A few injuries from last night:

Paul Stastny was drilled from behind by Bryan Bickell – it doesn’t sound serious, though (stiff back/neck).

Erik Johnson left the Blues game with a leg injury. It looked a bit more serious and he didn’t return.

Lecavalier returned last night, to the surprise of many. He is only a few years removed from his 100+ point season, and he is far from over the hill. It is hard to get a read on where he is at right now, though.

I’d probably take a chance on him if you can get him below value, but his play earlier this season didn’t exactly scream “bounce back.”

Ryan Kesler was a one-man wrecking crew last night – his first career hat trick in addition to his usual stifling defense.

Kesler is on pace for 40 – I could see him reaching 30-35 if he continues to play on the top PP unit with the twins.

Chicago has already lost more games at home (nine) than they did all of last season (eight).

Colin Wilson has five goals in his past 10 games.

The Duchene-Fleischmann combination has found instant chemistry for Colorado. The pair combined for five points (including a Fleischmann hat trick) in the third period against Chicago last night.

Guess who led the Penguins in shots on goal last night? If you said Zbynek Michalek with five, you would be correct!

Henrik Lundqvist is the best goalie in the league. From game to game and over the course of a season goalies play well and struggle, but King Henrik brings it on a nightly basis like no other (in my humble opinion, at least).

Frolov had a goal and an assist last night – he had one assist in his previous nine games. He is a streaky player, and now might be the time to take a shot on him.

Don't forget about DobberBaseball. The Prospects Guide was released only a few weeks ago, and it will be updated right through the offseason.

It took Jamie McBain 29 games, but he has finally scored his first goal of the season for the Hurricanes. Huge buy-low candidate (more for keeper leagues, the ice time just isn't there right now).

After three straight pointless games, Jeff Skinner had two helpers (and eight shots on goal) for Carolina last night.

Did anyone catch the first episode of the HBO 24/7 special on the Caps/Pens Winter Classic? Thoughts?

Nick Norris played like it was 2001 last night – three goals, an assist, five shots on goal, and over 22 minutes of ice time.

Zetterberg had four helpers for the Wings, and the streaky Dan Cleary had two goals and a helper.

Jiri Hudler was pointless, but he did have four shots on goal. Baby steps…

Van Riemsdyk is a few years away from big numbers, but he continues to show flashes of the player he could become one day. Two goals (including the game-winner) in less than 14 minutes of ice time.

Montreal battled back hard to tie the game, but the Flyers flexed their offensive muscle to take the game over late in the third.

Philadelphia's depth is incredibly hard for most teams to match up with.

Subban had two points for the Canadiens. He was flying all game long – such a dynamic player. I am glad he is not trying to change his game to "conform" to Montreal's defensive, tight-checking style. Kudos to Jacques Martin for letting Subban play to his strengths.

Three of Martin Brodeur's wins this season have been of the shutout variety.

Stafford (hat trick) and Roy (three helpers) combined for six points last night.

Rask stopped 32 of 35 shots, but was tagged with the loss. He can't buy a break this season.

Boston rookie defenseman Steve Kampfer recorded his first career NHL point last night. Kampfer is known for his offense (26 points in his final season at Michigan, and an impressive 16 points in only 20 games to star this season with Providence of the AHL).

Ovechkin looked very un-Ovechkin to me last night – timid and passing up scoring opportunities (especially on odd-man rushes). Confidence is low right now.

Semyon Varlamov got the start after giving up seven last game – Neuvirth must be sick/injured (I haven't been able to find anything).

Kovalchuk scored twice last night, including one of his patented one-timer shots on the power play. The ultimate buy-low candidate – proven track record, young, healthy. It would be a very, rare, rare anomaly for him to completely waste away into oblivion (also known as Alexei Yashin).

New Jersey's other goal was from rookie defenseman Mark Fayne – his first of his career. He played at Providence for four years – the Devils have a steady rotation of rookie defensemen going this season.

Marc Staal and Dan Girardi may be the most unappreciated pairing in the entire league. Fans of good defensive hockey should love watching them play.

Both move the puck well and will finish up between the 25-35 point mark – nothing amazing, but definitely solid numbers for most league formats.

My World Junior preview column will be posted by Sunday. That is a firm deadline. Canada is going to be a very gritty/physical team this year.

Benoit Pouliot played like a 4^th overall draft pick last night. Too bad it is something that only occurs once every 10 or 15 games. He is such a talented player, and so hard to knock off the puck when he is playing with purpose.

A great (and seemingly controversial) read on Bourne's Blog – The NHL's Cold War on Character.

One goalie I wrote off long ago who is having a great season – Leland Irving. I did the same to Jimmy Howard a few years ago…

Irving obviously has to wait a few years to break through with the Flames (as a starter), but he appears to have put his career back on track.

Jordan Schroeder will be for four-to-six weeks with a high ankle sprain.

Cody Hodgson's orbital bone injury will not require surgery as was initially feared. Look for him to be back in a few weeks with the Moose.

Travis Hamonic has looked pretty good this season for the Isles, all things (brutal team) considered. A solid read on him here.

Hamonic has some offensive upside, mostly because of his ability to log a lot of minutes, and his heavy shot. He is a slightly less physical, more offensive Brent Seabrook (stylistically, at least).

Thanks to Cam Ward for posting a GAA above 70 for me last night…

Patrick Kane may be back as early as Friday against the Red Wings. Keep an eye on this and adjust your line-ups accordingly.

Mario Lemieux will play for the Penguins during the Winter Classic alumni game. As if you needed another reason to tune in.

Ryan Callahan will be out for a while after breaking his hand blocking a shot last night. He has been a huge part of the Rangers all season long – this is a huge blow.

Crosby and Malkin looked fantastic combining on a beauty of a goal last night. Malkin has been flying over the past two games – the time off allowed for him to heal whatever injury he had been dealing with for most of the season.

The Caps are winless in seven games. Tick tock, Mr. Boudreau…

Speaking of streaks, Nashville is 7-0-2 in their past nine games. An amazing feat when you look at that roster (a statement that could be said every year with regards to the Predators).

Crosby and Malkin with a beauty give-and-go:

Kesler with a snipe last night: