In his return after a brief conditioning stint in the AHL, Anaheim G John Gibson had an easy go of it against the Columbus Blue Jackets, turning aside 16 of 17 SOG for his first win of the season. With the stellar play of Frederik Andersen so far this year, it looks like Gibson will get spot starts unless Andersen begins to falter. Everything looks to be in Andersen's favor, but one never knows how quickly the hand of fate delivers. Corey Perry continues his torrid start with a goal and an assist but if somehow D Sami Vatanen is still available in your league, snatch him up ASAP as he had a goal and an assist, both on the power play. Cam Fowler seems to be the forgotten offensive d-man in Anaheim although he did also notch an assist on the power play and now has 5 points in 8 games...
Edmonton rattled off their third win in a row as they blasted the Carolina Hurricanes 6-3 at Rexall Place. It appears there is no fantasy-worthy options in Carolina but as the top talent returns to the lineup, the production should improve. Jeff Skinner broke the ice in his third game back since opening the season on the injury list, so look for his numbers and the rest of the Canes to get quite better as C Eric Staal is close to returning as well. Without either of those in the lineup, the Canes have been horrible as they have gone winless. Some good "buy-low" options in Carolina....
Speaking of being lost, Edmonton's Jordan Eberle broke out in a big way last night with 2 goals and an assist, the first goal a thing of beauty as he and Tayler Hall had a nice give-and-go to break Eberle free. Those who were a bit disgruntled can breathe a sigh of relief as Eberle should be a big part of that Oil offense....
You knew sooner or later that the Colorado Avalanche offense was going to break out as they scored 7 goals against the visiting Vancouver Canucks. The return of starter Semyon Varlamov didn't hurt either as the team seemed to play much better with their no. 1 back in the crease. Matt Duchene (G, 2A), Jarome Iginla (2G, A) and Tyson Barrie (3A) all had a 3-point night while Erik Johnson had a goal and an assist. Perhaps the Colorado Rocky air was just the right elixir. Put your Avs back in the lineup pronto. Take me home country roads....
The talent of the Tampa Bay Lightning, especially starter Ben Bishop (40/42 SVS), was just too much for the Winnipeg Jets. Ondrej Pavelec was chased after giving up 4 through 2 periods and his numbers are clearly not what the team were hoping for. Could this be the end of the line for Pavelec in Winnipeg? Rookie Jonathan Drouin played exceptionally well in just his third NHL start and was rewarded with his first NHL goal, and he also assisted on Stamkos' opening goal. Great things are in store for the talented LWer as he looks to fit right in. Even with all the injuries to the Bolts, they continue to roll right along at 5-2-1....
If you are looking for depth forward for your fantasy lineup, take a look at New Jersey's Damien Brunner who scored his first of the season last night against Dallas and now has 3 points in 3 games since returning to the lineup. Brunner has been a bit of a disappointment since arriving from the Swiss league with a season in Detroit and New Jersey, but this year he looks a little more confident and is playing major minutes on the power play for the Devils.
DAILY PRIME - OCTOBER 25, 2014: THIS GIBSON PLAYS SMOOTH primepucks.comSat 10/25/14 11:17 AM