It's up to you New York... New York, New York!!!! Well, you get the idea. Three games in the NHL last night, involving all three New York state teams, and each went into extra time.  First, we head to upstate New York where the Buffalo Sabres earned a point with another tough defensive matchup, losing to the Montreal Canadiens in the shootout 2-1.  We know all about Buffalo's scoring troubles but Montreal has been struggling on the score sheet as well lately with scoring only 6 goals in the last 6 matchups.  This is perhaps a good time to "buy-low" on top Montreal talent while continuing to stay clear of Buffalo players.... Down to Manhattan as the Rangers squeaked out the extra point with Derrick Brassard scoring the game-winning goal on the power play. Brassard, with 7 points in the last 4 games, should continue to put up points until Derek Stepan returns to the lineup. Rick Nash scored his 10th and continues to have a strong season. Martin St. Louis is heating up with another goal and a power play assist making it 4 points in last 2 games. With the impending returns of Stepan and Dan Boyle, St. Louis' production should come more steadily.....The soon-to-be Brooklyn-bound NY Islanders are in the midst of a 5-game Western road trip and came away with a 3-2 OT win over the goalie-depleted Anaheim Ducks. In the course of a weekend, both Frederik Andersen and John Gibson were befallen to injury meaning that Jason LaBarbera was thrust into action. John Tavares started and ended the scoring while Kyle Okposo assisted on both JT goals. Tavares now has 14 points in 12 games and barring any type of setback, should be a lock to reach the 100-point plateau this year.  Although Okposo has the same amount of points as Tavares, he will probably hit a dry patch but can still end up close to a point-per-game pace.

LaBarbera stopped 16 of 18 shots in a win over the Avalanche on Sunday. It was a completely random start for him and tonight he was not expected to start either. He faces a solid Islanders team and it likely to late to even consider him for a spot-start.

Today's narrative begins with the following advice: On some days, you can't predict anything in the NHL. Lower-tier teams Carolina, Buffalo, and Arizona all win while the Kings continue to stagger, Washington still searching for their identity and Detroit just slipped up. Interesting enough, Carolina goalie Cam Ward turned back the clock this weekend by posting two straight vintage efforts to remind us of what he is actually capable of when he is at his best. He has free-falled on all fantasy goalie lists over recent years, but maybe.. just maybe he can give it one more shot to return as a legitimate starter. Keep your eye on him, as the goalie waiver wire is pretty thin these days. The future looks bright in Nashville, as Filip Forsberg sparked the offense with a 3-point effort in the 3-1 road win over Vancouver. With 11 points in 11 games, the rookie now leads all first-year players in points. Expect his offensive production to continue to move northward as he is playing a prominent role in Coach Laviolette's offense. On the rise..Michael Hutchinson was "lights out" in the crease for Winnipeg, as the back-up turned aside all 33 shots in their impressive 1-0 win over Chicago. Ondrej Pavelec is clearly the Jet's top guy, but if he stumbles later on, "Hutch" can easily step in. Monitor this situation as the year goes on.. Alex Ovechkin explodes with a goal and three assists in the 6-5 Washington loss to Arizona, as he continues to transition to coach Trotz's new system. One thing is for sure- I would love to own "Ovie" in the second half... Arizona captain Shane Doan enjoyed a fine night in fantasy, notching two goals and one assist. The 38-year old is never a flashy pick, but he is a lock for 50+ points year-in, year out. He is still fantasy relevant, even as his career is on the down-side.. Flames defenseman TJ Brodie is breaking out before our eyes, collecting another three assists in Calgary's decisive triumph in Montreal. His scoring clip will simmer down, but his best days are way ahead of him. Fantasy gold in keeper leagues.. Don't look now, but Jonas Hiller has put up elite goalie numbers for Calgary so far, going 5-2-1 with a 1.84 GAA. If you do own him, prepare to "sell high' if his hot streak persists. I don't see the Flames carrying this play well beyond the quarter-mark... Albeit in a loss, Nathan McKinnon continues to leave his early-season doldrums behind another solid effort. His goal scored gives him four in the last three games. Watch ...

Frederik Andersen is out with minor leg tightness, so LaBarbera has been recalled to serve as John Gibson's backup.

LaBarbera has been recalled to back-up Frederik Andersen over the weekend with John Gibson going back to the AHL for a two-game stint. LaBarbera likely won't see any action unless Andersen struggles and gets pulled. This is just a temporary move to get Gibson some crease time.

After being knocked out of the second round of the playoffs by the Los Angeles Kings in seven games, the Anaheim Ducks wasted another stellar regular season showing as the Western Conference point leader. However, Coach Bruce Boudreau and company were quick to act during the offseason, trading for former Vancouver center Ryan Kesler in exchange for Nick Bonino and Luca Sbisa. Veterans Teemu Selanne's and Saku Koivu have retired, but the signing of extensions for young forwards Jakub Silfverberg and Patrick Maroon assures the club of much needed forward depth. They also took a chance on former prolific scoring winger Dany Heatley, signing him to a one year deal. Goalie Jonas Hiller was allowed to bolt via free agency, handing over the reins to the promising tandem of Frederik Andersen and John Gibson. All in all, this team has elite fantasy stars up front while plenty of emerging value on defense. GOALIES The Ducks appear to be in good hands in the crease with 2nd-year goalies Andersen and Gibson but fantasy owners won't have it as easy. After a standout regular rookie season where he posted a 20-5 record with a 2.29 GAA and .923 SP, he is technically penciled in as the starter. However, American standout Gibson has been developing quicker than expected and can steal the starting job just like he did in the playoffs. He has won at every level so expect him to make a huge NHL splash soon. With Jason LaBarbera also on roster, it's entirely possible that Gibson starts the year in the AHL to get more seasoning. Any way you look at it, the goaltending situation in Anaheim is very fluid so you should grab both goalies if you are interested. DEFENSE Cam Fowler is clearly the Ducks best fantasy option on the blue line, given that he is firmly entrenched on the top pairing and as quarterback on the primary power play unit. He burst on the scene with 40 points as a rookie, but his game had taken a step back the next two seasons. However, he rediscovered his game last season with 36 points in 70 games while becoming a more complete two-way defender. He is currently day to day with an undisclosed injury but should be ready to go by the opener. View Fowler as a solid 2-3 fantasy defenseman. The other guy to watch is Sami Vatanen, who has the high upside to dominate in the NHL. The defensive game is not there yet, but he should flourish soon with more power play time. 30-35 points should be in the cards for the talented Finn. Young Hampus Lindholm is developing into...

After being acquired from the Oilers, LaBarbera was 15-15-2 with a 2.94 GAA and .901 SV% with the Blackhawks AHL affiliate in Rockford. He joins a deep group of good goaltenders in Anaheim and will not hold any fantasy value.

LaBarbera never started a game for the Blackhawks after being acquired from the Oilers. He is 1-3-0 with a 3.27 GAA and .870 SV% this season. He assignment means that Antti Raanta will stick with the Blackhawks as Corey Crawford's backup.

LaBarbera was acquired from the Oilers on December 14 and will likely serve as Antti Raanta's backup until Corey Crawford is healthy. Even when Crawford is healthy LaBarbera could stay with the club if they want Raanta to get more playing time in Rockford.

LaBarbera will report to AHL Rockford. He was 1-3-0 with a 3.27 GAA and .870 SV% with the Oilers. The move means that Ilya Bryzgalov is good to go.