Howard, Crawford in trouble? Don’t get too worked up about Patrick Kane; and more …

***

Baseball draft this weekend like me? These Cheat Sheets ($3.99) are updated and put together by a true expert in the field. For the cost of chump change.

*

After his hat trick last night, Cam Atkinson has 20 points in his last 29 games – or about a 57-point pace. That’s where I hope to see him at next year. Lord knows he shoots enough to do it.

*

Corey Crawford has given up four goals five times in his last 13 games and he’s been pulled twice. He was pulled last night and Scott Darling shut the door. Darling has played over 100 minutes of shutout hockey and I suspect he’ll get the next start. (And get that starting goalie info over at Goalie Post).

What is going on with Brett Seabrook? Boy did I ever trade him just in time. In his last 35 games, here is his line: 35-1-8-9, minus-9. Before that: 39-7-15-22, plus-3

*

The line combination of Thomas Vanek – Justin Fontaine – Charlie Coyle continues to roll. They combined on a goal, but the fact that they found chemistry has suddenly pushed Fontaine into fantasy relevance. He has 16 points in his last 21 contests. Worth picking up for this season, and an outside chance of being a high-40s player next season if he can keep that plum spot for even half the schedule.

Any Devan Dubnyk 40-win believers out there yet? I’m starting to become one. He has 34 wins and the team has seven games left. Needs to go 6-and-1. To put that another way – the next seven games he needs to do what he did the last seven games (6-1-0).

*

Benoit Pouliot is a serious must-own for poolies in the stretch run here. And to be honest, I like him a lot for next year as well. Whether the Oilers get McDavid or not, his contract will see to it that he’s on a scoring line. And he’ll likely get several extended shots at this line – and we’re already seeing that it can work.

Richard Bachman seems to have settled in. After getting blasted for six goals in his first loss, he allowed just two in his second loss and then last night picked up the shutout. Edmonton seems to be holding to a pattern in which Ben Scrivens starts eight or nine games in a row before the backup gets in one game, so it’s doubtful that Bachman will get a chance to build on that.

By the way – what are the Oilers doing? I thought they were the kings of tank? Winning? A record of 4-4-2 in the last 10? That’s not how you get a McDavid!

The Maple Leafs are very much in range of the Oilers. Just three points ahead and performing much, much worse. I’m starting to become a believer that the Leafs can finish third-last.