The biggest news to come out of last night's action was Claude Giroux getting the back of his leg sliced by a Justin Faulk skate in the 3rd period of the Flyers-Hurricanes matchup. Giroux left the ice with assistance, not being able to put any weight on his leg.  The word is that the Philly Captain is fine and expected to be in tonight's game in New Jersey.  Giroux is tied for third in league scoring.  Whew! After losing their captain, the Flyers fought back to get within one but that was all as they lost for the fourth straight time. Wallowing near the bottom of the Metropolitan Division, it would take an incredible run to qualify for the playoffs.  Carolina G Cam Ward (23/24 SV) has played excellent of late, this time being on the positive side of a close game. Ward could be an excellent number 2 fantasy goalie.  With Jordan Staal returning from a broken leg and Eric Staal looking like he is starting to heat up, it may be worth it to have a few Canes on your fantasy squad now.... Roberto Luongo continues to enjoy life in sunny F-L-A as he shut out the Buffalo Sabres 2-0 behind a 30-save effort making 2 first period goals stand up. Bobby Lu raised his record to 15-7-7 with a 2.22 GAA and a .926 SP.  Continue to start Luongo with confidence while we wait for the young offense to pick up.... P.K. Subban was the story for Montreal last night against New Jersey assisting on 3 goals. The Habs built a 3-0 early in the 3rd period before the Devils made it interesting. The Devils ship is sinking fast and there is no land in sight.  New Jersey has gone 2-7-3 in last dozen games.  Ugh! You just knew it was going to be a high-scoring affair in Pittsburgh as the Penguins took on the Lightning of Tampa Bay. It was all Pens early as they built a 3-0 in the first period chasing starter Ben Bishop from the net. The bolts tried to stage a comeback but Steve Downie put the final 2 nails in the coffin of a 6-3 win for the Penguins. Sidney Crosby with 4 assists in the game almost matched his total output for November where he had 5 total points. Look for Sid to pick up his game from here on out.... The return to early season form for Minnesota G Darcy Kuemper was what the Wild needed against the high-scoring Toronto Maple Leafs who came into the game as the highest scoring team in the NHL. Kuemper turned aside 34 of 35 SOG as Minnesota won for just the second time in the past 8 games....With a power play assist, perhaps Thomas Vanek is ready to heat up as he has been very...

Columbus is continuing to climb into the playoff picture as they beat a floundering Boston Bruin team who is just 4-4-2 in last 10. Scott Hartnell returned to the lineup for the Blue Jackets and netted 2 goals and D Kevin Connauton had a goal and 2 assists giving him 7 points in past 8 games. The 24-year old defenseman may be worth a shot in deeper leagues.... Another team that has turned their play around of late are the buffalo Sabres who beat the NY Islanders by coming back with 3 unanswered goals in the third period to tie up the game before winning in overtime. Sabres G Jhonas Enroth got the win to break a two-game skid and should only be used as a fantasy starter in desperate situations.... Detroit started off a 9-game schedule with 8 on the road with an overtime win in Ottawa as Gustav Nyquist scored another clutch goal for the game-winner. Gustav now has 15 goals to go along with 8 assists in 36 games.  That was his 3rd game-winning goal on the season....Red Wing D Niklas Kronwall returned to action after leaving the last game and had 2 assists in the game. Continue to start with confidence.... Tampa Bay Lightning G Ben Bishop returned to action himself and backstopped the team to a 2-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. Canes G Cam Ward had a tremendous game by turning aside 36 of 38 SOG. Too bad his team isn't giving him support.... The New York Rangers continued their amazing run by winning 3-1 over the New Jersey Devils, who were playing their first game after Pete DeBoer was let go. Behind the bench for the Devils were Lou Lamoriello, Scott Stevens and Adam Oates.  Maybe three heads aren't better than one....Derek Stepan had all the answers and all the goals for the Rangers who won for the 8th straight game. Stepan is playing at a point-per-game pace with 22 points in 21 games ever since his return from a leg injury that delayed his start to the season... Braden Holtby blanked the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 3-0 Washington triumph, improving his numbers to 16-8-5 with a 2.22 GAA and a .921 SP. With the roll that the talented goaltender has been on for the surging Capitals, four wins in his last five, he is definitely on the must start short list for fantasy netminders... Two key injuries to take note of- key Pittsburgh skaters Patrick Hornqvist and Kris Letang left the game due to apparent leg injuries although the severity of either is not clear... Another easy night for Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne as he turned aside 26 of 27 shots in the 4...

Thursday night welcomed the return of Sidney Crosby to the Pittsburgh lineup, but goalie Marc-Andre Fleury "stole the show" with his career-high sixth shutout of the season in the 1-0 OT win over Colorado. Poolsters, judge MAF always by his elite numbers during gthe regular season- 18-4-2, .930 SP, 2.01 GAA- and let others worry about what he does in the playoffs.. Where has Nick Foligno come from? The Columbus winger recoreded two goals and an assist in a losing effort, raising his totals to 30 points in 30 games. I would love for him to keep up this ferocious scoring pace, but it seems unlikely given his past track record- his career-high in points was 47 in 2010-11. His 16 power-play points so far is more than in his previous three seasons combined. Sell high if you can.. The King's trio of Anze Kopitar, Jeff Carter, and Marian Gaborik collected a combined 12 points in a thrilling come-from-behind 6-4 win over St. Louis. This was a welcomed sight for their fantasy owners considering how poorly the LA offense has performed lately. Many have bailed on Kopitar but don't be so quick to quit on the normally consistent Slovenian. These are the type of nights that get stars back on track.. Huge "trap game" for the streaking Maple Leafs and Carolina'a Cam Ward made them pay for it with the superb 25-save effort in the crease. The Canes won 4-1 and Ward snapped his four-game losing skid. Remember that Toronto has already played half of their home games this season, so a road-heavy schedule awaits them the rest of the way. .. Federik Andersen won his eighth game in his last nine starts as Anaheim prevailed over Montreal on the road 2-1. The "Great Dane" has showed no signs of relinquishing his starting job anytime soon so keep riding him with confidence. BTW, John Gibson has been reassigned to Norfolk(AHL) for conditioning purposes. He will probably stay there for awhile as Ilya Bryzgalov was paid alot of money to back up Andersen.. Sergei Bobrovsky's seven-game winning streak was snapped as Washington prevailed 5-4 over Columbus in overtime. Washington's Braden Holtby also struggled in the contest, but both goalies are trending sky-high as fantasy options moving forward..

Cory Schneider stonewalled the Carolina Hurricanes stopping 39 of 40 for the Devils 2-1 victory. Schneider was the story as he kept the Devils in the game until they could overcome a 1-0 deficit.  Counterpart Cam Ward only faced 16 SOG as the banged-up Devils managed to come away with the win. New Jersey needs more efforts like this from their No. 1 net minder if they want to reach the playoffs, so he will continue to get the boatload of starts.....There is no doubt that Ward is the canes No. 1 starter and he has played well but is just not getting the offensive support.... The New York Rangers managed to come away with a 4-3 overtime win after letting a 2-goal lead with just a little under 5 minutes left in the game. Rangers D-man Kevin Klein, yes that Kevin Klein-lol, scored the game-winner in OT, his sixth tally on the season breaking his previous career high of 5. Klein is no Al MacInnis, but he seems to be having a magical season.... Martin Brodeur won his St. Louis home starting debut with a pedestrian 32-save, 4-2 win over the Florida Panthers. With Brodeur winning, that throws a wrench in the goaltending plans when Brian Elliott comes back for the Blues....Panthers rookie D-man Aaron Ekblad scored his 5th on the season, giving him 18 points in 26 NHL games. There should be no qualms about starting this rookie as long as he continues to contribute offensively as he is +6 on the season as well.

Cam Ward continues to put last season behind him as he bested probably the NHL's best goaltender this season in Pekka Rinne 2-1 last night. Ward evened his record at 8-8-2 after starting out the season 0-3-1. Carolina still remains near the bottom of the conference but is slowly working their way back into the middle of the pack..... One of the hottest goalies in the league right now is NY Islanders' goalie Jaroslav Halak who won his tenth straight by beating Ottawa 3-2 in overtime. That's 13 wins for Halak, just 3 behind leaders Rinne & Miller. Start him with confidence as the Islanders are on a roll, especially with Halak in net.  These two teams will rematch on Thursday night in Ottawa.... Marc-Andre Fleury pitched a 1-0 shutout against the NJ Devils for his fifth of the season and that leads the league. Fleury continues to be a premier fantasy goalie and has been adding shutouts to his stat line over the past 2 seasons. The most shutouts he had in a season was 5 and he accomplished that twice in his career.... One of the most consistent lines this season has been the Vancouver Canuck line of Daniel Sedin-Henrik Sedin-Radim Vrbata as the trio continued their fine season with a combined 7 points in the Canuck 4-3 win over the Washington Capitals. Ryan Miller earned his 16th win, tying atop the league with Rinne. With the victory, Vancouver now sits atop the Western Conference tied with the Anaheim Ducks with 35 points.  This has been a nice bounce back season for Vancouver.... Even though they still languish near the bottom of the Eastern Conference, the Buffalo Sabres are inching back to respectability as they have won 6 of their last 7 games, gaining 12 of a possible 14 points.....Jhonas Enroth has been on fire lately going 5-1-0 so if you are in need of goaltending help, take a shot with Enroth while he's hot.... Roberto Luongo was brought in to provide stability in the net for the Florida Panthers while their young talent gets some experience. Well, it is paying off already as the Cats have been in just about every game this season and surprised the Detroit Red Wings by going into their building and coming away with a 4-3 victory.  Luongo has been a decent depth goalie to have this year, and can be used as a spot starter every now and then.....Keep an eye on Panther Vincent Trocheck (G, 2A) as he now has 5 points in last three games. He does have the skill set but may not be consistent enough, yet.... The Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Dallas Stars ...

YOUNG GLOVE It is rare that a young goalie, those in their early twenties, can take over the starting goaltender role and have an immediate impact. There are those rare occurrences, like when Cam Ward as a 22-year old rookie with just 28 NHL games experience, backstopped the Carolina Hurricanes to an improbable Stanley Cup championship. Carey Price, much heralded as the next coming, has taken quite a few years since he burst onto the NHL scene in 2007 as a 20-year old phenomenon. Both had decent records in their debut season, but it took a few years until they could be counted on to perform at a consistent level.  There will always be young net minders who are just waiting for that big break, or that opening for them to showcase their abilities to perform as a No. 1.  Three young goaltenders on the cusp of becoming NHL starters are just biding time until that day comes. After backstopping the United States to the gold medal in the 2013 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, his name was becoming well-known in fantasy circles as the goaltender to own for years to come. John Gibson got his first start in the NHL when Anaheim starter was injured and made 18 saves for a shutout win over the Vancouver Canucks at the end of last season. Entering the 2014-2015 season, there was much talk about Gibson being the No. 1 even though he had limited NHL experience.  In fact Gibson started the opener but lost 6-4 to the Pittsburgh Penguins and didn't make another start for six games.  Frederik Andersen had won those six games between Gibson starts, but Gibson ended up starting 3 of the next 4 before suffering a LBI (lower body injury). There is no doubt that Gibson has the skills to be a top-notch NHL goaltender someday, but with Andersen (9-2-4, 2.10 GAA & .921 SP) playing well, the Ducks can afford to take their time with Gibson and let him heal properly. There may be stretches during this season when Gibson returns where he will get the bulk of playing time, but expect the Ducks to monitor the number of games played in order to keep both goalies fresh come the playoffs. Jake Allen burst onto the NHL scene with the St. Louis Blues in 2012-13 and went 9-4-0 winning his first 3 starts and 8 of first 9. That was such an impressive debut but with Jaroslav Halak signed to a contract and Brian Elliott showing his ability to being more than just a capable backup the Blues elected to let Allen play regularly in the AHL the following season until they resolved their crowded ...

***UPDATE: Prime D rankings have been updated.  Check out the latest in our RANKINGS Section in the right margin====> Dan Boyle returned from injury and even though he didn't figure in the scoring, you could tell that the Rangers' offense was buzzing with him back in the lineup. Boyle will be a huge addition to the power play as his conditioning improves....Even though Colorado's Matt Duchene (G, A) is having what some are considering a slow start with 12 points in the first 18 games including last night's tilt, you need to stick with him as he could explode at any time..... Winnipeg was able to cool off red-hot goaltender Cam Ward as the Jets, behind Blake Wheeler's 2 goal effort. We all know that Wheeler has come into his own after last season's monster year, but keep your eyes on Mark Scheifele as he had 2 assists in the contest giving him 5 points in the past 5 games. If you are need of offensive help, pick him up now if he's available.  Before he got injured last season, he got on a good run with 19 points in a 23-game span midway through the season..... After starting out November 4-0-0, the Boston Bruins have gotten shallacked on back-to-back nights by scores of 6-1 and 5-1, although to division rivals. Is this the beginning of the end for the big, bad Bruins?  Far from it as they are too good of a team and will rebound.  Montreal's Max Pacioretty had 2 goals so get him in your lineup ASAP as he is one of the streakiest scorers in the NHL..... Tampa Bay Lightning G Ben Bishop was huge against the San Jose Sharks, turning aside 37 of 39 SOG but Antti Niemi was just a tad better, only letting in one on 33 SOG. Start both goaltenders with extreme confidence...Joe Thornton has points in 4 straight games with a goal in this one, giving fantasy owners hope that he is beginning to heat up.... The story in Minnesota is that the Wild prevailed 6-3 against the lowly Buffalo Sabres, despite Darcy Kuemper getting pulled after allowing two first-period goals. It is time for fantasy owners to pull the trigger on adding Josh Harding as Kuemper has struggled big-time in recent starts. Harding will get every opportunity to take the starting position, but how long he holds up is anyones's guess.. Nino Neiderreiter's "hat trick" could the start of a short streaky run, but nothing more.. Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon returned to a lineup, scoring a goal and registering 8 shots on goal. With all the injuries to Minny defenders, the youngster will get an uptick in ...

A few miscellaneous notes about some NHL goaltenders who have surprised so far, both good and bad - SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE style. Ryan Miller has certainly been a pleasant surprise so far as he leads the NHL with 10 wins. Good for Vancouver as they have recovered nicely from last year's Tortorella debacle. It is no surprise that Pekka Rinne is at the top of the win category as he is definitely recovered from last year's hip surgery/infection fiasco. His save percentage could be a tad better, but give the guy a break, he is sporting a sparkling 1.81 GAA. Probably the biggest surprise, to me at least, is the performance by Winnipeg's Ondrej Pavelec. He has started every game but one and his numbers back up that decision with a 1.98 GAA and .928 SP.  I never thought he would put up those kind of numbers.  I always wished he would when I had him on my fantasy teams, but it took him a few years I guess. Darcy Kuemper would have topped Pavelec especially after his 3 shutouts in his first 4 games of the season, but the bloom has fallen off that rose as he has given up 4 goals in each of the past 2 starts. Josh Harding has returned to practice after his team suspension for breaking his foot in the off-season. Harding may be a few weeks away from wrestling the starting job back. It took a few years, and a few teams, but Ben Bishop has finally landed in the right spot as Tampa Bay's no. 1. Since taking over the starter's job last year, Bishop has been nothing less than terrific.  37 wins last year and will probably reach 40+ this season. Cam Ward was left for dead after last season but one bad season, especially an injury-riddled one, should not be the reason to cast aside an established NHL starter.  After starting out 0-3-1 this season, most of those critics were probably rubbing their hands with satisfaction but true competitors always rise to the occasion.  November started a new month and a new life for Ward as he rattled off 5 wins in a row.  Ward is back as the no. 1 in Carolina. I would've expected better metrics out of Cory Schneider but he does have a 6-5-2 record and has started every game a la Martin Brodeur, so you know you have to stick with him. His numbers, 2.91 GAA and .906, should improve as the season progresses.  His play has been up and down already this season but should flat line soon. You may have recalled that there was a goaltending controversy brewing in San Jose at the beginning of the year about Alex Stalock getting a lot more starts ...

The New Jersey Devils have gone 3-7-2 in their last 12 games and Cory Schneider has not lived up to the no. 1 billing so far, but is too good of a goalie to not turn it around.  Travis Zajac showed signs of breaking out of his slump with a goal and an assist in the loss....Mike Cammalleri returned to the lineup and added 2 assists showing his importance to the Devils offense....Patrice Bergeron (G, 2A) and Reilly Smith (G, A) were the catalysts for the Boston Bruins...Tuukka Rask picked up the win, raising his record to 8-4-0 with a perfect November.  If it's November, that means it's time for Bruin season to start.... Not only is November Bruins' season, it also has been a time for Cam Ward's to shine as he is perfect in the month of November with a 5-0-0 record.  Ward should be ensconced as Carolina's no. 1 goalkeeper so start him with confidence...Ward's streak has been aided by the hot streak of one Justin Faulk who has 5 points in past two games and 8 points in 6 November games.  Grab either or both if still available in your league.