Thursday's Daily Dosage - C.Smith, Stepan, Super Series...

Bizarre sight in the Flyers-Tampa game last night as the Lightning refused to forecheck so the Flyers refused to breakout.  Definitely good for a laugh (since I didn't pay to sit through it) and expect some sorta "forward progress" rule change coming soon.

The rookie, Craig Smith, led the way for the Preds with 2+1=3, plus-2, two PIMs & six shots last night... he now has 5+5=10 & 31 shots over his last nine games.

The goal streak ended at six games last night for Patric Hornqvist but you can't feel too let down as he contributed 3A last night, so magically he now has a seven game point streak where he has 7+4=11.

Colin Wilson is on a nice run teaming up with Smith & Hornqvist and he now has 1+3=4 & plus-8 over his last four games.

I guess we should be calling Brad Richards the #2C in New York now as Derek Stepan's line is unstoppable right now... Stepan has 3+6=9 & plus-8 over his last six games.  He and his linemates Marian Gaborik (5+5=10 in his last six) and Artem Anisimov (1+6=7 over his last five) are in quite a groove right now.

The Russians beat the Q again in game #2 of the Super Series last night... it was Nikita Kucherov (1+1=2) & Mikhail Grigorenko (1+2=3) leading the way.  These two (along with Nail Yakupov) were unstoppable last year at the U-18s and they might prove to be the same this year at the WJCs.  The series shifts to Ottawa where the OHL should provide stiffer competition but Yakupov will join the Russian team tonight as well... check it out.

This is why I wasn't advising anyone to look at Erik Christensen after a couple of two points games last week... he played a season low 5:15 last night and his next stop is likely the pressbox.

Jonas Hiller of 2011 is not the Jonas Hiller we've come to know and love as he has now given up 4+ goals in five of his 13 games and his sv% is rather Raycroft-esque at .900. 

Lubomir Visnovsky's game has just gone into the tank this year, along with pretty much all the Ducks, as he has no points and a minus-6 over his last eight games.  There's not much you can really do other than bench him and wait this out.

Kinda unfair as nobody on the Ducks is scoring but Andrew Cogliano is scoring even less in Anaheim than he did in Edmonton with just 1+1=2 in 15 games to start the season.  The sad thing is that the numbers actually indicate that he's getting his share of luck right now and you'd almost expect his production to drop at some point.

Devante Smith-Pelly with his first NHL goal last night... he's not going to do much this year unless his ice-time goes way up.

Scott Hartnell with a goal, four shots, four PIMs & four hits... not bad seeing as the Flyers were holding an Occupy Guy Boucher protest for most of the game.

Dwayne Roloson has now won four of his last five and a shower was barely needed last night as he only faced 15 shots from the passive Flyers.

Milan Michalek is up to double digits in goals already as he has 10 through his first 16 games.

No points and a minus-4 for Colin Greening over his last four games but the ice-time and L1 assignment is still there so I wouldn't jump off a bridge yet.

Martin Erat with the game winning SHG last night and he has 2+3=5 in six games since returning from a UBI..

Time for AHL snakes & ladders:  T.J. Brodie (ladder), Cam Atkinson (snake), Aaron Palushaj (ladder) & Zach Hamill (ladder).