Dose: Ducks sick of Couture

It's been a busy couple of days around the league. Let's take a look at the biggest story lines from Saturday's 12 games.

SHARKS 6, DUCKS 4

— Logan Couture was a game-time call and spent some time in the hospital early Saturday because of an illness. You wouldn’t have known that by the damage he inflicted upon the Ducks on Saturday. The talented forward scored twice, including the game’s first goal in the first and a shorthanded marker later in the frame. He also had five shots on goal in 17:02.

— San Jose certainly did its part to almost blow a 5-1 advantage. The Ducks pulled within a goal at 4:20 of the third period. Antti Niemi made 30 saves.

Sign up for some fantasy hockey over at Yahoo and make sure to get a copy of Rotoworld's Draft Guide.

— Tommy Wingels (goal, three assists) registered his first multi-point game since Oct. 14, the third contest of the year. Despite the seven goals and 15 points, I'm still not completely sold as his shots on goal have dried up in November after a strong start to the season. He has just nine over his last seven games.

— There really isn’t a better combination in the league than Ryan Getzlaf (goal, two assists) and Corey Perry (two goals, assist). Players with the combination of top-end offensive ability and physicality are rare in the NHL.

Also don't forget, for everything NHL, check out Rotoworld's up to the minute coverage on Player News, as well as follow @Rotoworld_HK and @jhascup22 on Twitter.

— Frederik Andersen lasted 26:09 before being pulled for Jason LaBarbera. Andersen gave up five goals on 19 shots, and LaBarbera saved all 15 shots he faced. Even though he’s given up eight goals over his last two games, both losses, there is no reason to worry yet about Andersen. He still boasts very strong rates: 2.37 goals-against average and .915 save percentage.

RANGERS 5, FLYERS 2

— New York has won four of its last five games, three of which have come against Philadelphia. The Rangers have given up two goals against the Flyers over those three wins. The Flyers are 1-7-1 over their last nine games.

— Derick Brassard was paid top-six center money in the offseason. He enjoyed a fine 2013-14 as the Rangers’ third center and he played well in the playoffs, but he has never topped 18 goals or 47 points in a season. Doubts about his ability to be a true scoring-line player were legitimate. This season he is off to a strong start, with eight goals (two Saturday) and 19 points.

— The Flyers are not a good team, but Jakub Voracek has been one of the game’s best forwards this year. He had a goal and an assist to give him nine goals, 23 assists and 32 points — second-best in the NHL.

— Tanner Glass has missed the last two games with the mumps, and that has allowed to Rangers to ice their best fourth line. Nobody wants to see a player get injured or sick, but perhaps coach Alain Vigneault will finally realize that a fourth line without him is the most effective. Fourth liners Jesper Fast and J.T. Miller each had a goal and an assist, while Dominic Moore finished a plus-three. Lee Stempniak (another player who has played on the fourth line) potted the empty netter.

AVALANCHE 5, STARS 2

— One team was going to end its winless streak against Central Division opponents in this one, and the Avs did it on the heels of a strong power play. Colorado scored twice on the power play, snapping an 0-for-15 skid and 1-for-35 stretch, per NHL.com. Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog each got one, while also adding an assist. Colorado is now 1-3-2 vs. division opponents; Dallas is 0-6-3.

— It seems like Alex Tanguay (goal, two assists) has been playing for decades. The 35-year-old endured a rough 2013-14 that saw him play just 16 games because of various injuries. He’s bounced back nicely this season with eight goals and 15 points. Hockey players get slower with age, but scorers don’t lose their instincts.

— This is a game that shows the value of the “advanced stats.” On the stat sheet, the Avs outshot the Stars 47-24. But on five-on-five unblocked attempts (Fenwick) it was 37 to 35. The power play was the difference, generating 17 shots on goal.

— Cody Eakin scored in the loss. He’s been bounced around the lineup this season, and Saturday he centered the third line. Eakin has shown he’s a versatile player, but he’s yet to show he’s a worthy play in fantasy leagues, with just five goals and 10 points.

MAPLE LEAFS 6, CAPITALS 2

— If one thing is clear about this Maple Leafs team, it’s that they have no trouble scoring. They entered the game third in the league with 3.18 goals per game. The problem remains limiting the shot attempts against … and again, they did not do that. Jonathan Bernier loomed large with 35 saves. Washington finished with 44 unblocked attempts to 32 for Toronto.

— Six players on the Maple Leafs recorded two-point nights. Tyler Bozak picked up two goals in the second period. He has five goals over his four-game point streak. Bozak continues to be a productive player, so long as he’s on the ice. Joffrey Lupul (goal, assist), Morgan Rielly (goal, assist), Phil Kessel (two assists), Jake Gardiner (two assists) and James van Riemsdyk (two assists) also notched multi-point efforts.

— It’s pretty clear that the Capitals rushed Tom Wilson, now 20, to the NHL upon drafting him in 2012. He’s pretty much been nothing but a goon in his 95 games at the NHL, with 198 penalty minutes, five goals and 15 points. Saturday, he had a goal and 15 penalty minutes in 12:08. Wilson has points in two straight.

— Quite the abysmal game from Capitals goalies. Justin Peters got the start, was pulled for the second period, then returned to the ice for the third. Peters gave up three goals on 11 shots, while Braden Holtby allowed three on 12.

SABRES 4, CANADIENS 3 (shootout)

— Can’t praise the Sabres without mentioning their goalie, it seems. Jhonas Enroth stood tall with 41 saves on 44 shots, good for a .932 save percentage. It’s hard to utilize him or Michal Neuvirth this season because the Sabres are just not good. Their goalies are pretty much only useful in leagues that count saves.

— Zemgus Girgensons’ goal gave him seven goals and 13 points on the year. He’s not fantasy relevant, especially with just 43 shots on goal, but it hasn’t been a bad year for the 20-year-old. He’ll topple his rookie-year totals pretty soon (eight goals, 22 points).

— Brendan Gallagher signed a six-year extension Saturday, then he went out and scored a goal and put four shots on net. Gallagher is a feisty, high-motor player with good offensive upside. he has six goals and 13 points this season. Max Pacioretty and Lars Eller also scored.

— The Habs are also reportedly hoping to lock up Alex Galchenyuk to a long-term deal. Discussions haven’t begun yet, but he’ll be a restricted free agent, so they should come pretty soon. Keeping a young core around is never a bad idea.

LIGHTNING 4, SENATORS 1

— Like Sidney Crosby, when you get a chance to play on a line with Steve Stamkos, you’re very likely to produce, and therefore be startable in fantasy leagues. Alex Killorn and Ryan Callahan each scored a goal and notched an assist. Killorn picked up the go-ahead goal early in the third period and is on his way to an excellent season.

— Victor Hedman returned to the lineup after missing 18 games due to a broken finger. He wasn’t exactly eased into action, with 19:55 of ice time. He also had three shots on goal, two hits and a plus-two rating.

— David Legwand scored the only goal for Ottawa, which has lost five of its last seven games. There’s some decent supplementary scoring appeal here, but with three goals and eight points, he’s not worth owning right now.

— Robin Lehner can’t be giving up four goals on 32 shots if he wants a continued stake in the share of starts between the pipes in Ottawa. Ben Bishop (26 saves), on the other hand, is a strong start in all leagues.

ISLANDERS 3, DEVILS 1

— The Islanders are a very good team, and Jaroslav Halak is a major reason why. After Saturday’s 34-save effort, he now has nine straight wins. He ranks eighth or better in wins (12), goals-against average (2.13) and save percentage (.926). Halak is the real deal.

— New York had to kill off a two-man power play at the end of the game when they only held a one-goal advantage. They entered the game with the worst penalty kill in the NHL.

— Nice to see the all-around contributions from the secondary players: Nikolay Kulemin, Cal Clutterbuck and Casey Cizikas (shorthanded empty netter) all scored goals. Together, they have a combined 11 goals.

— Damien Brunner scored his second. The Devils are 9-11-4, and goal scoring remains an issue. They just don’t have enough finishers.

PENGUINS 3, HURRICANES 2

— Christian Ehrhoff has always been a pretty good offensive defenseman. With the Penguins, it was reasonable to expect one of his best seasons. It hasn’t been the case. His goal Saturday was his first of the season, and he has just eight points.

— Chris Kunitz (goal) has 20 points and is on pace for his second straight 30-goal season.

— The Hurricanes power play accounted for both goals. Justin Faulk (third) and Elias Lindholm (seventh) scored them. Faulk needs to be started in all leagues at this point. He has 15 points and 65 shots on goal in 23 games.

— Both goalies — Thomas Greiss and Anton Khudobin — could’ve expected more action this season. However, Marc-Andre Fleury has been great, and Cam Ward has had his moments. Greiss made 32 saves, while Khudobin kicked away 30. The latter could start to steal some more starts from Ward, who hasn't been nearly as sharp after a strong start.

PREDATORS 2, BLUE JACKETS 1

— Mike Ribeiro (goal) has been one of the best signings of the offseason. You can’t find too many $1.05 million centers with six goals and 18 points. I wonder if the Preds will soon entertain the idea of keeping him past this season. Colin Wilson got the game-winner with 2:12 remaining.

— Ryan Johansen is such an exciting player to watch. He scored Saturday and has nine goals and 16 assists on the year. He’s ninth in the league in points with There aren’t many better players to own in dynasty leagues.

— Another night at the office for Pekka Rinne. He made 21 saves for his sixth straight victory. Let’s not forget about Curtis McElhinney’s performance, either. The backup faced 42 shots and stopped 40 of them.

BLUES 3, WILD 2 (shootout)

— A night without a Vladimir Tarasenko moment is a rare one. Saturday, he scored his 14th and also was the only one to find the back of the net in the shootout. Tarasenko has all the tools to be a force for a long time. He’s got goals in two straight.

— David Backes scored the other goal. It’s been a pretty quiet year for bruising center. Seven goals is not too bad, but 11 points?

— Zach Parise and Mikko Koivu got the goals for the Wild. Parise was all over the place in this one, getting nine shots on goal, too. He has a point in four of his last five games. The 30-year-old enjoyed a productive season with nine goals and 18 points.

— The Blues will likely sign Martin Brodeur early in the week, but this is clearly Jake Allen’s job. He made 36 saves Saturday. With Brian Elliott on the shelf, I’m curious to see how Allen does as the bonafide number one. It’ll be even more interesting with a future Hall of Famer lurking, too.

FLAMES 3, COYOTES 0

— Jiri Hudler is setting himself up for a career year offensively. The center had a goal and two helpers to extend his goal streak to four games. With 11 goals and 23 points, Hudler needs to be started in all leagues until he hits a long cold patch.

— Johnny Gaudreau continues to be the latest example that small players can excel in the speed/size NHL. He potted one and assisted on T.J. Brodie’s sixth. It’s looking like it’ll be a two-man race for the top rookie this season as Gaudreau now has 17 points.

— Karri Ramo posted his second straight shutout in his second straight start, this one coming on 26 saves. With Jonas Hiller struggling lately, the Flames should ride the hot hand here.

— Speaking of goalies: Devan Dubnyk did himself no favors by giving up three goals on 29 shots. Mike Smith has been pretty brutal this season, so this was another chance for Dubnyk to earn a lengthy look. Smith will likely get the start Monday in Edmonton.

BLACKHAWKS 4, KINGS 1

— Brad Richards might have lost a step, but the 34-year-old still can think the game at a high level to stay effective. He scored two times, good for six goals and 16 points. He also played a season-high 19:04. You could do worse than to take a chance on a player with this pedigree, on such a high-powered offense.

— Kris Versteeg has enjoyed quite the resurgence with Chicago. His two assists gave him 18 points this year. Another player I would not hesitate to roll out there until he cools off.

— Tough guy Jordan Nolan scored his first goal of the season and accumulated 10 penalty minutes. Crazy to think a guy with one point in 14 games would draw trade interest. Another example of overvaluing toughness.