After being ousted by Montreal during last season's playoffs, the Tampa Bay Lightning were prepared to make a statement last night-and that they did. Their 7-1 romp at home included a dominating "hat trick" effort and 12 SOG from Steven Stamkos, while defenseman Victor Hedman completed the one-two punch with a goal and three assists. Ben Bishop had it easier than on most nights, stopping 16 of 17 shots faced. By the looks of things early on, all three of these stars could arguably end up as the elite fantasy option to own at their respective positions. There is lots of hockey to be played, but you have to love this trio from a fantasy standpoint.. Newcomer Jason Garrison has been largely ignored on the Lightning power-play, largely to the dismay of his fantasy owners. Veteran Matt Carle has also been skipped over, as forwards Ryan Callahan and Valtteri Fillpula are playing top minutes in their four-forward primary alignment on the man advantage... Great start so far for Ottawa goalie Craig Anderson, who shut out the Florida Panthers 1-0 after turning aside all 30 shots thrown his way. With a 1-1 record plus a 1.51 GAA and a .957 SP, the veteran has responded to all the pressure of Robin Lehner waiting to take the starting role for the Senators. Maybe not so fast, as Anderson is not far removed from an incredible 2012-13 campaign, where he posted a 1.69 GAA and .941 SP in 24 starts... David Krejci returned for the Boston Bruins, but the game ended up badly for them as veteran Daniel Briere scored the game-winner for Colorado with just .04 seconds left in the final period. It seems prudent to avoid starting your Boston skaters until they recover from their early-season malaise. With four goals in 4 games, the Bruin's offense has been stuck in neutral. They may miss Jarome Iginla more than they thought.. Loui Eriksson continues to play with Carl Soderberg on the third line. While the two Swedes have shown some chemistry, Eriksson's fantasy value will improve greatly if he can latch on to David Krejci.. Ryan Kesler has had a huge impact on the Anaheim Duck's offense immediately, adding a penalty shot goal in their 5-1 demolition of Buffalo. Corey Perry can't be stopped as he scored a power-play marker for his fourth goal of the season..Goalie Federik Andersen had an cakewalk of an afternoon, facing only 12 shots but he has looked sharp in his two outings. John Gibson could get the call against Philadelphia tonight... Patrick Maroon left the game after ...

If it wasn't for goalie Carey Price getting knocked out of the series, it could have been the Montreal Canadiens playing against the Los Angeles Kings for the right to hoist the Cup.  Apparently fully recovered from his knee injury, Price looks to lead the Habs back to the Promised Land.  Gone are Thomas Vanek, Brian Gionta and Daniel Briere. Vanek didn't pan out and was often pointed out as the scapegoat.  Gionta and Briere will be missed for their leadership and playoff experience.  PA Parenteau and Tom Gilbert were brought in for depth purposes. Will the Canadiens have what it takes to get back again this year? GOALIES At 27-years of age, Price is entering his prime and has adapted to the pressure of being Montreal's starting goaltender. At 34-20-5, he almost matched his career best in 2010-2011 when he had a 38-28-6 record and his metrics were almost identical.  Now that he is a bit more seasoned, expect more consistency from Price going forward.  Peter Budaj will serve as backup again but if he falters, I'm sure the Canadiens won't hesitate to bring up last year's playoff darling, Dustin Tokarski. DEFENSE There is no denying the fire in P.K. Subban's belly but if he can control that emotion and funnel it into the game, he will be extremely dangerous. Look for Subban to mature a bit this season.  Andrei Markov seems to have rid himself of the injury bug and now has played in 2 back-to-back seasons, although one was the shortened 48-game Lockout season. Markov will still get you around the mid-40 level in points.  FORWARDS They may not have the elite name like a Crosby, Stamkos or an Ovechkin, but the Habs can throw out a few solid lines at you. Max Pacioretty along with David Desharnais, form the top pairing and should lead the team in offense. One player to keep your eye on this year is Alex Galchenyuk. This kid packs a tremendous amount of talent that it is just a matter of time before he explodes.  He has shown flashes, but not the consistency.  Slated to play on a line with Tomas Plekanec and Parenteau, these veterans just may be able to bring out his best. Brendan Gallagher is an energetic player that packs a scoring touch. For deeper leagues, Lars Eller could have a breakout year as he has been steadily improving every year. PROSPECTS Two defensive prospects, Jarred Tinordi and Nathan Beaulieu, are close to joining the club but far from making an impact. Other players are perhaps a season or two away from being any kind of factor. ...

When Patrick Roy took the helm of the Colorado Avalanche's new coach last season, nobody expected a franchise record 52 wins and trip to the playoffs. Granted, a Game 7 home loss against the Wild did sting, but the Avalanche look to build on their success in Year 2 of the Roy era. Plenty of young star power on offense leads the way, but the need for veteran help resulted in off-season additions of Jarome Iginla and Daniel Briere. The acquisition of Brad Stuart on the blue-line will be instrumental in adding veteran leadership to defense. The loss of Paul Stastny to free agency doesn't seem to be crucial as the offense is loaded down the middle. Fantasy wise, there are no shortage of value picks to consider in early to middle rounds. Goalies In the crease, Semyon Varlamov finally put together a consistent season both at home and on the road, collecting 41 wins with a 2.41 GAA and .927 SP. When your new coach is arguably the best NHL goaltender of all time, motivation shouldn't be a problem. Expect another huge workload and plenty of shots per game, but he should still deliver 35+ wins and remain a solid no 1 fantasy goalie option. Reto Berra will again be the primary back-up , but will find time in goal very scarce with only 10-15 starts in spot duty Defense On defense, the emergence of Tyson Barrie as a high scoring rearguard was one of the bigger fantasy stories for Colorado. With 13 goals and 38 points in 64 games, the youngster should be a steady no 2-3 fantasy option with considerate upside. Eric Johnson has never lived up to hype of being selected no 1 overall, but he is on his way to becoming an elite two-way defender. While I prefer to own Barrie in points-only leagues, Johnson is the superior option in the multi category format. Coming off a career high 40pt season, his fantasy stock is trending up. Forwards What can you say about the Colorado firepower on offense? Matt Duchene stayed relatively healthy to post 71 pts in 70 games, but he has legitimate 90-pt upside if he can play 82 games. He had shown chemistry with Ryan O Reilly, who was shifted to wing to accommodate him on the top line. After inking a two year extension, the talented forward should be a good bet to at least match last season's totals of 65 points. However, he represents a solid mid round value who's fantasy stock is tied to playing with an elite center. So don't overrate... Second-year Nathan McKinnon is on the rise after his Calder Trophy winning effort. After training ...

Briere, 36, scored 13 goals with 12 assists (25 points) in 69 games with Montreal. He found himself relegated to the fourth-line for much of the season and playoffs. The trade adds an experienced forward to a young and up-and-coming team. Briere will be entering his final year of a two-year $8 million dollar deal.

Reports suggest that the Canucks are strongly pursuing FA goalie Ryan Miller. Wouldnt that be something- Buffalo to St. Louis then to Vancouver. Speaking of going full circle!RW PA Parenteau was shipped to Montreal from Colorado for veteran forward Daniel Briere and the Canadiens fifth-round pick in the 2015 NHL Draft. The Avs get some playoff experience with Briere while the Canadiens add some more scoring. Good trade for part teams.Center Sam Gagner was traded by the Edmonton Oilers to Tampa Bay, who turned around and packaged Gagner and RW B. J. Crombeen for Arizona's 6th round draft pick next June. Gagner will get a fresh start in the desert and perhaps contribute consistently as a Coyote.  Only 24-years old, Gagner is still young enough that he can turn into the player everyone had been hoping for while he was in Edmonton.Tampa Bay's Teddy Purcell was the first part of the Gagner trade, being dealt to the Edmonton Oilers, providing some more scoring punch at right wing.  At 28, Purcell brings some much-needed experience and size to this group of young Oilers.  Where he fits is anyone's guess, but the Oil need to find ways to win now as the fan base may be getting restless for a playoff series.Interesting point to consider- who will be the favorite to scoop up the second line center position for Edmonton with Gagner traded away? It could be former AHL standout Marc Arcobello who started last season on fire with 10 points in the first 10 games; or talented rookie Leon Draisaitl who has drawn comparisons to Jaromir Jagr? The winner of this spot could hold decent fantasy value in 14-15'.

NY RANGERS vs. MONTREAL Must-Starts Montreal: Thomas Vanek, David Desharnais, Max Pacioretty, P. K. Subban, Andrei Markov, Carey Price New York: Martin St. Louis, Rick Nash, Ryan McDonagh, Henrik Lundqvist Sleepers Montreal: Brenden Gallagher, Daniel Briere, Tomas Plekanec, Brian Gionta, Lars Eller New York: Mats Zuccarello, Derick Brassard, Derek Stepan, Brian Boyle, Benoit Pouliot Notes: Halfway home for both of these Original Six teams!  Not many gave the Montreal Canadiens a chance against the Boston Bruins but they came up big.  Actually, both the Canadiens and the Rangers came up with tremendous Game 7 victories on the road.  The Rangers, after being down 3 games to 1, had the Pittsburgh Penguins fire their coach after their historic comeback.  The Canadiens had some Bruins talking some controversial smack immediately following their elimination, but it's the Canadiens who get a chance to talk some more while the Bruins head for the golf course. The Canadiens have quite a few veterans with playoff experience in the likes of Gionta, Plekanec & Vanek, but it may come down to the play of Desharnais & Pacioretty, along with Vanek, who came to life in the last two games of the Bruins series with a combined 7 points in those two crucial games. They can be the difference for the Habs, but they will be facing another elite NHL goaltender in Lundqvist who is playing at the top of his game now, as is Price. The Rangers come at you the same way as the Bruins do with four lines capable of scoring but are responsible defensively. In the last 3 games against Pittsburgh, Brassard (3G, A), Zuccarello (3A), Richards (G, A) and St. Louis(2G, A) were the biggest point-getters for the Rangers and if they can get Nash going, who has the most SOG in the playoffs with 52, the Blueshirts will be tough be beat. The experienced playoff players for the Rangers came up big in crunch time and if that continues, the Canadiens will be hard-pressed to move on to the Cup Finals. On the defensive side, it may all come down to how much can the Rangers contain Mr. Subban? Montreal comes at you with Subban (12 pts in 11 games) & Markov (5 pts) and if the Rangers can shut down Subban, they contain a lot of the Montreal offense. The Rangers don't have a dynamic defenseman like the Habs do, but their top 6 contribute across the board both offensively and defensively.  They have shown the ability to jump into the play and even get deep into the offensive zone, as the Ranger forwards are ...

Briere will serve as a healthy scratch tonight for the first time since coming to the Canadiens. It has been a struggle for the 36-year-old veteran this season. He has recorded five goals and five assists in 26 games. In his last contest he saw what is likely a career-low 4:27 TOI. You have to consider Briere's contract to be a massive disappointment at this point.

Briere has missed the Habs last 10 games after being injured on October 19 vs. Nashville. After the worst season of his career in 2012-13, Briere has only one goal and two assists in eight games this year. He will play on the third line with Michael Bournival and Rene Bourque.

Briere practiced over the weekend in a full-contact capacity. He has been out since October 19 (missed last 10 games) but head coach Michel Therrien said "We hope Daniel Briere can come back tomorrow. We'll make a decision after morning skate on Tuesday". Monitor his status tomorrow.

Briere has been out of the Canadiens lineup since October 19 with a concussion. According to TSN this is Briere's third diagnosed concussion, so the Habs will be playing it safe with Briere's return. He had one goal and two assists in eight games before being sidelined.