Datsyuk skated on the Red Wings top line and top power-play unit in practice on Monday. Following the practice, Datsyuk was noncommittal about playing tomorrow and said a decision will be made after the morning skate. However, Johan Franzen was placed on injured reserve, which opens up a roster spot for Datsyuk, so look for him to play.

Three struggling teams were shutout at home last night, all by teams that struggled mightily last year. Four of the six games on the slate last night were won by visiting teams.  Of the shutouts, first Roberto Luongo blanked the Buffalo Sabres 1-0 earning his first, and the team's first, win of this season. Don't expect many wins from either team this year as they are in the midst of rebuilding...Secondly, the Nashville Predators remained undefeated as Pekka Rinne stopped all 31 Winnipeg Jets shots to raise his record to 3-0-1 and remind people that he is still one of the elite goaltenders of the NHL.  The Jets dropped to 1-3-0 even though G Ondrej Pavelec is playing better than he has ever played in his career with a 2.22 GAA and a .919 SP. It's only a small sample size of 4 games but it looks like Pavelec is determined to prove critics wrong.... Thirdly, Ryan Miller backstopped the Vancouver Canucks to a 2-0 blanking of the Edmonton Oilers to raise their record to 3-0-0 and drop the Oil to 0-4-1. The line of Radim Vrbata-Henrik Sedin-Daniel Sedin has been money so far and should consistently produce throughout the year as the Sedins look to rebound from last season's nightmare.... Just like last year, the Calgary Flames will fight to the end of every game and did so again last night but came up short against Sergei Bobrovsky and the Columbus Blue Jackets who built a 3-0 lead only to hold on for the 3-2 victory.  Ryan Johansen shows no signs of slowing down even though he held out of training camp. The blue Jackets are becoming a fantasy relevant team as they have a solid young goaltender, a deep defensive core and young forwards coming into their own.  Johansen, Cam Atkinson and Bobrovsky are must-starts in your fantasy lineups while d-men Jack Johnson and James Wisniewski are off to slow starts, this could be a good "buy-low" opportunity to strengthen your fantasy defense. One pl;ayer to keep your eye on is LW Nick Foligno who has quietly put up 5 points in 4 games... You just have to wonder how dangerous the Red Wings could be once Pavel Datsyuk returns to the lineup. Without the superstar center, Detroit, behind Henrik Zetterberg (3A), Gustav Nyquist (G, A) and Johan Franzen (2G), defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-1 last night. Franzen may be one player that is available in your league, but if not take a look at Justin Abdelkader who had a goal and assist in last night's tilt. Abdelkader now has 4 points in 4 games and may be helpful in deeper ...

Datsyuk is expected to miss his fourth and fifth straight game with the shoulder injury he suffered early in the preseason. There is some optimism in the Red Wings organization that Datsyuk could be back by next weekend, which means Saturday vs. the Flyers. He remains day-to-day, but getting closer.

For those of you who stacked up their daily fantasy line-ups last night with the high-powered Chicago Blackhawks, you were in for a rude awakening as Calgary's Jonas Hiller had other plans. The 32-year old netminder stifled Patrick Kane and company by turning aside 49 of 50 shots, many of which were of the tough variety. While I am sure a few fantasy owners will be scouring the waiver wire for his availability, don't overreact after one incredible performance. The Flames offense will provide minimal support for the Calgary goaltenders as their top-six forwards are big on potential, but still too unseasoned to make a huge impact this season. As for Hiller, he has never collected north of 30 wins in his 7 previous seasons for a solid Anaheim team and has been very injury-prone in recent years. He might end up being a solid low-tier no.2 fantasy goalie, but don't bet the farm on it. Mikkel Boedker turned in his first career "hat trick" in Arizona's 7-4 drubbing of the punchless Edmonton Oilers. As he builds off a career 51-point season, he needs to be owned in all fantasy formats as he represents the Coyotes premier offensive threat. Inconsistency has been his largest drawback but starting the season with a 3-game point streak is quite encouraging. Watch him... The change of the guard is underway in Detroit as Gustav Nyquist is quietly becoming the premier scoring Red Wing on the roster with his third goal in as many games. After taking off last season with 48 points in 57 games, many doubted if he had reached the level of legitimate impact winger. However, he has amassed top-line minutes with Pavel Datsyuk out and has made the most of his opportunity. I suspect that the return of the great Russian will have little adverse effect on Nyquist's offensive production as he has become one of the key cogs of Detroit's scoring attack.. A fine effort for Tuukka Rask as he stopped 18 of 20 shots for a 3-2 win in Detroit and an end to Boston's three game losing streak. A more firm test is awaiting tonight as he will be facing the arch-rival Montreal Canadiens, the same team that bounced the B's out of last year's playoffs. Look for a spirited effort by both teams, but steer clear of either goalie in daily fantasy formats.. The return of David Krejci should improve a listless Bruin's offense, but way more was expected from their defensive scorers early on. Not much from Zdeno Chara, Torey Krug, and Dougie Hamilton just yet. "Buy low" if you can as their numbers ...

This comes as no surprise as Datsyuk has yet to be cleared for contact and he was not expected to return this soon from the beginning. The Red Wings are playing well despite missing their top centre, but they definitely want him in the lineup sooner rather than later. Monitor his status as we head toward the Friday-Satruday, home-and-home series vs. the Maple Leafs.

It was originally announced that Datsyuk would miss the first two weeks of the regular season with a second-degree separated shoulder, but now he seems much closer to returning than that. Datsyuk remains on injured reserve but can be activated whenever he is healthy. With Dats out, Andrej Nestrasil remains with the team and should make his NHL debut tomorrow. Monitor Datsyuk's status prior to Saturday's clash with Anaheim.

Datsyuk skated on a line with Henrik Zetterberg and Justin Abdelkader in practice this morning, but does not know if he will be ready to play in the season opener on Thursday. "I'm on my way," Datsyuk said afterwards. "(I) don't (want to) say it's too close, but (it's) a good feeling. I need to skate more and see how I feel. I need more contact and see how it feels from contact."

Datsyuk skated for the second straight day on Friday (non-contact) but does not appear to be ahead of his original timetable, which would have him missing the first two weeks of the season. The retroactive IR move allows the Red Wings to activate him as soon as he is healthy.

Datsyuk suffered a second-degree separation to his right shoulder last Monday. Datsyuk is expected to miss 5-7 games, which is not the way he wanted to start his season after he missed 37 games.

Not the way you want to start a new hockey season, never mind a new fantasy hockey season. Already we are seeing some stars being shelved due to some unlucky breaks.  Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk, out 4-6 weeks with a separated shoulder, NY Rangers' Derek Stepan out at least 4 weeks due to a broken leg, Carolina's Jordan Staal out from a broken leg, Tampa Bay Jonathan Drouin out 3-4 weeks with a fractured thumb. All should be fantasy relevant once they return to their respective lineups....What is one man's misfortune is another man's opportunity and so it seems to be the case of the Carolina Hurricanes who scored 3 power play goals without the services of Staal in last night's tilt against the NY Islanders.  Jeff Skinner should benefit from some more playing time with Staal out and with a power play goal and assist last night, he could be in store for a nice breakout as long as he stays out of the infirmary. D Ryan Murphy could be poised for a nice breakout if he continues with what he did last night by scoring a power play goal and adding an assist on the power play as well. The time is now to recognize this talent may be ready for your fantasy squad....The Toronto Maple Leafs dropped both ends of split squad contest against Ottawa last night but saw James van Riemsdyk continue his spectacular pre-season play adding another goal and assist to his goal the previous night. JVR had 10 SOG which is sure indication that he is ready to make a mark in the NHL this year.....Keep your eye very closely on this 18-year old LWer on Edmonton who made a bit of a splash last night with 2 assists in the Oiler comeback over the Winnipeg Jets.  Everyone's attention is on this year's 1st round pick Leon Draisaitl, but if Vladimir Tkachev continues to impress, he just may be what the Oilers need, if not at the start of the season, in the very near future.