Okposo is back; Faulk and Barrie amongst the fantasy elite d-men; and more: It was an epic battle in New York as the Islanders took on the Rangers and it was the Rangers who came away with the regulation 2-1 victory that leaves them one point behind the Isles with 4 games in hand. Kyle Okposo returned to the Islanders lineup and saw some action on John Tavares’ line near the end of the third period so look for that combination to stick the rest of the way….Cam Talbot with yet another win as he continues to play superbly in place of the injured Henrik Lundqvist.  Talbot’s time is coming to an end soon as Lundqvist is close to returning to the lineup and will need a few weeks to get into top form for the playoffs…. Philadelphia didn’t do themselves any favors by losing another close one, this time 2-1 to the Dallas Stars.  What has happened to Claude Giroux and the rest of the Flyers offense?.... Scott Hartnell (2 PPG) was the reason the Carolina Hurricanes lost 4-3 in a shootout last night after leading 3-1 after the first period.  Although it doesn’t really matter for these two teams as they are just riding out the season….Canes D-man Justin Faulk had a goal and 2 power play assists to lead the Carolina offense.  Continue to play the young talent as he is having a career year on his way to 50 points…. Carey Price and Ben Bishop put on a heck'uva goalie duel in Montreal but the Lightning's Tyler Johnson stole the show with the overtime game-winner. The undrafted sophomore continues to plug away with a monster season, having collected nine points during his current seven-game streak. How many of us predicted any other besides Steven Stamkos to lead the Bolts in scoring? Hey, it could happen... Cory Schneider was chased out of the Jersey net by the swarming Minnesota Wild, who scored plenty in the 6-2 rout of the Devils. Devan Dubnyk has shown few signs of slowing down as he made 30 saves in his 25th straight start. Thomas Vanek scored twice while Zach Parise picked up two helpers. D-man Jared Spurgeon played a solid game, collecting a goal and an assist and showing little rust from his time gone due to injury. If you are in need of defense, he bears watching.. For Colorado, no Semyon Varlamov in goal usually means no win and last night's game against LA was no different. Rota Berra replaced an ineffective Calvin Pickard in the first period and the Kings behind Brayden McNabb's three points waliopped the Av's 5-2. Fantasy stud Tyson Barrie scored a goal, ...

All signs are pointing towards Jake Muzzin being unavailable tonight, which leaves the 23-year-old McNabb to make his Kings' debut on the Stanley Cup banner raising night and on the top D-pair with Drew Doughty to boot. McNabb was acquired from the Sabres at last year's deadline and totaled 10 goals and 26 assists (36 points) in 52 AHL games between Manchester and Rochester. He failed to record any points in 12 games with the Sabres.

McNabb, 23, was selected in the third round (66th overall) in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. He is a 6-foot-4, 205 lbs. defenseman who has seven goals and 22 assists (29 points) in 38 games with the Rochester Americans (AHL) this season. He has failed to record a point in 12 games with the Sabres.

McNabb played in seven games during his most recent call-up. He failed to record a points and was a plus-1 with seven shots and 14 hits. He returns to Rochester where he has 15 points (3G / 12A) in 20 games.

McNabb shuffled in and out of the Sabres lineup playing in five of a possible 10 games during his call-up. He failed to record a point and had an EVEN rating while averaging 16:12 TOI.

McNabb appeared in three games with the Sabres, he failed to record a point while averaging 16:48 TOI. He returns to Rochester where he has two goals and 10 assists in 15 games. He will play one game in Rochester tonight and then likely head back to Buffalo.

McNabb, 22, was the 66th overall pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. The 6-foot-4, 205 lbw. defenseman has two goals and 12 points in 15 games with Rochester this season. He skated in 25 games with the Sabres in 2011-12 registering one goal and seven assists.

Pavel Datsyuk seems to be on a mission and with the way he's been playing so far in the pre-season he could finish in the top ten in scoring this year. Perhaps being in the Eastern Conference and having less travel time will improve all the Red Wing's numbers....Another mission statement, this one by Ryan Miller, who is out to prove that he belongs among the top goaltenders in the league. Don't write him off as this team could be underestimated....Who is Brayden McNabb? Sabre fans will know but perhaps the rest of the fantasy world doesn't.  The 22 year old defenseman had a goal and two assists in last night's win over the Hurricanes.  He played well with LW Johan Larsson, who had 2 goals and an assist in the game, but don't expect them to be major contributors this year. Keep them in mind though for the future perhaps...Two names that won't be voted off the Island if they produce are RW Kyle Okposo and C Josh Bailey. The former had 2 assists last night and the latter had 2 short-handed goals.  These 2 paired up and have shown some chemistry.  Don't forget them on draft day as the Islanders will be a much improved team this year....With all eyes on this year's top draft pick Jonathan Drouin, it was Brett Connolly who posted 2 goals in last night's game. Don't forget about this 46-goal scorer in the WHL in 2010-2011 and who also scored 31 goals in the AHL last year...Toronto Maple Leaf Nazem Kadri is proving that he will continue with the work effort he displayed last season by potting his 2nd goal of the pre-season. Big Signing:The Edmonton Oilers continue to lock up their young talent to long-term contracts. This time they inked C Ryan Nugent-Hopkins with a 7-year extension meaning RNH joins taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle who have signed long-term contracts with the club. Now the young guns can concentrate on hockey for the next 6-7 years.  Nugent-Hopkins had a disappointing 24 points in 40 games last year but was hindered by a shoulder injury and is now rehabbing from off-season surgery on that shoulder. Don't miss out on the latest ROMIE HITS THE POST. Romie focuses on two intriguing situations unfolding in Florida and New Jersey.  Check it out here. ***ATTENTION FANTASY HOCKEY LEAGUE COMMISSIONERS*** If you are the commissioner of an upcoming fantasy hockey league and will be holding a draft soon,  PrimePucks has some goodies for you to distribute to your league members.  Look even better to your league members by giving them free stuff.  Who doesn't...

Pavel Datsyuk seems to be on a mission and with the way he's been playing so far in the pre-season he could finish in the top ten in scoring this year. Perhaps being in the Eastern Conference and having less travel time will improve all the Red Wing's numbers....Another mission statement, this one by Ryan Miller, who is out to prove that he belongs among the top goaltenders in the league. Don't write him off as this team could be underestimated....Who is Brayden McNabb? Sabre fans will know but perhaps the rest of the fantasy world doesn't.  The 22 year old defenseman had a goal and two assists in last night's win over the Hurricanes.  He played well with LW Johan Larsson, who had 2 goals and an assist in the game, but don't expect them to be major contributors this year. Keep them in mind though for the future perhaps...Two names that won't be voted off the Island if they produce are RW Kyle Okposo and C Josh Bailey. The former had 2 assists last night and the latter had 2 short-handed goals.  These 2 paired up and have shown some chemistry.  Don't forget them on draft day as the Islanders will be a much improved team this year....With all eyes on this year's top draft pick Jonathan Drouin, it was Brett Connolly who posted 2 goals in last night's game. Don't forget about this 46-goal scorer in the WHL in 2010-2011 and who also scored 31 goals in the AHL last year...Toronto Maple Leaf Nazem Kadri is proving that he will continue with the work effort he displayed last season by potting his 2nd goal of the pre-season. Big Signing:The Edmonton Oilers continue to lock up their young talent to long-term contracts. This time they inked C Ryan Nugent-Hopkins with a 7-year extension meaning RNH joins taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle who have signed long-term contracts with the club. Now the young guns can concentrate on hockey for the next 6-7 years.  Nugent-Hopkins had a disappointing 24 points in 40 games last year but was hindered by a shoulder injury and is now rehabbing from off-season surgery on that shoulder. Don't miss out on the latest ROMIE HITS THE POST. Romie focuses on two intriguing situations unfolding in Florida and New Jersey.  Check it out here. ***ATTENTION FANTASY HOCKEY LEAGUE COMMISSIONERS*** If you are the commissioner of an upcoming fantasy hockey league and will be holding a draft soon,  PrimePucks has some goodies for you to distribute to your league members.  Look even better to your league members by giving them free stuff.  Who doesn't...

Pre-season Bits: Pavel Datsyuk seems to be on a mission and with the way he's been playing so far in the pre-season he could finish in the top ten in scoring this year. Perhaps being in the Eastern Conference and having less travel time will improve all the Red Wing's numbers....Another mission statement, this one by Ryan Miller, who is out to prove that he belongs among the top goaltenders in the league. Don't write him off as this team could be underestimated....Who is Brayden McNabb? Sabre fans will know but perhaps the rest of the fantasy world doesn't.  The 22 year old had a goal and two assists in last night's win over the Hurricanes.  He played well with LW Johan Larsson, who had 2 goals and an assist in the game, but don't expect them to be major contributors this year. Keep them in mind...Two names that won't be voted off the Island if they produce are RW Kyle Okposo and C Josh Bailey. The Former had 2 assists last night and the latter had 2 short-handed goals.  These 2 paired up and have shown some chemistry.  Don't forget them on draft day as the Islanders will be a much improved team this year....With all eyes on this year's top draft pick Jonathan Drouin, it was Brett Connolly who posted 2 goals in last night's game. Don't forget about this 46-goal scorer in the WHL in 2010-2011 who also scored 31 goals in the AHL last year...Toronto Maple Leaf Nazem Kadri is proving that he will continue with the work effort he displayed last season by potting his 2nd goal of the pre-season. Don't miss out on the latest ROMIE HITS THE POST. Romie focuses on two intriguing situations unfolding in Florida and New Jersey.  Check it out here. ***ATTENTION FANTASY HOCKEY LEAGUE COMMISSIONERS*** If you are the commissioner of an upcoming fantasy hockey league and will be holding a draft soon,  PrimePucks has some goodies for you to distribute to your league members.  Look even better to your league members by giving them free stuff.  Who doesn't like free stuff?  Contact cj@primepucks.com to find out more. PrimePucks™ continues to bring you the NHL IN 30 every day in the month of September, bringing you in-depth team analysis for the upcoming season. Today's featured team: Nashville Predators!  Don't forget to check back each and every day for the latest featured team!