If you didn't happen to catch the latest UNDER THE RAYDAR piece on Tuesday, you may have missed the part about Sean Couturier starting to heat up. Against the Devils, all the young Flyer did was score an early goal and add an assist In the 4-1 Philadelphia win over New Jersey.  It was all Couturier in the first period and then the Flyers sealed the deal with 2 late goals in the third period with Claude Giroux and Mark Streit getting assists on both goals. We all know Giroux and Streit are must-starts, and it looks like Couturier is inching his way into that category as well..... Chicago Blackhawk G Scott Darling is quickly becoming Chicago's darling as he won for the second straight filling in for the injured Corey Crawford. Darling was able to withstand a late-charging Boston Bruin team and turned aside 32 SOG for the 2-2 win in Boston....Jonathan Toews left the game with an apparent upper-body injury when he was checked hard into the end boards. We will keep you posted as we learn more about the extent of Toews' injury.... If you haven't noticed, the Buffalo Sabres have won 5 of their last 7 games as Jhonas Enroth has picked up his game of late, this time with a 4-3 win over the Calgary Flames. Enroth is 7-2-0 in last 9 starts, so if you are need for goaltending help, grab Enroth as he has remained hot for a surging Sabres team....Matt Moulson had 2 goals including the game-winner giving him just 6 goals to go along with 8 assists on the season. Moulson has seen better days since he was traded away from Long Island....Tyler Ennis, with 3 assists, has always shown flashes of offensive brilliance but has never been able to offer that consistently for fantasy purposes. If there is any Sabre player you would pick up for fantasy, Ennis would be the guy... The Columbus Blue Jackets continue their resurgence in the Eastern Conference with a 3-2 OT victory over the Washington Capitals. Sergei Bobrovsky turned aside 39 SOG for his, and the team's, fifth straight win. We had mentioned in the December 2ndBETWEEN THE PIPES article that the time to ‘buy-low" on Bobrovsky was coming to a close and with this win, that window of opportunity has been shut. Perhaps it's not too late to pick up some of the more talented skaters on the team as I'm sure they will start to get hot knowing they have a red-hot Bobber backing them up.... So how does a team usually respond to their coach getting fired? The Ottawa Senators fell victim the Los Angeles Kings 5-3 as the post-Paul ...

Don't look now but the Columbus Blue Jackets have won 4 in a row with G Sergei Bobrovsky backstopping the team to their longest winning streak of the season. The Jackets edged the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 in overtime with big thanks to their goaltender.  If you read the BETWEEN THE PIPES: SHOW ME MARTY! On December 2nd, you know we mentioned that it was time to ‘buy-low" on Bobrovsky. Columbus is inching back into the thick of things in the Eastern Conference...For Philly, they have gotten points in last 3 games...Brayden Schenn scored his 8th and 9th goals on the season and now has 5 points in last 5 games.... In New Jersey the biggest story wasn't that Keith Kincaid got his first NHL start but the fact that the Devils gave starter Cory Schneider the night off after 8 consecutive starts. Kincaid didn't draw a favorable matchup as he faced perhaps one of the hottest teams in the NHL right now in the Chicago Blackhawks but managed to hold his own and get the devils a point as the Hawks won 3-2 in a shootout.... The Buffalo Sabres must just love playing against West Coast teams as they defeated the LA Kings 1-0 as Jhonas Enroth pitched a 34-save shutout. If you remember correctly, the Sabres beat San Jose in both games this season and lost 2-1 to LA earlier in the season.  They did lose both matches against the Anaheim Ducks but they won't have to worry about California Dreamin' anymore this season.  Enroth seems to have made himself fantasy relevant with his play of late.... Toronto has gone 6-1-1 since that 9-2 drubbing at the hands of the Tampa bay Lightning with the whole team playing spirited hockey. Nazem Kadri with 2 assists and James van Riemsdyk with his game-winning goal and assist led the charge for the Maple Leafs. JVR has 6 points in last 5 games while Kadri has 8 in his last 6.  If available, pick him up as he is starting to be a bit more consistent.....Jonathan Bernier was spectacular turning aside 32 of 33 shots on goal for his 11th win on the season..... One of our most hyped pre-season breakout candidates, goalie Braden Holtby, is quickly distancing himself from a slow start as his 33-save effort over Tampa Bay gives him three straight wins and rising peripheral numbers (2.37 GAA/.916). It was just a matter of time before the "Barry Trotz" effect took place in Washington. His system is incredibly goalie-friendly for fantasy purposes... An improbable comeback headlined the Minnesota Wild's 5-4 win over the New York Islanders, scoring four ...

Most eyes were on Martin Brodeur's first career start on a team other than New Jersey, and the end-results were mixed. He surrendered four goals on 24 shots in the 4-3 St. Louis loss to Nashville, but looked on his game early on after making several splendid saves. As a die-hard NHL fan, it's great to see Marty back manning the crease but as a fantasy owner, I won't be running to scoop him up soon. He will get a few starts to alleviate Jake Allen's workload while Brian Elliott recovers from injury, so don't get caught up in the hype. Brodeur's elite fantasy days are long over.. A heavy dose of reality for Jhonas Enroth and his Buffalo mates, as they got slammed by Tampa Bay 5-0 in the second game of a home-and-home set. You didn't think that the suddenly streaking Sabres would hand the Lightning a second straight loss, did you? Even though Enroth gave up 5 goals on 35 shots and had his three-game winning streak snapped, he has played extremely well lately and should be considered a depth spot on most fantasy squads. With a very manageable three-home game week coming up, I am seriously considering starting Enroth over the struggling Kari Lehtonen.. The injuries to Pittsburgh's forward corps keep piling up, as Patric Hornqvist was not out there for the third period of the 3-0 loss to Vancouver. Apparently, he suffered the injury after taking a big hit from Ryan Stanton, but there hasn't been a confirmation yet. The ex-Predator has been a fantasy revelation on the Pens, collecting 25 points in 25 games, so a serious injury would be a massive blow to his fantasy owners.. Sergei Bobrovsky's 52 saves paced the Blue Jackets in a much-needed 4-3 victory over the Florida Panthers and ending his personal five-game win-less skid.With a 6-8-1 record and a less than elite 2.89 GAA, the young Russian goaltender is off his normal slow start, but just like his 2013 Vezina winning year, he could heat up in a hurry. I am saying huge "buy-low" opportunity here, so inquire what it would take to get him on the moderate cheap.. Eleven straight and counting for Jaroslav Halak, as he continued his lengthy winning streak with his 20-save effort in New York's 2-1 road win over Ottawa. His numbers speak for themselves, with his .926 SP and 2.05 GAA ranking him amongst the fantasy elite. Keep riding him in the crease as the Islanders have shown no signs of any slippage soon.. Great news for Logan Couture fantasy owners, as he passed all concussion protocol and played last night in...

Cam Ward continues to put last season behind him as he bested probably the NHL's best goaltender this season in Pekka Rinne 2-1 last night. Ward evened his record at 8-8-2 after starting out the season 0-3-1. Carolina still remains near the bottom of the conference but is slowly working their way back into the middle of the pack..... One of the hottest goalies in the league right now is NY Islanders' goalie Jaroslav Halak who won his tenth straight by beating Ottawa 3-2 in overtime. That's 13 wins for Halak, just 3 behind leaders Rinne & Miller. Start him with confidence as the Islanders are on a roll, especially with Halak in net.  These two teams will rematch on Thursday night in Ottawa.... Marc-Andre Fleury pitched a 1-0 shutout against the NJ Devils for his fifth of the season and that leads the league. Fleury continues to be a premier fantasy goalie and has been adding shutouts to his stat line over the past 2 seasons. The most shutouts he had in a season was 5 and he accomplished that twice in his career.... One of the most consistent lines this season has been the Vancouver Canuck line of Daniel Sedin-Henrik Sedin-Radim Vrbata as the trio continued their fine season with a combined 7 points in the Canuck 4-3 win over the Washington Capitals. Ryan Miller earned his 16th win, tying atop the league with Rinne. With the victory, Vancouver now sits atop the Western Conference tied with the Anaheim Ducks with 35 points.  This has been a nice bounce back season for Vancouver.... Even though they still languish near the bottom of the Eastern Conference, the Buffalo Sabres are inching back to respectability as they have won 6 of their last 7 games, gaining 12 of a possible 14 points.....Jhonas Enroth has been on fire lately going 5-1-0 so if you are in need of goaltending help, take a shot with Enroth while he's hot.... Roberto Luongo was brought in to provide stability in the net for the Florida Panthers while their young talent gets some experience. Well, it is paying off already as the Cats have been in just about every game this season and surprised the Detroit Red Wings by going into their building and coming away with a 4-3 victory.  Luongo has been a decent depth goalie to have this year, and can be used as a spot starter every now and then.....Keep an eye on Panther Vincent Trocheck (G, 2A) as he now has 5 points in last three games. He does have the skill set but may not be consistent enough, yet.... The Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Dallas Stars ...

Jiri Hudler RW, Calgary: The Czech winger has poured it on lately for the Flames, collecting eight points during a current four game point streak. The departures of key veteran scorers over the last few years has resulted in a more prominent role for Hudler, who looks to build on his 54-point season from last year. With 23 points in 24 games, he looks poised to do just that. The Flames look for real and so does Hudler.. Kris Versteeg RW, Chicago: Having prospered with a plum assignment on the second line, Versteeg has scored close to a PPG clip with 18 points in 20 games. The impending return of Patrick Sharp will change things, but there is no guarantee that the prolific Kane-Versteeg-Richards line will be dismantled. At the very least, Versteeg is worth a short-term look for fantasy teams struggling on offense. He could very much have a longer fantasy impact if he continues to click with his line-mates. Justin Faulk D, Carolina: With 14 points in November, the young rearguard has taken his game to the next level for the Hurricanes. How he is still available in over 50% of ESPN fantasy leagues is beyond me, as Faulk should be a safe bet to reach the 40-point mark. Scoop him up ASAP. Matt Niskanen D, Washington; This one is pretty simple: He plays big when replacing key offensive defensemen on the power-play. Last season, it was Kris Letang who went down and Niskanen responded with a career-high of 46 points. This year, he has scored five points in the last four games as Mike Green is currently out of the line-up. Overall, his numbers are not impressive but he is worth starting while Green is out. Jhonas Enroth G, Buffalo: After sweeping a weekend home-and-home series against Montreal, the 26-year old has won 4 of his last 5 starts. Even though Michal Neuvirth was the superior goalie prior to his injury, it seems that Enroth could hold onto the starting job with his recent "hot" streak. If you want to get your hands on a sleeper goalie with some upside, he might be your guy.

The Philadelphia Flyers are just in a bad state right now as they lost for the 8th time in their last 9 games, losing again to the New York Rangers in the back end of a home-and-home series. The Story for the Rangers offense was their depth as Derick Brassard scored twice and Jesper Fast and J.T. Miller potted their first of the season with Fast's being his first NHL goal with both adding assists as well. I wouldn't be surprised if Philadelphia didn't make some sort of move like replacing Craig Berube behind the bench or pulling off a big trade to shake things up..... For those lucky enough to draft Tyler Bozak, you have been rewarded with the best start to a season in his career. With 22 points in 23 games this season, Bozak is on pace to obliterate his season high of 49 points last year, and that was in 58 games.  Playing alongside Phil Kessel (2A) doesn't hurt. James van Riemsdyk (2A), who after a somewhat slow start to the season, now has 13 points in 13 November games. All three should be in your starting lineups... Don't look now but the Buffalo Sabres are thundering back into legitimacy as they won for the 5th time in the past 6 games with a 4-3 shootout win over the Montreal Canadiens, who lost both ends of the home-and-home series. Jhonas Enroth was the story as he stopped 41 of 44 for his 4th win in past 5 starts. The Sabres now will face Tampa Bay in a home-and-home series this week so the schedule doesn't lighten up.... Speaking of Tampa, G Ben Bishop raised his record to 14-3-2 with a 4-1 win over the Ottawa Senators, where he had played briefly in 2012-13, to keep him apace with the league leaders. Bishop has developed into a go-to guy in fantasy circles playing with the Bolts..... Jaroslav Halak has won for the ninth straight time defeating the New Jersey Devils 3-1, making Halak a must-start in fantasy circles as the Islanders are for real this season. When you have a superstar like John Tavares leading the way, and back that up with some steady goaltending, you know you have a chance every night.... It's time to take notice of Calgary's Jiri Hudler, carried the offense with a goal and two assists in their 3-0 win in Arizona. The 30-year old extended his point streak to four games and has been basically a point-per game producer with 23 points in 24 games. Coming off a 54-point effort in his second year with Calgary, Hudler has become the veteran centerpiece of a young but talented forward corps, so give him a look. His 50.5 % ownership ...

Good morning! Sip it slowly and enjoy the day! That St. Louis line of Tarasenko-Lehtera-Schwartz continues to be amazing! Where did this Lehtera come from? You can't say leftfield as a hockey reference either. I think Alex Pietrangelo decided to wake up because Kevin Shattenkirk was getting all the attention. Ever since last year's playoff round, Montreal, and Carey Price, seem to have Boston's number. The Maple Leafs have really responded from that 9-2 shellacking from the Nashville Predators by winning 2 in a row. Buffalo has won 3 in a row! It must be because all the visiting teams must be awestruck by the amount of snow that they see when they arrive. Ovechkin tried his best with 8 SOG but couldn't put anything past Buffalo's Jhonas Enroth. Tyler Bozak just might break his career high of 49 points set last year. I might add, easily. With four goals in past 3 games and 5 in past 5, Tomas Tatar is heating up similar to what Gustav Nyquist did last season. I don't how much I'd want to play Tampa Bay this season; especially if I were a goalie. The Islanders taking both games of a home-and-home with Pittsburgh was no small feat. Jakub Voracek leads the NHL in points. I never would have thought that while Crosby is healthy, that he wouldn't be leading the league in scoring. Claude Giroux is coming after both of them! Some of these Florida Panthers are starting to heat up....Nick Bjugstad for instance. Hard to spell and pronounce. D-man John Klingberg has had some week for the Dallas Stars with 6 points in 7 games. Have you noticed that the Stars always have a rookie come up and light the league on fire? Alex Chiasson comes to mind. Antoine Roussel is another. Ride him while he's hot. The Stars won a couple at home now. Yay! Even with his 3-point night, you might be able to steal Colorado's Nathan MacKinnon from a fantasy owner who is disgruntled about his subpar (?) performance so far. I would make an offer before he gets to the elite level. Cory Schneider finally got the night off after 20-straight starts. Next start, Vancouver on Tuesday. Calgary is not going away this year. The Chicago Blackhawks smoked the Edmonton Oilers 7-1. The Arizona Coyotes won without Klinkhammer in the lineup. I kind of like the name Josh Jooris on Calgary. It sorta flows. Have a great week and may all your fantasies come true! Happy Thanksgiving!

On a night of thrilling comebacks and "stand on your head" goalie efforts, lets first take a look at the only significant fantasy injury from Sunday's full slate of action. Washington defenseman Mike Green left the contest with an upper-body injury and did not return. We all expected this to happen sooner or later as the talented blueliner usually can't stay healthy long enough to finish amongst the most productive fantasy "D" options. However, there are no details regarding the severity of his injury, so Green owners can be hopeful that he will back soon. He has been on a decent roll to start the season, collecting 12 points in his first 19 games. Another reaction to throw out there- most Cory Schneider owners rather have New Jersey rest him periodically in order to prevent a second half "burnout". Well, the team tried just that in Calgary last night as Scott Clemmenson received the start after Schneider started in the Devil's first twenty games. The results were catastrophic as he gave up three third-period goals including two in the last three minutes. Perhaps Schneider will start in the next fifty games.. kidding. Now for our top five fantasy performers from a busy Saturday: 1. Marian Hossa- The Chicago winger has showed clear signs of offensive decline over recent seasons, but he surely "turned the clock" back with his four-point performance in the 7-1 win over Edmonton. With seven points in his last three games, the Slovakian sniper has raised his scoring totals to 15 on the season and should be able to produce at his normal .75 PPG clip the rest of the way. 2. Jamie Benn- Tyler Seguin's sidekick in Dallas enjoyed a brilliant night with two goals and an assist, as his Stars have won two straight at home with the latest 5-4 victory over the Los Angeles Kings. The prolific winger has been somewhat inconsistent along with the entire Star's offense, but now finds himself amidst a three-game point streak while totalling three goals and six assists during that span. Very few forwards can rack the points as quickly as Benn and seguin, so don't let the few dry spells get you down. 3. Jhonas Enroth- The most impressive effort in the crease came from a goalie with very little fantasy appeal at this time, as Buffalo's enroth has clearly been struggling all season. However, with michal Neuvirth out with an injury, the embattled Swede showed plenty of guts in delivering a 43-save effort in the face of a constant offensive barrage during Buffalo's 2-1 road win ...

Boston Bruins stopped the red-hot Blues 2-0 behind Tuukka Rask's 33-save effort. Rask also stopped red-hot players such as Jori Lehtera, Jaden Schwartz and Vladimir Tarasenko which has been no small feat lately...Patrice Bergeron continued with his 4th goal and 9th point in 8 November games. His goal was the game-winner.  Bergeron is the definition of pure consistency and leadership..... Marc-Andre Fleury notched his fourth shutout on the season, blanking the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre 4-0. Not really known as A shutout goalie, Fleury has raised his game over the past two seasons, so look for his strong play to continue....Beau Bennett had a goal and 2 assists in the game, showing signs that he is getting his game in order. Bennett is still not getting a lot of ice time, but as long as he continues to have games like this, he will be relied upon more.  Remember that this is only his fourth game back after missing the start of the season.  Perhaps he will be the winger that the team needs to fill out their top-six.....Sidney Crosby scored his first goal in 9 games. That's sort of news.... Jimmy Howard continued his 2014 resurgence with a 5-0 shutout of the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Red Wings played a solid game without their superstar center Pavel Datsyuk who is sidelined again with a groin injury. Age is catching up to the talented Centerman, but is still very productive when in the lineup...5 different goal scorers for the Wings, most from their young forward core; Nyquist, Tatar, Jurco and Sheahen all scoring for the Red Wings.... The New York Islanders turned the page on the Tampa Bay Lightning who beat the NY Rangers 5-1 last night but lost to the Isles 5-2. There was an emotional letdown for the Bolts and the Islanders took full advantage by beating ex-Islander goaltender Evgeni Nabokov, who only saw his 4th start of the year... Like the Red Wings, the Isles had 5 different goal scorers and what was surprising was that John Tavares was held off the score sheet. Nothing to worry about though..... Buffalo did it again to the San Jose Sharks, beating them for a second time this season, this time by a score of 4-1. Sabres' starter Michal Neuvirth (LBI) had to leave the game and Jhonas Enroth held the Sharks at bay. Brian Gionta was the scoring star with 2 goals and an assist, but I would steer clear of any Sabres until you see more stability from the team as a whole.... The days of being a defensive-style team is long gone as the Nashville ...

Enroth allowed five goals on 34 shots in the Sabres loss to the Penguins on November 1st. He has one win in eight games with a 3.34 GAA and .908 SV% and has been outplayed by Michal Neuvirth so far this season. In no format should he be started against Pittsburgh after they just torched him last Saturday.