The funny thing for fantasy purposes is that the Alex Ovechkin play only counts for one goal in the grand scheme of things.  That is the cold reality of fantasy leagues especially this time of year.  Maybe it is a springboard for Ovechkin to finally get him going consistently.

Either way, we thank Garrett Rees for this week’s Looking Ahead.  It is a very good fantasy read that gives the lay of the fantasy land.  That finishing line is really almost here.  In three weeks, it is all over.  Just think of the finality of that very statement.  Sure there are fantasy playoff pools and such but its not quite the same.  Today is a bit different so let’s get right down to the Fantasy POTN.

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Fantasy POTN:

Eric Staal, C, Carolina Hurricanes — Staal played what we like to call “Kovalchuk Minutes” last night as he was on the ice for a grand total of 26:40 in the 4-3 road win over the Winnipeg Jets.  The bottom line was Staal had two goals and an assist plus set up the game winning goal by Chad LaRose.  He was a man apart as they say and yes some may wonder where this was early in the season but give Kirk Muller and John MacLean credit.  The coaches have resurrected the star’s confidence and it shows.  Yes his power play goal production is half of last year’s but maybe the surge this second half serves him well next year across the board.

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QUICK LOOK BACK:

Andrew Shaw, W/C, Chicago Blackhawks — Shaw is one of those likeable players that can produce fantasy wise enough to put him on your team as a depth forward.  Now if he keeps getting 16-18 minutes a night, that can change but for now, he is a point every other game guy.  That is not a bad thing to say the least as Shaw torched Washington for two goals and an assist last night.  The youngster averages over two hits a game as well so call it an added bonus to your fantasy bottom line.  It may be a good time to invest now in keeper leagues for next year and Shaw is a name you will hear about.

Mike Smith/Devan Dubnyk (PHX/EDM) — The goalies put on a nice little show last night stopping 76 of 80 shots combined in the 3-2 shootout win for Phoenix.  Give credit to the Coyotes as they rallied back with two goals in the third but the goaltending is what stole the show.  Smith is obviously the better fantasy option of the two as Phoenix battles for their playoff lives but Dubnyk is no slouch.  Smith would be a high first/low second option while Dubnyk is still more tertiary.  Either way, some of the saves in that game last night needed some more press than they got.

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SCHEDULE TIME:

Jonas Hiller is scheduled to make his 33rd consecutive start tonight.  Someone give that guy a night off.  San Jose should be able to take advantage of this opportunity despite some of their recent struggles against the Ducks.  The funniest bottom line to come out of fantasy hockey is how the Sharks are faring after the benching of Colin White.  They are 3-0-1 since the “demotion” and look like the team many thought they would be.  It is strange and wacky how these things work.  Even the goaltending has been a bit more consistent with Joe Thornton even heating up as he cranked out a six point fantasy week.  Him and Patrick Marleau could enjoy a nice fantasy night with Joe Pavelski.

The Rangers and Devils get together as one of the hottest lines is cooking with GAS.  No it is not that “GAS line” but the Brad Richards-Marian Gaborik-Carl Hagelin trio.  They combined for 14 points when together over the last seven days and Hagelin manifests the speed and creativity of that line.  When you add in two shot blocking, physical defensemen, this line looks like a world beater.  New Jersey will counter with their Parise-Kovalchuk-Henrique line which does cause the Rangers some fits.  The real player to keep an eye on is David Clarkson, who seems to always find a way to get under an opponent’s skin and has scored a couple timely goals this season (28 in all).

It will also be interesting to see how Tim Thomas follows up his performance against Philadelphia and how Detroit and Washington fare tonight.  Further, we want a bit of a look at that Marcus Foligno from Buffalo.  Him, Drew Stafford, and Tyler Ennis put up 15 points in total as Lindy Ruff may have found something by accident.  This line’s speed and puck handling could create havoc against a Tampa team that has just about mailed it in.  Sure Tampa has Steven Stamkos but their defense and goaltending is just well skunky.

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Good luck in your fantasy leagues and it is time to get it on tonight.  Thanks for reading.

We decided to do something a bit different and thank our good buddies from FantasyHockey.com. How did this get pulled off?  Simple.  Their awesome “Pick Six” column is our FH Mini One preseneation of sorts.  Do not forget Weekly Slapshot is on at Noon ET on Saturdays at Blog Talk Radio.  Now here is the FH column….enjoy.

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This weekend represents a crucial time for the future of thousands of fantasy hockey teams out there. With that in mind, I’m going to deviate from the usual plan a little and perform a mini schedule overview for the weekend, looking at teams that play both Saturday and Sunday, as well as teams that don’t play either day. But first, I’ll start with a pair of Kings for reasons aside from the schedule.

Jonathan Quick, G, LA – start

Kings coach Terry Murray has changed his tune a little and has decided to start Quick “heavily” down the stretch instead of him splitting starts with Jonathan Bernier. Quick may be a little tired right now, as evidenced by this goal from center ice on Thursday. However, Quick is confirmed to start on Saturday against Anaheim (LA Kings Insider), a team that he has a 2.02 GAA against in two games this season. Go ahead and put him in.

Jack Johnson, D, LA – bench

If you’re one who pays close attention to splits over the last ten games, you won’t like what you see with JJ. Over his last ten games, Johnson has just one assist with a (-8) ranking. If you have one extra d-man heading into a busy Saturday, Johnson may be the guy that you bench. I saw him on the waiver wire in one of my leagues and I decided to take a pass despite his 83 percent ownership.

Players from Buffalo, Columbus, Minnesota, and Nashville – start or add

I’m going to make this one really easy for you: Add players from all four of these teams, since these are the only four teams playing on both Saturday and Sunday. Some names worth looking into include the following:

Jordan Leopold, D, BUF (points, time on ice) – Leopold has career highs in both goals (12) and points (34) this season. In addition, he has logged over 26 minutes of icetime in each of his last two games.

Matt Calvert, LW, CBJ (goals) – Eleven goals in 30 games this season, four-game point streak at end of February.

Derek MacKenzie, C, CBJ (goals) – Four goals and five points and +5 over last seven games.

Pierre-Marc Bouchard, LW, MIN (assists) – A quiet eight goals and 22 assists in 48 games this season, and a four-game point streak earlier this month.

David Legwand, C, NSH (points, time on ice) – Eight points in eight games this month, and 22 minutes of icetime against Boston on Thursday.

Players from Carolina, Vancouver, and Washington – bench or drop

All three of these teams are idle on both Saturday and Sunday, so adjust your lineup accordingly. We’re not suggesting that you drop the likes of Eric Staal, Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin, or Alex Ovechkin, but fringe players from those teams might be worth dropping if you are in a do-or-die situation. Who these players might be will depend on the size of your league. As an example, I’ve dropped Mason Raymond, Tuomo Ruutu, and John Carlson in recent days in leagues where I’m attempting to keep my playoff hopes alive.

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Do you have a question about your fantasy hockey team? Email Ian at ian@fantasyhockey.com, and he’ll add it to the Fantasy Mailbag. Or follow fantasyhockey.com on Twitter for up-to-the-minute updates, general hockey discussion, and any fantasy hockey questions that you have. You can also become a fan on Facebook.