Is Vladimir Tarasenko a first-round fantasy pick next year? Is Cam Talbot human? Who is Andrej Nestrasil?

Don't recognize the name at the top of the page? Allow me to reintroduce myself… My name is Mike Schmidt, and I'm a DobberHockey writer tasked with putting together the "Looking Ahead" column every week during the regular season. I'm making a special guest appearance in the Ramblings today and Wednesday.

A few quick facts about me… I live just outside of Madison, Wis. in the bustling metropolis of Fort Atkinson, which is about two hours northwest of Chicago. I work as the managing editor of three automotive trade magazines for a small publishing company. In addition to playing fantasy hockey (and just about any and every other fantasy sport), my hobbies and interests include long-distance running, craft beer and bad movies.  My favorite NHL team is the Minnesota Wild, while my favorite players are Mikko Koivu, Evander Kane and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. I enjoy Stone Brewing Company's Stone IPA more than any other beer, and I strongly believe Tango & Cash is the greatest bad movie of all time.

With that aside, let's talk fantasy hockey…

The stellar performances turned in by goaltenders like Cam Talbot, Andrew Hammond, Devan Dubnyk and Eddie Lack serve as a reminder of just how difficult it is to project a player's production in net over a few weeks, a few months, or even a full season. Injuries and/or subpar play open the door for unheralded guys like those listed above, and sometimes they play like the Tuukka Rasks and Pekka Rinnes of the word for a little while. Some go all Michael Hutchinson on us and turn back into middling backups, while others turn out to be reliable starters in both real life and in fantasy. The important thing for fantasy owners to remember is not to rush to judgement about a goalie's future outlook based on how he looks once he breaks into the NHL. So, how long does it take for a netminder's true talent to reveal itself? Well… Once he sees several thousand shots or more, then (and only then) can the fantasy community assign proper value to him. Sure, it pays to grab unproven goalies to see if they can catch fire. Just know that you or I don't know anything about them.

*

Speaking of goaltenders, several of them turned in spectacular performances on Sunday. St. Louis's Jake Allen and Washington's Braden Holtby both shut out their opponents (Dallas and Boston, respectively). Holtby turned away 32 shots, while Allen totaled 28 saves.

Nicklas Backstrom registered a pair of assists in Washington's 2-0 home win over the Bruins, while Troy Brouwer added one.

Brouwer continues to be an overlooked fantasy forward for no good reason. He's a shoe-in for 20 goals this year, he has totaled six points in his past eight games, and he is currently playing on his team's top power-play unit. He's available in 75 percent of Yahoo leagues (in case you're interested).

It wasn't all that long ago that 2014 first-round selection Andre Burakovsky was relevant in fantasy and playing on the same line as Alex Ovechkin. Now the 20-year-old rookie is being shuttled back and forth between the Caps and the Hershey Bears of the AHL. He's totaled just one point since Feb. 15. How quickly fantasy fortunes change.

*

Allen deserves kudos for the shutout over Dallas, but he's been pretty underwhelming in net this year (.903 save percentage and 2.55 goals-allowed average heading into Sunday's game). Meanwhile, St. Louis has turned to veteran goalie Brian Elliott in six straight games prior to Sunday, so don't expect anything to change just because of one game. I expect Elliott to get the lion's share of work down the stretch. After all, he's been nothing but great for the vast majority of his three-plus seasons with the Blues.

Alex Pietrangelo had two assists in the win, while it was Vladimir Tarasenko's goal in the third period that broke a 0-0 tie and helped propel the Blues to victory. Is Tarasenko a first-round pick in fantasy leagues next year? I think so. I'd take him over Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Jamie Benn.

Another day brought another top-notch performance from the aforementioned Cam Talbot. The New York Rangers netminder stopped 38 of 39 shots to help his squad secure a 2-1 victory over the visiting Florida Panthers on Sunday. What more can be said about this guy that hasn't already been said? He stopped 20 shots IN THE SECOND PERIOD ALONE. Wow… just wow. Meanwhile, there is still no timetable for Henrik Lundqvist's return. As someone who owns Talbot in a fantasy league where playoffs start today, I'm hoping King Henrik takes all the time he needs to recover from a strained blood vessel.

*

What a game in Ottawa. The Senators secured a shootout victory over visiting Philadelphia thanks to Bobby Ryan, but the squad nearly won the game in the final seconds of regulation when Milan Michalek fired a shot off the post with the game tied 1-1. As far as speculative waiver-wire adds go, Michalek is someone to think about. He has never been (and likely never will) be able to replicate the fluky 60-point campaign he registered during the 2011-12 season, but his ice time and production has been trending in the right direction as of late. He's seeing 17-18 minutes of action a night and has scored six points in his last seven games. Just something to keep in mind.

Then there was the Hamburglar. He was at it again on Sunday. Ottawa rookie goaltender Andrew Hammond, who has started 11 of his team's past 13 games and allowed two or fewer goals in all of them, stopped 27 of 28 shots during regulation and got the win over the Flyers. At some point the clock will strike midnight and he'll turn into Jonas Gustavsson, right? That being said, Sens coach Dave Cameron has no choice but to continue to roll with the 27-year-old rookie. The same can be said for fantasy owners who employ Hammond. He's earned the opportunity.

*

Remember Petr Mrazek? The Detroit goalie stopping 42 shots and allowed just one goal to lift the Red Wings to a 5-1 victory over Pittsburgh.

This game was short on drama. Detroit led 4-0 after two periods and scored the first five goals of the contest, bolstered by two points from Henrik Zetterberg.  Pittsburgh failed to get on the board until the midway point of the third and final period. Yawn.  

Though the Pens saw Sidney Crosby return to the lineup after missing one game due to illness, they lost Patric Hornqvist for the game in the second period. What exactly is wrong with Hornqvist is… uhhhh… unclear. Apparently, it could be a back, hip or groin injury.  That narrows it down. No word on the severity, either. Something to keep an eye on.

*

Two more points for Carolina's Andrej Nestrasil. He's now got nine in his last nine games. Who does he think he is? Eric Staal?

Nick Foligno scored his first power-play goal in 33 games for Columbus, but the Blue Jackets fell to the visiting Hurricanes, 3-2. Sergei Bobrvosky got an assist in the loss. So… that's something.

*

This is something I needed to see to believe. Journeyman defenseman Matt Hunwick scored his first goal since March 17, 2012 (a span of 93 games) on Sunday. It ended up being the game-winner for the New York Rangers in their 2-1 victory over Florida.

*

I’ll see you all Wednesday. Thanks for the opportunity.