The June Draft was supposed to be the weakest in the last 11 years and yet when the rosters were finalized on October 6, we found that nine players from the class of 2011 made their respective teams.
While Ryan Murphy, Ryan Strome and Brandon Saad have been sent back to their respective junior teams, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Gabriel Landeskog, Adam Larsson, Mika Zibanejad, Mark Scheifele and Sean Couturier are still playing in the NHL.
You just never know.
Here is The Week Ahead.
WEEK OF OCTOBER 24-30
4 Games – Anaheim, Columbus, Edmonton, Los Angeles, Montreal, Ottawa Philadelphia, Toronto
3 Games –Buffalo, Carolina, Chicago, Colorado, Dallas, Detroit, Florida, Nashville, New Jersey, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, San Jose, Tampa Bay, Vancouver, Winnipeg
2 Games – Boston, Calgary, Minnesota, Washington
Anaheim plays all four games on the road.
Florida, Los Angeles, New Jersey, St. Louis, San Jose and Toronto play three times away from home.
Buffalo, Edmonton, Montreal, Nashville, Philadelphia and Phoenix play three games in their home arena.
INJURIES
Jason Blake is out for the next three months with a severed tendon in his wrist.
Click here to check out all the injured players in the NHL.
ANAHEIM
Games this week
@ Chicago, @ Minnesota, @Nashville, @ Columbus
Notes
Anaheim plays all four games on the road this week including three games in four nights so look for Dan Ellis to play at least once in place of Jonas Hiller. The Ducks are off to a good start with eight points in their first five games. Brandon McMillan has been practicing with Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu on the second line and could get a big boost in fantasy value with Jason Blake out of action for three months with a severed tendon in his wrist. Kurtis Foster (thigh surgery) could return on October 21.
BOSTON
Games this week
vs. Montreal, @ Montreal
Notes
The Bruins play only twice this week, but it`s a home-and-home series against the Canadiens, so look for Shawn Thornton, Zdeno Chara and Milan Lucic to rack up some penalty minutes. They are rested the first time they play the Habs on Thursday as Montreal plays against the Flyers the previous night. The Bruins shuffled their lines at practice on Wednesday with Chris Kelly moving into Nathan Horton’s spot between Milan Lucic and Tyler Seguin while Horton played with Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron. David Krejci (core) returned to action on October 20.
BUFFALO
Games this week
vs. Tampa Bay, vs. Columbus, vs. Florida
Notes
The Sabres are at home for all three games this week. They play the back end of a home-and-home series with the Lightning so look for
Paul Gaustad and Cody McCormick to their penalty minute totals. Tyler Ennis is pointless thus far this season and was moved down the depth charts as Cody McCormick has taken his spot on a line with Ville Leino and Brad Boyes but did play on the top line with Derek Roy and Drew Stafford on Thursday. Christian Ehrhoff scored on Tuesday for the first time as a Buffalo Sabre.
CALGARY
Games this week
vs. Columbus, vs. St. Louis
Notes
Calgary continues a long home stand as they play twice at home this week. If you have better choices, we suggest resting your Flames as they do only play twice but we would keep Jarome Iginla in the lineup. Brendan Morrison returned to action from off season knee surgery on Tuesday after missing the first four games. Olli Jokinen is off to a fast start with five points in the first five games. Jarome Iginla has only one goal and nary an assist in the Flames first five games but hopefully the slow start can be attributed to his missing training camp with back spasms.
CAROLINA
Games this week
vs. Ottawa, vs. Chicago, @ Philadelphia
Notes
Carolina should be tired when they face the Flyers in Philadelphia on Saturday as the Hurricanes are home to Chicago Friday night. Jeff Skinner is averaging a point-a-game through six contests but is a minus-six as well. Joni Pitkanen is tied with Skinner for the scoring lead on the Hurricanes with two goals and six points. Zac Dalpe is pointless through five games and is now out of action with a lower body injury. It’s hard to believe, but after six games, Tim Gleason is plus-seven and Eric Staal is minus-eight.
CHICAGO
Games this week
vs. Anaheim, @ Carolina, vs. Columbus
Notes
The Blackhawks should be a tired team on Saturday at home against the Blue Jackets as they have to travel from Carolina. Dave Bolland is off to a hot start with four goals and five points in four games. Daniel Carcillo continues to play on the second line with Patrick Kane and Marian Hossa. Ben Smith, who suffered a concussion in the pre-season when hit by the Red Wings Brendan Smith, was sent to Rockford of the AHL. Marian Hossa played on Tuesday after missing Saturday’s game with an upper body injury.
COLORADO
Games this week
@ Calgary, vs. Edmonton, vs. Los Angeles
Notes
The Avalanche get two breaks this week as they take on a couple of tired teams. They face Edmonton at home on Friday after the Oilers are home to Washington on Thursday and then are home to the Kings Sunday as Los Angeles are in Phoenix Saturday. They are one of the hottest teams in the NHL at this time with five wins in six games. Peter Mueller is still not back in action and has missed four games with the head injury that sounds an awful lot like the concussion woes that forced him to sit out all last season. He has temporarily lost his spot on a line with Matt Duchene to Joakim Lindstrom. David Jones is red-hot with nine points in his first six games. Erik Johnson had five power play assists in three games.
COLUMBUS
Games this week
vs. Detroit, @ Buffalo, @ Chicago, vs. Anaheim
Notes
The Blue Jackets play four times this week, including three games in four nights so look for Allen York to possibly play in place of Steve Mason. Despite playing four times, Columbus actually gets a break when they face Chicago on Saturday as the Blackhawks are in Carolina the night before. Columbus is the lone NHL team without a win, but coach Scott Arniel is not blaming goaltender Steve Mason for the lack of wins, but is not happy with his offense, Jeff Carter (fractured foot) should be back by the end of the week. James Wisniewski will be back in time for the game against Detroit as he will be finished serving his eight game suspension. The Columbus power play really misses him.
DALLAS
Games this week
@ Phoenix, vs. Los Angeles, vs. New Jersey
Notes
Sheldon Souray has been a great fantasy addition thus far as he has five points, a plus-six rating and 19 penalty minutes in six games. Kari Lehtonen has been sensational this season with a perfect 5-0-0 record to go with a 1.58 GAA and a .953 save percentage. Steve Ott is off to a great fantasy start as well as he has two goals, five points, a plus-three rating and 20 penalty minutes.
DETROIT
Games this week
@ Columbus, vs. San Jose, @ Minnesota
Notes
The Red Wings should be tired when they take on the Wild Saturday as they have to travel to Minnesota after playing the Sharks at home the previous night. Mike Commodore is not close to returning to action after injuring his knee. Jakub Kindl has played exceptionally well in his absence. Ian White has been the beneficiary of playing alongside Nicklas Lidstrom and has a couple of goals with an assist and a plus-four rating in four games. Fabian Brunnstrom still has yet to get into a game for the Red Wings as a healthy scratch.
The June Draft was supposed to be the weakest in the last 11 years and yet when the rosters were finalized on October 6, we found that nine players from the class of 2011 made their respective teams.
While Ryan Murphy, Ryan Strome and Brandon Saad have been sent back to their respective junior teams, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Gabriel Landeskog, Adam Larsson, Mika Zibanejad, Mark Scheifele and Sean Couturier are still playing in the NHL.
You just never know.
Here is The Week Ahead.
WEEK OF OCTOBER 24-30
4 Games – Anaheim, Columbus, Edmonton, Los Angeles, Montreal, Ottawa Philadelphia, Toronto
3 Games –Buffalo, Carolina, Chicago, Colorado, Dallas, Detroit, Florida, Nashville, New Jersey, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, San Jose, Tampa Bay, Vancouver, Winnipeg
2 Games – Boston, Calgary, Minnesota, Washington
Anaheim plays all four games on the road.
Florida, Los Angeles, New Jersey, St. Louis, San Jose and Toronto play three times away from home.
Buffalo, Edmonton, Montreal, Nashville, Philadelphia and Phoenix play three games in their home arena.
INJURIES
Jason Blake is out for the next three months with a severed tendon in his wrist.
Click here to check out all the injured players in the NHL.
ANAHEIM
Games this week
@ Chicago, @ Minnesota, @Nashville, @ Columbus
Notes
Anaheim plays all four games on the road this week including three games in four nights so look for Dan Ellis to play at least once in place of Jonas Hiller. The Ducks are off to a good start with eight points in their first five games. Brandon McMillan has been practicing with Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu on the second line and could get a big boost in fantasy value with Jason Blake out of action for three months with a severed tendon in his wrist. Kurtis Foster (thigh surgery) could return on October 21.
BOSTON
Games this week
vs. Montreal, @ Montreal
Notes
The Bruins play only twice this week, but it`s a home-and-home series against the Canadiens, so look for Shawn Thornton, Zdeno Chara and Milan Lucic to rack up some penalty minutes. They are rested the first time they play the Habs on Thursday as Montreal plays against the Flyers the previous night. The Bruins shuffled their lines at practice on Wednesday with Chris Kelly moving into Nathan Horton’s spot between Milan Lucic and Tyler Seguin while Horton played with Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron. David Krejci (core) returned to action on October 20.
BUFFALO
Games this week
vs. Tampa Bay, vs. Columbus, vs. Florida
Notes
The Sabres are at home for all three games this week. They play the back end of a home-and-home series with the Lightning so look for
Paul Gaustad and Cody McCormick to their penalty minute totals. Tyler Ennis is pointless thus far this season and was moved down the depth charts as Cody McCormick has taken his spot on a line with Ville Leino and Brad Boyes but did play on the top line with Derek Roy and Drew Stafford on Thursday. Christian Ehrhoff scored on Tuesday for the first time as a Buffalo Sabre.
CALGARY
Games this week
vs. Columbus, vs. St. Louis
Notes
Calgary continues a long home stand as they play twice at home this week. If you have better choices, we suggest resting your Flames as they do only play twice but we would keep Jarome Iginla in the lineup. Brendan Morrison returned to action from off season knee surgery on Tuesday after missing the first four games. Olli Jokinen is off to a fast start with five points in the first five games. Jarome Iginla has only one goal and nary an assist in the Flames first five games but hopefully the slow start can be attributed to his missing training camp with back spasms.
CAROLINA
Games this week
vs. Ottawa, vs. Chicago, @ Philadelphia
Notes
Carolina should be tired when they face the Flyers in Philadelphia on Saturday as the Hurricanes are home to Chicago Friday night. Jeff Skinner is averaging a point-a-game through six contests but is a minus-six as well. Joni Pitkanen is tied with Skinner for the scoring lead on the Hurricanes with two goals and six points. Zac Dalpe is pointless through five games and is now out of action with a lower body injury. It’s hard to believe, but after six games, Tim Gleason is plus-seven and Eric Staal is minus-eight.
CHICAGO
Games this week
vs. Anaheim, @ Carolina, vs. Columbus
Notes
The Blackhawks should be a tired team on Saturday at home against the Blue Jackets as they have to travel from Carolina. Dave Bolland is off to a hot start with four goals and five points in four games. Daniel Carcillo continues to play on the second line with Patrick Kane and Marian Hossa. Ben Smith, who suffered a concussion in the pre-season when hit by the Red Wings Brendan Smith, was sent to Rockford of the AHL. Marian Hossa played on Tuesday after missing Saturday’s game with an upper body injury.
COLORADO
Games this week
@ Calgary, vs. Edmonton, vs. Los Angeles
Notes
The Avalanche get two breaks this week as they take on a couple of tired teams. They face Edmonton at home on Friday after the Oilers are home to Washington on Thursday and then are home to the Kings Sunday as Los Angeles are in Phoenix Saturday. They are one of the hottest teams in the NHL at this time with five wins in six games. Peter Mueller is still not back in action and has missed four games with the head injury that sounds an awful lot like the concussion woes that forced him to sit out all last season. He has temporarily lost his spot on a line with Matt Duchene to Joakim Lindstrom. David Jones is red-hot with nine points in his first six games. Erik Johnson had five power play assists in three games.
COLUMBUS
Games this week
vs. Detroit, @ Buffalo, @ Chicago, vs. Anaheim
Notes
The Blue Jackets play four times this week, including three games in four nights so look for Allen York to possibly play in place of Steve Mason. Despite playing four times, Columbus actually gets a break when they face Chicago on Saturday as the Blackhawks are in Carolina the night before. Columbus is the lone NHL team without a win, but coach Scott Arniel is not blaming goaltender Steve Mason for the lack of wins, but is not happy with his offense, Jeff Carter (fractured foot) should be back by the end of the week. James Wisniewski will be back in time for the game against Detroit as he will be finished serving his eight game suspension. The Columbus power play really misses him.
DALLAS
Games this week
@ Phoenix, vs. Los Angeles, vs. New Jersey
Notes
Sheldon Souray has been a great fantasy addition thus far as he has five points, a plus-six rating and 19 penalty minutes in six games. Kari Lehtonen has been sensational this season with a perfect 5-0-0 record to go with a 1.58 GAA and a .953 save percentage. Steve Ott is off to a great fantasy start as well as he has two goals, five points, a plus-three rating and 20 penalty minutes.
DETROIT
Games this week
@ Columbus, vs. San Jose, @ Minnesota
Notes
The Red Wings should be tired when they take on the Wild Saturday as they have to travel to Minnesota after playing the Sharks at home the previous night. Mike Commodore is not close to returning to action after injuring his knee. Jakub Kindl has played exceptionally well in his absence. Ian White has been the beneficiary of playing alongside Nicklas Lidstrom and has a couple of goals with an assist and a plus-four rating in four games. Fabian Brunnstrom still has yet to get into a game for the Red Wings as a healthy scratch.
EDMONTON
Games this week
vs. Vancouver, vs. Washington, @ Colorado, vs. St. Louis
Notes
Edmonton play four times this week including three games in four nights so look for Devan Dubnyk and Nikolai Khabibulin to split the net. They will be tired on Friday in Colorado as they play Washington at home on Thursday. The Oilers received a big boost to their lineup with the return this past week of their top blueliner, Ryan Whitney. Magnus Paajarvi has yet to hit the scoresheet in five games. The Oilers sent Jeff Petry to the minors. Look for him to be recalled at some point this season as he has offensive upside. Coach Tom Renney was upset with his Kid Line on Thursday and sat Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle during the game.
FLORIDA
Games this week
@ Montreal, @ Ottawa, @ Buffalo
Notes
Florida is on the road for all three games this week. Brian Campbell is off to a great start in the Sunshine State as he has seven points in five games. Stephen Weiss is just as hot with three goals and six points with three points on the power play. Mike Santorelli came back from a pre-season shoulder injury and played on a line with Matt Bradley and Ryan Carter. Eric Gudbranson was the third overall pick in 2010 and has yet to score this season but the blueliner has 24 penalty minutes thus far.
LOS ANGELES
Games this week
vs. New Jersey, @ Dallas, @ Phoenix, @ Colorado
Notes
The Kings play three games in four nights so expect to see Jonathan Bernier in goal at least once in place of Jon Quick. The Kings will be tired on Sunday when they take on Colorado as they are in Phoenix on Saturday. Simon Gagne is off to a hot start with seven points in his first five games. Slava Voynov was recalled due to the injury to Drew Doughty and was paired with Willie Mitchell. Dustin Penner has been bothered by a knee contusion but played on Tuesday, picking up an assist.
MINNESOTA
Games this week
vs. Anaheim, vs. Detroit
Notes
The Wild are rested Saturday when they play Detroit as the Red Wings are home to San Jose Friday night. They only play twice so we recommend benching your Wild players if you can with the possible exception of Mikki Koivu and Dany Heatley. Koivu, Heatley and Devin Setoguchi have not played well as a unit thus far, but with only two games and both at home, they could break out this week. Niklas Backstrom is 3-2-1 in the early going with a 2.10 GAA and a .922 save percentage. Josh Harding played very well in his first game in 18 months and the Wild should have no problems playing him instead of Backstrom when the occasion arises.
MONTREAL
Games this week
vs. Florida, vs. Philadelphia, @ Boston, vs. Boston
Notes
It’s a busy week in Montreal as the Canadiens play four times including three games in four nights. Peter Budaj should get the call in goal once this week in place of usual starter Carey Price. The Habs play a home-and-home series against the Bruins so look for P.K. Subban and Travis Moen to take care of business in the fisticuffs department if need be. Montreal could be tired the first time they fac Boston as they play the Flyers at home Wednesday before travelling to Boston on Thursday. Don’t expect to see Andrei Markov in the lineup before the beginning of November. Michael Cammalleri returned to action on October 20 after missing three games with a deep laceration in his thigh.
NASHVILLE
Games this week
vs. San Jose, vs. Tampa Bay, vs. Anaheim
Notes
The Predators are at home for all three games. Martin Erat (upper body) and Francis Bouillon (concussion) have played only one game between them this season and their return to the lineup is unknown at this time. Patric Hornqvist has been a bit of a disappointment. He is minus-two without a point thus far this year after scoring 30 goals in 2009-10 and 21 last season. Pekka Rinne has played in all five games this season with a 2-3-1 record, a 2.96 GAA and a .910 save percentage. Anders Lindback finally saw some action on Thursday as he replaced Rinne for the last two periods stopping 23 of 24 shots.
NEW JERSEY
Games this week
@Los Angeles, @ Phoenix, @ Dallas
Notes
The Devils are on the road for all three games this week. Martin Brodeur is out 7-10 days with a shoulder injury, but would like to return by the end of the week. Ilya Kovalchuk is averaging a second over 27 minutes of ice time in his first four games, an unbelievable amount for a forward. Petr Sykora is centering a line between Mattias Tedenby and David Clarkson while Dainius Zubrus took has taken his spot alongside Zach Parise and Patrik Elias. Adam Larsson is back in the lineup after getting hit with a shot in the foot.
NEW YORK ISLANDERS
Games this week
vs. Pittsburgh, @ Pittsburgh, vs. San Jose
Notes
The Islanders play a home-and-home series against the Penguins this week so look for Travis Hamonic to add to his penalty minute totals. They are rested on Saturday when they host the Sharks who have to travel from Detroit after playing the previous night. Al Montoya continues to be the Islanders top netminder although Evgeni Nabokov played very well in his only start. Rick DiPietro is out with another injury. We at Rotoworld are shocked at this latest development. Steve Staios is playing alongside Mark Streit on the blueline. The Islanders are getting great production from their top line of John Tavares,Matt Moulson and P. A. Parenteau but little from the second unit of Frans Nielsen, Kyle Okposo and Michael Grabner. Blake Comeau has been a healthy scratch the last two games.
NEW YORK RANGERS
Games this week
@ Winnipeg, vs. Toronto, v. Ottawa
Notes
The Rangers finish up in Western Canada this week and come home to play their first game at Madison Square Garden where they face the Maple Leafs. In a quirk in the schedule, the Rangers will have played six straight games against Canadian opponents in the last two weeks. Mats Zuccarello was sent to the minors this past week and the Rangers recalled Kris Newbury. Henrik Lundqvist is only 1-1-2 but has sparkled with a 1.69 GAA and a .947 save percentage.
OTTAWA
Games this week
@ Carolina, vs. Florida, @ New York Rangers, vs. Toronto
Notes
The Senators play four times this week including three games in four nights so expect to see Alexander Auld play once instead of Craig Anderson. Sergei Gonchar is back in the lineup after missing one game with a bruised ankle. Bobby Butler was placed on the injured reserve list with a groin injury. The Senators had lost their last two home games by a combined 14-3 score before Thursday`s game against Winnipeg. The Senators were working on their penalty killing after giving up 11 goals in their first 31 chances.
PHILADELPHIA
Games this week
vs. Toronto, @ Montreal, vs. Winnipeg, vs. Carolina
Notes
The Flyers are tired on Thursday when they face Winnipeg in Philadelphia as they play in Montreal the previous night. The tables are turned on Saturday when they face the tired Hurricanes who are home to Chicago Friday. Philadelphia plays four times this week including three in four nights so look for Sergei Bobrovsky to play at least once in place of Ilya Bryzgalov. Jody Shelley is eligible to return to the lineup after finishing his ten game suspension which included five games in the pre-season and five in the regular season. Rotoworld`s Gus Katsaros wrote in his column Monday about the merits of Matt Read and lo and behold he scored and added three assists on Tuesday. Brayden Schenn was recalled by the Flyers this past week and deserves to be taken in all keeper pools.
PHOENIX
Games this week
vs. Dallas, vs. New Jersey, vs. Los Angeles
Notes
The Coyotes play all three games at home this week. Mikkel Boedker is making the most of his chance on the Coyotes' second line. Mikkel Boedker is playing and impressing on the second line with Martin Hanzal and Radim Vrbata. Oliver Ekman-Larsson is impressing coach Dave Tippett with his offensive prowess as the defenseman has three games early on. Mike Smith is 1-1-1 in his first three games with a 2.62 GAA and a .916 save percentage.
PITTSBURGH
Games this week
@ New York Islanders, vs. New York Islanders, @ Toronto
Notes
The Penguins play a home-and-home series against the Islanders this week so look for Matt Cooke and Steve MacIntyre to pick up some penalty minutes if there are any fights in the two games. Evgeni Malkin has missed the last four games with a knee injury but it is not considered serious. Tyler Kennedy is out with a concussion. Sidney Crosby is getting closer and closer to returning to the lineup. Kris Letang was suspended for two games for his boarding penalty on the Jets Alexander Burmistrov. He has returned to action.
ST. LOUIS
Games this week
@ Vancouver, @ Calgary, @ Edmonton
Notes
The Blues are at the tail-end of an eight game road trip and spend the week in Western Canada. The Blues are rested and waiting in Vancouver on Wednesday while the Canucks have to play in Edmonton on Tuesday. Jaroslav Halak is off to a terrible start with a 1-4-0 record, a 3.47 GAA and a .835 save percentage. Look for Brian Elliott to at least get a shot in goal. David Perron has been out of action for close to a year with a concussion but is getting closer to returning. Andy McDonald was placed on the injured reserve list with a concussion.
SAN JOSE
Games this week
@ Nashville, @ Detroit, @ New York Islanders
Notes
The Sharks continue on the road this week, playing in the East three times. They will be the tired team on Saturday when they travel to New York to face the Islanders after playing in Detroit Saturday. Martin Havlat is scheduled to return to the lineup on October 21 after undergoing off-season shoulder surgery. He should line up on a line with Logan Couture and Ryane Clowe. Antti Niemi finally returned to the lineup this past week after having doctors surgically remove a cyst before training camp.
TAMPA BAY
Games this week
@ Buffalo, @ Nashville, vs. Winnipeg
Notes
The Lightning play the back half of a home-and-home series with Buffalo so expect Steve Downie to pick up some penalty minutes. Dwayne Roloson is off to a poor start in goal for the Lightning as he 1-2-1 with a horrendous 5.09 GAA and a .858 save percentage. Teddy Purcell was a healthy scratch this past week despite garnering three points in his first four games. Marc-Andre Bergeron is off to a hot start with two goals and nine points in eight games.
TORONTO
Games this week
@ Philadelphia, @ New York Rangers, vs. Pittsburgh, @ Ottawa
Notes
The Maple Leafs play four times this week including three games in four nights so look for Jonas Gustavsson to get into action in place of James Reimer, despite giving up six goals in his first outing of the season on October 20. Phil Kessel is off to a great start, leading the NHL with 12 points in his first six games. The Maple Leafs are getting little scoring from their second line of Mikhail Grabovski, Nikolai Kulemin and Clarke MacArthur. Tim Connolly could make his Maple Leafs debut as early as October 22. He should center Kessel and Joffrey Lupul. Colby Armstrong was placed on the injured reserve list with a left ankle sprain. Jake Gardiner looks great on the blueline and the rookie was on the ice for 25:09 minutes on Wednesday.
VANCOUVER
Games this week
@ Edmonton, vs. St. Louis, vs. Washington
Notes
The Canucks will be a tired team on Wednesday when they play the Blues after playing in Edmonton the previous night. Roberto Luongo is off to a mediocre start. Mikael Samuelsson sat out Thursday`s game and it allowed Sami Salo to play the point on the first power play unit. The injury also put Marco Sturm back into the lineup. Ryan Kesler returned to the lineup for the first time on Tuesday with Cody Hodgson moving to the wing to accommodate Kesler. Kesler scored his first goal of the season on Thursday.
WASHINGTON
Games this week
@ Edmonton, @ Vancouver
Notes
The Capitals play only twice this week with both games in Western Canada. It would be a good idea to bench most of your Washington players if you can, with exceptions being, Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Green. The Capitals are the hottest team in the NHL, reeling off six straight wins to start the season. Tomas Vokoun has won five straight after surprisingly not getting the start on opening night. Troy Brouwer has struggled with only a goal and an assist despite playing on the top line with Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. Jay Beagle is still not practicing after getting knocked out a week ago by Arron Asham.
WINNIPEG
Games this week
vs. New York Rangers, @ Philadelphia, @ Tampa Bay
Notes
The Jets are rested when they face the Flyers on Thursday as Philadelphia play the Canadiens in Montreal Wednesday. Dustin Byfuglien has a goal and two helpers in his last two games after going pointless in his first four contests. Rookie Mark Scheifele scored the first goal of his NHL career in Toronto on Wednesday but he would be better served by being returned to the Barrie Colts of the OHL and then playing in the World Junior championships after Christmas. Ron Hainsey is out with an upper body injury.