David Desharnais had one point in 21 games to start the year. Seems like a distant memory now, doesn’t it? I think, on November 17, the most optimistic Desharnais owner didn’t think 50 points was even possible. He has 42 in his last 46 games and if he has 11 in his next 12 he will end up with 54 points. Amazing. Let’s say he does that. He ends up with 53 in his last 58 games, which is around a 75-point pace. Do you give him such an upside? I went from thinking he could be a 70-point guy to thinking he needs a new team just to be a 50-point guy again… to come full circle and think maybe 70? Naw, too bold. 65?

Thomas Vanek scored his first goal in  Montreal uniform. And his second. And third. After five games with just one assist, it wasn’t for lack of trying – he has 25 shots in the six games with his new team. Will he stay there? Montreal will certainly try to keep him. But I don’t see it. He’ll be looking for a king’s ransom. Though, if I remember correctly, the Habs can offer him an extra year that other team’s can’t since they already own him. So if they go max term they have a shot.

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Jamie McGinn has six points in four games now, taking advantage of the Parenteau injury and added ice time that entails.

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The Rangers scored eight goals, Derick Brassard tallied three points, was plus-4 and had four hits. He had gone eight games without a point, so I would guess that this gets him back on track.

Brad Richards – zero points. Here were the line combos:

St. Louis plays with Richards, over and over, and Richards does squat. St. Louis plays with Brassard, and Brassard kicks ass. I’m thinking this experiment will last awhile.

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Ales Hemsky was flying for the Sens, but now it seems he can’t catch a break. Minus-5 in his last two games. He’s still shooting the puck though, which I like as a sign for a short slump. One of many indicators, but still an indicator.

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Darren Kennedy goes over some very interesting stats. Take a look at his 25 stats here.

Gorgeous Nyquist goal here:

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Andrew MacDonald has just one assist as a Flyer. He is seeing secondary PP time (along with Streit), while Timonen sees time on the top unit.

Matt Read has nine points in his last nine contests. Line combos last night:

Read is so good at producing modest numbers on a depth line, with no real huge bump if he’s moved up to a scoring line, that he seems destined to be a 45-55 player forever.

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Nathan Lieuwen, who played games Friday, Saturday (AHL), Sunday… got his first NHL start Tuesday. Four games in five nights for a goalie. He stopped 23 of 26 and took the loss. I don’t see “No.1 NHL goaltender” in him.

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Joe Colborne has eight points in 11 games since Sochi. I no longer see the 60-point upside and don’t really value him as a prospect…but something about his size/skill combination keeps me interested. And then this happens.

Someone wants that big contract! Mike Cammalleri has nine points in eight games since he got the news that he was not traded at the deadline. Cammy hasn’t seen the happy side of 20 goals since 2010, but he’s there now. He’s shooting the puck these days like nobody’s business. It’s as if he suddenly discovered that he has nobody to pass to. Wait a minute…

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Pekka Rinne has started seven of eight games and I know that Nashville needs him if they want to even get a sniff of the playoff hunt…but the guy has been held to maybe seven or eight weeks, on and off, of rigorous workouts over the past year. He was roughed up for five goals last night and got the hook. But he needs some time off. Should be playing every second game, in my opinion.

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This is why I like Edmonton’s goalie duo for next year. Scrivens and Fasth are underrated, particularly Fasth. And barring that one blowout, Scrivens has played extremely well (he’s faced 50 or more shots twice!). But Fasth is undefeated in regulation as an Oiler.

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If you’re in a deep league with lots of categories and you need a defenseman, take a look at Boston’s Kevan Miller. He’s plus-15, and last night he had two PIM, two shots, four hits and two blocks. He also saw nearly 22 minutes of ice time. He’s good for two hits and two blocked shots per game.

Since joining the Bruins, Andrej Meszaros has three points in five games and is plus-6 with four PIM.

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Caught this during the Anaheim – Washington game: Washington is at a 41.2% clip on the power play since Sochi.

I can watch this Ovechkin goal over and over. Love the tic-tac-toe stuff:

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Ever since I recommended Tuomo Ruutu in my Puck Daddy article, he is pointless in three games. So forget I said anything.

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Ilya Bryzgalov got back between the pipes for Minnesota and earned a 36-save shutout. He’s allowed two goals on 58 shots with his new team and is making a case for himself to get more starts. His last regulation loss was on January 24 and he is 3-0-3 since then, with 10 goals allowed.

The Islanders may have been shut out (to put it politely), but don’t blame the new guy. Anders Lee wired eight shots on net. Really liking him as a sleeper for next year.

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Just as I was starting to back off on my Lee Stempniak stance, he goes out and gets three points. I should have known – whenever Crosby goes off, Stemp will benefit. And Crosby was due to “go off” soon. Sid reached the 90-point threshold last night.

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Bob McKenzie reported yesterday that the Minnesota Wild were going after NCAA free agent Greg Carey pretty hard. Carey is second in the nation behind only Johnny Gaudreau (Calgary prospect) in scoring. Just some caution – both Teddy Purcell and Tyler Bozak took several years to put the points on the board, so expect a similar timeline on Carey. Assuming he becomes an NHLer.

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Cam Atkinson was scratched again. Expect a lot of this over the final few games.

Anton Khudobin had 46 saves on 47 shots for the win. Cam Ward is going to have a hard time getting his next start.

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Brandon Pirri – two more points as of my posting this, giving him seven in his last five games. Yep – found the zone. I was so close to getting him at the deadline at a cheap price in my keeper league. Failed. But that’s partially because I was busy and partially because the other GM was busy. If we had more time for a more frequent back-and-forth discussion, I could have finalized it. I think next year, assuming the Panthers get a player up above 60 points and two or three more above 50 points, that Pirri will be one of those 50-point guys.

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Giroux in OT: