Erik Karlsson notched his eighth goal of the season in a 4-3 loss to the Bruins Tuesday. The goal gives Karlsson 48 points on the campaign and extends his league lead in scoring among defensemen. Kyle Turris also notched his fifth of the season in the losing effort while Colin Greening buried his 12th.

Erik Karlsson and the Ottawa Senators haven't engaged in any serious extension discussions. Karlsson is scheduled to become a restricted free agent this summer. He had 45 points last season and he's already recorded 47 points in 51 games in 2011-12. Karlsson is in for a big payday, the only question is if the Senators try to pursue a long-term deal or settle for a shorter contract for now in the hopes of working something out later.

Daniel Alfredsson selected teammates Erik Karlsson and Jason Spezza with his first two picks in the All-Star fantasy draft Thursday night in Ottawa. Good move by Alfie. He will have the crowd on his side for the big game on the weekend. The 21-year-old blueliner leads all NHL rearguards with 47 points and has already shattered his previous career-high of 45 points in a single season. If Karlsson can maintain this pace, he'll become just the fourth blueliner to reach the 70-point mark in a single season since the lockout. The other three are Mike Green, Nicklas Lidstrom, and Sergei Zubov. Another encouraging aspect to his play is his vastly improved plus-minus rating, which currently sits at a plus-5. The young Swede is certainly having a magical campaign and he is clearly establishing himself as one of the NHL's best young blueliners. Needless to say he is having a monster fantasy campaign and was a steal on draft day.

Erik Karlsson was labeled as a diver by referee Dan O'Rourke in Saturday's game against the Anaheim Ducks. The Senators wanted an explanation when a penalty wasn't called on Anaheim's Ryan Getzlaf when Karlsson was tripped to the ice and O'Rourke said it was because the Ottawa defenseman has gained a reputation for embellishing. Karlsson didn't agree with the assessment, but he wasn't overly critical either after learning the news. "There's nothing I can do about it right now," he said. "But it's nothing that's going to affect me. It's all in the past. I'm good from my side of things. I know it's hard, and I know they're going through a lot of stuff. I respect them a lot, what they do. It's not easy making hard decisions all the time." It's not an encouraging sign that Karlsson may not get the benefit of the doubt from officials moving forward, but it shouldn't have a significant impact on his play.

For confirmation purposes, Erik Karlsson will be in Ottawa's lineup on Thursday night after missing one game with an upper-body. The Senators were adamant that the injury wasn't serious, but his absence from practice on Wednesday did raise some eyebrows after he sat out Tuesday's contest following an injury in the warmup. Get the offensive defenseman back in your fantasy lineup. Matt Carkner is expected to be a healthy scratch to make room for Karlsson's return.

Coach Paul MacLean stuck by his original expectation on Wednesday that Erik Karlsson (upper body) will be available to play on Thursday night despite missing Wednesday's practice. "I think it was just something in his preparation, whether it was playing soccer or getting manipulated or whatever he was doing in his pre-game routine, but I don't know exactly what it was," said MacLean. "Erik should be fine. We just want to make sure." Karlsson was held out of Tuesday's contest in Pittsburgh as a precaution after he tweaked something while warming up.

Erik Karlsson's upper-body injury isn't believed to be serious and coach Paul MacLean said the offensive defender sat out Tuesday's contest as a precaution. "We were just making sure we did things the right way and we're expecting that he'll be fine for the game in New York," said MacLean referring to Thursday night's match-up. "It was just something that he tweaked during his warmup getting ready for the game. It is something that can be easily handled and it is our expectation that hell be ready to play." We'll keep you posted, but get ready to have him active versus the Rangers.

Erik Karlsson was a late scratch on Tuesday with an upper body injury. Karlsson partook in the morning practice and pre-game skate but it was decided that he would not play. Matt Carkner, who was slated to be a healthy scratch, took his place in the Ottawa lineup. Consider Karlsson, who leads all defensemen with 41 points this season, to be day-to-day.

Erik Karlsson is enjoying his best season as a pro in 2011-12. He recorded 13 goals and 45 points during his sophomore year last season and already has 41 points after 43 games this campaign. Another encouraging aspect to his play is his vastly improved plus-minus rating, which currently sits at a plus-7. Karlsson was criticized a year ago for his brutal minus-30 rating and while there are still wrinkles in his defensive game, there clearly has been an improvement. The 21-year-old blueliner leads all NHL rearguards in points and his wealth of potential leads onlookers to believe he can carry on that feat for years to come.

The Ottawa Senators' come-from-behind win against the Philadelphia Flyers was highlighted by another great output from defenseman Erik Karlsson. Karlsson had a goal and an assist along with a stunning +5 rating in the game as Ottawa turned a 4-2 deficit into a 6-4 victory against Philly. Daniel Alfredsson, Nick Foligno and Chris Neil also had one goal and one assist each in the game.