The biggest storyline of the night revolves around Pekka Rinne, arguably the best fantasy goaltender, who left the game in the 3rd period after colliding with Vancouver's Chris Higgins. He is listed as day-to-day and will be re-evaluated before the team's next practice on Thursday. In such a situation where losing Rinne long-term would be a massive blow to my fantasy squad, I rather err on the side of caution and snag Carter Hutton off the waiver wire just in case. Nashville has been the leagues' best team, so securing their starting goalie should be of primary concern.. Lost in the shuffle of this 5-1 blowout for the home team was the continued excellence of young Colin Wilson who has thrived under the more up-tempo system of Peter Laviolette. His four-point explosion gives him 15 points over the last ten games, so you know what to do while he is streaking. The 25-year old has clicked on the second line with Mike Fisher and James Neal, who returned from injury with a nice two-assist effort. Own these Preds down the stretch because they can flat-out score... I am leaving the title of today's piece given our very own Ray was impressed with all the Czech fantasy standout performances, but Winnipeg's Matthew Perreault probably deserves the headline after his four goals fueled a 8-2 romp over visiting Florida. The forward is enjoying his most productive stretch of the season, extending his point-game streak to four while collecting eight points during that span. With all the top-line and power-play duties one man can handle, Perreault should be starting in most formats.. In case you haven't noticed, Dustin Byfuglien has been a beast since returning to the blue-line. Two more goals last night and a probable one-way ticket to top-five fantasy status in the near future... In three games back, d-man Tobias Enstrom has racked up four points. Cmon fellas, I told you to snag him ASAP. Potential 40+ point defenders are hard to come by... The New York Islanders continue their rise up the Eastern Conference ladder and with their 3-0 win over the red-hot New York Rangers, coupled with Tampa Bay's loss to the surging Boston Bruins, sit alone atop the Conference. Jaroslav Halak turned aside all 26 SOG for his 4th shutout and 23rd win on the season. The Islanders outplayed the Rangers who didn't seem to have their legs under them after their West Coast trip.... The Pittsburgh Penguins exploded against the Minnesota Wild with a 7-goal outburst led by newly acquired David ...

Well, The John Tortorella experiment ended just after one season and is being replaced by rookie Head Coach Willie Desjardins. Desjardins has had success at every hockey level and brings with him a reputation as a great communicator, instructor and someone who gets the most out of his players.  We shall see how the players respond after last year's circus under Tortorella.  Canuck fans, and especially management, realized just what they had in Alan Vigneault and needed to get that sense of stability back. GOALIES What a difference a year makes! At the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, the Canucks did the unthinkable and traded away Cory Schneider to the New Jersey Devils for their 1st round pick, #9 overall, which Vancouver used to draft Center Bo Horvat. Shocking indeed!  Then just prior to the NHL trade deadline they traded starter Roberto Luongo back to Florida from whence he came. The move also came as a shock even though there had been trade rumors hanging over his head for years but it did seem that he had put all that behind him and was having a successful season as the undisputed number 1 goalie.  That left the team with unestablished Eddie Lack in the crease to try and backstop the team to the playoffs.  That experiment didn't work either.  So, the Canucks went out and signed Ryan Miller to a 3-year deal, shoring up their goaltending. It appears the Canucks have come full circle in getting their goaltending in order with Miller in net, just like putting Desjardins behind the bench.  Jacob Markstrom, also acquired in the Luongo deal, along with Eddie Lack will provide backup duties. DEFENSE Right off the bat you should expect a return to form of all the defensemen on the team, especially the ones counted on for offense such as Alexander Edler and Kevin Bieksa. Dan Hamhuis will also chip in with some production to go along with his solid defensive play. Gone is Jason Garrison who was traded to Tampa Bay in the off-season which might mean some more minutes and offense from Yannick Weber. Weber is only 25-years old and has had some success in the minors, so expecting some offense is not out of the question as he had three straight seasons of 40+ points as a member of the Kitchener Rangers (2 yrs.) and Hamilton bulldogs (1). FORWARDS After last season, and actually towards the end of last season when the team was going through some personnel changes, I was a bit of confused as to what direction the Canucks were going with their team makeup, but things ...

Higins will be replaced by Jordan Schroeder.

Jensen was a first-round pick (29th overall) in the 2011 NHL draft. He appeared in two games with the Canucks last season, his only two NHL games of his career. He has registered 15 goals and five assists (20 points) in 51 games with Utica (AHL) this season. He will skate on the top-line with Ryan Kesler and Chris Higgins.

Higgins missed Tuesday's game in Boston with an undisclosed injury, but will return tonight in Montreal. Higgins has been on of the Canucks most consistent offensive producers this season. He has totalled 31 points (15G / 16A) in 56 games.

Higgins has been one of the Canucks forwards this season, but he will join an already long list of injured players tonight in Boston. Recently recalled Pascal Pelletier will play.

Higgins missed Sunday's games against the Ducks, but will play tonight vs. Pittsburgh. Higgins has 23 points (11G / 12A) in 43 games. We likely won't know who comes out of the lineup until pre-game warmups.

No word on the nature or severity of Higgins' injury, but he will not play tonight. Expect a full update on Monday.

In essence, the New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks traded head coaches. John Tortorella takes over behind the bench for what may be the last legitimate chance that the Canucks have at winning the Stanley Cup.  With superstars Henrik & Daniel Sedin aging, and G Roberto Luongo getting another lease on life in Vancouver, the time is now for them to bring home the coveted Cup. Goalies Things can change at the drop of a puck in sports but no one could have ever foreseen the Vancouver Canucks trading Cory Schneider instead of Roberto Luongo. Granted Luongo was within one game of bringing home the Cup to Vancouver, but the word last year was that the fans, management, and Luongo himself thought that it would be better for the team if he were playing elsewhere.  Come draft day, the hockey world was stunned when NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced that the New Jersey Devils acquired Schneider for the 9th overall pick in the draft. WOW!  I can't really tell what I repeatedly said as I watched the event unfold, but you get the gist.  Luongo is a top tier goalie and will show everyone again why he was so coveted in his early NHL career.  Unless they bring in a more seasoned veteran to be Lu's backup, don't expect Eddie Lack to get a lot of playing time, especially in Tortorella's system. Defense Speaking of Tortorella's system, the defensemen's stats usually take a bit of a hit as they are more concerned with blocking shots and providing a wall in front of the goaltender, another reason for a big season from Luongo. Top fantasy defensemen Alexander Edler, Kevin Bieksa and to a degree Jason Garrison will see a drop in production although Bieksa's numbers may be closest to his usual.  Even Dan Hamhuis and Yannick Weber have offensive capabilities but in Tort's defensive style, they would be better used elsewhere. Forwards The offense begins with the Sedin twins as both Daniel and Henrik can still generate points but are on the down slope of their careers. Will they be able to produce what fantasy owners have come to expect from this dynamic duo?  You can expect around 80 points from each and you can consider it a bonus if you get more, but don't be disappointed if they get less.  Look at Brad Richards and Marian Gaborik's numbers while under Tortorella.  Ryan Kesler now has had some time to heal from his injuries and should be a force for the Canucks.  He is the leader of this team and the team needs him to be healthy if they want to return to the Cup Finals ...

Higgins missed the last six games while dealing with a knee injury. He has 10 goals and five assists in 38 games this season.