Posted by Tristan H. Cockcroft, ESPN.com
Ilya Kovalchuk became the first player to reach the 30-goal plateau this season ... then nearly 14 minutes later, he netted his 31st. In his past 26 games, he has 25 goals, and in only seven of those contests was he held without a point
Here's how remarkable Kovalchuk's performance has been: Only three times in the past 10 years has a player scored 30 or more goals before the new year; Teemu Selanne had 32 in 1997-98, Jaromir Jagr had 31 in 1999-2000 and John LeClair had 31 in 1997-98, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The Capitals' Alexander Ovechkin, who scored for the 26th time on Thursday, is the only other player within five of him this season.
That's why Kovalchuk's current 67-goal pace shouldn't be considered an outrageous expectation. Oh, sure, asked to forecast his final tally, I'd certainly pick a number lower than that, but it's not unthinkable he'll wind up a 60-goal performer. If that's his over/under, I'd have to think long and hard before picking the under. By the way, who was the last player to score 60-plus goals? Mario Lemieux, who potted 69 in 1995-96.
Fantasy owners -- or at least the ones in 97.4 percent of ESPN leagues -- apparently still have faith in Nathan Horton's raw talent, and after he scored two goals on Thursday, perhaps they should. Sure, that brings him to a mere 10 goals and 25 points in 37 games for the year, but remember he's 22 years old, had 28 goals in 2005-06 and 31 in 2006-07 and he did finish last season with 16 goals in his final 32 games. If Horton runs cold again after this, it's going to be time to start bailing on him, but I'd call this the kind of outing that should lead you to bookmark his game log page for the next several days.
Joffrey Lupul is not on the kind of pace Kovalchuk is -- he's on track for 35 -- but he did score twice on Thursday, giving him nine in his past eight contests. He has 32 points in 35 games and seems far more acclimated in the Philadelphia offense than he ever did in Anaheim or Edmonton, so don't expect him to fall far short of a point-per-game pace.
Sleeper alert: Predators rookie Ville Koistinen scored his first NHL goal on Thursday, adding two assists. He has skated more than 21 minutes in each of his past two contests and even earned 6:49 of power-play time, second-most on the team, which is quite the role for such an inexperienced player. One game doesn't do it for me -- nor should it for you -- but this kid tallied nine goals and 41 points in the AHL last season, so he's on my watch list.
Sleeper alert No. 2: I'm a bit surprised to see that Valtteri Filppula remains owned in only 9.9 percent of ESPN leagues considering his goal-scoring touch of late. That number will surely rise after he registered back-to-back two-goal outings, extending his hot streak to nine goals in his past 10 contests. Two problems: Of Filppula's 20 points for the season, only three have come on the power play, and he's barely contributing in assists, with two in his past 18 contests. Still, a guy with this type of magic touch in the goals category is well worth stashing on your bench while tracking the next few games.
There's another two-point game for Capitals rookie Nicklas Backstrom, continuing to encourage his fantasy owners. He has four goals and 11 points in his past 11 contests, though in five of those he was held scoreless. Those are the kinds of numbers that demonstrate the streakiness of rookies still adjusting to NHL competition, while also indicating some growth. It might be a bit frustrating to own Backstrom the rest of the way, but with the tremendous upside he possesses, it's a chance well worth taking.
The Lightning really can't afford to keep handing Johan Holmqvist the bulk of the starts between the pipes. Thursday's meltdown represented his fourth early hook in his past give starts. Rookie Karri Ramo, who allowed two goals on 14 shots in relief, might be inconsistent as he gets acclimated to the NHL, but it'd make sense for the team to install him as the starter and hope the future arrives sooner than later. If I must have a Lightning goalie on my roster, as a No. 3/4 option, it's clearly going to be Ramo.
Speaking of goalies who need to play regularly, Martin Gerber can't possibly be returned to the bench anytime soon. He stopped 25 of 27 shots Thursday to win for the sixth time in his past seven games; Ray Emery did nothing the one time he gave Gerber a night off, on Dec. 22. Call this "goaltending controversy" officially settled.
Here's something you don't see every night: A 46-save effort, which is what Wild goalie Niklas Backstrom -- not to be confused with the Capitals rookie Nicklas Backstrom -- recorded on Thursday. He now has 93 saves his past two starts combined, not that he has looked worn down by facing so many shots. Wins continue to be an issue for him, but there remain few goalies more reliable in goals-against average and save percentage.
Tristan H. Cockcroft covers fantasy sports for ESPN.com. You can e-mail him here.
