Chris Nichols

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

Twitter: @Nichols_NHLPool/ Email: chris.nichols@sportsnet.rogers.com

The twitter feed has timely NHL & fantasy info with a few funnies along the way. Inane babble is generally kept to a minimum and known starting goalies will be posted leading up to the first games of the night, where possible.

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The Edmonton Journal writes that Taylor Hall had banked on playing his first NHL game and scoring his first NHL goal, but what the Edmonton Oilers young star hadn’t foreseen was his first trip to the sidelines with an injury.

And not just an injury that would keep him out for a game or two but a high ankle sprain that abruptly ended his standout season.

“I’ve never been hurt before. I’ve never missed a game with an injury. I’ve never had to deal with this kind of stuff,” said Hall, who recently dispensed with his crutches but remains in a walking cast.

“It sucks. All I can do is work out and watch the boys play.”

Hall’s left ankle buckled at the end of his first NHL fight — a scrap with Derek Dorsett of the Columbus Blue Jackets that unfolded at Rexall Place on March 3.

Earlier that night, the No. 1 pick from the 2010 draft had ratcheted up his point total to 42 with a goal and an assist. He was comfortably in contention for the league’s rookie-of-the-year honours.

“I was just starting to feel good, I was going to try to make a push for the Calder (Trophy) ... just try to finish out the season strong. This put a damper on all that,” Hall said on Tuesday. “But at the same time, I’ll have a long off-season. That’s probably the only positive.

“It just sucks. As a player you want to play. It’s no fun being hurt.”

Hall will remain in the boot for a while and is hopeful he’ll be back on skates before he leaves Edmonton for the off-season.

“I read a quote today that there isn’t a hockey player who hasn’t gone through his career without an injury,” said Hall. “It’s how you rehab, it’s how you come back.”

Sergei Gonchar turns 37 next month and, according to The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, has pretty much seen it all during his 16 seasons in the National Hockey League.

Some of it, twice.

Like how he struggles to settle in with new teams.

He joined the Penguins as a free agent in 2005 and, for the first few months of the 2005-06 season, looked like a guy who had just taken up the game during training camp. He subsequently became the cornerstone of a defensive corps that made the Penguins' 2009 Stanley Cup possible.

In the previous offseason, he accepted a three-year contract worth $16.5 million offered by Ottawa. By the holiday break in December, he had a plus-minus rating of minus-19 that was easily the worst on a team that he hoped would contend for a Stanley Cup.

"It seems like I always have a problem adjusting to a new environment," he said. "The only good thing about that is, usually my second year is better than the first one. That's the only thing I'm looking forward to."

The Post-Gazette notes that Gonchar was able to right his game -- he had seven goals, 20 assists and a plus-minus of minus-15 before Ottawa faced the Penguins Tuesday night at Scotiabank Place -- but his team did not and figures to have one of the top choices in the June entry draft.

"A season like this, I didn't expect it," Gonchar said. "I don't think anybody expected it. It's a little tougher for me, but it's part of life, so you have to deal with it and move forward."

Senators coach Cory Clouston said he could not explain Gonchar's early struggles, but that he's pleased with how Gonchar's game has been upgraded.

"I think he feels more comfortable," Clouston said. "His confidence is where it needs to be, and I think he's simplified his game a little bit, as well. ... He's doing a very good job for us. He's playing well. He's playing as well as we've had him playing all year."

The Buffalo News indicates that concussed Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby, who has skated several times this week for the first time in more than two months, told reporters he's talked to hardly any players around the league about his injury.

He admitted to one notable exception: A chat last week with Buffalo Sabres defenseman Jordan Leopold, who suffered a concussion during the playoffs last year while playing with the Penguins.

"Sid was in a pretty good mood that day. I normally try to talk to him every time I'm in town or when they come in here," Leopold said prior to Tuesday's game in HSBC Arena against the Carolina Hurricanes. "I think his spirits were up. He knows he's got better days ahead of him, of course. I just wanted to reach out to him and let him know I was thinking about him and ask him how he was doing.

"As the hockey world goes around, a lot revolves around him. He's one of those guys who helps expose our league to a bigger, prouder horizon."

Leopold spoke to Crosby last week when the Sabres played in Pittsburgh and said he understood the uncertainty No. 87 is feeling.

"A lot of emotions go through it," Leopold said. "Concussions are the funniest injury in the world because you can look fine, act fine, feel like crap. That's the honest to God's truth. We just had a conversation about how his emotions are doing and I told him to stay upbeat, don't get discouraged and that it will come around. It's a matter of time and he'll know when he's ready."

He continued.

"Sometimes you feel a little bit isolated, removed from the team," Leopold said. "You don't see the guys because you come in at different times. You wake up some mornings and you don't feel very good. It's frustrating. So I just wanted to make sure to tell him as a friend there are brighter days ahead.

"I was more disappointed when I talked to him that I didn't get to play against him. You play in this league, you want to play against the best and I think he's the best in the world."

“I knew what I was doing," Thrashers winger Evander Kane told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution of his highlight-reel no-look, spinning, back-handed pass to Tim Stapleton from the left boards to the front of the net for a goal in last night's 4-2 loss to New Jersey. "I saw Tim heading to the net and the defense was pinching off. If I got him the puck the only way I could do it was the spin-around back-hand pass so I was able to put it on his stick and he made a great play to finish it.”

The Chicago Tribune observes that Jonathan Toews' teammates have had a first-hand look at just how valuable the Blackhawks' captain has been this season and now the rest of the NHL is getting clued in as well.

As the Hawks climb in the Western Conference standings, the buzz surrounding Toews' high-level of play is growing and the center is being mentioned as a candidate for the Hart Trophy, awarded to the league's most valuable player.

Helping matters lately has been the Hawks' appearances on national television, including back-to-back games Sunday and Monday. Led by Toews, the Stanley Cup champions are 6-1-3 on national TV this season with up to five more appearances scheduled.

"That seems a little farfetched," the ever-modest Toews said of MVP talk. "It's not really what matters to me but it's definitely a compliment just to even have the slightest mention when people are talking about that."

Toews, 22, may not want to discuss it, but Hawks coach Joel Quenneville doesn't hesitate to heap the praises on his talented young leader.

"He has been dominating a lot of times on the ice," Quenneville said. "Johnny's a top player in the league. I think early on (Sidney) Crosby was a guy who had an amazing (scoring) streak and was a top player. Johnny from the start of the season, you just see him getting better and better and as the games become more important Johnny likes that challenge and rises to the occasion. He certainly should get some consideration."

In his last 21 games, Toews has recorded at least one point in 18 and has a total of 33 during that span with 13 goals and 20 assists. His career-high 71 points off 30 goals and 41 assists rank him seventh in scoring in the NHL entering Tuesday's games. Toews is also tied for fifth with a plus-minus rating of plus-25 and is tied for sixth with a 57.4 percent success rate in the faceoff circle.

"Jonathan has been playing great all season," linemate Patrick Sharp said. "He hasn't really changed his game too much (and) the puck's going in for him. He's good in a lot of different areas."

The Columbus Dispatch notes that after one round of last night's shootout, fans in Nationwide Arena could be spotted leaving their seats and heading for the exits.

Maybe they were trying to beat the traffic. Maybe they didn't want to stay for inevitable heartbreak.

The Blue Jackets lost their fifth consecutive shootout in falling to the Boston Bruins 3-2.

Bruins rookie Tyler Seguin scored the lone goal with his team's first attempt. It was his only shot of the game and first since Feb.12. Rick Nash, Fedor Tyutin and Scottie Upshall were denied by Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask.

With points at a premium, the Jackets have lost three shootouts during their current 1-4-4 slide that has sabotaged their playoff hopes.

"It's not an area of success for us, and it's something we have to improve on," said goaltender Steve Mason, who is 9-16 in shootouts in his NHL career. "You look at those five points we have lost in those shootouts and they're big points."

Coach Scott Arniel knows his team is not a confident bunch as it prepares for shootouts. His players also have failed to convert myriad chances on breakaways and penalty shots in the past nine games.

"I don't imagine everybody is standing up or lining up to be one of the guys picked," Arniel said. "It's frustrating. It's obviously been an issue for this team since early on in the year.

"When you are feeling good and winning games, everybody is confident - both the goaltenders and the shooters. And when it turns like it has turned now, everyone is gripping their sticks tighter and probably not thinking positive thoughts."

Fire & Ice writes that the Devils’ young guns came through again for the Devils in their 4-2 win over Atlanta Tuesday.

After scoring his first NHL goal in Saturday’s 3-2 overtime win over the Islanders, 20-year-old rookie center Jacob Josefson scored the game-winner here. Josefson’s 21-year-old Swedish compatriot, Mattias Tedenby, set up the winning goal. Tedenby also earned the primary assist on Anssi Salmela’s OT winner Saturday.

“They play unbelievable,” left wing Ilya Kovalchuk said. “They work hard, they’re skating and they’re listening to what Jacques (Lemaire) tells them. They’re lucky actually because Jacques is their coach. When you’re at that stage of your career and you have a coach like that you can learn a lot. He will make them much better players, that’s for sure.”

Josefson and Tedenby had some preexisting chemistry from playing on the same line for Sweden at the World Junior Championships. Right wing David Clarkson has fit in nicely on their line the last two games.

“Obviously, it helps when you’ve played with a player before,” Josefson said. “You kind of know how a player moves and what he likes to do on the ice, so that helps a little bit.”

Josefson has two goals and two assists in his last five games after having no points in his first eight NHL games.

“He plays more games. He’s comfortable. He’s getting used to his linemates,” Lemaire said. “This line tonight, they didn’t start well, but they were like the other guys – a tough time in the first period. After that, they started to play better and it’s confidence, playing more and being used on the power play. You start to make plays, start to make shots. When you’re good, you know it’s going to come out one day.”

Fire & Ice notes it is clear Josefson and Tedenby like playing together.

“I love playing with him,” Josefson said of Tedenby. “It’s always fun to be out there with him.

“I enjoy playing with him and Clarky as well,” Tedenby said.

The young Swedes’ older teammates are enjoying watching them play, too.

“It’s nice,” goaltender Martin Brodeur said. “I think they’ve been working really hard and it’s to their credit to be able to play at this level at a young age and they’re starting to contribute. I think it’s really important for an organization to be able to count on young players and definitely with these two guys, they know each other a lot, but their chemistry has been good.

“For me, it’s how fast they play the game. They get to loose pucks and make plays and Jacob is such a good, smart hockey player. You can tell in our defensive zone the way he plays the game, how he supports the players around the ice. They’re small and because of their speed they’re able to get by and that’s really nice.”

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch shows how St. Louis Blues power forward Chris Stewart's father Norman, having moved to Scarborough, Ontario in a particularly tough neighborhood, was especially concerned how his sons would turn out - so he introduced them to hockey.

"We made a pact," Norman remembered. "I said, 'If this is what you want to do, you have to put in the extra hours. If you're an electrician, you put in 10,000 hours before you master the trade. I was a taskmasker."

That is what drove two sons of Jamaican and Irish heritage to become first-round picks in the NHL: Anthony, now a member of the Atlanta Thrashers, and Chris, a blossoming power forward whom the Blues acquired from Colorado in the trade for Erik Johnson.

But in addition to hard work and sacrifice, the core of most success stories, Chris' journey to the Blues includes a decision to quit hockey, a horrific phone call alerting him that his mother had passed away, and a perpetual love for his brother that made playing pro hockey a reality.

Chris, 23, is the second oldest, followed by Sarah (21), Leah (20), Kayla (19) and twins Jessie and Julie (18). Norman worked 12 hours a day installing swimming pools, but with seven children, Susan was a stay-at-home mother, making the budget tight. The family collected Canada's "Baby Bonus," a government-issued check to help parents financially, but it wasn't much.

The Dispatch illustrates how when Anthony, then 16, became a first-round pick of Kingston in the Ontario Hockey League, Chris knew that his parents couldn't afford two sons playing an expensive sport. Two years younger at 14, despite a promising start in the Greater Toronto Hockey League, he hung up his skates.

"My sisters made the most sacrifices growing up," Chris said. "They didn't get to have the nice clothes because everything was given to me and my brother. I didn't want to burden them anymore, so I just made the decision myself."

Stewart was attending West Hill Collegiate Institute in Toronto and was 260 pounds at the time.

"He told me he wasn't going to play hockey any more," Norman said. "I said, 'What are you going to do?' He said, 'I don't know.' I said, 'That wasn't good enough.' The next thing I hear, he's playing football."

Stewart already possessed good hands, and with his size, he was a natural at tight end.

"With his speed at 260, I'm telling you, if he had chose that (path), you would have heard of him in the CFL or the NFL," Norman said.

Stewart played three years of football and might have gone further had Anthony not returned home from Kingston one day and watched Chris in a pickup hockey game.

"Seeing him skate up and down the ice at 250, 260 pounds ... if he's skating that fast, he still had something," Anthony said. "I said, 'Man, if you lose a couple of pounds, I'll work on getting you an audition.'"

The Post-Dispatch says that Kingston Frontenacs GM Larry Mavety gave Stewart a tryout, and he made the team at age 16.

"They were looking for an enforcer, energy guy," said Stewart, who had experience in that protecting his five sisters.

Stewart turned it into a scoring role, netting 18 goals and 30 points in 64 games. The next two seasons, he combined for 73 goals, 169 points and 226 penalty minutes.

In the 2006 NHL draft, Colorado selected Stewart in the first round (No. 18 overall). It came three years after Florida had taken Anthony in the first round (No. 25 overall). A monumental moment for a player who said, "I always wanted to be just like my brother."

But today, Stewart remembers the draft for another reason.

"It's one of the real last memories I have of my mom before she passed away," he said.

The article points out how on March 19, 2007, four years ago this Saturday, Susan Stewart died of a massive heart attack at age 52. Anthony was in Florida and Chris in Kingston at the time.

"Five females screaming ..." Norman said. "That's a sound I heard for a while. She was gone. She was gone. As a mom, as a wife, as a woman, as a person, one of the great individuals I met in this world. She didn't have, but whatever she had, she was willing to share."

When Susan received the "Baby Bonus" each month, she would drive to Western Union and wire the money to Chris in Kingston.

Norman said phone calls to Anthony and Chris were the "most difficult" he's ever had to make. The two returned home, and Chris broke down at the funeral.

"That was the first day I saw Chris cry," Sarah said. "Chris just completely shattered in my dad's arms. After that, he just went 100 percent. He was telling my dad he has a plan ... he started training hard, shedding the weight. He wanted to make my mom so proud."

Said Chris: "That was definitely a huge turning point in my life."

Now rounding into shape at 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds, Stewart put up a 25-goal season in the American Hockey League, and in his second NHL season, he netted 28 goals and 64 points for the Avalanche.

"I remember I went to Colorado and I was hanging out with the team and Adam Foote said, 'This is the future captain,'" Sarah said.

But that all changed last month, when the Avalanche traded Stewart to the Blues, along with defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk, in a blockbuster deal.

It's been quite an introduction for Stewart in St. Louis, with nine goals and 12 points in 13 games. In four games, he has scored twice, including the game-tying goal and game-winner in a 4-3 overtime win over Columbus last week.

"This has definitely been a picture-perfect start," he said.

Said Norman: "Chris has the best hands of all the big men in the game. You're going to love him in St. Louis. He has the heart of a lion. The part of his game I want to see the coach develop is his tenaciousness. He doesn't have all of Bob Gainey in him yet."

Spoken like someone who has seen the best, in Montreal, who now wants his son to be the best.

Kelly from Calgary, AB: "Hi Chris, Just seeing if you can help me rank these goalies.

I'm in a 12 GM keeper league. We can keep 9 players each and our goalie stat categories are Wins, Shots against, GAA, and Sv%. I have Howard and Crawford on my team currently. The GM's that own Price and Rinne are stacked at the goalie position and those two are likely available for a 3rd or 4th round draft pick.

How would you rank these 4 goalies: Howard, Crawford, Rinne, and Price? As always... thanks!"

Chris: That seems like a pretty great deal for either goalie Kelly, although you have two solid options right now without having to part with a single asset.

The short answer to this question is that the two goalies you have now are fine and you really don't need to give up anything to get another one, unless you want to get one of them and then deal one of your first two. Detroit and Chicago should remain strong teams for the foreseeable future. Howard is under contract for awhile now, while Crawford is an RFA that I don't think will repeat Niemi's mistake. You should be fine in net.

The longer answer, since I'd much prefer to expand on an issue to provide a little insight, is that I think both Rinne and Price are better goalies than Howard or Crawford. IMO, Howard and Crawford are guys whose value would fall significantly if they weren't in their current situations of playing for the Wings and Hawks. Any goalie needs a team in front of him, but I'm just not sold on either guy being a star. That said, they play where they play. You already have them, so you may as well enjoy them.

I can't say enough good things about how Nashville has built their defence through the draft and they seem to have a never-ending supply of prospects coming through the system. Combine that with Rinne's size and skill and what's not to love? His stats speak for themselves. Price has stepped up in the pressure-cooker and has, in some cases, succeeded despite the team in front of him. I don't believe Montreal would be a playoff team today without him.

Like I said though, you're fine in net. I don't really see any reason to pursue either Rinne or Price.

Mike: "Chris, would you drop Setoguchi and/or Prospal for D Jones, D'Agostini, Gunnarsson or Fowler?

Seto plays on Thurs, Sat, I could always hold off and re-evaluate my team at that point. I know prospal's been hot I was just looking to get more games this week. Thanks for the advice."

Chris: Not only has Prospal been really productive this month Mike, but Gaborik is also showing signs of heating up. They're a really good combo when they're both going. I could see dropping Setoguchi (a little cooler of late and you're in the playoffs and need points nightly) to try D'Agostini for tonight and see how it goes. He has B2B multi-pointers coming in and has four points in three games against the Ducks this season. There have also been a lot of goals scored between these two teams in their prior match-ups.

What you really need to concentrate on is trying to pick the best match-ups every single day and maximize the number of GP available to you. I seem to remember you saying you're allowed one or two pick-ups each day, so since you're in the playoffs and it's really do-or-die you should really rotate fringe guys as often as possible if it'll get you extra games. One or two points might make the difference.

When you're picking game-by-game it's really pretty much a crapshoot, but all you can do is invest as much time as you can spare doing the homework and then just sit back and hope for the best.