Kostitsyn turned the puck over in the Predators last game and instead of hustling back on defense he opted to make a line-change and allow the Oilers to go in on a 2-on-1 which ultimately led to a goal. Coach Trotz obviously was not impressed by this, making Kostitsyn a healthy scratch tonight. Taylor Beck will make his NHL debut tonight in the place of Kostitsyn.

With Kostitsyn back, coach Barry Trotz said forward Zach Boychuk will be out.

Okay, so now that Sergei Kostitsyn is staying with the Nashville Predators for another two years at least, what can fantasy hockey owners expect from him in regard to his offensive production? Well, he is a classic example of a winger with 75-point upside playing for a defensive-minded coach who always evenly distributes minutes to his top three forward lines. There is never a true go-to guy in Coach Barry Trotz's system, so it's not likely that Kostitsyn will get the playing time to even get a crack at a true breakout season. He scored 50 points for Nashville in 10/11, followed up by 43 points last season. Realistically, you can expect 50-55 points from the talented winger with a slight upside.

***IN THE SLOT*** read more

***IN THE SLOT*** FANTASY RECAP OF THE NHL NIGHT IN ACTION Calgary 3- Nashville 5: In the NHL's lone contest, Sergei Kostitsyn shined for the Predators, scoring three goals in a New Year's Day victory. Despite his prolific scoring night, Kostitsyn had only recorded 2 points in his previous 10 games, so don't get too excited about him. However, that being said, he has been a notoriously streaky scorer, so he does bear watching in your fantasy leagues if you are in need of a short-term replacement. January 1 ***LIVE HITS*** read more

Kostitsyn gets back into the lineup for the first time since November 29th. The Bellarussian forward registered only three points in the month of November -- all assists and in the same game.

Certainly doesn't sound like Kostitsyn will play tonight or within the next week. Keep an eye on the sniping scorer's status.

Kostitsyn will miss his fifth game this season. Since returning from his first injury, the scoring winger only registered three assists in 11 games. Even worse, those three assists were all over one game.

Kostitsyn moves down to the third line for tomorrow's game. If you take away a three-assist game, Kostitysyn has no points over seven games.

Kostitsyn returns from a lower-body injury and should play a prominent role in tonight's lineup. Through 10 games the Bellarussian scored three goals and eight points. Start him if you got him...