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Dose: Howard down in Detroit

Corey Abbott highlights Anisimov, Stempniak, Howard, Pearson and more in this week's Waiver Wired

The NHL announced the rest of the All-Star lineup, 36 more players, in addition to six rookies who will take part in the festivities. Because this is for the fans and the league wants every team represented, not every worthy player is going to be selected. Some players are more deserving than others, some teams could justify five All-Stars, others none. It's just the way it is.

Saturday's on-ice action featured 11 games and a several injuries (two to goalies) that will affect those in fantasy leagues. So without further ado ...

BRUINS 3, FLYERS 1

— Entering this game, you’d think the Bruins would handle the Flyers easily. The Flyers are not a good possession team, with a weak defense. The Bruins, despite their struggles, are still decent and have seems to gain some traction. The shots ended up 25-18 Philadelphia. Each team got a power play goal.

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— It seems the Flyers have dodged a major injury with Steve Mason, who departed in the first period with a knee injury. CSNPhilly.com reports he’ll miss just a week. I’d actually be a little surprised if it’s that short, but we’ll see. Mason made five saves in 7:07. He’s substantially better than Ray Emery (10 of 13 saves). Expect Rob Zepp to get called up. I wouldn't want to have any of the latter two in my lineup.

— David Pastrnak had quite the game, scoring his first two NHL goals, in 16:08. The 2014 first-round pick has 12 shots in four games and is clearly being given a chance, despite his age (18). Pastrnak had 10 goals and 27 points in the AHL before his call up, too, so there is certainly offensive talent here. What the heck, he’s getting a chance on the first line, so take a chance on him if you have room.

— Flyers All-Star Claude Giroux scored his team’s only goal. I’ve continually expressed how a goal breakout could be coming, and slowly, with 14 goals, it’s starting to tick up. He’s still shooting just 9%; his career rate is 11.6%. Just an incredible player who rarely has a quiet night.

— Don’t look now but Tuukka Rask is also playing a lot better. Three straight games with at least a .949 save percentage. Twenty-four saves on 25 shots Saturday. He has not lost in regulation since Dec. 19.

PREDATORS 3, WILD 1

— The Predators became the first team to reach 60 points this season. 28-9-4 record. Can’t say I predicted this kind of success. Even when they don’t play their best game, they still find a way … All-Star Pekka Rinne made 36 saves, with 14 coming in the third period.

— Colin Wilson is enjoying a breakout season. He scored and assisted and is in the midst of a stretch in which he’s tallied at least a point in eight of ten games. His career-highs are 16 goals and 35 points. Wilson’s at 12 and 26 already.

— Zach Parise returned to the Wild lineup two days after his father’s death. He missed two games this week. Parise didn’t get on the score sheet but he had three shots and two penalty minutes in 23:08, with a minus-one rating. All the best to Parise during the healing process.

— Charlie Coyle got the lone Minnesota goal. Four goals, 14 assists from the 22-year-old forward hints at some upside down the road.

— Poor goaltending continues to plague the Wild. Niklas Backstrom stopped 24 of 27. He has just a 2.75 goals-against average and .893 percentage. Can’t go too far with that type of performance.

AVALANCHE 4, STARS 3

— This one really wasn’t close, but underscores what’s still unhinged in Dallas. The defense has been better, but the team still isn’t consistent enough on its own zone. Kari Lehtonen continues to underwhelm. He saved 26 shots Saturday. An even worse result when you consider Dallas jumped out to a 2-0 first-period lead, then gave up four unanswered.

— Matt Duchene capped off the scoring with one 12 seconds into the third period. He also had an assist and six shots on goal. With 11 goals and 26 points, he’s disappointed during the first half, but he does have points in four of five games and the talent is there for a big second half.

— Colorado also got a goal from All-Star Erik Johnson, his 12th, and John Mitchell. Johnson also had four penalty minutes. He’s been a solid fantasy contributor this season.

— Brett Ritchie scored his third of the season, in his sixth game. He also had five shots on goal during a career-high 19:58. I also mentioned last week that it wouldn’t surprise me to see him elevated in short order, and he’s now on the top line. Pick him up.

PENGUINS 2, CANADIENS 1 (overtime)

— The constant criticism of Sidney Crosby makes me laugh, because despite the lack of goals (12), he remains the best player in the game. He continues to get chances, he’s just getting unlucky (10% compared to 14.5% for his career). Exhibit A was Carey Price’s glove save on a Crosby point-blank slap shot in the third. Crosby got the last laugh in OT, though.

— Evgeni Malkin scored and assisted. He has three two-point games in his last four games. He’s unlikely to get to 100 points, but he might get close this season. Malkin’s at 47 now.

— Price was my pick to win the Vezina Trophy this season. Pekka Rinne has him beat, but the Canadiens goaltender has been brilliant this season. Thirty-five saves on 37 shots in the OT loss. He has a career-best 2.19 goals-against average and .928 save percentage.

— Max Pacioretty has scored in four consecutive games. Nineteen shots in that timeframe shows this is not a fluke. Pacioretty is a lock for at least 35 this season.

CAPITALS 3, RED WINGS 1

— Outside of the first 10 minutes of the game, the Red Wings dominated this game from a possession standpoint. Five-on-five shot attempts (not including those blocked): 34-18.

— Braden Holtby started his 18th consecutive game, earning the win on 26 saves. He is the x-factor for this team. Holtby has emerged this season as a trustworthy number-one in fantasy leagues.

— The Red Wings might be without their top netminder, Jimmy Howard, for an extended period. He needed to be stretchered off after a groin injury sustained while trying to make a save in the first period. The team hasn’t released the details, so that timetable is totally my guess. Luckily for them, Petr Mrazek is among the most talented backups, though he is still very young. He stopped 12 of 14, so he now has a 2.29 goals-against average and .916 save percentage. Scoop him up if you’re a Howard owner, or if you need a goalie, for that matter. Relying on a 22-year-old, no matter his potential, has to make the Red Wings - a legitimate East playoff team - worry, though. They'll be crossing their fingers that this looked worse than the diagnosis.

— John Carlson scored and had five blocked shots in 21:49. He now has five goals and 31 points. If the NHL didn’t require every team to be represented in the All-Star Game and the Blackhawks didn’t have five players voted in, Carlson could be headed to Columbus. He’s easily the Capitals’ best all-around defensemen, and he’s turning into one of the great young ones in the game.

ISLANDERS 5, BLUE JACKETS 2

— The Islanders got goals from five different players, as they’re depth (along with good goaltending) continues to set them apart from years past. Matt Martin, Kyle Okposo, Anders Lee, Brian Strait and Nikolay Kulemin found the back of the net.

— Okposo is a guy I’d target in the second half. Nine goals aren’t that great, but he has 140 shots on goal, plus 28 assists. Some more puck luck and he’s getting to that 25-goal mark.

— Chad Johnsonmade his first start since Dec. 23, stopping 16 of 18 shots. He’s better than he's shown this season. The Islanders will continue to trot him out there, in hopes he starts to get it right.

— Nick Foligno made the All-Star team, then continued his torrid stretch with another goal on three shots. He has points in seven straight games and has already tied his career-high in goals with 18. He’s seven shy of his career-best in points, too, which is 47. He might get to 30 goals, but it will not be surprising to see his goal-scoring pace slow down.

— Sergei Bobrovsky gave up five goals on 40 shots. He made the All-Star team more because Columbus is hosting the event as he’s been pretty average this season: 2.88 goals-against average, .914 save percentage. For fantasy owners, he has the talent to be a difference-maker, though.

SENATORS 5, COYOTES 1

— The score was pretty representative of the play on the ice as Ottawa controlled the flow of the game, from late in the first period onward. The Senators got contributions from five different players: Milan Michalek, Clarke MacArthur, Mike Hoffman, Cody Ceci and David Legwand.

— Hoffman is an intriguing piece, both in fantasy leagues and in real life. TSN’s Travis Yost reminded us all that every team in the league had a chance at claiming him when the Senators put him on waivers early last season. The 25-year-old has 14 goals, which might seem pretty surprising, until you realize he had 30 in the AHL last season in 51 games (13 in 41 the year before). Sure, the competition is not the same in the AHL, but there’s something to be said for that kind of production. Not sure that 15.4% scoring clip lasts, however.

— Remember when Michalek was a lock for around 20-25 goals? He has just four this season, with this one in nine games. His offensive game has dried up; he’s not even averaging two shots per game.

— I really don’t get why the Coyotes continue to stick with Mike Smith. Am I kidding myself? I know why they are: $$$. Smith gave up five goals on 33 shots. How much longer can they seriously stick with him? Smith has posted a save percentage over .900 once in his last nine games.

BLUES 5, HURRICANES 4 (shootout)

— The Blues trailed 3-1 in the first period and 4-3 entering the third and still managed to find a way to win their fourth straight games.

— Alexander Steen is on fire. His goal gave him points in six consecutive games, and goals in four of them. In that span, he has 12 of his 34 points. He is going to shatter his career-high 62 set last season.

— Vladimir Tarasenko tied the game at 4 in the third period with his 23rd goal. The All-Star has 44 points this season. It’s going to be fun to watch him in Columbus.

— A rare poor performance from Brian Elliott, who got yanked 12:42 in after giving up three goals on 10 shots. It’s not often that happens and your team still winds up with the win. Jake Allen was excellent in relief, making 19 saves.

— Eric Staal is showing he’s still one of the great power forwards in the game. He now has goals in three straight, and six over his last seven games. I still think the Hurricanes’ best option is to shop him around because this team is a ways away from being a legitimate contender in the East.

— Jeff Skinner (goal, assist) has goals in two straight. That’s about all the good news I’ve got for him. It’s been a disappointing year for the speedy forward. Skinner has 10 goals and 19 points in 37 games. The shots have dropped off somewhat lately, but 117 for the season is still very good.

FLAMES 1, CANUCKS 0

— Not much you can really say about a 1-0 game, but wow, what a performance from Joni Ortio in his season debut. Recalled because Karri Ramo is on injured reserve, Ortio made 36 saves for his first career NHL shutout. With a .911 save percentage, it’s not like Jonas Hiller has been lockdown-good himself, so perhaps Ortio could get more starts than you’d expect with Ramo out, even if it is short-term.

— Mikael Backlund now has goals in three consecutive games. The 25-year-old has three of his four goals and five of his nine points over that span, though he’s played in only 14 games. He’s someone to monitor.

— Eddie Lack made 22 saves. Despite the 1-2-1 record, Lack has posted at least a .911 save percentage during that span so he’s gotten a bit unlucky in his outings.

JETS 5, KINGS 4 (shootout)

— This should be a lesson for the Jets in how to close out games, especially against a very good team. The Jets jumped out to a 3-0 first-period lead 6:39 into the game. … Then saw it vanish as the Kings scored four unanswered goals. Bryan Little scored the lone goal in the shootout, and he also had one in regulation.

— The Mathieu Perreault signing has been a sneaky-good addition for the Jets. He pushes possession and is a solid secondary scorer. He has 11 goals and 23 points, so he’s not worth owning yet, though he does have six points in six games.

— Blake Wheeler is another one of those guys who doesn’t really get a lot of publicity, but he’s very solid in his own right. With the goal and assist, he has 12 goals and 32 points this season. The upside might not be super high, but his floor makes him very valuable.

— The Kings’ depth is really going to be under the crosshairs now. Tyler Toffoli is out with mono and Tanner Pearson reportedly broke a bone in his lower leg. Mike Richards certainly won’t be threatened with being a healthy scratch, at least for the time being. Andy Andreoff sat Saturday, so he could draw back into the lineup, unless the Kings dip into the AHL.

— Anze Kopitar and Marian Gaborik each got a goal and an assist. Kopitar has points in three straight and is back to being that top-flight producer fantasy owners expected. Gaborik remains his streaky self, but he’s someone who can carry you when he’s healthy.

— I know I’ll take heat for this, but is there any goalie as overrated as Jonathan Quick? He gave up four goals on 25 shots and has a 2.44 goals-against average and .913 save percentage. The team he plays for is excellent, but he simply is not. It’s been three years since his .929 save percentage. In the following (albeit one shortened) seasons he has a .902, .915 and the aforementioned .913 save percentage. Those are not good.

RANGERS 3, SHARKS 1

— The Rangers started off this game hemmed in their own zone, but they showed no panic and eventually the goals came. The Rangers are the hottest team in hockey: They swept their three-game California road trip, have won five straight and 13 of their last 14 games.

— Chris Kreider got his eighth goal and assisted on Martin St. Louis’ 14th. St. Louis is 39 years old and is on pace for around 30 goals and 70 points. Incredible.

— Dan Boyle returned to San Jose for the first time as an opponent and promptly broke his nose in the first period. The good news was that he just had to leave for a short time and played the rest of the game.

— Rick Nash also scored, on the empty net, and had seven shots on goal. The All-Star is tied for the league lead with 26 goals, and his 41 points are good for 11th.

— Don’t believe in Melker Karlsson’s hot streak, in which he’s scored in five consecutive games. He has nine shots over that span. Not saying he won’t be a good player in time, but this kind of scoring rate is unsustainable.