Ribeiro was a healthy scratch in each of the last two games, but will be back in tonight. Ribeiro will skate on a line with Brandon McMillan and Martin Erat.

Ribeiro was scratched on Tuesday and it looks like he will be scratched once again tonight in Jersey. This speaks volumes as to what the Coyotes think of Ribeiro's recent play. They are clinging to the final playoff spot in the West, yet are benching the veteran play-maker.

The Coyotes let one slip away on Monday, so they are making a couple of changes for Tuesday's meeting with the Penguins. Ribeiro, who was a minus-4 with one assist in his last two games, will be replaced by pugilist Paul Bissonnette.

Ribeiro left Monday's game after playing just 10:01 and could be held out of tonight's game. Ribeiro currently ranks second on the team with 33 points (11G / 21A) in 45 games. Monitor his status in pre-game warmups.

Ten games last night in the NHL. First Florida goaltender Tim Thomas hurt himself in practice, and it was serious enough for the Panthers to recall Jacob Markstrom from the AHL. Looks like Scott Clemmensen will get the next few starts for the Panthers. Jay Feaster was fired as General Manager of the Calgary Flames and it looks like the Flames are seeking ex Dallas General Manager Joe Nieuwendyk to replace him.  Carolina activated Alex Semin off the IR list. Semin was having a quiet year with only 9 points in 20 games.  Maybe he will step it up now...New York Ranger goaltender Henrik Lundqvist continued to struggle last night allowing 3 quick goals against Columbus on only 13 shots and being replaced  by Cam Talbot. Lundqvist just signed a huge contract, so he is the Rangers man.  Young Columbus forward Ryan Johansen scored a goal, and he has a 7 games scoring streak. He is going to be a big fantasy player.  Columbus goaltender Curtis McElhinney had to leave the game with an injury and he was replaced by Mike McKenna, so Columbus is down to its 3rd string goaltender...Philadelphia beat the Canadiens as Flyer forward Claude Giroux continues to wake up this season after a very slow start. He had a goal and an assist last night and now has a respectable 23 points on the season.  Expect him to be a point per game player the rest of the season...Ottawa forward Bobby Ryan had a goal and an assist last night in the Senators win against Buffalo. Ryan has 30 points on the season, and you can expect him to continue scoring at this pace. Senators goaltender Craig Anderson finally had a big game with 40 saves. He may get a couple of starts based on yesterday's game, but we still lean toward Robin Lehner as the starter...Nice effort by Tampa Bay goaltender Ben Bishop with 28 saves in a 2-1 shootout win over Detroit. Bishop is having a great season with 16 wins and a 2.05 goals against and a .931 save percentage...Alex Steen continued his amazing season with a goal and an assist in the Blues 6-3 win over Toronto. He has 22 goals and 35 points on the season.  David Backes had 2 goals for St. Louis, and he is quietly putting up a good season with 15 goals and 29 points. Brian Elliott had 19 save in goal for the Blues with his second straight start. Expect Jaroslav Halak to be back in net for St. Louis for the next few games...Big night for Matt Duchene for Colorado as he had 2 goals and an assist in their 4-3 shootout win, plus he scored the winner in the shootout. ...

Ten games last night in the NHL. First Florida goaltender Tim Thomas hurt himself in practice, and it was serious enough for the Panthers to recall Jacob Markstrom from the AHL. Looks like Scott Clemmensen will get the next few starts for the Panthers. Jay Feaster was fired as General Manager of the Calgary Flames and it looks like the Flames are seeking ex Dallas General Manager Joe Nieuwendyk to replace him.  Carolina activated Alex Semin off the IR list. Semin was having a quiet year with only 9 points in 20 games.  Maybe he will step it up now...New York Ranger goaltender Henrik Lundqvist continued to struggle last night allowing 3 quick goals against Columbus on only 13 and being replaced  by Cam Talbot. Lundqvist just signed a huge contract, so he is the Rangers man.  Young Columbus forward Ryan Johansen scored a goal, and he has a 7 games scoring streak. He is going to be a big fantasy player.  Columbus goaltender Curtis McElhinney had to leave the game with an injury and he was replaced by Mike McKenna, so Columbus is down to its 3rd string goaltender...Philadelphia beat the Canadiens as Flyer forward Claude Giroux continues to wake up this season after a very slow start. He had a goal and an assist last night and now has a respectable 23 points on the season.  Expect him to be a point per game player the rest of the season...Ottawa forward Bobby Ryan had a goal and an assist last night in the Senators win against Buffalo. Ryan has 30 points on the season, and you can expect him to continue scoring at this pace. Senators goaltender Craig Anderson finally had a big game with 40 saves. He may get a couple of starts based on yesterday's game, but we still lean toward Robin Lehner as the starter...Nice effort by Tampa Bay goaltender Ben Bishop with 28 saves in a 2-1 shootout win over Detroit. Bishop is having a great season with 16 wins and a 2.05 goals against and a .931 save percentage...Alex Steen continued his amazing season with a goal and an assist in the Blues 6-3 win over Toronto. He has 22 goals and 35 points on the season.  David Backes had 2 goals for St. Louis, and he is quietly putting up a good season with 15 goals and 29 points. Brian Elliott had 19 save in goal for the Blues with his second straight start. Expect Jaroslav Halak to be back in net for St. Louis for the next few games...Big night for Matt Duchene for Colorado as he had 2 goals and an assist in their 4-3 shootout win, plus he scored in the winner in the shootout. Duchene...

The coffee is hot, be careful! Did Kris Versteeg hit the lottery or what? Going back to Chicago is a blessing although I just hope he leaves his injury problems behind. He first game back with the Blackhawks looked more like a Panthers game than a Hawks game. Carey Price has lost 5 of last 6 and has some hard luck in some of those. Perhaps a good "buy low" op has arisen. Does Evgeni Nabokov and Nikolai Khabibulin going down with groin injuries last night tell you something? Duchene went down with an oblique injury. Everyone hopes it won't be serious, me included, but it just sounds serious. This year's boy wonder, Ben Bishop, left the game last night with an UBI (upper-body injury). Tough night to be a goaltender in the NHL. JVR scored his 8th and 9th last night. The Leafs need more of that.  It just can't be all Kessel, all the time. Kudos to Rangers G Cam Talbot for notching his first NHL shutout as he blanked the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre. No easy feat! Every single Ranger player had a SOG except for D Marc Staal. Where in the world is David Desharnais? Max Pacioretty needs you! Martin Brodeur has turned back the clock winning 4 in a row and 6 of his last 7. I'd never thought I would ever say this, but the Penguins offense stinks of late. If you haven't noticed but the Philadelphia Flyers and New Jersey Devils are slowly but surely moving up the Conference rankings. Is it me or do the Islanders have the Red Wings' number? Pavel Datysuk jersey is the third best selling NHL jersey. I think that's what I've heard.  He is really amazing.  You too Zetterberg. Steen ain't losing any steam it seems. Do you know who led the Red Wing defensemen in shots on goal in that Islander game? Quincey and Lashoff with 1 each. Brock Nelson had 7 SOG last night. Who?  Put this kid on your watch list.  His name sounds like a tough hockey player.  Semin is the perfect example of those players who play hard only for the money. Got his contract after last year's tremendous season, and now only has like 9 points at the quarter mark.  That's a total of 36 for the year.  Bleeeech! The Nashville Predators scored a week's worth of goals against the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday. 7 goals!  A miracle in the music city. I'm beginning to like Brandon Pirri more and more. 9 points in 15 games this year for the rookie. I love how David Backes gives you a little bit of everything every night. Shane Doan gets overlooked in almost all fantasy leagues but he is quietly having...

The big story surrounding the San Jose Shark's early surge has been the stellar play of Czech rookie Tomas Hertl, who has "fit like a glove" on the first line with Joe Thornton and Brent Burns. Well, he outdid himself last night after scoring his first NHL "hat trick", plus another highlight-reel goal for good measure in the Sharks 9-2 drubbing of the New York Rangers. The 19-year old now leads the entire league with 6 goals and 7 points, while sitting second with a +5 rating. It's obviously way too early to hand him over the Calder Trophy, but his early performance should not be discounted, either. This is the type of young player with "Jaromir Jagr"-like potential, that can really motivate a veteran like Thornton to keep pushing him to new heights. He is worth an immediate waiver-wire grab in all leagues, but could end up being fantasy gold in keeper formats. Other Fantasy Notes: Roberto Luongo wins the showdown against former goalie mate Cory Schneider, stopping 21 of 23 shots in Vancouver's 3-2 OT win over New Jersey. The real fantasy star of the night was defenseman Jason Garrison, who scored the overtime goal, his third of the season, and extended his point streak to four games. He is looking very legit in the early going, but it's probably too late to pick him up.... No James Neal? No problem for the Penguins, as Jussi Jokinen scored his first career "hat trick", including two on the power-play. Even though he will lose PP time when Neal returns, it's worth noting that he has collected 14 points in 13 games since being traded to Pittsburgh. If he stays on the 2nd line, 60 pts. is a definite possibility.... Need a d-man? You were warned by us that Jamie McBain can have a fantasy impact on his new team, the Buffalo Sabres. The 25-year old scored a goal and an assist, both on the powerplay, and logged 4:24 minutes on the top PP unit. Tyler Myers has "gone south" in a hurry, so keep McBain on your radar.... John Tavares scored his first two goals and now has four points in three games, but what about that second line on Long Island? Michael Grabner, Frans Nielson, and Josh Bailey combined for 9 points in the 6-1 romp over Phoenix. I like Grabner the best out of the lot for fantasy purposes. He has 35+ goal potential.. Speaking of Phoenix, Mike Ribeiro has yet to register a single point through three games. We saw that coming. Hopefully, you read our '13-14 Fantasy Guide and did not overrate him based on his gaudy numbers with Washington last season.....

The big story surrounding the San Jose Shark's early surge has been the stellar play of Czech rookie Tomas Hertl, who has "fit like a glove" on the first line with Joe Thornton and Brent Burns. Well, he outdid himself last night after scoring his first NHL "hat trick", plus another highlight-reel goal for good measure in the Sharks 9-2 drubbing of the New York Rangers. The 19-year old now leads the entire league with 6 goals and 7 points, while sitting second with a +5 rating. It's obviously way too early to hand him over the Calder Trophy, but his early performance should not be discounted, either. This is the type of young player with "Jaromir Jagr"-like potential, that can really motivate a veteran like Thornton to keep pushing him to new heights. He is worth an immediate waiver-wire grab in all leagues, but could end up being fantasy gold in keeper formats. Other Fantasy Notes: Roberto Luongo wins the showdown against former goalie mate Cory Schneider, stopping 21 of 23 shots in Vancouver's 3-2 OT win over New Jersey. The real fantasy star of the night was defenseman Jason Garrison, who scored the overtime goal, his third of the season, and extended his point streak to four games. He is looking very legit in the early going, but it's probably too late to pick him up.... No James Neal? No problem for the Penguins, as Jussi Jokinen scored his first career "hat trick", including two on the power-play. Even though he will lose PP time when Neal returns, it's worth noting that he has collected 14 points in 13 games since being traded to Pittsburgh. If he stays on the 2nd line, 60 pts. is a definite possibility.... Need a d-man? You were warned by us that Jamie McBain can have a fantasy impact on his new team, the Buffalo Sabres. The 25-year old scored a goal and an assist, both on the powerplay, and logged 4:24 minutes on the top PP unit. Tyler Myers has "gone south" in a hurry, so keep McBain on your radar.... John Tavares scored his first two goals and now has four points in three games, but what about that second line on Long Island? Michael Grabner, Frans Nielson, and Josh Bailey combined for 9 points in the 6-1 romp over Phoenix. I like Grabner the best out of the lot for fantasy purposes. He has 35+ goal potential.. Speaking of Phoenix, Mike Ribeiro has yet to register a single point through three games. We saw that coming. Hopefully, you read our '13-14 Fantasy Guide and did not overrate him based on his gaudy numbers with Washington last season.....

Center Mikhail Grabovski wasted no time in proving his detractors wrong, scoring three goals and an assist in his Washington Caps debut in the 6-4 loss against Chicago. Although he centered the second line, he showed instant chemistry with Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom on the top power-play unit. This is worth noting, considering first-liner Marcus Johansson only played 1:11 on the PP as opposed to Grabovski's 3:29. I know it's only one game in, but stashing away "Grabo" on your bench wouldn't be a bad idea. Call me impulsive, but I just dropped 40-year old Ray Whitney for him this morning. The bottom line- Mike Ribeiro scored over a point-per-game in the same exact role last season. The Caps will score tons of goals, so here is a great opportunity for an early fantasy gift... More Game Notes: Tyler Bozak scored the game-winning short-hander in the Leafs road win over Montreal. The underrated center gets zero fantasy respect, yet will be playing big minutes with one of the rising NHL stars in Phil Kessel. You figure if Phil gets 90 points, Bozak can get 60. Right? Don't ignore him. He might surprise.. A few interesting line notes in this game- LW Joffrey Lupul played on the second line with Nazem Kadri and Nikolai Kulemin, while James van Riemsdyk moved up to the top unit. Also, despite missing most of training camp, D Cody Franson resumed his spot on the first power-play unit. Jake Gardiner logged over 4:00 minutes of PP time, so he could still be a fantasy factor. If Franson falters after his extended layoff, Gardiner has the tools to move up.. D Dustin Byfuglien started the season with a roar, collecting three assists in Winnipeg's come-from-behind victory in Edmonton. His 24:09 minutes of ice-time was second on the team, so the reports of a better conditioned and more motivated "Big Buff" seem pretty accurate. If he stays on track, 60 points is very realistic. Top-five fantasy upside.. Don't sleep on fellow d-man Tobias Enstrom, who picked up two assists and is a legitimate 50-pt. candidate. His lack of goal-scoring and his extensive injury history keeps him under the radar.