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

He is the anti-Kessel, according to The Toronto Star.

While Phil Kessel struggles through an 11-game slump, Clarke MacArthur simply keeps putting up the numbers.

Kessel played better but still did not find the net in Monday’s 5-4 win over Atlanta, a game in which he bounced MacArthur off his wing spot on a very successful line with Mikhail Grabovski and Nikolai Kulemin.

How did MacArthur respond? He potted his career-high 17th goal of the season.

“It was a positive thing. It’s good to shuffle guys around a little bit, get guys in different positions,” MacArthur said of being installed on the left side of a new line with Tyler Bozak — Kessel’s former centre — and Kris Versteeg.

The Star believes that’s another contrast between MacArthur and Kessel. No matter the circumstances, the outgoing MacArthur always keeps a happy-to-be-wherever attitude; Kessel not so much.

The big difference recently, though, has been on the ice. While Kessel has lost his touch — if not scoring chances, as his defenders keep pointing out — and has stalled at 19 goals, MacArthur has seven goals in the last 14 games and is leaving the impression that he is just getting warmed up.

“I’d like to do a lot more. It’s nice to get (the career-high 17th). I want to keep shooting the puck. The more I think about shooting, the more goals you get,” said the 25-year-old, who tops the Leafs with 44 points.

“It’s about making the right plays out there. If I’m going to be with Bozak — he sees the ice so well — I’m going to try to get into position to shoot more pucks.”

The article points out that the Leafs did not skate at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum this morning in advance of their game here tonight against the lowly Islanders. So there was no hint as to how the lines might shape up tonight. It’s expected, however, that Kessel will stick with Kulemin and Grabovski, who both scored against Atlanta, while MacArthur will remain with Bozak. Grabovski tops the Leafs in goals with 22.

Rookie James Reimer, after a tough night at Buffalo on Saturday will be back in net for Toronto. Fellow freshman Kevin Poulin is expected to get the start for the Islanders.

Fire & Ice reports that the MRI taken Monday revealed that goaltender Martin Brodeur has a “non-operable knee sprain”. Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello said Brodeur is out “day-to-day” while he rehabs his right knee.

Lamoriello said there is “no timetable” for Brodeur’s return to the lineup and would not answer when asked if it was possible Brodeur will play this week, but it appears likely he will miss at least three games.

Brodeur will definitely sit out tonight’s game against Carolina. The Devils then visit Toronto on Thursday before hosting San Jose on Friday. After that, they have four days off before hosting the Hurricanes again next Wednesday.

“It’s a day-to-day rehab situation,” Lamoriello said. “When it his rehab gets to the point where his knee is better, it will be up to Marty and the doctor to decide (when he’ll play).”

The article notes that Lamoriello would not discuss whether there is any ligament damage; but traditionally, a medial collateral ligament sprain is an injury that requires only rehab and not surgery. Brodeur missed six games during the 2005-06 season (from Oct. 28 to Nov. 8, 2005) with a mild sprain of the MCL in his right knee.

When asked Lamoriello if he was relieved the injury is not more serious, he replied, “absolutely.”

“Things could always be worse and always be better,” Lamoriello said. “There are always things you can’t control.”

Brodeur, who will turn 39 on May 6, missed 10 games (over two stints) earlier this season because of a bruised right elbow.

The Washington Post reports that Alexander Semin is expected to return to the lineup tonight after missing 12 games with a groin muscle injury.

Mike Green took part in the Capitals morning skate and said he felt good but both he and coach Bruce Boudreau were unsure at the time if the defenceman would be in the lineup against the San Jose Sharks tonight at Verizon Center. Green was struck in the head, near his right ear, by a puck against Pittsburgh on Sunday and after the game said he had a headache and felt woozy, symptoms that when following a blow to the head are consistent with a concussion.

"I don't know yet, I have to talk with the trainers," Green said. "We'll see I felt good on the ice and see what they say. If it was serious I don't think I'd be out there today. It is what it is. I have to make sure I'm smart about it obviously, but I feel good out there."

Said Boudreau: "I don't know if he's going to play. Yeah he's feeling a lot better, which is a good thing. He's got to go through some tests and then we'll see how he feels tonight, after going through tests and after going through a practice and things. If there's any, any doubt at all he's not going to play. If he's got the green light and he's 100 percent we'll play him."

It has since been reported that Green will not play tonight, but should be fine for Saturday's game.

Pressure.

The Philadelphia Daily News believes that in professional sports, it's something that players either feed off or cave under. And the pressure cooker doesn't get any hotter than in a rookie goaltender's crease during March and April as each point and each goal becomes more and more crucial.

For Sergei Bobrovsky, the final examinations have already started. Now, as the Flyers move into the final 25 to 30 games of the season, coach Peter Laviolette administered his first test last Thursday against Nashville - to see if Bobrovsky would bounce back after a being pulled in the first period on Tuesday at Tampa Bay. He passed.

"It was a very important game,'' Bobrovsky said through a translator. "It was very important for me to rehabilitate myself in front of the team and also for myself.''

Laviolette has had no reason not to flip-flop between Bobrovsky and Brian Boucher. As he puts it, he has no reason to make any sort of determination this far in advance of the Flyers' inevitable playoff appearance.

"I don't really make those decisions too far in advance,'' Laviolette said. "We trust both of them and they've had great years. We'll just keep moving along and keep both of them active.''

The Daily News notes that last June, the Flyers watched Antti Niemi, another rookie, hoist the Cup inside the Wells Fargo Center for the Blackhawks. As the second rookie in 4 years, Niemi was proof that Cam Ward in 2006 was no fluke.

Bobrovsky's next start will be his 35th appearance of the season, tying his career high set last season in Russia. But Niemi said the playoffs, for a rookie, are much more about mental preparation than the physical wear and tear.

"It's not that bad physically,'' Niemi said in an interview with the Daily News. "You train for that all season. The first thing is about getting the mind-set down.

"There is a lot of pressure to not give up a soft goal because you know it can turn a series around. Each one matters. Physically, you're going to be ready to play.''

Boucher said you "don't even think about the physical demands.'' For Niemi, it was about "proving you belong.''

"People tend not to believe a rookie can win,'' Niemi said. "They don't believe in you, but you need to prove them wrong.''

After a strenuous practice that included some hard skating and contact drills, Ryan Getzlaf (multiple sinus cavity fractures) said that he’s set to be in the lineup Wednesday night in Vancouver against the NHL-leading Canucks.

“I’m very excited,” he said. “Today was a big step in participating the whole practice and getting back to my linemates and stuff.”

Getzlaf said he’s felt most comfortable within the last week and expressed satisfaction at being able to go through contact drills without any problems after the bones in his nasal area healed enough last week to allow him to go through on-ice workouts.

As far as how much he’ll play, Getzlaf said he’s expecting that the Ducks won’t cut back.

“You know what, we’ve never really eased into anything before,” said Getzlaf, who averaged 21 minutes a game before his injury. ”Whatever we need, I’ll be there. I’ve been working hard the last three weeks and been able to get myself back into shape and ready to play. I’ll play as much as they need me to Wednesday.”

Getzlaf told The Register he’s adjusting to using a visor for the first time since the 2010 Winter Olympics. It became a requirement for him to return to action.

“Today was a good test down low where there’s guys flying around and all that stuff, he said. “But the game’s going to be the real test.”

The Raleigh News & Observer says that at 27, Joni Pitkanen has played almost 500 regular-season and playoff games in the NHL. At season's end, he's due to become an unrestricted free agent and could command more than the $4.5 million he's making this season.

"He's at that age where he's still improving," Hurricanes coach Paul Maurice said. "He's coming into his prime, not leaving it or at the peak of it."

As the NHL's Feb. 28 trade deadline approaches, there may be teams that make interesting offers to the Canes for Pitkanen. As for Pitkanen, he insists he would like to sign a new contract and stay with Carolina.

"It has been 21/2 years, and it has been great," he said in an interview. "It's a great organization, great fans and great people here.

"It's a beautiful area.

"All are good things. Absolutely, I would like to stay here."

Coach Paul Maurice told The News & Observer the 6-foot-3, 210-pound blueliner has been playing with more authority.

"I think when you have an injury that sets you back and you're tentative, and I think he's come out of that now," Maurice said. "He's stronger on the ice. He'll be able to take more minutes and be more physically involved with games."

Pitkanen, an easy-going, affable type off the ice, at times can play with an edge on it, his anger boiling up, leading to some bad penalties. Although not a fighter, he does stand up for himself. And he can be dogged on the defensive end.

"When he's around the puck, he's at his best," Maurice said. "Where I think he does some of his best work is from our goal line to the hash mark, in coming out of a scrum in our end. That's really when his game is at its best.

"I know we all look at the offensive part, him jumping in and creating things. When I know he's really going, it's almost defensive. He takes his offensive talents and puts them in a defensive role, and breaks the pucks out and breaks up plays and closes gaps. That's when I think he's at his best."

The article points out that although some may say Pitkanen is too unpredictable game to game, Maurice doesn't agree.

"He is not an extreme player for me in that he's either wildly great or wildly poor," he said. "I think he's a lot more consistent in terms of what he gets done on the ice, and I think he's been a pretty consistent player for us."

The Miami Herald reports that defenceman Bryan McCabe got the wires removed from his mouth Monday, allowing McCabe to progress to soft foods. He has lost 10 pounds since suffering a broken jaw Jan. 15. He plans to start skating again Tuesday, but doesn’t know how much longer he will be out. He does expect eggs will be the first food he doesn’t eat through a straw since the injury.

“Homemade soup,” McCabe said in describing his diet the past three weeks. “Noodles, potatoes, carrots and I put tofu in it for some protein. Just blend it up so it can fit through a straw. Meat doesn’t taste good when it’s blended.”

LA Kings Insider indicates that the Kings might soon face a difficult decision.

Marco Sturm is continuing his rehabilitation from knee tendinitis and depending on the results of his meeting with doctors today, Sturm might be able to play Thursday in Pittsburgh. The Kings are out of roster spots, however, so assuming that everyone else stays healthy, when Sturm returns from injured reserve the Kings would either have to assign Andrei Loktionov to Manchester or expose one of their other players to waivers.

Loktionov continues to practice in a first-line role and has fared relatively well, although he tends to get exposed a bit in tight, physical games. So we’ll see what happens with Sturm, who made it through another full-team practice Monday and is scheduled to be back on the ice today.

“I thought he got through the practice OK today," Terry Murray said Monday afternoon. "Yesterday was a day of recovery and he came back with the skate. He will get another one in tomorrow. He’s leaving for his final meeting with the doctor, so (after) another hard day tomorrow, we’ll see where he’s at.”

LA Kings Insider also notes that Scott Parse continues to make slow, steady practice as well. Parse has been doing conditioning skating on his own over the past couple of weeks, but Monday Parse joined the full group for some end-of-practice skating, as he continues to rehab from the hip surgery he had in November.

“Yeah, how about that?" Murray said. "He was in the 45s [conditioning skating]. That was good to see. I was surprised that he jumped in there. I think there’s a very bright light at the end of the tunnel here, right now. He’s seeing it, he’s excited about it. He has put in a lot of time, off ice, to get to where he is right now on the ice. Very encouraging. … There’s still a ways to go, but I think there’s a great deal of adrenaline pumping right now, that he sees what the possibilities could be fairly soon.”

The Boston Globe reports that nobody’s certain why Marc Savard suffered his second concussion in 10 months. Doctors don’t know when Savard’s symptoms — he’s experiencing headaches, memory lapses, and dizziness — will wane. Nobody knows when, or if, Savard can play again.

The only certainty is that Savard will not play again in the 2010-11 season.

Yesterday at TD Garden, following consultations with Savard, his agent, team management, and the medical staff, the Bruins announced that Savard’s season is over. The Bruins placed Savard on long-term injured reserve, which is where he started the season as he attempted to rebound from his previous concussion.

“This stops the temptation,’’ said Mark Recchi, who attended the news conference with teammates Patrice Bergeron and Zdeno Chara. “As a player, you try and do whatever you can to get back and play. I think this is just, ‘Let’s get him healthy. Worry about hockey in the summer and get ready for training camp if that’s the case.’ It gives him that much more time to get focused.

“If he comes back [now], his conditioning’s not going to be where it’s at. He’s going to put himself in a bad position. The one thing is that this keeps the temptation from a very competitive guy like Savvy.’’

The Globe notes that Savard’s current status, coupled with the issues stemming from his previous concussion, puts his career in question. He said he has tried not to think about his future until he overcomes his symptoms.

“I’ve obviously tried to stay away from that right now,’’ Savard said when asked about retirement. “It’s tough enough as it is not to be able to finish the season. I’m going to get some more medical stuff done and some tests. Then I’ll be able to make some clearer decisions on what my future is. Right now, I’m hoping to continue at some point.’’

The article notes that if Savard returns in 2011-12, it will be the second season of his seven-year, $28.05 million contract. If he retires, he will receive his salary via insurance. His remaining cap hit would be wiped from the Bruins’ books.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes that Eric Tangradi will have a place with the Penguins as long as the coaches are happy with what he gives them. Tangradi does not have a point in three games as the Penguins prepare to face Columbus tonight at Consol Energy Center, but that doesn't mean he hasn't contributed to the offence.

Assistant coach Tony Granato offered this: "[Having a presence near the net] is going to be something where he can make a mark, have an identity as being a guy who can control the front of the net. He has pretty good hands around the net, and those will get better."

Those hands helped Tangradi score 18 goals in 42 games with the Baby Penguins this season, despite picking up just three points in his first 12 AHL games after the Penguins demoted him in late October.

And while The Post-Gazette says that some in the organization have suggested that goal-scoring is no more than a secondary facet of Tangradi's game, Granato disagrees.

"I don't think he has to be, but he has it in him to be a solid goal-scorer," Granato said. "Nothing ridiculously off the charts, but a solid player who can get 20 or 25 goals in our league.

"That's a good goal-scorer. With his size, the way he goes to the net and the way he positions himself at the net, that's getting better and better."

Tangradi has proven his willingness to operate in high-traffic areas and clearly understands the connection between showing up there and on the score sheet.

"Getting into those gritty areas, the pucks are going to find my stick," he said. "It's my job to find the back of the net at that point. Scoring is something that's not a huge deal, but it's something I believe will come with the role I play."

The article points out he has top-six potential, but is filling more of a blue-collar niche at the moment. How well he adapts will probably determine whether it's days, weeks or months before he's reunited with his clothes in Wilkes-Barre.

"All I can do is play my game every day," Tangradi said. "I'm taking almost a training-camp approach -- bring my stuff every day, treat every day like my last, and whatever happens, happens."

The NHL trade deadline is only three weeks away, but with his team on a 7-0-1 roll as it faces Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night, The San Jose Mercury News believes Sharks general manager Doug Wilson does not sound like someone about to wheel and deal.

"We've already made changes," Wilson said, referring to the Jan. 18 acquisitions of Kyle Wellwood and Ben Eager. "The majority of changes now are going to be the growth of our own players, playing up to their abilities and they're trending in the right direction."

Even with no further trades before the Feb. 28 deadline, it doesn't necessarily mean the Sharks plan to stand pat with the current roster.

Rookie defenceman Justin Braun, for example, continues to earn good reviews at Worcester, and there are hints he could provide the same kind of postseason presence Logan Couture did a year ago. Given serious ice time, Couture responded with four goals in 14 games.

One month ago, the article notes, Wilson was at his unhappiest and let his players know it with a rare locker room appearance the day after a dismal 3-0 home loss to Buffalo. What would become the franchise's longest streak without a point since 1996 was only two games old at the time. Wilson gave his players another 10 to 15 games to straighten things out with the implied threat of a shake-up.

That seems to have had the desired effect.

"Sometimes you've just got to realize we're in a great situation here," Ryane Clowe said Monday. "It's a great place to play, it's a great team. Everyone who comes here loves it, so that tells you something for the guys who've never been anywhere else."

After that meeting, Clowe indicated, the players realized how serious the situation was. Even though four more losses followed, the team felt as if things were beginning to turn around.

"We were coming off a year we wanted to build and grow on," he said, "and we were stuck in the cement there and taking a step backward."

It's not just that the results are there, the general manager added.

"We have 15 of our last 16 points," Wilson said, "but the results will come only if we do things the right way" -- paying attention to details as a team and not having any one player trying to do too much.

Mike: "Chris, Thank you for your advice on Kipper, he has been looking pretty sharp lately and is really helping my team.

I have Brodeur as my only other goalie however, and with him not starting Tues, i may need to sign someone else for my H2H format. Would you just stay with Kipper and Brodeur and whatever stats they give you this week, or should I sign Hedberg until Brodeur comes back?

Neuvirth is available, though not sure when he will start next. other goalies are Reimer, edm. and both clb guys, schneider, poulin. Thanks again for the help thus far."

Chris: Based on what has come out today Mike, it seems pretty reasonable that Brodeur will not play this week. He might, but to meet your weekly start minimum you may need need extra help. Not sure.

I can tell you that Neuvirth is slated to start against the Sharks tonight. Reimer and Poulin should play each other too, although I suppose that has high-scoring potential. Assume that Brodeur won't play this week and if he does, then great. Jersey plays tonight, Thursday and Friday and then they're off until Wednesday, so to err on the side of safety I'm guessing next week is the earliest we'd see him. Just my speculation though.