Chris Nichols

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

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Video: Just a little patience...

Pittsburgh Penguins 2 @ New Jersey Devils 5
Goaltending match-up: Marc-Andre Fleury (9/13, .692 SV%) & Brent Johnson (5/5) vs. Martin Brodeur (24/26, .923 SV%)
Net notes: MAF was 8-14-4 vs. NJD coming in with 2.71/ .915 splits and two shutouts. Brodeur was 39-24-4-0 vs. PIT with 2.58/ .896 splits and seven shutouts.

Alexei Ponikarovsky Sidney Crosby Pascal Dupuis
Chris Kunitz Jordan Staal Bill Guerin
Matt Cooke Tyler Kennedy Ruslan Fedotenko
Michael Rupp Max Talbot Craig Adams

Mark Eaton Sergei Gonchar
Brooks Orpik Kris Letang
Alex Goligoski Jordan Leopold

Zach Parise Patrik Elias Jamie Langenbrunner
Ilya Kovalchuk Travis Zajac Dainius Zubrus
Brian Rolston Rob Niedermayer David Clarkson
Jay Pandolfo Dean McAmmond Rod Pelley

Bryce Salvador Andy Greene
Colin White Mike Mottau
Martin Skoula Paul Martin

Key notes: Chris Kunitz (1G, -1, 18:41 TOI, 1:58 PP, 0:09 PK, 4 SOG) had gone four games without a goal and he had one helper in that time. On the whole he's still a pretty decent depth winger for points, PIM and SOG for the stretch run. Bill Guerin (1A, -1, 18:09 TOI, 3:53 PP, no PK, 2 SOG) has points in five of his past 10 outings. Kris Letang (1A, -1, 2 PIM, 20:57 TOI, 3:48 PP, 0:09 PK, 1 SOG) ended a four-game pointless skid here and he began the night with 25 points.

Ruslan Fedotenko (1G, -1, 11:06 TOI, 1:24 PP, no PK, 4 SOG) had been blanked five straight times prior to this evening. Alex Goligoski (1A, even, 19:10 TOI, 3:02 PP, 0:09 PK, 1 SOG) began this evening with 30 points on the season and he has them in five of seven since the break ended.

Top PP times (PIT): Gonchar (4:53), Crosby (4:48), Ponikarovsky (4:41), Guerin (3:53) and Letang (3:48)
Top PP times (NJD): Kovalchuk (1:51), Martin (1:00), Langenbrunner (1:00), Parise (1:00) and Zajac (1:00)

Dainius Zubrus (1G, even, 14:04 TOI, no PP, no PK, 2 SOG) stopped a six-game goalless stretch with a beauty goal in the first period and he has points in five of eight in a pretty decent top six role. Patrik Elias (1G, 1A, +3, 16:58 TOI, 0:51 PP, 2:08 PK, 1 SOG, 1-8 FO for 11%) also has points in five of his past eight.

Paul Martin (1G, +1, 18:05 TOI, 1:00 PP, no PK, 1 SOG) was back in action tonight after missing a huge chunk of time with a broken arm. Travis Zajac (1A, even, 18:54 TOI, 1:00 PP, 2:38 PK, 3 SOG, 8-4 FO for 67%) needed two points here to reach the 60-point plateau.

Calgary Flames 3 @ Colorado Avalanche 2
Goaltending match-up: Vesa Toskala (32/34, .941 SV%) vs. Craig Anderson (31/34, .912 SV%)
Net notes: Toskala was 4-3-1-0 vs. COL coming into tonight with 2.72/ .900 splits. Anderson was 4-2-0 vs. CGY with 2.13/ .929 splits.

Rene Bourque Matt Stajan Jarome Iginla
Niklas Hagman Daymond Langkow Ales Kotalik
Nigel Dawes Craig Conroy David Moss
Curtis Glencross Eric Nystrom Jamal Mayers

Robyn Regehr Ian White
Jay Bouwmeester Steve Staios
Mark Giordano Cory Sarich

T.J. Galiardi Paul Stastny Chris Stewart
Peter Mueller Matt Duchene Milan Hejduk
Kevin Porter Ryan O'Reilly Marek Svatos
Darcy Tucker Matt Hendricks Chris Durno

Adam Foote Kyle Cumiskey
Scott Hannan Kyle Quincey
John-Michael Liles Ryan Wilson

Key notes: Rene Bourque (2G, even, 19:19 TOI, 3:33 PP, 0:20 PK, 4 SOG, 0-1 FO for 0%) scored a SHG, which was his fourth of the season and 11th of his career. He stopped a brief three-game pointless skid in the process and he also matched and passed last year's career best of 21 goals. Curtis Glencross (1A, +1, 10:20 TOI, 0:50 PP, 0:18 PK, 1 SOG) has points in three of four and four of seven. Ian White (1A, even, 18:09 TOI, 3:44 PP, no PK, 2 SOG) has collected points in four of six from the back end.

Top PP times (CGY): White (3:44), Iginla (3:33), Bourque (3:33), Stajan (3:33) and Giordano (2:50)
Top PP times (COL): Duchene (3:34), Hejduk (3:34), Mueller (3:22), Stastny (3:21) and Liles (3:21)

Milan Hejduk (1G, +1, 20:25 TOI, 3:34 PP, 0:16 PK, 3 SOG) scored a late goal for his owners and he has found the back of the net in three straight. Paul Stastny (1A, +1, 4 PIM, 21:06 TOI, 3:21 PP, 1:39 PK, 4 SOG, 9-8 FO for 53%) added his 70th point of the season on that play and has points in all nine games since the break ended with 16 points in that span. Chris Stewart (1A, even, 18:26 TOI, 2:23 PP, no PK, 1 SOG) has points in six straight with 58 overall.

Chicago Blackhawks 2 @ Anaheim Ducks 4
Goaltending match-up: Corey Crawford (32/35, .914 SV%) vs. Jonas Hiller (39/41, .951 SV%)
Net notes: Crawford was 1-0-0 vs. ANH coming in with 0.84/ .955 splits and one shutout. Hiller was 4-2-0 vs. CHI with 1.85/ .942 splits and one shutout.

Troy Brouwer Jonathan Toews Patrick Kane
Patrick Sharp Dave Bolland Marian Hossa
Andrew Ladd John Madden Kris Versteeg
Ben Eager Adam Burish Dustin Byfuglien

Duncan Keith Brent Seabrook
Niklas Hjalmarsson Nick Boynton
Brent Sopel Jordan Hendry

Bobby Ryan Ryan Carter Corey Perry
Dan Sexton Saku Koivu Teemu Selanne
Jason Blake Todd Marchant Matt Beleskey
Mike Brown Kyle Chipchura Troy Bodie

Scott Niedermayer James Wisniewski
Aaron Ward Lubomir Visnovsky
Sheldon Brookbank Brett Festerling

Key notes: Duncan Keith (2A, +1, 7 PIM, 24:23 TOI, 1:58 PP, 1:54 PK, 1 SOG) had 27 points in 32 GP on the road coming in here. Marian Hossa (1G, -1, 17:40 TOI, 3:21 PP, 0:55 PK, 3 SOG) recovered from his upper-body injury and has goals in four of his past six starts. Patrick Sharp (1A, -1, 15:36 TOI, 3;21 PP, 0:25 PK, 6 SOG, 2-1 FO for 67%) was three points shy of 60 on the season before tonight and he had 14 points in 13 GP coming in.

Top PP times (CHI): Bolland (3:51), Sharp (3:21), Brouwer (3:21), Hossa (3:21) and Byfuglien (2:44)
Top PP times (ANH): Visnovsky (3:58), Niedermayer (3:23), Selanne (2:11), Perry (2:11) and Koivu (1:54)

Bobby Ryan (2G, +2, 2 PIM, 2 PIM, 14:49 TOI, 1:49 PP, no PK, 3 SOG, 1-1 FO for 50%) has scored back-to-back after five games without a goal. He had 11 points in 13 GP before tonight. Corey Perry (2A, +1, 13:52 TOI, 2:11 PP, no PK, 3 SOG) has a point in five of seven since the break and he came into tonight nine points back of last year's 72 points. Ryan Carter (1A, even, 12:51 TOI, 1:19 PP, no PK, no SOG, 7-2 FO for 78%) began this one between the two star wingers in place of the injured Ryan Getzlaf.

Saku Koivu (1G, +1, 21:17 TOI, 1:54 PP, 1:48 PK, 3 SOG, 9-13 FO for 41%) had two points the last time he met the Hawks and he was coming off a three-assist effort vs. SJ a few nights back. He only had two points in eight games before that though. Lubomir Visnovsky (1A, +1, 24:15 TOI, 3:58 PP, 1:44 PK, 5 SOG) had three goals in five games with ANH before this evening.

Have you got a brief fantasy hockey question? Drop a line to chris.nichols@sportsnet.rogers.com within 24 hours or so of any Q&A (to keep your league info relevant) and your email may be included in the blog, which will begin live at 3pm et/ 12pm pt on Mondays and Thursdays. One per person, please. Don't forget to include your first name and hometown to represent!