Posted by Tristan Cockcroft, ESPN.com
Fifty-seven minutes.
That's how long it took for Blackhawks RW Martin Havlat, limited to only 74 games combined since the lockout, to get hurt again. Surprised? I'm not. Drafting Havlat means being prepared to be without him for a good quarter or more of the season, tremendous talent or not. Since 2003-04 he's two points short of a point-per game pace, yet, fittingly, he was a mere $3 player in my auction league. You might call that cheap based on his talent, but when the risk slightly (an understatement?) outweighs the reward, it makes sense.
The skinny: Havlat, who got sandwiched between a pair of Wild players and was seen sporting a sling on his injured shoulder after the game, already had X-rays -- no results available yet -- and is due an MRI on Friday. Pardon me for lacking the confidence that good news is coming. Havlat owners, crack the seal on your "Plan B" envelope.
Sticking with injuries, it's a bit more frustrating -- and unexpected -- to see Predators D Shea Weber sidelined, limited to only 2:19 due to a leg injury. The Nashville Tennessean reports he appeared to twist a knee when tangled with an Avalanche player in the boards, and will be re-evaluated Friday. I wouldn't panic so much with Weber, for what might be merely a day-to-day thing, but Marek Zidlicky owners benefit should Weber miss time. Zidlicky skated 22:22 and assisted on Jason Arnott's goal, and already stood a great chance at a bounce-back season, and that's with a healthy Weber.
Many kudos to Chris Mason for pulling in 35 pucks for the shutout in his first start as an official NHL No. 1 goalie, especially noting Weber's 58-minute absence. They won't all be this easy for Mason, not with a diminished offense, but with a stout defense ahead of him and the skills of a bona fide No. 1, I see a mini-breakout year.
Former Predators and new Panthers goalie Tomas Vokoun, meanwhile, had a stinker of a debut for his new team, surrendering five goals in 25 shots faced. More disturbingly, he served up four of the goals in the final 14 minutes in true meltdown fashion. Hey, the opponent was the Rangers, so grant him a pass, but it's still a bit troubling.
Are Rangers fans really that impatient that they're booing the team for trailing by one goal through the first two periods of the season? I know, I know, the team spent all that money this summer and the Panthers were out-shooting them, 21-9, but still. Imagine what might happen if chemistry takes, say, two games to develop in the Garden? Yup, time to find another bandwagon to hop. Fortunately for the Rangers, newbie Chris Drury alleviated concerns by notching the game-winner.
So much for contract security spoiling Dany Heatley. As my "Box Score Blog" colleague Sean Allen noted yesterday, Heatley looked remarkably good in the Senators' opener Wednesday. Then, he followed it up with a power-play goal on Thursday, and added an assist. Of course, he needed help on the goal this time, from a video review. Oh, for shame, Dany. You simply set our standards too high!
Speaking of the Senators, that's back-to-back "W's" for Martin Gerber, and each in a tightly contested division rivalry, no less. Ray Emery better hope his wrist heals quickly if he wants his job back, but even if that happens, Gerber is turning into a must-own, if only because even if the doesn't start in Ottawa, he could be dealt elsewhere to start.
Wild goalie Niklas Backstrom -- not to be confused with the Capitals rookie forward Nicklas Backstrom -- picked up right where he left off, tossing a 1-0 shutout of the Blackhawks. Bad offense, Chicago's, sure, but the sophomore shows tremendous poise -- he went unfazed in a 5-on-3 during the second period -- and the defense in front of him is stellar. I see a lot of low-scoring affairs in the Wild's future, which helps your goalie ratios.
In that same game, Blackhawks rookie RW Patrick Kane, the team's first-round pick, skated 16:44 and drew the praise of the coaching staff. "He was tremendous, the best forward on the ice," coach Denis Savard told the Chicago Tribune. Kane, who fired the potential tiebreaking shot -- albeit unsuccessful -- with 40 seconds to play, should see his role steadily increase in an offense filled with youth. He's more keeper-worthy now than a yearly league factor, but keep an eye on him, and Jonathan Toews, who missed the game nursing a broken finger, too. A lot of promise in those two. ...
Goalie Vesa Toskala, 0-3 with a 4.69 goals-against average in the preseason, dropped his Maple Leafs debut, allowing three goals on 29 shots. He's going to need a quick turnaround if he's to hold off a challenge from Andrew Raycroft for his job.
So far the five-year, $52-million contract the Flyers handed center Daniel Briere appears to be paying off; he netted two goals in his debut for them. I know the Flyers are a hot pick to right the ship and charge back into the playoffs, but I'm still taking a wait-and-see approach. New roster or not, it's a steep hill to climb from how bad the team looked last winter.
People simply underappreciate Wild C Pierre-Marc Bouchard, but the chemistry he displayed with fellow line-mate Brian Rolston on Thursday, both appeared in midseason form. That's right, the No. 2 line in Minny is pretty important, too.
Tristan H. Cockcroft covers fantasy sports for ESPN.com. You can e-mail him here.
