Kari Lehtonen left the game in the first period with a lower-body injury. Richard Bachman came in and was fantastic. I get the feeling that he and Nihlstorp will split duties for a couple of weeks. It’s early – and no real word has come out. But Lehtonen missed five games with a groin injury already. And last year he missed 12 games with a groin injury. With nine games left, I can see each of the three goalies getting three starts. So yeah, my guess is that one Dallas goalie is as good as another for the final nine.

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Beau Bennett saw just two ES and four PP shifts with Evgeni Malkin. Instead he played primarily with Tanner Glass and Craig Adams. He still managed to score. He has 10 points in his last 16 NHL games.

I’m surprised and impressed that Pascal Dupuis is still doing well without Sidney Crosby. I was ready to trade him at the deadline in one league, and bench him for this week in another. Fortunately, neither came to pass. He has five points in his last three games, including three last night. That’s better than, say, Jarome Iginla. Dupuis’ plus-24 sits eighth in the league.

Iginla has two points in five games for Pittsburgh playing almost every shift with Evgeni Malkin.

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The chemistry that Matt Calvert is showing with Cam Atkinson is the sole reason that I like Calvert as a fantasy prospect. I think there is promise, for that reason only. That’s how highly I regard Atkinson.

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The Blues recalled prospect Dmitrij Jaskin, which had me scrambling a little. I thought (and still think) he’s two years away and had him safely stashed in the minors in my one keeper. This surprise recall slipped him up to my reserve and I have an illegal roster for next week if something doesn’t change. Also, because of his impressive 99 points in 51 QMJHL games, as well as his size (6-3, 205) and pedigree (second-round pick in 2011), he has been shooting up the Fantasy Prospects List. After the recall, I had to go back to St. Louis and tweak him upwards even more. That list is updated either as you read this or it will be up very soon.

Jaskin was scratched from last night’s game.

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So the old Brian Elliott is back? The old Elliott is back. (Or is it the newish, semi-former Elliott?) He has won four games in a row, two shutouts, and has allowed just four goals. Quickly punching that in on my calculator… yep, 1.00 GAA.

Then again, to slow the Predators’ offense the secret is to trick them into hiring Barry Trotz as coach.

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Well this is interesting, and I know that most roto leagues are desperate for waiver-wire defensemen – Jack Hillen has posted back-to-back two-point games for the Caps. He’s also plus-4 in that span.

Eric Fehr‘s goal last night marked his first point in over a month. Only once this season did he tally a point without it being followed by a hot streak (two hot streaks in all – four games and three games).

Michal Neuvirth has won two starts in a row. Now that he’s finally getting starts behind a Capitals team that is actually playing very well, it may be challenging for Braden Holtby to get back in there.

Both Alex Ovechkin and Steven Stamkos scored their 26th last night to lead the NHL. Ovi has this wrapped up, just watch.

I took a look at my Ovechkin article over at The Hockey News, and browsed through the comments. Also looked at the comments in my player rankings. Readers were very hard on him, with many feeling that he was truly done and would never be even a 90-point player again. Some of the wording seems silly now, just six weeks later. But it speaks to the fact that fantasy hockey owners follow the game so closely that 15 games seem to take forever, and in that sense a more casual fan may make the smarter move in the same fantasy league. That move being ‘do nothing’.

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Craig Anderson lost to his former backup last night. Ben Bishop stopped 31 of 33 shots for the W.

Mark Barberio played his first NHL games, seeing 14:12 ice time and posting minus-1. He led both teams in giveaways with four, which paints a picture as to why it took the team so long to call him up and give him his shot.

Benoit Pouliot was a healthy scratch for TB. Three points, eight SOG and plus-4 in his last three games. There obviously has to be something more to it.

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I didn’t want to bring his name up because I felt it would stop appearing in box scores. But it’s not. So, Kevin Porter. Four points in four games and he’s seeing steady ice time at around 14 minutes. Only worth a short-term look if you’re truly desperate for a No.4 center. At one time he was a very good fantasy prospect.

Drew Stafford, Thomas Vanek and Tyler Ennis were each minus-4 last night. Stafford is a minus-16 on the season.

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Tobias Enstrom left the game last night in the first period. Looks like he re-injured his shoulder and is “day-to-day” per TSN. But speculation is, he’ll be done for at least a week or two.

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Ray Emery has three shutouts in his last five starts and is 15-1-0 on the season. I get the sense that the Hawks will continue to roll with him while Crawford rides the pine.

Chicago line combos with Patrick Sharp back in the lineup:

Saad – Toews – Hossa

Sharp – Kruger – Kane

Bickell – Handzus – Stalberg

Carcillo – Shaw – Frolik

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Four-game points streak for Vern Fiddler and he had another three points last night. So seven points in his last four games for Crosby Fiddler.

Alex Chiasson is making the most of his stint. He has points in each of his last three games, and has four points in four games on the year for Dallas.

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It would be funny if Bernier continued to outplay Quick in the regular season and then Quick played his way out of a series in the playoffs and Bernier carried the Kings to the Cup. Then Quick would have this Luongo-type of contract that would be all over the news for the next year or two as trade rumors speculate.

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Blake Wheeler‘s 15 goals are great. But he leads the NHL in empty-net goals with four, including one last night.

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Just to set your mind at ease, Dany Heatley‘s shoulder surgery was successful. He’s out for the season and the playoffs are in doubt. But the important thing is – the surgery succeeded.

Frankly, I don’t think you can judge the success of a surgery until months or even years later. As in – “Man, my shoulder hasn’t been the same since I had that surgery. Definitely unsuccessful.”

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Ovechkin’s goal last night. He’s definitely back.

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Brayden Schenn bites off more than he can chew with Matt Martin: