The New York Rangers had a good night in beating the Flyers 3-2 because of Center Derick Brassard who had two goals and looked good last night. Brassard came over to New York in the Marian Gaborik trade last year and has seemed very much in place in New York. He could score 60 points this year depending on the ice time he gets.  Don't forget about him late in your draft....Young forward Sean Courtier had a goal for Philadelphia, and he is probably off most poolies radar, but we have high expectations for him, and think he can score 65+ points this season....Steve Mason had 20 saves in goal, so watch this situation as he is competing with Ray Emery for the starter's job in Philadelphia. It should be a tough fight....Marcus Foligno had 2 goals last night for Buffalo against a Columbus split squad. At 22, Foligno has not yet established himself in the NHL but he has offensive talent, so he could be a real sleeper.  He once scored 13 points in 14 games in 2011-2012....Young Mikhail Grigorenko had a goal for Buffalo. Keep an eye on this kid because he has tremendous upside potential....The other Columbus squad beat Minnesota 3-1. Niklas Backstrom had only 7 saves in goal for the Wild while allowing all 3 goals. His performance will be critical to Minnesota this year....Forward Nino Niederreiter scored the only goal for the Wild on the power play, and he did not look bad. He was a tremendous bust for the Islanders but now has a new life in Minnesota.  He is only 20 years old....Corey Crawford was in midseason form in goal for Chicago as he stopped all 19 shots he faced, as the Blackhawks shut out Detroit....Patrick Sharp had a goal for Chicago and he should get 30+ goals this season. The guy is very dependable....Defenseman Dennis Wideman had two goals last night for Calgary in a split squad game against the Islanders, but please don't expect that to happen a lot as this team is most likely going to struggle this year. He is at best a late round draft pick....Forward Curtis Glencross had a goal and two assists. We view him as a marginal pick....Michael Grabner had a goal for New York and he has a lot of ability.  If he could only play with more consistency.... Kevin Poulin had 14 saves out of 16 shots for the Islanders and is fighting Nabokov for the starter's job in New York. We expect Nabokov to win this battle....In a split squad game Calgary beat the Islanders 4-2.  John Tavares and Matt Moulson both scored for New York. Expect them both to have big years...

Pre-Season Fantasy Bits: The New York Rangers had a good night in beating the Flyers 3-2 because of Center Derick Brassard who had two goals and looked good last night. Brassard came over to New York in the Marian Gaborik trade last year and has seemed very much in place in New York. He could score 60 points this year depending on the ice time he gets.  Don't forget about him late in your draft....Young forward Sean Courtier had a goal for Philadelphia, and he is probably off most poolies radar, but we have high expectations for him, and think he can score 65+ points this season....Steve Mason had 20 saves in goal, so watch this situation as he is competing with Ray Emery for the starter's job in Philadelphia. It should be a tough fight....Marcus Foligno had 2 goals last night for Buffalo against a Columbus split squad. At 22, Foligno has not yet established himself in the NHL but he has offensive talent, so he could be a real sleeper.  He once scored 13 points in 14 games in 2011-2012....Young Mikhail Grigorenko had a goal for Buffalo. Keep an eye on this kid because he has tremendous upside potential....The other Columbus squad beat Minnesota 3-1. Niklas Backstrom had only 7 saves in goal for the Wild while allowing all 3 goals. His performance will be critical to Minnesota this year....Forward Nino Niederreiter scored the only goal for the Wild on the power play, and he did not look bad. He was a tremendous bust for the Islanders but now has a new life in Minnesota.  He is only 20 years old....Corey Crawford was in midseason form in goal for Chicago as he stopped all 19 shots he faced, as the Blackhawks shut out Detroit....Patrick Sharp had a goal for Chicago and he should get 30+ goals this season. The guy is very dependable....Defenseman Dennis Wideman had two goals last night for Calgary in a split squad game against the Islanders, but please don't expect that to happen a lot as this team is most likely going to struggle this year. He is at best a late round draft pick....Forward Curtis Glencross had a goal and two assists. We view him as a marginal pick....Michael Grabner had a goal for New York and he has a lot of ability.  If he could only play with more consistency.... Kevin Poulin had 14 saves out of 16 shots for the Islanders and is fighting Nabokov for the starter's job in New York. We expect Nabokov to win this battle....In a split squad game Calgary beat the Islanders 4-2.  John Tavares and Matt Moulson both scored for New York. Expect ...

No word on how Wideman will be out but his presence will be missed. Wideman has 22 points in 43 games this season.

The Giordano-Wideman pairing could benefit both players as a solid offensive unit should their past performance carry over into this season.

Wideman finished in the top 10 among defencemen with 46 points, including 11 goals. He led all Capitals blueliners with 113 hits and 132 blocked shots.

Wideman moves back into the top four. The Kitchener, Ontario native has carried the offensive load for the Caps blue line with five goals and 21 points through 32 games.