The Edmonton Oiler's 7-0 drubbing of Columbus last night served notice to all fantasy owners that it is way too early to give up on your high-prized Oilers. David Perron led the offense with 2 goals and 2 assists, while his high-profile linemate Nail Yakupov flashed his immense potential with a goal and an assist. I am about to give you the good news on this team regarding it's overall fantasy outlook. Chances are that the team has already hit rock-bottom, considering the Yakupov distractions, the goalie carousel, and injuries to Taylor Hall/Justin Schultz. With Hall back healthy on the first line and Perron thriving on his new team, the top-six looks pretty formidable moving forward. Yakupov will NOT get traded and his minutes will quickly go up. The return of Justin Schultz will pay immediate dividends on the transition game and on the power-play. While this was just one game against a pretty deflated Blue Jacket team, I would consider "buying low" on the key slow-starting Oiler players.. Devan Dubnyk is making things interesting with his second straight win, a 14-save shutout. His overall numbers are still mediocre, but maybe he just needed a kick in the rear to get his game going. The acquisition of Ilya Bryzgalov has certainly done that, but the question remains whether Dubnyk can continue his winning ways. Monitor this situation, because the winner of this goalie sweepstakes could have decent fantasy value down the road. A Big Night For "Mad Max": In Montreal's 6-2 thumping of Minnesota on home ice, Max Pacioretty finally came to life by scoring a "hat trick" and registering 10 shots on goal. If this isn't a huge "buy low" opportunity for a potential point-per-game winger in the second half of the season, I am not sure what is. It's possible that last night's huge effort has closed the window for acquiring him, but you should try anyway. His 7 points in 13 games plus his history of injuries should be your selling point, but astute fantasy owners will be aware that "Mad Max" is about to go off. FYI- keep an eye on David Desharnais, who has been horrible to start the season, but has legit 65+ point potential playing with a "hot" Pacioretty. His minutes might start going up and so will his point production. Goalie bits: Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo said he was "pumped up" for a rematch against Florida netminder Tim Thomas. You may remember there was some animosity between the two in the Stanley Cup Final series in 2011.  Well Luongo should be more...

Schultz missed the last eight games after suffering a groin injury on October 29 vs. Toronto. Schultz is a dynamic offensive talent who the Oilers will certainly be happy to have back tonight. Schultz has had a hard time defensively this season, evidenced by his minus-10 rating, but his seven points (1G / 6A) in 14 games displays his high-end offensive upside. He will skate with Anton Belov as his partner tonight.

Schultz has missed the eight games because of a groin injury he suffered on October 29. Schultz recovery has taken longer than expected but his return to the lineup will help bolster a weak blue line. He is a solid fantasy option if you can overlook an ugly plus/minus. Through 14 games this season, Schultz has one goal and seven points while averaging 22:01 TOI. Monitor his status during Tuesday's morning skate.

Schultz had a bit of a setback and was unable to skate yesterday, but is nearing a return. Schultz will miss his seventh straight game tonight and likely won't play on Saturday either.

It was the first time Schultz has skated with the team since being injured on October 29 vs. Toronto. He has missed the last five games after struggling in the first 14 games. Schultz has one goal, six assists and a minus-10 rating this season.

Dustin Penner-Anaheim, LW (Owned in 64.8% of ESPN leagues) Back on the Anaheim top line with Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf, the 31-year old is enjoying an offensive renaissance with 7 points (1G/6A) in the last six games. Usually known for his streaky goal-scoring, Penner has been an assist-machine while playing with the big boys. We don't expect his scoring pace to last long-term with his limited value on the power-play, but he is worth a look as a fifth/sixth forward option while he is hot. Clarke MacArthur- Ottawa, LW (Owned in 77.1% of ESPN leagues) The ex-Leaf forward has found life in Ottawa not too shabby, as he has fit in nicely on the second line with Bobby Ryan and Kyle Turris. This trio is providing the bulk of the offense for the Senators these days, with MacArthur collecting 7 points (4G/3A) in the last 6 games. The 28-year old did exhibit a scoring touch for Toronto, racking up two straight 20+ goal seasons, including a career-high 62 points in ‘10/11. He is definitely worth a roll of the dice in all fantasy formats. Marcus Johansson- Washington, LW (Owned in 64.9% of ESPN leagues) The talented forward finds himself on this list way too frequently, but he should be owned in all fantasy leagues for the simple reason that he plays with Alexander Ovechkin. With "Ovie" back in the lineup, Johansson has recorded five points in the last four games. In the previous four, he went scoreless as he was dropped to the second line in Ovechkin's absence. This one is pretty straightforward. Scoop him up immediately if you still can. Philip Larsen- Edmonton, D (Owned in 2.7% of ESPN leagues) This might be a shot in the dark, but the young Danish defender has manned Edmonton's top power-play with Justin Schultz out with a groin injury. With three assists last night and five points in five games overall, the 23-year old is showing his offensive upside. However, his fantasy value is strictly short-term as the return of Schultz would limit Larson's time on the man-advantage. Check out the injury updates on Schultz, because Larson maybe worth a flier for a week or two. Ilya Bryzgalov- Edmonton, G ( (Owned in 3.8% of ESPN leagues) The Edmonton Oilers have signed the much-maligned goaltender to a one-year deal, making a statement that Devan Dubnyk's status as the no. 1 goalie is iffy at best. While Bryzgalov is known for his off-beat antics, he has been a quite accomplished goaltender in the NHL and now has a chance to partially erase the memories of not ...

Schultz missed Saturday's 5-0 loss to the Red Wings and won't be able to go tomorrow vs. Florida. He has one goal and sex assists with a minus-10 rating through 14 games. Monitor his status before Thursday's matchup with Tampa Bay.

It appears that the NY Rangers are waking up from their horrendous opening season road trip. One who was definitely caffeinated last night was Derek Stepan with the hattie. If you would have told me a month ago that Colorado would be leading the entire NHL in points at this juncture, I would have said ‘you're crazy!" Last Sunday I mentioned that it would be a good time to try and get Patrick Sharp on your team. HE had 4 points in 3 games this week.  Times up! I am amazed that Edmonton can't get their act together. When will the tide finally turn for this team? I'm so glad that Max Pacioretty is back n the lineup for the Habs. They are so good when he's in their lineup. It's nice to see Tampa Bay and Toronto at the top of the Atlantic standings. The Oilers are saying thank goodness for the Buffalo Sabres. I think. Nashville is playing tough with their top netminder Pekka Rinne. Hopefully he will return this season. Of course I write about Blackhawk Brandon Pirri in my latest "UNDER THE RAYDAR" piece and he goes pointless. In the "Ewwwww" Dept., Yakupov (-12), Hemsky (-11), Marc Staal (-10), RNH (-10), Justin Schultz (-10) and Eric Staal (-10) are having a rough start. The trend is to not be an Edmonton Oiler or a Staal brother. I would not have believed that Patrick Kane is a -9 so far this season. Was he on the ice for all the goals against Chicago?  It just seems like it I guess. He Ducks, and Corey Perry, quacked all over the Sabres on Saturday night. What does this tell you when three rookies in your Sabres lineup are the only players with a + next to their name in that Ducks game? It tells you that you probably need a new head coach. You just knew that Ben Bishop was going to put in a solid effort against his former team, the Blues. It was good to see Jaden Schwartz finally get a decent amount of Shots On Goal last night with 6. And in the "Inept Game of the Week", Philly edged out New Jersey 1-0 only because somebody had to win. Lundqvist is starting to look better. Perhaps a new contract is on the horizon? It was like the "old" days of the Southeast Division when the Caps played the Panthers in a tight contest last night. They seem so long ago.  LOL.  It's going to take me a while to get used to these new divisions, or whatever they are called now. Hats off to Pittsburgh backup goaltender, Jeff Zatkoff, who earned his first win in a shutout of the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Jackets suddenly have seemed to have lost their chutzpah lately by going ...

After years of ending up in the bottom part of the standings in the NHL, the Oilers, over the past few years, have stockpiled a lot of young talent, especially on offense. Youngsters like Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Nail Yakupov and Sam Gagner have Oiler fans salivating at how good this team can be in the future.  But right now is a different story.   Edmonton missed the playoffs by ten points last season.  They were 18th in the league in goals scored with 123 and 19th in the league with 134 points allowed. But they were 7th in the league in power play percentage, and 9th in penalty kill, which shows that they have a lot of skilled offensive players. It also shows that they are bad at 5 on 5 plays.  This is because they lack depth on forward and defense.  General Manager Craig MacTavish made some subtle moves to try and improve this situation.  He brought in 29 years old Boyd Gordon as a free agent from Phoenix with a three-year deal to be the third line center.  Gordon is exactly one piece that the Oilers have been missing, a tenacious checker who is very good defensively and is great on face-offs.  In addition, he brought in defenseman Andrew Ference from Boston as a free agent with another three-year deal.  Ference is the quintessential stay at home defenseman who will bring experience, leadership and stability to the Oilers defense, and he has also played in three Stanley Cup Finals.  These were solid moves that should take some pressure off the young players as they continue to develop.  Edmonton should contend for a playoff spot this season.  They make not make it, but they should be exciting to watch. Goalies While there was a lot of talk during the offseason that the Oilers were trying to get Ryan Miller from Buffalo at this point it seems like they are going to go with Devan Dubnyk as their starting goalie. Dubnyk had a solid 2013 season with a 14-16-6 record in 38 games, with a 2.57 goals against average, a .920 save percentage and 2 shutouts.  At 27 years old, he is still learning, so he can still get better.  At almost 6'6" and 210 pounds he has the one thing you can't teach which is good size.  He has really improved his positioning over the past few years, and he has good rebound control.  He has a tendency to give up soft goals occasionally and then brood about it which can get him off his game.  He was in control a lot better this past season.  Maybe coaching is helping him in this respect.  The Oilers have two ...

Great knowing Schultz appears to be the go-to guy on the powerplay. This should bump him up in your rankings.