ATTENTION EXCEL STAT SHEET SUBSCRIBERS-The 3-Year Excel Spreadsheet has been updated. Go to "MY ACCOUNT" and click on the FILES tab to access the updated Excel spreadsheet IN STEVE'S DEFENSE talks about some Western Conference sleepers in this week's edition. A must read! PRE-SEASON FANTASY BITS: For those wondering how Jarome Iginla was going to fit into the Boston lineup, we think he answered that question for us last night as he scored twice on a line with Milan Lucic and Dave Krejci. They have shown instant chemistry together with Lucic grabbing 3 assists in the B's 6-3 win over the Montreal Canadiens... Looking for a sleeper defenseman? 22 year-old Rookie Torey Krug has parlayed last year's playoff experience into a 3 assist performance last night against the Habs. If he continues like this, he should remain a staple on the Bruin's power play....Keep your eye on this combination as the signing of C Danny Briere might pay immediate dividends for the Canadiens as they lined the veteran up with Max Pacioretty and David Desharnais, who displayed the chemistry they had two seasons ago, and scored on some beautiful passing on the power play. Time will be needed for this trio but the signs are already there for some big things to come out of this Montreal threesome...More known for his brawn than offensive prowess, Florida D Erik Gudbranson potted 2 goals and added an assist in the game against the Nashville Predators yesterday. He did score 34 points in 44 games one year in the OHL...Detroit's C Pavel Datsyuk seems to be in mid-season form already as he had a goal and an assist in their 4-1 victory over the Penguins. D Brendan Smith added 2 assists. Is this a sign of things to come?...Rangers LW Rick Nash got better as the game went on...Flyers C Sean Couturier showed signs of chemistry with Jakub Voracek in the absence of Claude Giroux from the lineup. Couturier is one of our sleeper pick in the PrimePucks™ Fantasy Hockey Draft Guide for the upcoming season....Sharks D Matt Irwin was on the power play point in last night's game. Look for more of this as camp goes on.  One of our Dark Horses in the Draft Guide and also mentioned in today's IN STEVE'S DEFENSE as well...Vancouver's young talent was on display last night and they didn't disappoint with Brendan Gaunce and Hunter Shinkaruk both scoring goals in their loss to the Sharks. They will be big contributors for the Canucks in years to come. ***ATTENTION FANTASY HOCKEY LEAGUE COMMISSIONERS*** If you ...

ATTENTION EXCEL STAT SHEET SUBSCRIBERS-The 3-Year Excel Spreadsheet has been updated. Go to "MY ACCOUNT" and click on the FILES tab to access the updated Excel spreadsheet PRE-SEASON FANTASY BITS: For those wondering how Jarome Iginla was going to fit into the Boston lineup, we think he answered that question for us last night as he scored twice on a line with Milan Lucic and Dave Krejci. They have shown instant chemistry together with Lucic grabbing 3 assists in the B's 6-3 win over the Montreal Canadiens.  Looking for a sleeper defenseman? 22 year-old Rookie Torey Krug has parlayed last year's playoff experience into a 3 assist performance last night against the Habs. If he continues like this, he should remain a staple on the Bruin's power play....Keep your eye on this combination as the signing of C Danny Briere might pay immediate dividends for the Canadiens as they lined the veteran up with Max Pacioretty and David Desharnais, who displayed the chemistry they had two seasons ago, and scored on some beautiful passing on the power play. Time will be needed for this trio but the signs are already there for some big things to come out of this Montreal threesome...More known for his brawn than offensive prowess, Florida D Erik Gudbranson potted 2 goals and added an assist in the game against the Nashville Predators yesterday. He did score 34 points in 44 games one year in the OHL...Detroit's C Pavel Datsyuk seems to be in mid-season form already as he had a goal and an assist in their 4-1 victory over the Penguins. D Brendan Smith added 2 assists. Is this a sign of things to come?...Rangers LW Rick Nash got better as the game went on...Flyers C Sean Couturier showed signs of chemistry with Jakub Voracek in the adsence of Claude Giroux from the lineup. Couturier is one of our sleepers pick in the PrimePucks™ Fantasy Hockey Draft Guide for the upcoming season....Sharks D Matt Irwin was on the power play point in last night's game. Look for more of this as camp goes on.  One of our Dark Horses in the Draft Guide and also mentioned in today's IN STEVE'S DEFENSE as well...Vancouver's young talent was on display last night and they didn't disappoint with Brendan Gaunce and Hunter Shinkaruk both scoring goals in their loss to the Sharks. They will be big contributors for the Canucks in years to come. ***ATTENTION FANTASY HOCKEY LEAGUE COMMISSIONERS*** If you are the commissioner of an upcoming fantasy hockey league and will be holding a draft soon,  ...

WHICH AVAILABLE UFA'S CAN STILL HAVE A FANTASY IMPACT?: Even after all the primary unrestricted free agents have been picked up, there are a few players left that could make a strong fantasy impact depending on where they sign: 1. Tim Thomas: There are more than a handful of teams that could use a quick upgrade in the starting goalie department, especially from a two-time Vezina winner (2009 and 2011). Red flags raised by character concerns and his advancing age of 39 has delayed his signing, but can anyone deny his abilty to perform at the highest level? Before his self-imposed one-year hiatus from the NHL, his numbers with Boston for the 2011/12 season stood at 35-19, with a 2.36 GAA and a .920 SP. Yep, I am sure he could help plenty of teams, such as Edmonton, Colorado, Florida, and heck, even the mighty Pittsburgh Penguins. The list goes on and on. Considering his age, the year off might have done him some good. Highest fantasy upside of all remaining UFA's. 2. Mikhail Grabovski: The former Toronto center surely misses ex-coach Ron Wilson, whom under his tutelage, he had his most productive NHL season with 58 points (29G/29A) in 2010/11. Under current Toronto coach Randy Carlyle, his offensive numbers suffered as he was demoted to the third line. Coming off a poor season where he only scored 16 points in 48 games, teams need to look at the bigger picture. When utilized as a top-six forward, Grabovski can still be a constistent contributor in the scoring department. Don't forget that he was a point-per-game producer in the defensive-minded KHL during the NHL lockout, so he does have plenty of offensive upside. 3. Damien Brunner- At the age of 27, the NHL's most recent Swiss import played relatively well for Detroit in his debut season, collecting 26 points (12G/14A) in 44 games. However, with linemates such as Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, maybe more was expected from the talented forward. According to Detroit GM Ken Holland, there were "passivity and durabilty concerns" with Brunner's long-term prognosis. Most experts feel that although Brunner is highly skilled, he still needs to develop the grittier aspect of the NHL style of game. Even still, there should be several teams willing to take a gamble on a 27-year old in his prime with tremendous offensive potential.  According to Steve Lepore of SBNATION, the Devils are on the verge of signing Brunner.  With the departure of Kovalchuk they, obviously, need help on the wings, and Brunner would ...

WHICH AVAILABLE UFA'S CAN STILL HAVE A FANTASY IMPACT?: Even after all the primary unrestricted free agents have been picked up, there are a few players left that could make a strong fantasy impact depending on where they sign: 1. Tim Thomas: There are more than a handful of teams that could use a quick upgrade in the starting goalie department, especially from a two-time Vezina winner (2009 and 2011). Red flags raised by character concerns and his advancing age of 39 has delayed his signing, but can anyone deny his abilty to perform at the highest level? Before his self-imposed one-year hiatus from the NHL, his numbers with Boston for the 2011/12 season stood at 35-19, with a 2.36 GAA and a .920 SP. Yep, I am sure he could help plenty of teams, such as Edmonton, Colorado, Florida, and heck, even the mighty Pittsburgh Penguins. The list goes on and on. Considering his agbe, the year off might have done him some good. Highest fantasy upside of all remaining UFA's. 2. Mikhail Grabovski: The former Toronto center surely misses ex-coach Ron Wilson, whom under his tutelage, he had his most productive NHL season with 58 points (29G/29A) in 2010/11. Under current Toronto coach Randy Carlyle, his offensive numbers suffered as he was demoted to the third line. Coming off a poor season where he only scored 16 points in 48 games, teams need to look at the bigger picture. When utilized as a top-six forward, Grabovski can still be a constistent contributor in the scoring department. Don't forget that he was a point-per-game producer in the defensive-minded KHL during the NHL lockout, so he does have plenty of offensive upside. 3. Damien Brunner- At the age of 27, the NHL's most recent Swiss import played relatively well for Detroit in his debut season, collecting 26 points (12G/14A) in 44 games. However, with linemates such as Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, maybe more was expected from the talented forward. According to Detroit GM Ken Holland, there were "passivity and durabilty concerns" with Brunner's long-term prognosis. Most experts feel that although Brunner is highly skilled, he still needs to develop the grittier aspect of the NHL style of game. Even still, there should be several teams willing to take a gamble on a 27-year old in his prime with tremendous offensive potential.  According to Steve Lepore of SBNATION, the Devils are on the verge of signing Brunner.  With the departure of Kovalchuk they, obviously, need help on the wings, and Brunner would...

Datsyuk led Detroit with 15 goals and 49 points in the 48-game, lockout-shortened season. The centre was tied for third on the team with nine points in the post-season, which ended in the second round against Chicago. The four-time All-Star and 2009 MVP finalist has 255 goals and 767 points during a career in which he has led a talented team in scoring six times. Datsyuk is sixth on the franchise's all-time scoring list, trailing Gordie Howe, Steve Yzerman, Alex Delvecchio, Nicklas Lidstrom and Sergei Fedorov.

MEET PRIMEPUCKS! If you would like to meet Mike, Ray and Steve of PrimePucks, join them at El Rio Grande restaurant and bar (located on the southwest corner of 38th Street and 3rd Avenue in Manhattan on Wednesday, May 15th from 5:00 pm until ???. They will gladly talk pucks until your ears fall off! DETROIT vs. CHICAGO FANTASY MUST-STARTS: Chicago: Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa, Patrick Sharp, Duncan Keith, Corey Crawford Detroit: Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Johan Franzen, Niklas Kronwall, Jimmy Howard SLEEPERS: Chicago: Brandon Saad, Brent Seabrook Detroit: Damien Brunner, Dan Cleary read more

WESTERN CONFERENCE PLAYOFF PREVIEW DETROIT (7) vs. ANAHEIM (2) Must-Starts Red Wings: Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, Niklas Kronwall, Jimmy Howard Ducks: Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Teemu Selanne, Francois Beauchemin Sleepers Red Wings: Damien Brunner, Johan Franzen Ducks: Bobby Ryan read more

Datsyuk missed the Red Wings last contest with a bruised shoulder. He will be a game-time decision for today's game vs. the Wild. Datsyuk has 6 G, 8 A and is a +5 in 13 games this season. The Red WIngs could use Datsyuk's services today as their forward corp is fairly depleted.

Datsyuk didn't play in the Red Wings 5-3 loss to Anaheim last night. Could be back tomorrow vs. Minnesota.

This is a tough break for the Red Wings as another player is going to miss a game due to injury. This one hurts even more because it is Datsyuk. Gustav Nyquist will play in his spot.