Well I am back from vacation in Mexico. This was the second time I have ever been to Mexico, and we stayed at a nice house near Cancun.  That part of Mexico is a mix of spectacular resorts designed to attract tourists from around the world because of the warm sun and great beaches.  But it is surrounded by a lot of poverty.  Not sure if I will ever go there again.  Big night in the NHL yesterday with 12 games played.  The Penguins and Flames kicked it off with a matinee which Pittsburgh won 4-3.  Sidney Crosby was his usual self with a goal and 2 assists. With 54 points on the season, he will win the scoring title unless he gets injured.  James Neal had a goal and an assist for the Penguins, and he has 4 points in 3 games back from his suspension. When Evgeni Malkin comes back from his LBI, the two of them will form a deadly compliment to Crosby in the Pittsburgh offense. Juri Hudler had a goal for Calgary and he now has 31 points on the season. Players rarely get better at 29 years old, and his top season was 57 points, but he is getting top quality ice time with Calgary and he is making the most of it.  Grab him while he is hot...Phoenix forward Antoine Vermette went crazy last night with 3 goals against Ottawa. Like Hudler at 31 years old Vermette is not going to get any better.  He once scored scored 65 points for Columbus, but at 22 points we cannot get too crazy about him.  Senators forward Kyle Turris had a goal, and the 24 year keeps getting better and better. He has 28 points on the season, and is a decent 6th forward option.  Ottawa goaltender Craig Anderson continued his dismal season allowing all 4 goals, and his 3.42 goals against and .897 save percentage are just bad. Expect Robin Lehner to get most of the starts going forward. Mr. Jones has a thing going on: The Kings beat Colorado 3-2 in a shootout.  Anze Kopitar scored the game winner. Young Los Angeles goaltender Martin Jones posted his 8th straight win. Now we know that Patrick Lalime came into the league a number of years ago and won his first 13 games, and that it takes NHL players a while to discover a new goalies weaknesses, but this guy has been lights out at 8-0 with a 0.98 goals against and a .966 save percentage.  Play him if you can.  Forward Matt Duchene had 2 nifty assists for Colorado, and the interesting aspect was the crowd he now draws. When he passed the puck to Erik Johnson for his goal he had 3 LA players around him while Johnson was wide open. The NHL is beginning to fear this guy.  Speaking of Johnson, he is universally regarded as a monumental bust.  But at 25 years old he may be slowly starting to grasp the NHL game.  Defensemen always take longer to adapt to the NHL, and Johnson may be reaching that point.  He has 4 points in his last 4 games.  Charges were dropped yesterday against Colorado goalie Semyon Varlamov, so he is past that issue. Rask is up to the task: The Bruins had an easy 4-1 win against the hapless Buffalo Sabres.  Boston goalie Tuukka Rask had 34 saves in the win, and he now has 18 wins on the season with a 1.87 goals against average and a .936 save percentage. Rask has never played more than 45 games in an NHL season, so the Bruins are playing Chad Johnson a lot hoping to keep Rask fresh for the playoffs. Young right winger Reilly Smith had 2 goals for Boston last night. Smith has 25 points on the season, and he looks like a real up and comer.  Grab him if you can in your pool.  Dave Krejci had a goal and an assist for the Bruins, and with 31 points on the season he is a solid fantasy forward option. Take a look at Jurco: The Red Wings beat Toronto 5-4 in a shootout last night. Toronto goalie James Reimer was pulled quickly after allowing 3 goals. So the merry go round in goal for the Maple Leafs continues.  Can't go with either goalie.  20 year Slovak right wing Tomas Jurco had a goal and an assist for Detroit, and he looks very comfortable in the NHL right off the bat. He has 3 points in his first 4 games.  Jurco put up some big numbers in the minors, and he is worth looking at.  He is getting some quality ice time. Hedman is becoming the man: Tampa Bay beat Carolina 3-2 last night and Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman led the way with a goal and an assist. Hedman has 18 points on the season and he has become a solid 4th d-man option and heading higher.  As we said with Erik Johnson, defensemen usually take a bit longer to understand the NHL game. Hedman was the second overall pick in the 2009 draft, and great things were expected of him, but he has struggled with a career best of only 26 points.  He will shatter that this season. Ryan the lion: Years ago Anaheim center Ryan Getzlaf was considered one of the top forwards in the NHL, and he was routinely drafted in the first round. He had a big down year in the 2011-2012 season, and a lot of poolies soured on him.  I drafted him in the 5th round this year, and boy am I happy I did.  He is back to the player he once was, and at 28 years old he should be in his prime.  He claims that he had family issues in 2012.  Three goals and an assist last night, and 43 points on the season. More fantasy news: The Devils beat Washington in overtime.  New Jersey was led by defenseman Marek Zidlicky who had 2 goals. Zidlicky may have been off a lot of poolies boards because he has struggled lately, but he is having a good season with 17 points.  At 36 years old he can still play, especially on the PP.  He once had 53 points with Nashville.  Devils defenseman Andy Greene was the other offensive leader with a goal and 2 assists. Greene has been hot with 5 points in his last 3 games. He is a solid 4th defenseman...If there is any chance of getting Columbus forward Ryan Johansen in your pool please do so immediately. Johansen had 2 goals last night in Columbus' victory over the Flyers.  The 21 year old had huge numbers in the WHL, and with 29 points this season he is showing he can play in the NHL.  Big upside on this guy!  Columbus forward Marian Gaborik broke his collarbone, so he will be out for a while...David Desharnais continues his rehabilitation for Montreal scoring the game winner in overtime. After scoring only 1 assist in his first 19 games, he has 14 points in 17 games since.  He plays well with Max Pacioretty. Pick him up if you can.  The honey moon is over for young Nashville Predators goaltender Marec Mazanec who was pulled after allowing 3 goals on 5 shots. Expect Carter Hutton to get most of the starts until Pekka Rinne returns...Blowout win for St. Louis over the struggling Oilers. Edmonton has a tremendous amount of young talent, but they are having a hard time putting it all together on the ice.  Blues forward Chris Stewart had a monster game with 3 goals and an assist. He still has only 21 points on the season, and he is notoriously hot and cold.  Way more interesting is 21 year old St. Louis forward Jaden Schwartz who had a goal and an assist. Schwartz has 25 points on the season, and he has 6 points in his last 5 games.  He had 3:03 minutes on the PP last night second most for forwards for the Blues.  He being given every chance to succeed.  St Louis goaltender Brian Elliott got the shutout win with 23 saves. Elliott will be a free agent after this season, and considering his numbers there should be some willing bidders for his services. Remember that for next year.  St Louis forward Alexander Steen, who is having a huge year with 24 goals left the game with a UBI and he will miss the next game and maybe a few more.