Thanks to a startling 412 man-games lost to injury (2nd in NHL), the Red Wings barely kept their 23-year playoff streak alive by grabbing the final Eastern Conference wildcard spot. With superstar players Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg missing over a combined 80 games, young stud prospects such as Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Tatar took a step forward to help pace the offense. There seems to be plenty of fantasy locks to go around at each position as the Wings should be loaded for another postseason run. Goalies After a serious statistical regression where he posted a 21-19-11 record along with a .910 SP and 2.66 GAA, Jimmy Howard is no longer viewed as a sure fire no 1 fantasy goalie. With 5 years remaining on his contract, there will be pressure for him to return to his normal lofty status. Already three years removed from a 38-win season, Howard will be afforded a lot smaller leash with Jonas Gustavsson looking to steal the job. The Swede showed during a brief starting stint that he can deliver the goods. This will be a huge year for Howard to stay on top with Detroit. We say he does it one more season... Defense As the premier defensive stalwart on the Wings plus their undisputed pp quarterback, Niklas Kronwall remains an elite fantasy option on defense, perhaps as high as top 7-10. 45-50 points should be a lock, as he is as consistent as they come. Brendan Smith has grossly underachieved during his promotion to the big club, but it seems Dan DeKeyser has taken his place as a fantasy sleeper. After scoring 4 goals and 23 points in 65 games plus averaging 21:38 TOI, the Western Michigan product should continue to improve on his offensive numbers. 30-35 points will not be out of the question. Forwards A recent shoulder injury sustained by Pavel Datsyuk just confirms the obvious: he can no longer be trusted as an elite fantasy forward. While he will always put forth close to a PPG effort when healthy, his too often brittle past suggests that you let other owners take a chance on him. We say no earlier than 5th round is where he should be taken off the board. While Henrik Zetterberg has been also victimized by recent injuries, he is the more reliable forward to target. Almost a lock for 65+ pts, he still has legitimate 80-pt upside. Now, the forward who is on the cusp of a larger breakout season than the one he enjoyed in 2013 is Gustav Nyquist. While playing much of the season without the superstars, he went on a torrid scoring pace during the second ...

Datsyuk is not skating at Red Wings' practice this morning and will be evaluated this afternoon. Datsyuk missed 37 games last season, so this is not the way 'The Magician' wanted to start his season. Expect an update later today.

It didn't take long for Detroit to possibly suffer a key injury, as Pavel Datsyuk injured his shoulder during their 2-1 pre-season win over Pittsburgh. He will be re-evaulated today, but the severity of the injury is not clear. A few note-worthy stat lines to consider from yesteday's games: Marian Gaborik 2G; Patrick Berglund 1G,1A; Mark Streit 1G,3A; Dany Heatley 1G. Note: Keep your eye on Heatley during camp as the Ducks will give him an extended look on a line with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. The underachieving winger has been on a sownward spiral since an 80-pt season with San Jose, but this could be his last chance to hit NHL paydirt.

A LITTLE REFLECTION..... SLEEPERS & DARK HORSES was one of the new features in our 2013-2014 PrimePucks™ Fantasy Hockey Guide. This feature was to provide the fantasy hockey poolie with some players who may get an opportunity to make an impact on their respective NHL clubs.  Some were hits and some were disappointments.    We always like to think that our predictions will always be "spot on" as we have so much faith in these players like they were our own children, but sometimes they just need a little more time to grow, a little more time to mature and blossom into their full potential. Some of the players that have met or exceeded our potential were the likes of Anaheim's Nick Bonino and Detroit's Gustav Nyquist. In the case of Bonino, he was given an opportunity on the top line with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry who were on fire to start the season and Bonino reaped the benefits of playing alongside those two superstars.  In the PrimePucks™ Guide we had forecast Bonino to get 45 points and Nyquist 42.  In 74 games so far, Bonino has 47 while Nyquist also has 47 points but in just 54 games played where we predicted 42 points on the season.  Nyquist's opportunity was more the result of the Red Wings two superstars, Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, being out for large chunks of the season due to injury. So, one benefited from playing with two superstars while the other played without them.  Everyone has been waiting for the arrival of Nyquist and it seems his time has finally arrived. Some of the big disappointments were Marcus Johansson of the Washington Capitals and Sean Couturier of the Philadelphia Flyers. The way Johansson had closed out the Lockout season playing with Alexander Ovechkin, we thought for sure that MJ would clearly blow past his career high season in points of 46 in 2011-2012 but it looks like he will just about equal that total with just 3 games left on the schedule.  We had MJ pegged for 76 points, so a big disappointment.  Johansson collided with a woozy Troy Brouwer (hit from behind at the end boards) and was shaken up in last night's game, so his season might be over anyway. Couturier and the Flyers started the season just 3-8-0 in the month of October but have forged their way back into a playoff spot.  Couturier never got his game going but still has 37 points in 79 games played so far, a far cry from the 64 we had predicted from the young talent.  He will always be in the shadow of playing behind Captain Claude Giroux, but...

My first thought this morning as I glanced through my notes was how crazy it would be for fantasy owners to contemplate sitting Jarome Iginla for the upcoming final week, given that he has been arguably the "hottest" fantasy forward to own after the Olympic Break. However, the 36-year old has been rested twice this past week as he mends from minor bumps and bruises, reinforcing the notion that teams that have already secured playoff spots will rest their crucial veterans down the stretch. It's an imperfect science predicting which and how many games they will miss or play even, but it needs to be taken into account when forming starting rosters for the final stretch run. Loui Eriksson, who collected four assists in Boston's 5-2 win over Philadelphia, took over Iginla's spot on the top line and looked just as dominant. He looks to be the most coveted potential waiver-wire grab as it's possible Iginla could be rested for at least 1 or 2 games over the final four. Young Swedish sensation Carl Soderberg should also be in for more quality minutes in the case of key Boston forwards being rested. The rookie has quietly put together a solid season, amassing 18 points in the last 21 games. I like him as a decent 4th or 5th forward starting option next week. Well, what to do in Detroit where their best player Pavel Datsyuk has been back for two games after a lengthy absence due to injury? The Russian vet scored a power-play goal in the 5-3 loss to Montreal, but you know Coach Babcock will be careful with him if Detroit secures a playoff spot early in the week. His presence in the line-up also re-energized winger Johan Franzen, who responded with 2 power-play assists and now has five points in his last 6 games. However, you know the "Mule" has endured his share of injuries during his career and would be a prime candidate to sit a game or two to ensure a healthy playoff run. In other words, fantasy owners should ride the Detroit young guns, Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Tatar, down the stretch as they should be in line for expanded minutes. Yes, you heard it here first.. start Ilya Bryzgalov of the Minnesota Wild for the final week. Coming off last night's 4-0 shutout win over the mighty Pittsburgh Penguins, the goaltender has started four straight for the Wild, winning three of the games while allowing just 5 goals over that span. Playing for the defensive-minded, and probable playoff-bound, Minny team has done wonders for the "Mad Russian's" confidence, so look fo him...

My first thought this morning as I glanced through my notes was how crazy it would be for fantasy owners to contemplate sitting Jarome Iginla for the final upcoming week, given that he has been arguably the "hottest" fantasy forward to own after the Olympic Break. However, the 36-year old has been rested twice this past week as he mends from minor bumps and bruises, reinforcing the notion that teams having secured playoff spots will rest their crucial veterans down the stretch. It's an imperfect science predicting which and how many games they will miss, but it needs to be taken into account when forming startin rosters for the final stretch run. Loui Eriksson, who collected four assists in Boston's 5-2 win over Philadelphia, took over Iginla's spot on the top line and looked just as dominant. He looks to be the most coveted potential waiver-wire grab as it's possible Iginla could be rested for at least 1 or 2 games over the final four. Young Swedish sensation Carl Soderberg should also be in more quality minutes in the case of key Boston forwards being rested. The rookie has quietly put together a solid season, amassing 18 points in the last 21 games. I like him as a decent 4th or 5th forward starting option next week. Well, what about in Detroit where their best player Pavel Datsyuk has been back for two games after a lengthy absence due to injury? The Russian vet scored a power-play goal in the 5-3 loss to Montreal, but you know coach Babcock will be careful with him if Detroit secures a playoff spot early in the week. His presence in the line-up also re-energized winger Johan Franzen, who responded with 2 power-play assists and now has five points in his last 6 games. However, you know the "Mule" has endured his share of injuries and would be a prime candidate to sit a game or two to ensure a healthy playoff run. In other words, fantasy owners should ride the Detroit young guns, Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Tatar, down the stretch as they should be in line for expanded minutes. Yes, you heard it here first.. start Ilya Bryzgalov of the Minnesota Wild for the final week. Coming off last night's 4-0 shutout win over the mighty Pittsburgh Penguins, the goaltender has started four straight for the Wild, winning three of the games while allowing just 5 goals over that span. Playing for the defensive-minded and probable playoff-bound Minny team has done wonders for the "Mad Russian's" confidence, so look fo him to continue his "hot" play in the crease. Darcy ...

Datsyuk will return to the lineup tonight vs. the Sabres, but Mike Babcock is not sure if he will play tomorrow vs. the Canadiens as well.

Datsyuk has missed the last 16 games with a knee injury. The Red Wings young AHL call-ups have done an excellent job putting the Wings in a good spot to make the playoffs despite missing Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg. Datsyuk was skating on a line with Darren Helm and Justin Abdelkader this morning which suggests he will return tomorrow. Monitor his status during the gameday skate, but all signs are pointing towards his return. Datsyuk had 15 goals and 18 assists (33 points) in 39 games this season.

"Looking forward to a game on Friday! I am in..." Datsyuk announced on Twitter. After missing 16 games, Datsyuk will return on a line with Darren Helm and Justin Abdelkader tomorrow vs. the Sabres. Head coach Mike Babcock will likely ease Dats back into the lineup, but expect to see him on the top power-play unit for sure.

Datsyuk said that pain is not the reason that he won't play tonight, but it is his conditioning that will keep him out of the lineup. It seemed unlikely that he was going to play tonight after Mike Babcock said that he might be back Friday. So look for him to play vs. the Sabres on Friday.