Nabokov will miss his ninth consecutive game tonight since injuring his leg on January 6. He faced shots for the first time since the injury which is a step in the right direction. Kevin Poulin has filled-in nicely for Nabby, so they can take their time with this second lower-body injury of the season.

For those of you fantasy owners who did the unthinkable and bailed out on Ranger's All-World goalie Henrik Lundqvist after his mediocre stretch in December, I have bad news. The "King" has returned to glory, stopping all 38 shots last night against Detroit for his 3rd shutout of the season and his 4th win in his last 5 starts. After registering a 3.08 GAA and a .888 SP in 10 games last month, his numbers in January have been up to his usual lofty standards: 4-2-1, 2.12 GAA, and .939 SP. With the return of "heart and soul" players Ryan Callahan and Marc Staal and the team's penchant for scoring timely goals in recent games, Lundqvist looks poised to return to his normal perch on top of the fantasy goalie world. More Fantasy Game Notes With a goal and two assists, Wayne Simmonds of the Flyers has been in fantasy "beast" mode with 20 points in the last 15 games. As long as he remains firmly entrenched on the Flyer's primary power-play unit, keep starting him.Great for Mike Smith last night, as the much-maligned Phoenix goalie turned aside all 29 shots in the 1-0 win over Vancouver. Smith had been 0-5-2 over his previous 7 starts, so maybe the shutout can kick-start a winning streak. Not sold on his resurgence yet.Hey Ben Scrivens, welcome to Edmonton! In his first start for the Oilers, he allowed 4 goals on 26 shots in the 4-1 loss to Minnesota. He will sorely miss the King's defensive corps and scheme, so look for his 2.09 GAA to considerably rise. Fantasy value on the decline.Two goalies under the fantasy radar which could be decent short-term options: Darcy Kuemper (Minnesota) and Kevin Poulin (NYI). The Wild goalie has benefited from Josh Harding's injury and Niklas Backstrom's recent struggles, starting 3 straight games while posting great numbers. When Harding returns, Kuemper will sit but things could be different on Long Island. Poulin has won 6 of 7 starts, allowing 14 goals during that span. With the older Evgeni Nabokov on the mend from injury, maybe the Islanders continue to ride the 23-year old even when the veteran returns. More long-term upside for Poulin than Kuemper.Winnipeg goalie Ondrej Pavelec has been a tremendous fantasy bust this season with a 3.05 GAA and a .899 SP, but thing are looking up since Paul Maurice took over as the Jet's head coach. Stopping 20 of 22 shots in the 5-2 win over Calgary, he has won both starts and could be trending upward. After being non-fantasy relevant all year long, maybe he is worth stashing away on ...

For those of you fantasy owners who did the unthinkable and bailed out on Ranger's All-World goalie Henrik Lundqvist after his mediocre stretch in December, I have bad news. The "King" has returned to glory, stopping all 38 shots last night against Detroit for his 3rd shutout of the season and his 4th win in his last 5 starts. After registering a 3.08 GAA and a .888 SP in 10 games last month, his numbers in January have been up to his usual lofty standards: 4-2-1, 2.12 GAA, and .939 SP. With the return of "heart and soul" players Ryan Callahan and Marc Staal and the team's penchant for scoring timely goals in recent games, Lundqvist looks poised to return to his normal perch on top of the fantasy goalie world. More Fantasy Game Notes With a goal and two assists, Wayne Simmonds of the Flyers has been in fantasy "beast" mode with 20 points in the last 15 games. As long as he remains firmly entrenched on the Flyer's primary power-play unit, keep starting him.Great for Mike Smith last night, as the much-maligned Phoenix goalie turned aside all 29 shots in the 1-0 win over Vancouver. Smith had been 0-5-2 over his previous 7 starts, so maybe the shutout can kick-start a winning streak. Not sold on his resurgence yet.Hey Ben Scrivens, welcome to Edmonton! In his first start for the Oilers, he allowed 4 goals on 26 shots in the 4-1 loss to Minnesota. He will sorely miss the King's defensive corps and scheme, so look for his 2.09 GAA to considerably rise. Fantasy value on the decline.Two goalies under the fantasy radar which could be decent short-term options: Darcy Kuemper (Minnesota) and Kevin Poulin (NYI). The Wild goalie has benefited from Josh Harding's injury and Niklas Backstrom's recent struggles, starting 3 straight games while posting great numbers. When Harding returns, Kuemper will sit but things could be different on Long Island. Poulin has won 6 of 7 starts, allowing 14 goals during that span. With the older Evgeni Nabokov on the mend from injury, maybe the Islanders continue to ride the 23-year old even when the veteran returns. More long-term upside for Poulin than Kuemper.Winnipeg goalie Ondrej Pavelec has been a tremendous fantasy bust this season with a 3.05 GAA and a .899 SP, but thing are looking up since Paul Maurice took over as the Jet's head coach. Stopping 20 of 22 shots in the 5-2 win over Calgary, he has won both starts and could be trending upward. After being non-fantasy relevant all year long, maybe he is worth stashing away on ...

For those of you fantasy owners who did the unthinkable and bailed out on Ranger's All-World goalie Henrik Lundqvist after his mediocre stretch in December, I have bad news. The "King" has returned to glory, stopping all 38 shots last night against Detroit for his 3rd shutout of the season and his 4th win in his last 5 starts. After registering a 3.08 GAA and a .888 SP in 10 games last month, his numbers in January have been up to his usual lofty standards: 4-2-1, 2.12 GAA, and .939 SP. With the return of "heart and soul" players Ryan Callahan and Marc Staal and the team's penchant for scoring timely goals in recent games, Lundqvist looks poised to return to his normal perch on top of the fantasy goalie world. More Fantasy Game Notes With a goal and two assists, Wayne Simmonds of the Flyers has been in fantasy "beast" mode with 20 points in the last 15 games. As long as he remains firmly entrenched on the Flyer's primary power-play unit, keep starting him.Great for Mike Smith last night, as the much-maligned Phoenix goalie turned aside all 29 shots in the 1-0 win over Vancouver. Smith had been 0-5-2 over his previous 7 starts, so maybe the shutout can kick-start a winning streak. Not sold on his resurgence yet.Hey Ben Scrivens, welcome to Edmonton! In his first start for the Oilers, he allowed 4 goals on 26 shots in the 4-1 loss to Minnesota. He will sorely miss the King's defensive corps and scheme, so look for his 2.09 GAA to considerably rise. Fantasy value on the decline.Two goalies under the fantasy radar which could be decent short-term options: Darcy Kuemper (Minnesota) and Kevin Poulin (NYI). The Wild goalie has benefited from Josh Harding's injury and Niklas Backstrom's recent struggles, starting 3 straight games while posting great numbers. When Harding returns, Kuemper will sit but things could be different on Long Island. Poulin has won 6 of 7 starts, allowing 14 goals during that span. With the older Evgeni Nabokov on the mend from injury, maybe the Islanders continue to ride the 23-year old even when the veteran returns. More long-term upside for Poulin than Kuemper.Winnipeg goalie Ondrej Pavelec has been a tremendous fantasy bust this season with a 3.05 GAA and a .899 SP, but thing are looking up since Paul Maurice took over as the Jet's head coach. Stopping 20 of 22 shots in the 5-2 win over Calgary, he has won both starts and could be trending upward. After being non-fantasy relevant all year long, maybe he is worth stashing away on ...

Lots of action in the NHL last night as there were 11 games played. The Maple Leafs beat the Bruins 4-3 as center Tyler Bozak had a big game with 2 goals and an assist. Bozak has a tendency to get hurt and at 27 he is about as good as he is going to get, but when he is healthy he is productive.  He has 22 points in 24 games this year, and he has 6 points in his last 5 games.  Toronto right wing Phil Kessel had a big game as well with 3 assists. Kessel has 7 points in his last 3 games, and with 45 points on the season he is a top fantasy forward.  Patrice Bergeron had a goal and an assist for Boston, but with only 27 points on the season he has been an underperformer. He does have a +17 rating which helps...Tampa Bay beat the Rangers 2-1 as Lightning goalie Ben Bishop continued his remarkable season with a brilliant 33 save game. Bishop has 23 wins on the season, and his 1.83 goals against and .937 save percentage are outstanding.  He should have been on the US Olympic team...San Jose beat Washington in a shootout 2-1.  The interesting thing about this game was Capitals Coach Adam Oates decided to play Philipp Grubauer in goal. Despite the loss Grubauer played well with 28 saves.  He may be the top choice in goal in Washington going forward.  Scott Hartnell had a big game for the Flyers against Buffalo with a goal and 2 assists, and he has been hot lately. Hartnell is hot and cold, which can drive poolies crazy. He scored 37 goals and 67 points in 2011-2012, but he has only 22 points on the season.  Don't chase him. Jagr can still play! The 41 year old right wing from the Czech Republic had a goal and an assist last night in the Devils win over Montreal.  Jagr has 38 points on the season in 48 games played.  He is a long way from the player who used to play with Mario Lemieux in the 1980's and 1990's, once scoring 199  points in one season, but with 38 points on the season, he is still a viable 6th forward option. Islanders goal situation: The Islanders have been hot lately winning 7 of their last 9 games.  But with their starting goaltender Evgeni Nabokov down with a quadriceps injury, young Kevin Poulin is minding the net for New York. Poulin was bad yesterday against Florida allowing 4 goals on 26 shots.  His numbers are not good this year with a 9-13-0 record and a 3.12 goals against and a .895 save percentage.  Nabokov should be back soon, and Poulin will go back to the bench. Varlamov is good: Colorado goaltender Semyon Varlamov had a big game last...

Lots of action in the NHL last night as there were 11 games played. The Maple Leafs beat the Bruins 4-3 as center Tyler Bozak had a big game with 2 goals and an assist. Bozak has a tendency to get hurt and at 27 he is about as good as he is going to get, but when he is healthy he is productive.  He has 22 points in 24 games this year, and he has 6 points in his last 5 games.  Toronto right wing Phil Kessel had a big game as well with 3 assists. Kessel has 7 points in his last 3 games, and with 45 points on the season he is a top fantasy forward.  Patrice Bergeron had a goal and an assist for Boston, but with only 27 points on the season he has been an underperformer. He does have a +17 rating which helps...Tampa Bay beat the Rangers 2-1 as Lightning goalie Ben Bishop continued his remarkable season with a brilliant 33 save game. Bishop has 23 wins on the season, and his 1.83 goals against and .937 save percentage are outstanding.  He should have been on the US Olympic team...San Jose beat Washington in a shootout 2-1.  The interesting thing about this game was Capitals Coach Adam Oates decided to play Philipp Grubauer in goal. Despite the loss Grubauer played well with 28 saves.  He may be the top choice in goal in Washington going forward.  Scott Hartnell had a big game for the Flyers against Buffalo with a goal and 2 assists, and he has been hot lately. Hartnell is hot and cold, which can drive poolies crazy. He scored 37 goals and 67 points in 2011-2012, but he has only 22 points on the season.  Don't chase him. Jagr can still play! The 41 year old right wing from the Czech Republic had a goal and an assist last night in the Devils win over Montreal.  Jagr has 38 points on the season in 48 games played.  He is a long way from the player who used to play with Mario Lemieux in the 1980's and 1990's, once scoring 199  points in one season, but with 38 points on the season, he is still a viable 6th forward option. Islanders goal situation: The Islanders have been hot lately winning 7 of their last 9 games.  But with their starting goaltender Evgeni Nabokov down with a quadriceps injury, young Kevin Poulin is minding the net for New York. Poulin was bad yesterday against Florida allowing 4 goals on 26 shots.  His numbers are not good this year with a 9-13-0 record and a 3.12 goals against and a .895 save percentage.  Nabokov should be back soon, and Poulin will go back to the bench. Varlamov is good: Colorado goaltender Semyon Varlamov had a big game last...

Kevin Poulin has filled in nicely for Nabokov and will continue to get starts while Nabby is sidelined. There is no timetable for his return.

If you are a hockey fan like we are, you have to watch young Colorado forward Nathan MacKinnon score his goal last night against the New York Islanders.  It is just unbelievable to watch.  I could watch this over and over again.  His speed is unreal.  I think that Colorado President Joe Sakic made a good choice with the first pick in the draft.  New York forward, Rick Nash, scored the game winner against Dallas. Nash is vital to the Rangers success, but he has only 33 points on the season, and he has to score more than that for New York to make the playoffs.  Michal Neuvirth got the win in goal for Washington last night over Toronto 3-2,.  This is Neuvirth's first win since November 22.  It is hard to understand Oates' strategy in goal with Washington.  Braden Holtby has allowed 5 goals in each of his last 3 games. Philipp Grubauer has played well in goal with a 6-2-3 record a 2.27 goals against and a .931 save percentage, but Oates may go with Neuvirth for a while.  Phil Kessel had a goal and an assist in the loss for the Maple Leafs. He has 40 points on the season. Top forward option.  After missing 14 games with a groin injury Columbus goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky has returned with style, as he pitched a shutout against Carolina with 36 saves. His .914 save percentage is not all that good this year, but expect him to get better...Kevin Poulin had 30 saves in yesterday's Islander 2-1 victory over Colorado.    With Evgeni Nabokov out with an injury, Poulin appears to be the goaltender for New York until Nabokov comes back. His numbers are terrible, but his situation is very good.   Big night for Ryan Nugent Hopkins of Edmonton, as he had 2 goals and an assist.  With 35 points on the season he is beginning to show the great talent that he has. Youngster Anton Belov scored his first goal in the NHL for the Oilers.  Love that! ...Eddie Lack is playing great in goal for Vancouver with Roberto Luongo's injury. St Louis defenseman Alex Pietrangelo had a goal last night and 7 shots on goal.  He has 32 points in 44 games this year, and he is one of the top fantasy defensemen in the NHL.  He has 8 points in his last 5 games.

If you are a hockey fan like we are, you have to watch young Colorado forward Nathan MacKinnon score his his goal last night against the New York Islanders. It is just unbelievable to watch.  I could watch this over and over again.  His speed is unreal.  I think that Colorado President Joe Sakic made a good choice with the first pick in the draft.  New York forward, Rick Nash, scored the game winner against Dallas. Nash is vital to the Rangers success, but he has only 33 points on the season, and he has to score more than that for New York to make the playoffs.  Michal Neuvirth got the win in goal for Washington last night over Toronto 3-2,. This is Neuvirth's first win since November 22.  It is hard to understand Oates' strategy in goal with Washington.  Braden Holtby has allowed 5 goals in each of his last 3 games. Philipp Grubauer has played well in goal with a 6-2-3 record a 2.27 goals against and a .931 save percentage, but Oates may go with Neuvirth for a while. Phil Kessel had a goal and an assist in the loss for the Maple Leafs. He has 40 points on the season. Top forward option.  After missing 14 games with a groin injury Columbus goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky has returned with style, as he pitched a shutout against Carolina with 36 saves. His .914 save percentage is not all that good this year, but expect him to get better...Kevin Poulin had 30 saves in yesterday's Islander 2-1 victory over Colorado.   With Evgeni Nabokov out with an injury, Poulin appears to be the goaltender for New York until Nabokov comes back. His numbers are terrible, but his situation is very good.   Big night for Ryan Nugent Hopkins of Edmonton, as he had 2 goals and an assist. With 35 points on the season he is beginning to show the great talent that he has. Youngster Anton Belov scored his first goal in the NHL for the Oilers. Love that! ...Eddie Lack is playing great in goal for Vancouver with Roberto Luongo's injury. St Louis defenseman Alex Pietrangelo had a goal last night and 7 shots on goal. He has 32 points in 44 games this year, and he is one of the top fantasy defensemen in the NHL.  He has 8 points in his last 5 games.

Nabokov was injured in Monday's win over the Stars. This is the second time this season that Nabby has been sidelined with a lower-body injury. Like the first time around, Kevin Poulin will take the reigns as the Islanders starter for the time-being.