The biggest news to come out of last night's action was Claude Giroux getting the back of his leg sliced by a Justin Faulk skate in the 3rd period of the Flyers-Hurricanes matchup. Giroux left the ice with assistance, not being able to put any weight on his leg.  The word is that the Philly Captain is fine and expected to be in tonight's game in New Jersey.  Giroux is tied for third in league scoring.  Whew! After losing their captain, the Flyers fought back to get within one but that was all as they lost for the fourth straight time. Wallowing near the bottom of the Metropolitan Division, it would take an incredible run to qualify for the playoffs.  Carolina G Cam Ward (23/24 SV) has played excellent of late, this time being on the positive side of a close game. Ward could be an excellent number 2 fantasy goalie.  With Jordan Staal returning from a broken leg and Eric Staal looking like he is starting to heat up, it may be worth it to have a few Canes on your fantasy squad now.... Roberto Luongo continues to enjoy life in sunny F-L-A as he shut out the Buffalo Sabres 2-0 behind a 30-save effort making 2 first period goals stand up. Bobby Lu raised his record to 15-7-7 with a 2.22 GAA and a .926 SP.  Continue to start Luongo with confidence while we wait for the young offense to pick up.... P.K. Subban was the story for Montreal last night against New Jersey assisting on 3 goals. The Habs built a 3-0 early in the 3rd period before the Devils made it interesting. The Devils ship is sinking fast and there is no land in sight.  New Jersey has gone 2-7-3 in last dozen games.  Ugh! You just knew it was going to be a high-scoring affair in Pittsburgh as the Penguins took on the Lightning of Tampa Bay. It was all Pens early as they built a 3-0 in the first period chasing starter Ben Bishop from the net. The bolts tried to stage a comeback but Steve Downie put the final 2 nails in the coffin of a 6-3 win for the Penguins. Sidney Crosby with 4 assists in the game almost matched his total output for November where he had 5 total points. Look for Sid to pick up his game from here on out.... The return to early season form for Minnesota G Darcy Kuemper was what the Wild needed against the high-scoring Toronto Maple Leafs who came into the game as the highest scoring team in the NHL. Kuemper turned aside 34 of 35 SOG as Minnesota won for just the second time in the past 8 games....With a power play assist, perhaps Thomas Vanek is ready to heat up as he has been very pedestrian for the Wild so far this season with just 23 points in 36 games. A good "buy-low" candidate from here on out as he could get you close to a point-per-game.... The New York Islanders roll on with a 2-1 win in Calgary behind Jaroslav Halak's 22 save effort. John Tavares was all the offense Halak would need as he potted both Islander goals with assists by Kyle Okposo. JT has been playing a bit below expectations while Okposo is playing close to a point-per-game clip.  Both Isles are major parts of their offense so keep them in your lineups... Colorado Avalanche must be thrilled to have starting goaltender Semyon Varlamov back as the team has won 3 of the four starts since his return from the infirmary. Varly stopped 27 of 28 for the -1 win over Edmonton.  I know you are saying it's just Edmonton, but the Oilers have been playing tighter hockey lately so this wasn't a "gimme" as it took a shootout to decide the game.  Start Varlamov with confidence and if you need goaltending help, you may be able to get the Colorado net minder on the cheap... It was a back-and forth battle in Anaheim last night between the St. Louis Blues and the Ducks as the Blues tied the score on three separate occasions but couldn't get the equalizer late in the 3rd period as the Ducks held on for the 4-3 victory. 7 different goal-scorers in the game which could be a preview of the Western Conference final come May.  Sami Vatanen and Ryan Kesler, with 2 assists apiece, were the catalysts for Anaheim as G Frederik Andersen turned aside 39 of 42 SOG for the win, raising his record to 21-6-5.