UPDATE:

 

It looks like Carey Price will return tonight against the Sens.

 

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Marty Havlat had a goal and an assist to help the Sharks to a victory over the Islanders. He'd be a very tempting acquisition right now, but you just know he won't stay healthy for long. If you are attempting to crack the playoffs in your in league, are you desperate enough to take the gamble?

 

Another Shark that's displayed an upswing in offensive production lately is James Sheppard. He's not an offensive juggernaut by any means, but he's been playing with Havlat and Tommy Wingels for the last few contests. Sheppard picked up a pair of assists against the Isles to give him his second multi-point game in his last three outings. It's hard to say how long this trio will last and produce, but you might want to cash in while you can.

 

Matt Nieto now has a four-game point streak going and is seeing some decent power play time. The Sharks' big names are well known, but it's some of these depth guys that can prove valuable down the stretch.

 

The Sharks display a passing clinic.

 

 

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So this Anders Lee from the Islanders looks like a player. He had two points on Friday to give him nine in eight games this season. He was inserted into the lineup after the Olympics and he's certainly taking advantage of the ice time. He's also got 23 shots over that stretch.

 

Another multi-point game from Kyle Okposo to go along with a plus-2 rating against the Sharks. That Tavares injury sure is taking its toll on his production.

 

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Evgeny Kuznetsov had three assists on Friday, a dream night that many fantasy owners have been waiting years for. He skated a bit more with Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom both on the power play and even strength. However, he still played less than 10 minutes and saw much of his time with Tom Wilson and Jay Beagle. I suspect that will be happening less and less as he gets more comfortable and his time with the top group will increase.

 

I can't believe how quickly the Caps have soured on Braden Holtby. Jaroslav Halak made his fourth straight start and played well, making 38 stops against Vancouver. Holtby just seems to be an afterthought there now.

 

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With Ryan Kesler out a couple weeks with a knee injury, things just seem to be going from bad to worse for the Canucks.

 

With that being said, it just means young players will get an opportunity to step up and Nicklas Jensen, Shawn Matthias, and Jordan Schroeder all scored for Vancouver on Friday. If you had to choose one of the three right now as an addition to your squad, Jensen is probably your best bet. The Canucks seem to be pushing him heavily as he saw over 20 minutes against the Caps and more than four of those were on the power play.

 

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Roberto Luongo got the better of Corey Schneider on Friday as the Panthers beat the Devils. Both guys must be happy to be out of Vancouver though with the way things are going there right now.

 

Jimmy Hayes now has four points in four games and is seeing steady power play time. He's worth a look as short-term addition.

 

Brian Campbell had two points Friday and he has been solid for the Panthers in the last few seasons. He won't get a lot of attention because of where he plays and how bad Florida has been in the standings, but he always logs major minutes.

 

It's still very early but he Luongo move has seemed to breathe new life in the team and they could be a squad to look out for next year.

 

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The Devils only had one power play opportunity on Friday and Damien Brunner took advantage grabbing an assist on a Jaromir Jagr goal. He added another helper later on to give him points in three of his last five. It's nothing to be ecstatic about at this point, but if Brunner keeps seeing time on the man advantage with Jagr, I like his chances to keep it going.

 

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The Oilers lost to the Wings in a shootout and Nail Yakupov is now pointless in his last five games. He's also been a minus-3 with only three shots in his last three contests. That's a healthy scratch waiting to happen.

 

Viktor Fasth looked sharp in a losing cause for his second straight strong outing. It appeared Ben Scrivens was starting to claim that Edmonton net, but he got rocked by the Blues on Thursday. Do things shift towards Fasth now in the immediate future? Will the Oilers ever find a No. 1 goalie? Find out next time on As the Crease Turns.

 

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Riley Sheahan scored his first goal since late February against the Oilers. He also played over 17 minutes, the second most ice he's seen all season. I know Sheahan hasn't showed much so far, but with all the injuries the Red Wings have down the middle, I'd be picking up any healthy center on that team right now. You know they are going to get opportunities just by default. 

 

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The Preds beat the Blackhawks 3-2 and it’s like night and day watching them play with Pekka Rinne in goal. They just have so much more confidence with him between the pipes. 

 

Roman Josi assisted on all three Nashville goals and added three blocks. He’s already a good player, but next year could be the time where he becomes a great one. Playing with Shea Weber certainly helps matters and Josi essentially gets the same amount of ice time overall and on the power play. If Seth Jones and Ryan Ellis continue to make strides as well, the Preds are quickly going to have one of the top defensive corps in the league in front of Rinne. 

 

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Peter Regin scored his second goal since coming over to Chicago last night. Regin’s not getting big minutes but I wonder if he could be a guy to take a risk on in a deep playoff pool. The Blackhawks are likely to go far and Regin could be this year’s Bryan Bickell.

 

Andrew Shaw had really struggled since the beginning of December but he seems to be breaking out of it. An assist against Nashville gave him points in four straight and he’s earned the minutes back that he lost when he wasn’t producing offensively. 

 

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Carl Hagelin had three goals against Winnipeg on Friday and led the Rangers with four hits. I mentioned Hagelin last week as a good pickup because he was playing with Brad Richards and Martin St. Louis, and with performances like that, his stay with that pair will likely continue. 

 

Kevin Klein had two assists last night and he now has as many points as Michael Del Zotto does since the two were swapped for one another. Wow.

 

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Ondrej Pavelec left the game against New York with an injury and was replaced by Al Montoya. Keep an eye on that situation if you own either guy.

 

Devin Setoguchi is now six straight without a point. It looked like he was turning things around at the start of February, but there’s just too much inconsistency with his play to be relied on.

 

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Even though Dallas lost to the Flames on Friday, it goes without saying that Tim Thomas is a good play until Kari Lehtonen gets back. Thomas has a ton of big game experience and will have plenty of goal support in front of him with the Stars.

 

Valeri Nichushkin has now been held off the score sheet for seven games and he had four turnovers on Friday. He’s still getting minutes with Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn, just not as many. I can’t see him sticking with that line for much longer until he picks it up.

 

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I can’t stress enough how good an add Joe Colborne would be right now. He’s been playing with Mike Cammalleri and Sean Monahan recently and would be a valuable guy to own down the stretch or even into next year as it looks like he is starting to becoming a focal point for the Flames. Cammalleri has four goals in three games and Colborne assisted on two of those Friday. I always thought the Leafs hastily dealt Colborne away without seeing what he could really do.

 

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The Avs dropped a 6-4 decision to the Ducks where nine of the 10 goals were scored in the second period.

 

Jamie McGinn had a pair, but that’s not where he can bring consistent value to your squad. His strength is in shots on goal as he averages about two per contest, and that’s even on a slower pace than he was firing them at last season.

 

Nathan MacKinnon has now gone four games without a point after that incredible run. It shouldn’t be that shocking as he’s still a rookie and bound to go through some tough stretches.

 

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The big fantasy news from Anaheim’s standpoint was that Teemu Selanne was bumped up to the big line with Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf. Selanne had an assist to give him his first point in six games. The Ducks have been resting him in back-to-back situations this year and managing his minutes, so even at 43 years old, Selanne should be fresh down the stretch. If he stays with that line it should pay big dividends.

 

Just like Ben Lovejoy drew it up.

 

 

 

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It looks as though Nicklas Backstrom will get his silver medal after being suspended for the gold medal game against Canada. Backstrom tested positive for a banned substance but the IOC ruled the Swedish doctor made an error. It's doubtful Backstrom's involvement in the game would have had an impact on the final score, but the fact he was forced to sit out of a huge moment like that is disappointing.

 

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Carey Price is closing in on a return. He practiced in full on Friday and there is a chance he could play Saturday against Ottawa.

 

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James Neal has another concussion and it remains to be seen who talks his place with Evgeni Malkin. Hopefully for Lee Stempniak owners it isn't him, because that means he'd be leaving Crosby and Kunitz, which is something you never want to see.

 

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Marian Hossa hopes to return from injury on Sunday when the Blackhawks take on the Red Wings. Kris Versteeg has enjoyed some extra opportunities as of late with Hossa on the shelf, but those should take a hit when Hossa returns to the lineup.

 

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The Colorado Avalanche are reportedly giving Reto Berra a three-year contract extension. Berra's numbers have been mediocre this season and even though he didn't have the greatest of teams in front of him in Calgary, the Avs giving up a second rounder at the deadline for him seemed steep. 

 

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A decent pick up right now if Jonathan Bernier's injury is significant would be James Reimer. He came in and played well Thursday night after Bernier went down and Reimer has been strong for the majority of his time in the NHL. The problem Reimer has been dealing with is small sample sizes. Between stays in the minors, injuries, and a lockout, he's never really had the chance to run with the ball for a full season. However, when called upon he's been excellent and his play in the post-season last year was stellar. If he gets a chance to string some starts together he will likely make the most of it. He thrives on those opportunities.

 

Michael Amato is an Associate Editor for DobberHockey and a News Editor for theScore. You can follow him on Twitter at @amato_mike