Playing the Blues

DETROIT

Games this week
vs. San Jose, vs. Dallas, @ Buffalo

Notes
The Red Wings play all three on the road with all taking place in four nights. Look for Joey McDonald to play once in place of the struggling Jimmy Howard. The Red Wings will be tired on Friday when they play the Panthers after playing in Tampa Bay the night before. The Red Wings are getting healthy with Pavel Datsyuk, Daniel Cleary and Tomas Holmstrom all returning since the All-Star game. The Red Wings welcomed back defenseman Brad Stuart on Feb. 17 after a six week absence due to a broken jaw courtesy of the Flames' Tom Kostopoulos. Chris Osgood has started skating.

EDMONTON

Games this week
@ Minnesota, @ Colorado, vs. St. Louis, vs. Boston

Notes
The Oilers play four times this week including three games in four nights so look for Devan Dubnyk and Nikolai Khabibulin to share the net. The Oilers play twice while they are rested, and facing a team that play the night before. They face the Blues on Friday after play in Vancouver the night before and then they go against Boston on Sunday after they play in Vancouver on Saturday. Ales Hemsky said that he cost himself three weeks of the season in December when he returned after three games from a groin injury and promptly hurt himself in the game again.

FLORIDA

Games this week
@ New York Islanders, @ Ottawa, @ Atlanta, vs. New Jersey

Notes
Stephen Weiss is reportedly on the trade block but would like to remain with the Panthers. Dmitri Kulikov is out for a couple of weeks with an injured ankle. Jacob Markstrom suffered a knee injury in the minors but it will not require surgery. He could find himself back in the NHL if the Panthers deal Tomas Vokoun at the trade deadline as that looks to be very possible since Vokoun can become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

LOS ANGELES

Games this week
@ Anaheim, vs. Minnesota, vs. Colorado

Notes
The Kings are play three times in four nights so look for Jonathan Bernier to play once instead of Jon Quick. The Kings are tired when they play the Wild on Thursday as they face Anaheim the night before. Dustin Brown has only two goals in his last 17 games. Drew Doughty now has eight goals and 30 points with a plus-12 rating this season despite a concussion that kept him out of action for six games in October. The Kings are 8-0-3 in their last 11 games.

MINNESOTA

Games this week
vs. Edmonton, @ Los Angeles, @ Anaheim

Notes
The Wild play games in four nights so look for Jose Theodore and Niklas Backstrom to share the net. The Wild are tired on Friday when they face Anaheim but are rested the night before when they play the Kings as Los Angeles play the Ducks on Wednesday. Guillaume Latendresse is looking to get clearance to practice after seeing a hip specialist on Monday. Josh Harding finally donned the pads this past week after undergoing knee surgery in November. He has been working out and training with James Sheppard who is also recovering from knee surgery. Andrew Brunette leads the Wild with seven power play goals.

MONTREAL

Games this week
@ Vancouver, vs. Toronto, vs. Carolina

Notes
The Canadiens are rested on Saturday when they face Carolina as the Hurricanes play Pittsburgh the previous night. They acquired Paul Mara from Anaheim on Wednesday. Max Pacioretty is on a five game scoring streak with four goals and two assists. Michael Cammalleri should be back this week but really hopes that he will play in the Heritage Classic on Feb. 20. Roman Hamrlik wants to return to the Habs next season and says that money will not be the deciding factor.

NASHVILLE

Games this week
@ Columbus, vs. Chicago, @ Dallas, vs. Columbus

Notes
The Predators play four times this week, including three games in four nights so expect to see Anders Lindback in goal once in place of Pekka Rinne. The Predators will be a tired team on Sunday when they face Columbus as they are in Dallas the night before. The Predators play the Blue Jackets twice this week so look for Shane O'Brien to add to his penalty minute totals. Martin Erat has two goals and five points in his last six games.

NEW JERSEY

Games this week
@ Dallas, @ Tampa Bay, @ Florida

Notes
The Devils are on the road for all three games this week. Martin Brodeur is likely to return by this week from a knee injury. The Devils are still red-hot and the playoffs are a possibility. It was just a month ago that it appeared that New Jersey was a shoo-in for the first overall pick. Ilya Kovalchuk has seven goals and 13 points in his last 10 games.

NEW YORK ISLANDERS

Games this week
vs. Florida, @ Toronto, @ Philadelphia, vs. Washington

Notes
The Islanders play four times this week including three games in four nights so expect Nathan Lawson and Al Montoya to each see action. The Islanders are a tired team on Tuesday when they travel to Toronto after facing the Panthers on Monday, while they are the rested team on Saturday as their opponents the Washington Capitals play the Rangers the night before. John Tavares is starting to show why he was the number one pick last season as he has 11 points in his last seven games.

NEW YORK RANGERS

Games this week
@ Carolina, @ Washington, vs. Tampa Bay

Notes
Henrik Lundqvist won his 200th NHL game on Thursday in only his sixth season. Derek Boogaard says that he's no longer experiencing concussion-related symptoms. He has been out of the lineup since December 9. Marian Gaborik has added penalty killing duties to his resume. Ryan Callahan has three goals and five points in his last two games.

The NHL trade deadline is Monday February 28th which is also the one year anniversary of the Canada-United States gold medal game at the Olympics in which Sidney Crosby scored the golden goal in overtime to give Canada a 3-2 victory.

There will be plenty of deals on the 28th but this season there has been a lot of trade action early as the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs have each made three deals thus far this month.

The Canucks are really hurting on the blueline with five regulars out of action. We wonder if Cody Hodgson will be dealt to get the Canucks a top defenseman since Alexander Edler is unlikely to return from back surgery anytime soon.

There will be a lot of rumors etc. in the next week so it should be an exciting one.

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Here is The Week Ahead.

WEEK OF FEBRUARY 21-27

5 Games - St. Louis

4 Games - Colorado, Edmonton, Florida, Nashville, New York Islanders, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Toronto

3 Games - Anaheim, Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Calgary, Carolina, Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Montreal, New Jersey, New York Rangers, Ottawa, Philadelphia, San Jose, Tampa Bay, Vancouver, Washington

Phoenix plays all four games on the road this week.

Boston, Colorado, Florida, New Jersey, St. Louis and San Jose play three games on the road.

Anaheim, Buffalo, Calgary and Vancouver play three home games this week.

INJURIES
Matt Duchene is out indefinitely with a hand injury.
Click here to check out all the injured players in the NHL.

ANAHEIM

Games this week
vs. Los Angeles, vs. Minnesota, vs. Colorado

Notes
The Ducks get a break in the schedule as they play tired opponents twice this week. Anaheim takes on the Wild on Friday after Minnesota plays the Kings the night before and are rested on Sunday when they play Colorado as the Avs are in Los Angeles the night before. This is the start of a seven game home stand for the Ducks. Jonas Hiller is back on the injured reserve list for the third time with fatigue and lightheadedness. This could be a problem the rest of the way, making the Ray Emery signing look better and better. Teemu Selanne picked up his 100th game winning goal of his career on Feb. 13.

ATLANTA

Games this week
@ Buffalo, vs. Florida, vs. Toronto

Notes
The Thrashers are rested on Sunday when they are home to Toronto as the Maple Leafs are home to Pittsburgh the previous night. The game against Florida starts a five game home stand. A flu bug is going through the Thrashers dressing room at this time so be a bit wary this week. Ondrej Pavelec is 3-8-4 since January 7 and has allowed 49 goals in 445 shots for a mediocre save percentage of .890. Alexander Burmistrov (broken foot) and Fredrik Modin (upper body) have been placed on injured reserve.


BOSTON

Games this week
@ Calgary, @ Vancouver, @ Edmonton

Notes
The Bruins play all three games in Western Canada this week. They are tired on Sunday when they play a rested Edmonton team after traveling from Vancouver on Saturday night. There are rumors that the Bruins are about to acquire Tomas Kaberle from the Maple Leafs. Tim Thomas has struggled of late as he has given up 15 goals in his last three-plus games for a GAA of 4.55 and a save percentage of .884. Tuukka Rask may start seeing more action in goal. Nathan Horton was pointless in his last three games after a five point effort four games ago but picked up an assist on Thursday.

BUFFALO

Games this week
vs. Atlanta, vs. Ottawa, vs. Detroit

Notes
Ryan Miller finally received a rest this past week after starting 31 games in a row. But backup Patrick Lalime did not get the start as the Sabres recalled Jhonas Enroth from the minors. The Sabres play three games in four nights so do not be surprised if Enroth gets recalled once again to play in place of Miller. The Sabres are tired on Saturday when they play a rested Detroit team as Buffalo will face Ottawa the previous night. Drew Stafford leads the NHL in hat tricks this season with four.

CALGARY

Games this week
vs. Boston, vs. San Jose, vs. St. Louis

Notes
The Flames play all three games at home this week. Curtis Glencross has six goals and nine points in his last six games while David Moss has a goal and seven points in his last four. Miikka Kiprusoff has continued his great play of late as he is 9-1-2 in his last 12 with a 2.13 GAA and a .920 save percentage. The Flames have been red hot of late with Kiprusoff leading the way and are now in a playoff spot in the tight Western Conference.

CAROLINA

Games this week
vs. New York Rangers, vs. Pittsburgh, vs. Montreal

Notes
The Hurricanes will play a rested Montreal squad on Saturday after Carolina faces the Penguins the previous night. The good thing for the Hurricanes is that they are home for both games. Erik Cole has four goals and nine points in his last 10 games. Cam Ward has not had a night off since January 9, a span of 17 games. Does anyone remember that the backup in Carolina is Justin Peters?

CHICAGO

Games this week
@ St. Louis, @ Nashville, vs. Phoenix

Notes
The Blackhawks play a rested St. Louis team on Monday after playing the Penguins the previous day. Dave Bolland has five assists in his last two games. The flu bug is also going around the Chicago dressing room as Patrick Kane was one of six players who were affected. Coach Joel Quenneville is hoping to be back behind the bench this week after being hospitalized with internal bleeding due to an ulcer on Wednesday. Bolland, Marian Hossa and the recently acquired Michael Frolik have played well together.

COLORADO

Games this week
@ St. Louis, vs. Edmonton, @ Los Angeles, @ Anaheim

Notes
The Avalanche are rested on Tuesday when they play St. Louis in a game that was postponed on Feb. 1 due to weather. Colorado will be tired on Sunday when they take on the rested Ducks as the Avs play in Los Angeles on Saturday. Peter Forsberg retired after a short two-game comeback attempt that cost him three years in the Hall-of-Fame as he must be retired for three seasons. Peter Budaj has taken over as the Avs number one netminder of late as he has started the last four games. He is 0-3-1, giving you an idea as to how far out of favor Craig Anderson is at this time. Matt Duchene is out of action indefinitely with a hand injury.

COLUMBUS

Games this week
vs. Nashville, vs. Phoenix, @ Nashville

Notes
The Blue Jackets are rested and at home when they play Nashville on Sunday for the second time this week as the Predators are in Dallas the night before. Look for Jared Boll and Derek Dorsett, if healthy, to add to their penalty minute totals. Derick Brassard is out at least two-three weeks with a hand injury. Derek MacKenzie took over on the top line in place of Brassard and promptly recorded his first two point game of his NHL career, playing with Rick Nash and Jakub Voracek. The Blue Jackets returned John Moore to the minors on Monday and recalled him on Friday.

DALLAS

Games this week
vs. New Jersey, @ Detroit, vs. Nashville

Notes
The Stars have been reeling of late and are only one point up in the playoff race after leading the Pacific division comfortably most of the season. They are expecting to get Brad Richards and Jamie Benn back on Tuesday. Loui Eriksson has only a goal and an assist in his last six games. The Stars signed Jason Williams to a two-way contract as they are really hurting for offense up front with their slew of injuries.

DETROIT

Games this week
vs. San Jose, vs. Dallas, @ Buffalo

Notes
The Red Wings play all three on the road with all taking place in four nights. Look for Joey McDonald to play once in place of the struggling Jimmy Howard. The Red Wings will be tired on Friday when they play the Panthers after playing in Tampa Bay the night before. The Red Wings are getting healthy with Pavel Datsyuk, Daniel Cleary and Tomas Holmstrom all returning since the All-Star game. The Red Wings welcomed back defenseman Brad Stuart on Feb. 17 after a six week absence due to a broken jaw courtesy of the Flames' Tom Kostopoulos. Chris Osgood has started skating.

EDMONTON

Games this week
@ Minnesota, @ Colorado, vs. St. Louis, vs. Boston

Notes
The Oilers play four times this week including three games in four nights so look for Devan Dubnyk and Nikolai Khabibulin to share the net. The Oilers play twice while they are rested, and facing a team that play the night before. They face the Blues on Friday after play in Vancouver the night before and then they go against Boston on Sunday after they play in Vancouver on Saturday. Ales Hemsky said that he cost himself three weeks of the season in December when he returned after three games from a groin injury and promptly hurt himself in the game again.

FLORIDA

Games this week
@ New York Islanders, @ Ottawa, @ Atlanta, vs. New Jersey

Notes
Stephen Weiss is reportedly on the trade block but would like to remain with the Panthers. Dmitri Kulikov is out for a couple of weeks with an injured ankle. Jacob Markstrom suffered a knee injury in the minors but it will not require surgery. He could find himself back in the NHL if the Panthers deal Tomas Vokoun at the trade deadline as that looks to be very possible since Vokoun can become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

LOS ANGELES

Games this week
@ Anaheim, vs. Minnesota, vs. Colorado

Notes
The Kings are play three times in four nights so look for Jonathan Bernier to play once instead of Jon Quick. The Kings are tired when they play the Wild on Thursday as they face Anaheim the night before. Dustin Brown has only two goals in his last 17 games. Drew Doughty now has eight goals and 30 points with a plus-12 rating this season despite a concussion that kept him out of action for six games in October. The Kings are 8-0-3 in their last 11 games.

MINNESOTA

Games this week
vs. Edmonton, @ Los Angeles, @ Anaheim

Notes
The Wild play games in four nights so look for Jose Theodore and Niklas Backstrom to share the net. The Wild are tired on Friday when they face Anaheim but are rested the night before when they play the Kings as Los Angeles play the Ducks on Wednesday. Guillaume Latendresse is looking to get clearance to practice after seeing a hip specialist on Monday. Josh Harding finally donned the pads this past week after undergoing knee surgery in November. He has been working out and training with James Sheppard who is also recovering from knee surgery. Andrew Brunette leads the Wild with seven power play goals.

MONTREAL

Games this week
@ Vancouver, vs. Toronto, vs. Carolina

Notes
The Canadiens are rested on Saturday when they face Carolina as the Hurricanes play Pittsburgh the previous night. They acquired Paul Mara from Anaheim on Wednesday. Max Pacioretty is on a five game scoring streak with four goals and two assists. Michael Cammalleri should be back this week but really hopes that he will play in the Heritage Classic on Feb. 20. Roman Hamrlik wants to return to the Habs next season and says that money will not be the deciding factor.

NASHVILLE

Games this week
@ Columbus, vs. Chicago, @ Dallas, vs. Columbus

Notes
The Predators play four times this week, including three games in four nights so expect to see Anders Lindback in goal once in place of Pekka Rinne. The Predators will be a tired team on Sunday when they face Columbus as they are in Dallas the night before. The Predators play the Blue Jackets twice this week so look for Shane O'Brien to add to his penalty minute totals. Martin Erat has two goals and five points in his last six games.

NEW JERSEY

Games this week
@ Dallas, @ Tampa Bay, @ Florida

Notes
The Devils are on the road for all three games this week. Martin Brodeur is likely to return by this week from a knee injury. The Devils are still red-hot and the playoffs are a possibility. It was just a month ago that it appeared that New Jersey was a shoo-in for the first overall pick. Ilya Kovalchuk has seven goals and 13 points in his last 10 games.

NEW YORK ISLANDERS

Games this week
vs. Florida, @ Toronto, @ Philadelphia, vs. Washington

Notes
The Islanders play four times this week including three games in four nights so expect Nathan Lawson and Al Montoya to each see action. The Islanders are a tired team on Tuesday when they travel to Toronto after facing the Panthers on Monday, while they are the rested team on Saturday as their opponents the Washington Capitals play the Rangers the night before. John Tavares is starting to show why he was the number one pick last season as he has 11 points in his last seven games.

NEW YORK RANGERS

Games this week
@ Carolina, @ Washington, vs. Tampa Bay

Notes
Henrik Lundqvist won his 200th NHL game on Thursday in only his sixth season. Derek Boogaard says that he's no longer experiencing concussion-related symptoms. He has been out of the lineup since December 9. Marian Gaborik has added penalty killing duties to his resume. Ryan Callahan has three goals and five points in his last two games.

OTTAWA

Games this week
vs. Florida, @ Buffalo, vs. Philadelphia

Notes
The Senators play all three games in four nights so look for Robin Lehner to play at least once in place of Brian Elliott. The Senators are tired on Saturday when they entertain the Flyers as Ottawa play Buffalo on Friday. Chris Phillips says he wants to stay in Ottawa and he may not be traded at the deadline. The Senators have traded Chris Kelly to the Bruins and Jarkko Ruutu to Anaheim this past week. Alexei Kovalev could be traded by the deadline.

PHILADELPHIA

Games this week
vs. Phoenix, vs. New York Islanders, @ Ottawa

Notes
The Flyers are rested on Saturday when they take on the tired Senators in Ottawa. They dealt for Kris Versteeg this past week and only had to give up draft picks. Ville Leino is day-to-day with a lower body injury while Nikolay Zherdev has been a healthy scratch the last three games. Sergei Bobrovsky has given up five goals in his last three games.

PHOENIX

Games this week
@ Philadelphia, @ Tampa Bay, @ Columbus, @ Chicago

Notes
The Coyotes play all four games on the road this week including three games in four nights. Jason LaBarbera is expected to play once in place of Ilya Bryzgalov. The Coyotes will be a tired team on Wednesday when they face the Lightning as Phoenix will play the Flyers on Tuesday evening. Keith Yandle leads all NHL defensemen in points with 50. Ray Whitney is on a five game scoring streak in which he has a goal and eight points.

PITTSBURGH

Games this week
vs. Washington, vs. San Jose, @ Carolina, @ Toronto

Notes
The Penguins play three games in four nights so expect to see Battling Brent Johnson play once for Marc-Andre Fleury. Pittsburgh is rested on Wednesday when they take on San Jose as the Sharks are in Detroit on Tuesday. The tables are reversed for Pittsburgh on Saturday as they play in Carolina on Friday while the Maple Leafs are home and waiting for the Penguins to arrive at the ACC. Sidney Crosby (concussion) is still doing light workouts off the ice and there is no timetable for his return. Eric Godard was suspended 10 games for leaving the bench during the brawl between the Penguins and the Islanders on Feb. 11.

ST. LOUIS

Games this week
vs. Chicago, vs. Colorado, @ Vancouver, @ Edmonton, @ Calgary

Notes
The Blues are the only team to play five games in one week this season as the Colorado match up is the result of a postponement due to weather from Feb.1. They definitely play three games in four nights but with Jaroslav Halak currently on the injured reserve list, look for Ty Conklin and Ben Bishop to split the net if Halak is unable to return. The Blues are a tired team in two games this week, first on Tuesday against the Avs and then on Friday when they take on Edmonton. Believe it or not, the Blues are a rested team on Monday when they take on Chicago as the Blackhawks play Pittsburgh on Sunday. Alex Pietrangelo leads the St. Louis Blues' defensemen with 27 points in 52 games.

SAN JOSE

Games this week
@ Detroit, @ Pittsburgh, @ Calgary

Notes
The Sharks are on the road for all three this week and play all their match ups in four nights so expect to see Antero Niittymaki play once instead of Antti Niemi if Niittymaki is able to return from injury. The Sharks are a tired team on Wednesday when they are in Pittsburgh after playing in Detroit on Tuesday. Joe Pavelski has four goals and 11 points in nine February games while Niemi is 6-2-1 this month.

TAMPA BAY

Games this week
vs. Phoenix, vs. New Jersey, @ New York Rangers

Notes
The Lightning finally end their 12 game home stand this week. They are a rested squad on Wednesday when they host Phoenix as the Coyotes are in Philadelphia the night before. Dwayne Roloson has been weak of late as he has given up 23 goals in his last five games. Do not be surprised if Dan Ellis gets a chance in goal once again. Steve Downie has four goals in his last seven games and still is a huge fantasy asset as he has 25 points in 43 games with 134 penalty minutes. Ryan Malone will be out for the next six-eight weeks with an abdominal-area injury.

TORONTO

Games this week
vs. New York Islanders, @ Montreal, vs. Pittsburgh, @ Atlanta

Notes
The Maple Leafs play four times this week but not three in four nights. The are a rested team on Tuesday when they host the Islanders and on Saturday when they play the Penguins but are tired on Sunday as they face a rested Atlanta squad. The Maple Leafs are hurting in net as they have three goalies currently out of action as Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Jonas Gustavsson and minor-league netminder Jussi Rynnas are all injured. They must rely on rookie James Reimer to carry the load in net this week. Phil Kessel is hot again with three goals in two games. Tomas Kaberle rumors to Boston continue to make the rounds.

VANCOUVER

Games this week
vs. Montreal, vs. St. Louis, vs. Boston

Notes
The Canucks play all three games at home this week. They are having a terrible time on the blueline as injuries have decimated their back end. Alex Edler (back), Dan Hamhuis (concussion), Keith Ballard (knee), Andrew Alberts (wrist) and Kevin Bieksa (foot) are currently out, forcing the Canucks to call up most of their Manitoba Moose rearguards. The Canucks have been getting outstanding goaltending from Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider this season. Daniel Sedin is second in NHL scoring with 74 points.

WASHINGTON

Games this week
@ Pittsburgh, vs. New York Rangers, vs. New York Islanders


Notes
The Capitals are a tired team on Saturday when they face the Islanders as they play the Rangers on Friday. Alex Ovechkin had two points on Thursday and is finally averaging over a point a game once again as he has 60 points in 59 games this season. Alexander Semin has three goals and five points in his last three games. Mike Green has missed the last three games with an ear injury after taking a slapshot to his ear on February 6.

PLAYERS TO LOOK FOR THIS WEEK
Brandon Yip - Avalanche
Rostislav Olesz - Panthers
David Legwand - Predators
Frans Nielsen - Islanders
Scottie Upshall - Coyotes
Vladimir Sobotka - Blues

LAST WEEK'S PLAYERS
This is how the players performed through Thursday
G A PPG +/- PIMS

Nathan Gerbe - Sabres 0 1 0 +1 2
Matt Cullen - Wild 1 0 1 -1 2
Andreas Nodl - Flyers 1 1 0 +1 0
Mikael Samuelsson - Canucks 1 0 0 +1 0
Mathieu Perreault - Capitals 0 0 0 -4 2