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Buffalo Sabres

Hot: Daniel Briere (4 G, 11 A), Thomas Vanek (7 G, 7 A, +14), Jason Pominville (7 Goals in Last 8 Games)

Cold: Ales Kotalik (3 G, 0 A Last 8 Games), Ryan Miller (1-1-1, 3.79 GAA, .883 Sv. % Last Three Starts)

Injuries: Maxim Afinogenov (1-2 Weeks, Slight Shoulder Separation), Tim Connolly (Indefinitely, Post-Concussion Syndrome), Henrik Tallinder (2 Months, Broken Arm)

The Sabres have unquestionably been the league’s best team in the early-going, which shouldn’t surprise anyone who has paid attention to the league in the last year and a half. The Sabres have unbelievable speed, great young skill players, a strong young goaltender in Ryan Miller, and depth that is unmatched. Unfortunately, it looks like they’re going to need their depth to pick up the slack for a bit, as one of the few players that could (let’s amend that…. should) be considered a superstar (Maxim Afinogenov) is out for the next few weeks.

Most of what I’m hearing on Afinogenov, who has 8 goals and 11 assists in 14 games this season, is that the separation is only slight in his shoulder, and that he should only be out for about 10-14 days. Unfortunately for many of his fantasy owners, he’s still being listed as day to day, and those of you who play on Yahoo are familiar with the trials and tribulations we’ve suffered waiting for some players who are listed on the IR to be placed there in the game. Simply put, if someone in your league is crazy enough to drop him because of this, grab him immediately. He’s the best offensive player on the best offensive team in the league, and he’s likely to still challenge the century mark even with a couple of weeks lost to injury.

The Sabres finally lost a couple of games this past week (one of them in overtime), but that’s nothing to be too concerned about. Even Ryan Miller’s mediocre GAA performance in his past few starts is something that fantasy owners should just shrug off. Atlanta, Toronto, and the Rangers all rank in the top five in goals scored at this point, so it’s not like he was struggling against any bottom-feeding teams. He made 30+ saves in all three starts, so he’s not killing anyone with his save percentage.

Briere continues to show his transformation from a brilliant goal-scorer into a brilliant playmaker. Early in his career with Phoenix, he actually had a couple of seasons where he had more goals than assists, which is pretty rare for a first-line center. In his past two seasons, he’s finished with slightly higher assist totals, but still hasn’t shown a tremendous propensity for getting his teammates involved. With 14 assists early on this season, though, he’s showing continued development and maturity. He’s becoming a fantastic leader for this team.

Vanek and Pominville are two players who could easily sustain their breakout performance over the whole season. Both have elite speed, strong hands, and are very creative with the puck. Vanek has an amazing slapper, while Pominville tends to do more damage a little closer in. Though Pominville doesn’t have tremendous size, he’s quick enough to sneak in behind the defensemen and tough enough to get down low and battle.

Kotalik, coming off a 62 point breakout in 2005-06, has had some trouble consistently finding his way onto the scoresheet early on. He currently ranks eleventh on the team with just six points (4 G, 2 A) in fourteen games. With Afinogenov out of the lineup for the next couple of weeks, Kotalik needs to step up his game. He’ll be given a chance to play with playmakers Chris Drury and Jochen Hecht, so hopefully this will get him going.

Next Five: vs. Florida, at Philadelphia, at Carolina, vs. Ottawa, vs. Pittsburgh

The Panthers are a middle of the pack team both offensively and defensively, while the second game of the stretch pits the league’s best offense against its worst offense and second-worst defense in Philadelphia. The ‘Canes and Senators haven’t exactly strutted their stuff so far this season, but both are more than capable of giving the Sabres defense headaches. Ironically, the Penguins, who had the worst record in the East last season, find themselves both a top ten offense and defense after the season’s first month. Benching a Sabre is like benching Albert Pujols, though… you just don’t do it. Start everyone with confidence.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Hot: Mats Sundin (3 G, 6 A During 5 Game Point Streak), Tomas Kaberle (6 G, 5 A During 6 Game Point Streak), Matthew Stajan (4 A Last 5 Games), Alexei Ponikarovsky (3 G, 3 A Last 6 Games), Andrew Raycroft (4-0-0, 1.50 GAA, .953 Sv. % Last Four Starts)

Cold: Kyle Wellwood (2 Points Last 9 Games)

Injuries: Jay Harrison (D2D, Hand), Pavel Kubina (Indefinitely – Sprained Ligament), Andy Wozniewski (4 Months – Shoulder Surgery)

The Leafs have been one of the biggest surprises of the season’s first month. After a horrendous 2005-06 campaign saw them miss the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade last season, the future didn’t look too bright. Toss in that these were their major offseason moves:

-         Picked up Andrew Raycroft, a re-tread goalie who fell out of favor as both a starter and a backup in Boston last season.

-         Picked up Michael Peca, an elite defensive center who would help out the defense, but wouldn’t help out the scoring depth around Mats Sundin.

For a team that finished in the middle of the pack in goal-scoring last season, the assumption was that they needed to add some skill players up front, and they didn’t do it. However, through seventeen games, it looks like they didn’t need to. Alexei Ponikarovsky, Kyle Wellwood, and Matthew Stajan have all stepped up their game a bit this season, giving the Leafs some of the scoring depth they so desperately needed. Sundin will continue to be a star all year in Toronto, so hopefully the kids can continue to support him.

Still, I have my doubts about how well this team holds up over the course of 82 games. It’s clear that, after Sundin, their two best offensive players may still be Tomas Kaberle and Bryan McCabe, who play along the blue line. Ideally, the Leafs would have enough up front so that they can focus a little more on their play in their own zone, rather than having to pinch in every time they’re on the ice.

To mildly understate things, Raycroft has been a pleasant surprise in Toronto. Though he had back to back terrible games against the Senators in late October, he’s consistently giving this team a chance to win almost every night. He’s allowed more than four goals just twice in fourteen starts, and has a solid 2.73 GAA to go along with a .911 Save Percentage that’s more than adequate.

Next Five: at Boston, vs. Montreal, at Boston, vs. New Jersey, vs. NY Islanders

On the positive side, the Bruins haven’t proven that they can beat anybody to this point. On the negative side, the Habs and Devils are legit playoff contenders and the Islanders are red hot right now. You can bet that Raycroft will be pumped up for the games against the Bruins, who dealt the former Calder Trophy winner away for a prospect on draft day. The Devils haven’t shown much depth in their scoring, and if the Leafs can stop the Gionta-Gomez-Elias combo, they should have a strong defensive game. The skaters are safe starts in every game (save, possibly, New Jersey), while I see very little that should keep you from starting the red hot Andrew Raycroft.

Montreal Canadiens

Hot: Christopher Higgins (6 G, 3 A in Last Ten), Cristobal Huet (2-1-0, 1.33 GAA, .958 Sv. % Last Three)

Cold: Michael Ryder (Scoreless in Last Four)

Injuries: Christopher Higgins (5-6 Weeks, Sprained Ankle), Mathieu Dandenault (Indefinitely, Torn Calf), Francis Bouillon (Indefinitely, Knee)

In some senses, the Habs are kind of like the Sabres-lite. They don’t really have any true superstars up front, but they have quite a bit of depth. While Alexei Kovalev and Sergei Samsonov were superstars back in the day, those days seem to be gone.

Higgins, a youngster who really picked up his game in the season’s final two months as a rookie last year, looks like he’s emerging into a solid second center in fantasy circles. The team’s 2002 first-rounder has a well-rounded game, can get his teammates involved on the ice, and loves to finish. Unfortunately, just as he was starting to step into a prominent role for the Habs, he sprained his ankle in a collision with New Jersey’s Colin White the other night, and may be out for the next couple of games. If you’re holding him, don’t fret. He shouldn’t be out too long.

Though he hasn’t managed a point in his last three games, Sheldon Souray seems to have re-found the form that made him a top fantasy defenseman the year before the lockout. He has one of the better slap shots in the league from the point, and he’s not looking quite as shy about using it as he was last season. He’ll score in spurts, and he’ll always find ways to spend some time in the box.

The goaltending situation figures to be messy all year. Cristobal Huet had an unbelievable season last year, but he’d shown very little in his career leading up to his breakout; for a 25 or 26 year old, I’d say that he finally broke out. For a 30-year-old (which Huet was last season), I have to question whether he just happened to get and stay hot for a few months. Though Huet started over former Avs starter David Aebischer after the Habs acquired him last season, Aebischer is both younger and more established. Expect the dreaded platoon to continue all season, as both have been strong to start the year.

Next Five: vs. Edmonton, at Toronto, at Ottawa, at Tampa Bay, at Florida

This definitely looks to be a tough stretch for the Habs. We’re about to see what this team is made of. After hosting the Western Conference Champs, they’ll head out on a four-game trip that will see them face a handful of powerful offensive clubs in Toronto, Ottawa, and Tampa. Based on early season returns, none figure to be slouches in their own zones either. Unless you have Kovalev, Souray, or Andrei Markov, there isn’t necessarily a skater that you should automatically start. Good luck playing the guessing games with the goaltenders. Huet’s started the last two, so expect Aebischer to go against the Oilers on Tuesday.

Ottawa Senators

Hot: Jason Spezza (3 G, 9 in Last 8), Dany Heatley (8 G, 3 A in Last 8), Ray Emery (3-2-0, Allowed Three Goals or Less in Each of his Five Starts)

Cold: Joe Corvo (-4 in 4 Game Pointless Streak), Patrick Eaves (Four Game Pointless Streak), Wade Redden (1 point in 9 games this season)

Injuries: Wade Redden (D2D, Groin)

It was clear that losing Zdeno Chara and Martin Havlat over the offseason was going to hurt this team’s depth both offensively and defensively, but nobody could have guessed we’d see this dramatic a dropoff early on. The Sens, who ran away with the league lead in goals last season, are currently fifteenth out of thirty teams in goals per game, nearly a goal and a half off the pace of the division-leading Sabres.

Part of the reason for this had to be the fact that Dany Heatley, Daniel Alfredsson, and Jason Spezza (who finished 4^th, 5^th, and 13^th respectively in the scoring race last season) got off to slow starts. Heatley and Spezza have picked up the pace, and now have respectable numbers twelve games in. Alfie is still struggling a bit, though he does have two goals and an assist in his past two games after a recent four game pointless streak.

The blue line has been equally as disappointing. Wade Redden, a perennial top ten defenseman, has just one assist through nine games this season, and things aren’t looking up for him as he’s missed the Sens past three games with a groin injury. Andrej Meszaros looked like he had an opportunity to step up in place of Chara, and was coming off a strong rookie showing that saw him net 39 points with a +34 rating. As of now, the points are starting to pick up, but he’s still a disappointing -3 on the year. Offseason acquisition Tom Preissing (+9) has been a nice addition, but he’s not offsetting the bad start by Redden or the void left by Chara’s absence.

Martin Gerber fell to 2-5-1 with Monday’s overtime loss to the Capitals, and his hold on the starting job has to be considered extremely tenuous right now. Ray Emery has stepped up his game, has the experience of last season’s (albeit brief) playoff run behind him, and is eight years younger (and considerably cheaper). For now, they’ll continue to platoon, just as they have been since Gerber looked shaky to start the year. Don’t be surprised to see Emery take control of the starting role in the near future if Gerber doesn’t pick up the pace soon, though.

Next Five: at Atlanta, at Pittsburgh, at Boston, vs. Montreal, at Buffalo

In the past, we’d look at how this stretch starts and think that the Sens have a couple of gimmes to start it. However, things change quickly in the new NHL. The Sens will face the league’s top two scoring offenses to bookend the five game run (Buffalo – 4.50 GF/G, Atlanta – 3.65 GF/G) and also face the league’s sixth best offense in Pittsburgh (3.55). That’s not to say that the Sens should have too much trouble competing with anyone in the league, though. There’s still way too much talent in Ottawa to think that they aren’t going to start rolling in the next month. Benching Emery (maybe) and Gerber (definitely) might be a good idea, though… particularly against Buffalo and Atlanta.

Boston Bruins

Hot: Marc Savard (3 G, 6 A Last 3), Patrice Bergeron (2 G, 2 A Last 3), P.J. Axelsson (3 G, 3 A Last 4), Paul Mara (4 A Last 2 Games)

Cold: Marco Sturm (7 Game Pointless Streak), Hannu Toivonen (2-3-0, 4.20 GAA, .869 Sv. %), Tim Thomas (2-3-2, 3.47 GAA, .894 Sv. %)

Injuries: Brad Stuart (1-2 Weeks, Broken Finger), Alexei Zhamnov (Indefinitely, Ankle), Mark Stuart (2-3 Weeks, Knee Surgery)

In what appeared to be a season of high hopes, the Bruins have clearly looked like the worst team in the division and possibly the worst in the Eastern Conference in the early stages. They have to be kicking themselves for letting Andrew Raycroft, who has thrived with the Maple Leafs so far, go this offseason, as both stud prospect Hannu Toivonen and veteran Tim Thomas have been awful to this point. While the offense hasn’t been great by any stretch of the imagination, it’s very rare that you see a team that can’t keep the puck out of their own net succeed in the NHL. The Bruins are currently 28^th in the league as they’re allowing 4.00 goals per game.

You would think that the offseason signing of Zdeno Chara would have helped this team defensively, but right now he’s a horrific -7 for the Bruins. He’s been more than competent in the offensive zone, and currently finds himself fourth on the team in scoring with eight points. The other defenseman they added this offseason, Paul Mara, hasn’t exactly lit the world on fire either, though he has had back to back two point nights. Still, a -5 rating isn’t going to cut it.

In the meantime, Boston’s big acquisition up front has been nothing short of spectacular in the past week. Marc Savard had an assist in Monday’s 5-3 loss to the Thrashers, and has now scored a point in four straight and eight out of the last nine games. Couple that with a five point night in a 6-5 win over the Lightning on Saturday and a three point night in Thursday’s loss to Buffalo, and it’s clear that Ilya Kovalchuk and Marian Hossa weren’t completely responsible for his success last year. More importantly, he’s finding sniper Glen Murray in the slot and getting him going early.

Missing a solid two-way defenseman like Brad Stuart surely isn’t helping the Bruins at all, but he should be back in the next few days. They were considering bringing him back Monday, so expect him to possibly be in the lineup Thursday when they take on the Leafs. Sturm, who’s capable of scoring in bunches, just came off the IR himself last week, and could give them a little more help up front.

Still, unless this team finds some way to settle down the goaltending situation (and the defense, for that matter… they’re allowing 33 shots per game!), they have little hope of crawling out of the basement. Toivonen looked like he might be ready to take that big step last season, but he’s clearly looking like he needs more time to develop so far this year.

Next Five: vs. Toronto, vs. Ottawa, at Washington, vs. Toronto, vs. Washington

If this schedule is any indication, the Bruins may surpass the Flyers for the worst GAA in the league in the next couple of weeks. The Leafs and Caps (who they’ll play twice each) rank seventh and eighth in the league in goals for per game so far this season, and while the Sens haven’t exactly overwhelmed anyone to this point, we all know what they’re capable of. On the positive side, they’ll face some shaky goaltenders themselves, so get your Bruins’ skaters in the lineup on a nightly basis. Don’t even think about starting Toivonen or Thomas until you’ve seen them start to show improvement.