Howard played very well on Thursday, stopping 34 of 37 shots, but the Red Wings played poorly in front of him. After starting 2-0 he has lost each of his last two starts. He will face a Flyers team still searching for an identity under new head coach Craig Berube.

THE GOALIE EDGE - 10/9/2013 Two unbeaten teams clash today as the Colorado Avalanche head into Boston to take on the Bruins. Tuukka Rask should get the start against J-S Giguere who will be making his first start of the young season.  Look for the Big, Bad Bruins to continue unbeaten...The Sabres get Miller back in net and look for their first win of the season against last season's Vezina winner Sergei Bobrovsky and the Columbus Blue Jackets.  This is definitely a picture of two teams heading in opposite directions.  Go with Bob-a-loo & the Jackets....Anton Khudobin gets his second start with starter Cam Ward sitting this one out. Khudobin could be in for a rough night as the Caps are coming off a tough 2-1 road loss to the Dallas Stars.  Braden Holtby needs a good performance to calm the skeptics....Jimmy Howard plays at home against a road-struggling Phoenix Coyotes and Mike Smith.  Go with the homey....it's the Battle of Florida will Jacob Markstrom getting his first start with Tim Thomas nursing a groin injury.  Ben Bishop has been playing well and the Bolts are a tough opponent to get your feet wet with.  Bishop & the Bolts!...Another matchup with a backup taking over for an injured starter as Josh Harding gets the nod against Ondrej Pavelec of the Jets. Minnesota needs, I mean NEEDS, this win...Reimer, Rinne.  Make sure you pick the right pronunciation. No rhyme or reason to not pick Rinne.  Rinne please....The Habs go with Peter Budaj who proved to be more than a capable backup last season.  Devan Dubnyk needs to save his starting job with a good game as goalie rumors are starting to pop up in Edmonton.  Both teams need this win.  Too tough to call...San Jose at Vancouver with both teams starting off well.  Another "too close to call" game....I'm thinking that the New York Rangers & Henrik Lundqvist are embarrassed after the drubbing they took from the San Jose Sharks. Usually that translates into a better performance the next game out.  However, the Anaheim Ducks are playing their home opener and Jonas Hiller is getting the call.  With all that going on, I'll go with the Rangers and Lundqvist in a shootout victory.  Why not? FANTASY MUST-STARTS Tuukka Rask, Colorado vs. Boston Braden Holtby, Carolina vs. Washington Ben Bishop, Florida vs. Tampa Bay Jimmy Howard, Phoenix vs. Detroit SLEEPER ALERT Peter Budaj, Montreal vs. Edmonton DAILY GOALIE PICKS Steve Jimmy Howard (3-6) Ray   Braden Holtby (4-5) Mike   Tuukka Rask (5-3)

Howard allowed four goals on 37 shots in the Red Wings first loss of the season on Saturday. Boston carried the play to the Wings for the majority of the night, leaving Howie little chance for success. He will get the nod tomorrow against the Coyotes after Detroit had the last three days off.

Howard allowed two goals on 25 shots in a 3-2 overtime win over the Hurricanes. Howard is now 2-0 on the season with a 1.47 GAA and .933 SV%, a great start for Red Wings netminder. He will have the toughest challenge to date when the Wings take on the Bruins in Boston.

Howard got off to a good start to the season vs. Buffalo. He had a fairly easy night stopping 19 of 20 shots in a 2-1 win over the Sabres.

THE GOALIE EDGE: 10/4/2103 You can expect the Ottawa Senators to spoil the Sabres home opener as the Sens will have all their top players in place for their season opener. Spezza's return, along with Bobby Ryan's debut, will benefit Craig Anderson in net...Look for Sergei Bobrovsky to stonewall the Calgary Flames who lost 3-0 and 4-1 leads and then the game to the Capitals in the shootout last night.  Tough to rebound from that type of loss....Semyon Varlamov and the Avs look to build on the momentum from their opening night victory over the Anaheim Ducks.  Head Coach Patrick Roy will certainly keep his team motivated, or else, LOL.... Jimmy Howard and Red Wings over the Carolina Hurricanes....New Jersey is lacking offense which the NY Islanders have plenty of.  Martin Brodeur could be in for a tough night....LA/Winnipeg is too close to call. FANTASY MUST-STARTS: Sergei Bobrovsky, Columbus vs. Calgary Craig Anderson, Ottawa @ Buffalo Jimmy Howard, Detroit @ Carolina SLEEPER ALERT: Evgeni Nabokov, NY Islanders @ New Jersey DAILY GOALIE PICKS & RECORDS Steve: Sergei Bobrovsky (1-2) Ray: Semyon Varlamov (1-2) Mike: Sergei Bobrovsky (2-1)

Howard had his second elite season in a row in 2012-13. He was 21-13-7 with a 2.13 GAA, .923 SV% and tied for the NHL lead in shutouts with five. His strong play was rewarded with a six-year contract extension. His career 2.39/.917 suggest that he is going to stay near the top of fantasy's best netminders. He is on one of the best teams he's played on in his career and he should reap all the benefits.

THE GOALIE EDGE-10/2/2013 Fantasy Must-Start: Jimmy Howard-Detroit vs. Buffalo Sleeper Alert: Semyon Varlamov-Colorado vs. Anaheim PP DAILY GOALIE PICKS Steve (0-1) - Jimmy Howard Ray (0-1) - Jimmy Howard Mike (0-1) - TBA

The retirement of legendary defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom prior to last season was supposed to signify the beginning of Detroit's rebuilding process, but the Red Wings made a huge splash in the '13 playoffs. After falling a game short of knocking off the eventual Stanley Cup champs Chicago Blackhawks in the second round, their resounding success based on the stellar goaltending of Jimmy Howard and the ascent of D Niklas Kronwall to premier status has revived serious hope for their winning ambitions. Offensive firepower was enhanced by the additions of Stephen Weiss and Daniel Alfredsson via free agency. These additions bolstered the team's scoring depth and potentially allow Coach Babcock to keep his two star forwards, Pavel Datsyuk and Hank Zetterberg together on same line. The question remains whether young defensemen Brendan Smith and Dan DeKeyser can fulfill their star potential and give the Wings a formidable blue-line for years to come. As for fantasy, there are a myriad of possibilities on this talent-laden roster, ranging from elite to deep sleepers. Goalies No Nicklas Lidstrom? No problem for Jimmy Howard, who despite losing his most coveted blue-liner, was stellar in the crease for the Red Wings in 12-13 with a 21-13-7 record, 2.13 GAA and .923 SP. There are still serious concerns amongst the Red Wing faithful whether Howard can lead them to Stanley Cup glory, but he has reached the fantasy elite club based on his regular season numbers. He offers the best bang for the buck in most drafts, considering he is never taken in the top 5-7, but is almost a lock for 35-40 wins with 5+ shutouts. Barring injuries, the American goaltender should be among the NHLs busiest goaltenders, playing close to 70 games and giving backup Jonas Gustavsson a few spot starts sprinkled in between. Defense The player who arguably made the most fantasy gains in the brief Post-Lidstrom era and establishing himself as a legit No. 1 guy was Niklas Kronwall. While his work in the defensive zone wasn't elite with a -5 rating, his offensive production took off, especially on the power-play. He was tied for fourth in NHL for points by a d-man with 29, making him a strong No.2 and borderline No. 1 fantasy defenseman. Don't hesitate to draft him when the top names are off the board. After signing a two-year/ $2.525 million extension with the Detroit Red Wings earlier this summer, young Brendan Smith could be primed for a decent fantasy jump in 2013-14. Even though he was sidelined...

Howard allowed four goals on 28 shots including a penalty shot in the Game 6 loss. He how has a 2.49 GAA and .923 SV% in the playoffs. The Red Wings need Howard to be on top of his game tonight.