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.

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According to The Calgary Herald, around the Calgary Flames locker room, they’re simply addressed as Olli, Mosser and Glenny; but it just as easily could be OMG.

As in Oh My Gosh!

Since the trio of Olli Jokinen, David Moss and Curtis Glencross was put together a little more than a week ago, they’ve gone crazy. Nuts. Silly. Twenty-five points in the last five games, including 11 points (four goals) during Monday night’s dismantling of the somewhat sad Colorado Avalanche.

“Sometimes it goes like that,” said Jokinen, who has been a masterful setup centre with seven assists among his 10 points since the formation took flight. “I’ve been playing with Mosser for awhile and now the last four or five games, Glenny’s been there with us and things are going good.

“We play good as a team. Since we start playing with Glenny and Mosser, we’ve been able to score some goals every game. But the biggest thing is we have four lines going and play good as a team. That’s the biggest reason why we’ve been able to win games . . . we’ve got all four lines going and it’s different guys stepping up every night.”

But, The Herald points out, OMG has been stepping up consistently every night in this wicked five-game run. They have very simply been the spearhead of the offence while playing against the opposing team’s No. 1 trio most nights.

If the fleet-footed and sometimes snarly Glencross were any hotter, he’d be leaving ashes in his wake. The pending unrestricted free agent has scored goals in five straight while bagging nine points (six goals) with OMG.

“It seems like we’re really jelling right now. We’re kind of finding each other everywhere. It’s been great. We just have to keep it going.

“When we’re successful like that, we’re getting pucks in their end, cycling it and the three of us seem to be in a three-man cycle and when something opens up, that’s when we take it to the net and it’s been good.”

The Herald wonders that with his contract ending on July 1, has he given any thought to the future? Like, say, a career season leading to bigger and better things than the $1.2 million he’s being paid right now?

“That’s going to sort itself out later,” he said. “Right now I’m not real worried about that. I’m worried about getting into the playoffs and winning games. That’s the bottom line right now.”

And of somewhat immediate concern to most everyone but Glencross is whether Jokinen will be able to answer the bell tonight against the invading Dallas Stars. Olli was held out of the third period after taking a vicious knee-on-knee hit at the end of the first period.

“Olli’s not hurt too bad,” suggested Glencross. “He’ll be fine. He’s a warrior. He’ll be back out there next game for us.”

** Sportsnet.ca's Roger Millions tweeted that Jokinen was skating this morning.

The Edmonton Journal believes Jim Vandermeer has quietly gone from playing himself out of a job to playing himself out of Edmonton.

Indeed, the defensive defenceman is an interesting study as the Oilers lurch toward the Feb. 28 trade deadline and general manager Steve Tambellini thinks about gathering younger, cheaper assets by moving established veterans and tinkering with the small core of transitional players who fill a transient role in this rebuild.

The most recent version of Vandermeer -efficient, physical and responsible enough to play 16 to 18 solid minutes a night -is exactly the kind of depth defenceman every playoff-bound team in the National Hockey League decides it needs and pays modestly to acquire. The hardnosed native of Caroline has gone back to the simple, honest game that earned him close to a decade in the NHL with the Philadelphia Flyers, Chicago Blackhawks, Calgary Flames, Phoenix Coyotes and the Oilers and once again promises to deliver more.

"Two months ago, I started to play better. Before that I was average at best, I would say. There were some games I'd play good, others I would not. I think right now it's just being more consistent, a little bit more aggressive. I need to feel like that all the time," Vandermeer said Tuesday morning, before the Oilers rose up to beat Dallas 4-1.

"It was knowing I could give more, more consistently I guess. It wasn't from not trying to do it. It just wasn't happening for me. Now it's just that extra little bit that is making me better."

The Journal points out that Vandermeer is nearing the end of a three-year deal that was easily too rich, at $2.3 million US per, for what he contributes. There will still be a hefty salary-cap hit awaiting a team interested in obtaining his services on or before Feb. 28. But that's the prevailing wisdom now; that he'll be offloaded in the same manner Steve Staios was shipped to Calgary last season. That's because he has made himself an asset, rather than just another unrestricted free agent who waits all summer for a call that might not have come.

"He got healthy, to the point where he actually could be what he was," said head coach Tom Renney. "I think he's in as good shape as he's been in all year long. Not that he was in real bad shape getting here, but I think the pace of the game and how we train has helped him.

"I think beyond that it's probably the fear of whether or not you're going to have a job a year from now. Whether I'm making that decision or somebody else is, I think there is a point in time where you've got to step up and make a mark for yourself. I think Jim has done that and done a very good job of it."

Vandermeer will be 31 on Feb. 21 and has bounced around more than enough to know his role in the game on and off the ice. He understands that he won't likely be here when the Oilers finally contend, but it doesn't mean he welcomes yet another change of address.

"It's kind of the same as when I was in Chicago (from 2003-04 to 2007-08). We were rebuilding there and as soon as the team started getting good, I was moved and I wasn't part of it and they won a (Stanley) Cup. That was disappointing. That's just part of the business," Vandermeer said.

"They're developing players, bringing in new guys, management makes decisions, that's the way it's going to be," he said of the current situation in Edmonton. "Whether I'm here or not is obviously based on the way I play and if they want the way I play to be involved in that."

The Boston Globe notes that the Bruins have acquired Chris Kelly from Ottawa for their own second-round pick in 2011. Kelly fills the need at No. 3 centre the Bruins have had since Marc Savard went down on Jan. 22.

"He has a lot of playoff experience," said GM Peter Chiarelli. "He's good on faceoffs. He's a high-character person. He plays both ways. We needed a centreman that's going to give us some depth. Chris gives us that. He can play up and down the lineup also."

Kelly has been centring Jarkko Ruutu and Chris Neil on Ottawa's energy line. Because of his acquisition, Tyler Seguin will move to the wing.

The Ottawa Citizen wrote that Sens GM Bryan Murray lamented the fact he was giving up yet another of the team's "character players," but his actions indicate the team is committed to a major overhaul.

"These are difficult deals for myself to make, because Chris was such a good player when I coached and followed directions so well and to have to make the moves that we're making are difficult, but that's the way we have to go at this point in time."

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the Thrashers re-called defenceman Paul Postma from AHL Chicago on Tuesday. The move comes a day after the team re-assigned defenceman Arturs Kulda to Chicago.

The move was made for two reasons. GM Rick Dudley said he feels both Postma and Kulda are NHL ready and they wanted to give Postma his chance. Also, Postma brings an offensive element. He is second among AHL defencemen with 37 points (eight goals, 29 assists).

“They’d like to see him get a chance,” Thrashers coach Craig Ramsay said. “We wanted to make sure we had an extra player, especially going out on the road for a couple of games. He can skate. He can shoot. We could use some goals if he happens to get his chance to play. We’d like to see him shoot some pucks and add a little something to the offence.”

The Thrashers play at Phoenix on Thursday and at Edmonton on Saturday. Ramsay would not say when Postma might make his NHL debut, but it sounds like it could by against the Oilers. Postma said he was not told when he might play but “hopefully it will be this weekend.”

The Journal-Constitution indicates that Postma got the call from Wolves GM Wendall Young on Monday and immediately caught a flight for Atlanta. That was after he made a phone call himself.

“For sure, it was my dad, my biggest fan and my biggest supporter,” Postma said. “I called him right away. We’ve been waiting for this call for a long time. It was fun call to make.”

He added, “Finally, I’m part of the real thing. It’s almost a relief being rewarded for some hard work. I’m really excited. I’m a little nervous. I got the call yesterday. … I looked at my phone and said ‘Why is the GM calling me?’ I picked up and he said I was called up. It was pretty exciting. A lot of emotions hit you all at once. I’m trying to make the most of it and take it day by day.”

The Buffalo News writes that when he arrived Tuesday at the Bell Centre, Jhonas Enroth's claim to fame was that he was the only goalie since the NHL lockout to record his first two career wins via shootout.

In fact, they were Enroth's only two career wins. Now Enroth has his first and only three wins in the penalty shot contest. And what a whopper this one was.

The Buffalo Sabres rookie went eye-to-eye with Montreal star Carey Price in a 10-round marathon that had the crowd of 21,273 buzzing in one of the league's great meccas. Jochen Hecht finally sealed it with a nifty deke to give the Sabres a 3-2 victory. They won the shootout, 4-3.

"I'm pretty good at shootouts but the first three wins in the NHL is pretty unique," said Enroth, who got the call from Portland for the first time since Nov. 24 to give Ryan Miller the night off after 31 straight starts. "I was just trying to stay focused, do my job and stop the next one."

The Sabres improved to an NHL-best 5-0 in shootouts and won one for the first time when they trailed, 2-0. The 10 rounds were one shy of Buffalo's franchise record.

The News notes that Enroth made 32 saves in the game and 17 came in the first period when Buffalo was outshot, 18-7, and totally dominated.

"I thought he did a great job," Ruff said. "That's the reason he's been down there trying to develop and play games. The reason he's here is because of how hard he worked in Portland."

Ruff wouldn't hint what was in Enroth's immediate future, saying only the team would ponder that point on the plane ride home. Early this morning, the Sabres announced Enroth was sent back to Portland, meaning Lalime will serve as Miller's backup tonight.

The Chicago Tribune observes that the Hawks are going to open with Marian Hossa and Michael Frolik flanking Dave Bolland on the second line, which will hopefully kick-start something positive offensively. Hossa, the multimillion dollar sniper, has fewer points than defenceman Brent Seabrook. Frolik, the new addition, is feeling his way in the Hawks' system. Anything to make a point (or several) would be welcome.

The Hawks are "hopeful" Patrick Kane would return from illness Wednesday night for a monumental game against the Wild, so the urgency to score may be tamped down a bit. But not much.

"We'll try to do everything possible to work it out," Hossa said. "Frolik seems very skilled and sees the ice well. Hopefully we can get the offence going. We need it, definitely."

In theory, it could be a very complete line. Bolland remains a terrific defensive centre and the trio is a combined plus-13 on the season. The Hawks need consistency from the third and fourth lines as well, but it's critical stars like Hossa go supernova soon.

"We'd like to bring the best out of everybody, that's our objective when we put them together," coach Joel Quenneville said.

"I don't know if it's (getting) the best out of Bollie or Fro or Hoss — but I think all three of them can add something that really has the potential to be a real nice line for us. We need that grouping to be effective and hopefully they all can max out for us."

The Tribune says that past Hossa and Bolland partnerships haven't lasted, and Quenneville could change the combo within the first few shifts Wednesday if things go sour. The aim, though, is revelation.

"With me and Hoss, whenever we play together, we have good chemistry," Bolland said. "(Frolik) is a good player and skilled when we get that puck in the zone. We can do some things with this line."

A source has told The Columbus Dispatch that Blue Jackets winger Derek Dorsett, who suffered a head/neck injury last Friday in a win over Colorado, has been diagnosed with a concussion.

Dorsett will miss his second straight game on Wednesday when the Blue Jackets host the Los Angeles Kings. It's unclear how much more time he'll miss, as concussions are highly unpredictable.

Blue Jackets coach Scott Arniel was hopeful that Dorsett didn't have a concussion as late as Tuesday morning, saying that he was doing light workouts off the ice and that the majority of Dorsett's discomfort was in his neck.

Arniel did acknowledge that Dorsett would be required to have a neurological exam before he could return to action, and said that exam would take place either Tuesday or on Wednesday. Apparently, the exam was during the day Tuesday, and Dorsett was not cleared.

Dorsett was injured in Friday's win over the Avs. Colorado forward Peter Forsberg (now retired) was checked to the ice and inadvertently undercut Dorsett from behind, sending him skates over helmet to the ice. He cracked his helmet-covered head on the ice at the end of the fall and looked wobbly as he made his way to the bench.

It is Dorsett's second career concussion. He suffered his first in November 2009 when he was checked from behind by Dallas Stars forward James Neal.

Michigan Live relays that centre Mike Modano said he expects to return Feb. 26 at Buffalo, three months after suffering torn ligaments in his right wrist when he was cut by the skate blade of Columbus’ R.J. Umberger.

"That gives me two full weeks of still skating and working out and really being ready," Modano said. "I thought about Dallas (Feb. 24 at home) ... probably a lot of distractions (against his former team)."

Modano brought his dad, Mike, on the fathers trip. He said the Stars never did anything similar.

"No," he said. "They did a couple of wives trips, but that didn’t last too long."

His dad has watched him play in almost every NHL city over the years. He missed going to Boston this past Friday.

"He’s originally from Boston. You know how Boston fans are about their hometown (teams)," Modano said. "He’s a big Bruins fan, growing up in that era of Bobby Orr and those guys. He’s always been a little bit of a hockey buff, and obviously a Celtics and Red Sox fan."

The Miami Herald reports that defenceman Bryan McCabe was back Tuesday, participating in a full practice one month after breaking his jaw in a game against the Devils. Doctors said McCabe would be out six to eight weeks, but he looked good and is ready to join the lineup.

DeBoer said the Panthers have to slow McCabe down a bit and that the Panthers captain wouldn’t be in the lineup Wednesday against the Flyers. McCabe might play Friday against Detroit.

“He looks good, but the doctors and the trainers will say one thing and that’s probably not the same as his mind-set,’’ DeBoer said. “He’ll be in sooner than later. If he keeps going the way he is, I would anticipate him in there this weekend. He’s adamant he’ll be back this week.’’

DeBoer also said that although Dmitry Kulikov’s ankle isn’t broken, it is severely bruised. DeBoer said it will be at least a week before Kulikov can begin skating, and likely two weeks before he is back playing in games.

According to The Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Cam Barker is making Todd Richards' upcoming decision a difficult one.

With defenceman Marek Zidlicky close to returning from a shoulder injury, the Wild coach might have to remove a healthy defenceman from the lineup for the first time since Marco Scandella was injured a month ago.

A few weeks ago, Barker would have been the logical choice, but heading into Tuesday's game against Vancouver, he was playing his best hockey since coming to Minnesota last season.

"Physically, he's more into the game, better puck decisions, he seems to be moving around the ice a little bit better," Richards said on Tuesday morning. "Whenever you have that physical edge to your game, every other aspect of your game gets better."

Barker, 24, who often seems unemotional on the ice, agrees. He's making a concerted effort to be more engaged and play with more of an edge. Before Tuesday, he had gotten into two fights in the previous five games, although it's fair to say his fight Saturday with St. Louis' Matt D'Agostini was genuine anger rather than manufactured.

"Yeah, he likes all his teeth," defenseman Brent Burns quipped.

Barker was checked from behind. He got up, saw the ref calling nothing and was incensed.

"I didn't enjoy being hit from behind," Barker said laughing, adding that the ref told him before the next period, "I let you get a couple extra licks in there. I said, 'Well, I almost got killed, so I think that was justified.'"

The Star-Tribune writes that Barker says he's feeling much more confident about his game and it starts with "being more assertive, more aggressive. For my sake, I just wanted to start playing better, especially with the playoff push here. I want to help this team."

Barker is well-aware that Zidlicky is close to returning. That's added motivation because he wants to stay in the lineup.

"Without question, there's a threat there," Richards said. "We're coming down the stretch, the games are important and you're going to put the guys out on the ice that you feel give you the best chance to win."

The Nashville Tennessean indicates that coach Barry Trotz said the Nashville Predators were going to have to make some difficult decisions regarding roster choices for the remaining games.

The first one came Tuesday against the San Jose Sharks, when Trotz made forward J.P. Dumont a healthy scratch for the first time this season.

Trotz said it was a "coach's decision" and that there was no underlying reason for the move.

"We're getting healthy, and I have to put people into certain areas and try to keep lines and stabilize things," Trotz said. "Everybody who is coming back (needs to) catch up to the speeding train right now, so it was just a coach's decision more than anything."

The article notes that a major reason for Dumont's scratch was the acquisition Thursday of forward Mike Fisher and the health of forwards Marcel Goc and Marek Svatos. Both Goc and Svatos returned to the lineup against San Jose. Goc missed Nashville's last game with an upper-body strain, and Svatos had been out since Jan. 15 with a knee issue.

Going forward, Trotz said his lineup decisions would be mostly situational.

"For example, San Jose has a real good power play, so you're probably going to keep most of your penalty killers in there," Trotz said. "It's going to be decisions based on opponent play and all those different factors."

Also from The Tennessean: For the second straight game, Fisher was slotted between forwards Sergei Kostitsyn and Martin Erat. Goc had centred that line since early December.

"We had a few chances point-blank we could have buried, but we're starting to feel a little more comfortable," Fisher said. "Obviously right away for me it's to try not to force things and be patient on the puck, and that will come as I get more accustomed to the guys."

The Arizone Republic denotes that he's probably not going to lead the Coyotes in scoring. He's not an offensive juggernaut coach Dave Tippett will likely send out on the ice when the team needs a goal. And when a game summary is posted after a hard 60 or 65 minutes of play, his contributions don't jump from the page.

But the blue-collar responsibilities that forward Lauri Korpikoski bears for the Coyotes are the cogs that help drive Tippett's defence-first system.

"Usually the players that score the goals get the accolades, but you have to have some people who are willing to do some things to allow you to win other than score, and Korpi is one of those guys," Tippett said.

It's a role that's become Korpikoski's identity. He's played every forward position and is a regular when it comes to jumping over the boards to kill a crucial penalty or preserve a one-goal lead with a minute to go. But before he came to the NHL, Korpikoski was known for his scoring prowess, especially in his final full year in the AHL when he tallied 23 goals.

When he's not watching film on other team's power-play schemes, he's fine-tuning the offensive side of his game, especially in the off-season. So it's not that much of a surprise that he's already posted career-highs in goals (11), assists (15) and points (26).

"He had a strong training camp, and he was a player that was going to come in and really be a big part of our team," Tippett said. "He's just taken that confidence and he's run with it."

Nothing beats the high from potting a goal, but Korpikoski has found another way to capture that feeling.

"When you're counted as one of the top PK (penalty kill) guys, you have to do a good job and, for sure, I take a lot of pride in shutting the PP (power play) down and shutting guys down in the last minute of games," Korpikoski said. "That's a big thing for me."

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review conveys that perhaps NHL officials didn't care for Eric Godard's decision to leave the Penguins' bench during Friday's brawl on Long Island.

To a man, however, his teammates appreciated Godard's gesture.

Godard still has nine games to go on a mandatory 10-game suspension for protecting goalie Brent Johnson, who was sought out by Islanders' forward Michael Haley.

The admiration from his teammates will last considerably longer.

"I don't know if it was possible for Godsy to be any more respected in this room than he already was," left wing Mike Rupp said. "But if it's possible, than he is. He's like a brother."

Although no one is disputing Godard's suspension — rules are rules, and leaving the bench brings certain consequences — his decision to sacrifice 10 games and $40,000 in salary solidified his place as a team leader.

"Character-wise, I'm not surprised one bit that he did it," Alex Goligoski said. "He's the ultimate team guy."

Many in the Penguins' organization feel at least one of the Islanders should have received a longer suspension than Godard's 10 games. Much like his decision to bolt off the bench, Godard took the suspension in stride as a guy who was simply doing his job.

"Coulda, woulda, shoulda," he said. "It happened. Nothing I can do about it now."

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch observes that earlier this season, Nikita Nikitin came off injured reserve to play in 13 games with the Blues. The 6-foot-3, 207-pound defender impressed at times but was tentative. He did not collect a point during that stretch and seemed a tad slow and indecisive.

But the power-play helper Monday was Nikitin's third point in the last five games. Since coming back in late January, he has been a different player.

"'Nikie' played really well, and he has been playing really well for us," Blues forward Alex Steen said. "He's got a hell of a shot and he's been using it on the power play and creating a lot of things for us. The pass he made to Mac was just a great pass.

"He sees the whole play. When we have 'D' like Petro and Nikie making plays like that — along with the way Eric Brewer has been playing — it spreads to the other guys. All of them played well (on Monday) and when they're going like that it makes a big difference."

The Post-Dispatch believes that the Alex Pietrangelo picture is not as cropped as that of Nikitin. The 21-year-old "Petro" has been emerging all season. With his two assists Monday, he has a goal and six assists in the last 11 games. During that time, he has averaged more than 20 minutes of ice time. Most apparent, he is becoming more involved at both ends of the ice, often pushing the offense deep in the opposing zone, carrying the puck with authority.

"Especially coming off a game we had at Minnesota, to bounce back the way we did just shows what we're capable of," Pietrangelo said. "We played a great 60 minutes, and to get rewarded the way we did you have to feel pretty good about it."

Nikitin does not speak a lot of English. "Hello" and "goodbye" is about as expansive as he gets. Blues fans don't know much about him, which is probably just fine at this point with the 24-year-old native of Omsk, Russia.

On the other hand, Pietrangelo has been prominent since he was the team's No. 1 pick and fourth choice overall in the 2008 NHL draft. There were teases — eight games in 2008-09, nine games in 2009-10. But in each case, the Blues decided their young defenceman would be better served maturing in juniors and international competitions.

This time, he stuck and demonstrated from the start of the season he is comfortable in his NHL skin. With six goals and 27 points, Pietrangelo leads Blues defensemen in scoring and is a plus-10. He is tied for fifth with Matt D'Agostini on the team's overall scorers list.

"'Petro' has been pretty consistent throughout the whole year," Steen said. "He has good vision and moves his feet well. He has more of a microscope on him, too, maybe more than some other guys. The media and people in the stands, they watch him to see how he's doing, how he's progressing.

"But I agree, Petro has grown into his role throughout the season. And I really just think he's going to continue to get better."

The article points out that Pietrangelo said the extra attention from being a top draft pick has never bothered him.

"You can't think about that," he said. "They picked me where they did because they saw something. I just have to go out there and do what I'm capable of and trust they know how to take care of other things.

"I think the past couple of years they felt the right thing was to send me back and it's turned out to be the right decision."

Matt: "Hey Chris, Been using your advice all year in my keeper league and am pushing for first place in my 14 Team H2H Keeper league.

Actually, thanks to your top 100 list, I was able to put together a nice list of keepers (keep 6) for next year; RW Perry, LW Heatley, C Tavares, G Lundqvist, D Green, D Chara. (I traded for Green and picked up Tavares from waivers)

I need a LW for the playoff push. Who do you like better between Gagne or Prospal for the rest of the year? We count G, P, PP, +/-, PIM, Shots... A one word answer is okay with me. Thanks."

Chris: Prospal.

But if I only gave a one-word answer, there would be no gleaning the insight into the madness that is my thought process. I think they're actually fairly even bets in terms of production from now until the end of the regular season, but I'd give Prospal the edge because he either should currently have or should get centre eligibility on top of the wing. Especially in an H2H format, that's a key advantage to have on a nightly basis.

And thanks for the kind words Matt. Glad things have worked out well so far this year.