Comeau and Spaling crack the top six, Strome is hot, what to make of Foligno and more…

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It wasn't a shutout like Marc-Andre Fleury recorded earlier this week against the Habs but I'm calling last night's shootout win a positive step anyhow. Look, he had a bit of a meltdown in the first allowing three goals in 95 seconds of game action but I only blame him for the first of those.

Anyways, Fleury was left out there even after conceding a fourth goal early in the second period and he shut the door the rest of the way helping the Penguins complete the comeback even as they were outshot 14-7 in the final frame. I call that progress.

Nick Spaling and Blake Comeau, these are actually names to consider in fantasy hockey. I'm not kidding. They are both skating in the top-six for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Madness, I know but they each scored a goal last night and are taking advantage of their respective opportunities.

Spaling skated with Evgeni Malkin and Patric Hornqvist, who each had two points last night, while Comeau skated with Chris Kunitz and Sidney Crosby who were held off the board. I think we eventually see Beau Bennett and Steve Downie given shots in the top six as they are more skillful players but right now they are rolling on the third line with Brandon Sutter so the coach doesn't want to break up the chemistry.

I maintain that I like the fit of Comeau in the top six. He skates fast, works hard and knows to get the puck to the big boys. Can't argue with that. I need to see more from Spaling before he gets my endorsement. And don't go nuts with Comeau or anything. I just think he can get to 45 points in his current role, maybe score 20 goals. Though his current shooting percentage of 19.2% is double his career average.

Just perusing the future UFAs and there isn't a lot out there that I think the Penguins could snag for cheap but a couple of intriguing options did pop out for me.

Jiri Tlusty – This was the sexiest name out there that I think could actually be available. I know that new Hurricanes management appears to see the value in retaining established talent rather than dealing it off for draft picks that take forever to develop but if the Penguins made one of their top defensive prospects available then the Hurricanes would be fools not to consider a deal. Also, if Tlusty isn't willing to talk extension then they may be forced to sell him for pennies on the dollar.

The point is, we've seen what Tlusty can do with a couple of stars as linemates. That would only be amplified in Pittsburgh. Not that he's a perfect replacement for Pascal Dupuis but that player may not exist.

Michael Frolik – The Jets are going to hang onto Frolik so long as they are contending but they could definitely make a move if (when) they fall out of the playoff race. Frolik isn't overly interesting but so rarely are most deadline acquisitions. He does have three seasons of 40 points or more so there is some ability there but it seems that it mostly shines when granted a large role on a bad team. When Frolik skated for a contender in Chicago he did so in a marginal role and it showed with a lack of scoring. This could be a rare chance to skate for a contender with enough desperation to give him top-six minutes.

Drew Stafford – I mentioned him as a possibility for the Bruins earlier this year too though Seth Griffith seems to have grabbed that top line RW job for the time being. Stafford could instead be an option for Pittsburgh. He's big and has some skill, I suppose. I have to be honest, I don't really like Stafford that much but there certainly is a market for former 30-goal-scorers no matter how long ago that season was. If nothing else, it could be fun to see Crosby try to make a game out of intentionally bouncing passes off of Stafford in an effort to create offense.

I still think Bennett ends up filling one of the top-six spots. It's just fun to speculate.

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The Islanders played it smart against the Penguins and stayed out of the penalty box. That isn't entirely true, they did accrue seven PIM last night but those came in situations with coincidental Penguins penalties so the desired effect was achieved, the Penguins were kept off the power play. Maybe that didn't matter as much as the big scoring explosion in the first period did but the Islanders clawed out a win in Pittsburgh with their backup starting. That's huge.

Ryan Strome went off for three points last night and has eight points in his last seven games. It's nice to see the production continuing even though he has been moved back onto the second power play unit. He is also centering a third line comprised of Josh Bailey and Anders Lee. I don't see how this hot streak continues given the minutes Strome is skating (just 13:48 last night) but it's still notable that he's pulled it off.