Tuesday night's Edmonton Oilers win over the Vancouver Canucks made us realize that although it's still very early, the Oilers may be arriving ahead of schedule while the Canucks' struggles could be a true cause for concern.  In addition, when you look beneath the surface, the game gave fantasy owners plenty to consider regarding the goalie situations on both sides of the ice.

First to the victors.  Heading into the season, the common belief was that the starting goalie job was going to be groomed for 25-year old Devan Dubnyk, who would take the reins of a young up-and-coming team.  Well, apparently, someone forgot to share that with Nikolai Khabibulin.  Khabibulin was stellar between the pipes Tuesday night, limiting the high-octane Canucks offense to just two goals on 37 shots.  Though Dubnyk has been solid so far this season, posting a 2.31 GAA and .920 save percentage, Khabibulin has outperformed him, turning aside an incredible 129 of the 134 shots he has faced, while posting three wins, compared to Dubnyk's one.

Every Tuesday during the season, NHL.com Correspondent Brian Metzer will provide you with an in-depth analysis of fantasy defensemen in our weekly segment: "On the 'D'-fence." From updated defensemen rankings to guys you should keep a close eye on and much more, Metzer will be your fantasy d-man expert all season long.

Al Bundy, patriarch of the rag-tag Bundy clan on the now defunct show "Married With Children," spent his days peddling shoes and thinking back to his glory days -- or should I say glory day. Bundy, portrayed by Ed O'Neill, often reminisced about a singular day back in 1966 that would forever be his defining moment -- a four-touchdown affair against his nemesis "Spare Tire" Dixon and Andrew Johnson High School in the city championship.

Though Al scored four touchdowns, won the game, got the girl and was on top of the world, somewhere it all went wrong. As mentioned above, he didn't go on to a career in football, but to one selling shoes, and he was left with nothing but memories of his former greatness.

Though the above is a story about a fictional man, it could just as easily be the story of Dion Phaneuf -- a fantasy darling upon entering the League during the 2005-06 season with his surly on-ice demeanor, howitzer shot and all-around complete game.

During his first four seasons in the League he never scored less than 47 points, 11 goals, or 21 power-play points, with high-water marks of 60 points, 17 goals and 33 power-play points coming during the 2007-08 campaign. Phaneuf had scored his four touchdowns in one game.

This was the game Jaromir Jagr fantasy owners have been waiting for. Jagr busted out in a big way on Monday night scoring two goals, and assisting on another in the Flyers' 4-2 win against Toronto at the Wells Fargo Center.

Jagr's first goal as a Flyer was particularly valuable to the fantasy faithful as it came on the power play.  In addition to his three points, Jagr was a plus-2 on the night and fired six shots on net.

Jagr's breakout performance seemed to be just a matter of time. Through his first seven games the veteran winger had assisted on four goals and compiled 18 shots but had yet to find the back of the net.  Now that Jagr is officially on the board, it would appear that a lengthy hot streak could be on the horizon.

Every Monday during the season, goalie specialist and founder of The Goalie Guild Justin Goldman will provide you with an in-depth analysis of fantasy goaltenders in NHL.com's weekly segment: "In the Cage." From updated goalie rankings to guys you should keep a close eye on and much more, Goldman will be your fantasy goalie expert all season long.

It may be unfair, but many of you might already be forced to undergo "damage control" by dropping a starter that has struggled to begin the season. But you'll want to be careful, because with so much hockey left to be played, one poolie's trash could be another poolie's treasure.

There's no denying the unpredictable and ever-changing nature of hockey, especially in the "new" NHL, where blistering speed and high-end skill reign supreme and not much remains status quo.

One second too late or one deke too many could mean the difference between a thrilling win or a devastating loss, while one week on top of the world could quickly turn into permanent residency in a slump.

All season long, NHL.com’s weekly Fantasy Mailbag will feature the best fantasy hockey-related questions from you, the fans.

Locked into a toss-up in deciding which player to add or drop? Looking for insight on a trade proposal? Look no further than this interactive forum every Saturday during the season for comprehensive analysis on moves that can make or break your fantasy squad.

NHL.com fantasy insider Pete Jensen has your inquiries covered all season long. The most compelling questions posed each week will be answered in an effort to provide you with the best chance to succeed in your particular league.

Submit your best questions for the NHL.com Fantasy Mailbag by contacting PJensen@NHL.com.

Every Friday during the season, NHL.com fantasy hockey expert Matt Cubeta will provide you with an in-depth analysis of fantasy right wings in our weekly segment: "Right of Way." From updated right wing rankings to guys you should keep a close eye on and much more, Cubeta will be your fantasy right wing expert all season long.

Last week's "Right of Way" preached patience to fantasy owners, and this week should be no different. We are still very early into the 2011-12 season with no teams playing double digit games yet this season and the Penguins leading the way with nine games played so far -- in fact no other team has played in more than seven other than Pittsburgh. Looking even more closely at the schedule there are still three teams that have only played four games -- the Devils, Red Wings and Sharks.

You simply cannot read too much into the production of each player at this point -- there is a whole lot of hockey still to be played and we can expect our usual top fantasy players to perform up to their capabilities.

When looking at the top right wings at this point of the season, you'll notice several unlikely players -- Phil Kessel is the No. 1 right wing in standard Yahoo! Fantasy Leagues, with Jason Pominville, Joffrey Lupul, Patrick Sharp and Milan Michalek rounding out their top five. However, when you look at our updated ranks, things will look quite different.

That's because we're sticking with our guns and again, it's just too early to start believing or disbelieving in these early starts.

The Buffalo Sabres are off to their best start since 2008-09, and Thomas Vanek's strong start is a huge reason why.

After his second two-goal performance of the season in Buffalo's 3-0 win over the Florida Panthers on Thursday night, Vanek has shown a knack for thriving in front of the net -- and his fantasy owners have rejoiced on a nightly basis as a result.

The 27-year-old sniper is far from unrecognized as a standout goal-scorer in his career, but the past two seasons have seen his fantasy stock take a slight hit.

After 40-plus goal seasons in 2006-07 and 2008-09, the Austrian-born left wing has averaged 30 goals over the past two seasons, with average PIM totals and plus-minus outings.

Vanek is now anchoring the Sabres offensively with 10 points through 6 games (6G, 4A) , only trailing surging Toronto Maple Leafs' forward Phil Kessel (12 pts) for the League lead. Vanek also sports a plus-5 rating and 8 PIMs so far this season.

Every Wednesday during the season, NHL.com fantasy hockey expert Matt Cubeta will provide you with an in-depth analysis of fantasy centers in our weekly segment: "Center Stage." From updated center rankings to guys you should keep a close eye on and much more, Cubeta will be your fantasy center expert all season long.

With so much depth at the center position, it becomes more and more difficult to rank the League's top 30 middle men. Throw in the fact that there are several players who also possess dual-position eligibility, and the rankings begin to look even stronger each week.

That's why today's "Center Stage" will take a look at a few players that didn't crack this week's top 30 rankings -- we'll also explain why these guys are performing so well. They're worthy of ownership in several fantasy leagues at this point, and at the very least deserve mentioning for their hot starts. They could possibly make an appearance in the ranks at some point during the season (if they haven't already), but for now, they're on the outside looking in.

Jaroslav Halak's nightmarish start to the 2011-12 season continued on Tuesday night, when he was pulled early in the third period after allowing four goals in the Blues' 5-0 loss to Los Angeles. With the loss, Halak fell to 1-4 on the year and has stopped only 81 of the 97 shots he has faced this season.

Jaroslav Halak

Goalie - STL

RECORD: 1-4-0
GAA: 3.47 | SVP: 0.835

Unfortunately, there is not much comfort to offer Halak owners at this point.  As an entrenched starter entering his second season on what appeared to be an improved St. Louis squad, Halak looked to be a very strong value on draft day. However, Halak has done little to warrant that acclaim to this point and has shown no signs of getting out of his funk.

So for now, fantasy GMs have few options but to remain patient with Halak. If you are fortunate to have alternative options in goal on your roster, it would be wise to use them and keep Halak on the bench until he proves he is capable of regaining his form.