Weiss has been sidelined since December 10 and underwent surgery for a sports hernia on December 23. The two-week Olympic break will help Weiss get back to 100 per cent. If all goes as expected he should rejoin the Red Wings lineup after the break.

Weiss' original timetable was eight weeks after undergoing surgery on a sports hernia. His participation in the morning skate suggests that Weiss could return before the Olympic break opposed to after. The Red Wings are hoping that Weiss can find his Panthers-form because he has struggled mightily to this point.

Weiss is expected to miss two months and return following the Olympic break. Weiss' first few months as a Red Wing have been forgettable ones. He has had a hard time staying on the ice and when he is in the lineup he has recorded just four points (2G / 2A) in 26 games.

Weiss is out indefinitely.

Weiss will be reevaluated when the team returns to Detroit following Thursday's meeting with the Lightning. It has been a disappointing season statistically for Weiss, but this reoccurring groin injury is making it difficult to get in any sort of groove. Expect Johan Franzen to shift back to centre and either Gustav Nyquist or Justin Abdelkader to play on Pavel Datsyuk's wing.

Just the smell of coffee stirs my senses from their slumber! Let's hope that yesterday's 4 goals let in by Steve Mason doesn't happen too often. He is having a great season. The Flyers had a complete meltdown in just over a minute's time in the 2nd period against Dallas. In his second game back from injury, Seguin gets a hattie, his second one of the year. This kid can be soooo good. I guess Pascal Dupuis won't duplicate that 59-point season from two years ago. But Chris Kunitz is going to have a career-best season. Carey Price is having a most wonderful season. Dion Phaneuf had 5 SOG yesterday. That's correct, 5.  He actually had 4 the other day against San Jose too.  Erik Karlsson had 9 SOG, so take that Phaneuf!   LOL The Red Wings could only score 1 goal against Tim Thomas and the Florida Panthers? I know they were without Datsyuk and Zetterberg, but 1 goal? That was the game where former Panther Stephen Weiss was supposed to go off. He must not have gotten that memo. Nashville isn't helping with the Western Conference's dominance over the Eastern Conference. That Jay Bouwmeester is 6th among defensemen scoring. Who woulda thunk it? Jason Garrison has been reborn, and in the same season. The Rangers were lucky to get a point out of last night's game against the Devils. The Ducks really showed the Blues yesterday, huh? You just might be seeing a little more of Brian Elliott in net for St. Louis over the next stretch of games. The Oilers can score 8 goals against Colorado, but only 1 against Calgary? Wasn't that supposed to be the other way around? When Martin Jones shuts you out, you know you need to be ripped into by the coach. Come on Islanders, you're better than that, aren't you? With Jones' shutout and the way Ben Scrivens has been playing, Jonathan Quick can take all the time he needs to get back. Colonel Klinkhammer had an assist on Friday night. Yeah baby! For the most part, both Conference standings are settling into how they should look. With such little fanfare, Bryan Little has been quietly having a very good season with 27 points in 31 games played. Have a great week!

With Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg both out, Weiss will shift from the 4th line centre to the 1st line RW. He will skate with Johan Franzen and Gustav Nyquist and start on the wing. The Red Wings offseason signing has be a huge disappointment so far posting just two goals and one assist with a minus-4 rating in 22 games. He gets a shot with two talented players tonight, so maybe this is the opportunity he needs to get his season turned around.

Brent Burns-San Jose, RW (Owned in 77.4% of ESPN leagues) After missing time on the injured reserve, the winger was back on Joe Thornton's line this week with a goal and an assist in the two games. With 10 points in 10 games, the 28-year old has become a permanent fixture in the top-six and also presents the possibilty of having dual position eligibility if he is ever moved back on defense. His booming shot has made him indispensable on the power-lay, so a "healthy" Burns could be a fantasy difference-maker down the stretch. Just hope that he can stay out of the infirmiery! Gustav Nyquist- Detroit Red Wings, C (Owned in 22.1% of ESPN leagues) With the news that Nyquist will be staying up with Red Wings for the rest of the season, fantasy owners should be snatching up the talented forward on the merits of his offensive upside and potential line-mates. While return of Stephen Weiss and Daniel Alfredsson can effect his top-six status among the forwards, Nyquist will be given a shot to play a more prominent role on the offense. He scored 2 goals in his season debut against Carolina while lining up with Henrik Zetterberg and Johan Franzen. With Pavel Datsyuk possibly dealing with a concussion, Nyquist might be relied upon even more. Kimmo Timonen- Philadelphia Flyers, D (Owned in 80.1% of ESPN leagues) Does four points in the last four games fully restore our faith in the usually consistent Finn, who did not register a single point for the first 13 games? Ouch! Not quite, but the 38-year old veteran has bounced back in a strong way, collecting five points in his last 11 games. Even with the addition of Mark Streit, Timonen has maintained his position on the Flyer's top power-play, which has vastly improved during the team's strong stretch. He might not match his numbers from last season, but he should be a lock for 30-point production. Decent "buy-low" opportunity. Andrej Sekera- Carolina Hurricanes, D (Owned in 23.9% of ESPN leagues) Despite having his goal-scoring streak snapped at two games, the defender played over 23 minutes in yesterday's 4-1 win over Ottawa, while leading the entire team in PP time with 3:28 minutes. His game has taken off since being partnered with Justin Faulk on the top pairing. With 11 points (5G/6A) in 24 games, the 27-year old is showing off some of his untapped offensive upside, but it surely helps that he is getting an uptick in minutes. Marek Mazanec- Nashville Predators, G ( (Owned in 12.6% of ESPN leagues) The Czech...

Like Daniel Alfredsson, Weiss let head coach Mike Babcock know that he was ready to go tonight, but will sit. It will be the seventh straight contest that Weiss will miss after tweaking his groin on November 7. Consider him questionable for Sunday.

Weiss will miss his fifth straight game. He has been disappointing in his short time in Detroit, recording just two goals and one assist in 17 games. Monitor his status prior to Saturday's game with the Senators.