Jason Spezza's play in the Senators 6-1 clipping of the Detroit Red Wings last night emphasized that he is, indeed, the Captain of the Senators as he led the offense with a 2-goal effort against Jimmy Howard and the Red Wings, spoiling former Captain Daniel Alfredsson's first game against his former team. Spezza now has 8 points in his last 4 games while Bobby Ryan has 3 goals (2 in last night's game) and an assist in those same four games. Defenseman Erik Karlsson chipped in with 2 assists and the Senator trio seems to be heating up. A bit of concern was Ryan's 0:07 seconds spent on the power play.  There was expectation that Ryan would see top power play time after leaving the shadow of Anaheim.  Ryan did have 4:30 & 3:23 of PP time against Edmonton and New Jersey, so perhaps this was a statement by Head Coach Paul MacLean that Ryan needs to step up his play on the power play. Jimmy Howard was pulled at the 14:14 mark of the first period after giving up 3 straight goals to start the game.  Howard has not been the same since his return from injury.  When Jimmy Howard returned 3 games ago, there was a little concern that perhaps backup Jonas Gustavsson should have been given another start or two considering how well he played in Howard's absence. The Red Wings had won 4 in a row and were rolling along and then lost 5-2 to Phoenix in Howard's return.  Howard followed that up with a brilliant match against San Jose losing by a score of 1-0 in the shootout before last night's debacle against Ottawa.  Look for Howard to bounce back in his next start, which should be Saturday against the New York Rangers. More Fantasy Game Notes: Deuces were wild in Buffalo last night as the Boston Bruins came to town. The Sabres looked clueless early in the game before showing some life midway through the 2nd period.  Milan Lucic (2G, A) opened the scoring in the 1st and added his second of the game in the 2nd period to give the B's a 2-0 lead. Both of Lucic's goals were assisted by Jarome Iginla, who is still looking for his first goal as a Bruin. Lucic now has 9 points in 8 games and is on pace to eclipse his career high of 62 points in 2010-2011....Iginla is a notoriously slow starter, so now is your chance to pry him away from an unsuspecting owner.  He and Lucic have displayed chemistry together and that should continue throughout the season and be a benefit to both players....Bruins' D-man Torey Krug had 2 goals in the 3rd period to ice the game for Chad Johnson who ...

Daniel Alfredsson faces his old team of 17 years tonight, as the Ottawa Senators pay a visit to Detroit. From a pure emotional standpoint, you figure the home guys in red and white will work extra hard to help "Alfie" get the "duke". The Sen's are giving up tons of shots lately and could be much worse off if not for Craig Anderson's heroics in the crease. Power play woes will also contribute to their struggles, so Jimmy Howard and the Wings have the decisive edge in this one. Take Howard and don't look back.. Even though Chad Johnson is making his first start, the Bruins should easily get by a disfunctional Buffalo team. Love Boston on the road and maybe Jarome Iginla gets his first regular-season goal for the "B's". Just a thought.. FANTASY MUST-STARTS Jimmy Howard, Detroit vs.Ottawa Chad Johnson, Boston @ Buffalo SLEEPER ALERT None DAILY GOALIE PICKS Steve (10-10) Jimmy Howard Ray (7-13) Chad Johnson Mike (10-9) Jimmy Howard

Daniel Alfredsson faces his old team of 17 years tonight, as the Ottawa Senators pay a visit to Detroit. From a pure emotional standpoint, you figure the home guys in red and white will work extra hard to help "Alfie" get the "duke". The Sen's are giving up tons of shots lately and could be much worse off if not for Craig Anderson's heroics in the crease. Power play woes will also contribute to their struggles, so Jimmy Howard and the Wings have the decisive edge in this one. Take Howard and don't look back.. Even though Chad Johnson is making his first start, the Bruins should easily get by a disfunctional Buffalo team. Love Boston on the road and maybe Jarome Iginla gets his first regular-season goal for the "B's". Just a thought.. FANTASY MUST-STARTS Jimmy Howard, Detroit vs.Ottawa Chad Johnson, Boston @ Buffalo SLEEPER ALERT None DAILY GOALIE PICKS Steve (10-10) Jimmy Howard Ray (7-13) Chad Johnson Mike (10-9) Jimmy Howard

Howard stopped all 27 shots he faced on Monday, but still walked away with the shootout loss. It was his first shutout of the season, but he was matched by Antti Niemi. He has a good matchup vs. an Ottawa team who is giving up close to three goals and game and sports one of the NHL's worst PPs.

Quiet night for fantasy owners as some of the biggest names in the NHL were shut down by some top-notch goaltending. Antti Niemi silenced the Detroit Red Wings on the road with a 24-save shutout performance in the 1-0 SO win. Jimmy Howard did the same, but Sharks prevailed in the shoot-out thanks to an insane stop by Niemi on Todd Bertuzzi's last attempt. Last year's Vezina finalist is unquestionably among the fantasy elite, having gone 8-0-1 with a 1.64 and a .930 SP so far. Owners should continue to start the Finn workhorse with confidence. Meanwhile, Colorado backup J.S. Giguere helped the Avalanche take the battle of 7-1 teams in Pittsburgh with a 34-save shutout. One goal decided this "barnburner", as Av's captain Gabriel Landeskog notched the game-winner, his third of the season. Giguere's numbers now stand at 3-0, .067 GAA and .981 SP. The veteran is off to a fantastic start, but the starting job in Colorado belongs to Semyon Varlamov. "Cammy" returns for Calgary: All of a sudden, the Calgary Flames have fantasy options galore as they continue to amaze with their surprising hot start. Last night's victims, the Los Angeles Kings, were foiled by a late T.J. Brodie power-play game-winner in the 3-2 Flame's win. Winger Mike Cammalleri scored a goal and an assist in his season debut, while Jiri Hudler, with 2 assists and 11 points overall in eight games, is on a eight-game point streak. These two forwards are worth snapping off the waiver-wire, as they will play a huge role on the offense, especially with the man-advantage. Rookie sensation Sean Monahan can still be sent down after 10 games, but his eye-popping numbers (6G/3A in 8GP) will make that decision extremely difficult. And what about Mark Giordano? After falling off the fantasy map last season, the new Calgary captain leads the blueline with nine points in seven games. A real fantasy sleeper could be goalie Karri Ramo, who has plenty of untapped upside but had a few shaky starts before his solid win over the Kings last night. Just know this- if the Flames are to shock the hockey world this year, either Ramo or Joey MacDonald needs to step up. Pittsburgh forward  center Sidney Crosby finally had a game where he did not score a point.  Crosby has 17 points in 9 games, and he will almost assuredly win the NHL scoring title if he stays healthy.

Quiet night for fantasy owners as some of the biggest names in the NHL were shut down by some top-notch goaltending. Antti Niemi silenced the Detroit Red Wings on the road with a 24-save shutout performance in the 1-0 SO win. Jimmy Howard did the same, but Sharks prevailed in the shoot-out thanks to an insane stop by Niemi on Todd Bertuzzi's last attempt. Last year's Vezina finalist is unquestionably among the fantasy elite, having gone 8-0-1 with a 1.64 and a .930 SP so far. Owners should continue to start the Finn workhorse with confidence. Meanwhile, Colorado backup J.S. Giguere helped the Avalanche take the battle of 7-1 teams in Pittsburgh with a 34-save shutout. One goal decided this "barnburner", as Av's captain Gabriel Landeskog notched the game-winner, his third of the season. Giguere's numbers now stand at 3-0, .067 GAA and .981 SP. The veteran is off to a fantastic start, but the starting job in Colorado belongs to Semyon Varlamov. "Cammy" returns for Calgary: All of a sudden, the Calgary Flames have fantasy options galore as they continue to amaze with their surprising hot start. Last night's victims, the Los Angeles Kings, were foiled by a late T.J. Brodie power-play game-winner in the 3-2 Flame's win. Winger Mike Cammalleri scored a goal and an assist in his season debut, while Jiri Hudler, with 2 assists and 11 points overall in eight games, is on a eight-game point streak. These two forwards are worth snapping off the waiver-wire, as they will play a huge role on the offense, especially with the man-advantage. Rookie sensation Sean Monahan can still be sent down after 10 games, but his eye-popping numbers (6G/3A in 8GP) will make that decision extremely difficult. And what about Mark Giordano? After falling off the fantasy map last season, the new Calgary captain leads the blueline with nine points in seven games. A real fantasy sleeper could be goalie Karri Ramo, who has plenty of untapped upside but had a few shaky starts before his solid win over the Kings last night. Just know this- if the Flames are to shock the hockey world this year, either Ramo or Joey MacDonald needs to step up. Pittsburgh forward  center Sidney Crosby finally had a game where he did not score a point.  Crosby has 17 points in 9 games, and he will almost assuredly win the NHL scoring title if he stays healthy.

Howard allowed four goals on 32 shots in a 5-2 loss to the Coyotes. He has played well this season but struggled in both starts vs. Phoenix. He has a tough matchup with the Sharks - Howard was 0-1-1- with a 1.95 GAA and .926 vs. San Jose last season.

Howard allowed four goals on 32 shots in a 5-2 loss to the Coyotes. He has played well this season but struggled in both starts vs. Phoenix. He has a tough matchup with the Sharks.

The marquee matchup of the night is too close to call, as the up-start Colorado Avalanche are paying a visit to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Av's are 4-0 on the road, with backup J.S. Giguere in the net tonight. However, you cannot discount M.A. Fleury's incredible play to start the year, especially at home.. The Calgary Flames will again be riding Karri Ramo in the crease, even though his numbers are 0-1-1 with a 4.37 GAA. Jonathan Quick and the L.A. Kings have won five of six, so go with the hot hand. Huge edge for Quick.. I love those Red Wings, but Jimmy Howard's return in the 5-2 loss to Phoenix now seems untimely, considering backup Jonas Gustavsson had won three straight starts. Antti Niemi and San Jose have been clicking on all cylinders, so their road date at Joe Louis Arena should be a triumphiant one. Niemi wins a close one. FANTASY MUST-STARTS Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles vs. Calgary Antti Niemi, San Jose @ Detroit SLEEPER ALERT None DAILY GOALIE PICKS Steve (10-8) Jonathan Quick Ray (7-11) Jonathan Quick Mike (10-7) Marc-Andre Fleury

The marquee matchup of the night is too close to call, as the up-start Colorado Avalanche are paying a visit to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Av's are 4-0 on the road, with backup J.S. Giguere in the net tonight. However, you cannot discount M.S. Fleury's incredible play to start the year, especially at home.. The Calgary Flames will again be riding Karri Ramo in the crease, even though his numbers are 0-1-1 with a 4.37 GAA. Jonathan Quick and the L.A. Kings have won five of six, so go with the hot hand. Huge edge for Quick.. I love those Red Wings, but Jimmy Howard's return in the 5-2 loss to Phoenix now seems untimely, considering backup Jonas Gustavsson had won three straight starts. Antti Niemi and San Jose have been clicking on all cylinders, so their road date at Joe Louis Arena should be a triumphiant one. Niemi wins a close one. FANTASY MUST-STARTS Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles vs. Calgary Antti Niemi, San Jose @ Detroit SLEEPER ALERT None DAILY GOALIE PICKS Steve (10-8) Jonathan Quick Ray (7-11) Jonathan Quick Mike (10-7) Marc-Andre Fleury