ADD’EM: IT'S A BLUE PERIOD, JACKET REQUIRED First off, Happy New Year everyone!  I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and ready to take on all that 2017 has to offer.  I’m excited to be back after a nice break, spending time in the Bahamas with my family, but now it’s time to get down to business. As we turn the page on the calendar, there are quite a few names still available in ESPN that kind of surprised me, as I am sure they will surprise you.  Speaking of surprises, the biggest surprise so far in this NHL season has been the Columbus Blue Jackets.  In first place of the Metropolitan Division at this juncture of the season, it is time to start believing in the Blue Jackets.  Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky is the key to this team as long as he stays healthy, he will continue to lead the team, but there are a few forwards that remain available but that window may be closing fast.  Columbus has played the fewest amount of games so far with 35 so there are of man games to be had out there.  Players like Nick Foligno (86.6%), Brandon Saad (85.5%), Alex Wennberg (79.1%), Sam Gagner (69.8%), Scott Hartnell (53.2%), and even Cam Atkinson at 88.9% raises an eyebrow as to their availability.   Most of the aforementioned players are playing at a point-per-game clip and with the way the team is focused, if you can get a hold of 1 or 2 of these players, don’t hesitate to start them.  Even on defense Seth Jones remains available at 72.1% and has 16 points in just 29 games, missing some due to a minor injury but has 5 points in past 7 games. All sport a positive +/- number as well, so you know Head Coach John Tortorella has them playing together. If you have the contrarian way of looking at things and want to shy away from the hottest team in the first half, then perhaps the New York Islanders are the team you want to stock up on.  With a horrible first half, the Isles seem to be righting the ship of late with 4 wins in last 5 games.  Having only played 36 games so far, there are plenty of games left for the players to boost their NHL totals.  Josh Bailey (16.9%), Anders Lee (29.4%), Ryan Strome (2.4%), Andrew Ladd (30.9%), Brock Nelson (19.6%) are the forwards who have the talent to pick up their games for the stretch run playing with Captain John Tavares.  In the past 6 games, all the above forwards have scored close to a PPG level with Nelson getting 4, Strome and Ladd getting 5, and then Lee with6 and Bailey 7.  On defense, Dennis Seidenberg (16.8%) ...

Toronto and Philly playing spoiler; Caps are in: Plenty of spoiler alerts to go around as the Philadelphia Flyers handed the Pittsburgh Penguins a costly loss, winning 4-1 for their eighth straight time against them. Goalie Steve Mason was a monster in goal, saving 49 of 50 shots. The Penguin's  offense has struggled, but start your key Pens for the final week as all three games will matter and help determine their playoff fate. Evgeni Malkin has returned from injury, so he looks good to go.. Ottawa had a chance to pull within one of the Detroit Red Wings for the last playoff spot with a victory, but could only manage one point in the shootout loss against Toronto. Keep Andrew Hammond in your fantasy crease, as he will likely make all the starts in what amounts to a "win every game" scenario to have a shot for the playoffs. Read today's ADD'EM as we focus on which Ottawa forwards you should consider starting for the final stretch run... Washington clinched a playoff berth after beating the Detroit Red Wings 2-1 and Ottawa losing to the Leafs. Get your key Wings in your fantasy lineups while keep in mind that some key Caps could be rested for a game as they are oficially in the postseason... Jake Allen played a heck of a game as the St. Louis Blues held off Chicago 2-1. Impressive considering no Vladimir Tarasenko or Alex Steen, but fantasy owners need to check their status before considering starting them for the final week. Iffy proposition at best...

Congrats to New York Islander’s goalie Jaroslav Halak who earned his 30th win on the season, as he continues on a career year….Halak was helped by rookie Anders Lee who scored twice to up his goal total to 18 on the season.  No too shabby.  Lee may be worth a shot as a sixth forward on your fantasy squad…. The return of John Gibson to the Anaheim crease went as well as could be expected as he turned aside 35 of 36 SOG for the 2-1 win over Carolina.  Anaheim is blessed with fantastic goaltending for years to come… The Edmonton Oilers have been playing much better of late but of course their season ended around the holidays so they can play a lot looser now.  Jordan Eberle has come alive and has points in 3 straight games and 8 points in past 6 games….Interesting to see that Oiler defenseman Oscar Klefbom has 5 points in the last 6 games and 8 in last 10.  Klefbom is not really noted for his offensive prowess.  Maybe Justin Schultz can take a few pointers…. Pittsburgh was cruising to what seemed like an easy victory being up 3-0 going into the 3rd period but then Ottawa fought back with 4 goals sending the game into overtime and eventually being decided in the shootout….Bobby Ryan returned after missing a game and notched two assists in the loss.  Ryan is heating up as that was his 5th 2-point game in last 8. I was a bit surprised that St. Louis was able to handle the Tampa Bay Lightning so easily, winning by a score of 6-3.  The game was never really close….Alex Steen is probably the hottest player in the NHL right now as he had 3 points in the win giving him 8 points in 7 February games and 25 points since the beginning of 2015…. Tyler Myer's debut for Winnipeg went something like this: 21.23 minutes played, a -1 rating, and a painful stinger after blocking a Shea Weber slapper. Given how fragile he has been, would you be shocked if he missed the next game?...Just in case you haven't noticed, Nashville rookie Filip Forsberg is darn good. No hitting the wall here.. Another win for Minnesota Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk who stopped 26 of 27 Florida shots for his 9th win in 11 starts for his latest team. Way better than his Arizona days and light years ahead of his Edmonton beginnings. His fantasy stock just keeps improving exponentially..Mikko Koivu is heating up. Two more assists for seven points in his last five contests.. A few multi-point efforts for the Blueshirts, most notably Rick Nash and Ryan McDonagh, in their 6-3 road win over Colorado but I am all...

It appears that St. Louis Blues Vladimir Tarasenko is back on track as he scored his 27th on the season and his third straight game with a goal after going scoreless in 6. What a breakout season for the talented right winger...Jaden Schwartz now has 4 points in 3 February games. He just might be disappointed that February is the shortest month of the year with the rate his month is going...Ever since the turn of the calendar year, Alexander Steen has been on fire.  21 points in 14 games for the New Year has the LWer just about on pace to eclipse last season's career high of 62 points.... The NY Islanders halted their 3-game losing streak by coming back from a 2 goal deficit to defeat the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 in a shootout. Isles G Jaroslav Halak was barely tested throughout the game by facing only 16 shots on goal.... Braden Holtby is loving life playing for Washington Capitals Head Coach Barry Trotz as he turned aside 25 of 26 SOG for his 25th win on the season. He is well on his way to a 40-win career year... Roberto Luongo does it again, giving the Florida Panthers a chance to win the game as they battled to a 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings. Luongo stopped 29 of 31 SOG and is the main reason the Cats are in playoff contention.  Keep riding Bobby Lu!.... The story coming in was Pekka Rinne back in net for Nashville, but the story coming out was Federik Andersen stopping 44 of 46 shots to lead Anaheim to a 5-2 win over the Predators. The youngster righted the ship after allowing eight goals over his last two starts and now has won nine of his last ten games. Start him with extreme confidence.. So much for the sophomore jinx, as Tyler Johnson scored two late goals to help the Lightning hold off Dallas. There were signs of slippage after a slow ten-game stretch but he is back on a point-per-game-pace with 51 points in 51 games.. With Jimmy Howard close to returning, Petr Mrazek kept the Wings "hot" streak alive by posting a 28-save shutout over the Colorado Avalanche. Regardless of whomever is in the Detroit net, they need to be starting in all fantasy formats. Few teams playing better than the Wings lately... The Sharks crushed the Canucks 5-1 behind a streaking Antti Niemi, while Ryan Miller has been regressing lately. Niemi easily over Miller in fantasy moving forward...

A potential devastating injury to defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk (LBI) could sting for fantasy owners as his 40 points in 48 games will be impossible to replace. The severity of the injury is not clear, so many fingers should be crossed... Roman Josi keeps flying under the radar as an elite fantasy defender, collecting a goal and an assist for a total of 33 points in 49 games. Weber gets all the love but the Swiss youngster has taken a big leap toward super fantasy relevance....Nashville Goalie Carter Hutton rebounded from his poor start last outing with a 4-0 blanking of the Penguins. The victory keeps the Preds tied atop the Western Cnoference with the Anaheim Ducks.  The Predators have done well to stay at or near the top since starting goaltender Pekka Rinne went down to injury but he is expected to be back perhaps as soon as next week.... Alex Steen and TJ Oshie have been feasting on opponents lately with yesterday's game being no different. After collecting three assists, Oshie now has a five-game point streak brewing (6G/4A) while Steen's 3-point effort has him at 43 points in 47 games. Both are among the hottest forwards right now, so keep rolling with them.

First of all, is there a hotter top line in the NHL than Alex Steen-TJ Oshie-David Backes? The trio combined for five points in last night's 3-0 blanking of the Toronto Maple Leafs, improving their point totals to 49 in the last 11 games. Seriously? Proving to all fantasy owners that he is the "real deal" after his breakthrough 2013-14 season, Steen is currently riding point-streaks in goals and points, 5 and 9 respectively... Another shutout for Brian Elliott and another step closer to fantasy elite status. Jake Allen represents the future in the crease for the Blues, but Elliott is clearly the "now". Start him with confidence... Fantasy performer of the night- clearly Tomas Plekanec, who helped roll the Metroplitan Division leading Islanders with a four point effort. A "heart and soul" Hab who can draw some comparison to Boston's Patrice Bergeron mainly because of his superior two-way play, but is no more than a seviceable depth forward option in most fantasy formats. Awesome game nonetheless.. Two more points in a losing cause for John Tavares, giving him five points over the last two games and 13 over the last 10. JT has accelerated the scoring since the beginning of the calendar year, so superstar production seems likely for the second half... Columbus snapped a four-game losing skid with the road win at Boston, but fantasy phenom Ryan Johansen kept a 13-game point streak alive with another goal and an assist. This guy is looking like an early round draft selection come next September as he is downright dynamite... Two great buy-low options to consider at the forward position- Nathan MacKinnon and Jason Spezza. The former was expected to take a huge leap in Year 2 for Colorado, but has fizzled during the first half of the season. However, MacKinnon has shown signs of late including a late 3rd period equalizer last night against the Lightning. The latter continues to plug away as six points over the last eight games is encouraging for his typical second half outburst. Consider this- Spezza centers the second line alongside Erik Cole who is starting to heat up. Plus, he is a mainstay on the top power-play unit with All-World Tyler Seguin and the underrated Jamie Benn. This team will light the lamp plenty in the second half. Love Spezza moving forward... Dubie,Dubie,Dubie-where are you? In Minnesota, that's where! The former Arizona Coyote Devan Dubnyk continues to inject some life into his new team as the goalie led the Wild to a 3-1 win and only has...

*Tyler Johnson- After his two goals last night helped propel the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning past the Montreal Canadiens, the 2nd-year center has now vaulted into third in NHL scoring with 45 points. It's unbelievable how quickly Johnson has ascended into the upper echelon of fantasy forwards, but he is as MUST-START as they come now. Keep rolling Johnson. **Patrik Elias- Kudos to the veteran Czech winger for surpassing the 1,000 point mark in his NHL career with a goal and two assists. I beg you to buy low on Elias who has been a huge fantasy disappointment but has been turning it on with 5 points over the last 5 games. If there is anyone left on the waiver-wire that can notch 30-35 pts in the second half, it's surely him. ***Steve Mason- An extraordinary effort by Mason as he single-handlely provided the Flyers the much-needed win with 40 saves on 41 shots against Ottawa. The victory snapped his personal six-game losing streak and although he was all-world last night, he has a way to go before he earns our confidence as a solid fantasy goalie option. ****David Backes- Wow, a four-goal performance by the superior St. Louis two-way center who is also benefitting from two "HOT" line-mates in TJ Oshie and Alex Steen. The return of Jaden Schwartz will help balance the offense a bit, but I would keep riding Backes and company until they cool off. *****Semyon Varlamov- The Colorado Avalanche have been struggling to keep opposing offenses at bay and last night in Chicago was no different. The Blackhawks fired 53 shots at Varlamov but he was up to the task with the Herculean shutout effort. Just like Mason, I still don't trust Varly as a consistent fantasy netminder, but a few more of these type of games and I'm sure I could be swayed.

* TJ Oshie has been a dominant offensive force for the St. Louis Blues since the start of December, so it's time for fantasy owners to take notice. His four-point night, including a "hat trick", helped seal the fate of the San Jose Sharks in the 7-2 rout. He is currently sporting a five-game point streak and has racked up 17 points in the last 16 games. His line, with Alex Steen and David Backes, is rolling, but the return of Jaden Schwartz will also get the Tarasenko unit probably back to their early-season dominant form. Start Oshie now while he is smoking hot... *In his first game donning a Pittsburgh Penguin uniform, David Perron lined up with Sidney Crosby and scored a goal on his first shot. Awesome fairy tale stuff, eh? Well, the Pens got smoked 4-1 by visiting Montreal and should expect a transition period while Perron acclimates to his new high-end teammates. He should get top power-play minutes in the short-term but that could change when Patrick Hornqvist returns in a few weeks. Anyway you slice it, huge boost in fantasy value for the suddenly relevant Perron.. *A wild high-scoring affair in LA, as the Kings rallied for three goals in the dying minutes to sent the game against Nashville into overtime only to lose 7-6 after a goal by defender Roman Josi in the extra frame. Don't worry, both Pekka Rinne and Jonathan Quick still rock in goal! It was just one of those games.. *In case you have not received the memo, Winnipeg goalie Michael Hutchinson is indeed for real. After allowing six goals over his last two starts, "Hutch" settled down by stopping 20 of 21 Toronto shots in the 5-1 blowout win. I feel confident in saying that the youngster's superb numbers (10-3-2, 1.81 GAA, .937 SP) are not flukish and that he will be the starter over Ondrej Pavelec down the stretch.. *Now for the not so obvious- Sam Gagner is actually playing good hockey for Arizona and might warrant short-term fantasy consideration. The underachieving forward scored twice while adding an assist, improving his numbers to 8 points over the last five games. He has clicked big-time with Martin Hanzal, so he might be worth a starting nod for the next few weeks before he goes ice-cold again... *Huge applause for future HOFer Jaromir Jagr becoming the oldest player in NHL history-42- to collect a "hat trick". Pause. Reality check. 25 points in 40 games. His best fantasy days are behind him, but he will occasionally blow up for a few big offensive outbursts.. *The Dallas Stars are...

Steen stepped onto the ice alone before the skate, but as soon as his teammates started filing onto the ice, he left. Steen is among a few Blues' players battling the flu, expect an update after practice, but it doesn't look like Steen will be in tonight.

The Blues have reportedly been hit hard by the flu bug. They will take on the Canucks tomorrow, so monitor Steen's status during the morning skate.