Semyon Varlamov fantasy owners in dynasty leagues can rejoice as the Russian goaltender has signed a five-year extension worth $29.5 million to remain in Colorado. Given that his coach Patrick Roy is arguably the greatest goalie to ever play the game, his stamp of approval should assist in "Varly s" continued push forth as one of the NHL's rising fantasy netminders. With a 27-9-5 record, he has already surpassed his career high in wins (26), while his 2.47 GAA and .924 is way better than his career averages of 2.58 and .915. Not a great performance last night with 4 goals allowed in the 5-4 win over Minnesota, but you can understand the overwhelming circumstances. Look for Varlamov to press a bit over the next few games, as justifying a huge contract always takes an emotional load, especially when you are playing for Patrick Roy. Green and Bishop Injury Update: Washington defenseman Mike Green left last night's game after colliding with the end boards. According to Katie Carrera of the Washington Post, he will be traveling with the team to Detroit on Friday where he will be further evaluated. Consider Green day-to-day now, but given his extensive track record of injuries, can fantasy owners fully trust him anymore? With his recent offensive push, he had reached the 30-point mark but he is hardly the dominant offensive force on "D" such as in year's past... Former Senator goalie Ben Bishop had his return to Ottawa cut short as he was accidentally kicked in a head by a teammate in the game's opening moments. The Lightning netminder left the game, but he expressed in post-game comments that he felt marketedly better and hoped to return to practice on Friday. Too soon to tell, but Bishop owners should be wary of any possible concussion issues. In this case, Bishop has been so great while his back-up Anders Lindback has NOT, so a long-term injury would be a major blow to his owners. Parise Streaking: Another huge night for Minnesota Wild winger Zach Parise, who steam-rolled over Colorado with 2 goals and 2 assists, including a whopping 9 shots on goal. After being held scoreless in 2 games upon returning from his injury, he has collected 7 points (3G/4A) in the last 2 games. No doubt that Parise has been a streaky fantasy forward throughout his career, but given his motivation of being in top form for the upcoming Sochi Games for Team USA, you should have saw this coming Jokinen too: Pittsburgh left wing Jussi Jokinen had a goal and 2 assists last night in the Penguins 4-1 win over the Kings in LA. Jokinen plays on the Penguins second line with Evgeni Malkin and James Neal on Pittsburgh's high powered offense. Jokinen has 13 points in his last 12 games.  He is a hidden gem in fantasy world because a lot of poolies don't understand who he is playing with.  He has only 39 points on the season, but expect his production to increase going forward as long as he plays with those 2 guys. More Fantasy Game Notes: Looking for help down the stretch, well, after last night's performances, a few names stick out and a few names come to light.  There are some forwards who have been missing from the score sheets lately, or perhaps not contributing as much as we would like, but showed some life last night. Montreal's Max Pacioretty scored his 23rd goal on the year last night versus Boston and has 3 points in past 2 games. Pacioretty is the go-to guy for the Habs and with Center David Desharnais playing better of late, Pacioretty's numbers should rise down the stretch. Brendan Gallagher is another player to keep an eye on as he now has 7 points in past 7 games and is getting opportunities to play with Deharnais and Pacioretty....Another player who was thought to be a major contributor to their new team is RW Bobby Ryan. Traded to the Ottawa Senators from the Anaheim Ducks, Ryan was thought to have escaped the shadow of Getzlaf and Perry, but with only 6 points in past 12 games, his game has slowed down.  He does have 20 goals to go along with 22 assists, but there is hope that his best days of the season are ahead of him....What also might help Ryan is that Ottawa C Jason Spezza seems to be showing some spark lately with 4 points in past 2 games and 7 points in last 5.  Spezza assisted twice last night so your window of opportunity to buy-low is probably closed by now.  But if you get a chance to grab him, don't miss it....Nazem Kadri has been on fire of late. He had 3 assists last night and 2 goals the game before and now has 12 points in past 8 games.  That's almost a third of his 38 points on the season.  Another player whose window to buy-low is closing fast....Joffrey Lupul may have found chemistry with Kadri as evidenced by his 2 points last night. Buy-low before it's too late as Lupul can get as hot as a pistol in a hurry....Playing with two aging veterans does have its benefits.  Travis Zajac has the talent but not has the opportunity to play with Elias and Jagr who can only make Zajac better with their experience. Zajac had a goal and an assist last night and now has 6 points in past 5 games.  Not too shabby, worth a flier as he is only owned by 32% in ESPN pools.....Tyler Ennis is heating up and he is another player who may have been forgotten due to his past inconsistent play. Ennis has 3 points in past 2 games, and with 11 in 13 January games, his game is improving as the Sabres improve. Rising Stars: Some names that could help your team immensely down the stretch who are beginning to blossom and are not majorly owned according to ESPN except for one or two players, but there is help on the wire.  Mikael Backlund (10%) of Calgary and Mikael Granlund (15%) of Minnesota are starting to flourish in the NHL. Backlund had 2 assists last night against San Jose while Granlund had a goal and 2 assists. Backlund has 6 points in his last 3 games and Granlund has 7 in past 4.  Both forwards are blessed with offensive talent and they seem to be emerging.  Perhaps they have been forgotten as fantasy worthy because of their slow starts to their NHL careers...Tyler Johnson continues his fine season with a shorthanded goal last night. With Stamkos out but on the verge of returning to the lineup, and now with Filppula leaving the game last night with a lower-body injury, Johnson may be given more responsibility as long as he continues to contribute. Johnson has 14 points in January, never going more than a game without a point.  Consistency is a key in fantasy, and Johnson is showing that.