It was a sort of homecoming for three ex-Rangers to Madison Square Garden as the Tampa Bay Lightning, behind G Ben Bishop, defeated the New York Rangers 5-1, making Bishop a perfect 6-0-0 lifetime against them with a 0.93 GAA and a .967 SP.  Outstanding!.... Ryan Callahan has been enjoying life playing alongside Steven Stamkos and plated 2 goals last night including what turned out to be the game-winner. If Callahan is in any way available, he should be picked up and inserted in your lineup as long as he remains healthy and on that line. Stamkos had a goal and 2 assists while Valtteri Filppula, Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat each chipped in with 2 assists. All of these Lightning players should be in your starting lineup as they are heating up even without the services of D Victor Hedman, who should be back in early December.....The only piece of good news to come from the Rangers side of this outcome was that Martin St. Louis scored his 7th goal on the year, this one on the power play.  St. Louis now has 6 goals and 8 total points in 9 November games. His play has improved as the injured Rangers have returned to the lineup, so keep him in your lineup.

Good morning! Fresh cup of hot coffee and I'm ready to roll! We have a new point leader in the NHL this morning and he goes by the name of Jakub Voracek. And to think I traded him in the off-season for a 2nd round pick. Ugh! I have to say that Boston is doing a good job of hanging in there with the injuries they've had. It is amazing how at the drop of a dime, a player's fantasy value can change. I'm talking about a player like Justin Faulk who had been a bust and then all of sudden he's the hottest thing since sliced bread. Quietly, Claude Giroux is only 5 points behind team mate Voracek for the NHL lead in points. Patrice Bergeron is a true leader, so very under-rated and he just does it all. And he is still only 29. It feels like he has been around forever. Dallas needs to find some consistency in their game. Those LA-Anaheim matchups are sure fun to watch. The Ducks sure miss Corey Perry. Mumps?  Really?  OF all the things that can sideline a hockey player, mumps? I guess after giving up 6 goals a game for three straight, the Buffalo Sabres decided to put up 6 themselves against a flat Toronto team on Saturday. Zemgus Girgensons sounds more like a Dr. Seuss character than a hockey player, but I'm sure Buffalo fans are happy as a Who. I suppose now that the Sabres can go back on a losing streak since they won one. It was couples night in Montreal, or should I say pair's night. Braden Schenn, P.A. Parenteau, and Dale Weise (really) each had 2 goals. Tomas Plekanec, Max Pacioretty, Sergei Gonchar, Andrei Markov, and NHL-points leader Voracek all had 2 assists in the game. Alex Galchenyuk wanted to stand out so he had 3 assists. Cory Schneider has started all 18 games for the New Jersey Devils so far this year. I really think he should get a night off, but maybe he is like a bionic goalie or something. That NY Ranger-Pittsburgh was something to watch. It had everything in it.  Fights, hard hitting, a few goals (except for Crosby-again), spectacular saves, overtime, and a shootout.  It even had Crosby complaining to the refs all night.  Oh wait, doesn't he do that every game? Martin St. Louis is heating up. With the return of Derek Stepan and Dan Boyle to the lineup, he should be producing more frequently. The Blue Jackets are sure glad to have Sergei Bobrovsky back in the crease. They were lost, and losing, without him.  He may have come back just in time to save their season. Pekka Rinne wins again! I have to say that Winnipeg's G Ondrej Pavelec has ...

It's up to you New York... New York, New York!!!! Well, you get the idea. Three games in the NHL last night, involving all three New York state teams, and each went into extra time.  First, we head to upstate New York where the Buffalo Sabres earned a point with another tough defensive matchup, losing to the Montreal Canadiens in the shootout 2-1.  We know all about Buffalo's scoring troubles but Montreal has been struggling on the score sheet as well lately with scoring only 6 goals in the last 6 matchups.  This is perhaps a good time to "buy-low" on top Montreal talent while continuing to stay clear of Buffalo players.... Down to Manhattan as the Rangers squeaked out the extra point with Derrick Brassard scoring the game-winning goal on the power play. Brassard, with 7 points in the last 4 games, should continue to put up points until Derek Stepan returns to the lineup. Rick Nash scored his 10th and continues to have a strong season. Martin St. Louis is heating up with another goal and a power play assist making it 4 points in last 2 games. With the impending returns of Stepan and Dan Boyle, St. Louis' production should come more steadily.....The soon-to-be Brooklyn-bound NY Islanders are in the midst of a 5-game Western road trip and came away with a 3-2 OT win over the goalie-depleted Anaheim Ducks. In the course of a weekend, both Frederik Andersen and John Gibson were befallen to injury meaning that Jason LaBarbera was thrust into action. John Tavares started and ended the scoring while Kyle Okposo assisted on both JT goals. Tavares now has 14 points in 12 games and barring any type of setback, should be a lock to reach the 100-point plateau this year.  Although Okposo has the same amount of points as Tavares, he will probably hit a dry patch but can still end up close to a point-per-game pace.

Two things to take out of a great hockey game between the St. Louis Blues and New York Rangers last night. Vladimir Tarasenko is going to be a big star in the NHL especially after his rush up the center of the ice and blowing past 3 Rangers to even the score at 1 on a second period power play, and that Martin St. Louis is breaking out with a 2-goal effort last night. Tarasenko leads the Blues in scoring with 13 points, getting 8 of those in the last 4 games.  His dazzling dash will the highlight of highlight films throughout the year.  St. Louis is back at his more normal right wing slot after filling in at center because the Rangers were hit hard with injuries at that position at the start of the season.  Derek Stepan may return to the lineup in the Rangers next game and St. Louis should get on some sort of roll.

Darcy Kuemper's dream start to the 2014-2015 season was derailed last night at Madison Square Garden as the Rangers exploded with 5 third period goals to cap a dramatic comeback victory over the Minnesota Wild. Rick Nash continues his terrific scoring pace with a goal, his 9th on the season, and an assist that started the impressive comeback after being down 3-0 after 2 periods and without the services of LW Chris Kreider and D John Moore who were ejected with game misconducts. Nash seemed determined to erase the black cloud that followed him in last year's Stanley Cup Finals.  Congrats to those who were smart enough to draft him as you clearly are benefitting from his new determination.....Mats Zuccarello rewarded his patient fantasy owners with a goal and 2 assists in the comeback win. You should expect more consistent and more normal levels of scoring from here on out after having only 1 assist in 7 games before last night.....Derick Brassard matched Zuccarello's output on the evening and the performance should boost the confidence of not only Brassard, but of all the Rangers....Martin St. Louis seems snake-bitten as he was held without a point in the contest. Fantasy owners should remain a little patient as we all know his capabilities once he breaks out....Congratulations to Ranger Rookie Anthony Duclair on netting his first NHL goal that was the game-tying goal. What a bright future this kid has! Don't look now but the Edmonton Oilers are the hottest team in the NHL at the moment after blanking the Montreal Canadiens 3-0 behind Ben Scrivens 29-save effort to run their winning streak to 4, all at Rexall place, making Dorothy proud. During that span, Scrivens has a 1.75 GAA and a .940 SP and finally giving the Oilers the stability in net that they have been missing.  With the Oil getting this type of goaltending, it's only a matter of time before the offense gets started as they gain more confidence.  Edmonton plays twice more at home before hitting the road for a 5-game trip.

With Derek Stepan still sidelined with a fractured fibula, the Rangers have been searching for someone to centre their top-line all season. St. Louis started the season there but has spent that last week back on the wing. Tonight, it looks like Kevin Hayes (who was centring the top-line) will be a healthy scratch with Ryan Malone entering the lineup. This would mean that St. Louis would move back to the middle, likely between Rick Nash and Chris Kreider. However, head coach Alain Vigneault said the lineup has not been finalized. We will likely have to wait until pre-game warmups to determine the lines and scratches.

Anaheim goaltender Frederik Andersen remains undefeated at 5-0-0 after blanking the St. Louis Blues 3-0 in the Ducks' home opener last night.  Andersen turned aside all 28 shots he faced but the big story of the night was defenseman Sami Vatanen who netted 2 power play goals and looks to be a solid choice in your fantasy lineup with 5 points in 6 games. Vatanen led all defensemen in power play time with 3:48, almost a minute more than Cam Fowler. Grab Vatanen if he's still available as Head Coach Bruce Boudreau has been using him more and more... The New York Rangers beat the San Jose Sharks 4-0 last night at the garden behind Henrik Lundqvist's 33-save effort giving the Rangers a modest 2-game winning streak. The Sharks, who were playing their 3rd game in four nights, came out flying but lost the game when they let up 2 goals 4 seconds apart late in the 2nd period that made the score 3-0. Rick Nash continued his torrid scoring pace and leads the NHL after scoring his 7th goal of the young season. Martin St. Louis scored his 1st of the year so look for him to get back on track as key players start returning to the lineup.... Mason Raymond was the story for the Calgary Flames last night with a goal and two assists giving him 7 points in 7 games. Those 7 points tie him for the team lead with Defenseman T. J. Brodie who has shown some consistency so far this season. Start both with confidence as they are main parts of the upstart Flames.... The 70's Line for the Los Angeles Kings continues to roll early on this season with another fine effort in the Kings 2-1 win over Minnesota. The line figured in both LA goals as Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson netted the goals and Jeff Carter notching an assist. Start them while they are hot.  G Jonathan Quick raised his record to 3-1-1 with another fine effort turning aside 40 of 41 shots quieting any concerns about his off-season surgery.

For all the fantasy owners who drafted New York Rangers winger Rick Nash a bit later than the customary early rounds, you reaped huge returns in Game 1. The enigmatic forward led the way with 2 goals, including the late game-winner and an assist in the Blueshirt's huge 3-2 road win over St. Louis. While seemingly star-crossed and in a state of disfunction all of last season, Nash looked every bit the part of a dangerous scorer last night while clicking on a line with the emerging Chris Kreider and the newly appointed center Martin St. Louis. While this represents a small sample size, this was an encouraging sign for a possible rebound season for Nash... Big injury news out of the same game- New York defenseman Dan Boyle will be out 4-6 weeks with a broken hand that he sustained while blocking a shot. Obviously, a blow to fantasy owners as Boyle looked to poise to put up decent numbers while anchoring their top power play unit. Give Ryan McDonagh a slight boost in fantasy value as he should get a modest uptick in power-play minutes.. Huge nights for Sidney Crosby (2G/1A) and Corey Perry (3G) in Pittsburgh's 6-4 win over Anaheim, but this high-scoring affair also introduced the debuts of Ryan Kesler and Patric Hornqvist in new uniforms. Both opened up the year in grand style, as fantasy owners must be thanking their luck stars for scooping them up. Kesler was terrific on the power-play with Getzlaf and Perry, collecting a goal and two assists. Meanwhile, Hornqvist responded to starting on the first line with a goal and a helper. Barring injuries, the gritty Swede is well on his way to a career season playing in his new digs... Sami Vatanen looked pretty comfortable with the man advantage, also chipping in with two assists. Even with a healthy Cam Fowler, the talented Finn might push for more PP time. Keep your eyes on him as his fantasy ascension has already begun.. So much for sitting Flyer's winger Wayne Simmonds this week on the basis that he was a bit banged up- two goals and assist in the 6-4 loss to New Jersey provides further evidence that his 60-point breakout season was definitely for real. Don't get caught up with the fact that he doesn't skate on the first line with Claude Giroux. He is a dominating force on the power-play and always around the net. 30+ goals should be a lock... The "Zach Attack" was on full display in Minnesota, as Zach Parise was in dominant form with a goal and two assists in the 5-0 drubbing of Colorado. Not much on Tomas ...

St. Louis is expected to centre the Rangers top-line with Rick Nash and Chris Kreider while Derick Brassard centres the second line and stays with Mats Zuccarello and J.T Miller and Dominic Moore round out the group of centres. St. Louis volunteered to play centre, so it will be interesting to see how he is able to make the transition after years of playing on the wing.

There was much to get excited about in New York last spring as the Rangers made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals against LA where their dream playoff run ended in a hard-fought battle in which the Kings hoisted their 2nd Cup in 3 seasons. Even though the series ended 4- in games, the matchup could have gone either way with a few different bounces going New York's way.  Gone are some vital components of that run in Brian Boyle and Anton Stralman, but for the most part, the main nucleus has been maintained and fans are expecting great things again this season. GOALIE When you have one of the elite goaltenders in the NHL, not only are the chances of you making the playoffs increased, but the possibility of getting to the Stanley Cup Finals are just as good, as long as you get a few of the lucky breaks that go along with making it so far in such a grueling stretch. Henrik Lundqvist has earned the nickname "The King" as he has played spectacular as the NY Ranger net minder. Lundqvist gives the Rangers an excellent chance of returning to the Finals, even if he was drafted in the 7th round of the 2000 draft. Be assured that The King will do everything in his power to get back to the Cup Finals once again.  Cam Talbot showed that he is more than a capable backup and will resume the same role again this year. DEFENSE As the Rangers made their way through last year's playoffs, there was one glaring need. That was a true power play quarterback.  As the free agent period approached, I kept saying that they needed someone like a Dan Boyle to run the point as Brad Richards couldn't hit the net half the time during the playoffs. Sure enough, the Rangers signed Boyle to a 2-year deal. Boyle will supplement the solid defensive corps already in place.  Dan Girardi is the rock and Ryan McDonagh is just starting to come into his own and will develop into a world class leader soon. Marc Staal, Kevin Klein and John Moore round out the unit and all possess the ability to not only play sound defense, but can contribute here and there, but expect most of the scoring to come from Boyle and McDonagh. FORWARDS Acquiring Martin St. Louis at the trade deadline for Ranger favorite Ryan Callahan was something that the team needed. The Blueshirts needed that veteran with the playoff experience to show them what it takes to hoist the coveted Cup.  St. Louis struggled upon his arrival, but he sure made up for it in the playoffs.  St. Louis was in the top 5 in NHL Scoring at...