Tampa Bay seems unbeatable now that they have D-man Victor Hedman (3A) back in the lineup. I'm sure the NY Rangers are glad that they don't have to face the Lightning anymore after losing all three matchups against the Bolts, the latest a 6-3 drubbing on home ice.  The Lightning broke open a 3-3 game with 3 in the 3rd period showcasing their well-rounded talent up and down the lineup. This team isn't all about Steven Stamkos and Ben Bishop as evidenced by their young talent producing lately. Brett Connolly scored two goals, including the game-winner, and Tyler Johnson also scored twice and added an assist. Johnson is a must-start while Connolly may be worth a shot in deeper leagues as the 2 points were the RWer's first points in past 7 games.....Bishop has now won 8 straight against the Blueshirts to remain unbeaten against them.... The Columbus Blue Jackets may be happy that November has ended as they started off December with a solid 2-1 victory over the Florida Panthers halting a six-game losing streak. Sergei Bobrovsky had his best game in a while stopping 24 of 25 SOG for the win after losing 5 straight. The Jackets go as Bobrovsky goes, and while the team may have been stricken with a lot of injuries early on, if Bobber gets going, this team can be dangerous.... P.K. Subban helped Montreal keep pace with the Tampa Bay Lightning atop the Eastern Conference as he scored a goal and added an assist in defeating Patrick Roy's Colorado Avalanche. Fantasy fans are waiting for the talented defenseman to step up his game as he has been producing below expectations.  With the start of a new month, perhaps his game will start to click... Edmonton continues to flounder at the bottom of the Western Conference, and like the Philadelphia Flyers, change is coming. Arizona's Mike Smith returned to the net for the Coyotes and played as solid game to pick up his first win after 7 straight losses. He will need to string together a few good games to regain confidence among poolies with beating the Oilers a step in the right direction....Someone named Tobias Rieder scored 2 shorthanded goals at the start of the 2nd period to turn the game around. No need to rush to pick Rieder up as he sees limited action, but Rieder has shown the ability to score in the minors but you can find more reliable forward depth out there..... Anaheim G Frederik Andersen (32/34 SV) snapped a modest 2-game losing streak with a solid performance against the Boston Bruins allowing the Ducks to ...

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 ...

There were 2 games on the slate last night and 18 goals scored. Whoa!  In the first game we saw the Toronto maple Leafs bust out against Boston and jump out to a 5-0 lead before the Bruins mustered their only goal late in the 2nd period. Phil Kessel continued his early season dominance with 2 goals, including the game-winner. His line mates, James van Riemsdyk and Tyler Bozak, both had a goal and 2 assists so it looks like this line will be a dominating one this season barring injury. Perhaps the Bruins had their minds on exacting revenge against the Montreal Canadiens tonight so expect a better performance from Tuukka Rask, who was pulled, and the rest of the big, bad Bruins.... There were a lot of contributors for both teams in Anaheim's 6-5 shootout win over Los Angeles. Ryan Kesler was the main offensive producer with 2 goals and an assist in the Battle of Los Angeles. With Corey Perry sidelined, the offense had to come from somewhere proving that the off-season acquisition of Kelser is a key component of this year's version of the Ducks. Duck G Frederik Andersen had an uncharacteristic game by letting in 3 goals on 10 SOG before being pulled. Andersen should rebound in next start as he is still sporting a 1.77 GAA and a .935 SP.... Those looking for goaltender help and have a roster spot they can afford to use should pick up Minnesota's Josh Harding if available. With Darcy Kuemper coming back down to Earth after winning the first 4 of 5, 3 by shutout, then losing 4 of the next 6, it looks like Harding will be given every opportunity to resume his spot as the no. 1 in Minny. Alexander Khokhlachev has been called up by the Boston Bruins for tonight's Montreal game. It will be interesting to see how the extremely talented Center fares in his NHL Debut.  This is one to put on your "watch list" for the future.

Andersen stopped 34 of 35 shots in the Ducks shootout loss to the Canucks on Sunday. Andersen continues to dazzle in the Ducks goal and with John Gibson sidelined for the next month or so, he will get a ton of starts. He will make his third consecutive tonight at home vs. the Kings--he is 3-1-2 with a 1.46 GAA and .949 SV% at home.

Andersen allowed two goals on 25 shots in the Ducks 3-2 shootout loss to the Coyotes on Friday. It was just Andersen's second loss of the season, but it was another steady outing for the 25-year-old. He will take on the Canucks at home, where he is 3-1-1 with a 1.58 GAA and .943 SV%.

Andersen allowed two goals on 25 shots in the Ducks 3-2 shootout loss to the Coyotes on Friday. It was just Andersen's second loss of the season, but it was another steady outing for the 25-year-old. He would take on the Canucks at home, where he is 3-1-1 with a 1.58 GAA and .943 SV%.

THE WINDS OF CHANGE The Carolina Hurricanes, behind goaltender Cam Ward's 4th straight win, have risen from the bottom of the Eastern Conference by switching places with the team they beat last night in the Columbus Blue Jackets, 3-2 in overtime, who now share that dubious distinction with the Buffalo Sabres. There was a lot skepticism that Ward would not be able to return to form as Carolina's no. 1 net minder especially after how backup Anton Khudobin filled in during his injury last season. After a rough start to this season, and perhaps needing time to build up his strength, the Hurricane goalkeeper has flashed his past form during this modest 4-game winning streak and claiming the starter's job.  Holy glove save Batman! Ward is back....One Cane that is playing strong of late is C Elias Lindholm who has 6 points in the last 4 games with 3-game winners. He has been getting considerable power play time so he is definitely worth a pickup while he is hot...Columbus has now lost 7 straight after a fabulous pre-season record and a 4-2-0 start to the season.  Look for the Blue Jackets to turn their season around as they start to get players back from injury.... The Edmonton Oilers stopped a 4-game losing streak but it was against the lowly Sabres, but it was a win nonetheless and the Oil needed it badly but changes are probably in the works as their lead scorer Taylor Hall is out for a few weeks with a leg injury. Things have not progressed the way Edmonton would have liked, so there are rumors floating around that big changes are on their way..... Detroit halted their three-game losing streak with a win over the New Jersey Devils as they returned home. Jimmy Howard didn't have to do much as he only faced 17 shots from a Devils team that has been beset by injuries of late.  The Devils have now lost 3 in arrow and G Cory Schneider has looked very human in the past 2 games.....Pavel Datsyuk hurt his grown in practice earlier in the day and did not dress. Expect Datsyuk to miss a few games at the least..... The Washington Capitals scored three late 2nd period goals to wipe out a 2-0 deficit and held on for the 3-2 victory. G Braden Holtby stopped 38 of 40 to raise his record to 4-3-2. The Caps need more games like this from Holtby if they are going to make a run for the playoffs.  Marcus Johansson and Andre Burakovsky were the catalyst on offense along with D Matt Niskanen's 2 assists. Burakovsky holds a lot of promise but the other 2 are mainly support/depth...

Andersen allowed a single goal on 22 shots in the Ducks win over the Stars last Friday. Andersen missed the last two games with leg tightness, but will be back between the pipes tonight vs. Arizona. He is a must-start vs. a struggling Coyotes team at home where he is 3-1-0 with a 1.50 GAA and .948 SV%.

Andersen was held out of Wednesday's game for precautionary reasons, but he went completed his second straight full practice on Thursday and should be good to go on Friday vs. Arizona.

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.