Sorry for the brief fantasy notes, but plenty of Christmas shopping to still do!! One quick note- IN STEVE'S DEFENSE will be up for the special holiday date of next Tuesday, December 30. Starting 2015, you can again catch ISD every Thursday afternoon. *Semyon Varlamov returned to the Colorado crease in grand fashion, turning aside all 26 shots in the 5-0 rout of St. Louis. While numbers are way off the pace he had set last season- 3.00 GAA/ 5-6-5 record- you can bet that the recent hot play of backup Calvin Pickard will light a fire under the struggling Russian netminder. A great-buy low candidate for the holidays.. *Tyler Johnson is having a heck of a sophomore campaign for the Lightning, collecting a "hat trick" against the Penguins and in the process, extending his point streak to five games (5G/3A). With 37 points in 35 games, he has exceeded all fantasy expectations so far but should continue to roll on the Steven Stamkos-led prolific offense.. *So much for his 11-game point streak coming to an end as winger Rick Nash continues to show superb form in his monster comeback year by scoring two goals and an assist in the Ranger's 4-2 win over Washington. He is the real deal with 36 points on the season ranking 10th in the NHL scoring race. He might fall short of the 80-point mark, but 40+ goals is a realistic possibility.. * Not many goalies will frustrate fantasy owners with their tremendous "ups and downs" more than Toronto's Jonathan Bernier who stifled Dallas with a 43-save shutout. Just one start before, he gave up 7 to Philly so it's tough to depend on him as a legit starting option but his streaks can help bolster your fantasy teams.. *Boston's Loui Eriksson has yet to realize his offensive potential that he had displayed as a 70-point Dallas Star standout, but he has been trending upward. His two goals gives him six points over the last four games. He hasn't panned out as a top-line replacement to the departed Jarome Iginla, but he could get bumped up if his production continues to improve. Watch him..