PHILADELPHIA
Games this week
@ Winnipeg, @ Edmonton, @ Calgary
Notes
The Flyers visit the Canadian Prairies for all three games this week. Daniel Briere was injured yet again on Thursday and is day-to-day with an upper body injury. The Flyers picked up a solid defensive defenseman in Nicklas Grossman who doesn’t have fantasy value but will help out if you have either Ilya Bryzgalov or Sergei Bobrovsky as he will help keep the puck out of the net. James van Riemsdyk (concussion) is practicing with full contact and could be close to returning. Jaromir Jagr missed Thursday’s game with the flu. Zac Rinaldo will return to action against the Jets as he will be finished serving his two game suspension for his hit on Jonathan Ericsson of the Red Wings.
PHOENIX
Games this week
vs. Los Angeles, @ Calgary, @ Edmonton
Notes
The Coyotes are one of the hottest teams in the NHL at this time as they are 6-0-1 in the month of February. Mike Smith was the first star of the week last week with four wins while giving up only three goals and picked up right where he left off Thursday with a 1-0 shutout win over Los Angeles. Radim Vrbata leads the NHL in goals on the road with 19. Derek Morris is out with a groin injury. It looks like all the rumors that had Ray Whitney being dealt are false as the Coyotes are now in a playoff spot and will need him the rest of the way.
PITTSBURGH
Games this week
vs. New York Rangers, vs. Tampa Bay, vs. Columbus
Notes
The Penguins will be tired on Sunday when they host the rested Blue Jackets as Pittsburgh will be home to Tampa Bay on Saturday. Evgeni Malkin saw his eight game goal scoring streak at home end on Wednesday. He was the NHL’s second star of the week with three goals and eight points in three games. Sidney Crosby (concussion/neck) took to the ice with strength and conditioning coach Mike Kadar following Tuesday's practice. There is no timetable for his return although he has been skating for over a month. Mike Comrie announced his retirement as he was UFA and had hip problems. He is scheduled to spend the rest of his life with Hillary Duff.
ST. LOUIS
Games this week
vs. Boston, @ Nashville, @Winnipeg
Notes
The Blues play three games in four nights so look for Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott to share the net. They will be tired Thursday when they go up against the Predators in Nashville after playing Boston Wednesday. They continue to get great goaltending from both Halak and Elliott and are the second best road team in the NHL with a 25-3-4 record and actually have five more points than Detroit (24-1-2) but the Red Wings have played five less games. David Perron had six goals last week in being named the NHL’s third star of the week. Alexander Steen is practicing but his concussion has kept him out the last 21 games and there is no timetable for his return. Chris Stewart was bumped to the fourth line due to his inconsistent play.
SAN JOSE
Games this week
@ Columbus, @ Toronto, @ Nashville, @ Minnesota
Notes
The Sharks play four times this week and play three games in four nights so look for Thomas Greiss to play at least once in place of Antti Niemi. The Sharks are tired Sunday when they play in Minnesota as they faceoff against the Predators on Saturday. They conclude a nine game road trip this week. Coach Todd McLellan was not at all happy with the play of goaltender Antti Neimi and called him out on it. The Sharks picked up Dominic Moore in a deal with Tampa Bay and that should help as he is a very good bottom six center. Dan Boyle has been terrific of late with four goals and 19 points in his last 28 games to go with a plus-15 rating.
TAMPA BAY
Games this week
vs. Anaheim, @ Winnipeg, @ Pittsburgh, @ New Jersey
Notes
The Lightning play four times this week including three games in four nights so look for Dwayne Roloson to play once in place of Mathieu Garon. They are tired on Sunday when they play in New Jersey as the Lightning are in Pittsburgh Saturday. Pavel Kubina was a healthy scratch on Thursday as his name continues to be bandied about in trade rumors. They did ship Dominic Moore out of town by showing him the way to San Jose for a draft pick. Ryan Malone returned to the lineup after missing three-and-a-half weeks with an upper body injury and he should be on the trade block.
TORONTO
Games this week
vs. New Jersey, vs. San Jose, vs. Washington
Notes
The Maple Leafs will be rested on Saturday when they entertain Washington as the Capitals are home to Montreal Friday. There are rumors that Luke Schenn will be dealt by the Maple Leafs as he was a healthy scratch on Wednesday but we don’t believe it. Tim Connolly scored his first goal in 18 games and it was the game winner against the Oilers. He is now playing with Mikhail Grabovski and Clarke MacArthur. Carl Gunnarsson was put on the injured reserve list after hurting his leg and Toronto promptly recalled Keith Aulie from the minors. Grabovski has been mentioned in trade rumors with one giving the Leafs a second round pick and a prospect for the UFA-to-be.
VANCOUVER
Games this week
@ Nashville, @ Detroit, @ New Jersey, @ Dallas
Notes
The Canucks play four times this week, including three games in four nights so expect to see Cory Schneider play once in place of Roberto Luongo. They will be a tired team on Friday when they play in New Jersey after playing in Detroit on Thursday. The Canucks finish a five game road trip this week. Chris Tanev was recalled from the minors to replace the injured Keith Ballard who has neck/concussion issues. Christopher Higgins missed six games in his latest staph infection, his third in less than a year. Daniel Sedin and his twin brother Henrik Sedin are pointless in their last three games.
WASHINGTON
Games this week
@ Carolina, @ Ottawa, vs. Montreal, @ Toronto
Notes
Washington plays four times this week including three games in four nights so look for Michal Neuvirth to play once in place of Thomas Vokoun. The Capitals are tired on Saturday when they face the Maple Leafs after playing the Canadiens on Friday. Mike Green has been participating in full practices and could return to the lineup this week. He has played only eight games this season and has been a huge disappointment to his fantasy owners, never mind the Capitals. Neuvirth must have been upset when the Capitals recalled Braden Holtby from the minors when Tomas Vokoun went down with the flu as they chose to start Holtby. He gave up five goals and was promptly sent back to Hershey.
WINNIPEG
Games this week
vs. Philadelphia, vs. Tampa Bay, vs. St. Louis
Notes
The Jets are in the midst of an eight game home stand and must make up points now as they are very good at home and the opposite on the road. Evander Kane broke out of a one goal in 14 game slump with a two goal performance on Thursday. Zach Bogosian is day-to-day with an upper body injury. Andrew Ladd is slumping with no goals in his last 12 games and has been pointless in his last six. Nik Antropov was demoted to the fourth line with Alexander Burmistrov taking his place between Evander Kane and Kyle Wellwood.
The trade deadline is on February 27 and tune in to Rotoworld for all the latest trades and moves.
I’ll be doing a live chat that afternoon and I will be joined by some special guests so feel free to ask anything fantasy-hockey wise.
It should be a wild day with many moves not being announced until after the 3:00PM ET deadline as the moves will have to go through the league office.
Ales Hemsky is one name who has been rumored to be headed elsewhere and don’t be surprised if Columbus pulls something off as Rick Nash and Jeff Carter are said to be in play.
Now to The Week Ahead.
WEEK OF FEBRUARY 20-26
4 Games – Chicago, Dallas, New York Islanders, Ottawa, San Jose, Tampa Bay, Vancouver, Washington
3 Games – Anaheim, Boston, Buffalo, Calgary, Carolina, Colorado, Columbus, Detroit, Edmonton, Florida, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Montreal, Nashville, New Jersey, New York Rangers, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Toronto, Winnipeg
San Jose and Vancouver play all four games on the road.
Calgary, Carolina, Nashville, Ottawa, Pittsburgh, Toronto and Winnipeg play three games at home this week.
Boston, Philadelphia, Tampa Bay and Washington play three games away from home this week.
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INJURIES
Tuomo Ruutu is out three-four weeks with an upper body injury.
(Click here to see the rest of the injury list.)
ANAHEIM
Games this week
@ Tampa Bay, @ Carolina, vs. Chicago
Notes
The Ducks are rested Sunday when they play a tired Blackhawks team in Anaheim after Chicago plays the Kings Saturday night. The Ducks are a far superior team with Jason Blake in the lineup as they are 15-3-3 with him active and 9-21-6 when he has been on the shelf. They recalled Jeff Deslauriers to backup Jonas Hiller and sent Iiro Tarkki to the minors. Dan Ellis should return shortly from a groin injury and will take Deslauriers spot on the bench. Coach Bruce Boudreau has the Ducks within six points of a playoff spot after being 20 points out less than two months ago. After a slow start, Corey Perry has 28 goals. Teemu Selanne tied Brendan Shanahan for 12th place overall on the all-time goal scoring list with his 656th goal Wednesday.
BOSTON
Games this week
@ St. Louis, @ Buffalo, @ Ottawa
Notes
The Bruins play three games in four nights so expect to see Tim Thomas and Tuukka Rask share the net. The Bruins are tired Saturday against the Senators in Ottawa after playing the Sabres in Buffalo Friday. David Krejci was demoted but was reinstated on the top line Tuesday in between Milan Lucic and Rich Peverley replacing Chris Kelly. Nathan Horton is still not close to returning to the lineup after suffering a concussion. Peverley took a knee-on-knee hit Wednesday and his status is still up in the air. Benoit Pouliot scored his ninth goal of the season Wednesday, his first goal in 16 games.
BUFFALO
Games this week
vs. New York Islanders, vs. Boston, @ New York Rangers
Notes
Buffalo are rested on Tuesday when they face the Islanders who play the Senators Monday night. Marc-Andre Gragnini is not getting a lot of ice time. He was a healthy scratch for six games before playing only 5:12 minutes on Tuesday with 2:01 coming on the power play. Jason Pominville has already passed his point total of last season as he has 52 with a third of the season still remaining. Ville Leino has been a huge disappointment with only four goals and 15 points in 45 games this season. Ryan Miller played in 10 straight games in goal before Jhonas Enroth got the start Thursday. Miller has been great of late giving up only 19 goals in the 10 games despite 5-4-1 record.
CALGARY
Games this week
vs. Edmonton, vs. Phoenix, vs. Philadelphia
Notes
The top line of Alex Tanguay, Olli Jokinen and Jarome Iginla have been red hot of late with 12 goals and 24 points in their last six games. Miikka Kiprusoff has also been sensational with a 4-0-1 record in his last five going into action on Thursday. Michael Cammalleri was moved to center on the second unit with injuries to Blair Jones and Mikael Backlund, a position he really hasn’t played since the lockout when he was in the AHL. Curtis Glencross (MCL) is hoping to return by early March while David Moss (cracked ankle) could begin skating this week. Roman Horak was recalled with the injury to Jones and promptly scored his first goal in 35 games.
CAROLINA
Games this week
vs. Washington, vs. Anaheim, vs. Florida
Notes
The Hurricanes could have trouble dealing UFA-to-be Tuomo Ruutu after he suffered an upper body injury that will keep him out of the lineup for three weeks, including through the trade deadline. Carolina recalled Drayson Bowman and sent Jerome Samson to the minors on Tuesday and recalled Samson again on Thursday. Carolina has never won a game in Denver and the streak continued last week in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Avs. Eric Staal has 44 points, the only Hurricane over 30 points. Staal and Chad LaRose are a team worse minus-18 this season.
CHICAGO
Games this week
vs. Detroit, vs. Dallas, @ Los Angeles, @ Anaheim
Notes
The Blackhawks play four games this week, including three games in four nights so expect to see Ray Emery play at least once in place of Corey Crawford. The Blackhawks will be tired on Sunday in Anaheim as they play the Kings on Saturday. Chicago finally broke a nine game losing streak on Thursday defeating the Rangers 4-2, and while Joel Quenneville’s job is not in jeopardy at this time, another few losses in a row could change all that. GM Stan Bowman says that the Blackhawks are not in the trade market for a new goaltender so one of (if not both) Crawford or Emery needs to get hot and quickly as Chicago is teetering close to being out of a playoff spot. There are rumors out there that state the Blackhawks and Sabres are interested in a Patrick Kane for Ryan Miller deal but we find that hard to believe. Jonathan Toews had a goal and assist Thursday after going pointless in his previous five.
COLORADO
Games this week
vs. Los Angeles, @ Columbus, @ Detroit
Notes
The Avalanche are rested Wednesday when they host the Kings who play in Phoenix Tuesday, but they are tired Saturday in Detroit to face the rested Red Wings as they are in Columbus Friday. Peter Mueller and T.J. Galiardi both suffered torso injuries on Wednesday with Galiardi’s occurring during the game. Jean-Sebastien Giguere suffered a groin injury Wednesday but doesn’t think it is serious. Matt Duchene is starting to practice with the Avs as he has been out since December 29th with a knee injury. There is no current timetable for his return. Milan Hejduk passed Adam Foote this past week for second place in games played with Colorado but still trails the leader Joe Sakic by over 400 games. Hejduk has only scored four times in the last three months and has not missed a game.
COLUMBUS
Games this week
vs. San Jose, vs. Colorado, @ Pittsburgh
Notes
The Blue Jackets will be rested on Sunday when they are in Pittsburgh to play the Penguins who take on the Lightning at home Saturday. Steve Mason has won two of his last three as he has replaced the injured Curtis Sanford (back) as the starter. He could be getting his last chance to prove himself in Columbus as he is currently 45th in the NHL in wins, save percentage and GAA. James Wisniewski has played well for fantasy owners since his return three games ago as the defenseman has two goals and four points to go with a plus-three rating. The big news in Columbus is that Rick Nash has apparently agreed to waive the no-movement clause in his contract to a select few teams. While he could get moved before the trade deadline, it is also a possibility that he could be moved in the off-season. Jeff Carter is also on the block and Calgary has been mentioned as a possible destination.
DALLAS
Games this week
@ Montreal, @ Chicago, vs. Minnesota, vs. Vancouver
Notes
The Stars play three games in four nights so Richard Bachman should play once in place of Kari Lehtonen. Sheldon Souray has missed the last four games with a bruised foot and has not started skating. Nicklas Grossman was dealt to the Flyers on Thursday as the Stars could not or would not sign him and he was eligible to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. Jamie Benn played his 200th game for the Stars this past week and has 145 points thus far, the most by a Star in his first 200 games since they moved to Dallas in 1993. Loui Eriksson and Brenden Morrow lead the Stars in power play goals with four.
DETROIT
Games this week
@ Chicago, vs. Vancouver, vs. Colorado
Notes
Detroit will be rested on Saturday when they face Colorado who are in Columbus Friday.
Patrick Eaves is still suffering from concussion-like symptoms and has been been out since November 25 with a broken jaw and the concussion. Henrik Zetterberg will miss Feb. 17 game with a lower body injury, and Tomas Tatar was recalled to take his place. Jimmy Howard could return to action as early as Feb. 19 as he attempts to return from a broken finger. Daniel Cleary has been getting his knee drained of late and is still on the shelf. Joey MacDonald has been terrific in place of Jimmy Howard and it would not be a surprise if Ty Conklin was sent to the minors with MacDonald remaining with the big club.
EDMONTON
Games this week
@ Calgary, vs. Philadelphia, vs. Phoenix
Notes
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (shoulder) has been skating with the team in practice but still has to get involved in contact drills before he will be able to get back into the lineup. He has hurt his shoulder twice this season but doctors think he just has to strengthen the area and that off-season surgery will not be required. Look for Ales Hemsky’s name to be prominent in trade rumors with the Feb. 27 deadline approaching. Ryan Smyth, another player who is eligible to become a UFA at the end of the season, has been told by GM Steve Tambellini that he will not be dealt. Theo Peckham is not yet healthy after a facial injury and still needs to get in some contact in practices as the Oilers are looking to be at full strength on their blueline with the exception of Corey Potter who has a groin injury.
FLORIDA
Games this week
@ Minnesota, @ Carolina, vs. Montreal
Notes
The Panthers play three games over four days so expect to see Scott Clemmensen play once in place of Jose Theodore. The Panthers will be tired when they host the Canadiens on Sunday as they are in Carolina Saturday. Sean Bergenheim is starting to get hot with eight goals and 10 points in his last 12 games after scoring only four times with nary an assist in his opening two dozen contests. Ed Jovanovski has started skating after practice as he has been out a month with a broken hand. Dmitry Kulikov has not started skating after undergoing knee surgery in late January. He is projected to return in mid-to-late March. Eric Gudbranson is starting to see major minutes on the blueline with Jovanovski, Jason Garrison (lower body) and Kulikov out of action and that bodes well for the future of the Panthers.
LOS ANGELES
Games this week
@. Phoenix, @ Colorado, vs. Chicago
Notes
The Kings will be tired on Wednesday when they are in Colorado to face the rested Avalanche after playing in Phoenix the previous night. Rookies Jordan Nolan and Dwight King scored their first NHL goals against the Stars on Sunday. The duo were on the same line with Mike Richards and have provided some energy for the Kings. Dustin Penner has been a healthy scratch the last two games as he is in coach Darryl Sutter’s doghouse. Simon Gagne has begun to skate again as he attempts to return from yet another concussion. The Kings are in on a lot of trade rumors including Rick Nash and Jonathan Bernier could be part of a package as the Kings already have one of the best goalkeepers in the NHL in Jonathan Quick.
MINNESOTA
Games this week
@ Florida, @ Dallas, vs. San Jose
Notes
The Wild play three games in four nights so look for Josh Harding to play once in place of Niklas Backstrom. They will be rested on Sunday when they take on the San Jose Sharks who are in Nashville on Saturday. Dany Heatley has been hot of late with with six goals and 10 points in his last nine games. Marek Zidlicky is being rumored to be headed to the Devils after allegedly waiving his no-trade contract to go there and was a healthy scratch on Thursday after picking up two assists in his two games. Matt Cullen has not found the back of the net in his last 13 games. Cal Clutterbuck returned to action on Thursday after missing one game with a charley horse.
MONTREAL
Games this week
vs. Dallas, @ Washington, @ Florida
Notes
The Habs are rested Sunday when they are in Florida to play the Panthers while Florida plays in Carolina Saturday. Andrei Kostitsyn and Scott Gomez are not seeing a lot of ice time as both were benched for most of the third period Monday against the Hurricanes and it wasn’t much better for Gomez the next day in practice as he had words with assistant coach Randy Ladouceur. Max Pacioretty leads the Canadiens in goals with 24 while he is tied with Erik Cole with 44 points. Tomas Plekanec is minus-14 this season with 40 points.
NASHVILLE
Games this week
vs. Vancouver, vs. St. Louis, vs. San Jose
Notes
The Predators will be rested on Thursday when they face a tired St. Louis team who are home to Boston Wednesday. Nashville plays all three games at home this week. Patric Hornqvist is out with an upper body injury. Ryan Ellis has nine points in his first 20 games and the defenseman is worth owning in all keeper leagues as well as deeper one year pools. Brian McGrattan was placed on the injured reserve list with an upper body injury but is eligible to return at any time as he has missed the last four games. Martin Erat leads the Predators in points with 42, five ahead of defenseman Shea Weber who is \second.
NEW JERSEY
Games this week
@ Toronto, vs. Vancouver, vs. Tampa Bay
Notes
The Devils are rested twice this week when facing a tired team. First they face Vancouver on Friday after the Canucks play in Detroit Thursday and then play the Lightning Sunday after Tampa Bay play in Pittsburgh Saturday. Adam Larsson has been out of action for the last two weeks with a back injury and is skating on his own. Petr Sykora broke a nine game goal scoring slump on Tuesday. Travis Zajac (Achilles) is due to start skating by the weekend although he is still out indefinitely. Look for Martin Brodeur to get the lion’s share of the starts in net with Johan Hedberg only getting an occasional start down the stretch. Zach Parise and Adam Henrique lead the NHL in shorthanded points with seven while teammate Ilya Kovalchuck is third with five.
NEW YORK ISLANDERS
Games this week
vs. Ottawa, @ Buffalo, vs. New York Rangers, @ Ottawa
Notes
The Islanders are tired on Tuesday when they play in Buffalo after hosting the Senators on Monday, but are the rested team on Sunday when they face the Senators for the second time this week as Ottawa is home to Boston on Saturday. Expect Matt Martin and Travis Hamonic to add to their penalty minute totals if there are any fisticuffs. P. A. Parenteau is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 but will not discuss a new deal with the Islanders until the end of the 2011-12 campaign. He has 12 goals and 51 points this season. Evgeni Nabokov is showing the form he had in the 2009-10 season and the years before but he missed Thursday’s game with the flu. John Tavares is in a slump with only two assists in his last eight games.
NEW YORK RANGERS
Games this week
@ Pittsburgh, @ New York Islanders, vs. Buffalo
Notes
Ruslan Fedotenko has missed the last four games with a head injury. Enforcer Stu Bickel has taken his spot in the lineup on the fourth line. Wojtek Wolski was sent to the minors on a conditioning stint but has been a healthy scratch since his recall. Marian Gaborik has a goal and five assists in his last five games including a four point effort on Feb. 11. Brian Prust scored his third goal of the season on Sunday but it was also his first in 48 games. He has fantasy value this season with 14 points and 114 penalty minutes.
OTTAWA
Games this week
@ New York Islanders, vs. Washington, vs. Boston, vs. New York Islanders
Notes
The Senators are rested on Saturday when they face a tired Boston squad as the Bruins play in Buffalo Friday. They are then the tired team Sunday when they play the Islanders for the second time this week. Look for Zenon Konopka, Chris Neil and Matt Carkner to add to their penalty minute totals in the two games against the Islanders. After going through an eight game losing streak, Craig Anderson has won his last two games, stopping 70 of 72 shots. Bobby Butler was a healthy scratch for three games but has a goal and five assists with a plus-four rating in the four games since then as he is now on a line with Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek. Spezza is red hot this past week with three goals and four assists in his last two games.
PHILADELPHIA
Games this week
@ Winnipeg, @ Edmonton, @ Calgary
Notes
The Flyers visit the Canadian Prairies for all three games this week. Daniel Briere was injured yet again on Thursday and is day-to-day with an upper body injury. The Flyers picked up a solid defensive defenseman in Nicklas Grossman who doesn’t have fantasy value but will help out if you have either Ilya Bryzgalov or Sergei Bobrovsky as he will help keep the puck out of the net. James van Riemsdyk (concussion) is practicing with full contact and could be close to returning. Jaromir Jagr missed Thursday’s game with the flu. Zac Rinaldo will return to action against the Jets as he will be finished serving his two game suspension for his hit on Jonathan Ericsson of the Red Wings.
PHOENIX
Games this week
vs. Los Angeles, @ Calgary, @ Edmonton
Notes
The Coyotes are one of the hottest teams in the NHL at this time as they are 6-0-1 in the month of February. Mike Smith was the first star of the week last week with four wins while giving up only three goals and picked up right where he left off Thursday with a 1-0 shutout win over Los Angeles. Radim Vrbata leads the NHL in goals on the road with 19. Derek Morris is out with a groin injury. It looks like all the rumors that had Ray Whitney being dealt are false as the Coyotes are now in a playoff spot and will need him the rest of the way.
PITTSBURGH
Games this week
vs. New York Rangers, vs. Tampa Bay, vs. Columbus
Notes
The Penguins will be tired on Sunday when they host the rested Blue Jackets as Pittsburgh will be home to Tampa Bay on Saturday. Evgeni Malkin saw his eight game goal scoring streak at home end on Wednesday. He was the NHL’s second star of the week with three goals and eight points in three games. Sidney Crosby (concussion/neck) took to the ice with strength and conditioning coach Mike Kadar following Tuesday's practice. There is no timetable for his return although he has been skating for over a month. Mike Comrie announced his retirement as he was UFA and had hip problems. He is scheduled to spend the rest of his life with Hillary Duff.
ST. LOUIS
Games this week
vs. Boston, @ Nashville, @Winnipeg
Notes
The Blues play three games in four nights so look for Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott to share the net. They will be tired Thursday when they go up against the Predators in Nashville after playing Boston Wednesday. They continue to get great goaltending from both Halak and Elliott and are the second best road team in the NHL with a 25-3-4 record and actually have five more points than Detroit (24-1-2) but the Red Wings have played five less games. David Perron had six goals last week in being named the NHL’s third star of the week. Alexander Steen is practicing but his concussion has kept him out the last 21 games and there is no timetable for his return. Chris Stewart was bumped to the fourth line due to his inconsistent play.
SAN JOSE
Games this week
@ Columbus, @ Toronto, @ Nashville, @ Minnesota
Notes
The Sharks play four times this week and play three games in four nights so look for Thomas Greiss to play at least once in place of Antti Niemi. The Sharks are tired Sunday when they play in Minnesota as they faceoff against the Predators on Saturday. They conclude a nine game road trip this week. Coach Todd McLellan was not at all happy with the play of goaltender Antti Neimi and called him out on it. The Sharks picked up Dominic Moore in a deal with Tampa Bay and that should help as he is a very good bottom six center. Dan Boyle has been terrific of late with four goals and 19 points in his last 28 games to go with a plus-15 rating.
TAMPA BAY
Games this week
vs. Anaheim, @ Winnipeg, @ Pittsburgh, @ New Jersey
Notes
The Lightning play four times this week including three games in four nights so look for Dwayne Roloson to play once in place of Mathieu Garon. They are tired on Sunday when they play in New Jersey as the Lightning are in Pittsburgh Saturday. Pavel Kubina was a healthy scratch on Thursday as his name continues to be bandied about in trade rumors. They did ship Dominic Moore out of town by showing him the way to San Jose for a draft pick. Ryan Malone returned to the lineup after missing three-and-a-half weeks with an upper body injury and he should be on the trade block.
TORONTO
Games this week
vs. New Jersey, vs. San Jose, vs. Washington
Notes
The Maple Leafs will be rested on Saturday when they entertain Washington as the Capitals are home to Montreal Friday. There are rumors that Luke Schenn will be dealt by the Maple Leafs as he was a healthy scratch on Wednesday but we don’t believe it. Tim Connolly scored his first goal in 18 games and it was the game winner against the Oilers. He is now playing with Mikhail Grabovski and Clarke MacArthur. Carl Gunnarsson was put on the injured reserve list after hurting his leg and Toronto promptly recalled Keith Aulie from the minors. Grabovski has been mentioned in trade rumors with one giving the Leafs a second round pick and a prospect for the UFA-to-be.
VANCOUVER
Games this week
@ Nashville, @ Detroit, @ New Jersey, @ Dallas
Notes
The Canucks play four times this week, including three games in four nights so expect to see Cory Schneider play once in place of Roberto Luongo. They will be a tired team on Friday when they play in New Jersey after playing in Detroit on Thursday. The Canucks finish a five game road trip this week. Chris Tanev was recalled from the minors to replace the injured Keith Ballard who has neck/concussion issues. Christopher Higgins missed six games in his latest staph infection, his third in less than a year. Daniel Sedin and his twin brother Henrik Sedin are pointless in their last three games.
WASHINGTON
Games this week
@ Carolina, @ Ottawa, vs. Montreal, @ Toronto
Notes
Washington plays four times this week including three games in four nights so look for Michal Neuvirth to play once in place of Thomas Vokoun. The Capitals are tired on Saturday when they face the Maple Leafs after playing the Canadiens on Friday. Mike Green has been participating in full practices and could return to the lineup this week. He has played only eight games this season and has been a huge disappointment to his fantasy owners, never mind the Capitals. Neuvirth must have been upset when the Capitals recalled Braden Holtby from the minors when Tomas Vokoun went down with the flu as they chose to start Holtby. He gave up five goals and was promptly sent back to Hershey.
WINNIPEG
Games this week
vs. Philadelphia, vs. Tampa Bay, vs. St. Louis
Notes
The Jets are in the midst of an eight game home stand and must make up points now as they are very good at home and the opposite on the road. Evander Kane broke out of a one goal in 14 game slump with a two goal performance on Thursday. Zach Bogosian is day-to-day with an upper body injury. Andrew Ladd is slumping with no goals in his last 12 games and has been pointless in his last six. Nik Antropov was demoted to the fourth line with Alexander Burmistrov taking his place between Evander Kane and Kyle Wellwood.