Another Av having a great, perhaps under-the-radar season is Tyson Barrie. The Avs' blueliner recorded three assists on Saturday (two on the power play), pushing him up to 43 points (10g-33a). I pursued him in my auction keeper league, but I was outbid by another owner who seemed to want him just a little bit more. It seems as if Barrie is now paying off for that owner.

Is Carey Price the NHL's best goalie right now? Sure it might only be against the toothless Coyotes, but Price recorded his seventh shutout of the season on Saturday. Price now leads the NHL in wins (37), save percentage (.936), and goals-against average among qualified leaders (1.89). I'm thinking you'll need a first-round pick to draft Price in fantasy leagues next season, although I'm usually averse to drafting a goalie in the first round.

But Price doesn't lead in shutouts. That distinction belongs to Marc-Andre Fleury, who posted his ninth goose egg of the season in the Penguins' 1-0 overtime win in Los Angeles. Fleury singlehandedly kept the Pens in this one, making 31 saves to Jonathan Quick's 18. Does Fleury's regular-season success finally carry over to the postseason? That will be interesting to see, given his recent history.

Mike Smith didn't earn a shutout on Saturday, which can be said for all his starts this season. But he didn't play all that badly, stopping 33 of 34 shots in the Coyotes' loss. Still, you'll want to check out this thread on the Forums started by a member who took a massive leap of faith and started Smith tonight.

Ho hum, another big night for John Tavares (1g-2a). Tavares now sits atop the NHL scoring race as the first 70-point player this season. Linemates Anders Lee and Josh Bailey added to their point streaks in that game (4 points and 3 points, respectively). Lee might already be added in your league by now, but Bailey should be available in most leagues and is worth a look while he is on the Tavares line.

I love watching Radim Vrbata score. Pinpoint accuracy and exceptional patience in waiting for the goalie to commit seem to be his strengths. Vrbata scored his 24^th and 25^th goals of the season, and even saved a goal on a puck sitting on the Canucks' goal line. I tend to think that free agent signings more often than not do not pay off for the team signing the player, but where would the Canucks be without Vrbata?

Speaking of the Canucks, do not take your eye off the goaltending situation, even when Ryan Miller returns. Eddie Lack passes the eye test, keeping the Canucks in games while key members of their defense have been (Alex Edler) or still are (Kevin Bieksa, Chris Tanev) injured. It will be interesting to see how the Canucks' goaltending situation plays out in the offseason. Lack, Miller, and Jacob Markstrom will all be vying for playing time next season, and there's no way the Canucks carry all three goalies in their system.

Finally, this is the kind of season that it's been for Patrick Marleau in the goal department.

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