Luck Of The Buff When star defensemen have dual eligibility, even when playing forward, there isn't a better bonus for their fantasy owners. However, in the case of Winnipeg's Dustin Byfuglien, he started the season on a forward line and lost his defensive eligibility in most fantasy leagues, a very rare occurrence. What should a fantasy owner do in dynasty league formats where keeping him to play as a 2nd or 3rd line winger and possibly have a 50-pt ceiling significantly reduces his value relative to his position? Such was the case of Brent Burns who played winger on the San Jose top line last season and collected 48 pts in 69 games. That represented close to elite point totals for a defender, but nothing more than depth forward for most fantasy teams. The difference with Burns was that the decision was made in the off-season to switch him back on defense. Fantasy owners drafted accordingly and the shrewd ones took him relatively high in most drafts. With Byfuglien, he was generally categorized during the draft process as a forward, so many keeper league owners bailed on him and his average-draft position took a steep hit in standard formats. However, much to the joy of those who drafted him late, he was shifted back to defense on December 6th largely due to the team being ravaged by injuries to the blue line. Then it happened... Prior to the move, Byfuglien had amassed 28 points in 44 games. Ever since getting back his defensive spot, he has a crazy 17 points in 18 games. Since now he has dual eligibility at both forward and defense, fantasy owners have been granted an elite fantasy option on D without ever having to make a move. So for those fortunate enough to be in this situation expect there to be some chatter about him possibly going back to forward especially since Tobias Enstrom and Zach Bogosian are back healthy. But I wouldn't bet on it. Players like Burns and Byfuglien thrive while playing big minutes and limiting their TOI to 14-15 minutes a game reduces their general effectiveness. Reap the rewards of this huge holiday gift. Parting Shots: A horrific stretch for the Minnesota Wild just got worse with the news that Ryan Suter was suspended for two games for an elbow thrown at Steve Downie of Pittsburgh. An elite fantasy defenseman the majority of the time, he has struggled mightily with one assist over the past ten games. I would try to buy low on Suter while his market value is at his absolute lowest....Anton Stralman is a solid short-term...

The biggest news to come out of last night's action was Claude Giroux getting the back of his leg sliced by a Justin Faulk skate in the 3rd period of the Flyers-Hurricanes matchup. Giroux left the ice with assistance, not being able to put any weight on his leg.  The word is that the Philly Captain is fine and expected to be in tonight's game in New Jersey.  Giroux is tied for third in league scoring.  Whew! After losing their captain, the Flyers fought back to get within one but that was all as they lost for the fourth straight time. Wallowing near the bottom of the Metropolitan Division, it would take an incredible run to qualify for the playoffs.  Carolina G Cam Ward (23/24 SV) has played excellent of late, this time being on the positive side of a close game. Ward could be an excellent number 2 fantasy goalie.  With Jordan Staal returning from a broken leg and Eric Staal looking like he is starting to heat up, it may be worth it to have a few Canes on your fantasy squad now.... Roberto Luongo continues to enjoy life in sunny F-L-A as he shut out the Buffalo Sabres 2-0 behind a 30-save effort making 2 first period goals stand up. Bobby Lu raised his record to 15-7-7 with a 2.22 GAA and a .926 SP.  Continue to start Luongo with confidence while we wait for the young offense to pick up.... P.K. Subban was the story for Montreal last night against New Jersey assisting on 3 goals. The Habs built a 3-0 early in the 3rd period before the Devils made it interesting. The Devils ship is sinking fast and there is no land in sight.  New Jersey has gone 2-7-3 in last dozen games.  Ugh! You just knew it was going to be a high-scoring affair in Pittsburgh as the Penguins took on the Lightning of Tampa Bay. It was all Pens early as they built a 3-0 in the first period chasing starter Ben Bishop from the net. The bolts tried to stage a comeback but Steve Downie put the final 2 nails in the coffin of a 6-3 win for the Penguins. Sidney Crosby with 4 assists in the game almost matched his total output for November where he had 5 total points. Look for Sid to pick up his game from here on out.... The return to early season form for Minnesota G Darcy Kuemper was what the Wild needed against the high-scoring Toronto Maple Leafs who came into the game as the highest scoring team in the NHL. Kuemper turned aside 34 of 35 SOG as Minnesota won for just the second time in the past 8 games....With a power play assist, perhaps Thomas Vanek is ready to heat up as he has been very...

The biggest news to come out of last night's action was Claude Giroux getting the back of his leg sliced by a Justin Faulk skate in the 3rd period of the Flyers-Hurricanes matchup. Giroux left the ice with assistance, not being able to put any weight on his leg.  The word is that the Philly Captain is fine and expected to be in tonight's game in New Jersey.  Giroux is tied for third in league scoring.  Whew! After losing their captain, the Flyers fought back to get within one but that was all as they lost for the fourth straight time. Wallowing near the bottom of the Metropolitan Division, it would take an incredible run to qualify for the playoffs.  Carolina G Cam Ward (23/24 SV) has played excellent of late, this time being on the positive side of a close game. Ward could be an excellent number 2 fantasy goalie.  With Jordan Staal returning from a broken leg and Eric Staal looking like he is starting to heat up, it may be worth it to have a few Canes on your fantasy squad now.... Roberto Luongo continues to enjoy life in sunny F-L-A as he shut out the Buffalo Sabres 2-0 behind a 30-save effort making 2 first period goals stand up. Bobby Lu raised his record to 15-7-7 with a 2.22 GAA and a .926 SP.  Continue to start Luongo with confidence while we wait for the young offense to pick up.... P.K. Subban was the story for Montreal last night against New Jersey assisting on 3 goals. The Habs built a 3-0 early in the 3rd period before the Devils made it interesting. The Devils ship is sinking fast and there is no land in sight.  New Jersey has gone 2-7-3 in last dozen games.  Ugh! You just knew it was going to be a high-scoring affair in Pittsburgh as the Penguins took on the Lightning of Tampa Bay. It was all Pens early as they built a 3-0 in the first period chasing starter Ben Bishop from the net. The bolts tried to stage a comeback but Steve Downie put the final 2 nails in the coffin of a 6-3 win for the Penguins. Sidney Crosby with 4 assists in the game almost matched his total output for November where he had 5 total points. Look for Sid to pick up his game from here on out.... The return to early season form for Minnesota G Darcy Kuemper was what the Wild needed against the high-scoring Toronto Maple Leafs who came into the game as the highest scoring team in the NHL. Kuemper turned aside 34 of 35 SOG as Minnesota won for just the second time in the past 8 games....With a power play assist, perhaps Thomas Vanek is ready to heat up as he has been very...

With Marian Gaborik returning to the lineup, Anze Kopitar has woken up. I think LA is ready to go on some sort of streak. Gaborik has 6 goals in last 4 games. As streaky as they come and as injury-prone as they come. Colorado played Buffalo last. A very uncharacteristic game for both clubs as the Avalanche won 5-1. Jarome Iginla did his Kopitar imitation and had 3 assists last night as well. Did you know that Jeff Carter has 9 goals and 16 assists so far this season? Usually it's the other way around.  You know what that means. Jakub Voracek had 4 assists last night to take over the NHL point lead. His team mate Claude Giroux and Dallas Star Tyler Seguin (does Boston feel that pain yet?) are 3 points behind. Not a positive nigh for the Toronto Maple Leafs in their 7-4 loss to Philadelphia. Pekka Rinne was irregular last night against Minnesota but still won 6-5 in overtime. I think Alex Galchenyuk is loving the new responsibilities of centering the top line. He has 6 points in last 3 games.  Ottawa is going to have one of those years where they seem like they can't move one way or another. Tampa Bay is 3-5-2 in last team. You can breathe Lightning fan.  They will be alright, trust me. The last year on Long Island is turning out to be a special one. Brooklyn is awaiting. Every Florida Panther had a SOG except Derek MacKenzie so you know they were trying in their 3-1 loss to Pittsburgh. See Derek, you made the SMC! Steve Downie had a great night with 2 assists and 17 PIMs. I am very disappointed in the Pittsburgh Penguins for scratching Robert Klinkhammer from the lineup on a Saturday night. I may have to call Bettman. I just don't know if the New Jersey Devils are this bad. They have a lot of home games coming up so maybe they can get back in the thick of things.  Or, they may be looking at a new head coach pretty soon. Nicklas Backstrom is becoming a scoring machine lately notching his 9th and 10th goals on the season. The Rangers are streaking. Martin St. Louis needs to start scoring a little bit more methinks. Even with going 8-1-1 in last 10, Columbus still finds themselves 7 points behind a playoff spot. Keep plugging away boys. Minny G Niklas Backstrom has started the last 3 and last 4 of 6 games. He had to relieve Darcy Kuemper in last night's game. What has happened to Kuemper? Calgary is really going through a tough stretch right now. They face LA and Edmonton twice in the next four games.  So there is hope in two of those games.  The Christmas/...

There is no doubting that the Pittsburgh is the goldmine of fantasy hockey especially when you have Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin to start you off. There has been a lot of talk over the past few years about how the Penguins can't seem to get it together for the Stanley Cup playoff run.  The knock on goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury was that he was a great regular season goalie, but come the playoffs, he was lacking that extra gear. Some changes were made in the off-season with the Draft Day trade of James Neal for Patric Hornqvist, and letting Brooks Orpik and Matt Niskanen leave via free agency. Christian Ehrhoff was signed to add support for Kris Letang. Letang needs to play a full season and stay away from injury.  GOALIES When it comes to fantasy hockey goaltending, having a number 1 who starts just about every game and gives you decent enough metrics is all you care about. When it comes to playoff hockey, it's the rabid fan that cares more about the goaltender's performance than the fantasy poolie which makes Fleury the perfect fantasy goaltender.  He starts every game, gets you close to 40 wins, has decent metrics and pitches in a few shutouts and rarely gets injured.  It doesn't hurt that he has a powerhouse offensive club in front of him.  Thomas Greiss was brought in to serve as backup and if he proves more than capable, he might steal a few more starts from Fleury than Jeff Zatkoff did last season. DEFENSE The Pittsburgh defense flows through Letang, but help is on the way. Ehrhoff was signed to take some of the offensive pressure off Letang and with last season's sensation Olli Maata recovering from an off-season shoulder surgery, Ehrhoff's presence was sorely needed. He will also act as an insurance policy if Letang should go down to yet another injury.  Letang was once considered one of the top 2 or 3 fantasy D-men in the league but injuries have taken their toll.  Maata will have to ward off not only the sophomore jinx, but pursuit from other young talent such as Derick Pouliot (recovering from his own off-season surgery) and Simon Despres, who may get an extended look this time around. Those are your potent offensive defensemen with Paul Martin and Rob Scuderi providing the defensive support. FORWARDS There is not much to say about Crosby and Malkin that poolies don't already know. What will be interesting to see is if Hornqvist will take the role vacated by Neal and be that 40 goal scorer.  Chris Kunitz enjoys life on the wing of ...

Downie scored four goals with 20 assists and 106 penalty minutes in 62 games between the Avalanche and the Flyers. Downie battled a number of injuries including a concussion in 2013-14, so the Penguins take nearly no risk by signing him to a one-year, million dollar contract.

Downie has missed the last eight games, but will likely be back vs. the Panthers tonight. With Zac Rinaldo getting suspended for the remainder of the regular season, Downie would slide in for him.

Downie was expected to be back in the Flyers lineup this afternoon, but he will miss his seventh straight game. That means Tye McGinn will stay in the lineup today vs. the Bruins.

Downie has missed the last six games with a concussion he suffered on March 22nd. Since returning to Philadelphia early in the season, Downie has 17 points (3G / 14A) in 49 games. If he returns, expect Vincent Lecavalier to move up from the fourth line and Tye McGinn to be sent back to Adirondack (AHL).