Exciting night yesterday in the NHL. San Jose right wing Martin Havlat had a big night with a goal and an assist in the Sharks 4-3 win over the Islanders. Havlat once had a lot of potential as a possible 90 point player, but injuries have taken their toll on him, and he has only  14 points in 35 games this year.  What a waste of talent.  New York forward Kyle Okposo had 2 assists in the loss, and with 67 points he is having a great year. Draft him high next season.  Okay game for San Jose goalie Antti Niemi as he had 35 saves in the win, and he has 33 wins on the season, but his .912 SP is a little bit unnerving. The Capitals beat the Canucks 4-3 as young Russian forward Evegny Kuznetsov scored his first NHL points by collecting 3 assists. Great game for the 21 year old rookie.  The amazing thing is that he did it in only 9:58 of time on ice, and on the 4th line no less.   Don't get too excited about him yet.  Goaltender Jaroslav Halak got the win with 35 saves, and he is playing well with 26 wins and a 2.25 GAA. He is pretty solid.  Detroit beat Edmonton 2-1 in a shootout as goaltender Jimmy Howard had a good game for the Wings with 21 saves. Howard has had a tough year with a losing record and this is his first win in 4 games, but he was sharp last night.  The Panthers beat the Devils 5-3 as Florida forward Brad Boyes had a goal and an assist. Boyes once scored 71 points for St Louis in the  2008-2009 season, but he has really struggled with injuries since then and has only 32 points on the year.  New Jersey defenseman Marek Zidlicky was a -4 by the way. Florida center Jonathan Huberdeau had 2 assists, but with only 27 points on the season, he has been a major disappointment. So much talent wasted.  Goaltender Pekka Rinne looks like he is rounding into shape for Nashville as he had 31 saves in a 3-2 victory over the suprisingly struggling Blackhawks. Rinne has good metrics with a 2.27 GAA and a .920 SP.  Get him if you can, as he is coming on strong.  Defenseman Roman Josi had a big night for Nashville assisting on all 3 goals. With 30 points in 51 games played he is a good defenseman choice.   Huge game for Rangers forward Carl Hagelin as he scored his first hat trick in the NHL. But he has only 28 points on the season, so we would not chase him.  He does have a lot of speed, but not yet so much skill.  Winnipeg goalie Ondrej Pavelec left the game early with an LBI. No word yet on how serious it is. Al Montoya replaced him, and if Pavelec is going to...

Niemi stopped 19 of 21 shots in a 6-2 win over the Maple Leafs on Tuesday. He was given the first night of the back-to-back off, but will be in goal tonight on Long Island. Niemi has won three straight starts with a 1.67 GAA and .929 SV%. He makes for a must-start tonight vs. the Islanders.

ALL GOALIES ARE CONFIRMED UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED AT THE TIME OF PRINT Evgeni Nabokov will be facing his former team in the San Jose Sharks tonight on the Island.  Expect Antti Niemi in net after Stalock got the nod last night. Nabby should be pumped to be facing his former team but will have difficulty against the Sharks offense that has a lot of punch.....Eddie Lack (LIKELY) and the Vancouver Canucks will try and carry forward their fine performance against the Winnipeg Jets tonight against Jaroslav Halak and the Washington Capitals who are coming off a 2-0 shutout by the Pittsburgh Penguins. Halak is just 1-2 since coming over via trade as the Caps offense has been quieted lately.  Two goalies in need of a win to boost their confidence....Jimmy Howard is back in net for the Detroit Red Wings who are in desperate need of some wins as they battle for a playoff spot. The Edmonton Oilers come into town after losing to St. Louis last night.  Viktor Fasth (LIKELY) should be making his second start for the Oil. Fasth gives the Oilers a reasonable chance at a win here against a struggling Red Wing team...Cory Schneider looks to turn around his recent play against new Florida Panther and ex-teammate Roberto Luongo. The Cats showed some fight last night battling back from 1 5-2 deficit before falling short in a 5-4 loss to Tampa. A classic ‘pitcher's duel' could be in order...Pekka Rinne needs to steal this one for the Nashville Predators as they try to keep close in the playoff race.  Chicago will be looking to get back on track after losing to Colorado on Wednesday.  Corey Crawford gets the call after Antti Raanta spelled him last game out. Rinne seems to be getting stronger and the Hawks have been around .500 lately....Henrik Lundqvist returns to the net for the New York Rangers in hopes of reversing his team's 2-game losing streak. Ondrej Pavelec and the Winnipeg Jets are fighting for their playoff lives so expect a heated battle.....There has been word that Dallas Stars' G Kari Lehtonen is close to returning after suffering a concussion 2 games ago. Tim Thomas will get the nod so Lehtonen can recover fully. He will be facing Joey MacDonald of the Calgary Flames who will be making his first start since November 1st. The Stars have been on fire lately.  I wouldn't go against them....The final match of the night pits Jonas Hiller and the Anaheim Ducks against Semyon Varlamov and the Colorado Avalanche. The Ducks have fallen from their lofty perch atop the ...

ALL GOALIES ARE CONFIRMED UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED AT THE TIME OF PRINTING Ten games on the NHL schedule today. Ottawa will be at Winnioeg. Craig Anderson is (LIKELY) to be in goal for the Senators while Ondrej Pavelec has been (CONFIRMED) for the Jets. Anderson has struggled this year with a 3.08 GAA and a .907 SP.  He is 2-3 in his last 5 games.  Pavelec has struggled as well with a 20-23-5 record a 2.91 GAA and a .905 SP.  Tough call on this one but I like Anderson.  St. Louis is at Colorado and Ryan Miller has been (CONFIRMED) for the Blues while Semyon Varlamov has been (CONFIRMED) for tyhe Avalanche. Miller has won 3 straight games since moving to St. Louis with a 1.67 GAA.  While Varlamov has had a solid season with 31 wins, have to like Miller in this game. Mike Smith (CONFIRMED) will be in goal for Phoenix at Washington, who will play Jaroslav Halak (CONFIRMED). Smith has had a tough season with a 22-18-10 record and a 2.71 GAA and a .914 SP.  He has won his last 2 games though.  Halak is 24-9-4, and we like him in this one. Anton Khudobin (LIKELY) should be in goal for Carolina tonight against New Jersey.  After allowing 7 goals in his last game Cory Schneider will be on the bench for the Devils and Martin Brodeur (CONFIRMED) will be the goalie for New Jersey. Brodeur's SP is under .900 so go with Khudobin.  The Bruins are at Tampa Bay in what will be a matchup of two of the best goalies in the NHL, Tuukka Rask vs Ben Bishop. Rask has won 27 games while Bishop has won 29.  Bishop has lost 3 of his last 4 games so go with Rask.  Philadelphia will be at Toronto and Steve Mason has been (CONFIRMED) for the Flyers while Jonathan Bernier is (LIKELY) for the Leafs. Bernier has gone 3-0-2 in his last 5 games so go with him.  Columbus will be at Nashville and Sergei Bobrovsky has been (CONFIRMED) for the Blue Jackets. He is having a solid season with 23 wins a 2.59 GAA and a .915 SP.  He has won 3 of his last 4. Pekka Rinne will (LIKELY) be in goal for the Predators. He has lost 2 straight games since returning from an injury, so go with Bobrovsky.  Darcey Kuemper will (LIKELY) be in goal for Minnesota against Dallas. Kuemper has been hot with 5 straight wins.  Expect Kari Lehtonen (LIKELY) to be in goal for the Stars, but go with Kuemper.  22 year old Joni Ortio (CONFIRMED) from Finland will be in goal for Calgary at Vancouver. Ortio has played well in his only 3 games with a 2.02 GAA and a 2-1 record. Eddie Lack has been (CONFIRMED) for Vancouver. ...

Niemi allowed three goals on 22 shots in a 5-3 win over the Penguins on Thursday. After sitting for three of four games, Niemi stepped in and got the W against a very good Pittsburgh squad. The win has likely earned him his first back-to-back starts since Feb 1st-3rd. Niemi posted a 22-save shutout against the Habs in their first meeting.

Niemi allowed three goals on 22 shots in a 5-3 win over the Penguins on Thursday. After sitting for three of four games, Niemi stepped in and got the W against a very good Pittsburgh squad. The win has likely earned him his first back-to-back starts since Feb 1st-3rd. Niemi posted a 22-save shutout against the Habs in their first meeting.

Niemi allowed three goals on 19 shots in a loss to the Sabres last Friday. Since the Olympics have ended, Alex Stalock has started three of four games for the Sharks. Niemi will get back in the cage tonight, but they are setting him up for failure but getting him in against the Penguins. It is a rough matchup for a goalie who has played one game in the last month.

Niemi stopped 19 of 21 shots in a win over the Blue Jackets in his final start before the break. He did not see any crease time in Sochi, but will hop back into the cage tonight vs. the Sabres. Niemi has been challenged for starts by Alex Stalock, and if Stalock continues to see starts, Niemi's value takes a hit.

Niemi stopped 19 of 21 shots in a win over the Blue Jackets in his final start before the break. He did not see any crease time in Sochi, but will hop back into the cage tonight vs. the Sabres. Niemi has been challenged for starts by Alex Stalock, and if Stalock continues to see starts, Niemi's value takes a hit.