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 ...

*The Boston Bruins bounced back after two straight humiliating defeats North of the border, holding off the resilient Hurricanes by a 2-1 score. Tuukka Rask was at his best in the crease, turning aside 33 of 34 shots to secure the must-win for the "B's"... With the game-winning goal, Patrice Bergeron has heated up with points in 6 of his last 7 games. It's always near the end of the calendar year when the brilliant two-way pivot cranks up the scoring, so make you are starting him. *Darcy Kuemper temporarily staves off talk of him losing his hold on the Minnesota Wild starting job with a super effort in the 2-1 road win in Dallas. He stopped 27 of 28 shots, while counterpart Kari Lehtonen couldn't turn a decent performance into a win for the Stars. Dallas has struggled heavily at home, winning only once in six games.. *Jarrett Stoll banged home the overtime game-winner for the Kings in this latest version of this heated Southern California rivalry. Jonathan Quick was the fantasy star of the game, stopping 27 of 29 shots to improve his record to 3-0-2 in his last five starts. Nothing less than elite reserved for this guy.. Ryan Kesler kept the Ducks close with his second-period goal and now is currently riding a six-game point streak. Start him next week as he has been picking up the offensive slack while Corey Perry recovers from the mumps. *Sergei Bobrovsky made a triumphant return to the Columbus crease, turning aside 36 of 37 shots in the 2-1 win over San Jose. Expect "Super Bob" to swiftly make his way up to fantasy elite status as the Blue Jackets continue to get healthier. "Buy low" on him if you can, as a huge second half is looming for the talented Russian.. * I almost forgot.. Jake Muzzin is looking real good for LA with two more assists, giving him seven points in his last five games. If you need help on defense, grab him if he is still available. *A couple of significant line developments for the Washington Capitals: Andre Burakovsky has been moved up to the top line, while Evgeni Kuznetsov is playing alongside Marcus Johansson on the 2nd unit. It didnt make much of a difference in their 4-1 loss to St. Louis, but they could have fantasy implications. *Montreal LW Max Pacioretty is getting on one of those scoring streaks, picking up two assists to give him six points over the last four games. Ride him while he is hot, but when he gets cold.. *Whats up with PK Subban lately? The elite offensive blueliner has been struggling and as a result, ...

Gonchar, 40, has an annual cap-hit of $5 million (per nhlnumbers.com) and has just one point this season. He has only appeared in the three most recent games for the Stars and shipping him out for the much cheaper Moen, suggests that this was a salary dump and that the Stars have something else up their sleeves.

Gonchar made his season debut on Tuesday after missing the start of the season with a fractured ankle. He was not at practice this morning because he is dealing with a muscle strain. The Stars will wait until tomorrow to see where he is and then make a decision on his status for the game vs. Nashville.

Gonchar is set to make his season debut after missing the start of the season with a fracture ankle he suffered in the preseason. Gonchar will open the season on the Stars' third pair with Jamie Oleksiak.

Gonchar is looking to make his season debut tonight after missing the start of the season with a fractured ankle. He took part in the Stars morning skate and was paired with Jamie Oleksiak on the blueline, which suggests that he will play. We will find out during pre-game warmups at 8 p.m. ET.

Head coach Lindy Ruff said that Gonchar is healthy enough to play, but he is not sure his conditioning is where it needs to be to play tomorrow. Monitor his status during Tuesday's morning skate.

Gonchar skated this morning on the Stars 'fifth line' and the team announced after practice that he is progressing well, but still is not expected to be ready this week. So expect Gonchar to miss at least three more games.

Gonchar is three and a half weeks into a 3-5 week timetable for his return from a fractured ankle. Gonchar's return to practice is a positive, but he skated on the 'fifth line' this morning which means he likely won't be back on Tuesday. Expect an update after practice, but it looks like Gonchar won't return until Friday at the earliest.

Stars head coach Lindy Ruff said that Gonchar is getting better but he remains unavailable for Friday and Saturday's games. Monitor his status prior to Tuesday's meeting with the Blues.