The trade deadline has come and passed and now it’s the home stretch of the regular season.
The major deal on Monday was Cody Hodgson going to Buffalo in exchange for Zack Kassian. It was a good deal for both teams as the Sabres now have their first center of the future, while the Canucks, who needed a power forward, picked up exactly what they needed in Kassian. Hodgson was not going to get the opportunity to be a top two center in Vancouver in the foreseeable future with Henrik Sedin and Ryan Kesler ahead of him on the depth charts.
They also scored nicely when they dealt pending unrestricted free agent Paul Gaustad and a fourth round pick to Nashville for their first.
Now to The Week Ahead.
WEEK OF MARCH 5-11
4 Games –Boston, Buffalo, Carolina, Columbus, Edmonton, Los Angeles, New Jersey, New York Rangers, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Toronto, Washington
3 Games – Anaheim, Calgary, Chicago, Colorado, Dallas, Detroit, Florida, Minnesota, Montreal, Nashville, New York Islanders, Ottawa, , San Jose, Tampa Bay, Vancouver, Winnipeg
Pittsburgh plays all four at home.
Carolina and Los Angeles play all four games on the road.
Buffalo, Edmonton, Montreal and the New York Rangers play three games on the road this week.
Columbus, Nashville, New Jersey, St. Louis, Vancouver and Washington play three games at home this week.
Follow me on twitter!
INJURIES
Kris Letang is out of action indefinitely with a concussion.
(Click here to see the rest of the injury list.)
ANAHEIM
Games this week
vs. Edmonton, @ St. Louis, @ Dallas
Notes
Ryan Getzlaf is having the worst season of his NHL career with only eight goals thus far and none in his last 17 games. Devante Smith-Pelly hit the 40 games played mark so he has used up one year of NHL service towards ultimate free agency. Bobby Ryan has been seeing time on the top line with Corey Perry and Getzlaf as the Ducks are putting most of their eggs in one basket. The Ducks were fairly quiet on the trade front, dealing Matt Fraser to Toronto for Dale Mitchell and Andrew Gordon to Vancouver for Sebastian Erixon. They have been very pleased with the play of defenseman Luca Sbisa who is finally coming into his own at the age of 22.
BOSTON
Games this week
@ Toronto, vs. Buffalo, vs. Washington, @ Pittsburgh
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 Sunday against the Penguins in Pittsburgh after playing the Capitals at home Saturday. They are rested Thursday when they are home to Buffalo who face the Hurricanes Wednesday. The Bruins added depth to their lineup at the deadline as they picked up defenseman Greg Zanon from Minnesota for Steve Kampfer and got Mike Mottau and Brian Rolston from the Islanders, giving up Yannick Riendeau and Marc Cantin. Johnny Boychuk partook in an optional skate on Thursday as he attempts to return from a concussion suffered the previous Saturday. Shawn Thornton returned to action after missing a game with an illness.
BUFFALO
Games this week
@ Winnipeg, vs. Carolina, @ Boston, @ Ottawa
Notes
The Sabres play three games in four nights so do not be surprised if Jhonas Enroth plays once in place of Ryan Miller. The Sabres should be tired on Thursday when they face a rested Boston team after playing the Hurricanes at home Wednesday. They are rested Wednesday when they play Carolina with the Hurricanes playing in Washington Tuesday. The Sabres were big players on trade deadline day as they picked up their future top center in Cody Hodgson, giving up former first rounder Zack Kassian in exchange. They made another deal with Vancouver, sending Marc-Andre Gragnani for Alexander Sulzer. Buffalo also picked up an extra first rounder from Nashville, trading Paul Gaustad and a fourth. Hodgson found himself on a line with Tyler Ennis and Drew Stafford in his Sabres debut. Brad Boyes returned to action after missing two games with a wrist injury.
CALGARY
Games this week
vs. Montreal, vs. Winnipeg, @ Minnesota
Notes
The Flames are rested Friday when taking on a tired Jets team who play in Vancouver on Thursday. Calgary was quiet on the trade front Monday as they decided to stand pat. After being out since November 7, David Moss (ankle) finally returned to action on Thursday. The Flames want him to be part of their top- two lines but he may need a couple of games or more to get back in game shape. They recalled Leland Irving from the minor so the Flames obviously do not have a lot of faith at this time in Henrik Karlsson. Jarome Iginla still needs seven goals in his last 19 games to hit the 30 goal mark for the 11th consecutive year.
CAROLINA
Games this week
@ Washington, @ Buffalo, @ Tampa Bay, @ Florida
Notes
The Hurricanes start a five game road trip this week and are tired Wednesday when they are in Buffalo after taking on the Capitals in Washington Tuesday. The ‘Canes went into the trade deadline with a lot of potential deals but ended up re-signing Tuomo Ruutu and holding onto Bryan Allen and Jaroslav Spacek. Cam Ward is back in action after missing three games. Justin Peters was stellar in relief of Ward. Joni Pitkanen (concussion/knee) started skating this past week and could be close to a return. Brian Boucher will likely need time in the minors when he returns from a lower body injury that has kept him out of action since early December.
CHICAGO
Games this week
@ St. Louis, vs. New York Rangers, vs. Los Angeles
Notes
The Blackhawks will be rested on Friday when they are home to a tired Rangers team who are in Ottawa Thursday. The Blackhawks needed depth on the blueline with injuries to Steve Montador and Niklas Hjalmarsson so they picked up Johnny Oduya from the Jets. They traded John Scott to the Rangers for a fifth round pick. He will line up with Nick Leddy while Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith will be their top unit. Jonathan Toews is still not back on the ice and rumors continue to circulate that his upper body injury is a concussion. He has missed the last five games.
COLORADO
Games this week
vs. Minnesota, @ Nashville, vs. Edmonton
Notes
The Avalanche play the back end of a home-and-home series with the Wild Tuesday so look for Cody McLeod, Steve Downie and Shane O'Brien to add to their penalty minute totals. The Avs acquired Jamie McGinn, Mike Connelly and Michael Sgarbossa from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for T.J. Galiardi, Daniel Winnik, and a seventh round pick as their only deal on trade deadline day but picked up Steve Downie the previous week for Kyle Quincey. Downie is off to a hot start in Colorado with seven points in his first four games and his stellar play has moved Peter Mueller off a top six forward spot and he is now languishing on the fourth line. Gabriel Landeskog is getting serious consideration for the Calder Trophy.
COLUMBUS
Games this week
vs. Phoenix, vs. Los Angeles, @ St. Louis, vs. St. Louis
Notes
The Blue Jackets play four times this week including three games in four nights so look for Curtis Sanford and Steve Mason to share the net. The Blue Jackets are rested Tuesday when they face the Coyotes who are in Pittsburgh Monday. They play the Coyotes in the second half of a home-and-home series (at least for them as Phoenix sandwiches the Columbus games playing the aforementioned Penguins. Antoine Vermette makes his return to Columbus after being traded last week. In addition to the second half of the Coyotes series, the Blue Jackets also play a home-and-home series with the Blues this week, so expect to see Derek Dorsett add to his NHL league-leading penalty totals. The eyes of the hockey world were focused on Columbus on Monday but the Blue Jackets did not move Rick Nash, so it is likely that we will see a deal in the off-season. They did make a small deal as they traded Samuel Pahlsson to Vancouver. James Wisniewski missed practice on Wednesday with a leg injury and is day-to-day.
DALLAS
Games this week
@ Vancouver, vs. San Jose, vs. Anaheim
Notes
The Stars finish their Western Canada swing with a game in Vancouver before returning home to finish out the week with a couple of home games. Eric Nystrom was not suspended for his hit on Pittsburgh’s Kris Letang which caused an apparent concussion. Steve Ott’s name was bandied about at the trade deadline with Vancouver a prominent destination but GM Joe Nieuwendyk decided to keep his team as is, after dealing Niklas Grossman to Philadelphia last week. Loui Eriksson hit the 50-point mark for the fourth straight season. Brenden Morrow has been out a month with neck and back problems and is hoping to start skating before the start of the week. There is no timetable for his return.
DETROIT
Games this week
@ Philadelphia, vs. Los Angeles, @ Nashville
Notes
Detroit will be rested on Friday when they face Los Angeles who are in Columbus on Thursday. They then travel to Nashville to take on the rested Predators Saturday. The Red Wings were quiet on Monday but did pick up defenseman Kyle Quincey the previous week. Detroit has been hurting on the blueline with injuries to Nicklas Lidstrom, Kyle Quincey and Jonathan Ericsson, forcing them to recall Brendan Smith and Doug Janik. The Red Wings have been more than pleased with the play of goaltender Joey MacDonald who is 7-1-1 this season since his call up in the New Year.
The trade deadline has come and passed and now it’s the home stretch of the regular season.
The major deal on Monday was Cody Hodgson going to Buffalo in exchange for Zack Kassian. It was a good deal for both teams as the Sabres now have their first center of the future, while the Canucks, who needed a power forward, picked up exactly what they needed in Kassian. Hodgson was not going to get the opportunity to be a top two center in Vancouver in the foreseeable future with Henrik Sedin and Ryan Kesler ahead of him on the depth charts.
They also scored nicely when they dealt pending unrestricted free agent Paul Gaustad and a fourth round pick to Nashville for their first.
Now to The Week Ahead.
WEEK OF MARCH 5-11
4 Games –Boston, Buffalo, Carolina, Columbus, Edmonton, Los Angeles, New Jersey, New York Rangers, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Toronto, Washington
3 Games – Anaheim, Calgary, Chicago, Colorado, Dallas, Detroit, Florida, Minnesota, Montreal, Nashville, New York Islanders, Ottawa, , San Jose, Tampa Bay, Vancouver, Winnipeg
Pittsburgh plays all four at home.
Carolina and Los Angeles play all four games on the road.
Buffalo, Edmonton, Montreal and the New York Rangers play three games on the road this week.
Columbus, Nashville, New Jersey, St. Louis, Vancouver and Washington play three games at home this week.
Follow me on twitter!
INJURIES
Kris Letang is out of action indefinitely with a concussion.
(Click here to see the rest of the injury list.)
ANAHEIM
Games this week
vs. Edmonton, @ St. Louis, @ Dallas
Notes
Ryan Getzlaf is having the worst season of his NHL career with only eight goals thus far and none in his last 17 games. Devante Smith-Pelly hit the 40 games played mark so he has used up one year of NHL service towards ultimate free agency. Bobby Ryan has been seeing time on the top line with Corey Perry and Getzlaf as the Ducks are putting most of their eggs in one basket. The Ducks were fairly quiet on the trade front, dealing Matt Fraser to Toronto for Dale Mitchell and Andrew Gordon to Vancouver for Sebastian Erixon. They have been very pleased with the play of defenseman Luca Sbisa who is finally coming into his own at the age of 22.
BOSTON
Games this week
@ Toronto, vs. Buffalo, vs. Washington, @ Pittsburgh
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 Sunday against the Penguins in Pittsburgh after playing the Capitals at home Saturday. They are rested Thursday when they are home to Buffalo who face the Hurricanes Wednesday. The Bruins added depth to their lineup at the deadline as they picked up defenseman Greg Zanon from Minnesota for Steve Kampfer and got Mike Mottau and Brian Rolston from the Islanders, giving up Yannick Riendeau and Marc Cantin. Johnny Boychuk partook in an optional skate on Thursday as he attempts to return from a concussion suffered the previous Saturday. Shawn Thornton returned to action after missing a game with an illness.
BUFFALO
Games this week
@ Winnipeg, vs. Carolina, @ Boston, @ Ottawa
Notes
The Sabres play three games in four nights so do not be surprised if Jhonas Enroth plays once in place of Ryan Miller. The Sabres should be tired on Thursday when they face a rested Boston team after playing the Hurricanes at home Wednesday. They are rested Wednesday when they play Carolina with the Hurricanes playing in Washington Tuesday. The Sabres were big players on trade deadline day as they picked up their future top center in Cody Hodgson, giving up former first rounder Zack Kassian in exchange. They made another deal with Vancouver, sending Marc-Andre Gragnani for Alexander Sulzer. Buffalo also picked up an extra first rounder from Nashville, trading Paul Gaustad and a fourth. Hodgson found himself on a line with Tyler Ennis and Drew Stafford in his Sabres debut. Brad Boyes returned to action after missing two games with a wrist injury.
CALGARY
Games this week
vs. Montreal, vs. Winnipeg, @ Minnesota
Notes
The Flames are rested Friday when taking on a tired Jets team who play in Vancouver on Thursday. Calgary was quiet on the trade front Monday as they decided to stand pat. After being out since November 7, David Moss (ankle) finally returned to action on Thursday. The Flames want him to be part of their top- two lines but he may need a couple of games or more to get back in game shape. They recalled Leland Irving from the minor so the Flames obviously do not have a lot of faith at this time in Henrik Karlsson. Jarome Iginla still needs seven goals in his last 19 games to hit the 30 goal mark for the 11th consecutive year.
CAROLINA
Games this week
@ Washington, @ Buffalo, @ Tampa Bay, @ Florida
Notes
The Hurricanes start a five game road trip this week and are tired Wednesday when they are in Buffalo after taking on the Capitals in Washington Tuesday. The ‘Canes went into the trade deadline with a lot of potential deals but ended up re-signing Tuomo Ruutu and holding onto Bryan Allen and Jaroslav Spacek. Cam Ward is back in action after missing three games. Justin Peters was stellar in relief of Ward. Joni Pitkanen (concussion/knee) started skating this past week and could be close to a return. Brian Boucher will likely need time in the minors when he returns from a lower body injury that has kept him out of action since early December.
CHICAGO
Games this week
@ St. Louis, vs. New York Rangers, vs. Los Angeles
Notes
The Blackhawks will be rested on Friday when they are home to a tired Rangers team who are in Ottawa Thursday. The Blackhawks needed depth on the blueline with injuries to Steve Montador and Niklas Hjalmarsson so they picked up Johnny Oduya from the Jets. They traded John Scott to the Rangers for a fifth round pick. He will line up with Nick Leddy while Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith will be their top unit. Jonathan Toews is still not back on the ice and rumors continue to circulate that his upper body injury is a concussion. He has missed the last five games.
COLORADO
Games this week
vs. Minnesota, @ Nashville, vs. Edmonton
Notes
The Avalanche play the back end of a home-and-home series with the Wild Tuesday so look for Cody McLeod, Steve Downie and Shane O'Brien to add to their penalty minute totals. The Avs acquired Jamie McGinn, Mike Connelly and Michael Sgarbossa from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for T.J. Galiardi, Daniel Winnik, and a seventh round pick as their only deal on trade deadline day but picked up Steve Downie the previous week for Kyle Quincey. Downie is off to a hot start in Colorado with seven points in his first four games and his stellar play has moved Peter Mueller off a top six forward spot and he is now languishing on the fourth line. Gabriel Landeskog is getting serious consideration for the Calder Trophy.
COLUMBUS
Games this week
vs. Phoenix, vs. Los Angeles, @ St. Louis, vs. St. Louis
Notes
The Blue Jackets play four times this week including three games in four nights so look for Curtis Sanford and Steve Mason to share the net. The Blue Jackets are rested Tuesday when they face the Coyotes who are in Pittsburgh Monday. They play the Coyotes in the second half of a home-and-home series (at least for them as Phoenix sandwiches the Columbus games playing the aforementioned Penguins. Antoine Vermette makes his return to Columbus after being traded last week. In addition to the second half of the Coyotes series, the Blue Jackets also play a home-and-home series with the Blues this week, so expect to see Derek Dorsett add to his NHL league-leading penalty totals. The eyes of the hockey world were focused on Columbus on Monday but the Blue Jackets did not move Rick Nash, so it is likely that we will see a deal in the off-season. They did make a small deal as they traded Samuel Pahlsson to Vancouver. James Wisniewski missed practice on Wednesday with a leg injury and is day-to-day.
DALLAS
Games this week
@ Vancouver, vs. San Jose, vs. Anaheim
Notes
The Stars finish their Western Canada swing with a game in Vancouver before returning home to finish out the week with a couple of home games. Eric Nystrom was not suspended for his hit on Pittsburgh’s Kris Letang which caused an apparent concussion. Steve Ott’s name was bandied about at the trade deadline with Vancouver a prominent destination but GM Joe Nieuwendyk decided to keep his team as is, after dealing Niklas Grossman to Philadelphia last week. Loui Eriksson hit the 50-point mark for the fourth straight season. Brenden Morrow has been out a month with neck and back problems and is hoping to start skating before the start of the week. There is no timetable for his return.
DETROIT
Games this week
@ Philadelphia, vs. Los Angeles, @ Nashville
Notes
Detroit will be rested on Friday when they face Los Angeles who are in Columbus on Thursday. They then travel to Nashville to take on the rested Predators Saturday. The Red Wings were quiet on Monday but did pick up defenseman Kyle Quincey the previous week. Detroit has been hurting on the blueline with injuries to Nicklas Lidstrom, Kyle Quincey and Jonathan Ericsson, forcing them to recall Brendan Smith and Doug Janik. The Red Wings have been more than pleased with the play of goaltender Joey MacDonald who is 7-1-1 this season since his call up in the New Year.
EDMONTON
Games this week
@ Anaheim, @ San Jose, vs. Montreal, @ Colorado
Notes
The Oilers play four times this week including three games in four nights so expect to see Devan Dubnyk and a healthy Nikolai Khabibulin split the goaltending duties. They will be tired Tuesday when they face the rested Sharks in San Jose after playing in Anaheim Monday. The Oilers dealt defenseman Tom Gilbert to Minnesota and received rearguard Nick Schultz in return. Schultz will provide veteran leadership for the young Oilers. Ales Hemsky was taken off the trade market when he and the Oilers agreed to a two-year/$10 million contract. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins finally returned to action Saturday after missing 20 of the previous 22 games with shoulder woes. Taylor Hall has been receiving laser treatments for the blood spot in his eye and there should be no long-term scarring.
FLORIDA
Games this week
@ Philadelphia, @ Pittsburgh, vs. Carolina
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 are in Pittsburgh Friday to take on the Penguins after playing in Philadelphia Thursday. The Panthers were quiet at the deadline, picking up Jerred Smithson the previous Friday. Kris Versteeg is out of action with a lower body injury and Tomas Kopecky is questionable with an undisclosed injury. Wojtek Wolski who was a healthy scratch for most of his time with the Rangers, is now playing on the first line in Florida with the injury to Versteeg.
LOS ANGELES
Games this week
@ Nashville, @ Columbus, @ Detroit, @ Chicago
Notes
The Kings play four times this week including three in four so Jonathan Bernier should be between the pipes at least once in place of Jonathan Quick. They will be tired on Friday in Detroit as they are in Columbus Thursday. The Kings did not do anything on Monday but they made a big splash the week before, getting Jeff Carter in exchange for Jack Johnson. The trade allowed the Kings to bring up Slava Voynov from the minors, and he has the ability to be just as good as Johnson. The move also forced the Kings to send Andrei Loktionov to the minors to make room for Carter. Dustin Brown’s name was all over the rumor mill but he remained a King. Los Angeles coach Darryl Sutter put Carter and Mike Richards together on a line as the two had been together in Philadelphia since the lockout.
MINNESOTA
Games this week
@ Colorado, @ Phoenix, vs. Calgary
Notes
The Wild made a couple of deals, trading Marek Zidlicky to New Jersey and getting Kurtis Foster, Stephane Veilleux and Nick Palmieri as well as a couple of draft picks. They then traded Nick Schultz to Edmonton for Tom Gilbert as they could use a more offensive defenseman. Josh Harding was rumored to be going places but apparently the asking price was too high for the UFA to be. Mikko Koivu is going to be out at least two more weeks with a shoulder injury as doctors will not allow him to participate in contact drills for that length of time. The Wild signed Charlie Coyle whom they received from San Jose in the Brent Burns deal. Coyle was taken in the first round in the 2010 Entry Draft.
MONTREAL
Games this week
@ Calgary, @ Edmonton, @ Vancouver
Notes
The Canadiens are in Western Canada all week. They made only one move on Monday as they claimed Brad Staubitz off waivers. He paid immediate dividends for his fantasy owners as he had 17 penalty minutes in his first game for the Habs. Blake Geoffrion became the fourth generation of his family to wear the Montreal Canadiens uniform following in the footsteps of his father Danny, Grandfather “Boom Boom” and Great Grandfather Howie Morenz. David Desharnais has 14 goals and 49 points thus far this season. Although he was hopeful of a return to action, it appears that Brian Gionta is gone for the season after undergoing surgery to repair torn biceps.
NASHVILLE
Games this week
vs. Los Angeles, vs. Colorado, vs. Detroit
Notes
The Predators will be rested on Saturday when they face a tired Detroit team as the Red Wings host Los Angeles Friday. The Predators made a big splash by picking up Paul Gaustad from the Sabres, giving up their first round pick in the upcoming draft. They also acquired Andrei Kostitsyn as he joins his brother Sergei in “Music City”. Anders Lindback did not seem all that happy with his teammates as he has lost his last six games in net. Ryan Suter was not dealt, so the Predators remain intact for a good playoff run. Suter is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and Nashville is rolling the dice in that they must think they can re-sign him.
NEW JERSEY
Games this week
vs. New York Rangers, vs. New York Islanders, @ New York islanders, vs. Philadelphia
Notes
The Devils play four matches this week including three in four so look for Johan Hedberg to get one start in place of the veteran Martin Brodeur. They take on the Islanders in a home-and-home series and for the third time in six days so tempers are likely to flare. Look for David Clarkson to add to his penalty minute totals. The Devils made their big move at the trade deadline on Friday, picking up offensive defenseman Marek Zidlicky from the Wild. Travis Zajac (Achilles) has started skating again and hopes to return by mid-March. Ilya Kovalchuk leads the Devils with 25 goals (tied with David Clarkson) and 61 points.
NEW YORK ISLANDERS
Games this week
@ New Jersey, vs. New Jersey, @ New York Rangers
Notes
The Islanders play three games in four nights so look for Al Montoya to play at least once in place of Evgeni Nabokov. The Islanders are tired on Sunday when they play the Rangers after playing New Jersey Saturday. They play New Jersey back-to-back this week and for the third time in six days so tempers could flare. Expect the penalty minute totals of Travis Hamonic and Matt Martin to increase. Nino Neiderreiter has been a disappointment this season with only one goal in 39 games and a minus-17 rating. The Islanders likely would have been better served if Neiderreiter was sent back to junior hockey and played for Team Canada at the World Juniors. New York Islanders have acquired Yannick Riendeau and Marc Cantin from the Boston Bruins in exchange for Brian Rolston and Mike Mottau at the trade deadline, getting rid of Rolston’s salary and picking up a couple of prospects.
NEW YORK RANGERS
Games this week
@ New Jersey, @ Ottawa, @ Chicago, vs. New York Islanders
Notes
The Rangers play four games this week including three in four, so look for Martin Biron to play once for Henrik Lundqvist. They will be rested and playing a tired New York Islanders team on Sunday as the Long Islanders play New Jersey Saturday but will be tired on Friday when they are in Chicago as the Rangers are in Ottawa Thursday. The Rangers were trying to pry Rick Nash loose from Columbus but were likely happy that the Blue Jackets refused their last offer. Ryan Callahan is out with a foot injury and is day-to-day. They acquired John Scott from the Blackhawks for a fifth round pick and gave up Wojtek Wolski, who had been a healthy scratch on most nights for a third round pick and Mike Vernace. Marian Gaborik hit the 30 goal mark on Thursday. The game against the Islanders start a seven game home stand.
OTTAWA
Games this week
@ Tampa Bay, vs. New York Rangers, vs. Buffalo
Notes
The Senators picked up goaltender Ben Bishop from St. Louis in exchange for a second round pick as they are unsure as to whether or not Craig Anderson will return from a hand injury. Matt Gilroy has been acquired by Ottawa in exchange for blueliner Brian Lee. They have been starting their goalie of the future Robin Lehner with Anderson out and he has played very well. Erik Karlsson, who is currently the favorite to win the Norris Trophy, was the first star of the week and the second star of the month for February. Karlsson has 18 points in his last eight games and those are superstar numbers.
PHILADELPHIA
Games this week
vs. Detroit, vs. Florida, @ Toronto, @ New Jersey
Notes
The Flyers were quiet on Monday after acquiring Pavel Kubina from the Lightning last week. James van Riemsdyk was pleased that he remained in Philadelphia as his name was being heard in rumors about possible deals. Claude Giroux continues to show why the Flyers thought he should be the number one center as he remains third in scoring with 75 points. His potential allowed the Flyers to deal Mike Richards and Jeff Carter and garner some youth in Brayden Schenn, Jakub Voracek and Sean Couturier. Scott Hartnell leads the team with 31 goals and has 59 points, his best season ever in the NHL with almost a quarter of the season still left.
PHOENIX
Games this week
@ Pittsburgh, @ Columbus, vs. Minnesota, vs. San Jose
Notes
The Coyotes play four times this week including three games in four nights so Jason LaBarbera could get one start in place of the white-hot Mike Smith. The Coyotes will be tired on Tuesday when they play the rested Blue Jackets as they take on the Penguins Monday. Phoenix was quiet at the deadline and since they were the hottest team in the NHL, they decided to keep everyone that got them there. Mike Smith was the first star for the month of February as he was perfect in 11 starts with a 1.34 GAA and a .952 save percentage as the Coyotes went from pretenders to contenders in the Western Conference. Shane Doan hit the 20 goal mark for the 11th time in 12 seasons.
PITTSBURGH
Games this week
vs. Phoenix, vs. Toronto, vs. Florida, vs. Boston
Notes
The Penguins play all four games at home this week, which is a rarity in the NHL. They also get a huge break as they are the rested team three times while facing a tired opponent. They face a tired Toronto team Wednesday after the Maple Leafs host Boston on Tuesday, a tired Florida squad Friday as the Panthers are in Philadelphia the night before and take on Boston Sunday as the Bruins host Washington Saturday. Kris Letang is out with a concussion suffered at the hands (or body) of Eric Nystrom. It was thought that the Penguins would be interested in a backup goalie at the trade deadline but they stayed quiet. Evgeni Malkin continues to lead the NHL in points with 79 points including 37 goals which is second in the NHL to Steve Stamkos.
ST. LOUIS
Games this week
vs. Chicago, vs. Anaheim, vs. Columbus, @ Columbus
Notes
The Blues play three games in four nights so look for Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott to share the net. They play a home-and-home series against the Blue Jackets so look for Ryan Reaves, David Backes and Chris Stewart to add to their minute count. St. Louis was quiet at the deadline but they have one of the best squads in the National Hockey League as they are a top four team in points. Jason Arnott has been a solid acquisition as they picked up the veteran leader in the off-season. He has been their stud goal scorer on the power play with six goals to lead the team, and 14 points to trail Alex Pietrangelo by two. David Backes continues to be one of the top all-round fantasy studs as he has 18 goals, 45 points, a plus-18 rating and 91 penalty minutes. The Columbus game is the start of a seven game road trip.
SAN JOSE
Games this week
vs. Edmonton, @ Dallas, @ Phoenix
Notes
The Sharks are rested on Tuesday when they take on a tired Edmonton team who are in Anaheim Monday. The Sharks made a good deal on Monday as they acquired T.J. Galiardi, Daniel Winnik, and a seventh round pick from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Jamie McGinn and prospects Mike Connelly and Michael Sgarbossa. The move was a great one for the Sharks, especially for the playoffs. Logan Couture is day-to-day with a lower body injury. After being out for over 18 months, James Sheppard, who was injured in an ATV accident, is on a conditioning stint with Worcester. Martin Havlat (torn hamstring) began skating last week and is hoping to return by mid-March.
TAMPA BAY
Games this week
vs. Ottawa, @ Washington, vs. Carolina
Notes
The Lightning made three moves at the deadline, getting defenseman Keith Aulie from Toronto in exchange for Carter Ashton and then dealing Matt Gilroy to Ottawa for Brian Lee. They started off the day picking up Mike Commodore from Detroit for a conditional seventh round pick. The Lightning need help on the back end and in net and did something to address the issue on the blueline. Teddy Purcell was the second star of the week while Steve Stamkos was the third star for the month of February. The Lightning are hoping that Vincent Lecavalier is back for the Carolina game from a non-displaced fracture of his hand. Victor Hedman has been out of action since Saturday with an upper body injury that has not been diagnosed, but are hoping that he returns before the end of the season which makes everyone think ‘concussion’.
TORONTO
Games this week
vs. Boston, @ Pittsburgh, vs. Philadelphia, @ Washington
Notes
The Maple Leafs will be tired on Wednesday when they travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Penguins after entertaining the Bruins Tuesday. They picked up former first round pick Carter Ashton on Monday, giving up Keith Aulie to Tampa Bay, and then made a minor deal, swapping Dale Mitchell for Matt Fraser. The Maple Leafs are 1-9-1 in their last 11 and have lost six in a row, and there seems to be a consensus among Toronto fans that coach Ron Wilson must go. It was thought that the Maple Leafs would be looking for a goaltender at the deadline but either the price was too high or GM Brian Burke didn’t feel the necessity to make a deal. Either way, he gave both Jonas Gustavsson and James Reimer a vote of confidence, but they continue to give up weak goals, at least once a game.
VANCOUVER
Games this week
vs. Dallas, vs. Winnipeg, vs. Montreal
Notes
The Canucks are in the midst of an eight game homestand. They made a couple of minor deals with Columbus and Buffalo and a big one with the Sabres in which they picked up Zack Kassian in exchange for Cody Hodgson. Kassian is the power forward they have coveted and hope that he will be a force in the playoffs and give Vancouver the toughness that was lacking last season. They also picked up Marc-Andre Gragnani from Buffalo, giving up Alexander Sulzer while they also got a fourth line center who is very good on faceoffs in Samuel Pahlsson for a couple of fourth rounders. In a deal of minor leaguers, Vancouver acquired Andrew Gordon from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Sebastian Erixon. The Canucks seem ready for another Cup run.
WASHINGTON
Games this week
vs. Carolina, vs. Tampa Bay, @ Boston, vs. Toronto
Notes
Washington plays four times this week including three games in four nights so look for Tomas Vokoun and Michal Neuvirth to share the net. The Capitals placed Nicklas Backstrom (concussion) on long-term injured reserve Monday and it was thought that they were freeing up cap space to make a big deal but nothing materialized. They recalled Keith Aucoin from the minors. He usually is capable of picking up a few points so he could be a nice pick up in deep pools. Mike Knuble continues to be a healthy scratch.
WINNIPEG
Games this week
vs. Buffalo, @ Vancouver, @ Calgary
Notes
Winnipeg will be a tired team on Friday when in Calgary to face the rested Flames as they are in Vancouver Thursday. The Jets picked up Grant Clitsome off waivers from the Blue Jackets and the move allowed them to trade pending UFA Johnny Oduya to Chicago for a second and third round pick in 2013. Zach Bogosian returned to the lineup on Thursday after missing seven games with a foot injury and his presence will certainly help. The Jets have seven possible UFA’s Jim Slater, Kyle Wellwood, Tim Stapleton, Tanner Glass, Randy Jones, Mark Flood and goaltender Chris Mason but GM Kevin Cheveldayof said that he would not begin negotiations with any of them until after the season.