Atlanta Thrashers Turn It Around, Nicklas Backstrom Offense Still Not Found

So, life without Martin Brodeur for the next couple of months has begun.

I'm one of his many less-than-happy NHL fantasy owners. Fortunately for me, I still have Henrik Lundqvist and Tim Thomas to support my goaltending.

Also, I'm hoping Evgeni Nabokov misses a few more games—that way, Brian Boucher can receive more starts in the near future.

We'll see how that goes. Meanwhile, I'm pretty certain that I won my head-to-head once again this week. Not an easy task with Brodeur on the shelf. All right, enough small talk.

HOT

After watching the Tampa Bay Lightning rejuvenate themselves, the Atlanta Thrashers decided to finally play some pretty good hockey. Three games, and three wins this week have Atlanta out of the Eastern Conference basement for the time being.

With Pascal Leclaire on the injured reserve, Steve Mason has gotten some starts in goal for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Eight goals allowed in three games, but they were all victories for 20-year old. He could be a useful pickup for my team if he continues to play regularly.

Patrick Kane continues to create memories for Chicago Blackhawks fans. The native of Buffalo hit the ice just twice this week, and still totalled five points (one goal, four assists).

I'm not sure how much the Leafs pay him, but Mikhail Grabovski has certainly been earning his cheques as of late. Six points in three contests this week—and can that kid dangle, or what?

Some line-juggling took place in Ottawa this week. Who reaped the benefits? Mike Fisher, that's who. The pressure was mounting with no points in nine matches, and the scrappy 28-year old responded with two goals and three assists in the last three games. Keep your eye on him.

It may be a trophy-filled season for Alexander Semin. The Russian sniper has shown no intentions of slowing down his production. Three more goals were added to his name this week, along with two helpers. With Ovechkin struggling, there may be a new Alexander the Great in town for the Washington Capitals.

What's up? Nothing. That's the case for Roberto Luongo anyway. The Vancouver goaltender shut out Nashville, Phoenix, and Minnesota, making 81 saves in the process. It's amazing how quickly he can get it going for the Canucks. With Brodeur going down in New Jersey, all I can say to Vancouver is keep him healthy.

He couldn't get one past Luongo, but nobody did this week. Olli Jokinen shined for Phoenix with a six-point week. It had to have been sweet getting the better of his former Florida Panthers team with a two-point effort.

One week he's on, the next week he's off. That seems to always be the story with Ryane Clowe. I'm curious when he will turn into a consistent scorer in the league. To his credit, he has five goals in his last five matches, and 14 points on the year.

He's turning into the new highlight-reel machine. Ales Hemsky has scored five goals this year, and they've all been nothing short of spectacular. I guess deflecting shots and pouncing on rebounds was never really his thing.

Back from the dead. Lee Stempniak is beginning to resemble the kid that scored 27 goals two years ago for the St. Louis Blues. Five points in the last three games, and some nice chemistry forming with Patrik Berglund.

The name certainly doesn't reflect the level of play. Bryan Little is turning into quite the NHL player, and the Atlanta Thrashers are all smiles. The 20-year old scored two goals and added four assists this week. He, Slava Kozlov, and Todd White are racking up the points.

NOT

There's no secret about Alexander Ovechkin's lack of scoring being connected to Nicklas Backstrom's lack of playmaking. These two seemingly found each other on the ice constantly last season. Sophomore slumps are a big thing to look out for in this league, and the Swede is currently sitting in one.

It's been quite a while since Rick Nash found the back of the net. The assists are there, but he's paid to score the big goals for the Blue Jackets. The slump won't last forever—and when it ends, it could be with a bang.

The up and down season continues for the Colorado Avalanche. After winning a few, then losing a few, they've now lost four of their last five. Joe Sakic and Ryan Smyth need to break out their slumps too.

Are all of the Staal's stalling this year? Sorry about the pun, but Eric Staal has gone pointless in his last five games. It was only three years ago that he totalled 100 points for the Hurricanes, and his five goals this year just aren't enough.

Antoine Vermette can't seem to get it going in Ottawa. He's got great speed, slick hands, and good presence on the penalty kill. None of those factors have been seen yet this year, with only four points on the board for Vermette.

Ugly is putting it lightly when you look at the Calgary Flames' last seven days. They allowed 19 goals in four contests, and the fact that they won one game was shocking. Even more so was the fact that they conceded six goals in that victory.

Unsurprisingly, the Brodeur-less journey hasn't gone too smoothly for the New Jersey Devils. One victory in four matches this week for Brent Sutter's guys. Marty, you got to get back on the ice!

Has anyone heard from Radim Vrbata? Getting an interview could be easy, with Vrbata seeing a lot of time on the bench and in the stands. Tampa Bay hasn't seen much out of the Czech player who's coming off a career year in Phoenix.

Remember when I said don't worry about the St. Louis Blues last week? Yeah, scratch that. Five losses in a row have this team in the Western Conference sewer. Good news for them is that Paul Kariya should return quickly, after missing two games with a minor injury.

That sorry team that lost to Calgary despite scoring six goals was the Nashville Predators. The other two encounters didn't end too well either, and the goaltenders are being recycled, with nobody stepping it up.

Another guy struggling early on is Andrei Kostityn. Belarus' youngster got himself known last year with some fantastic goals. It hasn't re-appeared just yet this year, and a garbage goal is just what he needs to get it started.