THE WINDS OF CHANGE The Carolina Hurricanes, behind goaltender Cam Ward's 4th straight win, have risen from the bottom of the Eastern Conference by switching places with the team they beat last night in the Columbus Blue Jackets, 3-2 in overtime, who now share that dubious distinction with the Buffalo Sabres. There was a lot skepticism that Ward would not be able to return to form as Carolina's no. 1 net minder especially after how backup Anton Khudobin filled in during his injury last season. After a rough start to this season, and perhaps needing time to build up his strength, the Hurricane goalkeeper has flashed his past form during this modest 4-game winning streak and claiming the starter's job.  Holy glove save Batman! Ward is back....One Cane that is playing strong of late is C Elias Lindholm who has 6 points in the last 4 games with 3-game winners. He has been getting considerable power play time so he is definitely worth a pickup while he is hot...Columbus has now lost 7 straight after a fabulous pre-season record and a 4-2-0 start to the season.  Look for the Blue Jackets to turn their season around as they start to get players back from injury.... The Edmonton Oilers stopped a 4-game losing streak but it was against the lowly Sabres, but it was a win nonetheless and the Oil needed it badly but changes are probably in the works as their lead scorer Taylor Hall is out for a few weeks with a leg injury. Things have not progressed the way Edmonton would have liked, so there are rumors floating around that big changes are on their way..... Detroit halted their three-game losing streak with a win over the New Jersey Devils as they returned home. Jimmy Howard didn't have to do much as he only faced 17 shots from a Devils team that has been beset by injuries of late.  The Devils have now lost 3 in arrow and G Cory Schneider has looked very human in the past 2 games.....Pavel Datsyuk hurt his grown in practice earlier in the day and did not dress. Expect Datsyuk to miss a few games at the least..... The Washington Capitals scored three late 2nd period goals to wipe out a 2-0 deficit and held on for the 3-2 victory. G Braden Holtby stopped 38 of 40 to raise his record to 4-3-2. The Caps need more games like this from Holtby if they are going to make a run for the playoffs.  Marcus Johansson and Andre Burakovsky were the catalyst on offense along with D Matt Niskanen's 2 assists. Burakovsky holds a lot of promise but the other 2 are mainly support/depth...

Hall was diagnosed with a sprained MCL and is expected to miss 2-4 weeks. He is eligible to be activated next week, but he is not expected to be healthy. It obviously depends on the severity of the sprain and the player, but Ducks' forward Pat Maroon only missed two weeks with a sprain MCL, so there is some optimism that Hall won't be out one month.

Hall was injured on Saturday night when he went crashing into the post. Hall had been off to a great start, scoring 10 points (6G / 4A) in the first 11 games. Edmonton is going to be in trouble without Hall for at least two weeks, but they have talent that can step up in his absence, it is just a matter of if they do or not.

Hall was injured when crashed into the goalpost last night and with the Oilers sent to embark on a five-game road-trip, it will start without their star winger. The trip starts Tuesday in Philly and goes until the following Tuesday in Nashville. Hall will stay in Edmonton and be evaluated by the medical staff and a detailed injury report will likely be released in the next 24 hours. It sounds like the injury is not too serious, so he could potentially join the team in the middle of the trip.

Following Saturday's game, head coach Dallas Eakins had no update on Hall's status, but he was spotted leaving the arena with no crutches or walking boot, which is positive news that the injury might not be too severe. Losing Hall would be a huge loss for the Oilers, but with two days off before their next game, he could be back.

Let's begin with a few key injuries from last night.. The lynchpin of the New York Ranger's defense, captain Ryan McDonagh, will certainly miss time after separating his shoulder in the 1-0 loss to Winnipeg. He missed five games last April to an injury on the same shoulder, but there is no indication yet on a time-frame until the MRI is done today... Mr. Oiler Taylor Hall, already off to a strong start, left the contest against Vancouver after slamming his leg into the goal post. Again, no word on the severity of the injury but an extended absence for Hall would be a huge blow to Edmonton and fantasy owners alike. Another 80+ point season is a lock for Hall if he can just stay healthy, but easier said than done for the ultra-talented youngster. I would like to also extend our congratulations to Boston head coach Claude Julien, who received a three-year contact extension on the merits of bringing the Bruins to to the elite level of NHL teams with a 316-169-65 record, two Stanley Cup appearances, and  a 2011 championship. Well-deserved pay raise for sure.. Now onto the NHL's most under-the radar superstar, who is rarely mentioned amongst the league's elite talents, despite having a similar skill-set to one Pavel Bure (remember him?) Yes, this winger happens to be St. Louis winger Vladimir Tarasenko, who is serving notice that he could be breaking out in his third year. With two goals and 7 shots-on-goal in the Blue's 3-2 SO victory over Colorado, the 22-year old has collected 11 points(6G/5A) in ten games and is flourishing with more ice-time at his disposal. To put it in simple terms- Tarasenko would be far more fantasy relevant and dominant on the stat-sheet if playing on a team other than one coached by the defensive-minded Ken Hitchcock, who also loves to divide the minutes equally amongst his top three forward lines. With his TOI in check over his first two years, the shift winger still managed 22 goals and 43 points in 64 games. He is officially "on fire" with five goals and an assist in the last three contests. His minutes have been on the rise in the early going, as he has surpassed the 19-minute mark in 4 of his last 5 games while raising his average TOI to 17:57 on the season. It's just a matter of time that the youngster will be given top-line minutes to torment his opponents on a consistent basis. Fantasy owners, get him now if you still can. It's worth the risk as he has legitimate 65-70 point upside this year. There is much less risk in ...

The highly anticipated NHL debut of Tampa Bay winger Jonathan Drouin took place in Edmonton last night, as Alex Killorn's morning skate injury resulted in his last-minute addition to the line-up. The 2013 third overall pick played over 16 minutes and did register a shot, but the night belonged to Taylor Hall and company, as the Oilers seized their first win of the season with the 3-2 triumph. The star winger scored on a penalty shot and added a helper, while his pivot Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored his first goal of the season for the game-winner in the third period. Head coach Dallas Eakins reunited the Hall-Eberle-Hopkins unit, paying off handsomely as they combined for four points while keeping the opposing Steven Stamkos line off the scoresheet. If the trio could stay intact, then you possibly see RNH and Jordan Eberle reach the fantasy level that they are so capable of.. RW Ryan Callahan left the game for the Lightning in the second period and did not return.

The first season for the Edmonton Oilers under coach Dallas Eakins did not go as well as planned, finishing dead last in the Pacific Division with a 29-44-9 record. With some of the most promising young forwards in the game- Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, and Ryan Nugent Hopkins- the rebuilding process needs to step up for these Oilers. The management addressed many of the team's glaring needs with a very active off-season. With the additions of Nikita Nikitin and Mark Fayne, both stay-at-home defensemen with the ability to move the puck, the defense should be much improved. On offense, trading away Sam Gagner leaves them thin at center but the addition of another talented winger in Teddy Purcell further solidifies their forward ranks. They paid a "pretty penny" for third-liner Benoit Pouliot, but he should add a combination of grit and skill to the top-nine. In net, the improved tandem of Ben Scrivens and Viktor Fasth should reap immediate dividends, so the Oilers can soar higher than they have in many years. The question remains whether they can get it together for a legitimate playoff push. Fantasy-wise, there are a plethora of options to choose from, mainly on the offensive end. Goalies Goaltending has always been a major question mark with this team, but the Oiler brass has upgraded the position by adding Scrivens and Fasth. While the Oilers are better off between the pipes, fantasy owners are looking at a dicey situation in net. Scrivens holds a slight edge in the starting goalie competition, but was hardly impressive in his brief stint with Edmonton last season with 9 wins, 3.01 GAA and .916 SP. After leaving Anaheim, Fasth did not fare much better posting a 3-3-1 record, a 2.73 GAA and a .914 SP. Both netminders held considerable more fantasy value on their previous defensive-minded teams, so whichever one emerges as the undisputed no.1 should be viewed as a lower tier no.3 goalie option. Expect both to share starts when the season begins, so we would look elsewhere for goalie help in your leagues. Defense Entering his 3rd season, Justin Schultz should be ready to improve on his 33-point effort in 2013-14 but more worrisome to fantasy owners should be his -22 rating. While he possesses tons of offensive upside, he needs to clean up his defensive zone play. Once he becomes a more complete two-way defender, then the heavy minutes will come. Look for him to rebound and set career-highs in the 40-45 point range as he is the only legitimate scoring ...

The first season for the Edmonton Oilers under coach Dallas Eakins did not go as well as planned, finishing dead last in the Pacific Division with a 29-44-9 record. With some of the most promising young forwards in the game- Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, and Ryan Nugent Hopkins- the rebuilding process needs to step up for these Oilers. The management addressed many of the team's glaring needs with a very active off-season. With the additions of Nikita Nikitin and Mark Fayne, both stay-at-home defensemen with the ability to move the puck, the defense should be much improved. On offense, trading away Sam Gagner leaves them thin at center but the addition of another talented winger in Teddy Purcell further solidifies their forward ranks. They paid a "pretty penny" for third-liner Benoit Pouliot, but he should add a combination of grit and skill to the top-nine. In net, the improved tandem of Ben Scrivens and Viktor Fasth should reap immediate dividends, so the Oilers can soar higher than they have in many years. The question remains whether they can get it together for a legitimate playoff push. Fantasy-wise, there are a plethora of options to choose from, mainly on the offensive end. Goalies Goaltending has always been a major question mark with this team, but the Oiler brass has upgraded the position by adding Ben Scrivens and Viktor Fasth. While the Oilers are better off between the pipes, fantasy owners are looking at a dicey situation in net. Scrivens holds a slight edge in the starting goalie competition, but was hardly impressive in his brief stint with Edmonton last season with 9 wins, 3.01 GAA and .916 SP. After leaving Anaheim, Fasth did not fare much better posting a 3-3-1 record, a 2.73 GAA and a .914 SP. Both netminders held considerable more fantasy value on their previous defensive-minded teams, so whichever one emerges as the undisputed no.1 should be viewed as a lower tier no.3 goalie option. Expect both to share starts when the season begins, so we would look elsewhere for goalie help in your leagues. Defense Entering his 3rd season, Justin Schultz should be ready to improve on his 33-point effort in 2013-14 but more worrisome to fantasy owners should be his -22 rating. While he possesses tons of offensive upside, he needs to clean up his defensive zone play. Once he becomes a more complete two-way defender, then the heavy minutes will come. Look for him to rebound and set career-highs in the 40-45 point range as he is the only legitimate ...

1. ALEX GOLIGOSKI, DALLAS or JAMES WISNIEWSKI, COLUMBUS This one is very tricky considering Wisniewski is coming off his second 50+point season of his NHL career, while Goligoski has yet to reach that mark. However, when you are comparing both fantasy assets, the Columbus defender is clearly more prone to injury which could curtail another monster season. On the other hand, Goligoski is as steady as they come and proven to be very durable. With 69 points in 128 games over the last two seasons, he looks like a lock to post another 40+ point campaign with a bit of upside in the mix. After finishing the last season with 17 points in 23 games, Goligoski should have a great shot at posting career numbers with the team's new additions of Jason Spezza and Ales Hemsky. EDGE: GOLIGOSKI 2. JAROSLAV HALAK, NEW YORK ISLANDERS or FREDERIK ANDERSEN, ANAHEIM Andersen seems like the safer bet because he could be starting for a vastly superior team in the Ducks, but there are many variables in play with huge fantasy ramifications. I would take the Ducks goalie in a heartbeat, but the Danish netminder will face stiff competition from another rising star in John Gibson. When the "chips were down" in last season's playoff run, Duck's coach Bruce Boudreau opted to go with Gibson over Andersen late in the Kings series. Andersen should be the opening starter come the beginning of the season, but he might not finish that way. As for Halak, the trade of veteran Evgeni Nabokov to Tampa Bay gives him the clear no. 1 job for the rising New York Islanders. His career numbers speak for themselves, as Halak should be a strong no. 2 fantasy goalie option. EDGE: HALAK 3. RYAN-NUGENT HOPKINS C, EDMONTON or DAVID KREJCI C, BOSTON I think it's time for the Edmonton young guns to get there "mojo" going and finally fulfill some of that untapped potential thats been lingering for the last three years. Taylor Hall has done his part, but RNH has failed to deliver the goods after another promising start to the '13-14 season. A 50-55 point scorer he is not, so look for him to have a better second half while directly benefiting from a career breakout season from Hall. Both parties need to remain healthy for these predictions to become reality, but Hopkins should hold massive value in the middle rounds. As for Krejci, a disappointing playoff stint should provide plenty of motivation for good scoring numbers in '14-15, but his ceiling basically tops out at between 65-70 points. There is too ...