Injuries have plagued the Detroit Red Wings up front for most of the season, but the return of the "Mule" can help them keep their long-standing playoff streak alive. RW Johan Franzen collected a "hat trick" against the hapless Ottawa Senators, giving him 5 points in 2 games since his return from a concussion. To be honest, it's difficult as a fantasy owner to rely on him down the stretch given his history of injuries, but if he can stay healthy.. watch out. As streaky as they come and a consistent "second half" guy, you can do much worse than gamble on Franzen for a scoring boost. While the young forwards have done an admirable job of providing secondary scoring, most of the Detroit offense will fall on the shoulders on Franzen and Pavel Datsyuk. Just hope their knees don't crumble.. Couture Sparks Sharks: We all know this was supposed to be Logan Couture's breakout season, but injuries and a brief slump left fantasy owners unsatisfied. However, the sniper is back in great form, collecting 2 goals in the 7-3 rout in Philly. The good news is that his offensive presence opens it up for all the key scoring forwards in San Jose, including "Little Joe" Pavelski who had a "hat trick" and now sits second in the NHL with 33 goals scored. Look for Couture and Pavelski to be fantasy beasts over the final stretch, while Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton should continue their normal production. In terms of their remaining fantasy worth, here's the following order: 1. Couture 2. Pavelski. 3. Marleau 4. Thornton. Whats The Matter With Maatta? Absolutely nothing! The young Olli Maatta is making a strong case for Calder Trophy consideration, given that he blazed the way for Pittsburgh with 2 points last night and 5 in the last five games overall. Dating back to the start of December, the "OEL" clone has collected 20 points (6G/14A) in the last 30 games. If not for a lack of primary power-play time, this guy would be an automatic top-ten fantasy option but Matt Niskanen continues to get the minutes. regardless, the injuries to Kris Letang and Paul Martin have created a huge opportunity for the youngster, and he has taken full advantage of it so far. Scoop him up if he is still available. More Fantasy Game Notes: Well, let's begin with the "Great 8" who should be moping over Team Russia's disastrous showing in Sochi, but apparently has other plans..like continuing his NHL dominance this season. Alex Ovechkin scored his league-leading 41st goal late in the third to grab ...

Christmas came early for not only Mark Pysyk but also the Buffalo Sabres who won in overtime on a most incredible way to score one. Merry Christmas!  Click video below, courtesy of SomeHockeyVideos to see this amazing winning goal. FANTASY GAME NOTES: Ryan Miller has been playing well since the start of the season but you wouldn't have known it just by looking at the standings. His record now stands at 9-17-0 with the win last night against the Coyotes, and 5 of those wins have come in his last 7 starts.  He's a steady goaltender who gets tons of starts, perhaps the law of averages is panning out.  So, if you need a decent 2nd goalie, it's Miller time!....The Toronto Maple leafs played their third shootout in a row, losing the last two.   At least they are gaining some points after losing 5 of their previous 6.  Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul have been sort of ice cold, at least for them. So perhaps you may be able to snatch them away from an unknowing GM....Ducks with a capital ‘D'.  The Anaheim Ducks defense kept Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Caps at bay in their 3-2 victory but Nicklas Backstrom continued his torrid scoring pace with a power play goal, giving him 17 points in 10 December games. ....No Skinner off their backs as the Columbus Blue Jackets were able to overcome Jeff Skinner's 2-goal effort. Skinner is one of those you live and die with becvause he can give you some good fantasy production, but at the same time gets injured ‘way too much'. He's already been on the sideline once this year, so perhaps it's safe to keep him in.  OR, you can try and "sell-high".  See what you can get?....Maybe Columbus doesn't need Marian Gaborik. They have gone 6-3-1 in December basically without the enigmatic score. In those 10 games, Ryan Johansen has gone 5-6-11. Johansen is finally coming of age.....Craig Anderson should study the tape of his game last night against Pittsburgh because he blanked the Penguins 5-0. Anderson struggles have been the talk of Ottawa but last night's performance could signal a turnaround for the struggling goaltender....Speaking of turnarounds, The NY Isles avenged their early season loss to the Detroit Red Wings with a 3-0 blanking of their own.  Having Evgeni Nabokov back in net is a world of difference from having Kevin Poulin in there. It's just not Poulin's time yet...The Bolts blasted the Florida Panthers in the Battle of Florida.  The Cats took the first shot with a late 1st period goal by Sean Bergenheim, ...

FANTASY GAME NOTES: Ryan Miller has been playing well since the start of the season but you wouldn't have known it just by looking at the standings. His record now stands at 9-17-0 with the win last night against the Coyotes, and 5 of those wins have come in his last 7 starts.  He's a steady goaltender who gets tons of starts, perhaps the law of averages is panning out.  So, if you need a decent 2nd goalie, it's Miller time!....The Toronto Maple leafs played their third shootout in a row, losing the last two.   At least they are gaining some points after losing 5 of their previous 6.  Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul have been sort of ice cold, at least for them. So perhaps you may be able to snatch them away from an unknowing GM....Ducks with a capital ‘D'.  The Anaheim Ducks defense kept Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Caps at bay in their 3-2 victory but Nicklas Backstrom continued his torrid scoring pace with a power play goal, giving him 17 points in 10 December games. ....No Skinner off their backs as the Columbus Blue Jackets were able to overcome Jeff Skinner's 2-goaleffort. Skinner is one of those you live and die with becvause he can give you some good fantasy production, but at the same time gets injured ‘way too much'.  He's already been on the sideline once this year, so perhaps it's safe to keep him in.  OR, you can try and "sell-high".  See what you can get?....Maybe Columbus doesn't need Marian Gaborik. They have gone 6-3-1 in December basically without the enigmatic score. In those 10 games, Ryan Johansen has gone 5-6-11. Johansen is finally coming of age.....Craig Anderson should study the tape of his game last night against Pittsburgh because he blanked the Penguins 5-0. Anderson struggles have been the talk of Ottawa but last night's performance could signal a turnaround for the struggling goaltender....Speaking of turnarounds, The NY Isles avenged their early season loss to the Detroit Red Wings with a 3-0 blanking of their own. Having Evgeni Nabokov back in net is a world of difference from having Kevin Poulin in there. It's just not Poulin's time yet...The Bolts blasted the Florida Panthers in the Battle of Florida.  The Cats took the first shot with a late 1st period goal by Sean Bergenheim, but the Lightning answered less than 20 seconds and then with 5 more unanswered goals. The loss of Steven Stamkos has not hurt Tampa Bay at all. It's all because of Goalie sensation Ben Bishop who has been nothing less than spectacular ...

We all know about Santa's little helpers but recently Washington Capitals Center Nicklas Backstrom is doling out assists like giving away candy canes at Christmas. Last night against the Canes in fact, Backstrom had 4 assists, the second time in December that he had 4 helpers in a game.   Always known more for his assists than goal-scoring but at the rate he is dishing them out lately, he could possibly set a new career high.  His previous high was 68 back in 2009-2010.  The last few years injuries took their toll along with a different system in place, but don't worry, Backstrom is back to his old ways....Caps Goalie Philipp Grubauer got the win to raise his season record to 3-0-1 with a 2.06 GAA and a .937 SP. If he continues at this rate,  Braden Holtby better start bringing his ‘A' game if he wants to keep his starting job. It might be a good idea to grab him off the wire to handcuff your Capital goalie situation.... More Fantasy Game Notes: The desperate Islanders only needed a match against their arch-rival NY Rangers to get the blood boiling again.  Early Ranger sloppiness led to 2 short-handed goals in the 1st, but hey managed to overcome those miscues to take a 3-2 lead before the Isles took the lead back and sealed the game late in the third period. The Blueshirts have been a huge disappointment so far whereas the Islanders were expected to be playoff-worthy but there is a little more leniency because of their youth.  With Evgeni Nabokov back in net for the Isles, peraps this is a good time to grab some Islander players on the cheap before they start to turn it around....I'LL HAVE A ‘Z' PLEASE PAT. If you are looking for a player to somewhat breakout for a good second half run, look no further than the New Jersey Devils' Travis Zajac. Although you can't expect huge scoring from the Devils, Zajac does have 5 points in his past 5 games.  So if you need some consistency on the back end of your forward group, Zajac could be a good fit.  He did have back-to-back seasons of 60+ points from 2008-2010....MAKING HIS MARK. Winnipeg's Mark Scheifele has scored in 5 straight games with 7 points and 8 points in 7 games. Scheifele only has 15 points on the season, so you can see how hot he has gotten.  He seems to be counted more lately and he has responded.  The Jets hanger is crowded, but he can push his way and grab some ice time from some non-producing forwards, he might be worth a shot to help your team down the stretch....NOT ‘LACK'ING. It wasn't the ...

We all know about Santa's little helpers but recently Washington Capitals Center Nicklas Backstrom is doling out assists like giving away candy canes at Christmas. Last night against the Canes in fact, Backstrom had 4 assists, the second time in December that he had 4 helpers in a game.   Always known more for his assists than goal-scoring but at the rate he is dishing them out lately, he could possibly set a new career high.  His previous high was 68 back in 2009-2010.  The last few years injuries took their toll along with a different system in place, but don't worry, Backstrom is back to his old ways....Caps Goalie Philipp Grubauer got the win to raise his season record to 3-0-1 with a 2.06 GAA and a .937 SP. If he continues at this rate,  Braden Holtby better start bringing his ‘A' game if he wants to keep his starting job. It might be a good idea to grab him off the wire to handcuff your Capital goalie situation.... More Fantasy Game Notes: The desperate Islanders only needed a match against their arch-rival NY Rangers to get the blood boiling again.  Early Ranger sloppiness led to 2 short-handed goals in the 1st, but hey managed to overcome those miscues to take a 3-2 lead before the Isles took the lead back and sealed the game late in the third period. The Blueshirts have been a huge disappointment so far whereas the Islanders were expected to be playoff-worthy but there is a little more leniency because of their youth.  With Evgeni Nabokov back in net for the Isles, peraps this is a good time to grab some Islander players on the cheap before they start to turn it around....I'LL HAVE A ‘Z' PLEASE PAT. If you are looking for a player to somewhat breakout for a good second half run, look no further than the New Jersey Devils' Travis Zajac. Although you can't expect huge scoring from the Devils, Zajac does have 5 points in his past 5 games.  So if you need some consistency on the back end of your forward group, Zajac could be a good fit.  He did have back-to-back seasons of 60+ points from 2008-2010....MAKING HIS MARK. Winnipeg's Mark Scheifele has scored in 5 straight games with 7 points and 8 points in 7 games. Scheifele only has 15 points on the season, so you can see how hot he has gotten.  He seems to be counted more lately and he has responded.  The Jets hanger is crowded, but he can push his way and grab some ice time from some non-producing forwards, he might be worth a shot to help your team down the stretch....NOT ‘LACK'ING. It wasn't the ...

We all know about Santa's little helpers but recently Washington Capitals Center Nicklas Backstrom is doling out assists like giving away candy canes at Christmas. Last night against the Canes in fact, Backstrom had 4 assists, the second time in December that he had 4 helpers in a game.   Always known more for his assists than goal-scoring but at the rate he is dishing them out lately, he could possibly set a new career high.  His previous high was 68 back in 2009-2010.  The last few years injuries took their toll along with a different system in place, but don't worry, Backstrom is back to his old ways....Caps Goalie Philipp Grubauer got the win to raise his season record to 3-0-1 with a 2.06 GAA and a .937 SP. If he continues at this rate,  Braden Holtby better start bringing his ‘A' game if he wants to keep his starting job. It might be a good idea to grab him off the wire to handcuff your Capital goalie situation.... More Fantasy Game Notes: The desperate Islanders only needed a match against their arch-rival NY Rangers to get the blood boiling again.  Early Ranger sloppiness led to 2 short-handed goals in the 1st, but hey managed to overcome those miscues to take a 3-2 lead before the Isles took the lead back and sealed the game late in the third period. The Blueshirts have been a huge disappointment so far whereas the Islanders were expected to be playoff-worthy but there is a little more leniency because of their youth.  With Evgeni Nabokov back in net for the Isles, peraps this is a good time to grab some Islander players on the cheap before they start to turn it around....I'LL HAVE A ‘Z' PLEASE PAT. If you are looking for a player to somewhat breakout for a good second half run, look no further than the New Jersey Devils' Travis Zajac. Although you can't expect huge scoring from the Devils, Zajac does have 5 points in his past 5 games.  So if you need some consistency on the back end of your forward group, Zajac could be a good fit.  He did have back-to-back seasons of 60+ points from 2008-2010....MAKING HIS MARK. Winnipeg's Mark Scheifele has scored in 5 straight games with 7 points and 8 points in 7 games. Scheifele only has 15 points on the season, so you can see how hot he has gotten.  He seems to be counted more lately and he has responded.  The Jets hanger is crowded, but he can push his way and grab some ice time from some non-producing forwards, he might be worth a shot to help your team down the stretch....NOT ‘LACK'ING. It wasn't the ...

Alex Ovechkin scored 4 goals, including a last-minute game-tying tally, in Washington's 6-5 come-back win over Tampa Bay. With 26 goals in 29 games, the absence of Steven Stamkos makes the chances of anyone catching "Ovie" for the Maurice Richard Trophy slim to none. Nicklas Backstrom actually finished with more points in the contest, collecting a goal and 4 assists. After going scoreless in seven straight, the talented center has 7 points in the last three games. Regardless of a scoring drought, you never sit Backstrom out of your fantasy lineup.... Patrick Kane continues his ascent up the fantasy elite with another three points (1G/2A) in the 6-2 Chicago win over Dallas, giving him 12 points in the last 6 games. With 40 points on the season, the slick winger sits second in the NHL in scoring. For all of those pundits, including myself, that thought Kane would take a step back after hoisting the Cup, he is making a huge statement.  Patrick Sharp continues his hot streak with 2 goals.... Martin St. Louis extended his point streak to three games with a goal and two assists in the OT loss to Washington. Even without Stamkos, the ageless wonder is just barely out of the top-ten in scoring with 30 points. Don't discount him as he is still an elite fantasy forward who will get "hotter" when Stamkos returns. For now, marginal players like Tyler Johnson have seen a boost in fantasy value playing alongside St. Louis....The dynamic trio in Edmonton- Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins- combined for 6 points in the Oiler's OT win over Carolina. Eberle provided the overtime heroics with his 11th goal and 27th point in 32 games. His recent hot streak will have him over a point-per-game pace real soon, so trade for this guy if you can.  As for Hall, only injuries stand in his way as a permanent top-five fixture amongst fantasy forwards.... While playing for a "lousy" team, superstar John Tavares keeps notching the points, two more assists last night in the improbable 2-1 Islander win over San Jose.... Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk seamlessly returned from a concussion, scoring a goal and an assist in the 3-2 loss to Florida. He now has 25 points in as many games, so activate him ASAP.... Easy win for Los Angeles last night 6-0 over Montreal. Rookie goaltender Martin Jones had his second straight shutout with 31 saves, and with Jonathan Quick out, and Ben Scrivens in Coach Darryl Sutter's dog house, this guy is a great short term pickup. Young center Tyler ...

Alex Ovechkin scored 4 goals, including a last-minute game-tying tally, in Washington's 6-5 come-back win over Tampa Bay. With 26 goals in 29 games, the absence of Steven Stamkos makes the chances of anyone catching "Ovie" for the Maurice Richard Trophy slim to none. Nicklas Backstrom actually finished with more points in the contest, collecting a goal and 4 assists. After going scoreless in seven straight, the talented center has 7 points in the last three games. Regardless of a scoring drought, you never sit Backstrom out of your fantasy lineup.... Patrick Kane continues his ascent up the fantasy elite with another three points (1G/2A) in the 6-2 Chicago win over Dallas, giving him 12 points in the last 6 games. With 40 points on the season, the slick winger sits second in the NHL in scoring. For all of those pundits, including myself, that thought Kane would take a step back after hoisting the Cup, he is making a huge statement.  Patrick Sharp continues his hot streak with 2 goals.... Martin St. Louis extended his point streak to three games with a goal and two assists in the OT loss to Washington. Even without Stamkos, the ageless wonder is just barely out of the top-ten in scoring with 30 points. Don't discount him as he is still an elite fantasy forward who will get "hotter" when Stamkos returns. For now, marginal players like Tyler Johnson have seen a boost in fantasy value playing alongside St. Louis....The dynamic trio in Edmonton- Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins- combined for 6 points in the Oiler's OT win over Carolina. Eberle provided the overtime heroics with his 11th goal and 27th point in 32 games. His recent hot streak will have him over a point-per-game pace real soon, so trade for this guy if you can.  As for Hall, only injuries stand in his way as a permanent top-five fixture amongst fantasy forwards.... While playing for a "lousy" team, superstar John Tavares keeps notching the points, two more assists last night in the improbable 2-1 Islander win over San Jose.... Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk seamlessly returned from a concussion, scoring a goal and an assist in the 3-2 loss to Florida. He now has 25 points in as many games, so activate him ASAP.... Easy win for Los Angeles last night 6-0 over Montreal. Rookie goaltender Martin Jones had his second straight shutout with 31 saves, and with Jonathan Quick out, and Ben Scrivens in Coach Darryl Sutter's dog house, this guy is a great short term pickup. Young center Tyler ...

Wild RW Jason Pominville celebrated his return to Buffalo by scoring the game-winning goal in the 2nd period, set up by some great passing from D Jared Spurgeon and C Mikko Koivu. Pominville's 2nd of the season couldn't have come against a better opponent, as Pommer once played for the Sabres for nearly 8 years before being traded at the trade deadline in last year's Lockout season. In 10 games with the Minnesota Wild, the talented Right Wing scored 9 points and high expectations were placed on him for this season, but in 6 games, only has 2 goals.  Expect Pominville to regain that chemistry he had with Zach Parise, Koivu and company and return to normal scoring levels around the 65-70 point range. Other Fantasy Game Notes: Detroit exacted their revenge for an earlier loss by clamping down on the Boston Bruins in a Columbus Day matinee.  The only difference in this game was that Jonas Gustavsson started in place of the injured Jimmy Howard. Gustavsson shook off some early game jitters and played solid in net.  Don't worry Howard owners, Howard suffered a slight hand injury in the previous game and the Red Wings were just giving him another day's rest since they are also playing again tonight against the Columbus Blue Jackets.  He may miss another game or two though.  How come Columbus had the night off being that it was Columbus Day? ....The Washington Capitals capitalized on two power play opportunities in the 2nd period and controlled the game the rest of the way as Braden Holtby turned in another solid effort and was finally rewarded with a W. Nicklas Backstrom was the offensive star of the game as he assisted on all three 2nd period goals. With those points, Backstrom now sits 1 point behind league leaders, Sidney Crosby and team mate Alex Ovechkin. Backstrom is back!

Wild RW Jason Pominville celebrated his return to Buffalo by scoring the game-winning goal in the 2nd period, set up by some great passing from D Jared Spurgeon and C Mikko Koivu. Pominville's 2nd of the season couldn't have come against a better opponent, as Pommer once played for the Sabres for nearly 8 years before being traded at the trade deadline in last year's Lockout season. In 10 games with the Minnesota Wild, the talented Right Wing scored 9 points and high expectations were placed on him for this season, but in 6 games, only has 2 goals.  Expect Pominville to regain that chemistry he had with Zach Parise, Koivu and company and return to normal scoring levels around the 65-70 point range. Other Fantasy Game Notes: Detroit exacted their revenge for an earlier loss by clamping down on the Boston Bruins in a Columbus Day matinee.  The only difference in this game was that Jonas Gustavsson started in place of the injured Jimmy Howard. Gustavsson shook off some early game jitters and played solid in net.  Don't worry Howard owners, Howard suffered a slight hand injury in the previous game and the Red Wings were just giving him another day's rest since they are also playing again tonight against the Columbus Blue Jackets.  How come Columbus had the night off being that it was Columbus Day? ....The Washington Capitals capitalized on two power play opportunities in the 2nd period and controlled the game the rest of the way as Braden Holtby turned in another solid effort and was finally rewarded with a W. Nicklas Backstrom was the offensive star of the game as he assisted on all three 2nd period goals. With those points, Backstrom now sits 1 point behind league leaders, Sidney Crosby and team mate Alex Ovechkin. Backstrom is back!