Busy schedule in the NHL yesterday with 11 games played. The New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks started it with a matinee, and young speedster Chris Kreider had a big game with 3 a hat trick against his former Head Coach John Tortorella. With the 3 goals, Kreider now has 16 points on the season but in only 20 games played.  And he is now playing on a line with Rick Nash, and the two of them really seem to complement each other with their speed.  Nash had a big game as well with a goal and 2 assists.  Boy are the Rangers happy to see him back.  If Nash and Kreider stay together as linemates then Krieder is worth a pickup...Boston beat Columbus in a lackluster game, 3-1.  Forward Milan Lucic had 2 goals and Dave Krejci 2 assists. Both players are worth a 6th forward option as they have scored 20 and 21 points respectively this season.  We are more intrigued by young Bruin defenseman Torey Krug who had an assist yesterday, and has 16 points on the season. He led all Boston players with 6:08 minutes of power play time.  Ryan Johansen scored the only goal for Columbus and with 19 points he is worth looking at. We think he is going to be a terrific player. The Road Warrier is back:  Montreal beat Toronto 4-2, and "Mad Max" Pacioretty had a big game with 2 goals and an assist. He has 12 points on the season, but he is on fire right now.  He is even making  his linemate Dave Desharnais become relevant again. After looking lost in the woods with only 1 assist in his first 19 games, Desharnais has 6 points in his last 6 games.  He may be worth a shot if you need forward help. Pittsburgh duo: There is probably no person who is more happy about James Neal's return from injury than Evgeni Malken. Malkin and Neal are simply magic together.  Malkin had a goal and 3 assists yesterday, while Neal had a goal and an assist in the Penguins easy win over the miserable Panthers.  Malkin now has 35 points on the year, and he has a shot at 100 points. Sabre blues: Buffalo is simply a terrible team, as they have only 6 wins on the season in 28 games.  They lost in OT yesterday to New Jersey 1-0.  Cory Schneider had to make only 15 saves for the shutout. You have to feel sorry for him going from the starter in Vancouver to the backup in New Jersey. That's about as big a fantasy value hit as you can have.  If Martin Brodeur comes back again next year, no reason he won't, then General Manager Lou Lamorello could have a problem. Schneider has only one more year left on his contract, and there are half a dozen teams that would love to get him. Get Giroux:  After a miserable month of October where he had only 6 assists, Flyer forward Claude Giroux is slowly getting back to his old self. The former 90-point player had 12 points in 15 games in November.  It's a start, and because he has only 18 points on the season, you may be able to get him cheap.  Philadelphia goaltender Steve Mason is becoming a brick wall in net for them. He had 34 saves last night for his 9th win on the season.  His 2.09 goals against average and .934 save percentage demonstrate how well he has been playing. Duncan does assists: The Blackhawks easily beat the Coyotes 5-2 yesterday.  Chicago's steady defenseman Duncan Keith had 2 assists in the game. While he has only one goal on the season, Keith has 23 assists, and with 24 points he is a solid defenseman option.  Patrick Kane is showing that last year was no fluke as he had a goal and an assist, and he now has 30 points on the season. He is a top forward fantasy option. More fantasy notes: Colorado beat Minnesota last night, and this year's top draft pick,18-year old Nathan MacKinnon had a goal. While he has only 16 points on the season, he does have 4 points in his last 5 games, and he may be figuring out the NHL game quicker than expected. Keep an eye on him because his production could take a move higher going forward...Calgary beat the Kings 2-1.  The Kings are lacking production from players like Dustin Brown who only has 2 goals in his last 22 games. And this guy was once a 30-goal scorer. Hard to figure what is going on with him. Justin Williams scored the only goal, and while he has 19 points on the season, he just does not get enough power play time. 2:16 minutes last night compared to Anze Kopitar's 4:54. Patrick Marleau continues to amaze this year for San Jose as he had a goal and an assist last night, and now has 26 points on the season.  Boy am I glad I drafted him this season.  Nice game in goal for Sharks Antti Niemi with 28 saves. With 15 wins he is a top goalie fantasy pick.