Posted by Victoria Matiash, Special to ESPN.com
There's no pleasant way to put this: The St. Louis Blues are a hurtin' bunch. Expectations were already low at the start of the season, and now with seven regulars listed as injured, including top scorer Andy McDonald (gone for a couple of months), they're in even worse shape. But coach Andy Murray isn't giving up on his crew (no real choice there) and neither should you, the fantasy owner. Even in the darkest, dankest dungeons, a glimmer of light will shine. In the deepest, dingiest mines, a precious gem will be discovered -- all right, OK, you get the idea.
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Perron is one of the young Blues stepping up for fantasy.
Brad Boyes and Keith Tkachuk are undeniably the leftover fantasy standouts on this desecrated Blues squad, but those two can't do it all by themselves. For St. Louis to have a chance, night in and night out, the second line of Lee Stempniak, David Backes and David Perron is going to have "bring it," as the kids say these days. Stempniak is already bringing it, with 11 points in his past seven games, including the 3-2 overtime win against Anaheim on Friday night. And yet, he's owned in only four percent of ESPN leagues. Four. Come on! Some of you in deeper leagues should at least be riding the guy while he's smoldering.
As for Perron, the 20-year-old sophomore is raising his level of play as well, with four points in his past five games. He netted 83 in 70 games in the Quebec Junior league in 2006, so it's not like he's incapable of producing. And Perron, along with Stempniak, plays on the Blues' No. 1 power-play unit with Boyes, Tkachuk and Eric Brewer. That certainly helps. The youngster, too, should be given ample fantasy consideration.
David Backes is also in an interesting position with new responsibilities. It's not that the natural winger hasn't played center in the NHL before, he just hasn't played the position much. And he certainly doesn't usually skate more than 21 minutes a game either, but that also happened Friday night against the Ducks. And he scored a goal and an assist, so there you go. This isn't to say you should rush out and throw Backes on your fantasy roster at this very moment -- Stempniak and Perron are worth adding first -- but just keep an eye on the guy.
Finally, the Blues are going to have to play gritty, physical, defensive-styled hockey merely to survive. No one will benefit more from this than Manny Legace. After that weird hip-hurting-while-tripping-on-Sarah-Palin's-carpet incident in October, Legace looks to be back to his old, competent self. He played phenomenally against the Ducks on Friday and is 2-0-1 with a 2.23 goals-against average and .922 save percentage in his last three appearances.
Ice chips
The Dallas Stars were dealt a crushing blow with the news that captain Brenden Morrow will be out for the rest of the regular season with a knee injury. Watch former linemate Mike Ribeiro's production dip for a little while as he's forced to adjust to a new scoring partner. … Canadiens defenseman Mike Komisarek will be out for a least another month with a bad shoulder. Komisarek was hurt during a brutal fight with Bruins big guy Milan Lucic on Nov. 13. Look for Josh Gorges to continue skating with top Montreal blue liner Andrei Markov in the meantime. … Penguins D-man Ryan Whitney is back on the ice, skating (lightly) in practice. We still don't know when he'll return to the lineup, but it's a start. … It's always fun to watch an elite player break out of a scoring slump, in the sense that first goal seems to serve as a big reminder of how it's done. After eight straight games of not doing so, Eric Staal re-learned how to find the back of the net against Phoenix on Friday, then proceeded to complete a hat trick. … Boston's top line of Marc Savard, Phil Kessel and Milan Lucic are getting most of the attention regarding the Bruins' recent hot streak, and deservedly so. But the trio of Blake Wheeler, David Krejci and Chuck Kobasew also deserve a little love. Their chemistry is outstanding, and they've combined for eight points in their past two games. … One of the few bright spots in Florida is Bryan McCabe. Completely healthy, the defenseman is riding a six-game scoring streak with eight points. … Dear Devils coach Brent Sutter: You're welcome. Since being called out harshly for under-producing in this very space a week ago, New Jersey's second line of Patrik Elias, Dainius Zubrus and Brian Gionta responded by totaling 14 points in three games. Elias and Gionta have been particularly impressive with three goals each. Coincidence? Absolutely. Regardless, you (the fantasy owner) should now feel free to start your top Jersey forwards with reckless abandon. … Following three consecutive starts by Scott Clemmensen, Kevin Weekes is back in the mix after stopping 25 of 27 shots in a 5-2 victory over the Islanders. … As a healthy scratch, Maxim Afinogenov had to take a smidgen of satisfaction out of watching his Buffalo teammates fall 3-0 to Philadelphia. At least he can believe the Sabres' recent struggles aren't his fault. And they really are foundering. Outside of Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville, activate your Buffalo skaters sparingly. … Philadelphia's Martin Biron is one of the league's hottest goalies at the moment. Including Friday's 40-shot-stopping shutout, Biron is 3-0-1 with a 1.42 goals-against average and .951 save percentage over his past four starts. … Rick Tocchet can take his first big gulp of air. Tampa Bay's new head coach has his first win, a 4-1 victory over Nashville, after replacing Barry Melrose last week. The team as a whole is playing much better, but Steve Stamkos is benefiting the most from Melrose's departure. The rookie started Friday night's game on a line with Radim Vrbata and Vaclav Prospal, before finishing the contest alongside Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis. Stamkos is also getting opportunities on the power play and has three assists in his past two games along with a plus-2 rating.
