Anderson stopped all 27 shots that he faced in a shutout 5-0 win over the Penguins on Monday. The Senators will need another strong game from Anderson tonight as they face-off with the Bruins for the second time in as many nights. They were shutout 5-0 on Friday. Anderson stopped 30 of 32 shots in a 4-2 win when he faced the Bruins in October.

ALL GOALIES CONFIRMED UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED AT TIME OF PRINT Back from the holidays and rarin' to go!   Despite getting a shutout in last game out, Craig Anderson will sit until tomorrow's night matchup against Boston in a home-and-home back-to-back nights schedule.  Robin Lehner gets the nod against Tuukka Rask and needs to put up a good performance in order to keep his foot in the crease for future starts.  Tonight's game in Beantown so expect the B's to come out blazing....Curtis McElhinney and the Columbus Blue Jackets head into New Jersey to take on Martin Brodeur and the Devils. The Jackets are 2-0 against New Jersey, beating both Jersey goaltenders and could stretch their winning streak to 3, matching their season long.  Brodeur has shown signs of slowing down and perhaps the Devs are looking forward to tomorrow's night match against the NY Islanders, so a  good chance for Columbus tonight.... It looks like Cam Talbot will go for the third straight game and why not. The Rangers are winning with Talbot in the net, while Lundqvist hasn't been up to his stellar self.  Perhaps the King is injured and needs Humpty Dumpty's men to put him back together again.  The Blueshirts will be up against Washington Capitals Rookie sensation Philipp Grubauer who has only gone 4-1-1 with a 2.20 GAA and .934 SP. The trend this season has been the unknown or unrecognized rookie goalies coming in and taking advantage of their starts.  Caps kick the Cam down the road....The Pittsburgh Penguins were shutout before the Christmas Holiday and I'm sure they have been chomping at the bit to avenge that loss.  Justin Peters will bear the front of that attack. His numbers don't warrant his third start in a row but with Cam Ward not showing any signs of being fully recovered, the Canes don't have a lot of choices. Marc-Andre Fleury is having a spectacular season and that should continue tonight in Carolina.....The original thought is to go with the Toronto Maple Leafs in this matchup against the Buffalo Sabres considering the early season woes of the Sabres, but Ryan Miller has won three in a row and the team has been playing much better of late. Not an easy task for Jonathan Bernier who has lost 6 in a row after a stellar early season. I'm sticking with Miller....Ondrej Pavelec and the Winnipeg Jets need to step it up or they may start hearing it from the fans. Perhaps this will be a good matchup against the low-scoring Minnesota Wild who will have Niklas Backstrom in net ...

Christmas came early for not only Mark Pysyk but also the Buffalo Sabres who won in overtime on a most incredible way to score one. Merry Christmas!  Click video below, courtesy of SomeHockeyVideos to see this amazing winning goal. FANTASY GAME NOTES: Ryan Miller has been playing well since the start of the season but you wouldn't have known it just by looking at the standings. His record now stands at 9-17-0 with the win last night against the Coyotes, and 5 of those wins have come in his last 7 starts.  He's a steady goaltender who gets tons of starts, perhaps the law of averages is panning out.  So, if you need a decent 2nd goalie, it's Miller time!....The Toronto Maple leafs played their third shootout in a row, losing the last two.   At least they are gaining some points after losing 5 of their previous 6.  Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul have been sort of ice cold, at least for them. So perhaps you may be able to snatch them away from an unknowing GM....Ducks with a capital ‘D'.  The Anaheim Ducks defense kept Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Caps at bay in their 3-2 victory but Nicklas Backstrom continued his torrid scoring pace with a power play goal, giving him 17 points in 10 December games. ....No Skinner off their backs as the Columbus Blue Jackets were able to overcome Jeff Skinner's 2-goal effort. Skinner is one of those you live and die with becvause he can give you some good fantasy production, but at the same time gets injured ‘way too much'. He's already been on the sideline once this year, so perhaps it's safe to keep him in.  OR, you can try and "sell-high".  See what you can get?....Maybe Columbus doesn't need Marian Gaborik. They have gone 6-3-1 in December basically without the enigmatic score. In those 10 games, Ryan Johansen has gone 5-6-11. Johansen is finally coming of age.....Craig Anderson should study the tape of his game last night against Pittsburgh because he blanked the Penguins 5-0. Anderson struggles have been the talk of Ottawa but last night's performance could signal a turnaround for the struggling goaltender....Speaking of turnarounds, The NY Isles avenged their early season loss to the Detroit Red Wings with a 3-0 blanking of their own.  Having Evgeni Nabokov back in net is a world of difference from having Kevin Poulin in there. It's just not Poulin's time yet...The Bolts blasted the Florida Panthers in the Battle of Florida.  The Cats took the first shot with a late 1st period goal by Sean Bergenheim, ...

FANTASY GAME NOTES: Ryan Miller has been playing well since the start of the season but you wouldn't have known it just by looking at the standings. His record now stands at 9-17-0 with the win last night against the Coyotes, and 5 of those wins have come in his last 7 starts.  He's a steady goaltender who gets tons of starts, perhaps the law of averages is panning out.  So, if you need a decent 2nd goalie, it's Miller time!....The Toronto Maple leafs played their third shootout in a row, losing the last two.   At least they are gaining some points after losing 5 of their previous 6.  Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul have been sort of ice cold, at least for them. So perhaps you may be able to snatch them away from an unknowing GM....Ducks with a capital ‘D'.  The Anaheim Ducks defense kept Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Caps at bay in their 3-2 victory but Nicklas Backstrom continued his torrid scoring pace with a power play goal, giving him 17 points in 10 December games. ....No Skinner off their backs as the Columbus Blue Jackets were able to overcome Jeff Skinner's 2-goaleffort. Skinner is one of those you live and die with becvause he can give you some good fantasy production, but at the same time gets injured ‘way too much'.  He's already been on the sideline once this year, so perhaps it's safe to keep him in.  OR, you can try and "sell-high".  See what you can get?....Maybe Columbus doesn't need Marian Gaborik. They have gone 6-3-1 in December basically without the enigmatic score. In those 10 games, Ryan Johansen has gone 5-6-11. Johansen is finally coming of age.....Craig Anderson should study the tape of his game last night against Pittsburgh because he blanked the Penguins 5-0. Anderson struggles have been the talk of Ottawa but last night's performance could signal a turnaround for the struggling goaltender....Speaking of turnarounds, The NY Isles avenged their early season loss to the Detroit Red Wings with a 3-0 blanking of their own. Having Evgeni Nabokov back in net is a world of difference from having Kevin Poulin in there. It's just not Poulin's time yet...The Bolts blasted the Florida Panthers in the Battle of Florida.  The Cats took the first shot with a late 1st period goal by Sean Bergenheim, but the Lightning answered less than 20 seconds and then with 5 more unanswered goals. The loss of Steven Stamkos has not hurt Tampa Bay at all. It's all because of Goalie sensation Ben Bishop who has been nothing less than spectacular ...

ALL GOALIES CONFIRMED UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED AT TIME OF PRINT On the last day before the Christmas Holiday break, we have a slew of games, with every team playing except for the Montreal Canadiens and Vancouver Canucks. The Buffalo Sabres are shuffling off into the break on the heels of Ryan Miller, who, despite his and the team's record has been playing well this season. In fact, the Sabres have won 2 of 3 and 3 of their last six.  Perhaps they are shedding their doormat moniker for something special this Christmas.  Mike Smith (LIKELY) and the Phoenix Coyotes might want to leave some coal in their stockings.  This concludes a 4-game road trip for the Yotes so perhaps they will be thinking about being home for the holidays.  It's Miller time...Henrik Lundqvist will sit for the second game in a row as the NY Rangers look to get their season straightened out.  Cam Talbot has been more than an adequate backup for the Blueshirts and he will give the team a good shot at winning two in a row. Their opponent, the Toronto Maple Leafs, have been struggling with their own game having lost 6 of past 8 games.  Both goaltenders are starting to slip lately, opening up discussions about possibly acquiring a bona fide starter.  Jonathan Bernier (LIKELY) will try to get back on track after losing to the Detroit Red Wings in a shootout last time out. There's a Blue Christmas in NY....Philipp Grubauer and the Washington Capitals will host the Anaheim Ducks and their starter Jonas Hiller. The Ducks are ending a 4-game road trip and they have actually won 8 in a row.  The Caps can be explosive but the Ducks are just too tough and don't want to end up on someone's Christmas table....Curtis McElhinney and the Columbus Blue Jackets head into Carolina to take on Justin Peters (LIKELY) and the Carolina Hurricanes.  Nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina for a win.  The Canes have lost 5 of 6 and the Jackets look to sweeten up on some candy....With Harding out, its Niklas Backstrom and the Minnesota Wild traveling to Philadelphia to take on Steve Mason and the Flyers. The Flyers are coming off too doozies against Columbus and the inept offense of the Wild just may be what the home team needs to make Christmas even merrier....It's the Battle of Florida as Ben Bishop and the Tampa Bay Lightning look to extend their winning streak to 5 against Scott Clemmensen and the Florida Panthers. The Cats have been playing much better over the past few weeks winning 7 of 9 but the ...

Anderson allowed four goals on 38 shots in the Sens 4-3 loss to the Coyotes on Saturday. Anderson has allowed eight goals in his last two games and is 3-1-2 with a 2.30 GAA and .905 SV% in December. He gets the call against a red-hot Penguins.

Well I am back from vacation in Mexico. This was the second time I have ever been to Mexico, and we stayed at a nice house near Cancun.  That part of Mexico is a mix of spectacular resorts designed to attract tourists from around the world because of the warm sun and great beaches.  But it is surrounded by a lot of poverty.  Not sure if I will ever go there again.  Big night in the NHL yesterday with 12 games played.  The Penguins and Flames kicked it off with a matinee which Pittsburgh won 4-3.  Sidney Crosby was his usual self with a goal and 2 assists. With 54 points on the season, he will win the scoring title unless he gets injured.  James Neal had a goal and an assist for the Penguins, and he has 4 points in 3 games back from his suspension. When Evgeni Malkin comes back from his LBI, the two of them will form a deadly compliment to Crosby in the Pittsburgh offense. Juri Hudler had a goal for Calgary and he now has 31 points on the season. Players rarely get better at 29 years old, and his top season was 57 points, but he is getting top quality ice time with Calgary and he is making the most of it.  Grab him while he is hot...Phoenix forward Antoine Vermette went crazy last night with 3 goals against Ottawa. Like Hudler at 31 years old Vermette is not going to get any better.  He once scored scored 65 points for Columbus, but at 22 points we cannot get too crazy about him.  Senators forward Kyle Turris had a goal, and the 24 year keeps getting better and better. He has 28 points on the season, and is a decent 6th forward option.  Ottawa goaltender Craig Anderson continued his dismal season allowing all 4 goals, and his 3.42 goals against and .897 save percentage are just bad. Expect Robin Lehner to get most of the starts going forward. Mr. Jones has a thing going on: The Kings beat Colorado 3-2 in a shootout.  Anze Kopitar scored the game winner. Young Los Angeles goaltender Martin Jones posted his 8th straight win. Now we know that Patrick Lalime came into the league a number of years ago and won his first 13 games, and that it takes NHL players a while to discover a new goalies weaknesses, but this guy has been lights out at 8-0 with a 0.98 goals against and a .966 save percentage.  Play him if you can.  Forward Matt Duchene had 2 nifty assists for Colorado, and the interesting aspect was the crowd he now draws. When he passed the puck to Erik Johnson for his goal he had 3 LA players around him while Johnson was wide open. The NHL is beginning ...

Well I am back from vacation in Mexico. This was the second time I have ever been to Mexico, and we stayed at a nice house near Cancun.  That part of Mexico is a mix of spectacular resorts designed to attract tourists from around the world because of the warm sun and great beaches.  But it is surrounded by a lot of poverty.  Not sure if I will ever go there again.  Big night in the NHL yesterday with 12 games played.  The Penguins and Flames kicked it off with a matinee which Pittsburgh won 4-3.  Sidney Crosby was his usual self with a goal and 2 assists. With 54 points on the season, he will win the scoring title unless he gets injured.  James Neal had a goal and an assist for the Penguins, and he has 4 points in 3 games back from his suspension. When Evgeni Malkin comes back from his LBI, the two of them will form a deadly compliment to Crosby in the Pittsburgh offense. Juri Hudler had a goal for Calgary and he now has 31 points on the season. Players rarely get better at 29 years old, and his top season was 57 points, but he is getting top quality ice time with Calgary and he is making the most of it.  Grab him while he is hot...Phoenix forward Antoine Vermette went crazy last night with 3 goals against Ottawa. Like Hudler at 31 years old Vermette is not going to get any better.  He once scored scored 65 points for Columbus, but at 22 points we cannot get too crazy about him.  Senators forward Kyle Turris had a goal, and the 24 year keeps getting better and better. He has 28 points on the season, and is a decent 6th forward option.  Ottawa goaltender Craig Anderson continued his dismal season allowing all 4 goals, and his 3.42 goals against and .897 save percentage are just bad. Expect Robin Lehner to get most of the starts going forward. Mr. Jones has a thing going on: The Kings beat Colorado 3-2 in a shootout.  Anze Kopitar scored the game winner. Young Los Angeles goaltender Martin Jones posted his 8th straight win. Now we know that Patrick Lalime came into the league a number of years ago and won his first 13 games, and that it takes NHL players a while to discover a new goalies weaknesses, but this guy has been lights out at 8-0 with a 0.98 goals against and a .966 save percentage.  Play him if you can.  Forward Matt Duchene had 2 nifty assists for Colorado, and the interesting aspect was the crowd he now draws. When he passed the puck to Erik Johnson for his goal he had 3 LA players around him while Johnson was wide open. The NHL is beginning ...

Anderson allowed two goals on four shots and was pulled before the five minute mark of the first period in last Saturday's loss to the Kings. Anderson's struggles continue, he now sits at 9-8-3 with a 3.37 GAA and .898 SV% this season. He will see the Panthers for the second time this season, in the first meeting he allowed two goals on 32 shots in a 4-2 win.