Goligoski took a maintenance day on Monday because he has been playing through an injury as of late. Monitor his status during the Stars' morning skate tomorrow.

Goligoski was reportedly cut by a skate on Tuesday night and he is also dealing with an undisclosed "nagging" injury. The Stars are hopeful that Goligoski will be in the lineup on Friday in New Jersey.

Less than a week away from the games actually counting, a few youngsters continue to make their mark as decent late-round fantasy sleepers. Johnny Gaudreau strutted his staff last night, collecting three assists for Calgary while Sean Monahan led the way with two goals. While Mark Giordano should easily be the team's Fantasy MVP, much of the offense will run through these guys. Sure, Gaudreau still has to make the club on a permanent basis, but when you compare his skill level to the LW'ers ahead of him-Glencross and Raymond- he should be able to shoot up the depth chart. Draft him late and hope for a huge "coming out" party. As for Monahan, expect some sophomore jitters but he should be able to flirt with the 50-point mark.. Nikita Kucherov scored two goals for Tampa Bay in their 3-0 win over Florida. With the trade of Teddy Purcell to Edmonton, the talented 2nd-year right winger should crack one of the top two lines, greatly elevating his opportunity to put up respectable numbers. His 18 points in 53 games as a rookie could be tripled if the minutes fall right. Big potential here.. Don't ignore Mark Scheifele in Winnipeg, as he has been in beastly mode during the preseason. Another goal and all the power-play time he can ask for, as the 21-year old could make a big scoring leap in his second year..Coming off a sub-par year along with the entire Vancouver squad, defenseman Alex Edler is looking sharp so far with another dominant performance against Edmonton, collecting a goal and an assist. He is only a few years removed from a career-high 49-point season in 2010-11, so expect a bounce-back campaign closer to those numbers. Love him in the middle rounds as a tremendous undervalued fantasy bargain... With Sergei Gonchar out 3-5 weeks, Alex Goligoski gets a slight bump in fantasy value as he is all alone as a defensive scoring threat for the rising Stars.No disrespect intended for Trevor Daley, but he waits too long to get going.

1. ALEX GOLIGOSKI, DALLAS or JAMES WISNIEWSKI, COLUMBUS This one is very tricky considering Wisniewski is coming off his second 50+point season of his NHL career, while Goligoski has yet to reach that mark. However, when you are comparing both fantasy assets, the Columbus defender is clearly more prone to injury which could curtail another monster season. On the other hand, Goligoski is as steady as they come and proven to be very durable. With 69 points in 128 games over the last two seasons, he looks like a lock to post another 40+ point campaign with a bit of upside in the mix. After finishing the last season with 17 points in 23 games, Goligoski should have a great shot at posting career numbers with the team's new additions of Jason Spezza and Ales Hemsky. EDGE: GOLIGOSKI 2. JAROSLAV HALAK, NEW YORK ISLANDERS or FREDERIK ANDERSEN, ANAHEIM Andersen seems like the safer bet because he could be starting for a vastly superior team in the Ducks, but there are many variables in play with huge fantasy ramifications. I would take the Ducks goalie in a heartbeat, but the Danish netminder will face stiff competition from another rising star in John Gibson. When the "chips were down" in last season's playoff run, Duck's coach Bruce Boudreau opted to go with Gibson over Andersen late in the Kings series. Andersen should be the opening starter come the beginning of the season, but he might not finish that way. As for Halak, the trade of veteran Evgeni Nabokov to Tampa Bay gives him the clear no. 1 job for the rising New York Islanders. His career numbers speak for themselves, as Halak should be a strong no. 2 fantasy goalie option. EDGE: HALAK 3. RYAN-NUGENT HOPKINS C, EDMONTON or DAVID KREJCI C, BOSTON I think it's time for the Edmonton young guns to get there "mojo" going and finally fulfill some of that untapped potential thats been lingering for the last three years. Taylor Hall has done his part, but RNH has failed to deliver the goods after another promising start to the '13-14 season. A 50-55 point scorer he is not, so look for him to have a better second half while directly benefiting from a career breakout season from Hall. Both parties need to remain healthy for these predictions to become reality, but Hopkins should hold massive value in the middle rounds. As for Krejci, a disappointing playoff stint should provide plenty of motivation for good scoring numbers in '14-15, but his ceiling basically tops out at between 65-70 points. There is too ...

After a disappointing start to the season, Claude Giroux is now third in NHL scoring behind Crosby and Getzlaf.   Giroux only had 6 points in the first 12 games but has really been a force since then, scoring 72 points in 61 games.  Don't be shy taking the talented Flyer ahead of Ovechkin or Malkin in next year's draft.  Giroux made sure the team rebounded from their poor performance against the NY Rangers the other night with a goal and 2 assists. Where have you gone Phil Kessel? Ever since the Olympic break, Kessel has been close to invisible in the Toronto offense, perhaps the main reason why the Leafs have struggled lately and are just 4-9-2 since the O-break.   Every player goes through slumps, so don't let this streak dampen your expectations in next year's draft. How much does Craig Anderson mean to the Ottawa Senators? Look no further than his return to the crease in last night's matchup against Chicago Blackhawks.  The Senators were just one win in their last 7 games, all with Robin Lehner in net. Anderson went on to put aside 46 of 49 shots on goal by the Hawks to raise his record to 22-14-8.  It's a bit late for this season but look for a rebound next year as he should be able to put his latest bout with injuries behind him. A desperate Dallas Stars team made Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne look mortal last night in Big D by pasting the Preds 7-3.   It was a total team effort from the net out with 13 players getting at least a point in the shellacking. Alex Goligoski had 3 assists to lead all scorers on the evening and Kari Lehtonen stopped 25 of 28 for the win. Dallas is now just 3 points behind Phoenix with a game in hand for the eighth and final playoff spot. Karri Ramo continued his solid play ever since his return from injury by winning his third game in his last 4 starts. The 4-3 victory over the NY Rangers raised his record to 14-11-4 with a 2.57 GAA and a .913 SP.  Although the team is ranked near the bottom of the NHL, Ramo could provide steady goaltending next year as a number 2 fantasy goalie, especially if the team can continue this level of play heading into next season.  The Flames are 9-6-0 in March, proof that this team is still battling heading into the home stretch. The Edmonton Oilers are 6-5- since March 4th, the day before the trade deadline. That was the point in time where the Oilers shored up their goaltending for the future by getting Viktor Fasth from the Anaheim Ducks and Ben Scrivens from the LA Kings a few weeks ...

After a disappointing start to the season, Claude Giroux is now third in NHL scoring behind Crosby and Getzlaf.   Giroux only had 6 points in the first 12 games but has really been a force since then, scoring 72 points in 61 games.  Don't be shy taking the talented Flyer ahead of Ovechkin or Malkin in next year's draft.  Giroux made sure the team rebounded from their poor performance against the NY Rangers the other night with a goal and 2 assists. Where have you gone Phil Kessel? Ever since the Olympic break, Kessel has been close to invisible in the Toronto offense, perhaps the main reason why the Leafs have struggled lately and are just 4-9-2 since the O-break.   Every player goes through slumps, so don't let this streak dampen your expectations in next year's draft. How much does Craig Anderson mean to the Ottawa Senators? Look no further than his return to the crease in last night's matchup against Chicago Blackhawks.  The Senators were just one win in their last 7 games, all with Robin Lehner in net. Anderson went on to put aside 46 of 49 shots on goal by the Hawks to raise his record to 22-14-8.  It's a bit late for this season but look for a rebound next year as he should be able to put his latest bout with injuries behind him. A desperate Dallas Stars team made Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne look mortal last night in Big D by pasting the Preds 7-3.   It was a total team effort from the net out with 13 players getting at least a point in the shellacking. Alex Goligoski had 3 assists to lead all scorers on the evening and Kari Lehtonen stopped 25 of 28 for the win. Dallas is now just 3 points behind Phoenix with a game in hand for the eighth and final playoff spot. Karri Ramo continued his solid play ever since his return from injury by winning his third game in his last 4 starts. The 4-3 victory over the NY Rangers raised his record to 14-11-4 with a 2.57 GAA and a .913 SP.  Although the team is ranked near the bottom of the NHL, Ramo could provide steady goaltending next year as a number 2 fantasy goalie, especially if the team can continue this level of play heading into next season.  The Flames are 9-6-0 in March, proof that this team is still battling heading into the home stretch. The Edmonton Oilers are 6-5- since March 4th, the day before the trade deadline. That was the point in time where the Oilers shored up their goaltending for the future by getting Viktor Fasth from the Anaheim Ducks and Ben Scrivens from the LA Kings a few weeks ...

After a disappointing start to the season, Claude Giroux is now third in NHL scoring behind Crosby and Getzlaf.   Giroux only had 6 points in the first 12 games but has really been a force since then, scoring 72 points in 61 games.  Don't be shy taking the talented Flyer ahead of Ovechkin or Malkin in next year's draft.  Giroux made sure the team rebounded from their poor performance against the NY Rangers the other night with a goal and 2 assists. Where have you gone Phil Kessel? Ever since the Olympic break, Kessel has been close to invisible in the Toronto offense, perhaps the main reason why the Leafs have struggled lately and are just 4-9-2 since the O-break.   Every player goes through slumps, so don't let this streak dampen your expectations in next year's draft. How much does Craig Anderson mean to the Ottawa Senators? Look no further than his return to the crease in last night's matchup against Chicago Blackhawks.  The Senators were just one win in their last 7 games, all with Robin Lehner in net. Anderson went on to put aside 46 of 49 shots on goal by the Hawks to raise his record to 22-14-8.  It's a bit late for this season but look for a rebound next year as he should be able to put his latest bout with injuries behind him. A desperate Dallas Stars team made Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne look mortal last night in Big D by pasting the Preds 7-3.   It was a total team effort from the net out with 13 players getting at least a point in the shellacking. Alex Goligoski had 3 assists to lead all scorers on the evening and Kari Lehtonen stopped 25 of 28 for the win. Dallas is now just 3 points behind Phoenix with a game in hand for the eighth and final playoff spot. Karri Ramo continued his solid play ever since his return from injury by winning his third game in his last 4 starts. The 4-3 victory over the NY Rangers raised his record to 14-11-4 with a 2.57 GAA and a .913 SP.  Although the team is ranked near the bottom of the NHL, Ramo could provide steady goaltending next year as a number 2 fantasy goalie, especially if the team can continue this level of play heading into next season.  The Flames are 9-6-0 in March, proof that this team is still battling heading into the home stretch. The Edmonton Oilers are 6-5- since March 4th, the day before the trade deadline. That was the point in time where the Oilers shored up their goaltending for the future by getting Viktor Fasth from the Anaheim Ducks and Ben Scrivens from the LA Kings a few weeks ...

Sorry for an abbreviated version of ISD, but I have been ailing for a few days with the flu. However, we need to deliver our fantasy tidbits on the defense. Big news from last night, as Lubomir Visnovsky returned to live-action for the New York Islanders after missing almost 3 months due to a concussion. Although he was held off the score-sheet, the talented rearguard played over 22 minutes, including a team-high 7:23 on the power play. Andrew McDonald could be in for quite a fantasy free-fall, as he was immediately dropped off the primary PP unit, seeing only 2:55 minutes with the man-advantage. He served as a solid stop-gap fantasy option during Visnovsky's absence, collecting 10 points in a nine-game stretch from December 21st thru January 6. However, his offense has disappeared in recent games as he has only one point in his last 11 games. Visnovsky has an awesome scoring pedigree in his NHL career, leading all d-men with 68 points for Anaheim in '10-11. Although injuries have begun to take their toll, the 37-year old is a premier power-play quarterback who should greatly benefit from playing with one of the "hottest" top lines in John Tavares, Thomas Vanek, and Kyle Okposo. If he could remain healthy, consider him a lower-tier no. 1 fantasy option on the blueline. If you have stashed him on your bench, you are about to reap huge fantasy dividends. Parting Shots: With 7 assists in his last 4 games, Dallas defenseman Alex Goligoski has rebounded nicely from a horrid start. His ownership in ESPN fantasy leagues has increased over 85%, so the window of opportunity to pick him up is quickly closing.. Matt Niskanen continues to rack up points for Pittsburgh with 7 points in the last 10 games, but he has been seeing minimal power-play time with the healthy returns of Kris Letang and Paul Martin. The time to "sell high" is now.. Victor Hedman is catapulting himself into fantasy elite status with two straight 3-point efforts and 32 points overall in 45 games. Another one of those curious Olympic snubs, the prolific Swede is officially breaking out in '13-14. Start him with confidence.

***ALL PLAYER RANKINGS HAVE BEEN UPDATED FOR 12/15/2013 The biggest fantasy news from last night's slate of NHL games focuses on the Evgeni Malkin injury in Pittsburgh's 4-1 win over Detroit. Already short-handed with Kris Letang being a late game scratch with a UBI, the Russian superstar was having a great game (1G/2A) when he slammed into the boards in the 3rd period. He left the match with a LBI, and was seen limping afterwards. He will undergo further testing, so it's still unsure whether he will be available for your fantasy teams this upcoming week. Monitor Malkin and Letang's injury status closely. More Fantasy Game Notes: Tyler Seguin exploded for two goals and two assists in the Star's 4-2 win over Winnipeg, giving him 31 points in 29 games. The 21-year old is having a true breakout season in his first year playing in Dallas, but his fantasy owners would wish for a bit more consistency. He has gone scoreless in 7 of his last 11 games, but he also scored 4 or more points 3 times. Boom or bust for sure.Veteran defenseman Sergei Gonchar has been a huge fantasy disappointment, but his four assists yesterday and his five points in the last two games could be a sign of better offensive production to come. The Dallas power-play will be much improved in the second half, so look for Gonchar and Alex Goligoski to pick up the scoring pace. Fantasy value on the rise..If you need a goalie, maybe it's time to take a flier on Carolina's Justin Peter. With 37 saves in the 3-1 win over Phoenix, the back-stopper has allowed only 7 goals in the last 5 games while winning three of them. With Cam Ward's struggles (3.04 GAA and .901 SP) well-chronicled, look for Peters to keep manning the Hurricane crease while he remains hot.Get Toronto's Joffrey Lupul in your starting line-ups, as he had a massive night for the Leafs with 2 goals and 2 assists. With 19 points in 25 games, any chance to get him on the cheap has vanished. Kudos to my partner Ray and others who stashed him away in several leagues.Anze Kopitar scored two goals in the King's 5-2 win over Ottawa, raising his totals to four goals and an assist in the last five games. The slick Slovenian playmaker is never mentioned among the NHL's fantasy elite, but with 29 points in 33 games, he headed toward another point-per-game campaign. As steady as they come, Kopitar holds solid fantasy value as a legitimate 75-80 point threat year-in, year-out.

Ben Scrivens-Los Angeles Kings, G (Owned in 67.4% of ESPN leagues) In place of the injured Jonathan Quick, the King's back-stopper shut out the Devils and Rangers, while allowing only two goals to the Isles. Three straight wins during a brutal East Coast swing for the Kings, so Scrivens has boosted his fantasy stock in a huge way. For all Quick fantasy owners, snag him immediately, but even if you don't own Quick- go get him! For the next 3-6 weeks, he could give you elite fantasy goalie value while playing for one of the upper-tier NHL teams. A no-brainer here. Brayden Schenn- Philadelphia Flyers, C (Owned in 42.1% of ESPN leagues) The Flyer's offense has been surging as of late, so it's time to get your hands on the talented 22-year old while he is in amidst a scoring streak (3G/2A in the last 5 games). True, he doesn't play on the top unit with Claude Giroux, but he has been flourishing on a line with Vincent Lecavalier. With 12 points in 19 games overall, Schenn remains under the radar, but he could provide sneaky production as a 5th or 6th forward option. Alex Burrows- Vancouver Canucks, LW (Owned in 64.9% of ESPN leagues) Ever since returning from a foot injury, the streaky winger has struggled to find his offensive groove with 3 points in 8 games. However, with reports that he will be placed back on the top line with the Sedin twins while Kesler has been shifted back to the second unit, we recommend that you consider taking a gamble on Burrows. He has enjoyed much success in this position before, but has been limited by lack of power-play time. The former 30-goal scorer is worth your look. Alex Goligoski- Dallas Stars, D (Owned in 44.3% of ESPN leagues) There has been definite signs of life from the slumping defenseman, who is coming off a 3-assist game but only had 2 goals and an assist in the previous 17 games. With veteran Sergei Gonchar failing to seize hold of the top power-play quarterback spot with an equally putrid offensive showing in the early going, coach Lindsey Ruff has given Goligoski top minutes after making him a healthy scratch. Considering how solid he was in '12-13 with 27 points in 47 games, don't hesitate to pick him up. This could be a perfect "buy-low" opportunity for a d-man capable of putting up 40+ points. Kevin Poulin- New York Islanders, G ( (Owned in 4.8% of ESPN leagues) With goaltender Evgeni Nabokov suffering a groin injury early in the first period on Saturday night for the Islanders, the 23-year old ...