Right back at you with some morning S&Ds...

STUDS

Fending off the backups

A pair of starting goalies went a long way towards regaining their throne as Niklas Backstrom and Jaroslav Halak each posted a shutout last night. Backstrom made 41 saves against the Flames while Halak made 29 saves in new coach Ken Hitchcock's debut.

Throw him a bone!

I think it's safe to say that Keaton Ellerby has struggled in his development thus far. Last year he was minus-15 in 54 games and prior to last night was minus-3 in four games. In the 5-1 victory against the Maple Leafs, Ellerby was plus-4 and added an assist. Hopefully this goes a long way in helping the young man with his confidence.


DUDS

Missed opportunity

When Pekka Rinne signed his seven-year, 49 million dollar contract it was apparent that he would see the bulk of the games moving forward. This means that backup Anders Lindback needs to make the most of his opportunities to make the most out of his situation. Last night was his first start of the season and he allowed four goals on 30 shots in a defeat to the LA Kings. While those are not terrible numbers, they are not going to move the needle at all when it comes to earning him a slightly higher volume of games in the coming weeks.

What a Blum!

This is Jonathan Blum's first full NHL season and he is having his share of struggles. Last night's minus-3 puts him at minus-7 in 14 games this season to go along with just three points. The upside is certainly there but until he starts showing that potential he will give his fantasy owners fits. That is the painful part of developing prospects in fantasy hockey - those growing pains can eat away at your chances of winning the weekly (or yearly) match-ups.

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UHL Calgary Flames
24-team H2H (roto G, A, GWG, SHP, PPP, PIM, +/, SOG, Hits, Blks, FOW, W, SV, SV%, GAA, SO)

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Twitter:@DH_EricDaoust.