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 ...

Well, for starters, Anaheim's Sami Vatanen is temporarily off my fantasy sleeper list as he has been demoted to Norfolk of the AHL. I loved the youngster's offensive upside under the tutelage of Coach Bruce Boudreau, but the emergence of Hampus Lindholm has hurt him on the Duck's depth chart. Having said that, one of my favorite dark-horses from a few years back has begun to hit his stride in his fifth year- Jason Demers of San Jose. With 8 points in 10 January games including 3 power-play assists, the 25-year old has begun to show some offensive promise with more quality ice-time. With Logan Couture out for awhile, Demers has been promoted to the primary power play and has been flourishing ever since. He is flying so low under the fantasy radar that most owners have not noticed his scoring success yet. 24 points in 47 games is not shabby for a d-man available in more than 40% of ESPN fantasy leagues. Roman Josi is a good bet to continue rising up in the fantasy charts for Nashville. Paired off with the great Shea Weber on the first defensive pairing, the talented Swiss defender is currently on a 4-game scoring streak. Upstart Ryan Ellis has gained some offensive momentum with 5 points in his last 8 games, but Josi has held firmly to his prime power-play time. The state of defensive affairs are in flux for the Toronto Maple Leafs, as coach Randy Carlyle is beginning to hand over more responsiblity to Jake Gardiner in recent games. With Dion Phaneuf and Cody Franson not cutting it, the 23-year old has led the scoring charge for his fellow blueliners with four points in the last 7 games. Gardiner's power-play minutes has been rising, so he needs to be noticed by fantasy owners in need of defensive production. Don't get caught up with the recent Andrej Meszaros hype in Philly. He has been scorching with 10 points in his last 10 games, but this is far from the norm for the dependable two-way defender. Relegated to secondary PP duty, his scoring will come to a screeching halt soon but he has some short-term value while he is on his streak. Former Calder Trophy winner Tyler Myers has scored 3 goals in the last four games, but he goes "hot" and "cold' in seconds. The guy to own in Buffalo is the more consistent Christian Ehrhoff who has 12 points in the last 17 games. He has a much more proven scoring pedigree than Myers, considering he has surpassed 40 points 3 times in his career. Parting Shots:Paul Martin returned to the Pittsburgh Penguins lineup last ...

Lots of games last night in the NHL with 12 on the schedule. The big news right off the bat was the return of Los Angeles goaltender Jonathan Quick who played his first game since November 12. More about that later.  The Bruins and Winnipeg kicked things off with a matinee in Boston.  Young Bruin defenseman Torey Krug was the star of the game with 2 goals and an assist. Krug had been quiet lately with only 4 points in December, and having gone 12 games without scoring a goal. Despite that stretch he is tied for goals by defensemen with 10.  Tied with Shea Weber and Erik Karlsson I might add, not bad company. Krug has 23 points on the season, and he played 1:56 on the PP, tops among Boston d-men. Young Bruin forward Reilly Smith had a goal as well and with 15 goals and 32 points he has been a pleasant suprise.  He is worth picking up if you can get him...Number one draft pick Nathan MacKinnon had 2 goals for the Avalanche in their win over San Jose. The 18 year old continues to develop, and he has 26 points on the season. Expect him to score about 55 points in his first season. Paul Stastny had 2 assists for Colorado, but at 27 points on the season, he is having a disappointing year. Partick Marleau continued his strong season for the Sharks with a goal and 2 assists. Marleau has 41 points on the year in 42 games. Steady point per game player...Ryan Miller had a strong game in goal for Buffalo with 21 saves in their 2-1 win over the Devils. After a miserable start he has played a lot better lately, winning 5 of his last 7 games. He is a decent second goalie option now...The Rangers really spread the wealth around last night in their 7-1 pasting of Toronto. 15 players reached the scoreboard for New York.  Ranger foward Derick Brassard had an assist, and while he has only 23 points on the season, he does have 9 points in his last 9 games. Cam Talbot continues to shine as Henrik Lundqvist's backup as he was sharp with 25 saves. Talbot's 1.66 goals against .938 save percentage and 9-3 record are outstanding. Unfortunately for him Lundqvist is the goalie who just got the big contract. Don't go with Briere: Veteran Montreal forward Daniel Briere had a big game yesterday for the Canadiens with 2 goals and an assist in their 4-3 OT loss to Ottawa. Please, Briere had only 1 point in the month of December, and was a healthy scratch in several games. He has only 13 points on the season. Clarke MacArthur scored the PP game winner for the Senators. MacArthur has 14 ...

Lots of games last night in the NHL with 12 on the schedule. The big news right off the bat was the return of Los Angeles goaltender Jonathan Quick who played his first game since November 12. More about that later.  The Bruins and Winnipeg kicked things off with a matinee in Boston.  Young Bruin defenseman Torey Krug was the star of the game with 2 goals and 1 assist. Krug had been quiet lately with only 4 points in December, and having gone 12 games without scoring a goal. Despite that stretch he is tied for goals by defensemen with 10.  Tied with Shea Weber and Erik Karlsson I might add, not bad company. Krug has 23 points on the season, and he played 1:56 on the PP, tops among Boston d-men. Young Bruin forward Reilly Smith had a goal as well and with 15 goals and 32 points he has been a pleasant suprise.  He is worth picking up if you can get him...Number one draft pick Nathan MacKinnon had 2 goals for the Avalanche in their win over San Jose. The 18 year old continues to develop, and he has 26 points on the season. Expect him to score about 55 points in his first season. Paul Stastny had 2 assists for Colorado, but at 27 points on the season, he is having a disappointing year. Partick Marleau continued his strong season for the Sharks with a goal and 2 assists. Marleau has 41 points on the year in 42 games. Steady point per game player...Ryan Miller had a strong game in goal for Buffalo with 21 saves in their 2-1 win over the Devils. After a miserable start he has played a lot better lately, winning 5 of his last 7 games. He is a decent second goalie option now...The Rangers really spread the wealth around last night in their 7-1 pasting of Toronto. 15 players reached the scoreboard for New York.  Ranger foward Derick Brassard had an assist, and while he has only 23 points on the season, he does have 9 points in his last 9 games. Cam Talbot continues to shine as Henrik Lundqvist's backup as he was sharp with 25 saves. Talbot's 1.66 goals against .938 save percentage and 9-3 record are outstanding. Unfortunately for him Lundqvist is the goalie who just got the big contract. Don't go with Briere: Veteran Montreal forward Daniel Briere had a big game yesterday for the Canadiens with 2 goals and an assist in their 4-3 OT loss to Ottawa. Please, Briere had only 1 point in the month of December, and was a healthy scratch in several games. He has only 13 points on the season. Clarke MacArthur scored the PP game winner for the Senators. MacArthur has 14 ...

Hot coffee on a cold morning. Mmmmmmmm. The Bruins stopped the Jets dead in their tracks with a 4-1 pasting. Boston D Torey Krug is having a sensational rookie campaign. The San Jose/Colorado afternoon match was very entertaining, especially the second period. Those Sharks are deadly. I'm sure Jamie McGinn was happy to score against his former team. If you haven't noticed, Buffalo has been playing better hockey over the last 15 games or so. The Rangers had an offensive explosion with 7 goals against Toronto on Saturday night. Dominic Moore had two goals in the contest. Happy for him. It's only a matter of time before Joffrey Lupul goes on a tear. He had 7 SOG last night and 7 the other night against Buffalo. I think Shea Weber is starting to go on a little bit of a run offensively. 13 points in last 11 games.  Amazing that Nashville D-man Ryan Ellis was the only Predator without a SOG against Florida. Hmmmm. Jeff Skinner is having the kind of season we all knew he had in him; he just needs to stay healthy. The St. Louis Blues just get scoring from everyone in their lineup. Is Braden Holtby really this bad? Mike Green has awoken with 2 goals last night, just in time for him to get injured again. Ryan Suter with a hat trick reminded me of the old Al MacInnis days. The Wild scored 5 goals on 11 shots on goal. Either they are that good (not!), or Washington needs some goaltending help (YES!). Did you know that the Flyers are in 7th place in the Eastern Conference after that terrible start? And just a few points out of being in 5th? They are for real folks. Colonel Klinkhammer with a goal and 3 SOG in just under 11 minutes played. Yeah baby! I think that the NHL's Committee for Player Safety ought to get a bit tougher with these suspensions. It certainly isn't curbing anyone from trying to ruin the lives and careers of their fellow colleagues. Mason beat a Smith, just like in Colonial days. Quick is back and cured the LA Kings woes after the team lost 5 straight. Bye for now Mr. Jones.  "It's not you, it's me" kinda thing. You gotta love this 3-team race in the Western Conference between Chicago, St. Louis and Anaheim. Have A Happy and Healthy New Year everyone!

Krug was given a maintenance day on Friday, but did take part in the Bruins morning skate today. The Bruins have been battling injuries on the blueline all season, but Krug is one defenseman who has not missed a game. He has 20 points (8G / 12A) in 41 games.

Krug seems very likely to play tonight after participating in practice the last two days. Monitor his status during pre-game warmups, but it seems like he will play. Krug is tied for the NHL lead amongst defensemen with seven goals.

Krug's availability for Thursday's game never really seemed in jeopardy, but this ensures that he will be in the lineup tomorrow. The 22-year-old defenseman has enjoyed a great start to the season collecting seven goals and 16 points in 27 games. The seven goals in tied for the league lead amongst D-men. He should be activated in all formats.

The Maple Leafs extended their weekend by taking Monday off against the Columbus Blue Jackets who routed Toronto by the score of 6-0. The Jackets came out fast and never let up as they scored 20 seconds apart midway through the first and kept the pressure on throughout the game.  Rising star Ryan Johansen had 2 goals (both in the 3rd) and an assist giving him 16 points in 24 games that also snapped a 3-game scoreless streak. Johansen has the talent and Columbus is waiting for him to mature into a star player for them.....In what many expected to be a goaltender's duel turned out to be a 5-0 blowout of the New York Rangers.  The Lightning jumped out to an early 2 goal lead and never let the Rangers get in the game.  This year's wunderkind, Tampa Bay goalie Ben Bishop, turned away all 37 shots on goal to post his 2nd shutout on the season and raise his record to 14-3-0. He lowered his GAA to 2.08 and raised his SP to .931.  There seems to be not letting up from Bishop who has finally found a home in Florida....  Teddy Purcell had 2 goals and an assist to snap a 3-game scoreless streak. A very underrated RW who scores at a .75 ppg pace....Valtteri Filppula had 2 assists as he continues to fill in nicely for the injured Stamkos. More Fantasy Game Notes: As many expected, the Penguins and Bruins played a close game, one in which Sidney Crosby scored with less than a second remaining in regulation but only to be outdone by Bruin rookie D-man Torey Krug who potted the game-winner in OT. It was Krug's 7th of the season and he seems to show no signs of slowing down. He gets a good amount of ice time and is usually tops in power play time as well.  If somehow he is available, grab him.  If not, perhaps you can get him rather cheaply if his owner is unaware of his talent.....James Neal continues his torrid streak with 2 goals and an assist in the contest. He now has 9 points in last 4 games.  I guess it would've been a good time to grab him while he was injured....A great "BUY-LOW" candidate besides Eric Staal is Evander Kane. Kane is ready to break out and if his owner has become disgruntled by his inconsistent production, then you can nab him on the cheap.   He's been getting decent SOG along with ice time.  He even had 2 games with 10 SOG.  Hurry, before it's too late...Alexander Steen rolling along with 2 more goals last night. He is not slowing down....Jaroslav Halak has a good hold on the number 1 job in St. Louis but his save percentage has been kind of ...

The Maple Leafs extended their weekend by taking Monday off against the Columbus Blue Jackets who routed Toronto by the score of 6-0. The Jackets came out fast and never let up as they scored 20 seconds apart midway through the first and kept the pressure on throughout the game.  Rising star Ryan Johansen had 2 goals (both in the 3rd) and an assist giving him 16 points in 24 games that also snapped a 3-game scoreless streak. Johansen has the talent and Columbus is waiting for him to mature into a star player for them.....In what many expected to be a goaltender's duel turned out to be a 5-0 blowout of the New York Rangers.  The Lightning jumped out to an early 2 goal lead and never let the Rangers get in the game.  This year's wunderkind, Tampa Bay goalie Ben Bishop, turned away all 37 shots on goal to post his 2nd shutout on the season and raise his record to 14-3-0. He lowered his GAA to 2.08 and raised his SP to .931.  There seems to be not letting up from Bishop who has finally found a home in Florida....  Teddy Purcell had 2 goals and an assist to snap a 3-game scoreless streak. A very underrated RW who scores at a .75 ppg pace....Valtteri Filppula had 2 assists as he continues to fill in nicely for the injured Stamkos. More Fantasy Game Notes: As many expected, the Penguins and Bruins played a close game, one in which Sidney Crosby scored with less than a second remaining in regulation but only to be outdone by Bruin rookie D-man Torey Krug who potted the game-winner in OT. It was Krug's 7th of the season and he seems to show no signs of slowing down. He gets a good amount of ice time and is usually tops in power play time as well.  If somehow he is available, grab him.  If not, perhaps you can get him rather cheaply if his owner is unaware of his talent.....James Neal continues his torrid streak with 2 goals and an assist in the contest. He now has 9 points in last 4 games.  I guess it would've been a good time to grab him while he was injured....A great "BUY-LOW" candidate besides Eric Staal is Evander Kane. Kane is ready to break out and if his owner has become disgruntled by his inconsistent production, then you can nab him on the cheap.   He's been getting decent SOG along with ice time.  He even had 2 games with 10 SOG.  Hurry, before it's too late...Alexander Steen rolling along with 2 more goals last night. He is not slowing down....Jaroslav Halak has a good hold on the number 1 job in St. Louis but his save percentage has been kind of ...