Planungen » ach Doc Rivers said of Barnes, "He looked g

There is a new look to the Dallas Stars and their roster presents some opportunities for value, either from young players on the rise or veterans who might be overlooked because of their age. Top Picks: There are a lot of expectations that will be placed on C Tyler Seguin, who was acquired from Boston and will not only move from right wing to centre, but will also go from being a supporting player to a first-line fixture in Dallas. Seguin had 45 goals and 99 points over the last two seasons, while playing 17 minutes per game, but after three seasons he should be ready for a bigger role, big enough that he should be a strong No. 2 fantasy centre, with potential for more if he finds the right chemistry with his new linemates. Which brings us to Jamie Benn, a talented power forward who logged a career-high 19:55 per game for the Stars last season and has 193 points over the last four seasons, ranking 54th in the league. Its important to note, however, that those are Benns first four years in the league, during which hes shown potential for more, so its reasonable to place higher expectations on Benn, particularly if hes paired with Seguin. Like Seguin, Benns a very good No. 2 or low-end No.1 left winger in most fantasy formats. The one other Star that warrants early consideration is G Kari Lehtonen, who has a .917 save percentage over the last three seasons, which ranks 12th among goalies with at least 100 games played. Combined with his status as the Stars clear-cut starter, Lehtonen appears to be an average No. 2 fantasy goaltender. Value Plays: Fantays owners are notorious for age discrimation, preferring the young up-and-comer over the tried-and-true veteran, which presents the opportunity to find value in a 41-year-old like Ray Whitney. Even in the twilight of his career, Whitney remains productve, putting up 106 points in 114 games over the last two seasons, ranking 16th in points-per-game over that span and the beauty is that you shouldnt have to pay those prices on draft day to get a quality No. 2 or even No. 3 left winger. Along those same lines, expect 39-year-old D Sergei Gonchar to come at a bit of discount because of his age, even though 64 points in the last two seasons places him 20th among defencemen and still fits as a No. 4 defenceman in fantasy. With the Stars making some moves to upgrade their skill level, that should also bode well for D Alex Goligoski, who has scored fewer points than Gonchar in the last two seasons, but more in the last three, and would benefit from upgraded talent on the Dallas power play. All things considered, Goligoski gets the edge on Gonchar for value, but neither should cost premium prices. Sleepers/Breakthrough: One year removed from a 35-goal season, RW Erik Cole managed just nine goals and 13 points in 47 games with Montreal and Dallas last season. Cole is 34, so expecting a bounceback might be optimistic, but there is also the possibility that he could find his way to playing with Benn and Seguin on the top line and that would be too good an opportunity to ignore. 36-year-old D Stephane Robidas is a sleeper in the sense that his value comes from peripheral stats. Hes a hit and blocked shot beast, enough that he warrants fantasy consideration despite very modest scoring numbers. There may not be room for LW/C Cody Eakin among the Stars top six forwards (or maybe there will be), but with 32 points in his first 78 games, the 22-year-old should at least be on your radar. Whether he should be drafted or monitored on the waiver wire will depend a lot on his role. Rookies: Alex Chiasson, Valeri Nichushkin, Brett Ritchie The 10th overall pick in the 2013 Draft, RW Valeri Nichushkin is a big, skilled power forward who will have a real chance to make the Stars as an 18-year-old. Whether hes ready to produce at a consistent level is anyones guess -- he had 15 points in 43 KHL (regular season and playoff) games last season -- but he has the makings of a first-line winger. It just might not be this season. RW Alex Chiasson made his presence known quickly last season, scoring six goals and seven points in Dallas after 35 points in 57 AHL games as a first-year pro. Hes not going to keep up that small-sample point-per-game pace, but he had 80 points in 73 games over his last two seasons at Boston University, so he has an offensive pedigree and there are some opportunities to earn a role with a scoring line in Dallas this season. One more wing prospect with a chance to make an impact this season is RW Brett Ritchie, a power forward drafted in the second round in 2011. He had 76 points in 53 OHL games last season and six points in 14 AHL (regular season and playoff) games late in the year. Maybe Ritchie will need some seasoning in the AHL, but it wouldnt be a shock if he earns a spot in Dallas. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. Haloti Ngata Eagles Jersey .com) - Eric Fehr and Marcus Johansson each registered a pair of goals, as Washington spoiled the head coaching debut of Peter Horachek by picking up a 6-2 victory in Toronto on Wednesday. Custom Eagles Jerseys . Nothing pretty. But this is 1/4 World Cup. Usually plays out this way. http://www.eaglespromart.com/josh-sweat-eagles-jersey/. The Kings paraded the Stanley Cup through downtown Los Angeles on Monday to celebrate their second NHL title in three seasons. Eagles Jerseys . He was 40. Firefighters were called about 11 a.m. Friday because Brown was unresponsive at his home near the Inner Harbor, fire spokesman Battalion Chief Kevin Cartwright said. He said Brown was dead when firefighters arrived. Michael Bennett Jersey . Stevenson scored the first three goals of the game in the first period for Regina (35-22-6), which has won eight of its last 10 games. Patrick DAmico added two for the Pats, Braden Christoffer had a single and Morgan Klimchuk chipped in a goal and four assists. LOS ANGELES -- Matt Barnes is back playing with the Los Angeles Clippers, and it looked as though hed never been away. Wearing goggles to protect his surgically repaired left eye, Barnes contributed 13 points off the bench, including three 3-pointers to help the Clippers win their fourth straight, 112-91 over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night. "Love having him back," said Blake Griffin, who had 24 points and 16 rebounds. "Hes a guy who has a positive impact even if he doesnt score a basket." Barnes played for the first time since undergoing three procedures to repair a torn retina in his eye. He got hurt on Nov. 18 when Memphis Zach Randolph inadvertently hit Barnes in the eye. "I feel good," he said, adding that he doesnt like the goggles. "I got elbowed and the goggles gave me a bruise. I dont see myself wearing them long." Clippers coach Doc Rivers said of Barnes, "He looked good. He just gives us something extra -- the toughness, the cutting, the basketball IQ. His shot looked good." Jamal Crawford scored 27 points, hitting six 3-pointers as the Clippers led all the way. Chris Paul added 10 points and 11 assists. DeAndre Jordan had 12 rebounds. "Whenever we set the tone in the first quarter it kind of carries us," Crawford said. "Chris and those guys threw some good passes. I had the easy part shooting the ball." Wilson Chandler scored all of his 19 points in the first half and Timofey Mozgov had 15 points and nine rebounds for the Nuggets, who lost their third straight. Ty Lawson added 13 points as Denver was held to 35 per cent shooting. "We just got thoroughly outplayed by a better team. They pretty much did what they wanted to do to us on the boards. Inside, outside, and on the break, our energy was bad," Nuggets coach and former Lakers star Brian Shaw said. "Were not in a good place right now. Weve got to do some soul searching and really get back to the basics if we want to right the ship." Nuggets starter Kenneth ;Faried rolled his left ankle at 8:45 of the first quarter and didnt return.dddddddddddd The Clippers made 13 3-pointers, improving to 21-2 since the start of last season when they make at least 11. They hit five 3s in the third, including three by Crawford, who had 11 points in the quarter. Griffin went coast-to-coast for a dunk in the third, when Los Angeles stretched its lead to 79-60. "Thats a tough team," Chandler said. "Youve got to try to take something away on the fast break, but theyve got the layups, theyve got the lobs or theyve got the open man for the 3, so its kind of tough." Grifffin and the other starters got some rest to start the fourth before he, Crawford, Paul and Jared Dudley returned midway through. Griffin made four straight free throws and Crawford scored to restore the Clippers lead to 20 points with under five minutes to go. Griffin provided two highlights in the second. He dribbled the length of the court, drawing oohs from the crowd as he went behind his back three times before doing a 360-degree spin and hitting a layup. It didnt count, though, when Lawson was called for a foul. Griffin made 1 of 2 free throws to give the Clippers their largest lead of the half, 44-27. "I dont even know what I was doing," Griffin said, smiling. Barnes missed and Griffin flew in and slammed the ball down for the one-handed putback that kept the Clippers ahead by 11. Darren Collison got in on the act, too. Barnes tipped the ball as the Nuggets inbounded and Collison tossed up a 22-foot desperation heave that went in at the buzzer, keeping the Clippers ahead 56-43 at halftime. Collison scored 13 points. NOTES: Nuggets F Jordan Hamilton returned after serving a one-game suspension for throwing a punch in Tuesdays loss to Oklahoma City. ... Clippers G J.J. Redick is expected to get the cast off his right hand early next week. Hes recovering from a broken hand and torn ligaments in his wrist. ... The Nuggets fell to 1-4 in the second half of a back-to-back set. They were beaten by Phoenix on Friday. ' ' '