Lots of activity in the NHL yesterday with 11 games played, so we have a lot to go through. The Flyers and St. Louis kicked things off with Philadelphia winning 4-1.  Steve Mason was very solid in goal for the Flyers with 32 saves. His record on the year is now 30-16-6 with a 2.52 GA and a .918 SP.  Not a bad season!  Left wing Scott Hartnell had a goal and an assist, and he has been hot lately with 5 points in his last 3 games. Still he has only 46 points on the year.  Young Blues left wing Jaden Schwartz scored tgeir only goal, and he now has 52 points. Look for him next season, as this kid is only going to get better.  The Penguins topped Tampa Bay 4-3, and the big guns were all over the scoreboard.  Evgeni Malkin had a big game with 2 goals and 2 assists for Pittsburgh, while Sydney Crosby had a goal and 2 assists. Steven Stamkos had a goal and an assist for the Lightning. The Red Wings beat Minnesota 3-2, as defenseman Brendan Smith had a goal and an assist. Smith has only 17 points on the season so don't go after him. Dave Leqwand, also, had a goal and an assist for Detroit, but with only 47 points on the year I would not chase him either. The Stars beat Ottawa 3-1.  Boy Ottawa is having a tough year. Kari Lehtonen had 26 saves for the win in goal, and he has 26 wins on the season. Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson got their only goal, and this guy is a monster with 19 goals and 65 points on the year.   LA shutout Florida 4-0, as goaltender Jonathan Quick had 24 saves. Big night for Quick as he surpassed Rogie Vachon as the winningest goaltender in LA history with win number 172.  Congratulations to him!   Montreal got past Toronto 4-3, as each team's right wings Brian Gionta and Joffrey Lupul had a goal and an assist. Neither is fantasy worthy though.   The Rangers shutout New Jersey 2-0, as goaltender Henrik Lundqvist had a big night with 21 saves, and he surpassed Eddie Giacomin for the franchise record with his 50th shutout. Congratulation to him as well!   Carolina beat Winnipeg 3-2, as goaltender Cam Ward had a good night with 34 saves. Maybe he is coming back to life after a difficult season.  We shall see.  Defenseman Andrej Sekera had 2 assists for the Hurricanes, and he is having a great season withh 11 goals and 44 points. Jarome Iginla may be getting up a bit in age, but it sure isn't affecting his play as he had 2 goals last night in Boston's 4-2 win over Phoenix. Goals number 27 & 28 on the year. Tuukka Rask was sharp in goal for the...

Good morning and a Happy St. Patrick's Day to all! No worries, my coffee isn't green but it may be Irish. Jarome Iginla and David Krejci have been one hot pair of late. And Milan Lucic too. Steve Mason came up huge against Pittsburgh yesterday. Will he come back again today in the back end of the home-and-home series with the Pens? Carey Price returned but he needed the help of his team mates in a huge comeback over Ottawa last night. The best two defensemen, or tow of the best defensemen in the NHL, put on a show last night. Erik Karlsson with 2 assists and P. K. Subban with 3. Ben Bishop and Martin Brodeur were putting on a show for a while last night. The old and the new. It looks like Kyle Okposo is doing just fine without John Tavares. It's safe to say Ryan Miller is enjoying his time in St. Louis. Minnesota plays too many games decided by 1 goal. You have to admire the way the Calgary Flames have been playing this year even though it has been labeled a rebuilding year. Kudos! Colonel Klinkhammer knows that for him to get on SMC, he needs to show up on the score sheet. HE scored his tenth last night. Last night's Battle of Los Angeles was decided by not the usual cast of characters. Anaheim is not giving up the President's Cup so easily to St. Louis Is it me or does Dallas and Phoenix have a race every year to see who gets into the playoffs? I can see Florida making a big turnaround next year now that they have Luongo back. I would have loved to see where Tavares would be in the scoring race if not for his injury at the Olympics. Have a great week!

5. Shea Weber, Nashville: 5 G, 4 A, 2 PPG, 2 PPA With 38 points in 56 games for Nashville, Weber is on pace to challenge his career high in points (53) and according to many insiders, is playing the best hockey of his career. Fantasy owners can also expect a positive carry-over effect from Weber's amazing play in the Olympic Games so far. Don't be surprised if the ultra-talented blueliner, who has been the runner-up to the Norris Trophy twice, captures the top prize with close to a point-per-game pace over the last 20 games or so. 4. Keith Yandle, Phoenix: 1 G, 9 A, 1 PPG, 7 PPA How does one of the more consistent point-getters on defense year-in, year out continues to fly under the radar is beyond me, but he needs to be treated as an elite fantasy option. Well on his way to a fourth 40+ point season in his NHL career, he put up 59 points in ‘10/11. Oliver-Ekman Larsson has been the rising star on the Coyotes' defense over the last few seasons, but from a fantasy perspective, Yandle has already arrived. Start him with extreme confidence. 3. Matt Niskanen, Pittsburgh: 2 G, 11 A, 4 PPA The formula here is pretty simple. Any Pittsburgh defenseman responsible for quarterbacking the primary power-play unit with Crosby, Malkin and Neal is worth his weight in gold. With Letang out for the forseeable future, Niskanen's dream season should continue without a hitch. Only possible contenders are Paul Martin and Olli Maata, but we think Niskanen should hold on to the "dream" spot. Unless, Letang returns, but that's highly unlikely for the remainder of this season. 2. Erik Karlsson, Ottawa: 5 G, 9 A, 1 PPG, 5 PPA Not much to say here other than Karlsson has set the gold standard for fantasy defensemen with another remarkable year in progress- 55 points in 59 games. Over the last 3 seasons, he has accumulated 147 points in 157 games. Flat-out sick! If you do own Karlsson in any fantasy format, he is as untradeable as they come. 1. James Wisniewski, Columbus: 2 G, 10 A, 2 PPG, 7 PPA Amazingly enough, our top-rated fantasy defender has been playing through a broken pinkie toe injury, but he is not expected to miss any time after the Olympic break. The hopes for Wisniewski owners are that he can stay away from the infirmiery long enough to get back to his 50-point form when he was playing in Montreal. My advice to Wisniewski owners is because of perpetual health concerns, dangle him as trade bait and test the market. If you are have defensive depth on your team,...

RED HOT---It is safe to say that Alexander Semin is on fire. With another two goals last night, he now has 6 goals in his last 4 games.  En fuego!  Those who took a chance acquiring Semin when he was injured, or perhaps plucked him off the waiver wire, are reaping the benefits big time now....Jiri Tlusty seems to have found his game from last season by potting a goal and getting an assist; that's 5 points in last 3 games. Semin may not be available but Tlusty still may be lingering on the wire....WHITE LIGHTNING---Perhaps playing against Ottawa Defenseman Erik Karlsson inspired Tampa's Victor Hedman, or maybe Hedman is just coming into his own (29 pts. in 44 games), but whatever the reason, Hedman's 3 assists was every bit as good as Karlsson's 2 points but it took a shootout to give Ben Bishop and the Bolts the victory. For Bishop, that is win number 25, putting him in the top 3 in goaltender wins.  What a story this young goaltender is writing this year....BLUE JACKETS---The Columbus Blue Jackets are ‘red" hot at the moment having gone 9-1-0 in last ten. D Jack Johnson now has 7 points in last 6 games by opening the scoring against the Philadelphia Flyers. JJ has turned it around since being snubbed for the Olympics.  For those who were patient during the first half of the season, he is making up for it with his current hot streak. A very good 3rd or 4th defenseman on your fantasy squad....Columbus G Sergei Bobrovsky has returned to his Vezina-winning ways in net for the Jackets ever since his return from injury. Bobber is another player whose fantasy owners are being rewarded for being patient.  Or, if you were able to acquire him through trade or wire, kudos!.... More Fantasy Game Notes: The NY Rangers and St. Louis Blues played a doozy of a game in what could be a highlight of the Stanley Cup finals if everything fell into place. But we are a long ways from that point.  The Blueshirts peppered Jaroslav Halak with 35 SOG but Halak was tremendous by putting aside 34. Henrik Lundqvist played well enough for the win but the Blues took advantage of their power play opportunities (1/2) while the Rangers went 0 for 3....The Pittsburgh Penguins offense was just a little bit much for the NY Islanders. The only Islander with 2 points was Michael Grabner while the Pens had 5 players with 2 or more and two of those were defensemen. Matt Niskanen (2A) continues his fine season even with the Pens defense at full strength; keep playing him with confidence.  ...

RED HOT---It is safe to say that Alexander Semin is on fire. With another two goals last night, he now has 6 goals in his last 4 games.  En fuego!  Those who took a chance acquiring Semin when he was injured, or perhaps plucked him off the waiver wire, are reaping the benefits big time now....Jiri Tlusty seems to have found his game from last season by potting a goal and getting an assist; that's 5 points in last 3 games. Semin may not be available but Tlusty still may be lingering on the wire....WHITE LIGHTNING---Perhaps playing against Ottawa Defenseman Erik Karlsson inspired Tampa's Victor Hedman, or maybe Hedman is just coming into his own (29 pts. in 44 games), but whatever the reason, Hedman's 3 assists was every bit as good as Karlsson's 2 points but it took a shootout to give Ben Bishop and the Bolts the victory. For Bishop, that is win number 25, putting him in the top 3 in goaltender wins.  What a story this young goaltender is writing this year....BLUE JACKETS---The Columbus Blue Jackets are ‘red" hot at the moment having gone 9-1-0 in last ten. D Jack Johnson now has 7 points in last 6 games by opening the scoring against the Philadelphia Flyers. JJ has turned it around since being snubbed for the Olympics.  For those who were patient during the first half of the season, he is making up for it with his current hot streak. A very good 3rd or 4th defenseman on your fantasy squad....Columbus G Sergei Bobrovsky has returned to his Vezina-winning ways in net for the Jackets ever since his return from injury. Bobber is another player whose fantasy owners are being rewarded for being patient.  Or, if you were able to acquire him through trade or wire, kudos!.... More Fantasy Game Notes: The NY Rangers and St. Louis Blues played a doozy of a game in what could be a highlight of the Stanley Cup finals if everything fell into place. But we are a long ways from that point.  The Blueshirts peppered Jaroslav Halak with 35 SOG but Halak was tremendous by putting aside 34. Henrik Lundqvist played well enough for the win but the Blues took advantage of their power play opportunities (1/2) while the Rangers went 0 for 3....The Pittsburgh Penguins offense was just a little bit much for the NY Islanders. The only Islander with 2 points was Michael Grabner while the Pens had 5 players with 2 or more and two of those were defensemen. Matt Niskanen (2A) continues his fine season even with the Pens defense at full strength; keep playing him with confidence.  ...

It is safe to say that Alexander Semin is on fire. With another two goals last night, he now has 6 goals in his last 4 games.  En fuego!  Those who took a chance acquiring Semin when he was injured, or perhaps plucked him off the waiver wire, are reaping the benefits big time now....Jiri Tlusty seems to have found his game from last season by potting a goal and getting an assist; that's 5 points in last 3 games. Semin may not be available but Tlusty still may be lingering on the wire....The Columbus Blue Jackets are ‘red" hot at the moment having gone 9-1-0 in last ten.  D Jack Johnson now has 7 points in last 6 games by opening the scoring against the Philadelphia Flyers. JJ has turned it around since being snubbed for the Olympics.  For those who were patient during the first half of the season, he is making up for it with his current hot streak.  A very good 3rd or 4th defenseman on your fantasy squad....Columbus G Sergei Bobrovsky has returned to his Vezina-winning ways in net for the Jackets ever since his return from injury. Bobber is another player whose fantasy owners are being rewarded for being patient.  Or, if you were able to acquire him through trade or wire, kudos!....The NY Rangers and St. Louis Blues played a doozy of a game in what could be a highlight of the Stanley Cup finals if everything fell into place.  But we are a long ways from that point.  The Blueshirts peppered Jaroslav Halak with 35 SOG but Halak was tremendous by putting aside 34. Henrik Lundqvist played well enough for the win but the Blues took advantage of their power play opportunities (1/2) while the Rangers went 0 for 3....Perhaps playing against Ottawa Defenseman Erik Karlsson inspired Tampa's Victor Hedman, or maybe Hedman is just coming into his own (29 pts. in 44 games), but whatever the reason, Hedman's 3 assists was every bit as good as Karlsson's 2 points but it took a shootout to give Ben Bishop and the Bolts the victory. For Bishop, that is win number 25, putting him in the top 3 in goaltender wins.  What a story this young goaltender is writing this year....The Pittsburgh Penguins offense was just a little bit much for the NY Islanders.  The only Islander with 2 points was Michael Grabner while the Pens had 5 players with 2 or more and two of those were defensemen. Matt Niskanen continues his fine season even with the Pens defense at full strength; keep playing him with confidence. Rookie Olli Maata is also contributing but still a bit inconsistent for ...

Since we are amidst our annual year-ending holiday season, I felt it to be appropriate to "toast" a handful of defensemen who deserve special recognition as studs or duds on our fantasy teams. I would love to write about 20 or so guys, but I will keep the list tight and concise. Enjoy! CHEERS: Duncan Keith Let's start with the unbelievable season that the Chicago defender is having by leading the entire NHL with points (32). While Erik Karlsson will still be the odds-on favorite to win the d-man scoring crown, Keith has re-emerged among the elite fantasy ranks and should be able to get close to his career-high of 69 points. JEERS: Mike Green Despite the Washington Capitals leading the NHL with 32 power-play goals and ranking seventh in overall scoring, the normally prolific blueliner sits with just 16 points in 31 games. This pro-rates his offensive production to near the 40-point mark over an 82-game season. Fantasy owners deserve more, but Green is probably playing through injuries. CHEERS: Jason Garrison After failing miserably to live up to his huge contract signing last season, the Vancouver defenseman has lit up the scoreboard with 22 points in 36 games in '13-14. With Alex Edler having a "down" season, Garrison has become a border-line elite fantasy option while quarterbacking the top power-play unit for the Canucks. Playing with the Sedins does have it's perks. JEERS: Lubomir Visnovsky Not entirely his fault, the former 68-point producer had high hopes of putting big numbers with the John Tavares-led New York Islanders, but he has been sidelined with a concussion since the eighth game of the season. Fantasy owners banking on "Lubo" as an elite fantasy defender will have to look elsewhere, as he is not close to returning to live game action. Just imagine how much better Tavares' numbers would have been if Visnovsky was healthy and igniting their anemic power-play attack? Plenty of fantasy owners hurt with this one. CHEERS: Eric Gelinas The 22-year old has emerged from total obscurity to become a key offensive cog on the back-end for New Jersey. With 4 points in the last 5 games, the hulking defender has amassed 15 points in 26 games. Veteran Marek Zidlicky has become an afterthought, as the real fantasy prize on the Devil's "D" is Gelinas. JEERS: Tobias Enstrom With 10 points in 36 games, the two-time 50-point producer has played plenty of minutes for Winnipeg, but little offense to show for it. It's hard to score just 2 points in the last 20 ...

Just the smell of coffee stirs my senses from their slumber! Let's hope that yesterday's 4 goals let in by Steve Mason doesn't happen too often. He is having a great season. The Flyers had a complete meltdown in just over a minute's time in the 2nd period against Dallas. In his second game back from injury, Seguin gets a hattie, his second one of the year. This kid can be soooo good. I guess Pascal Dupuis won't duplicate that 59-point season from two years ago. But Chris Kunitz is going to have a career-best season. Carey Price is having a most wonderful season. Dion Phaneuf had 5 SOG yesterday. That's correct, 5.  He actually had 4 the other day against San Jose too.  Erik Karlsson had 9 SOG, so take that Phaneuf!   LOL The Red Wings could only score 1 goal against Tim Thomas and the Florida Panthers? I know they were without Datsyuk and Zetterberg, but 1 goal? That was the game where former Panther Stephen Weiss was supposed to go off. He must not have gotten that memo. Nashville isn't helping with the Western Conference's dominance over the Eastern Conference. That Jay Bouwmeester is 6th among defensemen scoring. Who woulda thunk it? Jason Garrison has been reborn, and in the same season. The Rangers were lucky to get a point out of last night's game against the Devils. The Ducks really showed the Blues yesterday, huh? You just might be seeing a little more of Brian Elliott in net for St. Louis over the next stretch of games. The Oilers can score 8 goals against Colorado, but only 1 against Calgary? Wasn't that supposed to be the other way around? When Martin Jones shuts you out, you know you need to be ripped into by the coach. Come on Islanders, you're better than that, aren't you? With Jones' shutout and the way Ben Scrivens has been playing, Jonathan Quick can take all the time he needs to get back. Colonel Klinkhammer had an assist on Friday night. Yeah baby! For the most part, both Conference standings are settling into how they should look. With such little fanfare, Bryan Little has been quietly having a very good season with 27 points in 31 games played. Have a great week!

~~ Sorry for the delay, but this week's ISD is finally here. We hope it was worth the wait, as we focused again on the top-ten fantasy defensemen over the last 15 day scoring period. Many questions to be answered, such as: What has gotten into Duncan Keith? Will Jason Garrison keep it up this time? Who is the latest hot fantasy duo on "D"? Well, it's time to read up. TOP TEN FANTASY DEFENSEMEN OVER THE LAST 15-DAY PERIOD Jason Garrison, Van D     1G--7A--1PPG--4PPA Niklas Kronwall, Det D     2G--7A--2PPG--2PPA Duncan Keith, Chi D       0G-10A--0PPG- 3PPA Victor Hedman, TB D       3G--3A--1PPG--1PPA Erik Karlsson, Ott D         0G--7A--0PPG--5PPA Andrei Markov, Mon D     0G--7A--0PPG- 4PPA P.K. Subban, Mon D       1G--6A--0PPG--3PPA Eric Gelinas, NJ D           1G--5A--1PPG--3PPA Andrej Sekera, Car D      4G--2A--2PPG--0PPA Ryan McDonagh, NYR D   4G--2A--2PPG--0PPA FANTASY NOTES: After starting the season "on fire" with nine points in his first ten games, Vancouver's Jason Garrison was mired in a 14-game drought without scoring a single point. Now all of a sudden, he is the hottest scoring blueliner over the last few weeks with 8 points in the last 6 games. With Alex Edler relatively ineffective and nursing an injury, the hard-shooting Garrison should continue the torrid streak a bit longer. However, can you stomach his extensive cold spells if you own him in a tight fantasy league? Let someone else deal with his "ups" and "downs". Sell high if you can.. What's up with Chicago's Duncan Keith? With at least one helper in eight straight games, the slick blueliner has been an assist machine in '13-14. So much for the theory that Keith's "magical" season of '09-10, where he set career-highs with 69 points, was basically an aberration and one that he would never approach again. His 25 points in 29 games could get him close to the 70-point range, but his scoring pace could slow considerably with his participation in the Sochi games likely. Hold onto him, as Chicago could be the NHL's top scoring offense in '13-14... The Detroit Red Wings have barely skipped the beat in the absence of the now-retired Nicklas Lidstrom, as Niklas Kronwall has filled the void in prolific fashion, collecting 21 points in 26 games, 11 of which being on the power-play. A top-five fantasy defender to own, the talented Swede is a must-start in all formats.. Speaking of must-start Swedes, no one is better in the game today than superstar Erik Karlsson of Ottawa, who continues to ...

My wife and I will soon be making our Thanksgiving feast for our family, so I will be somewhat brief in my remarks today. There were 10 games in the NHL last night, and I will highlight what we think were the most important events... Montreal beat the terrible Sabres 3-1, but the big news was that Canadiens forward David Desharnais had a goal and an assist in the game, and while he has only 6 points on the season he has been reunited with former linemate Max Pacioretty and he may suprise you the rest of the year.  He led the team last night with 4:55 minutes of PP time.  He is getting top quality ice time... the Islanders continue to struggle as they lose to Winnipeg 3-2.  If it wasn't for John Tavares I don't know why anyone would go to an Islanders game.  He had a goal and an assist last night and he has 29 points in 25 games.  Elite forward....Andrew Ladd had a goal for the Jets and he has 20 points on the season....Ottawa beat Washington 6-4... and as usual Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson had a big game with 2 assists. Karlsson has 26 points on the season, and this guy scores like he is a forward....Ottawa forward Bobby Ryan had 2 goals, and he is having a great year with 24 points, but we would like to highlight Kyle Turris who had an assist for the Senators, and is having a solid season with 21 points. Grab him if you can. Marek the magnificent:  With Pekka Rinne out with an injury, the Nashville Predators are relying more and more on young Marek Mazanec in goal, and he has not disappointed. Last night he had a shutout against Columbus with 19 saves.  This kid can play.  He is 5-3 on the year with a 2.01 goals against and a .935 save percentage.  Play him if you can. Boston is a no show:  The Boston Bruins decided to celebrate Thanksgiving early, as they did not show up for last night's game against Detroit.  There are games when you realize quickly that one of the teams are taking the game off.  Detroit 6 - Boston 1.  With Pavel Datsyuk out, the Wings rely on Henrik Zetterberg for leadership, and he did not disappoint last night with a goal and an assist. He has 30 points on the season, and he is a top fantasy forward.  More interesting is youngster Gustav Nyquist who had a goal and an assist. Nyquist has 4 points in 4 games since being recalled from the minors.  He has a lot of skill, and is a up and comer.  Keep an eye on him. Head of the class:  Big night for Tampa Bay defenseman Victor Hedman as he had 2 goals and an assist in last night's ...