Blue Line Buzz: D-Men of the Week

This space is all about defensemen, so naturally we get a little defensive when something like this happens:

Upon a second viewing, it looks like Gustav Nyquist's stick does hit the glass before he spears Jared Spurgeon in the face, but there's two things to note — first, that cross-check from the 5-foot-9 Spurgeon was more of a small shove. And secondly, it's never okay to use your stick like that.

Nyquist received a double-minor for bloodying Spurgeon, who seemed to suffer no other ill effects and returned to the game, but Nyquist has been offered an in-person hearing and will likely face suspension. The Wild did get the last laugh in the end, winning 6-3.

Last week's BLB questioned Detroit's decision to waive Alexey Marchenko, who was later claimed by Toronto, and they could've used him against Minnesota. With Jonathan Ericsson out for the season, Xavier Ouellet and Nick Jensen stepped up and combined for three assists. Keep in mind the Red Wings are on the outside looking in, and barring some kind of significant improvement will likely miss the playoffs, so this would be a good time for them to give their youngsters some playing time. Robbie Russo (27 points and team-leading plus-14) and rookie Joey Hicketts (18 points in 45 games) have been very good for Grand Rapids in the AHL, so we'll likely see them once or twice before the season is over.

At the other end of the spectrum, there's this:

Zdeno Chara found the Fountain of Youth by scoring his first shorthanded goal in five seasons — against the hated Habs, no less — by turning Alexander Radulov into a turnstile, making Carey Price look mortal and then celebrated with his giant mouth so wide-open it's further proof he consumes entire planets for breakfast.

Speaking of the Habs, it's been a disconcerting two weeks for Michel Therrien's squad, having lost six of their past seven games, including three shutout losses (one to the lowly Avalanche). With Claude Julien recently made available by the Bruins, you wonder if Marc Bergevin is thinking about giving Julien another go as the Habs' bench boss, though the word is that Montreal is looking to make a change to its roster rather than its coaching staff. Nikita Nesterov, picked up from the Lightning a couple weeks ago, has played six games for the Habs but has averaged just 14:48 — nearly two full minutes less than his ice time with Tampa — so it's clear he's not the answer.

Studs of the Week:

Brent Burns, Sharks – Did you see those two goals against the Devils? It's almost as if he can just will those shots into the net even if they hit the post, and he's now just six shy of hitting the 30-goal mark. Dare I say it, though? With 25 games left to go he's 16 away from 40, and while it's a pretty lofty goal, it's not impossible, either. He's still not the best in his own zone, but Burns' offensive production wipes away any of his shortcomings on defense.

P.K. Subban, Predators – He's yet to score a goal in 11 games since his return, but he had a productive week with four assists and 11 PIM, registering his second fighting major of the year against Vincent Trocheck. With just 22 points in 40 games for the Preds, Subban hasn't quite lived up to the billing due to injuries, and it's the second straight year he's been forced to miss an extended amount of time after missing just seven contests in his previous four seasons.

Roman Josi, Predators – He did his best Burns impression by sniping his way through the week, scoring in three straight games to finish with four goals and two assists. The Predators' blue line is starting to get healthy again even if their play has been a little uneven. Without Shea Weber, Josi's the new top dog, and he has to consistently play like one for the team to succeed. That said, he's one of the many defensemen this year that hasn't quite lived up to the billing.

Alexander Edler, Canucks – He has scored a point in four straight games, as the Canucks have gone 2-2 four games into their six-game road trip. With just 13 points and a minus-10 rating on the season, he's no longer relevant in fantasy, but continues to log big minutes, skating at least 22 minutes a night during his scoring streak. He's still an effective player, but one who never quite reached his full potential as a No. 1 defender.

Nikita Zaitsev, Maple Leafs – He's having a very good rookie season even though no one seems to notice, picking up a goal and four points with a league-leading 19 hits this past week, including nine against Buffalo on Saturday. He's handled himself well on a very young blue line, and should end up being the team's best Russian defenseman since Dmitri Yushkevich.

Duds of the Week:

Erik Karlsson, Senators – He didn't have to score much in Craig Anderson's return to the lineup, but in back-to-back shutout losses to the Blues and Sabres, Karlsson finished with a combined minus-4 rating. He has just one assist in his past four games and nine shots during that span. His offense has come in spurts and hasn't been as consistently dangerous as he's been in the past. Part of it's because Guy Boucher has asked him to defend a little more, and the other part is Burns making everyone else look bad.

Dustin Byfuglien, Jets – His stretch of mediocre play this past week is opening the door for Jacob Trouba to play more, especially after a horrendous performance against Chicago where he was on the ice for all five goals against. Buff has scored just seven goals this season despite his booming shot.

Mark Giordano, Flames – The Flames have won four of their past six, including against Minnesota and Pittsburgh, but Gio's point drought is now at 10 games and counting. He played just 17:17 in a 5-1 blowout win against Minnesota, but otherwise continues to be a big minute-muncher.

Jake Muzzin, Kings – Muzzin was a combined minus-6 in back-to-back shutout losses and is now pointless in his last four games. He's not a fantasy stud because he doesn't score a lot, but certainly adds a lot of value with his hits and blocked shots. However, Muzzin is minus-15 on the season, and if he finishes in negative territory it'll be just the second time he's done so since becoming a full-time NHLer.

Danny DeKeyser, Red Wings – The hype surrounding DK65 when he left Western Michigan was that he could step into the pros and excel right away because of his skating and decision-making ability, but he has struggled a lot in his fourth season, and finished the week with a minus-5 rating. With eight points in 56 games, he's also on pace to set career lows across the board.

Recommended Pickup:

Nick Leddy, Islanders – The Islanders are flying under new head coach Doug Weight and Leddy has been a big reason why. Challenged by Weight to be the team's second best player (behind John Tavares, of course), Leddy has scored a goal and three assists in his past four games, and — with 31 points in 53 games — will likely improve on last year's career-high 40 points. The 25-year-old is finally hitting his stride and will be a clear-cut No. 1 defenseman in short order. He has 16 points in his past 18 games and is owned is just 50 percent of Yahoo leagues.

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