It was a busy day in the NHL yesterday with 11 games played. Dallas and Philadelphia kicked it off with a matinee, and it was no contest as the Stars won easily 5-1. Tyler Seguin had a big game for Dallas with 3 goals and an assist. 18 year old Star forward Valeri Nichushkin had a 4 point game as well with a goal and 3 assists. He has 15 points now on the season, and he will be a good fantasy player in a few years.  I watched the whole game, and in my opinion the best player on the ice was Dallas' Jamie Benn. He only had 1 assist, but he was all over the ice.  Flyers goalie Steve Mason deserved a better fate than allowing 4 goals, as he had some tremendous saves, but Philadelphia just did not show up. If he wants to make Team Canada's Olympic team, Claude Giroux is going to have to play a lot better than he did yesterday. He was invisible.  The Flyers line that has been getting so much attention Steve Downie, Matt Read and Sean Couturier did nothing...Nice win by Boston over Pittsburgh who is still without Evgeni Malkin. Bruin d-man Zdeno Chara got the game winner, but he is not the same player he used to be with only 12 points on the season. Boston forward Loui Eriksson left the game with an apparent concussion. 19 year old Alex Galchenyuk scored a goal for Montreal against hapless Buffalo. He has 20 points on the season, and he is going to be a good one. Nice keeper for next year. Anderson struggles continue:  Ottawa goaltender Craig Anderson continued his dismal year with a 4-3 loss to Toronto. He has won only 7 games and his goals against is a terrible 3.38 while his save percentage is .897.  Look for Robin Lehner to get a lot more starts in goal for the Senators. James van Riemsdyk had a goal and 2 assists for Toronto. He is having a solid year with 25 points on the season. Superdeau Huberdeau: Jonathan Huberdeau scored the game winning goal in Florida's 2-1 win over Detroit. While Huberdeau has been a disappointment this year with only 14 points so far, we still like him and think he will have a good second half of the season. Jonas Gustavsson suffered his first regulation loss of the season in goal for Detroit, but it was hardly his fault as he had 35 saves. We still think Gustavsson may take over Jimmy Howard's starting position. Grab Grabovski?:  Washington forward Mikhail Grabovski had 2 assists in the Capitals victory over Nashville. With 24 points on the year he is having a career season.  Be a little wary because at 29 years old one ...

It was a busy day in the NHL yesterday with 11 games played. Dallas and Philadelphia kicked it off with a matinee, and it was no contest as the Stars won easily 5-1. Tyler Seguin had a big game for Dallas with 3 goals and an assist. 18 year old Star forward Valeri Nichushkin had a 4 point game as well with a goal and 3 assists. He has 15 points now on the season, and he will be a good fantasy player in a few years.  I watched the whole game, and in my opinion the best player on the ice was Dallas' Jamie Benn. He only had 1 assist, but he was all over the ice.  Flyers goalie Steve Mason deserved a better fate than allowing 4 goals, as he had some tremendous saves, but Philadelphia just did not show up. If he wants to make Team Canada's Olympic team, Claude Giroux is going to have to play a lot better than he did yesterday. He was invisible.  The Flyers line that has been getting so much attention Steve Downie, Matt Read and Sean Couturier did nothing...Nice win by Boston over Pittsburgh who is still without Evgeni Malkin. Bruin d-man Zdeno Chara got the game winner, but he is not the same player he used to be with only 12 points on the season. Boston forward Loui Eriksson left the game with an apparent concussion. 19 year old Alex Galchenyuk scored a goal for Montreal against hapless Buffalo. He has 20 points on the season, and he is going to be a good one. Nice keeper for next year.   Anderson struggles continue:  Ottawa goaltender Craig Anderson continued his dismal year with a 4-3 loss to Toronto. He has won only 7 games and his goals against is a terrible 3.38 while his save percentage is .897.  Look for Robin Lehner to get a lot more starts in goal for the Senators. James van Riemsdyk had a goal and 2 assists for Toronto. He is having a solid year with 25 points on the season. Superdeau Huberdeau: Jonathan Huberdeau scored the game winning goal in Florida's 2-1 win over Detroit. While Huberdeau has been a disappointment this year with only 14 points so far, we still like him and think he will have a good second half of the season. Jonas Gustavsson suffered his first regulation loss of the season in goal for Detroit, but it was hardly his fault as he had 35 saves. We still think Gustavsson may take over Jimmy Howard's starting position. Grab Grabovski?:  Washington forward Mikhail Grabovski had 2 assists in the Capitals victory over Nashville. With 24 points on the year he is having a career season.  Be a little wary because at 29 years old one ...

Former long-time Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson made an emotional return to Ottawa on Sunday, scoring an empty-net goal and adding an assist in Detroit's 4-2 win. The 40-year old winger is still fantasy relevant as a Red Wing, scoring close to a point-per-game pace with 21 points in 23 games. However, expect that pace to slow down as injuries and the long grind to the season will take it's toll on the future Hall-Of-Famer. Playing for a Stanley Cup contender has rejuvenated his game, and as long as he plays big minutes on the power-play with that "laundry list" of Detroit superstars, he will continue to be a viable fantasy contributor in '13-14. Bryzgalov and Seguin injured: The other big news of the night involved Oiler's goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov who suffered a head injury in the second period against Dallas. He was spectacular in the crease before leaving the game, stopping 28 of 29 shots. Hopefully, the talented Russian does not miss much time as he has looked every bit like a solid fantasy goalie option. In three starts, he owns a 1-1 record with a 2.11 GAA and a .939 SP.. Tyler Seguin, the Star's top forward, missed the game due to experiencing concussion-like symptoms. That would be a huge blow to Seguin owners, if he would be out for an extended period of time. Jamie Benn's fantasy stock would also take a massive hit since the two were clicking on a high level. We will keep you posted.

Former long-time Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson made an emotional return to Ottawa on Sunday, scoring an empty-net goal and adding an assist in Detroit's 4-2 win. The 40-year old winger is still fantasy relevant as a Red Wing, scoring close to a point-per-game pace with 21 points in 23 games. However, expect that pace to slow down as injuries and the long grind to the season will take it's toll on the future Hall-Of-Famer. Playing for a Stanley Cup contender has rejuvenated his game, and as long as he plays big minutes on the power-play with that "laundry list" of Detroit superstars, he will continue to be a viable fantasy contributor in '13-14. Bryzgalov and Seguin injured: The other big news of the night involved Oiler's goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov who suffered a head injury in the second period against Dallas. He was spectacular in the crease before leaving the game, stopping 28 of 29 shots. Hopefully, the talented Russian does not miss much time as he has looked every bit like a solid fantasy goalie option. In three starts, he owns a 1-1 record with a 2.11 GAA and a .939 SP.. Tyler Seguin, the Star's top forward, missed the game due to experiencing concussion-like symptoms. That would be a huge blow to Seguin owners, if he would be out for an extended period of time. Jamie Benn's fantasy stock would also take a massive hit since the two were clicking on a high level. We will keep you posted.

Islander goalie Kevin Poulin was on the verge of taking a stranglehold on the No. 1 job on Long Island until three young and very talented Kings scored in the 3rd period. Poulin was holding a shutout of Los Angeles until the 3rd period when D Slava Voynov (23-years old) broke the ice and then 7 minutes later 21-year old LW Tanner Pearson scored his 12st NHL goal in his 1st NHL regular season game to knot the score. 21-year old C Tyler Toffoli scored the game-winner with just under a minute and a half left in the game. It was Toffoli's 7th point in 5 games this season. Grab him if you can as he is the real deal.  With Jeff Carter out with an injury, Toffoli will be counted on for his offense.... Kings G Ben Scrivens was good enough for the win, stopping 23 of 25 SOG, as he started in place of injured Jonathan Quick. Quick will miss 4-6 weeks with a groin strain.... Poulin had the game in control until the 3rd, so you may see Evgeni Nabokov back in the crease against Detroit on Saturday. Dallas Star LW Jamie Benn (G, 5A) had a 6-point night and Tyler Seguin (4G, A) had 5-points against Calgary last night as both exploded against the porous Flame goaltending. Christmas came early for those fantasy owners of these two stars as they just had their way all night long.  For Seguin & Benn, that's 12 & 11 points, respectively, in the last 9 games. Don't expect nights like these too often, but it's nice to relish in the moment.....Stars G Kari Lehtonen started his 11th straight game and has gone 7-3-1 in that span. Ride him with confidence. More Fantasy Game Notes: The Tampa Bay Lightning haven't skipped a beat since Superstar Steven Stamkos went down with a broken leg. After beating the Canadiens 2-1 in Montreal, the Bolts returned home to take on the Western Conference-leading Anaheim Ducks.   If you were wondering who was going to step up for the injured Stamkos, you may not have to look any further than Valterri Filppula. Filppula had a 3--point night by scoring 2 goals and an assist.  Now, don't expect him to score like Stamkos, but if this game is any indication, Filppula is up for the challenge. ...The Ducks were without their leader Ryan Getzlaf for a second straight game....The Great Dane Frederik Andersen was sent back to the AHL after Viktor Fasth was re0instated from the IR. Stash the Danish goaltender away if you are in deep keeper leagues as he showed his ability to play at the NHL level....St. Louis put a hurting on the Colorado goaltending by ...

Islander goalie Kevin Poulin was on the verge of taking a stranglehold on the No. 1 job on Long Island until three young and very talented Kings scored in the 3rd period. Poulin was holding a shutout of Los Angeles until the 3rd period when D Slava Voynov (23-years old) broke the ice and then 7 minutes later 21-year old LW Tanner Pearson scored his 12st NHL goal in his 1st NHL regular season game to knot the score. 21-year old C Tyler Toffoli scored the game-winner with just under a minute and a half left in the game. It was Toffoli's 7th point in 5 games this season. Grab him if you can as he is the real deal.  With Jeff Carter out with an injury, Toffoli will be counted on for his offense.... Kings G Ben Scrivens was good enough for the win, stopping 23 of 25 SOG, as he started in place of injured Jonathan Quick. Quick will miss 4-6 weeks with a groin strain.... Poulin had the game in control until the 3rd, so you may see Evgeni Nabokov back in the crease against Detroit on Saturday. Dallas Star LW Jamie Benn (G, 5A) had a 6-point night and Tyler Seguin (4G, A) had 5-points against Calgary last night as both exploded against the porous Flame goaltending. Christmas came early for those fantasy owners of these two stars as they just had their way all night long.  For Seguin & Benn, that's 12 & 11 points, respectively, in the last 9 games. Don't expect nights like these too often, but it's nice to relish in the moment.....Stars G Kari Lehtonen started his 11th straight game and has gone 7-3-1 in that span. Ride him with confidence. More Fantasy Game Notes: The Tampa Bay Lightning haven't skipped a beat since Superstar Steven Stamkos went down with a broken leg. After beating the Canadiens 2-1 in Montreal, the Bolts returned home to take on the Western Conference-leading Anaheim Ducks.   If you were wondering who was going to step up for the injured Stamkos, you may not have to look any further than Valterri Filppula. Filppula had a 3--point night by scoring 2 goals and an assist.  Now, don't expect him to score like Stamkos, but if this game is any indication, Filppula is up for the challenge. ...The Ducks were without their leader Ryan Getzlaf for a second straight game....The Great Dane Frederik Andersen was sent back to the AHL after Viktor Fasth was re0instated from the IR. Stash the Danish goaltender away if you are in deep keeper leagues as he showed his ability to play at the NHL level....St. Louis put a hurting on the Colorado goaltending by ...

Another busy night in the NHL as there were 9 games played. A suprising number of them went either to overtime or the shootout, six out of the nine.  It shows how difficult it is to win in the league this day.  Dallas suprised the Bruins with a 3-2 win in a shootout.  Stars left wing Jamie Benn had a goal for the Stars and he has a 5-9-14 record on the year in 15 games played. We view Benn as a point per game player.  Boston defenseman Torey Krug had a goal, and he has 5 goals and 8 points on the season. Krug played 4:35 minutes last night on the power play for Boston, so they love him there.  Pick him up if you can.  Dallas goaltender Kari Lehtonen was strong in net for Dallas with 34 saves. Now that he is healthy again he is a solid goalie pick...The Capitals are beginning to heat up again like they did last year.  Right wing Alexander Ovechkin returned from missing several games with 2 PP goals and an assist. Get him right back into your lineup. Capitals center Niklas Backstrom had a big night with 3 assists. Backstrom has 19 points on the season in 15 games.  I wish he had scored like this last year when I owned him.  Center Marcus Johansson scored his first goal of the season for Washington, but he does have 11 points this year. He is a good pickup if available in your pool.  New York forwards Kyle Okposo and John Tavares each had a goal and an assist, and Okposo is finally having a breakout year with 19 points and a plus 7. Karlsson the king: In one of the games that were not close Ottawa beat the tumbling Blue Jackets 4-1. Senators' defenseman Erik Karlsson had 2 goals and he is scoring like a forward with 17 points in 15 games. Karlsson is the best fantasy defenseman in the NHL.  Ottawa center Jason Spezza had 2 assists, and as long as he stays healthy he is an elite fantasy forward. He has 16 points in 14 games this year. The interesting player for Ottawa is young forward Kyle Turris. Turris is quietly having a solid season with 15 points in 15 games.  While he has only 2 goals scored, he is quietly racking up assists.  Get him if you can. Steen is still a dream: St. Louis beat Montreal 3-2 in a shootout last night. Blues forward Alexander Steen scored a goal again. He has 13 goals in 13 games played, and 19 points.  It is hard to believe that he will keep this pace going.  St. Louis forward Chris Stewart had a goal and he seems to be waking up a bit. He did have 64 points one season a few years ago.  He has only 5 points on the season, but he ...

Another busy night in the NHL as there were 9 games played. A suprising number of them went either to overtime or the shootout, six out of the nine.  It shows how difficult it is to win in the league this day.  Dallas suprised the Bruins with a 3-2 win in a shootout.  Stars left wing Jamie Benn had a goal for the Stars and he has a 5-9-14 record on the year in 15 games played. We view Benn as a point per game player.  Boston defenseman Torey Krug had a goal, and he has 5 goals and 8 points on the season. Krug played 4:35 minutes last night on the power play for Boston, so they love him there.  Pick him up if you can.  Dallas goaltender Kari Lehtonen was strong in net for Dallas with 34 saves. Now that he is healthy again he is a solid goalie pick...The Capitals are beginning to heat up again like they did last year.  Right wing Alexander Ovechkin returned from missing several games with 2 PP goals and an assist. Get him right back into your lineup. Capitals center Niklas Backstrom had a big night with 3 assists. Backstrom has 19 points on the season in 15 games.  I wish he had scored like this last year when I owned him.  Center Marcus Johansson scored his first goal of the season for Washington, but he does have 11 points this year. He is a good pickup if available in your pool.  New York forwards Kyle Okposo and John Tavares each had a goal and an assist, and Okposo is finally having a breakout year with 19 points and a plus 7. Karlsson the king: In one of the games that were not close Ottawa beat the tumbling Blue Jackets 4-1. Senators' defenseman Erik Karlsson had 2 goals and he is scoring like a forward with 17 points in 15 games. Karlsson is the best fantasy defenseman in the NHL.  Ottawa center Jason Spezza had 2 assists, and as long as he stays healthy he is an elite fantasy forward. He has 16 points in 14 games this year. The interesting player for Ottawa is young forward Kyle Turris. Turris is quietly having a solid season with 15 points in 15 games.  While he has only 2 goals scored, he is quietly racking up assists.  Get him if you can. Steen is still a dream: St. Louis beat Montreal 3-2 in a shootout last night. Blues forward Alexander Steen scored a goal again. He has 13 goals in 13 games played, and 19 points.  It is hard to believe that he will keep this pace going.  St. Louis forward Chris Stewart had a goal and he seems to be waking up a bit. He did have 64 points one season a few years ago.  He has only 5 points on the season, but he ...

Kyle Okposo- NY Islanders, RW (Owned in 5.1% of ESPN leagues) We told you to grab him last week, as he has skated full-time with John Tavares and Matt Moulson on the Isle's first line. He has responded with a three-game scoring streak, collecting a goal and three assists during that span. With the second line of Nielson-Bailey-Grabner clicking, don't expect Okposo to be moved off the top unit anytime soon. This should translate to a career season for the normally underachieving winger, so get your hands on him before it's too late. Cam Atkinson- Columbus, RW (Owned in 1.7% of ESPN leagues) Three points in the last three games, including 8 SOG in the last two has Atkinson rising up the waiver wire charts, but the good news is that he is still available in over 97% of ESPN fantasy leagues. Because Columbus is not known for their offensive prowess, most fantasy owners don't react quickly to picking up Blue Jacket forwards. We urge you to ignore that trend, considering Atkinson has been a prolific scorer on every level and now has shown instant chemistry with Marian Gaborik and Brandon Dubinsky on the team's top line. Alex Chiasson- San Jose, LW (Owned in 5.1% of ESPN leagues) In the case of the 23-year old, the offensive numbers surely speak for themselves, as he continued right where he left off last season by scoring 3 goals and two assists in 4 games for the Dallas Stars. While he plays on the second line, he has been getting some looks with Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn on the power-play. He currently has 9 goals in 11 career games, so you could do a lot worse than rolling with this guy as your fifth or sixth forward option on your fantasy teams. He represents a great short-term option that could end up paying off the entire season. Sean Monahan- Calgary, C (Owned in 25.5% of ESPN leagues) After scoring goals in four straight games, including the game-winner against the Devils, the 19-year old rookie has been on fire for Calgary. The 6th overall pick of the '13 NHL Entry Draft has tremendous offensive upside, but I don't think many insiders expected such a hot start to his NHL career. Although he has been playing predominantly on the third line, Coach Hartley has been utilizing him in key situations, showing huge faith in the first-year pivot. While he is bound to slow down, Monahan is looking like a lock to make the team past the nine-game mark. He is definitely worth a gamble, considering that his dynasty league upside is sky-high. Instant impact...

ATTENTION EXCEL STAT SHEET SUBSCRIBERS-The Excel Spreadsheet has been updated. Go to "MY ACCOUNT" and click on the FILES tab to access the updated Excel spreadsheet. More Tryouts: G Tim Thomas and RW Damien Brunner have signed tryout agreements with the Florida Panthers and New Jersey Devils,respectively. Both team can use their talents but I don't see why the players chose these teams unless there was very little interest elsewhere.  Keep an eye on both situations as both could be decent contributors on needy teams. Preseason Fantasy Bits:Milan Michalek collected a goal and an assist in Ottawa's 3-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets. With all the talk centered on the arrival of Bobby Ryan, the 28-year old Michalek has definitely fallen under the fantasy radar, but he should be remembered come draft day. Although he missed 25 games last season, he did put up 35 goals and 60 points in '11-12. Its looking like he will be lining up with Jason Spezza and Ryan, so this Senator trio could be dynamite in fantasy leagues... Another guy who just needs to stay healthy is defenseman James Wisniewski, who had a nice night for the Blue Jackets with a goal and an assist against Pittsburgh. With the added firepower in Columbus, the hard-shooting blueliner could make a serious push for 45-50 points, but he will come in undervalued in most drafts. He could be a huge bargain, so keep your eye on how he performs in camp. Training Camp Update: Anaheim's second line in the early going consists of Nick Bonino centering Teemu Selanne and Jakub Silfverberg. For now Dustin Penner stays on the top line.. Erik Cole has been a scoring dud in his short time in Dallas, but he will reportedly get a shot on the top line with Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn. Interesting. If that doesn't get him back to 30+ goals, nothing will... Cory Schneider will be getting the first start for the New Jersey Devils in pre-season action. Don't read too much into this, but if you are to be banking heavily on Jersey goaltending this season, you probably need to own both him and the future HOFer Marty Brodeur. PrimePucks continues to bring you the NHL IN 30 every day in the month of September, bringing you in-depth team analysis for the upcoming season. Today we focus on the Minnesota Wild!  Don't forget to check back each and every day for the latest featured team! ***ATTENTION FANTASY HOCKEY LEAGUE COMMISSIONERS*** If you are the commissioner of an upcoming fantasy hockey league and will be holding a draft ...