Niemi followed up a shutout on opening night, with an ugly game on Thursday. He allowed five goals on 34 shots in the shootout win over the Capitals. He will look to have a better performance tonight against a Devils team who is surprisingly lightning up the score board in the early part of the season.

Niemi stopped all 34 shots in the Sharks 4-0 win over the Sharks on opening night. Alex Stalock posted a 30-save shutout of his own on Saturday, but the Sharks will go back to Niemi to try and extend their shutout streak to three games tonight vs. the Capitals. It is worth noting that Niemi is 4-0-2 with a .936 SV% in his career vs. the Caps.

My first order of business in passing along any words of waiver wire wisdom is the following: pick up Johnny Boychuk ASAP if he is somehow still available. The window is rapidly closing as the Islander's recently acquired defenseman has set the world on fire with one goal and four assists in two games. Having inherited the position of power-play quarterback on a unit that features John Tavares and Kyle Okposo, Boychuk is breaking out right before our eyes. On to a more realistic list of waiver-wire candidates that should be available and should help you get off to a quick start: Brock Nelson C, New York Islanders: Speaking of hot starts, Boychuk can only be outdone by the prolific Nelson, who has begun the year as the Isle's second-line center and the down-low presence on their primary power-play unit. In two games against lowly Carolina, he managed three goals and three assists, benefiting greatly from a hot NYI unit on the man-advantage. If he can stay in the top-six and continues to rack up top power-play minutes, the 22-year old can be an early-season steal. Cam Atkinson RW, Columbus: With a myriad of injuries to key Columbus forwards, the speedy winger will continue to get a boatload of front-end minutes on the top line and power-play. With three goals in two games, Atkinson is off and running toward what should be a true breakout season for him. Maybe he actually catches up to Ryan Johansen in terms of scoring potential. If he is available, grab him immediately. Tyler Bozak C, Toronto: Not a sexy name in fantasy circles, but you need to get plenty of fantasy consideration when you are flanked by Phil Kessel and James van Riemsdyk on your line. The underrated Bozak has started the season in grand style, scoring three goals and adding a helper in three games despite Kessel not playing great yet. When Kessel starts to roll, you know Bozak will rack up plenty of assists and remain a decent 4th-5th fantasy forward. Antoine Vermette C, Arizona: Coming off a 24-goal season, the talented pivot finds himself in a solid position as the top-line center to be among the Coyote's premier offensive contributors. With a goal and an assist against Los Angeles on Saturday night, he could get on a serious roll. While we doubt he challenges his career-high of 65 points set five years ago as a member of the Blue Jackets, he can get close to the 50-55 point mark. There is some decent value here as he has quickly supplanted Sam Gagner as the no.one center in the 'Desert...

Some of the top fantasy forwards were held off the score sheet last night while some other top forwards put last year's nightmare behind them. Claude Giroux, Milan Lucic, Phil Kessel, Joe Thornton and Anze Kopitar all were pointless in their team's season opener. Now, one game does not a fantasy season make, so don't sweat it... If you believed that the Sedin twins and the rest of the Vancouver Canucks' statistics suffered last year being under the tutelage of John Tortorella and that they should return to form under new Head Coach Willie Desjardins, then you were rewarded right off the bat last night as both Sedins had an assist, with Henrik getting a goal as well.... New Canuck Radim Vrbata seems right at home playing alongside the Sedin twins as he potted his first goal of the season. Look for a return to the mid-30's in goals for Vrbata.... If your surname began with a "P" and you played for the Montreal Canadiens then it was your night. Max Pacioretty (G), Tomas Plekanec (2G, including the game-winner) and P.A. Parenteau (2A) all did their part in crashing the Toronto Maple Leafs home opener.... P.K. Subban had the game-winner along with 5 SOG last night. Monster year ahead for the talented d-man from Montreal.... James van Riemsdyk of the Leafs and Tyler Toffoli of the Kings had great training camps but they couldn't carry it over into the openers for their respective teams. Both forwards are expected to contribute greatly to their respective offenses.... Looking for a deep sleeper/rebounder? Alex Burrows had an injury-plagued year only playing in 49 games and notching 15 points. With a goal in the opener, perhaps Burrows is on his way to the 50-point level once again.... Antti Niemi stopped all 34 shots as the Sharks exacted a little bit of revenge against the LA Kings last night.  Niemi quieted some buzz going around that perhaps backup Alex Stalock will cut into his playing time as Niemi approaches free agency at the end of the year. Shutting out last year's Stanley Cup Champions is not a bad start.... Ryan Miller had a solid debut in net for the Canucks, stopping 23 of 25 in defeating the Calgary Flames 4-2 at the Saddledome. Miller should provide some consistency in net this year in Vancouver.

There are a ton of questions surrounding the Sharks goaltending situation heading into 2013-14 after Niemi struggled down the stretch and Alex Stalock played well. Niemi will get the nod in the season opener, which should not be a surprise considering his experience. He was 2-1-1 with a 2.67 GAA and .910 SV% against the reigning Stanley Cup Champs last season.

There are a ton of questions surrounding the Sharks goaltending situation heading into 2013-14 after Niemi struggled down the stretch and Alex Stalock played well. It looks like Niemi will get the nod in the season opener, which should not be a surprise considering his experience. He was 2-1-1 with a 2.67 GAA and .910 SV% against the reigning Stanley Cup Champs last season.

Jonathan Quick made his exhibition debut, turning aside 16 of 17 shots in the King's 4-1 triumph over San Jose. The return of the great American goaltender prior to the start of the regular season should make fantasy owners breathe easier when selecting him early. Remember-add Martin Jones as a handcuff. I am not totally trusting Quick to stay healthy the whole time.. Claude Giroux also saw action fo the first time, playing 16;53 minutes and adding two shots for the Flyers. Expect him to get off to a stronger start than last yar, where he collected only 7 points in his first 15 games...No Kari Lehtonen, no win for Dallas. While the veteran Swede is recovering from a mild concussion, Anders Lindback started but gave up five goals on 33 shots in the 5-1 loss to Tampa Bay. If Lehtonen were to go down for a long time, I can't see Lindback saving the day. His numbers have been sliding over the last few years...Antti Niemi suffered a loss, giving up four goals on 30 shots. Not the type of performance expected of the Sharks netminder, especially with Alex Stalock breathing down his neck for more playing time. This situation could take a while to play out, but for now the slight edge goes to Niemi... Islanders defenseman TJ Brennan scored his first goal of the preseason on the power play. With Lubomir Visnovsky out due to back spasms, the youngster could get an early look on the man advantage. Definitely worth a late round flier.

Jordan Staal suffered a broken bone in his right leg during Carolina's game at Buffalo. Obviously, this is a huge blow to the team and fantasy owners alike. The exact timetable on how long he will be out of action has yet to be determined, so more news should come out shortly. A few more injuries to mention: Logan Couture got a bit banged up during San Jose's 4-2 split squad loss to Vancouver and was taken out of the game, albeit more for precautionary reasons.. Vancouver defenseman Alex Edler left his game with an upper body injury. We have him pegged for a nice comeback season.. Tampa Bay star prospect Jonathan Drouin will miss 3-4 weeks due to a fractured thumb. This means that he won't start the season alongside Steven Stamkos, buy you can bet that will happen sooner than later.. Pavel Datysuk is getting an MRI on his shoulder today, but for now is set to miss a week. Game Bits: Both Alex Stalock and John Gibson started the first games for their respective teams, San Jose and Anaheim. They both came up short as they allowed a combined 6 goals. There will be interesting goaltending battles for starting supremacy involving both, as Antti Niemi and Frederik Andersen hold the early edge entering camp. In Stalock's case, the road might be tougher but Niemi will be a UFA at season's end so the Sharks will be prompted to give him a serious look.. Another goal and an assist for Cam Atkinson, giving him four points in two games. The major breakout hasn't happened yet, but there is still time for the youngster.. Buffalo's Jhonas Enroth starts the pre-season on a high note with a 35-save shutout of Carolina... Jonathan Toews scores the game-winner in OT for Chicago over Detroit. What else is new? Always clutch and forever a consistent point-per-game guy. Very safe top-four round pick.. Joe Thonton starts his post-captain era in San Jose with two goals. Expect him to play with a chip on his shoulder as much of the team's collapse was blamed on his leadership or lack therof.

The 2014-2015 PrimePucks Fantasy Hockey Draft Guide has been updated, indicated with yellow highlights throughout the Guide.  Just go to your account and click on the FILES tab and you can download the latest version.  Below are a few excerpts from this year's Guide.   ***Here are a few examples of what you will get in the 2014-2015 PrimePucks Fantasy Hockey Draft Guide: GOALIE-RAMA excerpt; STEADY: COREY CRAWFORD & ANTTI NIEMI Chicago Blackhawk Corey Crawford and San Jose Shark Antti Niemi consistently put up good fantasy numbers but are never really discussed because it's like talking about your sister. Well, let's put that aside and start looking at them in a different light. Starting with Crawford, here is a goalie that has won a Stanley Cup, has won 30+ in 3 of the last 4 seasons that technically would have been 4 straight if not for the Lockout season and all he gets is criticism that he's not the goalie for Chicago. Although he may not be the flashiest of net minders, and he doesn't get a boatload of shutouts, he does get close to 60 starts every season and his career average of 2.36 GAA and .914 SP aren't bad for a fantasy goalie.  Okay, a few more shutouts would be a nice bonus, but you can't count on those too much.  He should give you 4, and anything more would be gravy.... ON THE REBOUND excerpt; FORWARDS Ryan Kesler-Anaheim-C (67 pts.): After a few injury-ridden years in Vancouver, the hard-nosed center will take his talents to Anaheim where he will play with arguably the best scoring duo in Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. While most of their ice-time together will probably be on the power-play, Kesler should benefit from a potential potent offensive attack that can rank among the NHL's best. Expect him to make a run at 70 pts if he could stay healthy. Eric Staal-Carolina-C (75 pts.): While his 61 points were his lowest season output since his rookie year, there is little reason to believe that the Carolina captain can't get back to his normal 70+ pt. range. With much of his scoring decline being attributed to the team's overall power-play woes, even a "middle of the pack" team ranking on the man-advantage will help bolster Staal's numbers. Expect a much stronger offensive effort from ES under new coach Bill Peters. These are just two of the samples from our Draft Guide. Besides the individual team analysis and TierAdvantage for easy drafting, there are features on Sleepers, Breakouts and Dark Horses, a Buyer Beware piece, and PrimePucks ...