How about MDZ finding his scoring touch again; second chance for Stafford in Winnipeg; goalie waiver talk; and more: Drew Stafford RW, Winnipeg: The streaky winger has found a new home after the trade to the Jets, cementing a place in top six with injury to Mathieu Perreault. Coming off a two assist game, Stafford has shown early chemistry playing with Mark Schiefele and Dustin Byfuglien. Considering how quickly he can rack up points in spurts, he should be worth taking a flier on.  Craig Smith RW, Nashville- Hyped by many as a premier sleeper pick for 2014-15, Smith did not make the immediate offensive impact expected but has come on strong lately with six points (4G/2A) in the last four games. We can't recommend him as a long-term solution given the balanced attack employed by Peter Laviolette's Predators. However, use him while he is hot as he could put up big numbers over the next few weeks.  David Desharnais C, Montreal: When you are centering the hot Max Pacioretty and Brendan Gallagher, expect a fair share of assists. The diminutive center has struggled to find his 2011 60-point form, but could be poised for a strong finish. He and "Mad Max" were split up after early stint together but now are back again. Better than ever? We think so.    Michael Del Zotto D. Philadelphia: His game-winning goal in the Sunday matinee has capped a torrid stretch where he has collected 7 points over his last 10 games. With 23 points on the season, Del Zotto looks to have rediscovered his offensive game and has been more effective then the more heralded Mark Streit over the last month. Only drawback has been his lack of power-play time. Andrew Hammond G, Ottawa: The journeyman goalie is living a dream since his NHL promotion, winning both starts over Montreal and Florida. He has a tough task ahead with three games over Western Conference powerhouses during the next week. I would advise only the desperate fantasy owner to take a stab at Hammond but the goalie free-agent well is pretty dry. Maybe Michal Neuvirth from Buffalo who could still be available and should get all the work for the Sabres. Like I said, pretty dry..    

Winnipeg sleeper alert; Ottawa goalie makes good in first start; Carter and Toffoli keep rolling; and more.. Quick thoughts on Mathieu Perreault's long-term injury- A huge blow to the Winnipeg Jets given his offensive production over the last two months and his power-play work. However, you can't help to think that his injury might have opened the door for Drew Stafford to be a key contributor in their top-six and possibly on the top power-play. I have owned the enigmatic winger in many leagues and his ability to get streaky is second to none. If you are in desperate need of forward help, keep tight tabs on Stafford... Ottawa’s Bobby Ryan was held off the score sheet in the 4-2 win over Montreal but expect Ryan to get right back on track in the next contest against Florida on Saturday….What was really impressive was rookie goaltender Andrew Hammond in just his 3rd NHL game and fist NHL start defeated the Montreal Canadiens.  That’s something he can brag to his kids about….Mark Stone, an UNDER THE RAYDAR feature in January had a goal and 2 assists and is having a fine rookie season with 14 goals and 22 assists.  A good candidate for keeper leagues…. It was what you would expect from a Detroit-Chicago matchup this late in the season as the Red Wings toughed out a 3-2 win in a shootout.  You need to watch the moves both Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Tatar made in the shootout.  Makes you wonder what a Stanley Cup Finals matchup between these two teams…. Mikko Koivu played hero for the Wild with his overtime tally to seal the 3-2 win in Calgary. His four points in his last four games has him again on the cusp of fantasy relevance but his overall offensive output has fallen short of expectations. Speaking of overachiever, Devan Dubnyk continues to summon his inner Patrick Roy and stonewall every opponent as he saved 35 of 37 shots. His stellar play since being traded to Minny is the single most reason why the Wild are in playoff contention and also a huge late-season boost for many fantasy owners.. Amidst one of his famous hot streaks, Jeff Carter scored two goals to lead the Kings to their six straight victory in Colorado. Another forward you should target in your leagues is Tyler Toffoli who also picked up two points and has registered 11 points in his last 10 games. If available, grab him ASAP as his partnership with JC is flourishing at the moment and carrying the King's offense.. I feel way more comfortable as a Ben Bishop owner, given how well he played in ...

What I've noticed of late is how defenseman Seth Jones has become more involved in the scoring for the Nashville Predators. He has a 4-game point streak and has 9 points in last 12 games.  Pretty impressive stats I must say... Chicago Blackhawk Marian Hossa has been quiet of late but scored twice against St. Louis. His first points in 6 games.  Veteran players like Hossa know when to raise the level of their game and with the season coming to the stretch run.... Philadelphia Flyer Claude Giroux has been relatively quiet of late but had 2 assists against Washington in a big win for Philly as they cling to playoff expectations. A player like Giroux can go off in a hurry so leave him in your lineup regardless....G Steve Mason had to leave the game with an apparent knee injury. Seems like he could be on the shelf for a while so if you expect a lot from the Flyers, pick up and start Ray Emery as you await further word on Mason's injury.... Not much to say about the Buffalo-Islanders tilt other than Jaroslav Halak won the game by making just eight saves during an entire match. Really? That has to be a record. Anyway, his owners will gladly take it.. The Lightning steamrolled the Ducks despite the return of Ryan Getzlaf, getting a huge three-point effort from Valtteri Fillpula(7 points in last 10 gms).Anaheim goalie Federik Andersen left the match after getting hit by a tilted net. Let's hope that the injury is not serious given that Ilya Bryzgalov would be a less than adequate handcuff for Andersen owners.. Jason Spezza has been more of a dominant offensive performer lately, collecting a goal and two assists improve his numbers to 11 points over the last ten games. A point-per-game pace or close to it should be expected for the perennial second-half stud.. Kari Lehtonen's amazing 34-save effort in the win justs adds to the craziness of owning him and not knowing what to expect from start to start. I had all but decided to sit him for the upcoming week but now have second thoughts. So should you.. Mathieu Perreault and Dustin Byfuglien get the Winnipeg Jets back in the winning column with three points apiece. "Big Buff" has been moved back to forward but as long he maintains eligibility on the blueline, keep starting him on defense.. Behind Carey Price's 34 saves, the Habs completed the season sweep of the Boston Bruins in a low-scoring affair. Tuuka played well but Carey was just a tad better..

WHAT STOOD OUT The goaltending was in high gear last night between Carey Price and Henrik Lundqvist as Price continued his mastery over the Rangers with the 1-0 shutout over the Blueshirts. Look for more performances like this for the remainder of the season from both goaltenders as both teams are favorites to go far in the playoffs.... If you haven't noticed, the Boston Bruins are streaking up the standings of late, winning 7 of their last 9 as Tuukka Rask is rounding into form. Good idea to get Milan Lucic, Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci in your starting lineups as they will provide most of the offense. Perhaps you can take a chance on Reilly Smith who had a goal and 2 assists in the win and now has a 3-game scoring streak.... In a losing effort against Philadelphia, Winnipeg Center Mathieu Perreault had 2 goals to continue his magical season for the Jets. Since the beginning of November, all Perreault has done is go 13-10-23 in 22 games.  The injury right before the All-Star hasn't slowed him down.  Grab him if he's still available on the waiver wire. Tampa Bay Center Cedric Paquette was a Red Wing killer with a hat trick last night. The Lightning have all sorts of talent to choose from when it comes to scoring but Paquette shouldn't be considered one of them at the moment unless the team sustains some injuries....Also of note was rookie Jonathan Drouin chipping in with 2 assists in the victory. That's 3 points in last 2 games and 7 points in 10 January games. Perhaps he is starting to feel comfortable at the NHL level.  Great things lie ahead for Drouin but it may not come until next season.... Another big night for the Dallas "D" as John Kingberg(1G/1A) and Trevor Daley(1G/2A) combined for five points in the road triumph over Ottawa. While held off the scoreboard, Alex Goligoski rang up five SOG. It's become apparent that the rookie Klingberg has surpassed both on the power-play depth chart but their point totals are almost flat-out even during the month of January.(7 for Klingberg/Daley, 6 for Goligoski). All three share modest fantasy value moving forward, but I would expect for the 22-year old Swede to be the superior offensive contributor amongst the Star's blueline during the second half... Zach Parise's game-winning goal in the 1-0 Minny win over Calgary was his 6th in his last sixth games. After coming up empty in three contests after returning to the Wild line-up, the American sniper is looking fully loaded for a strong finish. Not many ...

Last year was probably as far away from what every fan and the coaching staff expected as you can get. Evander Kane getting injured and then trade rumors didn't help matters. Ondrej Pavelec had his worse career performance since his early days in Atlanta, posting .901 SP and a 3.01 GAA. Two big reasons why the Jets failed to qualify for the playoffs for 7 seasons as franchises of Winnipeg and Atlanta.  The only player left from that playoff team is Center Jim Slater. The team's roster doesn't have much in the way of players with playoff experience.  Perhaps that is something the coaching staff needs to take a look at. GOALIES We all know the importance of steady goaltending when it comes to the emotional stability of a team. Pavelec hasn't been that rock in net for the Jets as he has some up and down seasons so far in his young career.  In fact, it has been more down than up especially when his metrics are usually below average.  It has been said that Pavs has been working hard in the off-season.  I wonder if Michael Hutchinson put a scare into him with his amazing 3-game audition at the end of the season. All Hutchinson did was post a 2-1-0 record with a .943 SP and 1.64 GAA.  Now, no one should expect those types of numbers again, especially since that is all of his NHL experience, but he is 24 years old and will get a chance to steal the starting job since Pavelec has been anything but that solid starter every playoff team needs in the crease. Keep an eye on this situation in camp and the start of the season.  With Pavelec, the team is going to have to support him night-in and night-out, but with Hutchinson in net, he may be able to steal a few games and the offense won't have to be constantly counted on to bail Pavelec out.. DEFENSE There is no lack of blue line talent with this crew. Led by Dustin Byfuglien, who may or may not be a RW this season, the jets have a plethora of offensive-minded d-men patrolling the back end. Buff brings the grit along with the capability to score 20 goals. Then there is Tobias Enstrom, who should respond from a down year. The talented Swede only scored 30 points, his lowest total ever.  Then there are the two youngsters, Zach Bogosian and Jacob Trouba, who were 1st round draft picks, selected 3rd and 9th overall respectively. Both can score, but with Buff and Enstrom ahead of them, expect only secondary scoring.  Paul Postma and Grant Clitsome are your stay-at-home defensemen, so no fantasy value there. FORWARDS There...

Perreault missed game 4 with a lower-body injury, but it sounds like he will be available back in Anaheim tonight. Perreault has two goals, two assists and a minus-2 rating in eight games this postseason. Expect him to skate on a line with Patrick Maroon and Teemu Selanne.

Perreault was banged up in game 3 and the injury was serious enough to keep him out of the lineup tonight in game 4. He will be replaced by Rickard Rakell.

Perreault was forced to leave game 3 early and did not skate this morning because he was getting treatment, but listed himself as a game-time decision for Saturday's game 4.

Perreault is considered day-to-day, and Matt Beleskey figures to draw back into the lineup after missing the last four games.