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.

5. Shea Weber, Nashville: 5 G, 4 A, 2 PPG, 2 PPA With 38 points in 56 games for Nashville, Weber is on pace to challenge his career high in points (53) and according to many insiders, is playing the best hockey of his career. Fantasy owners can also expect a positive carry-over effect from Weber's amazing play in the Olympic Games so far. Don't be surprised if the ultra-talented blueliner, who has been the runner-up to the Norris Trophy twice, captures the top prize with close to a point-per-game pace over the last 20 games or so. 4. Keith Yandle, Phoenix: 1 G, 9 A, 1 PPG, 7 PPA How does one of the more consistent point-getters on defense year-in, year out continues to fly under the radar is beyond me, but he needs to be treated as an elite fantasy option. Well on his way to a fourth 40+ point season in his NHL career, he put up 59 points in ‘10/11. Oliver-Ekman Larsson has been the rising star on the Coyotes' defense over the last few seasons, but from a fantasy perspective, Yandle has already arrived. Start him with extreme confidence. 3. Matt Niskanen, Pittsburgh: 2 G, 11 A, 4 PPA The formula here is pretty simple. Any Pittsburgh defenseman responsible for quarterbacking the primary power-play unit with Crosby, Malkin and Neal is worth his weight in gold. With Letang out for the forseeable future, Niskanen's dream season should continue without a hitch. Only possible contenders are Paul Martin and Olli Maata, but we think Niskanen should hold on to the "dream" spot. Unless, Letang returns, but that's highly unlikely for the remainder of this season. 2. Erik Karlsson, Ottawa: 5 G, 9 A, 1 PPG, 5 PPA Not much to say here other than Karlsson has set the gold standard for fantasy defensemen with another remarkable year in progress- 55 points in 59 games. Over the last 3 seasons, he has accumulated 147 points in 157 games. Flat-out sick! If you do own Karlsson in any fantasy format, he is as untradeable as they come. 1. James Wisniewski, Columbus: 2 G, 10 A, 2 PPG, 7 PPA Amazingly enough, our top-rated fantasy defender has been playing through a broken pinkie toe injury, but he is not expected to miss any time after the Olympic break. The hopes for Wisniewski owners are that he can stay away from the infirmiery long enough to get back to his 50-point form when he was playing in Montreal. My advice to Wisniewski owners is because of perpetual health concerns, dangle him as trade bait and test the market. If you are have defensive depth on your team,...

The New York Rangers were considered Stanley Cup contenders at the start of the season, but they stumbled through the beginning of the season and were under .500 at the beginning of January. But they have caught fire since then, and have won 9 of their last 12 games.  Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist has reverted back to his old quality self and he was outstanding last night as the Rangers beat the Islanders 4-1. Lundqvist had 38 saves in the win.  Defenseman Marc Staal had 2 assists for New York, but with only 10 points on the season, he has no fantasy value.  The Rangers appear to have adjusted to Coach Alain Vigneault's system...In a bit of a suprise Carolina beat St Louis 3-1.  Hurricane goaltender Anton Khudobin has really been terrific, and he was great last night wth 27 saves. His 11-4-0 record with a 2.24 goals against and a .925 save percentage speak for themselves.  Play him if you can... Detroit managed to squeak out a 4-3 victory over Washington, in a shootout that required 13 attempts before Patrick Eaves finally scored for Detroit.  Young center Gustav Nyquist scored a goal for Red Wings. Ray recently featured Nyquist in his "Under The Raydar" feature. He will be a star one day, and he is really beginning to show his talent with 8 points in his last 7 games. Grab him if you can.  Weber scores: Well the old defenseman "war horse" was on display last night, as Predator's defenseman Shea Weber had 2 goals last night in the their 3-2 win over New Jersey.  Weber's numbers on the year are 15 goals 23 assists and 38 points.  This is for a defenseman!  This guy is amazing, and a top  fantasy pick. Fortunately, I have him in both of my pools.  41 year old Jaromir Jagr had a goal and an assist for the Devils. With 46 points on the season and a +21, Jagr is still a valuable fantasy forward option.  The Jets fly:   The Winnipeg Jets beat the Canucks last night 4-3. Jets right wing Devin Setoguchi had 2 goals in the win, but with only 21 points on the season he is not fantasy worthy. Veteran left wing Andrew Ladd had 2 assists for Winnipeg, and he had 46 points in 48 games last year, but he has been struggling somewhat this year with only 38 points in 56 games. He is only 28 years old, so he should bounce back.  Keep an eye on him, as he could be a great buy low player.

The New York Rangers were considered Stanley Cup contenders at the start of the season, but they stumbled through the beginning of the season and were under .500 at the beginning of January. But they have caught fire since then, and have won 9 of their last 12 games.  Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist has reverted back to his old quality self and he was outstanding last night as the Rangers beat the Islanders 4-1. Lundqvist had 38 saves in the win.  Defenseman Marc Staal had 2 assists for New York, but with only 10 points on the season, he has no fantasy value.  The Rangers appear to have adjusted to Coach Alain Vigneault's system...In a bit of a suprise Carolina beat St Louis 3-1.  Hurricane goaltender Anton Khudobin has really been terrific, and he was great last night wth 27 saves. His 11-4-0 record with a 2.24 goals against and a .925 save percentage speak for themselves.  Play him if you can... Detroit managed to squeak out a 4-3 victory over Washington, in a shootout that required 13 attempts before Patrick Eaves finally scored for Detroit.  Young center Gustav Nyquist scored a goal for Red Wings. Ray recently featured Nyquist in his "Under The Radar" feature.  He will be a star one day, and he is really beginning to show his talent with 8 points in his last 7 games.  Grab him if you can.  Weber scores: Well the old defenseman "war horse" was on display last night, as Predator's defenseman Shea Weber had 2 goals last night in the their 3-2 win over New Jersey.  Weber's numbers on the year are 15 goals 23 assists and 38 points.  This is for a defenseman!  This guy is amazing, and a top  fantasy pick. Fortunately, I have him in both of my pools.  41 year old Jaromir Jagr had a goal and an assist for the Devils. With 46 points on the season and a +21, Jagr is still a valuable fantasy forward option.  The Jets fly:   The Winnipeg Jets beat the Canucks last night 4-3. Jets right wing Devin Setoguchi had 2 goals in the win, but with only 21 points on the season he is not fantasy worthy. Veteran left wing Andrew Ladd had 2 assists for Winnipeg, and he had 46 points in 48 games last year, but he has been struggling somewhat this year with only 38 points in 56 games. He is only 28 years old, so he should bounce back.  Keep an eye on him, as he could be a great buy low player.

Weber participated in the Predators morning skate which is a good sign that he will be in the lineup tonight. Monitor his status around 7:30 p.m. EST when warmups is scheduled to start.

Weber was injured on Tuesday, but his presence on ice this morning suggests that he will be in the lineup tonight vs. New Jersey. Expect an update after the skate.

Weber left Tuesday night's 4-3 win at Winnipeg 3:28 into the third period and did not return. The Predators took Wednesday off, and Weber was not seen in the locker room after practice Thursday. The Predators will leave his status as day-to-day an reevaluate him on Friday.

Weber had recorded his 23rd assist earlier in the contest, but retired to the dressing room after playing just 17:45 (averages 26:43). There is no word on the nature or severity of Weber's injury, but we should get an update today. Weber is currently tied for NHL lead in goals for defensemen with 13 and his 36 points is good for fifth.

Minnesota's star winger Zach Parise was instrumental to the Wild's 4-2 upset road victory of Anaheim with a goal and two assists, his first points since returning from injury 3 games ago. With only 4 points in his 10 contests prior to injury, the usually consistent Parise has been hurting fantasy owners with sub-par offensive production, certainly not reminiscent of his 80+ point scoring days with New Jersey. The Wild's offense has been hampered by key injuries throughout the season, but with Mikko Koivu also expected back soon, you could expect a significant scoring upgrade after the Oympic break. With only 30 points in 40 games, Parise is looking like a solid "buy low" option if you can get him on the moderate cheap. Another guy I am "wild" about is goalie Darcy Kuemper, who has been stellar in relief of Josh Harding with a 6-3-1 record, a 2.26 GAA, and a .924 SP. He stymied the Ducks to a tune of 31 saves on 33 shots. Harding has shown to have his share of medical issues, so maybe getting your hands on Kuemper would be a shrewd investment. More Fantasy Game Notes: The biggest news of the nights revolves around the potential blow to Shea Weber owners, as the elite defenseman left the Nashville-Winnipeg contest with a back injury and did not return. No word on the severity of the injury yet, but we will keep you posted. Weber is well on his way to his second career 50+ point season with 36 points (13G/23A) in 52 games.. Two more goals from Chicago's Marian Hossa, who has arguably been the most consistent fantasy forward in the "Windy City". The Slovakian winger hasn't gone more than two games without scoring a point since November 21st. Not bad for someone who many had touted as well past his prime at the age of 35.. Another point-explosion from Alex Ovechkin, who saved the Capitals in Buffalo with two goals, including the overtime game winner and 2 assists. Not much to say here, other than sit your Washington players when "Ovie" is out of the lineup.. Huge effort from Carey Price, as Montreal's goalie slowed down a streaking Carolina club with a 36-save shutout effort. The Canadien Olympian had lost four straight and allowed more than 4 goals in the last five, so his fantasy owners can breathe a sigh of relief for now.. Steve Mason snapped a three-game skid with a 33-save shutout in the 5-0 Fler's win over Detroit. Huge letdown for Mason since signing a lucrative extension, but how many of us have our doubts whether he had proved enough to warrant ...