Valtteri Filppula has six points in his last four games.

Jeremy Morin played almost 13 minutes last night (three of which was on the PP). He was pointless. Look for him to get a shot to produce while Hossa is out.

Dobber here. Brent Lemon and I whipped something together for Puck Daddy that can be found here. We will have something for Puck Daddy every Thursday. Also check in at thn.com this afternoon, I have nice piece on some dark horses (I may not be around to put up the link here, but if I am I will)

Rene Bourque is such an underrated player, both in real and in fantasy hockey. He is on pace for over 35 goals, and he plays with a ton of grit and defensive acumen.

When a backup gets a win on the road, it goes a long way to helping a team out. Henrik Karlsson was solid for the Flames in a rare appearance.

Another Calgary player I really like (and own in three pools) – Mark Giordano. He plays hard and he has a lot of skill with the puck. He's currently on pace for less than 40 points – I'd expect him to finish the season at or close to the 45-point mark.

Pierre-Marc Bouchard scored last night for the Wild. He played close to 15 minutes, including a regular shift on the PP. I'd expect 30-40 points from him from here to the rest of the season. A huge injury risk, but he will get his ice time.

What the hell were the Ducks wearing last night? U-G-L-Y.

Marty Havlat is ventilating opposing goalies right now – if he played in a bigger hockey market he'd be getting a lot more attention. Those who stuck through the rough start are reaping the rewards.

Andrei Markov is out for the rest of the season with a knee injury.

Vanek, Ennis, and Roy combined for eight points last night.

Drew Stafford had a goal (a beauty feed from Roy, make sure you check it out) and an assist in his first game back this season.

I got a very interesting offer in a keeper league – Jakub Voracek for my Patrick Sharp. If my league didn't count face off wins as a stat (and Sharp wasn't a LW), I'd probably be thinking harder about making this deal.

Phil Kessel is centering the second line for Toronto. I don't see this experiment going well.

Nazem Kadri has moved to the fourth line – he needs to be in the AHL, playing 20+ minutes per night.

If your league counts blocked shots, Keith Ballard should have some value. He isn't getting any PP time right now, but he blocked seven shots last night and is looking better each game.

His off-season surgery was pretty significant (hip injury), so the rust at the beginning of the season should have been expected.

Pekka Rinne is out for 2-3 weeks – Dekanich and Lindback both bear watching. I suspect the Preds will give Lindback a shot to start and then just stick with the better goalie on a game to game basis.

The snag in the Sturm deal – LA thought he was game-ready. Sturm is still a few weeks away from returning.

Big early-season miss – Milan Hejduk. I had him pegged for 20 goals and 50 points. He's currently on pace for close to 30 goals and 90 points. I don't see him reaching either of those totals, but he must have had a great off-season training.

Fleischmann was pointless in close to 17 minutes of ice time in his Colorado debut.

Matt Hunwick was a minus-2 and he played close to 23 minutes. Both Hunwick and Shattenkirk saw more PP time than JM Liles.

A telling quote about Jeff Skinner, who scored his eight goal of the season last night:

“He seems to play his best hockey in the third period, especially in tight games, and he stays consistent,” Paul Maurice said." That tells us he’s not dragging, he’s not fatiguing.”

Alex Frolov may have been demoted to the fourth line (12 minutes of ice time), but he is still seeing a ton of PP time (close to five minutes).

Last week, Brent Lemon did a column on Martin Brodeur, using some of the work found in the book "HockeyNomics" by Darcy Norman. The column created quite a buzz and there was a lot of interest in this book. The good people at OverTime Books are giving away one of these books per day until Saturday. A great Christmas gift for the fantasy nerd in your life (or for yourself, if you’re the fantasy nerd!).

The first person who can create a thread in the forum in The Lounge called "Saturdays Answer" and can tell us, using the Frozen Pool “Line Combo" Tool, who Brandon Sutter's most common linemates are this season), will get a copy free. If you have won something from the site this year, you are ineligible – sorry!

Joffrey Lupul is playing tonight for the Ducks. He had spent the past week in the AHL with Syracuse.

Travis Hamonic has been very, very good for the Islanders in his four games. He reminds me so much of Brent Seabrook – not as physical yet, but a bit more reliable in his own zone (at least at the same age).

Chicago hadn't been shut out in over a calendar year before last night.

DobberHockey forum contributor duballstar014 with a fantastic piece on Colorado prospect Stefan Elliott.

Heatley returns to Ottawa:

An old-fashioned beatdown. Who said Pat Kaleta ducks fights? (That may have been me…) A disgraceful celebration, though:

Roberto Luongo… the poet: