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Dobber here – Mike Ribeiro will be out 4-6 weeks after surgery to repair a crack in his trachea (!). Mike Modano is the perfect guy to fill in on the second line for a month and I think he’ll do well there. Another candidate is Steve Ott, who will certainly get some more PP time as a result of this.

Rookie Chad Johnson is starting for the Rangers tonight, per Steve Zipay.

Sticking with the goalies, Jose Theodore is starting tonight for the Capitals.

Great Ovechkin interview over on Puck Daddy.

Chris Mason was unreal against San Jose last night, and had a shutout with about seven minutes left. However, the Sharks tied it up and won again in OT. Blues just can’t find the back of the net at all this season.

Oh Sean Avery, where have you been? I made a trade to get Avery last week in one of my roto leagues, as I figured he was way undervalued after a miserable first half of the season. Turns out all he needed was a chance to face his former club, the Dallas Stars. Avery had a goal, three assists, 12 PIMs, plus-3, and was yapping any Dallas player within earshot. It was pure, vintage Avery. Teetering on the line of legality all game, and producing offense as well. He is a big time buy low candidate, but this game will definitely make it tougher to acquire him. Before the game tonight, Avery had five assists and no goals in his last 19. Maybe he needs to play Dallas more often!

After the game, Stan Fischler asked Avery what his favorite part about the game was. Avery responded, "getting paid by both teams." Fitting.

I caught all of the Leaf game last night. Luke Schenn was absolutely abysmal. Every single shift he had, the Flyers were able to sustain offensive zone pressure. And to top it all off, Schenn got dangled by Dan Carcillo on a beauty goal (posted below). Schenn clearly has lost all confidence, he isn't moving his feet, and can't put any mustard on a pass to save his life. His positioning is even worse – consistently chasing doesn't work in the NHL.

A prospect who should be on your radar – Kevin Connauton. The Canucks picked him in the third round of the most recent entry draft, out of the NCAA. He chose to leave school for the Vancouver Giants of the WHL. As a defenseman, he leads all of the CHL in scoring (by a five goal margin, no less). He is a mobile, talented, flashy defenseman. There are holes in his own zone, obviously, but Don Hay and his coaching staff have churned out some fantastic NHL players.

Thud. Phil Kessel has one point in his last 10 games.

I had a question and answer topic over on the message boards yesterday. Answered well over 100 questions, and I'd wager 20-30 of them had to do with Michael Neuvirth! I like Neuvirth more than Varlamov, both now and long-term. However, I think Washington will keep both next year and have them split games, and then make a decision for the 2010-11 season.

Did anyone happen to watch the Wild/Flames game last night? It looked like it was filmed underwater – easily the worst feed I have seen in quite some time for a hockey game. Too bad I haven't seen Avatar yet, I think the 3-D glasses would have helped.

After stringing together a few solid games, the Sabres torched Mike Smith for five goals. Tampa is an inconsistent club defensively, and their goalies often pay for it. Makes owning either Smith or Niittymaki very frustrating for poolies.

Michael Leighton continues his strong play for the Flyers. The Leafs only got two past him on 32 shots – as long as he is playing this well, the Flyers have no need to rush Emery back. Expect Ray to return in a week or two, and Leighton to see a lot of action in the meantime.

I hate Danny Briere's stupid fist pump. Grow up, this isn't junior hockey!

Brad Richards isn't slipping at all in the NHL scoring race – he had two points last night in the Dallas to keep pace with Ovechkin at 50 points. He is tied with Sedin for second in the league in assists (both are a distant second behind Thornton).

Rick DiPietro backed up Dwayne Roloson last night. I can't see DiPietro having much of an impact, as Roloson has been so good all season. Unless DiPietro can play center or wing, he won't be winning the Islanders many games. However, I am sure all poolies who have kept him stashed on the bench are eagerly awaiting his return to NHL action.

St. Louis sent back Alex Pietrangelo. Personally, this is the right move. He had a huge WJC, showing tremendous poise with and without the puck. No need to rush him, the Blues aren't going anywhere this season.

If you want to show someone what a hockey player looks like, get a picture of Ian Laperriere.

Mike Ribeiro left the Dallas game after taking a stick in the throat at a very high speed. Although he has a history of embellishment, this was a scary situation, as he appeared to be struggling to breathe leaving the ice.

Matt Gilroy had an assist, his first point in eight games since being recalled from Hartford. He has a ton of offensive upside, but is very raw at the NHL level. Probably a good buy low candidate in deep keeper leagues if you can stash him on your bench. If not, keep tabs on his ice time and production on the power play.

Michael Del Zotto has one assist and no goals in his last 11 games. Rookie defensemen are so tough to rely on fantasy-wise, that is why Dion Phaneuf's rookie season was so rare. It also unfortunately changed the way many people viewed rookie d-men, as it is so rare that a 19/20 year old can step in and play heavy minutes in the world's toughest leagues. Drew Doughty is doing it, but he is an elite, elite player.

Michal Rozsival has seven assists in the last 10 Ranger games, and is seeing significant minutes. He makes defensive blunders at times, but has improved his play dramatically from earlier in the season.

After going goalless in 21 games, Ales Kotalik has one in each of the last two Ranger games (both wins). If he isn't scoring, he isn't contributing much else – he has to find a way to get his shots off more often, or he won't be playing every night for the Rangers. After a hot start, he is on pace to barely crack the 40 point mark.

Is there a more under appreciated player in the NHL than Loui Eriksson? After scoring 36 goals last season, he is on pace for the same number. He has almost matched his 27-assist total from last season already in 2009-10. His defensive game is elite as well. A large part of his production is due to Brad Richards, but there still is an art to getting open and being willing to battle in front of the net for rebounds and passes.

Over 12 million Canadians tuned in at one point to watch the WJC final between Canada and the US on Tuesday evening. That is over 1/3 of the entire population. Absolutely crazy.

Have some free time to kill? Listen to this interview with Darcy Hordichuk from the Team 1040 yesterday – he gives some amazing insights about fighting in the NHL. The interview starts about half-way into the second hour of the January 6^th podcast.

Robbie Schremp absolutely cheesing a puck out of mid air. Amazing hand-eye coordination.

Carcillo walks Schenn and then does the same to Gustavsson.