The New York Islanders began a stretch of 6 games against Metropolitan Division teams with a 5-4 shootout win over the Pittsburgh Penguins who play another match today on the Island. Ryan Strome, with a goal and 2 assists, now has 15 points in 19 games and looks to be getting comfortable with 8 points in last 7 games. Those in deep fantasy leagues, or who are in need of a 5th or 6th forward, might want to take a flier on this kid as he has tremendous talent and could possibly see time with John Tavares from time to time....Speaking of playing with superstar talent, Patric Hornqvist scored his 10th goal of the season and also added an assists with 5 SOG. Hornqvist must feel like he has been rewarded for all his hard work in Nashville all those years....Pittsburgh LWer Blake Comeau saw time on Sidney Crosby's line and notched a goal. If he sticks on the line, you could expect Pascal Dupuis-type production (40-45 pts) as Comeau is limited to minimal power play time..... Is this Ryan Johansen kid a stud or what? Even though the Columbus Blue Jackets lost to the Boston Bruins in a shootout, Johansen had a hand in all 3 goals for the Jackets. With 23 points in 19 games, he is way ahead of a pace to break last season's career high in points of 63 in 82 games played....Benefitting from playing along RJ this season is Nick Foligno who added to his point totals with a goal and assist, giving him 20 in 18 games. Foligno doesn't seem to be slowing down, so keep on inserting the LWer in your lineup.... New Jersey's Cory Schneider started his 20 game in a row last night in Edmonton and blanked the Oil for his second shutout of the season, his second in last 4 games. Schneids will probably get today off in Calgary but then should be back in net against Vancouver in the next one which will probably start another string of starts. After losing 4 in a row at the beginning of November, Schneider seems to be settling in by only allowing 7 goals in last 5 starts.  Keep the NJ net minder in your starting lineup because he can pitch a shutout on any given night....Eric Gelinas assisted on both Devils' goals but should only be considered if you need defensive help as he only has 7 points in 17 games so far this season....Viktor Fasth has played relatively well for the Oilers in his last 4 starts, winning 2, losing two but only giving up 8 goals in those 4 starts, while Ben Scrivens has been inconsistent in last 4 going 0-3-1 and letting in 16 goals. May be worth a shot if you ...

After being stretchered off of the ice on Thursday it is a great sign that Dupuis did not suffer a serious injury after being hit by a Kris Letang snapshot. Taking warmups is a good sign that he will play tonight. He has not recorded a point in his last two games after scoring a goal with three assists in the opener.

Dupuis was injured after being struck by a shot on Thursday but skated on Friday and took part in the morning skate today which suggests he will play tonight. We will have to wait for pre-game warmups to see if he plays. If he is unable to go, expect Blake Comeau to take his spot on the second line.

Less than 24 hours after Dupuis was stretchered off of the ice after being hit by a puck, Dupuis is skating and stick handling this morning. He reportedly looks as if he was not even injured last night, which is a great sign after a scary incident. Expect an update on Dupuis later today.

This is pretty remarkable. Dupuis was stretchered off of the ice last night, but skated this morning and is already medically cleared to play. Monitor Dupuis status during tomorrow's morning skate, but he should play.

Dupuis reported numbness in his arm after being hit by the shot, but sensation started coming back after the game. Dupuis missed 43 games last season with a knee injury and could miss an extended period of time now. He likely suffered some nerve damage in his arm, but at this time there is no further update, expect more from the Penguins later today.

There is no doubting that the Pittsburgh is the goldmine of fantasy hockey especially when you have Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin to start you off. There has been a lot of talk over the past few years about how the Penguins can't seem to get it together for the Stanley Cup playoff run.  The knock on goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury was that he was a great regular season goalie, but come the playoffs, he was lacking that extra gear. Some changes were made in the off-season with the Draft Day trade of James Neal for Patric Hornqvist, and letting Brooks Orpik and Matt Niskanen leave via free agency. Christian Ehrhoff was signed to add support for Kris Letang. Letang needs to play a full season and stay away from injury.  GOALIES When it comes to fantasy hockey goaltending, having a number 1 who starts just about every game and gives you decent enough metrics is all you care about. When it comes to playoff hockey, it's the rabid fan that cares more about the goaltender's performance than the fantasy poolie which makes Fleury the perfect fantasy goaltender.  He starts every game, gets you close to 40 wins, has decent metrics and pitches in a few shutouts and rarely gets injured.  It doesn't hurt that he has a powerhouse offensive club in front of him.  Thomas Greiss was brought in to serve as backup and if he proves more than capable, he might steal a few more starts from Fleury than Jeff Zatkoff did last season. DEFENSE The Pittsburgh defense flows through Letang, but help is on the way. Ehrhoff was signed to take some of the offensive pressure off Letang and with last season's sensation Olli Maata recovering from an off-season shoulder surgery, Ehrhoff's presence was sorely needed. He will also act as an insurance policy if Letang should go down to yet another injury.  Letang was once considered one of the top 2 or 3 fantasy D-men in the league but injuries have taken their toll.  Maata will have to ward off not only the sophomore jinx, but pursuit from other young talent such as Derick Pouliot (recovering from his own off-season surgery) and Simon Despres, who may get an extended look this time around. Those are your potent offensive defensemen with Paul Martin and Rob Scuderi providing the defensive support. FORWARDS There is not much to say about Crosby and Malkin that poolies don't already know. What will be interesting to see is if Hornqvist will take the role vacated by Neal and be that 40 goal scorer.  Chris Kunitz enjoys life on the wing of ...

Dupuis had knee surgery on February to repair a torn ACL he suffered on December 23 vs. the Senators. Dupuis has not been cleared for contact, but this is a positive step in his rehab and should be ready for the start of the 2014-15 season. Dupuis had 20 points (7G / 13A) in 39 games before getting hurt and should land on the Penguins top-line with Sidney Crosby and Chris Kunitz this season. Playing with Crosby is certain to help the 35-year-old produce and a 20-goal, 50-point season should be more than attainable.

Dupuis left Monday's game in the first period and did not return. The injuries continue to mount for the Pegnuins as they lose another top-6 forward for what is an extended period of time. Dupuis is out indefinitely.

Just the smell of coffee stirs my senses from their slumber! Let's hope that yesterday's 4 goals let in by Steve Mason doesn't happen too often. He is having a great season. The Flyers had a complete meltdown in just over a minute's time in the 2nd period against Dallas. In his second game back from injury, Seguin gets a hattie, his second one of the year. This kid can be soooo good. I guess Pascal Dupuis won't duplicate that 59-point season from two years ago. But Chris Kunitz is going to have a career-best season. Carey Price is having a most wonderful season. Dion Phaneuf had 5 SOG yesterday. That's correct, 5.  He actually had 4 the other day against San Jose too.  Erik Karlsson had 9 SOG, so take that Phaneuf!   LOL The Red Wings could only score 1 goal against Tim Thomas and the Florida Panthers? I know they were without Datsyuk and Zetterberg, but 1 goal? That was the game where former Panther Stephen Weiss was supposed to go off. He must not have gotten that memo. Nashville isn't helping with the Western Conference's dominance over the Eastern Conference. That Jay Bouwmeester is 6th among defensemen scoring. Who woulda thunk it? Jason Garrison has been reborn, and in the same season. The Rangers were lucky to get a point out of last night's game against the Devils. The Ducks really showed the Blues yesterday, huh? You just might be seeing a little more of Brian Elliott in net for St. Louis over the next stretch of games. The Oilers can score 8 goals against Colorado, but only 1 against Calgary? Wasn't that supposed to be the other way around? When Martin Jones shuts you out, you know you need to be ripped into by the coach. Come on Islanders, you're better than that, aren't you? With Jones' shutout and the way Ben Scrivens has been playing, Jonathan Quick can take all the time he needs to get back. Colonel Klinkhammer had an assist on Friday night. Yeah baby! For the most part, both Conference standings are settling into how they should look. With such little fanfare, Bryan Little has been quietly having a very good season with 27 points in 31 games played. Have a great week!