PHILADELPHIA
Games this week
vs. Vancouver, vs. Los Angeles
Notes
The Flyers play both games at home this week. Jaromir Jagr picked up the 1,600th point of his NHL career in his return to the league after a three year absence as he played in Russia. Sean Couturier, the Flyers first pick eighth overall, was involved in all five of the Flyers' penalty kills in his first NHL game which bodes well for his NHL career. Chris Pronger picked up an assist in the opening game which is amazing considering it was thought that he would be out until Christmas after undergoing off-season wrist surgery.
PHOENIX
Games this week
@ Dallas, @ Washington, vs. Winnipeg
Notes
The Coyotes sent down Andy Miele and Viktor Tikonov to the minors. They signed Martin Hanzal to a five-year/$15.5 million contract. He is the big center that every team in the NHL needs. Mike Smith will start the season off as the starting goalie but Jason LaBarbera could get playing time if Smith's play suffers.
PITTSBURGH
Games this week
vs. Florida, vs. Washington, vs. Buffalo
Notes
The Penguins play all three games at home this week and are rested when they play Buffalo on Saturday as the Sabres entertain Carolina Friday night. Matt Cooke showed that he could score as he potted a pair of goals in the Penguins opening 4-3 shootout win in Vancouver. With Sidney Crosby out of action, Evgeni Malkin centered Pittsburgh's top line between Steve Sullivan and James Neal. Dustin Jeffrey (knee surgery) has been placed on the injured reserve list.
ST. LOUIS
Games this week
vs. Calgary, @ Dallas, @ San Jose, @ Anaheim
Notes
The Blues are tired on Sunday when they play a rested Anaheim team but are rested on Saturday in San Jose while the Sharks are in Anaheim on Friday night. The Blues play three games in four nights so look for Brian Elliot to play once in place of Jaroslav Halak. Jamie Langenbrunner will open the season on the top line alongside David Backes and Andy McDonald while Patrik Berglund is projected to start the year centering T.J. Oshie and Chris Stewart on the second line.
SAN JOSE
Games this week
@ Anaheim, vs. St. Louis
Notes
The Sharks play only twice this week but they are back-to-back games and they face a rested Blues team on Saturday. Antti Niemi is still not 100 percent as he attempts to recover from the removal of a cyst before the start of training camp and with Antero Niittymaki out until December, Thomas Greiss could get a start or both this week. Martin Havlat will not suit up in San Jose's regular season opener but could return from his shoulder injury in time for the Anaheim game. Ryane Clowe is slated to start the season with Logan Couture and Havlat when he is healthy.
TAMPA BAY
Games this week
@ Washington, @ New York Islanders, @ Florida
Notes
Tampa Bay play all three on the road this week. The sixth overall pick in the 2010 Draft, Brett Connolly will start the season with the Lightning but may get only a trial before being returned for a final season in junior hockey. Blair Jones is slated to begin the season on the fourth line with Nate Thompson and Adam Hall while Teddy Purcell is slated to play alongside Vincent Lecavalier and Ryan Malone on the second line.
TORONTO
Games this week
vs. Calgary
Notes
The Maple Leafs only play once this week so we recommend benching all your Toronto players if you can. Matthew Lombardi made an extraordinary return to the lineup on Thursday, scoring the game winner after missing the last 80 games last year with a concussion. What makes even more amazing is that Lombardi started contact drills only in the last week. The Maple Leafs acquired Dave Steckel from New Jersey and the bottom six forward will really help Toronto as he was the best faceoff man in the NHL last season, a category that the Leafs struggled with. Matt Frattin got a shot at the NHL due to the suspension to Clarke MacArthur but Frattin could find himself in the minors shortly.
VANCOUVER
Games this week
@ Columbus, @ Philadelphia, @ Detroit, @ Edmonton
Notes
The Canucks play all four games on the road this week including three games in four nights. Look for Cory Schneider to play at least once in place of Roberto Luongo. Vancouver is tired on Thursday when they play in Detroit as they take on the Flyers in Philadelphia the previous night. Henrik Sedin's first game this season was his 500th consecutive game as he hasn't missed a game since before the 2005 lockout. Great news for Canuck fans as Ryan Kesler is slated to miss only five or six games after undergoing off-season hip surgery. It was thought that Kesler would be out until mid-November. This will hurt the value of Alex Burrows who is in line to take Kesler's spot on the first power play alongside the Sedin twins.
WASHINGTON
Games this week
vs. Tampa Bay, @ Pittsburgh, vs. Ottawa
Notes
Michal Neuvirth was outstanding in the preseason with a 1.34 GAA and a .940 save percentage but it was still surprising that he was named the starting goalie for opening night over Tomas Vokoun. Mike Knuble will start the season on the top line alongside Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. Mathieu Perreault replaced Marcus Johansson on the second line but it appears that move was to motivate Johansson.
WINNIPEG
Games this week
@ Chicago, @ Phoenix
Notes
The Jets play twice this week with both games on the road. They claimed Brett MacLean on waivers from Phoenix and then sent Patrice Cormier to the minors. David Aebischer signed an AHL contract with Winnipeg's minor-league affiliate in St. John's and that will give the franchise more depth in goal. Winnipeg coach Claude Noel said he would be "stunned" if rookie Mark Scheifele doesn't spend the entire 2011-12 season in the NHL We shall see.
The NHL season got underway on Thursday with three games as the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Philadelphia Flyers and the Pittsburgh Penguins all started their season's off with wins.
There is limited action in the first week of the season but things get going this week, especially on Saturday when 14 games take place, with one more on Sunday. Only the Carolina Hurricanes have the weekend off, while St. Louis is the only team to play both nights.
All four teams who started the year in Europe: Anaheim, Buffalo, Los Angeles and the New York Rangers play a short schedule this week as everyone but the Rangers play only twice while New York has only one contest.
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Here is The Week Ahead.
WEEK OF OCTOBER 10-16
4 Games – Colorado, Minnesota, St. Louis, Vancouver
3 Games – Boston, Calgary, Carolina, Columbus, Dallas, New Jersey, New York Islanders, Ottawa, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, Washington
2 Games – Anaheim, Buffalo, Chicago, Detroit, Edmonton, Florida, Los Angeles, Montreal, Nashville, Philadelphia, San Jose, Winnipeg
1 Game – New York Rangers, Toronto
Colorado and Vancouver play all four games on the road.
Calgary, St. Louis and Tampa Bay play three times away from home.
Dallas, the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh play three games in their home arena.
Editor's Note: Play daily salary-cap hockey games. Win cash! Play SnapDraft!
INJURIES
Mikael Backlund is out four-six weeks with a broken finger.
Click here to check out all the injured players in the NHL.
ANAHEIM
Games this week
vs. San Jose, vs. St. Louis
Notes
The Ducks return home from Europe and get six days off to recover before facing San Jose. The Ducks may face a tired St. Louis team on Friday but they could still be getting over their jet lag from Europe so it may not be an advantage. A couple of rookies, Devante Smith-Pelly and Maxime Macenauer made the team out of training camp. Jonas Hiller looks to have fully recovered from his bout of vertigo which ruined his season after the All-Star break. Kurtis Foster and Matt Beleskey suffered injuries during training camp but are close to returning to the lineup.
BOSTON
Games this week
vs. Colorado, @ Carolina, @ Chicago
Notes
Tim Thomas and Tuukka Rask are expected to share the goaltending a little more evenly this season so look for Rask to play 35 games to keep Thomas fresh for the playoffs. Tyler Seguin will start the year on the third line but expect him to become a top-six player before the end of the 2011-12 season. Rich Peverley is worth considering in most drafts as he will center the second line to start the year.
BUFFALO
Games this week
vs. Carolina, @ Pittsburgh
Notes
The Sabres return home for a couple of games and should be tired on Saturday when they face a rested Penguins team in Pittsburgh. Nathan Gerbe gets a fantasy boost to start the season as he will play on a line with Derek Roy and Drew Stafford while Ville Leino will begin the season centering a line that includes Tyler Ennis and Brad Boyes. This unit will start off as the third line. Jochen Hecht continues to miss action with a concussion.
CALGARY
Games this week
@ St. Louis, @ Montreal, @ Toronto
Notes
The Flames play all three games on the road this week .Matthew Stajan has been dropped to the fourth line and he needed injuries to Mikael Backlund and Brendan Morrison to go that high on the depth charts. Chris Butler will start the season on the top defensive pairing alongside Jay Bouwmeester. David Moss will likely start the season on the top line between Jarome Iginla and Alex Tanguay with the injury to Backlund.
CAROLINA
Games this week
@ New Jersey, vs. Boston, @ Buffalo
Notes
Zac Dalpe was on the first line during training camp but was dropped to the fourth unit so his fantasy value plummeted. Eric Staal is now playing between Jeff Skinner and Tuomo Ruutu on the top line. Rookie Ryan Murphy made the team out of training camp but the future stud offensive defenseman was slated to be a healthy scratch in the opener. Jussi Jokinen returned from a lower body injury suffered during camp and will start the season in the lineup.
CHICAGO
Games this week
vs. Winnipeg, vs. Boston
Notes
The Blackhawks play only twice this week with both games coming at home. Ben Smith (concussion) and Dave Bolland (upper body) will miss the start of the season. Ray Emery won the backup job in goal so Alexander Salak will start the season in the minors. It is probably the best thing for Salak who needs to play as much as possible and he will do so for Rockford. Brandon Saad will start the season on the top line. The 43rd overall pick in June's draft will likely play less than 10 games and be returned to junior hockey but it is still a thrill to be in the lineup on opening night for the teenager.
COLORADO
Games this week
@ Boston, @ Columbus, @ Ottawa, @ Montreal
Notes
The Avalanche play all four games on the road this week including three games in four nights so expect to see Jean-Sebastien Giguere to play at least once in place of Semyon Varlamov. The Avalanche will be a tired team on Thursday when they take on a rested Ottawa team after they play in Columbus the night before. Rookie Gabriel Landeskog, the second overall pick in the 2011 Draft, is expected to start his rookie season in the NHL on a line with Ryan O'Reilly and Daniel Winnik.
COLUMBUS
Games this week
vs. Vancouver, vs. Colorado, @ Dallas
Notes
Ryan Johansen is projected to start the year with Derick Brassard on the Blue Jackets fourth line, so they intend to bring him along slowly. Johansen will definitely be a top-six forward eventually, perhaps as early as this season. Derick Brassard, the Blue Jackets top center for a good portion of last season, will start the year on the third line while rookie Cam Atkinson will get second unit time on a line with R.J. Umberger and Antoine Vermette. Jared Boll is out six weeks with a broken thumb.
DALLAS
Games this week
vs. Phoenix, vs. St. Louis, vs. Columbus
Notes
The Stars play all three games at home this week. Tomas Vincour has been practicing with Loui Eriksson and Jamie Benn on the second line so his fantasy value could get a huge boost if he remains there. Nicklas Grossman will miss some action with a groin injury and Adam Pardy will start the season on IR with injured ribs. Brendan Morrow had knee trouble during training camp but should be fine for the start of the season. Former first round pick in 2009, Scott Glennie, is out of action with concussion-like symptoms.
DETROIT
Games this week
vs. Vancouver, @ Minnesota
Notes
The Red Wings are rested on Thursday when a tired Vancouver comes to town. Pavel Datsyuk is back practicing after missing three preseason games. He should be fine for the start of the season. Daniel Cleary could play at the start of the season despite the thought that he could have missed the first six-eight weeks of the season with an upper body injury. Jimmy Howard is looking forward to the start of the season as he did not have a great year in 2010-11, although he did play well in the playoffs.
EDMONTON
Games this week
@ Minnesota, vs. Vancouver
Notes
The Oilers play only twice this week. Ryan Whitney could be ready for the start of the season and that will bode well for the Oilers as they have missed his presence on the blueline. He is able to make that first pass out of the defensive zone and the Oilers really had trouble when he was lost from the lineup for the last 47 games of the season last year. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the first pick of the 2011 Draft, made the Oilers out of training camp. He will get a nine game trial and then the Oilers have to decide whether or not to keep him or send him back to junior for plenty of playing time. Nikolai Khabibulin and Devan Dubnyk are still battling for the top job in goal and the Oilers will likely go with the hot hand during the season.
FLORIDA
Games this week
@ Pittsburgh, vs. Tampa Bay
Notes
The Panthers play only twice this week after playing only once last week. Erik Gudbranson made the team out of camp and will start the season with Ed Jovanovski as his defensive partner. Gudbranson could get only a nine game trial but that remains to be seen. Jonathan Huberdeau, the third overall pick in the 2011 Draft was the only player in the top eight to be sent back to junior hockey out of training camp, but this move will only help his development. Jacob Markstrom made the team as Scott Clemmensen, the backup goalie, suffered a knee injury and will miss a month of the season. Markstrom is the Panthers goalie of the future and is expected to start for Florida next season.
LOS ANGELES
Games this week
@ New Jersey, @ Philadelphia
Notes
The Kings return from Europe and play on the East Coast this week before finally heading home. Dustin Penner will miss the opening game of the season with an illness but is expected to play with Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams while Simon Gagne starts with Dustin Brown and Mike Richards, giving the Kings a strong top-six when healthy. Andrei Loktionov was sent to Manchester of the AHL but could be back shortly.
MINNESOTA
Games this week
@ New York Islanders, @ Ottawa, vs. Edmonton, vs. Detroit
Notes
The Wild play four times this week including three games in four nights so expect to see Josh Harding play once in place of Niklas Backstrom. They are tired when they face a rested Ottawa squad on Tuesday as they are on Long Island the previous night. Marco Scandella will start the 2011-12 season as a top-four defenseman with the injury to Mike Lundin(back spasms). Eric Nystrom cleared waivers and was sent to the minors.
MONTREAL
Games this week
vs. Calgary, vs. Colorado
Notes
The Canadiens play twice at home this week. Chris Campoli's groin injury appears to be serious. Erik Cole started the season on the third line with David Desharnais and Mathieu Darche, but should be a top six forward before too long. It's possible bad news on the Andrei Markov front as coach Jacques Martin said that Markov is "quite a ways" from being able to return to the lineup from his ailing knee. Do not overpay or reach for the oft-injured Markov in pools this season.
NASHVILLE
Games this week
vs. Phoenix, vs. New Jersey
Notes
Rookie sensation Craig Smith will start on the top line alongside David Legwand and Colin Wilson. How long he stays there remains to be seen but the Predators need scoring up front and Smith may he able to fill the role. Offensive defenseman Ryan Ellis was sent to the minors so look for Jonathan Blum to get a fantasy boost with power play time. Francis Bouillon is ready to start contact drills which is good news considering he has been out since January with a concussion.
NEW JERSEY
Games this week
vs. Carolina, vs. Los Angeles, @ Nashville
Notes
Patrik Elias needs 13 goals to break John MacLean's team record of 347 career goals. Zach Parise was named team captain and perhaps that perq can keep him in a Devils uniform beyond this season. Travis Zajac is starting to get physical therapy in his recovery from a torn Achilles tendon. He should be back in mid-November if there are no setbacks.
NEW YORK ISLANDERS
Games this week
vs. Minnesota, vs. Tampa Bay, vs. New York Rangers
Notes
The Islanders play all three games at home this week. Rick DiPietro is currently healthy so he and Evgeni Nabokov should share the net for now. The fifth overall pick in the 2011 Draft, Ryan Strome, made the team for now but may not see any action in the foreseeable future. Brian Rolston is skating after sitting out all of the Islanders preseason games with a groin injury. Nino Niederreiter is out with a groin injury.
NEW YORK RANGERS
Games this week
@ New York Islanders
Notes
The Rangers return home from Europe and play only once this week against the Islanders. Tim Erixon made the team out of training camp and is slated to start on the third defensive pairing with Steve Eminger. Sean Avery's NHL career could be over after the Rangers put him on waivers and he cleared. Marc Staal is on the injured reserve list with a concussion and his return is unknown at this time. Brandon Dubinsky is expected to start the year on New York's top line with Brad Richards and Marian Gaborik giving him a lot of fantasy value.
OTTAWA
Games this week
vs. Minnesota, vs. Colorado, @ Washington
Notes
The Senators get a break this week as they are rested twice while playing tired opponents as they play Minnesota at home on Tuesday after the Wild are on Long Island Monday and then take on Colorado Thursday after the Avs are in Columbus the previous night. Nikita Filatov will start the season on the top line with Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek as the Senators look to see if his offensive ability can translate into scoring. Sergei Gonchar likes the style that new coach Paul MacLean has brought to the table and that can't be bad as Gonchar struggled mightily last season with only 27 points.
PHILADELPHIA
Games this week
vs. Vancouver, vs. Los Angeles
Notes
The Flyers play both games at home this week. Jaromir Jagr picked up the 1,600th point of his NHL career in his return to the league after a three year absence as he played in Russia. Sean Couturier, the Flyers first pick eighth overall, was involved in all five of the Flyers' penalty kills in his first NHL game which bodes well for his NHL career. Chris Pronger picked up an assist in the opening game which is amazing considering it was thought that he would be out until Christmas after undergoing off-season wrist surgery.
PHOENIX
Games this week
@ Dallas, @ Washington, vs. Winnipeg
Notes
The Coyotes sent down Andy Miele and Viktor Tikonov to the minors. They signed Martin Hanzal to a five-year/$15.5 million contract. He is the big center that every team in the NHL needs. Mike Smith will start the season off as the starting goalie but Jason LaBarbera could get playing time if Smith's play suffers.
PITTSBURGH
Games this week
vs. Florida, vs. Washington, vs. Buffalo
Notes
The Penguins play all three games at home this week and are rested when they play Buffalo on Saturday as the Sabres entertain Carolina Friday night. Matt Cooke showed that he could score as he potted a pair of goals in the Penguins opening 4-3 shootout win in Vancouver. With Sidney Crosby out of action, Evgeni Malkin centered Pittsburgh's top line between Steve Sullivan and James Neal. Dustin Jeffrey (knee surgery) has been placed on the injured reserve list.
ST. LOUIS
Games this week
vs. Calgary, @ Dallas, @ San Jose, @ Anaheim
Notes
The Blues are tired on Sunday when they play a rested Anaheim team but are rested on Saturday in San Jose while the Sharks are in Anaheim on Friday night. The Blues play three games in four nights so look for Brian Elliot to play once in place of Jaroslav Halak. Jamie Langenbrunner will open the season on the top line alongside David Backes and Andy McDonald while Patrik Berglund is projected to start the year centering T.J. Oshie and Chris Stewart on the second line.
SAN JOSE
Games this week
@ Anaheim, vs. St. Louis
Notes
The Sharks play only twice this week but they are back-to-back games and they face a rested Blues team on Saturday. Antti Niemi is still not 100 percent as he attempts to recover from the removal of a cyst before the start of training camp and with Antero Niittymaki out until December, Thomas Greiss could get a start or both this week. Martin Havlat will not suit up in San Jose's regular season opener but could return from his shoulder injury in time for the Anaheim game. Ryane Clowe is slated to start the season with Logan Couture and Havlat when he is healthy.
TAMPA BAY
Games this week
@ Washington, @ New York Islanders, @ Florida
Notes
Tampa Bay play all three on the road this week. The sixth overall pick in the 2010 Draft, Brett Connolly will start the season with the Lightning but may get only a trial before being returned for a final season in junior hockey. Blair Jones is slated to begin the season on the fourth line with Nate Thompson and Adam Hall while Teddy Purcell is slated to play alongside Vincent Lecavalier and Ryan Malone on the second line.
TORONTO
Games this week
vs. Calgary
Notes
The Maple Leafs only play once this week so we recommend benching all your Toronto players if you can. Matthew Lombardi made an extraordinary return to the lineup on Thursday, scoring the game winner after missing the last 80 games last year with a concussion. What makes even more amazing is that Lombardi started contact drills only in the last week. The Maple Leafs acquired Dave Steckel from New Jersey and the bottom six forward will really help Toronto as he was the best faceoff man in the NHL last season, a category that the Leafs struggled with. Matt Frattin got a shot at the NHL due to the suspension to Clarke MacArthur but Frattin could find himself in the minors shortly.
VANCOUVER
Games this week
@ Columbus, @ Philadelphia, @ Detroit, @ Edmonton
Notes
The Canucks play all four games on the road this week including three games in four nights. Look for Cory Schneider to play at least once in place of Roberto Luongo. Vancouver is tired on Thursday when they play in Detroit as they take on the Flyers in Philadelphia the previous night. Henrik Sedin's first game this season was his 500th consecutive game as he hasn't missed a game since before the 2005 lockout. Great news for Canuck fans as Ryan Kesler is slated to miss only five or six games after undergoing off-season hip surgery. It was thought that Kesler would be out until mid-November. This will hurt the value of Alex Burrows who is in line to take Kesler's spot on the first power play alongside the Sedin twins.
WASHINGTON
Games this week
vs. Tampa Bay, @ Pittsburgh, vs. Ottawa
Notes
Michal Neuvirth was outstanding in the preseason with a 1.34 GAA and a .940 save percentage but it was still surprising that he was named the starting goalie for opening night over Tomas Vokoun. Mike Knuble will start the season on the top line alongside Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. Mathieu Perreault replaced Marcus Johansson on the second line but it appears that move was to motivate Johansson.
WINNIPEG
Games this week
@ Chicago, @ Phoenix
Notes
The Jets play twice this week with both games on the road. They claimed Brett MacLean on waivers from Phoenix and then sent Patrice Cormier to the minors. David Aebischer signed an AHL contract with Winnipeg's minor-league affiliate in St. John's and that will give the franchise more depth in goal. Winnipeg coach Claude Noel said he would be "stunned" if rookie Mark Scheifele doesn't spend the entire 2011-12 season in the NHL We shall see.