One has to feel sorry for New Jersey goaltender Cory Schneider who has gone from being the starting goaltender on the Stanley Cup contending last year to the backup on the lowley Devils. Hard to have your fantasy value fall more than that.  But smart poolies will realize that Martin Brodeur will likely retire soon, that General Manager Lou Lamorello will rebuild the Devils, and Schneider will be the starter. Unfortunately, none of this is going to happen this year, but keep Schneider in your mind for the future.  He is an excellent goaltender  who went 17-9-4 last year with the Canucks with a 2.11 goals against average a .927 save percentage and 5 shutouts. Heck even with the Devils his goals against this year is only 2.09.  New Jersey loses to Toronto 2-1 in a shootout, as Maple Leaf forward James van Riemsdyk scored the game winner in the shootout. Phil Kessel scored the only goal in regulation for Toronto, and he has 10 goals and 19 points on the season.   Little is big:   Winnipeg forward Bryan Little had 2 goals last night, including the game winner as Winnipeg thrashed Nashville 5-0. We are big supporters of Little who now has 10 goals on the season and 15 points in 18 games.  Grab him if you can.  Young Winnipeg forward Eric Tangradi got his first goal of the season. Nice to see that. He will be fantasy relevant one day, but not for a few more years.  Jets goalie Ondrej Pavelec got the shutout with 41 saves. Pavelec has been hot and cold this season, as his 5-7-2 record with a 2.86 goals against and a .911 save percentage would indicate.  Not a big fan.  Nashville has a real problem in goal with Pekka Rinne out for a while. Backup goaltender  Carter Hutton got thrashed last night giving up 3 goals on 8 only shots. His 3.32 goals against and .898 save percentage in 7 games played is not good.  Stay away from Predator goalies until Rinne returns. Love the Irish: Colorado forward Ryan O'Reilly had a goal and an assist in last night's 4-2 win over Calgary. O'Reilly now has 6 goals and 11 points on the season. We sort of like him as a 6th forward option.  Future superstar Matt Duchene had a goal as well for Colorado, his 11th of the season. This guy has a 100 point season written all over him. But it will be a year or two.  Calgary's Jiri Hudler is suprisingly having a big year with 19 points in 17 games played. The left wing has never scored like this before, but he seems to have found a home in Calgary.  Pick him up if you can.  He had 2:39 in power...

Hudler has four goals and seven assists in eight games. The 29-year-old's career high is 57 points (23G / 34A) in 2008-09 with the Red Wings.

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.

Hudler sat out the last two games with an upper-body injury, but he will return to the lineup tonight vs. the Coyotes. He has 22 points in 34 games in his first season in Calgary.

Roman Cervenka will likely replace Hudler in the Flames lineup.

Hudler had left the Flames training camp because of the death of his father. He has returned to practice yesterday and is expected to play for the Flames on Saturday.

Hudler returned home because of the death of his father. Hudler could be available in some leagues, and could be worth an add for forward depth, as the Czech can still put the puck in the net. Monitor his return to the Flames and act accordingly.

These negotiations are really taking their toll on the fans. Let's go gentlemen, git'er done! Happy birthday to C Jiri Hudler, D Brian Strait, LW Kenndal McArdle and C Maxime Macenauer!

A close call to Hudler but the skate managed to miss causing any serious injury.