Tuesday's Daily Dosage - Bozak, Cowen, Bernier...

We finally have preseason action to over-analyze!!!

The Leafs are having a perfect season... Tyler Bozak led the way with 2+1=3 and promising prospect Jake Gardiner kept the buzz going with 2A as the Leafs beat the Sens last night.  I think Bozak is better than the 32 points he contributed last season but I don't expect a breakout here as he's likely to take a big step back in terms of linemates and ice-time with Connolly, Lombardi & Lupul around.

Sens dman Jared Cowen with your preseason fantasy line of the night with 2G, plus-2 & 19 PIMs.  If Cowen makes the team, I wouldn't expect much offense from him, he produced a little in the WHL last season but that's not uncommon for a 19-year-old.  It does look like the last spot on the Sens blueline will come down to Cowen vs David Rundblad and so give Round 1 to Cowen.

Nathan Gerbe had 2+1=3 for the Sabres in a win over Carolina.  I would have liked Gerbe this year but there is too much competition for top 6 spots in Buffalo and I see him having to play on the 3rd line and as an injury replacement on a scoring line with little to no PP time... that's not good for business.

The Predators & Panthers played a double-header?... WTF?  Were they trying to trick the fans into thinking this was baseball (not that anyone would voluntarily go to a baseball double-header either).  In game #1, Sergei Kostitsyn had 3A & Colin Wilson had 1+2=3 in the Preds win.  3rd overall pick, Jonathan Huberdeau, with 1+1=2 for Florida in the nightstand as the Panthers got the split.  I think it'll be tough for Huberdeau to make the team this year but if he keeps producing then maybe he gives them no choice but to keep him around for at least nine games.  As for the Preds, every year people say that they're going to have trouble scoring and I'm the one that says, "Let's give Barry Trotz a chance to work his magic" but this year I think they'll have trouble scoring. 

I don't think I need to tell you how much of risk Kurtis Foster is so it should come as no surprise that he'll have a procedure to fix an inflammation in his thigh and will miss the next 2-4 weeks.

Via Rich Hammond, Kings Coach Terry Murray might just be teasing us that are firmly in the camp that Jonathan Bernier could steal the #1 job from Jonathan Quick when he says:

I’m going to go with the guy that is playing really well. Quick will be the starting goaltender coming out of the training camp, and that’s how we will deal with it as we move forward. 

Murray did mention several times that Quick is the #1 but we all know that things can change pretty... umm... quickly with goalies and a few rough starts for Quick and Bernier could take the ball an run with it.  At least Murray is open to the possibility... that's progress.

The Sens signed 2010 6th rounder Mark Stone to an ELC... he took big strides last year as he had just 28 points in his draft year (injury shortened) but exploded for 106 last season.  He also looked really good at the Canadian WJC summer camp and looks to be in good shape to make that team in December.  I don't expect him to make the Senators this year but he'll be one to keep an eye on heading into training camp next fall.