4.2%

EV

21 GIONTA,BRIAN – 32 MOEN,TRAVIS – 14 PLEKANEC,TOMAS

Safe to say they struggled to find the right combination on the third line with Alex Galchenyuk out?

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Steve Mason put up another strong performance for the Flyers as he continues to resurrect his value (fantasy and otherwise).

Andrej Meszaros is apparently alive and well (could've fooled me) as he assisted on all three Flyers goals. Do not rush out to grab him unless you play in a pool that rewards healthy scratches, incompetence and incontinence.

For some reason the Flyers decided it would be wise to reward their second power play unit with the majority of the power play minutes. So the Sean Couturier–Vincent Lecavalier–Brayden Schenn–Steve Downie–Mark Streit group skated nearly five minutes with the man advantage. While the big boys, most of whom are riding serious hot streaks, took a back seat. It's no wonder then that Claude Giroux, Scott Hartnell, Jakub Voracek and Wayne Simmonds were all held off the board.

It's worth mentioning that Lecavalier has been skating on the wing on the third line. I don't know how long this has been going on but it doesn't sound great for his fantasy prospects (though he does continue to skate big minutes).

Michael Raffl continues to skate on the top line for Philly. He doesn't see power play time but I can say that he certainly passes the eye test. Very slick player and a good fit with Giroux and Voracek.

Philly is rolling right now having won nine of their last 11 and look like a lock to make the playoffs. They are starting to put some distance between themselves and the muck that is the Eastern Conference Wild Card race.

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Another team starting to emerge from the muck (though still very much in it) is the New York Rangers who came away with a VERY impressive regulation win on the road in Chicago.

The Rangers got up early but as you can expect the Blackhawks were able to push back and tie the game. The Blackhawks carried the play for stretches but I was genuinely impressed by the Rangers' resolve. They didn't just sit back and let the Blackhawks take over after tying it. They pushed back and started to carry the play themselves ultimately taking the lead for good late in the third period, which meant we got to see the most exciting thing in hockey: the Blackhawks' six-on-five power play with the net empty.

The Blackhawks are so dangerous when they pull the goalie I would honestly give consideration to doing it in non-desperation situations. Like, the opposing team ices the puck with dog-tired players. Pull the goalie and hem them in like crazy! It's so insane it just might work.

Henrik Lundqvist had to be sharp stopping 35 of 37 shots though he did allow a pretty weak one to Brandon Bollig.

Don't look now but Michael Del Zotto has a three-game scoring streak on the go. I know, I shit my pants out of shock too. All three points in his recent streak have been power play markers, which is a good sign seeing as that is the one area he is supposed to be most effective.

Don't worry, Ryan McDonagh owners, McD is still the main man on the top power play unit leading the team in power play ice time once again. It might take a million-game scoring streak for Del Zotto to usurp McD considering the hole he has dug for himself.

Brad Richards has a three-game streak of his own on the go. This one feels much more legitimate considering Ryan Callahan is back healthy and also has points in three straight.

Carl Hagelin completes that line and while not officially "streaking" he does have three points in the last three games, including last night's game winner.

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Marcus Kruger got bumped up to center the second line between Patrick Kane and Kris Versteeg. He managed an assist in 14 minutes of ice time. Before you get all hot and bothered, realize that he still saw zero power play time, which marginalizes his fantasy prospects no matter who he skates with at evens.

I never thought Duncan Keith would have another season like 2009-10. After all it involved him firing over 200 shots and scoring 14 goals, on top of the absurd number of assists. Keith is once again on pace to top 200 shots but has just three goals. Those 40 assists though, I guess those are okay. The race between him and Erik Karlsson is close and if I were betting I'd bet on Karlsson but that doesn't diminish what Keith is doing.

Here's a question worth asking though: Keith or Ryan Suter for the Norris Trophy?

There is still half a season to go and other candidates may emerge but in my mind those are the only two worth discussing right now. Not that there aren't great defensemen out there. Seriously, look at that scoring race again. I just think those two are a notch above. If the Senators can make a playoff push Karlsson starts becoming a real candidate for me again.

And that's not saying that Karlsson isn't a good candidate. I just believe that the year-end trophies should accurately reflect what storylines were most important in a given season. Karlsson just hasn't registered because of the Senators' mediocre play.

Keith going bonkers again in an Olympic year and Suter skating all the minutes for the Wild are the two stories that resonate most with me. That’s why they are my 1-2 for the Norris.

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In the late game the Ottawa Senators were downed in overtime by the Colorado Avalanche.

Craig Anderson's five-game winning streak was snapped but his seven-game point streak continues, which I guess is still pretty important considering where the Senators stand in the Eastern Conference Wild Card muck. Still, the loss has to sting considering a win would have pulled them into a tie with Toronto for the final playoff spot. Toronto would have held the tiebreaker by virtue of having played one fewer game however the next tiebreaker (regulation/overtime wins is held by Ottawa). So yeah, that muck is going to be no end of interesting over the next three or so months.

The aforementioned Karlsson notched two assists to gain ground on Keith. Karlsson also sits third in the NHL in minutes per game so if it comes down to it he has a pretty good argument against Suter in the Norris conversation.

Jason Spezza skated for the first time in 2014, scoring a goal. He skated on the top power play unit but was on the third line with Mark Stone and Colin Greening at evens.

Stone, by the way, skated double digit minutes for the first time this season. I don't know how long he sticks with the big club but he has two points in three games so far.

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Tyson Barrie scored the overtime winner for the Avalanche and notched two points on the night. He has a three-game scoring streak going but with some healthy scratches mixed in for good measure. He was back to leading the team in power play time last night, though it was a mere 51 seconds worth as the Avalanche scored on their lone opportunity.

Amid concerns of injury Nathan MacKinnon was back in the lineup for the Avalanche and skated on the top line with Jamie McGinn and Matt Duchene.

Both MacKinnon and Duchene were held scoreless though the pair did land 10 shots on goal.

McGinn, skating on the second power play unit scored his fourth goal in the last five games.

Most of the offense came from the surging second unit with Paul Stastny and Gabriel Landeskog each registering three points. Stastny now has eight points in the last three games while Landeskog has an eight-game scoring streak on the go.

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As usual some great nuggets in Elliotte Friedman's latest 30 Thoughts:

14. Randy Carlyle chewed out Nazem Kadri on the bench at the Winter Classic for a bad giveaway. It’s clear the Maple Leafs are frustrated with him, but here’s a stat they should be aware of. Kadri had 44 points in 48 games last season, an average of .92.  It wasn’t a full season, which is important, but, since 2005-06, here is the list of players who averaged .92 points per game playing at least 48 times as a 22-year-old: Malkin, Ovechkin, Crosby, Spezza, Kovalchuk, Backstrom, Stamkos, Stastny, Getzlaf, Mike Richards, Patrick Kane, Kopitar, Tavares, Semin, Toews, Hemsky and Stepan. Do not give up on him easily.

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There is something all too funny about seeing David Clarkson as a grocery store clerk.

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Puck Drunk Love takes a look at the 10 best lines in the NHL.

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Kyle Turris with a wicked clapper:

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You can follow me on Twitter @SteveLaidlaw.