Rumors, moves, injuries and newsmakers...

Chicago's Keith an underrated commodity; Stumpel, Paetsch and Cleary make their returns; Kobasew leaves game; Lee makes debut; Lightning scramble without Smith; Savard sidelined; and more...

SLAM DUNCAN 
One of the most underrated players in today's NHL is Chicago defenseman Duncan Keith. Numerous heads turned and said "who?" when Keith's name was added to the 2008 NHL All-Star list, but the man with a last name first and a first name last has had an extraordinary season.

Firmly entrenched in the Top 10 league wide for plus/minus, Keith's plus-28 is second only to Nicklas Lidstrom amongst rearguards. What's more impressive--if you look at the plus/minus list--is that Keith looks like a fish out of water; on a list dominated by Detroit, Anaheim and Ottawa players, it's amazing to see a Chicago player there.

The 24-year-old will likely finish the season with 31 points for the second straight season, but he will have boosted his goal total up from two to 11. But more importantly to the Blackhawks, Keith has been a workhorse. Heading into Tuesday night's action, only three players have seen more total ice time than Keith: Jay Bouwmeester (Florida), Dion Phaneuf (Calgary) and Francois Beauchemin (Anaheim). That's some pretty good company. With this kind of workload, it is inevitable that Keith will climb the ranks of defensemen and step up his offensive contributions.

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LEE RECALLED, REDDEN OUT 
Wade Redden was unable to dress due to a left leg injury, so Ottawa recalled defenseman Brian Lee, who made his NHL debut against Buffalo on Tuesday. INTEL: The 20-year-old is one of Ottawa's top prospects and has adapted well in his first AHL season. He played 18 minutes, but saw minimal time on the power play.

MCAMMOND BACK 
The Sens posted an impressive 6-3 win over Buffalo Tuesday, thanks to some improved goaltending by Martin Gerber and a bit of a lineup shakeup. Dean McAmmond, who missed one game with a bruised thigh, was back in uniform. INTEL: McAmmond played 13:51 and scored a goal in the contest.

PAETSCH BACK 
Buffalo rearguard Nathan Paetsch was back in the lineup after missing four games with concussion symptoms. INTEL: Surprisingly, despite offensive defensemen still out of the lineup, the offensively talented Paetsch did not see a single second on the power play. Coach Lindy Ruff decided that Toni Lydman, Andrej Sekera and Henrik Tallinder were the three quarterbacks that he would go with.

FLEURY ROLLING 
For the fifth straight start, Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury allowed two goals or less for a win. In fact, he stoned the Devils on Tuesday in Pittsburgh's 2-0 victory, stopping all 31 shots. INTEL: Fleury is white hot right now and has clearly seized the No. 1 job back in Pittsburgh.

SAVARD OUT 
Marc Savard was not dressed for Boston's important match against the Leafs due to a back/torso injury. The Bruins won 6-2, all but officially eliminating the Leafs from the postseason. INTEL: David Krejci became No. 1 center for a day and handled himself well, playing nearly 20 minutes and posting two points.

BAD LUCK CHUCK 
Boston winger Chuck Kobasew left Tuesday's game against the Leafs early in the first period with an undisclosed injury. INTEL: The 25-year-old sniper was on a bit of a role lately, with five points in five games prior to the incident.

SMITH HURT, LIGHTNING SCRAMBLE 
Tampa Bay goaltender Mike Smith hurt his knee during a practice drill and was in a lot of pain. The team says that he's fine, yet they recalled Jonathan Boutin and placed Marc Denis on 24-hour re-entry waivers. INTEL: Boutin was a third-round pick by the Lightning in 2003 and has posted decent AHL numbers, but is unlikely to ever be more than a backup in the NHL. The injury to Smith could be serious, given that the team would chance losing Denis and still be stuck with half of his salary. Karri Ramo got the win in the 3-1 game against Florida Tuesday.

GOMEZ SHELVED 
The Rangers played Tuesday's game against the Flyers without their top center, Scott Gomez, who is sidelined day-to-day with injured ribs. INTEL: Gomez has had an up and down season with his new team and had just one point in his last seven games. He still leads the team in scoring, however.

STUMPEL RETURNS 
Jozef Stumpel has been ready to return to the lineup for a week now, but only got into the lineup Tuesday because Ville Peltonen could not play. INTEL: Stumpel had been out with a separated shoulder. He played 14:39, but just 24 seconds on the power play, going pointless in a 3-1 loss to the lowly Lightning.

OUT OF JUICE 
Skilled winger Kristian Huselius, who has averaged fewer than seven minutes of ice time in each of Calgary's last three games, was banished to the press box Tuesday against Vancouver. INTEL: The Iron Mike Keenan vs. Huselius saga has been going on for years, dating back to their days in Florida. Huselius owners will be happy when he files for unrestricted free agency on July 1. Rookie Dustin Boyd took Huselieus' spot in the Flames lineup.

HASEK SICK, CLEARY BACK 
Dominik Hasek could not dress Tuesday against St. Louis due to the flu, so the team recalled Jimmy Howard to back up Chris Osgood. Meanwhile, Dan Cleary was back in the lineup after missing 19 games with a broken jaw and assisted on the game's first goal. INTEL: Hasek will not be out for long and Howard will be back in Grand Rapids by the end of the week. Meanwhile, Cleary is a welcome addition to the lineup--both Detroit's and the fantasy ones.