The Boston Bruins pounded the Hurricanes yesterday afternoon 5-1, and the Lucic, Krejci, Iginla line was all over the ice, and all over the scoreboard. Left wing Milan Lucic had a goal and 2 assists, while center Dave Krejci had 3 assists and right wing Jarome Iginla had 2 goals. This line is on fire and you should grab any one of these guys if you can.  Krejci has 59 points and is a plus 31.  Wow!  Tough game in goal for Cam Ward of Carolina who allowed all 5 goals with 36 saves.  Ward is really struggling to find his game right now after missing so much of the season with injury.  Nice shutout for Steve Mason of Philadelphia as the Flyers beat the suddenly staggering Penguins 4-0. Mason had 25 saves and improved his record to 27-16-6.  Good game for me because I have him in one of my pools.  Right wing Matt Read had 2 goals for Philadelphia, but with only 33 points on the season we can't recommend him.  Pittsburgh center Sydney Crosby had a game to forget with no points and a -3 rating.  Forward Claude Giroux had 2 assists for the Flyers, and after a brutal start to the seasonhe now has 67 points in 66 games. Expect him to have a great finish on the year. Nice game for Montreal defenseman P K Subban as he had 3 assists in the Canadiens 5-4 win over Ottawa in OT. Subban has 48 points on the season, and he is a premier fantasy defenseman pick.  Senators forward Jason Spezza had a goal and an assist, and he is smoking hot right now with 8 points in his last 3 games, and now has 55 points on the year. Tampa Bay goaltender Ben Bishop continued his fantastic season with a 3-0 shutout of New Jersey. Bishop's record is 31-11-6 with a 2.10 GAA and a .929 SP.  Amazing season. The New York Islanders beat the terrible Buffalo Sabres 4-1 as defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky had 3 assists. Good for me because I own him.  He has only 11 points on the season though because he had been hurt.  Islander right wing Kyle Okposo continued his breakout year with a goal and an assist. Okposo has 69 points on the season.  St. Louis beat Nashville 4-1.  Remember when Nashville used to be hard to defeat?  Not any more.  Center Patrik Berglund had 2 goals for the Blues, but he has only 31 points on the season. St Louis center Alexander Steen had a goal and he does have 53 points on the year, but he has cooled off considerably from his hot start. Maybe he will heat up again.  The NHL season is a long grind, and tends to wear players down.  Blues goaltender Ryan Miller had another ...

Ward stopped 21 of 23 shots in a 3-2 win over the Sabres on Thursday. Ward has won two in a row while holding the opposition to three goals on 48 shots (.938 SV%). It would be his third start against the Bruins this season. In the previous two meetings, Ward is 0-1-1 with a 2.98 GAA and .910 SV%.

Ward stopped 21 of 23 shots in a 3-2 win over the Sabres on Thursday. Ward has won two in a row while holding the opposition to three goals on 48 shots (.938 SV%). It would be his third start against the Bruins this season. In the previous two meetings, Ward is 0-1-1 with a 2.98 GAA and .910 SV%.

Cam Ward appeared to have sealed his tenure in Carolina with his poor performance earlier this year with the Hurricanes. Anton Khudobin seemed to have secured the starting goalie nod with his strong play, going 14-9 with a 2.31 GAA and a .925 SP. But Khudobin has been a bit leaky as of late and he was replaced last Saturday by Ward after getting lit up by New Jersey in a 5-4 loss following a 4-2 loss to New York.  Ward has struggled with injuries this year and his numbers are quite bad with a 8-10-5 record, a 3.06 GAA and a .891 SP.  But since that Saturday's game Ward has started the last 2 games for Carolina against the Rangers and Buffalo, winning both games and allowing only 3 goals.  He looks healthy and sharp right now.  The 30 year old was expected to go elsewhere at the trade deadline, but it appears no one wanted him.  Maybe someone should have.  Ward won 39 games in the 2008-2009 season with a 2.44 GAA and a .916 SP.  Now I realize it has only been two games, but keep an eye on Ward if you need some goalie help.  He may steal the starters spot back from Khudobin because he has a solid long term track record.

True to his nature, Jarome Iginla continued his second half scoring with his 21st of the year, the game-winner against Phoenix, giving him 36 points in the past 39 games.  Always has, and always will be a second half performer. Cam Ward is 2-0 in his last 2 matches against New York State teams as the Hurricanes beat the Sabres 4-2 last night. Those who were patient to hold onto while he was injured just may pay off in the stretch run as he should be well-rested to give the Canes a shot at a playoff spot. He seems to have wrested the starting job back from Anton Khudobin, who was very impressive while holding down the crease until Ward's return.  Alex Semin chipped in with a goal and an assist giving him 9 points in 8 games since the O-break. Semin is a dynamic scorer but has been known to be a bit injury-plagued.  Ride him while he's hot! Patrick Marleau was the Shark with bite as he potted 2 goals in the shootout win over Columbus last night. With those two goals, Marleau now has 9 points in 8 games since the O-break.  He may never get back to his 80-point days, but is a consistent 30-30 player who contributes on the power play. It was a hot one in Florida last night as Ben Bishop and the Tampa Bay Lightning held on to win 5-4. Bishop has been struggling of late but managed to win his 30th on the season. In his last 9 outings, he has gone 3-5-2 while giving up 33 regulation goals in those 9 those games perhaps showing signs of wearing down due to playing the most games of his short NHL career. Bit note for fantasy fans; Steven Stamkos scored the eventual game-winner on the power play and also added an assist. This could get the superstar going. The St. Louis Blues continue their trek to the President's Trophy as they manhandled the Edmonton Oilers 6-2. The Oil kept it a close game for a while until the Blues erupted for 4 third period goals giving Ryan Miller his 5th win against 1 loss as a member of the Notes. Those holding onto to Miller or who traded for him prior to his trade from Buffalo are starting to reap the rewards.   Jaden Schwartz had 2 goals in that 3rd period barrage, and has quietly amassed a 21-29-50 point season in 64 games. Schwartz should be a mainstay on the Blues offense for years to come.  T. J. Oshie had a goal and 2 assists giving him 53 points in 66 games. Oshie is another Blues player who should be a mainstay on the offense for the next few years. The only problem with Head Coach Hitchcock's system is that the offense is ...

Ward stopped 24 of 25 shots in a 3-1 win over the Rangers on Tuesday. It was Ward's first win since December 31 and the first time in 11 starts that he did not allow three-plus goals. Hopefully for Ward owners Tuesday was a sign of things to come. He has the best of matchups tonight with the Sabres in town.

Ward stopped eight of nine shots after replacing Anton Khudobin in Saturday's 5-4 loss to the Devils. Ward is 6-10-5 with a 3.21 GAA and .891 SV% this season. Those numbers are way off of his career numbers (2.77 / .909) so the Hurricanes continue to wait for him to get his injury plagued season on-track. Ward will need his A-game tonight with Henrik Lundqvist standing in the other net.

Ward stopped eight of nine shots after replacing Anton Khudobin in Saturday's 5-4 loss to the Devils.Ward is 6-10-5 with a 3.21 GAA and .891 SV% this season. Those numbers are way off of his career numbers (2.77 / .909) so the Hurricanes continue to wait for him to get his injury plagued season on-track. He will need his A-game tonight with Henrik Lundqvist standing in the other net.

There will be plenty of ongoing trade discussion as we approach the deadline, but I will leave it to "Romie" to give his fantasy take on yesterday's transactions. I will dive into our fantasy game notes. First, congrats to the Nashville organization, their faithful fans and fantasy owners for the successful return of All-Star goaltender Pekka Rinne last night. Albeit in a 3-1 loss to Pittsburgh, the Finnish sensation has made it all the way back after being sidelined since October 22. Huge addition for fantasy squads that held onto him, given that the former 43-game winner will be starting most of the games moving forward as the Predators try to secure the final playoff spot. Give him a few games to get back to normal, but Rinne should be strong for the fantasy stretch run. Colorado's defenseman Tyson Barrie has flown under the fantasy radar for much of the season, but should not anymore. After scoring the game-winning power-play goal and an assist in the Av's 4-2 win over Chicago, the youngster has collected an amazing 18 points in the last 20 games. Who would have thunk it??? Grab him immediately if he is available. Boston's top line had gone scoreless their first two games after the Olympic Break, but things seem back to normal after David Krejci's "hat trick" last night against Florida. Jarome Iginla also chipped in with a goal and an assist. Start both with confidence, as they have been hot for quite awhile. Being a "defense" guy, I am loving what Pittsburgh's Matt Niskanen has been accomplishing in the wake of all the Pen's key injuries on the blue-line. He scored 2 goals in the win over Nashville, giving him 5 points in the last 5 games. It's Niskanen, not Olli Maatta, who is getting all the major minutes on the power-play. Another goal and an assist for RW Johan Franzen in Detroit's 4-3 loss to New Jersey. Can he stay healthy? His fantasy owners hope so. Playing possibly his last game as an Edmonton Oiler, Ales Hemsky was the fantasy star of the game with two goals, one of the highlight-reel variety. Even though his season stats are quite mediocre, the oft-injured winger and impending UFA should be highly sought after during the final hours of probable trade frenzy. Hemsky could see a huge spike in fantasy value if he lands on the right team. Hey, Sidney Crosby could use another line-mate in Pittsburgh! Two goalie contract extensions resulted in immediate rewards as both Anton Khudobin and Ben Scrivens both shined in the crease for their ...

There will be plenty of ongoing trade discussion as we approach the deadline, but I will leave it to "Romie" to give his fantasy take on yesterday's transactions. I will dive into our fantasy game notes. First, congrats to the Nashville organization, their faithful fans and fantasy owners for the successful return of All-Star goaltender Pekka Rinne last night. Albeit in a 3-1 loss to Pittsburgh, the Finnish sensation has made it all the way back after being sidelined since October 22. Huge addition for fantasy squads that held onto him, given that the former 43-game winner will be starting most of the games moving forward as the Predators try to secure the final playoff spot. Give him a few games to get back to normal, but Rinne should be strong for the fantasy stretch run. Colorado's defenseman Tyson Barrie has flown under the fantasy radar for much of the season, but should not anymore. After scoring the game-winning power-play goal and an assist in the Av's 4-2 win over Chicago, the youngster has collected an amazing 18 points in the last 20 games. Who would have thunk it??? Grab him immediately if he is available. Boston's top line had gone scoreless their first two games after the Olympic Break, but things seem back to normal after David Krejci's "hat trick" last night against Florida. Jarome Iginla also chipped in with a goal and an assist. Start both with confidence, as they have been hot for quite awhile. Being a "defense" guy, I am loving what Pittsburgh's Matt Niskanen has been accomplishing in the wake of all the Pen's key injuries on the blue-line. He scored 2 goals in the win over Nashville, giving him 5 points in the last 5 games. It's Niskanen, not Olli Maatta, who is getting all the major minutes on the power-play. Another goal and an assist for RW Johan Franzen in Detroit's 4-3 loss to New Jersey. Can he stay healthy? His fantasy owners hope so. Playing possibly his last game as an Edmonton Oiler, Ales Hemsky was the fantasy star of the game with two goals, one of the highlight-reel variety. Even though his season stats are quite mediocre, the oft-injured winger and impending UFA should be highly sought after during the final hours of probable trade frenzy. Hemsky could see a huge spike in fantasy value if he lands on the right team. Hey, Sidney Crosby could use another line-mate in Pittsburgh! Two goalie contract extensions resulted in immediate rewards as both Anton Khudobin and Ben Scrivens both shined in the crease for their ...