators are the favourites going into the evening, but the Red Wings have played some pretty decent hockey of late, winning their last two games.

Cam Ward (Stacey M.) versus Semyon Varlamov (Stacey C.)
The last of the three teams with starts tonight belongs to Stacey C., getting a Semyon Varlamov start in Colorado, as they play host to the traveling Hurricanes.  The Canes announced in the afternoon that it will be Cam Ward getting the nod tonight, which will make this the Battle of the Staceys in the crease, which really has no bearing other than it's fun to say.  They are currently 8 points apart in the standings, Stacey M. having the upper hand, currently.

Not getting a win tonight still leaves three more days to try and score that victory, so there's still a fair amount of time left to do so.

Morning Player Notes in the Draft (Nov 2)

There appears to be a bit of buyer's remorse in Edmonton, as the unrestricted free agent signing Jussi Jokinen hasn't exactly panned out the way the team would have hoped and it was another trip up to the press box on Wednesday night.  Jokinen has been the subject of some trade chatter and rumours over the last week or so, but moving the 34-year old hasn't proved to be very easy right away.

For Brenda & Seward, the trade would likely be welcomed, now that Jokinen is a target for healthy scratches moving forward.  A change of scenery would probably be good for the veteran, since he only has 1 assist in nine games.

In the first shift of the game against the Canucks, Devils forward Marcus Johansson took an awkward tumble into the boards, appeared to slam his head into the boards and obviously, he had to leave the game and he didn't return.  There were no updates on his condition immediately, but this is now starting to be a rough patch for the scoring forward for the Devils, as he already missed a little bit of time to injury already in the last couple of weeks.  We're waiting for the new updates, which might be a day or two away.

Another tough break for Scott B., who really needs the points to get out of the pool basement.  His team is 5 points back of 24th right now and just isn't producing.  His team has 3 points this week, but he is tied for the lead in skater games played, so far this week.  This injury won't help any of it, if it is significant.

The Philadelphia Flyers lost the services of defenseman Radko Gudas in their game against the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night, as the bruising blueliner suffered an upper-body injury midway through the game and was unable to return.  There have been no updates on his condition, as of yet, but we'll keep an eye on this situation.

Gudas hasn't exactly been the most productive player for Wes' team, unless he was going to be fortunate enough to have the PIM pool hit on the mini-game wheel.  It didn't.  So Gudas has only picked up 2 points in his first 13 games and that's about all of his value right there.

Goalie Announcements (Nov 1)

Tonight, we resume our normally scheduled survival programming, with five games on the schedule, four of which will feature a goalie in need of a win to stay in the mini-game this week.  Two of those four games are very interesting, as they are full survivor match-ups.

Six teams are still to qualify this week and five of those teams have games tonight, one of those teams has a couple of starts, so we should be fairly competitive tonight, at the very least.

Nevertheless, the schedule is making up for all those non-pool goalies last night, as all the games on the schedule should be manned by pool goalies.  Points all around!  Woo hoo!

Brian Elliott (Stacey C.) versus Corey Crawford (Jeremy)
The first of the all-survivor match-ups tonight, puts Stacey C.'s goalie against the first of two starts for Jeremy in Chicago, as Elliott and Crawford go head-to-head.  The Flyers and Blackhawks have been scoring goals at a reasonable pace so far this season, so this should be a pretty good game.

Matt Murray (Stacey M.) versus Cam Talbot (Wes)
The Penguins and Oilers finish off their season series to start the second month of the season and there is every indication that it is the prime time goalie match-up will be on deck. Matt Murray will get the nod, looking for that weekly win for Stacey M.'s team.  Talbot will give Wes the first of two starts tonight, as his team is just looking for points these days.

Cory Schneider (Jeremy) versus Jacob Markstrom (Wes)
Both Jeremy and Wes get their second starts in the same game, as the Devils are out on their west coast swing and Cory Schneider returns to his old haunt, possibly looking for that win that he may not have picked up in the earlier game in Chicago.  Wes' team could really use a couple wins tonight, as his team is among the trailers in the weekly scoring, with only 1 point through the first couple nights.

Frederik Andersen (Mike) versus John Gibson (Tony)
Finally, the other all-survival game, as another goalie returns to his old barn, with Frederik Andersen making another stop on the duck pond in Anaheim.  Andersen returns to find his crease, exactly the way he left it, with John Gibson there, having taken over the number one job.  Both Mike and Tony have lots of chances still there this week, both considered favourites for the mini-game prize.

Backes to Undergo Colon Surgery

The Boston Bruins announced on Wednesday that forward David Backes will have to undergo surgery to help aid in his recovery from diverticulitis.  The surgery will be to remove a portion of his colon and it is believed that it will cost the power forward the next eight weeks of the season.

Backes had already missed the first five games of the season with his illness and thanks to some abscesses that were forming around his colon, he needed procedures done to have them drained and waiting any longer for the surgery wasn't going to be good for his overall health.

The Bruins are already deep in injury troubles, still with David Krejci on the shelf, it could be a long while before they get their ship righted at this pace.

This season, Backes appeared in five games, registering only an assist.

Neil's team has been surviving on some pretty solid picks among his forwards, but his depth has been really put to the test.  His team currently sits in 12th place after Tuesday night, only 11 points back of the money spots.  A healthier lineup would certainly go a long ways to bumping his team safely into the top 10 though.

Ducks Will Miss Getzlaf This Week

The upper-body injury that Ryan Getzlaf had suffered on Sunday afternoon has been deemed fairly significant, as he was placed on the Injured Reserve on Tuesday and is expected to miss at least the next three games.  Getzlaf took a puck to the face in the game against the Hurricanes, ending his game after his first shift.

Getzlaf will reportedly be reevaluated on Monday next week, which coincides with his eligibility to come off the IR, so we'll have to wait until then before we know for sure, if he'll play next week.

The veteran forward has been good in the games that he has been able to play this year, picking up a goal and 7 points in six games, so that is a pretty big loss to the Ducks roster, which has already been struggling with injuries already.

Despite the Getzlaf injury and one forward down in the minors, Eric's forwards have been keeping his team afloat in the pool, not letting his team get too far adrift in the standings.  His combined 69 points is tied for 6th in the pool, but a lack of goalie points and some hurting defensemen have his team down in 20th at the moment.  The Waiver Draft can't come too soon for his team.

Morning Player Notes in the Draft (Nov 1)

The Dallas Stars decided to send defenseman Julius Honka down to the AHL on Tuesday after a stretch of healthy scratches in recent weeks. The puck-moving defenseman hasn't quite hit his expected stride in the six games he's played already this season, not registering a point and a collective -6 plus/minus rating.  He might be down there for a little while, trying to get his confidence back, but he'll be back this season, one would assume.

Remarkably, Steve's team still led the plus/minus mini-game with a guy like Honka on his team, which suggests the rest of his team plays a lot better defense, than the young Finn. 

Nick Holden of the Rangers is also without any points beside his name this season and that has led to his fifth scratch of the regular season already.  The 30-year old defenseman has appeared in eight games already for the Rangers, but has yet to put a goal or an assist on the board and if his offensive struggles continue, he might be doomed to remain in the press box and act as trade bait at some point this season. 

Eric's team is shuffling through this week, with only 5 points through the first couple nights, dropping a spot, down to 20th in the standings today.  Eric's team is currently tied for 22nd in defensemen points, with only 13 to his name, a shade less than half of what the leaders have already this season.