Sharp had his leg pinned between the boards and Canadiens' defenseman Alexei Emelin. Sharp stayed down for a few moments before he was helped off of the ice by trainers. He was not able to put any weight on a leg, which is not a good sign for the Hawks' star winger.

Chicago just about made it to their second straight Stanley Cup Finals appearance last June when a Game 7 dagger by the Kings prematurely ended that dream. There weren't many glaring weaknesses with last season's version of the Blackhawks, but they indeed addressed their need for a no. 2 center when they picked up ex-Ranger Brad Richards via free agency. Their offense is incredibly stacked with all sorts of talent, ranging from elite (Patrick Kane & Jonathan Toews) to on the verge of breaking out (Brandon Saad). Throw in two-time Norris Trophy winner Duncan Keith who leads an upper echelon defense plus underrated goalie Corey Crawford and you have yourself an elite team that could be back on top. In fantasy, high-end options prevail in every position, so pay special attention to the Blackhawks. GOALIES Among the best goalies in the business, Crawford had another stellar campaign with 32 wins, 2.26 GAA, and a .917 SP. While there was a slight drop-off from his career best marks of 1.94 and .926 set in 2012, he should again be regarded as a top-ten fantasy option. Because he usually falls under the radar and gets chosen somewhere between the 10th and 15th goalie taken, Crawford packs a lot of value. When you get your hands on the starting goalie of arguably the best NHL team, you are doing something right. You can also do better if you select backup Antti Raanta in the late rounds strictly for insurance if Crawford would to get injured. DEFENSE On defense, you can't do much better than Keith. While it's unreasonable to expect him to duplicate his Norris Trophy winning feat of 61 points, he is a sure lock to post 45+ points on this prolific scoring team. He will probably be drafted 1-2 rounds earlier than he should, but he is a safe lower-tier first option on defense. Man, does he get a boatload of secondary assists! Brent Seabrook plays on the top defensive pairing with Keith and while not as offensively gifted, he usually gets his faire share of points. His ceiling tops off in the mid 40's but most likely expect in the 30-35 range with a great plus/minus. Nick Leddy is on the rise as made evident by another 30+ point season, but he needs to show more consistency. Take a chance on him late as he has the ability to play on the top power-play. FORWARDS RW Kane remains the Chicago forward with most upside, even though he has only surpassed the 80-point mark once in his NHL career. Still, even after missing 13 games due to injury last season, he still managed...

- The word out of Anaheim is that Ryan Kesler is looking pretty sharp through the first couple days of camp. The former Vancouver center was brought in to reinforce a gritty scoring presence on the second line, something they have lacked during the Bruce Boudreau regime. But make no mistake about it- Kesler will be relied on heavily to contribute on the top power play with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. He should be a huge upgrade on Nick Bonino in the trenches... -Another day, another KHL offer for disgruntled Columbus center Ryan Johansen as his current contract stalemate continues. While it's expected that the issue gets resolved before the start of the regular season, any holdout on the part of Johansen would hurt his fantasy value. Also, young Boone Jenner is set to get an early look at center as he was awfully impressive as a rookie last season, scoring 16 goals and 29 points in 76 games. The contingency plan is being set in place just in case RJ sits for awhile.. - Chicago is trying out newly acquired Brad Richards between Patrick Kane and Brandon Saad in early camp with rave reviews so far. The line tinkering will be often early on, but the former Ranger should be a good bet to rebound given the second line center spot will provide him with more talented wingers than during his tenure in New York. Not sure if it will be Saad or Kane, but what about Patrick Sharp or Marian Hossa? Richards should be sitting pretty regardless of his linemates. 50-55 points should be a lock.. -Winnipeg's Evander Kane is "blowing steam" again about being able to score 50 goals this season. No duh, Evander! We all know that you have the talent, but pretty iffy on the drive. Draft him accordingly; expect 25-30 goals/50-55 points but hope that he wakes up to a monster season. Quite the upside here for a middle-round pick at best.. -New Washington Head coach Barry Trotz wants Alex Ovechkin back at left wing. So do all of his fantasy owners. That's where AO has inflicted most of his offensive damage over the years, but Trotz will demand more attention on the defensive side from the superstar. We say there will be a bit of a transition at the onset, but Ovechkin will buy into the program. And get close to 50... Two fantasy studs that are banged up and you need to monitor before your drafts take place are Claude Giroux and Jonathan Quick. Both may miss all of their preseason games due to their injuries but should be ready to go by Opening Night. At this point, do not ...

Even when you lose you win in the modern NHL as the Detroit Red Wings gained the valuable point from the shootout loss to the Penguins to clinch their 23rd consecutive playoff appearance. A few weeks ago it didn't look promising for a team who had been hit by injuries to their top players, but the up-and-coming young guns in Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Tatar added speed and offensive support when the going got tough. These two should be on your fantasy radar for next season...... Pittsburgh has also been hit hard by the injury bug this season but when you have a healthy Sidney Crosby in your lineup day-in and day-out, the Pens were able to overcome a lot of it. Just ask James Neal who has missed some time this season but scored twice on the power play last night. The Pens are starting to get healthy just in time for the playoffs as Paul Martin returned to the lineup last week and Kris Letang got back in the lineup last night after a lengthy stint on the IR; both figuring in the Penguin scoring. Kudos to the Pitt d-men on their return.... Chicago is another team who has been without their top two superstars the past few games but that hasn't derailed the Blackhawks from continuing to win. Patrick Sharp was the star in last night's game with the game-winning goal and assisting on the tying goal. Sharp is perhaps the most underrated player in the NHL as he is a consistent 30-goal scorer for the last 3 full regular seasons.  Don't forget him come draft day...... Congratulations to the Columbus Blue Jackets who have qualified for the playoffs for just the second time in franchise history. Sergei Bobrovsky has shown why he won the Vezina Trophy last season as he has draped the Jackets on his shoulders and has carried the team since April 1st...... It looks like the last playoff position in the Western Conference just may come down to Sunday night's showdown between the Phoenix Coyotes and Dallas Stars. The Stars lead the Coyotes by 2 points in the standings but Phoenix has a game in hand and 3 left to play while the Stars have 2 remaining.  Now that will be some game to watch. Karri Ramo continued his hot play in net for the Calgary Flames, winning for the 6th time in his past 9 starts. Ramo turned aside 41 of 44 SOG and raised his record to 17-13-4 with a 2.54 GAA and .915 SP.  Ramo should be a solid 2nd starter in fantasy leagues next season as the Flames will improve in the standings..... Anaheim is back atop the Western Conference as they defeated the San ...

Even when you lose you win in the modern NHL as the Detroit Red Wings gained the valuable point from the shootout loss to the Penguins to clinch their 23rd consecutive playoff appearance. A few weeks ago it didn't look promising for a team who had been hit by injuries to their top players, but the up-and-coming young guns in Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Tatar added speed and offensive support when the going got tough. These two should be on your fantasy radar for next season...... Pittsburgh has also been hit hard by the injury bug this season but when you have a healthy Sidney Crosby in your lineup day-in and day-out, the Pens were able to overcome a lot of it. Just ask James Neal who has missed some time this season but scored twice on the power play last night. The Pens are starting to get healthy just in time for the playoffs as Paul Martin returned to the lineup last week and Kris Letang got back in the lineup last night after a lengthy stint on the IR; both figuring in the Penguin scoring. Kudos to the Pitt d-men on their return.... Chicago is another team who has been without their top two superstars the past few games but that hasn't derailed the Blackhawks from continuing to win. Patrick Sharp was the star in last night's game with the game-winning goal and assisting on the tying goal. Sharp is perhaps the most underrated player in the NHL as he is a consistent 30-goal scorer for the last 3 full regular seasons.  Don't forget him come draft day...... Congratulations to the Columbus Blue Jackets who have qualified for the playoffs for just the second time in franchise history. Sergei Bobrovsky has shown why he won the Vezina Trophy last season as he has draped the Jackets on his shoulders and has carried the team since April 1st...... It looks like the last playoff position in the Western Conference just may come down to Sunday night's showdown between the Phoenix Coyotes and Dallas Stars. The Stars lead the Coyotes by 2 points in the standings but Phoenix has a game in hand and 3 left to play while the Stars have 2 remaining.  Now that will be some game to watch. Karri Ramo continued his hot play in net for the Calgary Flames, winning for the 6th time in his past 9 starts. Ramo turned aside 41 of 44 SOG and raised his record to 17-13-4 with a 2.54 GAA and .915 SP.  Ramo should be a solid 2nd starter in fantasy leagues next season as the Flames will improve in the standings..... Anaheim is back atop the Western Conference as they defeated the San ...

Brief schedule in the NHL yesterday with only 4 games played. The Rangers beat Columbus 3-1 as goaltender Henrik Lundqvist had a strong game with 25 saves. After a very sluggish start to the season, he has played very well lately, and he has won 3 of his last 4 games.  His record is 27-22-4 with a 2.47 GA and a .917 SP.  Decent numbers!  Derek Stepan had a goal for New York, and with 48 points on the year he is an okay 6th forward. Chicago took out Carolina 3-2, despite a strong game by Hurricanes right wing Alexander Semin who had 2 goals. Semin has 41 points in 57 games played, so he is not really fantasy material.  Carolina center Eric Staal had 2 assists, and with 54 points he is having a good year. Jonathan Toews scored the game winner for the Blackhawks, and with 66 points he is a top fantasy forward. Corey Crawford got win number 28 with 26 saves. Left wing Patrick Sharp had a goal for Chicago, and he has 10 points in his last 9 games. With 69 points he is having a great season.  Boston shutout Columbus 2-0, as Chad Johnson got the shutout in goal with 31 saves. Johnson is having a terrific season with a 16-3-1 record, a 2.04 GA and a .925 SP.  He is beginning to really eat into Tuukka Rask's playing time. Young defenseman Dougie Hamilton had 2 assists for Boston, and while he has only 21 points on the season, he has a big future. A year or two to develop.  Big night for the veteran Matt Cullen of Nashville as he had a goal and 3 assists in a 6-5 win over Calgary. Cullen has only 28 points on the season, so don't chase him.  Predators defenseman Shea Weber had 2 goals, and you should definitely chase him, as with 46 points he is a top fantasy player. Calgary center Mike Cammallieri had 2 goals and an assist, but with only 34 points on the year he has been a big disappointment. Flames defenseman Mark Giordano had 2 assists, and he now has 6 points in his last 5 games.

Brief schedule in the NHL yesterday with only 4 games played. The Rangers beat Columbus 3-1 as goaltender Henrik Lundqvist had a strong game with 25 saves. After a very sluggish start to the season, he has played very well lately, and he has won 3 of his last 4 games.  His record is 27-22-4 with a 2.47 GA and a .917 SP.  Decent numbers!  Derek Stepan had a goal for New York, and with 48 points on the year he is an okay 6th forward. Chicago took out Carolina 3-2, despite a strong game by Hurricanes right wing Alexander Semin who had 2 goals. Semin has 41 points in 57 games played, so he is not really fantasy material.  Carolina center Eric Staal had 2 assists, and with 54 points he is having a good year. Jonathan Toews scored the game winner for the Blackhawks, and with 66 points he is a top fantasy forward. Corey Crawford got win number 28 with 26 saves. Left wing Patrick Sharp had a goal for Chicago, and he has 10 points in his last 9 games. With 69 points he is having a great season.  Boston shutout Columbus 2-0, as Chad Johnson got the shutout in goal with 31 saves. Johnson is having a terrific season with a 16-3-1 record, a 2.04 GA and a .925 SP.  He is beginning to really eat into Tuukka Rask's playing time. Young defenseman Dougie Hamilton had 2 assists for Boston, and while he has only 21 points on the season, he has a big future. A year or two to develop.  Big night for the veteran Matt Cullen of Nashville as he had a goal and 3 assists in a 6-5 win over Calgary. Cullen has only 28 points on the season, so don't chase him.  Predators defenseman Shea Weber had 2 goals, and you should definitely chase him, as with 46 points he is a top fantasy player. Calgary center Mike Cammallieri had 2 goals and an assist, but with only 34 points on the year he has been a big disappointment. Flames defenseman Mark Giordano had 2 assists, and he now has 6 points in his last 5 games.

Although he had a fairly easy night against an anemic Calgary offensive attack, Ben Bishop posted a 19-save shutout in the Lightning's 2-0 road win over the Flames. His omission from the United States Olympic squad is quite glaring, considering his staggering numbers of 22-5-3, 1.83 GAA and a .936 SP are among the best in the NHL. Bishop fantasy owners have hit the "jackpot" with this mid-late round pick in most fantasy drafts, but this gift will continue giving as Tampa Bay superstar Steven Stamkos is on the verge of returning to the line-up. Given probable more goal support in the second half and the motivation of being snubbed by Team USA, there is no reason to suggest that Bishop will not remain an elite fantasy goalie option for the rest of the season.Despite the absence of Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, the Pittsburgh Penguins keep rolling on offense with a 5-2 beat-down on the New York Rangers. All eyes have been on Sidney Crosby (1G/2A) and James Neal (1A), but their quiet star by association Chris Kunitz keeps putting up elite fantasy numbers. With 2 goals and 1 assist, the underrated winger has collected 46 points in 43 games, good for fourth in the NHL. Not a sexy name by any means in fantasy circles, Kunitz have followed up his marvelous 52-point performance in '12-13 with another big year so far. As long as the top-line forward continues to get primary power-play time, he will keep producing at a high level. The perpetual injury bug that has been hampering the Pen's skaters has also lend a hand in keeping Kunitz high up the "food chain" in Pittsburgh. Keep riding him!If you are a Patrick Sharp fantasy owner, you can be a little thankful that Team Canada has yet to announce it's Olympic roster. The high-scoring winger was initially thought to have just an outside chance of making the team, but his recent stretch of incredible scoring and undeniable chemistry with Chicago captain Jonathan Toews is making him hard to ignore. You can bet your bottom dollar that his recent scoring surge, where he has scored 2 "hat tricks" and 9 overall points in the last five games, is at least partially a result of Sharp proving that he belongs in the Sochi games. Unfortunately, it doesn't always work out as two streaking USA forwards, Bobby Ryan and Kyle Okposo, were snubbed despite great numbers. Big advantage for Sharp- TOEWS. Enough said. Keep scoring Patrick!Devil's defenseman Marek Zidlicky has been on a point binge lately, scoring two goals last night ...

It was nice to see the NHL back on the ice after 3 days off. The NHL used to have 2 days off during Christmas, but in the new CBA the players added another day so they could have more time together with their families.  But 10 games last night to get things started again.  Boston kicked things off with a 5-0 whitewash of struggling Ottawa. Tuukka Rask had 33 saves in goal for the Bruins and he is having a terrific season with 20 wins a 1.81 goals against and a .938 save percentage. I am glad that I drafted him in the second round this year.  Youngster Reilly Smith had a big game with 2 goals, and he has 30 points on the season, and is an excellent 5th or 6th forward option. He is only going to get better too....Columbus beat the Devils in a shootout 2-1.  Yawn!  Young forward Cam Atkinson scored the game winner. While he is only 5' 8", that's probably a gift, we like his speed and skill level.  He has only 20 points on the season, but he could develop into a solid 6th forward one day...Well, Coach Adam Oates is opening up a goalie controversy in Washington.  He started German youngster Philipp Grubauer for the second straight game. Backup Michal Neuvirth is supposedly not happy, and is mumbling about going somewhere else. Nominal starter Braden Holtby has been quiet, as he should be with his numbers 3.00 goals against and a .915 save percentage. Oates is going with the hot hand in Grubauer who is now 4-1-1 with a 2.20 goals against and .934 save percentage.  Lets see if Grubauer starts the next game.  If he does, you should grab him if you need goalie help. James Neal is the real deal: James Neal has been on fire since returning from his suspension. He had a goal and 2 assists last night in Pittsburgh's win over Carolina.  Neal has 25 points in 20 games this year, and he has been playing without his usual linemate Evgeni Malkin, who is out with a LBI. When Malkin comes back look out for these two guys.  They will be heating up the NHL.  Jussi Jokinen had 3 assists last night for the Penguins, but he is at best a waiver wire type guy. Matt Moulson is a Sabre: Buffalo forward Matt Moulson came over from the New York Islanders in a trade for Thomas Vanek. While the Islanders were not good when Moulson played there at least he was on a line with John Tavares. He is not playing with anyone like that now in Buffalo.  Still he remains a productive player.  He had a goal and an assist last night in Buffalo's 4-3 shootout loss to Toronto.  He once scored 69 ...

It was nice to see the NHL back on the ice after 3 days off. The NHL used to have 2 days off during Christmas, but in the new CBA the players added another day so they could have more time together with their families.  But 10 games last night to get things started again.  Boston kicked things off with a 5-0 whitewash of struggling Ottawa. Tuukka Rask had 33 saves in goal for the Bruins and he is having a terrific season with 20 wins a 1.81 goals against and a .938 save percentage. I am glad that I drafted him in the second round this year.  Youngster Reilly Smith had a big game with 2 goals, and he has 30 points on the season, and is an excellent 5th or 6th forward option. He is only going to get better too....Columbus beat the Devils in a shootout 2-1.  Yawn!  Young forward Cam Atkinson scored the game winner. While he is only 5' 8", that's probably a gift, we like his speed and skill level.  He has only 20 points on the season, but he could develop into a solid 6th forward one day...Well, Coach Adam Oates is opening up a goalie controversy in Washington.  He started German youngster Philipp Grubauer for the second straight game. Backup Michal Neuvirth is supposedly not happy, and is mumbling about going somewhere else. Nominal starter Braden Holtby has been quiet, as he should be with his numbers 3.00 goals against and a .915 save percentage. Oates is going with the hot hand in Grubauer who is now 4-1-1 with a 2.20 goals against and .934 save percentage.  Lets see if Grubauer starts the next game.  If he does, you should grab him if you need goalie help. James Neal is the real deal: James Neal has been on fire since returning from his suspension. He had a goal and 2 assists last night in Pittsburgh's win over Carolina.  Neal has 25 points in 20 games this year, and he has been playing without his usual linemate Evgeni Malkin, who is out with a LBI. When Malkin comes back look out for these two guys.  They will be heating up the NHL.  Jussi Jokinen had 3 assists last night for the Penguins, but he is at best a waiver wire type guy. Matt Moulson is a Sabre: Buffalo forward Matt Moulson came over from the New York Islanders in a trade for Thomas Vanek. While the Islanders were not good when Moulson played there at least he was on a line with John Tavares. He is not playing with anyone like that now in Buffalo.  Still he remains a productive player.  He had a goal and an assist last night in Buffalo's 4-3 shootout loss to Toronto.  He once scored 69 ...