Claude Giroux (G, 2A) and Scott Hartnell (2A) have re-kindled their chemistry from 2 years ago and the Flyers early season woes can no longer be seen in the rear-view mirror. Philly has played themselves back into playoff contention and it's all because of Giroux and G Steve Mason. Mason has been playing brilliantly for the Flyers since being acquired last season and his recent contract extension signing has not hindered his play at all.  Giroux started the season with just 6 points in 11 October games.  Since November 1st, Giroux has 49 points in 46 games and is tied for 11th in NHL scoring. Hartnell has turned his season around as well with 17 points in last 17 games.  He had a career year in 2011-2012 with 67 points in 82 games playing alongside Giroux.  He is clearly behind that pace for the season, but lately, he is back on track.  Oh, and the Flyers beat the San Jose Sharks last night 5-2 in San Jose.  Mason is now 22-14-5 with a 2.53 GAA and a .916 SP.  Not great but good enough to be the No. 1 in Philly.... More Fantasy Game Notes: Is the early Western Conference dominance over the Eastern Conference fading? Last night Columbus beat Anaheim 4-2 and as mentioned above, Philly beat San Jose.  Both Western teams were so dominant early on in the season, and most recently Anaheim (when they won 18 of 19 during a stretch in December & January), but now are struggling a bit. The Ducks have now lost 3 of their last 4 and 5 of 9.  They lost 4 of those at home, their first regulation losses at home all year.  Not to worry, the Ducks will rebound, but don't expect similar results as earlier when the entire team was red-hot...The Sharks haven't been the same team since the Marleau & Thornton signings; having lost 4 of their last 5. Typical to see two fantasy stars slow down once they sign a big contract.  After playing with motivation and incentive early on, that is taken away from them and they tend to relax.  You can expect a rebound after the Olympics, but not at the pace they were scoring pre-contract....Edmonton won, and that's news in and of itself, but they beat Buffalo, so temper your excitement....New Jersey Devil G Cory Schneider (23/25 SVS) lost the shutout with just under 2 minutes to go and then lost in overtime. Schneider deserved a much better fate, but give credit to the Colorado Avalanche for never giving up.  The Jersey net minder has started 4 in a row and deservedly so.  Even though he only has 1 win in those 4 starts, he clearly could ...

Claude Giroux (G, 2A) and Scott Hartnell (2A) have re-kindled their chemistry from 2 years ago and the Flyers early season woes are not even in the rear-view mirror any longer. Philly has played themselves back into playoff contention and it's all because of Giroux and G Steve Mason. Mason has been playing brilliantly for the Flyers since being acquired last season and his recent contract extension signing has not hindered his play at all.  Giroux started the season with just 6 points in 11 October games.  Since November 1st, Giroux has 49 points in 46 games and is tied for 11th in NHL scoring. Hartnell has turned his season around as well with 17 points in last 17 games.  He had a career year in 2011-2012 with 67 points in 82 games playing alongside Giroux.  He is clearly behind that pace for the season, but lately, he is back on track.  Oh, and the Flyers beat the San Jose Sharks last night 5-2 in San Jose.  Mason is now 22-14-5 with a 2.53 GAA and a .916 SP.  Not great but good enough to be the No. 1 in Philly.... More Fantasy Game Notes: Is the early Western Conference dominance over the Eastern Conference fading? Last night Columbus beat Anaheim 4-2 and as mentioned above, Philly beat San Jose.  Both Western teams were so dominant early on in the season, and most recently Anaheim when they won 18 of 19 during a stretch in December & January), but now are struggling a bit. The Ducks have now lost 3 of their last 4 and 5 of 9.  They lost 4 of those were at home, their first regulation losses at home all year.  Not to worry, the Ducks will rebound, but don't expect similar results as earlier when the entire team was red-hot...The Sharks haven't been the same team since the Marleau & Thornton signings; having lost 4 of their last 5. Typical to see two fantasy stars slow down once they sign a big contract.  After playing with motivation and incentive early on, that is taken away from them and they tend to relax.  You can expect a rebound after the Olympics, but not at the pace they were scoring pre-contract....Edmonton won, and that's news in and of itself, but they beat Buffalo, so temper your excitement....New Jersey Devil G Cory Schneider (23/25 SVS) lost the shutout with just under 2 minutes to go then lost in overtime. Schneider deserved a much better fate, but give credit to the Colorado Avalanche for never giving up.  The Jersey net minder has started 4 in a row and deservedly so.  Even though he only has 1 win in those 4 starts, he clearly could...

Mason stopped all 35 shots that he faced in a 2-0 win over the Kings on Saturday. The Flyers only fired 13 shots on Jonathan Quick, so this win was all Mason. I was his second shutout of the week and third of the season. Tonight he will meet a Sharks team who has scored just two goals in their last four games.

Happy Super Bowl Sunday & Happy Groundhog Day! Wow, a double shot!  Need lots of coffee today! Steve Mason had 2 shutouts this week! He had also signed a contract extension recently.  I guess he likes playing in Philadelphia. Semyon Varlamov also signed an extension, He also is having a great season.  I guess goaltenders signing contract extensions in the middle of a season doesn't affect their performance like when a forward signs an extension. Wayne Simmonds is so under-rated. He really is. It's a shame what's going on with Edmonton again this year. When??? Ryan Callahan isn't going anywhere. Please. Jarome Iginla has always been a second half player. Always. Did David Krejci turn it up a notch this week or what? Torey Krug with another PP goal. This kid is amazing. At least Taylor Hall came to play yesterday. Carey Price deserved a 1-0 shutout victory over Tampa Bay instead of a 2-1 overtime loss. Subban had part in two goals in that game. One, a tipped pass between two Lightning players past Price.   And the other, an assist on the tying goal.  A game I think he would rather forget about. Buffalo got buried by the Avalanche yesterday, 7-1. They haven't been that bad all year long even thought they are bad. Nathan MacKinnon had some game. A goal, 2 assists, +3, 4 SOG, 1 BS, 1 HT and 8/12 faceoff wins. Kessel with the hat trick and assist. This is the Kessel the Leafs need. Kadri & Lupul. Lupul & Kadri. They keep this up and they will get a nickname like, Kadpul.  Ewwww! Now you see how important Tyler Bozak is to the Leafs offense. Columbus is not going to go away. They have arrived in the East. Writing Blue Jackets all the time is tough on writers who look for witty shortcuts or catchy monikers, but in this case, I would be wise to stick to Blue Jackets otherwise I might hear some complaints. Why couldn't they be called Yellow Jackets? With Nathan Horton being a main cog in the Columbus offense, Marian Gaborik's days may be short and few. Bobrovsky, last year's Vezina winner, has been playing great, but not "lights out" like last year's run. If Nashville can get a little closer in the Western Conference playoff race, and Rinne comes back after the Olympics, they may have a chance, which would be an amazing feat IMHO. Another team that is hanging around even though their starting goaltender has been anything but his usual self this year is the Phoenix Coyotes. Maybe Greiss getting 2 starts in a row will awaken the slumbering giant. The Calgary ...

Very busy schedule in the NHL yesterday as the league frontloaded games yesterday so as to not compete against the Super Bowl. Boston started things off with a matinee game and they whitewashed the Oilers 4-0, with backup Chad Johnson getting the shutout with 22 saves. Johnson has played well when needed as his 9-3 record would indicate, but Tuukka Rask is the guy in goal for the Bruins. Defenseman Zdeno Chara had 2 assists for Boston, but he has only 25 points on the season, and at his age, he doesn't score like he used to.....Tampa Bay edged Montreal 2-1 as center Nate Thompson had 2 goals for the Lightning. He has only 11 points on the season, so don't get too excited.  Defenseman Victor Hedman had 2 assists for Tampa, and he is someone to get excited about. After struggling his first 4 years in the league, the former 2nd pick in the 2009 draft is finally getting the NHL game.  He has 11 goals and 36 points this season in 48 games played.  Get this guy next year if you can.  Big potential.  Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop had another outstanding game with 28 saves. With 27 wins on the year a 1.98 GAA and a .933 SP, it's hard to believe he is not on the US Olympic team....Colorado just buried the hapless Sabres 7-1.  Joe Sakic is beginning to look like a genius for drafting Nathan MacKinnon number one. The kid had a goal and 2 assists yesterday, and with 40 points on the season he leads all rookie scorers.  Defenseman Erik Johnson had 3 assists for the Avs, but with 24 points on the year, he continues to be a disappointment. Great things were expected from him. Colorado goaltender Semyon Varlamov continued his terrific season with a 28 save effort.  With 28 wins this year he is a top goalie option. Philly fillet: The Flyers shutout the Kings 2-0 as Philadelphia goaltender Steve Mason had a great game with 35 saves. That's 2 shutouts in a week.  Los Angeles really carried the play as their goaltender, Jonathan Quick, had to make only 11 saves. But Mason was too good in this one.  Right wing Wayne Simmonds had a goal and an assist for the Flyers, and with 40 points on the season, he is worth a look as a 6th forward option. Claude Giroux had a goal and an assist as well for Philadelphia, and after a miserable start to the season he has quietly climbed back to close to a point per game player with 52 points on the year. Killer Kessel: Toronto beat Ottawa 6-3, and the Maple Leafs center Phil Kessel had a monster game with 3 goals and an assist. Kessel has ...

Very busy schedule in the NHL yesterday as the league frontloaded games yesterday so as to not compete against the Super Bowl. Boston started things off with a matinee game and they whitwashed the Oilers 4-0, with backup Chad Johnson getting the shutout with 22 saves. Johnson has played well when needed as his 9-3 record would indicate, but Tuukka Rask is the guy in goal for the Bruins. Defenseman Zdeno Chara had 2 assists for Boston, but he has only 25 points on the season, and at his age he doesn't score like he used to. Tampa Bay edged Montreal 2-1 as center Nate Thompson had 2 goals for the Lightning. He has only 11 points on the season, so don't get too excited.  Defenseman Victor Hedman had 2 assists for Tampa, and he is someone to get excited about. After struggling his first 4 years in the league, the former 2nd pick in the 2009 draft is finally getting the NHL game.  He has 11 goals and 36 points this season in 48 games played.  Get this guy next year if you can.  Big potential.  Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop had another outstanding game with 28 saves. With 27 wins on the year a 1.98 GAA and a .933 SP, it's hard to believe he is not on the US Olympic team.  Colorado just buried the hapless Sabres 7-1.  Joe Sakic is beginning to look like a genius for drafting Nathan MacKinnon number one. The kid had a goal and 2 assists yesterday, and with 40 points on the season he leads all rookie scorers.  Defenseman Erik Johnson had 3 assists for the Avs, but with 24 points on the year he continues to be a disappointment. Great things were expected from him. Colorado goaltender Semyon Varlamov continued his terrific season with a 28 save effort.  With 28 wins this year he is a top goalie option.   Philly fillet: The Flyers shutout the Kings 2-0 as Philadelphia goaltender Steve Mason had a great game with 35 saves. Los Angeles really carried the play as their goaltender, Jonathan Quick, had to make only 11 saves. But Mason was too good in this one.  Right wing Wayne Simmonds had a goal and an assist for the Flyers, and with 40 points on the season, he is worth a look as a 6th forward option. Claude Giroux had a goal and an assist as well for Philadelphia, and after a miserable start to the season he has quietly climbed back to close to a point per game player with 52 points on the year. Killer Kessel: Toronto beat Ottawa 6-3, and the Maple Leafs center Phil Kessel had a monster game with 3 goals and an assist. Kessel has 61 points on the season, including ...

Mason surrendered four goals on 27 shots in a loss to the Ducks on Thursday. He finished January 4-5-1 with a 3.28 GAA and .889 SV%. Mason has struggled recently, but will get a shot at the slumping Kings tonight. Los Angeles has lost seven of their last eight while being outscored 23-10.

Mason stopped all 33 shots that he faced for a 5-0 against a shorthanded Red Wings squad on Tuesday. After allowing 22 goals in his previous six games, Tuesday's shutout should help him get back on track. He will need to be in top-form tonight in Anaheim.

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 ...

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 ...