The Midseason Guide – if you haven’t picked it up yet, get it here

Don’t forget – today’s games start at 1pm EST…

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If you don’t mind the plus/minus, Buffalo’s rookie rearguard Nikita Zadorov has seven points in his last 16 games. He’s seeing top PP time and loads of ice time for a rookie. He saw a total of 30 minutes in the first three games of the season…and these days he’s seeing over 20 per game. In fact, eight of his last 11 games have seen his minutes top 20. You can read more on Zadorov here.

Hopefully you haven’t been activating Jhonas Enroth lately. Horrible numbers. Eighteen goals allowed in the last three games – that’s on 94 shots.

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Back-to-back two-point games for Gustav Nyquist gives him 15 points in his last 13 games. Tomas Tatar has been equally as hot, with points in five straight games (eight in that span). I’d say the torch is being passed in Detroit…but I can’t. Not when Henrik Zetterberg bangs out a four-point game last night.

Petr Mrazek was pulled after giving up three goals on seven shots – and then the Red Wings won 6-4. I’d say Thomas McCollum led the charge and saved the day, but he faced just eight shots and the goal he gave up was pretty weak. McCollum doesn’t have a future in fantasy hockey in my opinion. Not because of that game, but just in general I’ve felt that way. It’s hard to believe he’s 25 now. He was a first-round pick in 2008.

McCollum was drafted 30th overall. And 91 picks later, Detroit drafted Nyquist.

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After going pointless in his first two, David Perron is settling in nicely with the Penguins. He has six points in the last three games. He’s signed for next year, too. Out of Perron, Patric Hornqvist, Chris Kunitz, Beau Bennett, Blake Comeau and Pascal Dupuis – I would rather own Perron. In both one-year and keeper leagues. This is a James Neal situation, in which a 60-point player gets turned into 80-plus. As opposed to a Dupuis situation in which a 40-point player gets turned into 65. The other players I mentioned fall somewhere between the two.

Perron just seems to be getting used to how Crosby works. And the scary thing is – he’s probably only halfway to that full understanding.

Here were the Penguins line combos last night:

Malkin will be playing with Hornqvist and Comeau within about a week (likely). Bennett needed to put up some offense there, and he hasn’t been. So the door opens back up for Comeau.

Kris Letang has seven points in four games and three consecutive two-point efforts.