We need to start our column today with the news that monster defenseman Zdeno Chara hurt his knee last night during the first period of Boston's 3-2 loss to the Islanders and will miss 4-6 weeks. An obvious huge blow to the Bruins and to Chara fantasy owners, but he was off to a slow start with 3 points in 9 games and has seen his offensive production decline in recent years. The torch will fully be passed to Torey Krug offensively, as he will continue to be the Bruin's most prolific scorer on the blue-line and their undisputed power-play quarterback. The door is now open for Dougie Hamilton to gain a more prominent role and add a few more minutes to his normal TOI totals. He will be relied upon more for his two-way defending than Krug, making him more valuable to the Bruins than fantasy owners. That being said, expect an uptick in Hamilton's production as he could get more time on the primary power-play unit. Anyway you look at it, its a win-win for Krug and Hamilton owners. James Neal exploded for Nashville in their 3-2 triumph over Chicago, leading the way with a "hat trick". The 27-year old has now potted five goals in the last four games and is gaining plenty of chemistry playing alongside pivot Mike Ribeiro. Under coach Peter Laviolette's more wide-open offensive scheme, Nashville forwards are far more fantasy relevant and Neal should be the main beneficiary of that. He has the natural abilities of an elite goal-scorer, bagging 40 goals for Pittsburgh in 2011. While his point-per-game totals as a Penguin will be hard to match as a Predator, Neal should be a lock for 30+ goals and 60+ points. There were many goalie highlights on a busy Thursday night, none more news-worthy than Ryan Miller's return to St. Louis. The former Blue who was essentially discarded after one season of unfilled expectations, was the star of the game as he stopped 31 of 32 shots to help Vancouver to a 4-1 victory over St. Louis. He now hold a 4-1 record on the season, but his peripherals are not as strong as they need to be with a 2.71 GAA and a .906 SP. Lock him in as a decent no. 2 fantasy goalie option, but he seems to have firmly lost the grasp on elite status. He was super motivated to show off the Blues, but how does he respond in his next outing? Probably a bit of a letdown.. The shutout "king" of the night was Jonathan Quick (no pun intended) as he stopped all 29 shots he faced in the 2-0 win over Buffalo. He has been dominant over his last four starts, collecting two shutouts and only allowing two goals over that period. No Stanley Cup hangover yet for Quick and his mates, so keep riding him in the crease as arguably the premier NHL fantasy goaltending option. Maybe Darcy Kuemper stands in his way as the "hottest" goalie around as he collected his third shutout in four starts with the 26-save effort over Arizona. While largely a late-round selection in most drafts due to the uncertainties with the Wild goalie situation, he has a jaw-dropping .980 SP and .050 GAA to start the year. These numbers will even out very soon, but Kuemper has the makings of a great fantasy goalie if he sticks as Minny's no. 1. Quick Hits: Henrik Zetterberg definitely wins the award for fantasy beast of the night, scoring a late goal plus adding helpers to the game-tying and the overtime-winning goals in Detroit's huge comeback win over Pittsburgh. With 10 points in 7 games, he is coming up big for fantasy owners. A lock for a PPG clip when healthy.. Pekka Rinne continues to roll in his comeback season, defeating Chicago 3-2 behind 30 saves. His numbers now stand at 5-0-1 with a .939 SP and a 1.62 GAA. For those who took him real early after his absentee season, that's how you kick butt in fantasy.. So much for Ryan Johansen showing rust from his holdout, as his two second-period goals helped Columbus dispatch the Sharks in the 5-4 win. This guy is a flat-out fantasy stud as he has collected 9 points in his first 6 games. Expect a huge breakout this season.. Despite the loss, the San Jose duo of Logan Couture and Joe Pavelski keep streaking as they combined for three goals and one assist. The new guard is underway in San Jose, as these two represent far superior fantasy options than Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau as we take the whole season into account. Health permitting of course...Did anyone notice Scott Hartnell's 4 assist night? It came o nteh heels of being put on the wing of "red-hot" Johansen's line.  Sounds like a really good waiver wire pickup to me as it looks eerily similar to the career season he had while playing on a line with another young talented Center named Claude Giroux...