Rick Stephens

And he did not contribute to the offensive game this week, just one assist.

Nice jump last week.

Odds of making the playoffs were 71% this week.

They're up to 82.7 and that's via money.

Yeah.

Um...

I know Sammy Blais has his cheerleading club out there, but he has essentially proven over the last few years that he is a very good AHL player and can be called up as an injury replacement as the injuries come back.

It's time for Sammy to go back to the AHL, and that he did on Thursday.

That's right.

Eight goals, eight assists, 16 points in 16 games.

He is your Molson Cup winner for the month of January.

Beat out Cole Caulfield, who had scored 13 goals in January.

So, yeah, quite a feat for Slav.

He's added some of that physicality and forechecking ability that Slavkovsky used to on that line and certainly is better in that role than a textier who hasn't been back in the lineup yet.

So if he can maintain that, that's exactly the kind of person that they want, the kind of player that they want on that top line.

It allows Marty St.

Louis to keep that second line together, the fourth line of veterans together, and an adequate line of Evans, Bulldog, and Valeno as your third line.

Yeah.

He is.

And that's especially important as the NCAA over the next few weeks is going to start to wind things up.