Tyler who? In case you have been on the far side of the moon the past couple of weeks, you should have noticed that the Boston Bruins second line of Patrice Bergeron-Brad Marchand-Reilly Smith has been absolutely on fire. Last night in a 6-3 victory over the Islanders Marchand had a goal and 3 assists, Bergeron had one goal and an assist and Smith had one goal and an assist as well. This line is clicking about as good as one could ever expect. In the last 6 games they have combined for 30 points. After a slow start, Marchand has 12 points in his last 6 games. He still has only 33 points on the season, but he is on fire. If you can get any one of these guys right now in your pool, please do so immediately, as these three guys are playing extremely well together. New York forward Kyle Okposo continued his great season with a goal and 2 assists. With 57 points on the year, Okposo is having a huge breakout season. The Islanders welcomed back d-man Lubomir Visnovsky who had been out since October 19th with a concussion. Grab him if he is still available. They, also, welcomed back goaltender Evgeni Nabokov, so Kevin Poulin will likely go back to the bench.
Staal speed: The Carolina Hurricanes came from behind to beat Columbus 3-2. Carolina forward Eric Staal had 2 goals to start the comeback and his brother Jordan scored the game winner on a beautiful curl and drag play that fooled Sergei Bobrovsky. Staal's line continues hot as Alex Semin and left wing Jiri Tlusty each had an assist. Staal has 44 points on the season, and if this line stays hot he could have a big finish this year. Anton Khudobin seems to have established himself as the number one goalie in Carolina. He has won 4 in a row, and 5 of his last 6 games, and his 2.18 goals against is hard to argue with.
Fleury pitches a zero: Pittsburgh goalie Marc-Andre Fleury had a great night with a shutout of the Sabres 3-0. Fleury had 24 saves, and he now has 29 wins on the season. Top fantasy goalie! Chris Kunitz had the game winner, and he is having a great year with 54 points. Tanner Glass had a goal and an assist for the Penguins, but with only 10 points on the season, he is just a third line plodder. The rumors are flying about 33 year old Buffalo goaltender Ryan Miller getting traded before the deadline. Miller is an unrestricted free agent after this season, and if he goes to a decent team his fantasy value would increase a lot. His .926 save percentage indicates that he is still playing well.
Tyler too: Despite losing to Colorado 4-3, Dallas' forward Tyler Seguin did have a great game with 2 goals and an assist. Seguin has 51 points on the season, and he has been playing very well on a line with Jamie Benn. Benn had a goal and an assist, and he has 48 points on the season. Great combination! Young left wing Gabriel Landeskog had 2 assists for Colorado, and he has had about the most quiet 40 points ever. This 21 year old is going to be a star, so if you can ever get him please do so. Avs goaltender Semyon Varlamov was the star of the game with 41 saves, as Dallas carried the play. With 26 wins Varlamov is a top fantasy goalie.
Perron shines: The big fantasy star of the night was Edmonton left wing David Perron. He had 3 goals in a 4-2 win over Vancouver. Perron came over in a trade last year from St Louis. There were questions about his work ethic in St Louis, but he seems to be working hard in Edmonton. After last night he has 39 points on the season, which makes him a marginal 6th forward option. Young forward Jordan Schroeder returned last night for the Canucks, after being out since October 19th, with a bang as he scored 2 goals. Schroeder is small at about 5'8", but he is highly skilled. Probably a year or two away from fantasy value.
Quick was quick: US Olympian and Los Angeles goaltender Jonathan Quick was terrific last night with a 1-0 shutout over San Jose. There was no margin for error in this game. Quick had 23 saves, but he had lost 4 games in a row, so it was good to seem him rebound like this. His 2.01 goals against this season is terrific, demonstrating that he is playing extremely well this year. Anze Kopitar scored the game winner for the Kings, and he now has 42 points on the season. Kopitar is a good player, but after years of watching him, this level of production is about what you can expect.
DAILY PRIME - JANUARY 28, 2014: THE B'S 2nd LINE, STAALS, PERRON AN... primepucks.comTue 1/28/14 6:41 AM