Chris Nichols

­Chris Nichols is Sportsnet.ca's fantasy hockey writer.

@Nichols_NHLPool on Twitter for timely NHL & poolie info, along with occasionally snarky comments.

Live blogging nightly: line combos, defensive pairings, analysis, statistical trends and more from every game on the NHL docket. Refresh the 'Live NHL Recap' page while the games are on to get new info as it is added.

Send in a brief fantasy hockey question, including all relevant league info, and it may be included in a future Hockey Hearsay blog during the week. One per person, please. Send it via Twitter for a possible response in the blog, or send via email (include your first name and hometown to represent!) if you'd prefer. chris.nichols@sportsnet.rogers.com

The Edmonton Journal speculates that surely there’s more to six-foot-five, 226-pound defenceman Kurtis Foster than 11 points halfway through his first Edmonton Oilers season. He can pound the puck, almost as viciously as Sheldon Souray and Zdeno Chara, but he has one goal in his last 27 games. That came on Dec. 1 in Montreal, when he blew one past Carey Price. He only has five assists in the last two months — this from a guy who had 42 points last year in Tampa Bay. Admittedly, it was a better offensive supporting cast with the Lightning, but still ...

At the 40-game mark, we now know that the likable, accommodating Foster is a prince of a man but not yet a leader among men. He’s hard to overlook, but the coaches are still sizing him up. They felt he could be a top-four defender when they signed him, but going on minutes played, he’s Tom Renney’s No. 5 guy right now. Ryan Whitney, Tom Gilbert, Ladislav Smid and Theo Peckham are playing more. It’s clear Renney wants more out of Foster, or the coach wouldn’t have sat him against the New York Islanders and played raw farmhand Jeff Petry along with the No. 7 guy Jason Strudwick.

The sit-down certainly caught Foster’s attention. It’s not just Foster’s play with the puck that needs buffing, in Renney’s eyes; Foster has to be better when he doesn’t have it, too.

“I didn’t see it coming, but Tom and I had a talk … he wants me to be decisive and intense. It’s up to me to step up, so he doesn’t do it again,” said Foster, who has never arrived at the puck in ill-humour (the most penalty minutes he’s had in a single season is 60) but Renney wants more pop to his defensive game to go with what should be a crackling good offensive skill set.

The Journal wonders: Should he be a 40-point defenceman every year?

“I hope so. I was last year. I thought (Steven) Stamkos, Marty (St. Louis) and myself really worked well. We knew how to find each other. I should be a consistent 40-point guy. I’m getting lots of shots. They should start going in. I hope, anyway,” he said.

“I really do think I should be a 40 to 50 point defenceman,” he said.

“At the end of the day, if my offence was working, I don’t think this would have happened. But when it all goes in together and the team’s 1-7-2 going into the Islander game, something has to change,” said Foster.

His coach certainly sees the offensive upside.

“I do think I can be a 40-point defenceman,” said Renney.

He added, “Kurtis has to work to his strengths … his passing ability, his shot, his size. He should be a good transition player. He should get his shots through. He has to be effective that way."

The Ottawa Citizen writes get used to seeing Robin Lehner around here, Ottawa. He could be here for a while. Perhaps even the rest of the National Hockey League season.

Senators head coach Cory Clouston said Saturday that goaltender Pascal Leclaire would be out for “a week minimum” with his latest physical setback, suffered in Chicago while trying to practice in preparation for backing up Brian Elliott in Friday’s game against the Blackhawks. Clouston says the Leclaire injury is more complicated than a simple groin strain.

“It has to do with the lower body, the back, hips and groin area,” Clouston said.

While refusing to speculate Leclaire could be gone for the season, Clouston admitted the possibility this could be a long-term injury.

“Optimistically, we’ll have him back,” Clouston said.

The coach sympathized with the injury-prone Leclaire, who was supposed to carry the load for the Senators this season. Instead, Elliott was to make his ninth consecutive start Saturday night at home against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

“In (Pascal’s) defence, he’s doing everything he possibly can to get himself back in,” Clouston said. “He’s the first guy in in the morning, the last guy to leave. He’s frustrated.”

Clouston told The Citizen that Lehner, the Swedish rookie and a second-round draft pick in 2009, could get his first NHL start within the week.

“I don’t think about a game next week,” Lehner says. “We’ll see what happens. When I was up here last time, I got two ‘jump-ins’ (off the bench), so I have to be focused here every game now when I’m backing up.”

Not one to lack confidence, Lehner says he wants to impress his coaches in practice and earn a start, “not just, ‘Let’s try him out.’”

Because of early-season injuries and emergency backup duty for the NHL Senators, Lehner has only appeared in 10 AHL games this season (3-5-1, 2.69 goals-against, .913 save percentage), but he believes he can adjust to the speed and skill of NHL players the more he practices with them.

“Whatever the organization decides to do, I don’t think any of the options are bad,” Lehner says. “Many of the guys maybe don’t know my history, but I’ve been a second or third goalie all my life, and it has been going pretty good so far.”

Sportsnet.ca's Ian Mendes tweeted this today: "Likely Brodeur will serve as backup tomorrow in Boston. They want Lehner to play another AHL game and then he may play NHL game this week."

The Buffalo News observes that Lindy Ruff looks at the Buffalo Sabres' schedule and likes it. Only one back-to-back game in January and a nice, long All-Star break at the end of the month. The coach and his team don't really have an arduous run until the third week of February, when they play five games in eight days.

The breaks and lulls will allow Ruff to give more ice time to his top forwards and ride goaltender Ryan Miller, as the coach did again Saturday night in the 2-1 overtime victory over the Phoenix Coyotes.

"The schedule's been perfect for it," Ruff said in Jobing.com Arena. "With the schedule set up for every other day, it's ideal for getting your workouts and your play. Without back-to-back, we should be in pretty good shape."

The News believes there's no doubt the Sabres, who entered the game against the Coyotes in 10th place in the Eastern Conference, would like to use Miller as much as possible. The reigning Vezina Trophy winner gives them the best chance to win.

Someday, though, they'll need to use a backup. It will be a long time between games for Patrick Lalime. He hasn't started since Nov. 20 against Tampa Bay, although he relieved Miller on Dec. 17 during a 6-2 loss to Florida. Rust will be an issue whenever Lalime gets the call.

"I'll worry about Patty when the time comes," Ruff said. "Right now we've got seven out of eight [points]. We've closed a little bit of ground, and with a couple games in hand on a couple teams that are up in the standings, if we win those games we can close more ground. That's really all I'm looking at."

And Lalime?

"I don't let my mind get there," Lalime said. "Every day I show up here I just want to work hard, get better. All we want is to win here. We've had a few good games lately, and we just want to keep that streak going. It's what it's all about."

The News points out that he's 0-4 with a 3.03 goals-against average and .890 save percentage.

"It's not about quantity, it's about quality, and I think that's all you need to focus on," said Lalime, who obviously would like to get rid of the doughnut in his win column with the season halfway gone. "For sure, that's what we play this game for, to win hockey games. We'll take it one day at a time.

"It's nice to play. I love the game. It is what it is. We're where we're at, and I'm happy to be part of this. I want to do my best, keep the good attitude here, work hard, and just be behind the guys. Whenever I get a chance to play, I'll play. For the rest, it's out of control."

According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, lost in the shuffle of the Flyers' superb first half is the way coach Peter Laviolette has expertly handled a potentially sticky situation.

Laviolette feels he has four players - Mike Richards, Danny Briere, Jeff Carter, and Claude Giroux - who are good enough to centre the first two lines. Four does not fit into two, but Laviolette has made it work.

"We've got four guys who need the top two spots," Laviolette said the other day, "so we're just doing our best to manage it."

Briere (21 goals), Giroux (16), Carter (16), and Richards (13) have combined for 66 goals - or just six fewer than New Jersey's entire team.

Laviolette has had three players from that group centring the first three lines, and one player moving to the wing. He has juggled it so that all four have spent some time at centre, and several have rotated at wing.

"I don't want to lose anybody," Laviolette said, referring to their mental approach. "I think it's important they all get back and play some games once in a while" at centre.

The Inquirer notes that earlier this season, Laviolette had Giroux centering a line with Carter at right wing. Lately, the two have flip-flopped positions.

"We just keep moving it around and the guys have been good with it," said Laviolette, whose Eastern Conference-leading team plays in Buffalo on Tuesday. "They're all best in the middle of the ice; they all want the middle of the ice. We'll make it work."

At times, Richards has had Carter, Giroux, or Briere as his right wing.

In the last few games, Richards has centred James van Riemsdyk and Andreas Nodl; Briere has centred the Flyers' most stable line, with wingers Scott Hartnell and Ville Leino; Carter has centred Giroux and Darroll Powe; and Blair Betts has centred a sandpaper line with Dan Carcillo and Jody Shelley.

The players have not complained about moving to different positions, Laviolette said.

"Nobody has sat there and been ticked off because they're on the wing," he said. "They're all working with it; they understand what we have. It's a positive thing - you'd rather have four (topflight centers) instead of two."

The Orange County Register notes that no player probably wanted the New Year to come more than the Ducks' Bobby Ryan, who has put a horrid December behind him in style.

Ryan scored the only goal in the Ducks' 1-0 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Sunday night, and the club's new No. 1 centre with Ryan Getzlaf down has three goals in his past two games.

How bad was his December? Ryan had three goals and three assists in 15 games — and that's counting scores Dec. 1 against Florida and on New Year's Eve against Philadelphia.

So is Ryan's slump officially over?

"Let's hope so," he said. "I'm not going to try and get too far ahead of myself. We'll take tomorrow (off), let it go and then I'll come in and try and get better.

"I've been more disappointed by it than anybody this year. Hopefully, the month of January is good to me like it has been in the past."

The OCR notes that Ryan has assumed the top-line centre spot in light of Ryan Getzlaf being out at least through the end of the month because of injury. Though Ryan has struggled in the faceoff circle, the 23-year-old forward has resumed his usual scoring ways playing as the pivot between Matt Beleskey and Corey Perry.

"I think when a guy like Getzy goes down, people have got to step up, and I've been asked to do a different role and play centre," Ryan said. "Whenever you get the puck to Perry, you know there's a chance it's coming back.

"Beleskey's been on the cycle and getting in on pucks. We've been able to maintain possession below the top of circles, and that's been huge for us."

"I'm getting so frustrated," Jackets coach Scott Arniel told The Columbus Dispatch. "I know I'm a young guy and a young coach in this league, but to watch Rick Nash, what he has to take night in and night out I watch other star players and the treatment they get, the calls they get.

"He gets tackled going to the net. He gets a stick across the face. No call. I don't get it. I've worked with this team about not yelling at referees, not making them part of the focus. But maybe we have to do a little more crying and complaining. The stuff Rick takes for the superstar that his is it really (honks) me off."

According to The Dallas Morning News, it's getting to the point where you can't tell one Stars goalie from the other.

Andrew Raycroft had gone five games without a start, so you might have expected him to struggle Sunday. Instead, he followed a 46-save win over Nashville on Dec. 28 with a 26-save shutout against the Minnesota Wild .

"We have two really good goalies, and we're comfortable with both of them," defenceman Trevor Daley said.

Raycroft continues to dazzle. He now boasts an 8-3-0 record with a 2.05 GAA and .934 save percentage. He was steady, solid and efficient Sunday – just the calming force the Stars needed.

"I think we've all bought in," Raycroft said. "It helps when you get success. That gives everybody confidence in what the coaches are saying, and I think we all truly believe right now. We have a lot of confidence in how we're playing as a team."

The Morning News believes that while that might have started with the goalies earlier this season, it has radiated outward as the season has gone on.

"I can't say enough about Andrew Raycroft," coach Marc Crawford said. "He's been among the best backups in the league. The guys like him and want to play for him. It's a little factor, but I do think people wanting to play that extra bit harder does make a difference."

Michigan Live indicates that the change in Detroit Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard has been noticeable since the Calgary Flames took a 4-2 lead midway through the second period Friday.

“Something just sort of clicked for me,” Howard said. “I got more patient at the top of the crease. I wasn’t retreating backwards and on my heels. I stayed on the balls of my feet all night and was just pushing the puck. Small movements are key out there for me.”

Howard has since been stellar, allowing only one puck to get past him in 4 1/2 regulation periods, two overtimes and two shootouts in victories against the Flames (5-4) and the Vancouver Canucks (2-1) on Saturday.

He was out of the paint, on top of his crease, challenging shooters.

“It’s just one of those things as an athlete, you just feel it and you’re like, ‘All right, here we go,'” Howard said.

He told Michigan Live he hopes it proves to be a turning point after an inconsistent stretch.

“It was a long month of December for me, the bounces not going my way,” Howard said. “Instead of letting the puck play me, I decided enough’s enough and just got out there and be aggressive.”

Howard will be in the goal tonight at Colorado, as the short-handed Red Wings look to sweep a four-game road trip. Detroit has won six in a row on the road, having swept a three-game trip Dec. 26-29.

The article also notes that after stopping all six shootout attempts he faced the past two games, Howard improved his shootout percentage this season to .917 (11-of-12 saves). That’s the best in the league among goalies who have faced six or more shootout attempts.

“Just being patient, just being calm in there,” Howard said. “Let them make the first move and push to the puck and try to take away everything at the same time.”

He is 2-1 in shootouts this season and 7-8 in his career. Before this season, he had a .685 save percentage in shootouts.

The Miami Herald says that Dale Tallon is in a tough spot, one most around hockey knew he would eventually find himself in this season.

On one hand, the Panthers general manager likes the way his team plays. With few exceptions this season, the Panthers have given a strong effort and are in games until the end.

Yet with the midway point of the season approaching, Tallon is aware that on some nights -- against teams with far more talent -- even the best of efforts isn't going to cut it. Tallon might have to start breaking things up.

"We're not getting rewarded for our play, and that's the one thing that is frustrating, whether it's a call going against us or our power play has been the difference,'' Tallon said. "The majority of our games, we've been up to snuff. I can't complain; we're just not getting results. . . I'm looking at this as the glass is half-full. They're buying in and giving us what we want, giving their all.''

The Herald indicates that Tallon knows the Panthers have to get more talent. Tallon has a pocket full of expiring contracts at his disposal, chips he can use at the Feb. 28 trading deadline to bolster the Panthers immediate bottom line as well as hopefully reap future rewards.

"We have a good month ahead of us,'' Tallon said, referencing the trade deadline. "We have lots of time to see where we're at. There is no need to panic.''

The Panthers go into Tuesday's midway point riding a three-game losing streak. All three of those losses came to divisional rivals, two of which were against teams the Panthers are realistically fighting for a playoff spot with.

The teams in front of the Panthers look at the playoffs as an opportunity to be in the chase for the ultimate prize, the Stanley Cup. For Florida, just making the postseason would be a start. Florida has missed the playoffs nine seasons in a row and another year out of the dance would give them an unwanted NHL record.

"We're in the pack, and when you think where everyone told us we would be, guys have taken some pride in proving people wrong,'' coach Pete DeBoer said. "We're not one of the two worst teams in the league. . . No one is happy where we're at, from Dale Tallon on down. We're all trying to fix it on a daily basis.''

The Nashville Tennessean points out that at the quarter mark of the season, Predators General Manager David Poile cited health as the team's biggest issue. At the halfway point of the season, that hasn't changed.

Poile is taking an optimistic approach, however.

"Guys have stepped into some new and different roles, and we're finding some new and different combinations," Poile said Sunday. "Through injuries we're finding out good things about our players and what works and what doesn't work."

The injuries have forced the Predators to use several different line combinations, many of which quickly found symmetry. Poile touted the pairing of Patric Hornqvist and Sergei Kostitsyn with Marcel Goc at centre as an example of players who might not have played together, if not for health problems. Hornqvist and Kostitsyn have combined for 14 points (seven each) since they were put on the same line four games ago.

"How many line combinations have we had this year?" Poile said. "How many combinations have we had on the power play? It has been an unfathomable amount of combinations, and it has all been based on injuries and trying to fit into new or different roles, which you hadn't forecast when you're making your plan coming out of training camp."

The Tennessean says that he did not hint at any moves on the horizon. Mostly, he said, he wanted to see how the team would respond when top forwards Martin Erat (upper body) and Steve Sullivan (lower body) return to the lineup.

Last week Coach Barry Trotz sounded hopeful that the pair could return this week. At the times of their injuries, Sullivan led Nashville in scoring and Erat in points per game.

Said Poile: "That will make a big difference on what we need to do or what moves we possibly need to make."

Newsday reports that with Alexander Frolov out for the season with a torn-up right knee that will require surgery, the Rangers Sunday called up playmaking centre Kris Newbury, who is tied for 11th in the AHL in scoring with 35 points in 41 games.

Frolov's knee was twisted badly in the third period of the Rangers' 2-1 win in St. Louis on Saturday when Brad Winchester fell against his leg and it bent. He went to the dressing room and attempted one more shift but did not return.

The Rangers announced Sunday night that Frolov suffered a torn ACL, a sprained MCL and a torn meniscus. He is expected to have surgery this week and be placed on long-term injured reserve, creating about $1.5 million in cap space.

The Post says that the 28-year-old left wing had a disappointing season after signing a one-year, $3-million free-agent contract July 26. The former Los Angeles King, who twice scored more than 30 goals in a season, had only seven goals and nine assists in 43 games.

Frolov began the year on the No. 1 line with Marian Gaborik but recently was dropped to the fourth line with Chris Drury and Dale Weise - where Newbury practiced this morning. Frolov was pointless in his last seven games and had a 10-game drought from Nov. 22-Dec. 11. His last goal was against Tampa Bay on Dec. 23.

The New York Post wrote that coach John Tortorella trusted Frolov in any situation, which is something that cannot be said as it relates to all the forwards on the roster.

For better or worse, Frolov was a recent staple on the second power-play unit. What's more, Tortorella believed in Frolov's ability to protect the puck and play away from the puck; hence, if there was a choice to be made for a winger to get ice time in a defensive situation or late in a tight game, the coach as often as not chose Frolov.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch points out that Blues forward T.J. Oshie has not played a shift since Nov. 10, when he broke his left ankle during an utterly forgettable 8-1 loss at Columbus. The following day, he had surgery on the ankle. More recently, Oshie has been a regular on the ice at Blues practices, participating in drills, wearing the same generic jersey color as everyone else. The situation has fueled speculation that a return is imminent.

The reality is, his presence notwithstanding, Oshie still has much progress to make before he returns to active duty.

"I'm pushing it as much as a I can," said Oshie. "But I have to be smart about it."

Oshie is still experiencing stiffness and range-of-motion limitations as he builds strength back in the reconstructed ankle. He also has considerable ground to cover in his conditioning before he is up to game speed. Certainly, No. 74 promises to be back ahead of what some were speculating. But restitution remains at least a couple of weeks away, not a couple of days.

"The schedule is something we feel is a moving target," coach Davis Payne relayed to The Post-Dispatch. "We've looked at the All-Star Game (Jan. 30) as something we have moved it up to and been comfortable with. If he hits it great; if he comes in ahead of schedule then great. But we've been pushing forward knowing that he's making progress with the trainers and working on ice.

"He has to continue to test it, see how the ankle responds, and then take a harder test. Everything has been positive so far. The timeline is really something we're just going to leave where it is. If he continues to pass tests, we'll have a pretty good guy in our lineup pretty soon."

JB in NY: "Hi Chris, Hope you had a great holiday season! Awesome job as always with your daily fantasy hockey coverage. I've got some goaltending woes and am seeking your advice.

Points league 10 teams / max 3 goalies per team allowed Goaltenders Stat Category Value Wins (W) 3 Saves (SV) .10 Shutouts (SHO) 3

Coming out of the draft I thought I had a super strong goaltending trio ( I drafted BRODEUR / KIPRUSOFF / TURCO). Now that we're 1/2 way through the NHL season my goalies have turned out to be the 'Albatross' around my team's neck. I'm currently in 2nd place, but the poor play of my goalies is killing my team. Despite their struggles I have to hold on to Brodeur and Kiprusoff (because they will get the majority of their teams' starts), but I'm thinking of dumping Turco since he's now firmly entrenched as the #2 in Chicago.

Would you hang on to Turco and hope he regains the #1, or would you cut him loose?

Here are the best goalies still available in our fantasy league: (CBJ) MASON/GARON, NEUVIRTH, BOUCHER, (TOR) GUSTAVSSON/GIGUERE, ELLIS, BUDAJ, LINDBACK, SCHNEIDER, RAYCROFT, THEODORE, RASK, BERNIER

*I would prefer to add a clear cut #1 goalie (or someone that will get the bulk of the starts), but I also do have the option of adding goalies to spot start here and there for the rest of the season.

THANKS AGAIN FOR YOUR TERRIFIC HELP!"

Chris: Thanks. The fact that you're still in second place means you should be fairly confident that your team will surge in the second half. Kipper will be fine and Brodeur's Devils are showing some signs of life.

In terms of your No. 3 man, Turco, that's a good question. I still think he's going to make something work for himself in the second half, but Crawford is the man for now and you're in a spot where you have good choices so I would completely endorse swapping Turco out. Part of me would be tempted just to spot-start the rest of the way and look for games where Rask, Schneider or Neuvirth would start, but the "safe" guy in me would rather see you add one of them and ensure you have those extra starts locked in.

Given your league's categories, I might lean toward Rask with good shutout potential in Boston. I could make good arguments for all three though.