Ten games last night in the NHL. First Florida goaltender Tim Thomas hurt himself in practice, and it was serious enough for the Panthers to recall Jacob Markstrom from the AHL. Looks like Scott Clemmensen will get the next few starts for the Panthers. Jay Feaster was fired as General Manager of the Calgary Flames and it looks like the Flames are seeking ex Dallas General Manager Joe Nieuwendyk to replace him.  Carolina activated Alex Semin off the IR list. Semin was having a quiet year with only 9 points in 20 games.  Maybe he will step it up now...New York Ranger goaltender Henrik Lundqvist continued to struggle last night allowing 3 quick goals against Columbus on only 13 shots and being replaced  by Cam Talbot. Lundqvist just signed a huge contract, so he is the Rangers man.  Young Columbus forward Ryan Johansen scored a goal, and he has a 7 games scoring streak. He is going to be a big fantasy player.  Columbus goaltender Curtis McElhinney had to leave the game with an injury and he was replaced by Mike McKenna, so Columbus is down to its 3rd string goaltender...Philadelphia beat the Canadiens as Flyer forward Claude Giroux continues to wake up this season after a very slow start. He had a goal and an assist last night and now has a respectable 23 points on the season.  Expect him to be a point per game player the rest of the season...Ottawa forward Bobby Ryan had a goal and an assist last night in the Senators win against Buffalo. Ryan has 30 points on the season, and you can expect him to continue scoring at this pace. Senators goaltender Craig Anderson finally had a big game with 40 saves. He may get a couple of starts based on yesterday's game, but we still lean toward Robin Lehner as the starter...Nice effort by Tampa Bay goaltender Ben Bishop with 28 saves in a 2-1 shootout win over Detroit. Bishop is having a great season with 16 wins and a 2.05 goals against and a .931 save percentage...Alex Steen continued his amazing season with a goal and an assist in the Blues 6-3 win over Toronto. He has 22 goals and 35 points on the season.  David Backes had 2 goals for St. Louis, and he is quietly putting up a good season with 15 goals and 29 points. Brian Elliott had 19 save in goal for the Blues with his second straight start. Expect Jaroslav Halak to be back in net for St. Louis for the next few games...Big night for Matt Duchene for Colorado as he had 2 goals and an assist in their 4-3 shootout win, plus he scored the winner in the shootout. ...

Ten games last night in the NHL. First Florida goaltender Tim Thomas hurt himself in practice, and it was serious enough for the Panthers to recall Jacob Markstrom from the AHL. Looks like Scott Clemmensen will get the next few starts for the Panthers. Jay Feaster was fired as General Manager of the Calgary Flames and it looks like the Flames are seeking ex Dallas General Manager Joe Nieuwendyk to replace him.  Carolina activated Alex Semin off the IR list. Semin was having a quiet year with only 9 points in 20 games.  Maybe he will step it up now...New York Ranger goaltender Henrik Lundqvist continued to struggle last night allowing 3 quick goals against Columbus on only 13 and being replaced  by Cam Talbot. Lundqvist just signed a huge contract, so he is the Rangers man.  Young Columbus forward Ryan Johansen scored a goal, and he has a 7 games scoring streak. He is going to be a big fantasy player.  Columbus goaltender Curtis McElhinney had to leave the game with an injury and he was replaced by Mike McKenna, so Columbus is down to its 3rd string goaltender...Philadelphia beat the Canadiens as Flyer forward Claude Giroux continues to wake up this season after a very slow start. He had a goal and an assist last night and now has a respectable 23 points on the season.  Expect him to be a point per game player the rest of the season...Ottawa forward Bobby Ryan had a goal and an assist last night in the Senators win against Buffalo. Ryan has 30 points on the season, and you can expect him to continue scoring at this pace. Senators goaltender Craig Anderson finally had a big game with 40 saves. He may get a couple of starts based on yesterday's game, but we still lean toward Robin Lehner as the starter...Nice effort by Tampa Bay goaltender Ben Bishop with 28 saves in a 2-1 shootout win over Detroit. Bishop is having a great season with 16 wins and a 2.05 goals against and a .931 save percentage...Alex Steen continued his amazing season with a goal and an assist in the Blues 6-3 win over Toronto. He has 22 goals and 35 points on the season.  David Backes had 2 goals for St. Louis, and he is quietly putting up a good season with 15 goals and 29 points. Brian Elliott had 19 save in goal for the Blues with his second straight start. Expect Jaroslav Halak to be back in net for St. Louis for the next few games...Big night for Matt Duchene for Colorado as he had 2 goals and an assist in their 4-3 shootout win, plus he scored in the winner in the shootout. Duchene...

Starting goaltender Tim Thomas took part in the team's practice Thursday, but left with an unspecified injury after 15 minutes. Florida will have an update on Thomas' status following the team's morning skate on Friday. Markstrom appeared in 11 games with Florida earlier this season, posting a 1-5-3 record, 3.36 goals-against average and a .877 save percentage. He was loaned to the Rampage on November 10. After joining San Antonio, the 23-year-old appeared in 10 games, going 4-5-1.

Markstrom is 1-5-3 with a 3.36 GAA and .877 SV% in eight starts this season. In 37 careers starts (42 appearances) Markstrom is 11-24-5 with a 3.16 GAA and .899 SV%.

Markstrom is 1-5-3 with a 3.36 GAA and .877 SV% in eight starts this season. In 37 careers starts (42 appearances) Markstrom is 11-24-5 with a 3.16 GAA and .899 SV%.

ALL GOALIES CONFIRMED UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED AT TIME OF PRINT The King gets the night off as Cam Talbot gets the nod against Sergei Bobrovsky and the Columbus Blue Jackets. This game has letdown written all over it as the Rangers played and beat the Pittsburgh Penguins last night.  Expect some of the ex-Rangers on Columbus to have some extra zip in their step tonight knowing the Rangers played last night.  Blue Jackets over Blueshirts...Kevin Poulin in net for the Islanders on the road against Justin Peters and the Carolina Hurricanes. Poulin actually has the better numbers so expect the young net minder to get some more starts over the next few games, especially if he wins tonight.  Peters and the Canes did manage to end their 5-game losing streak, but it was against the somehow, inept Philadelphia Flyers.  Lightning won't strike twice in Carolina.  Pullin' for Poulin....Josh Harding gets another start on way to possibly solidifying the No. 1 spot in Minnesota. He's got a tough assignment against the powerhouse Washington Capitals and Braden Holtby, but The Wild's defense and Harding's goaltending will make it difficult for the Caps after having played the Islanders, Panthers and Flyers. Harding....Robin Lehner gets the call for Ottawa as starter Craig Anderson gets another night to recover. The Sens have struggled lately, winning only twice in past 8 games, and are facing Carey Price and the Montreal Canadiens, who are having some troubles of their own, losing 3 in a row. Look for Price and the Habs to rebound after a tough loss to St. Louis last time out.  This has the makings of a nail-biter as the two Canadian clubs are desperate for a win. Edge to Price.....Can the Dallas Stars make it a 3-game road sweep?  Not if Jimmy Howard and the Detroit Red Wings have any say, and I think they will have plenty. Kari Lehtonen played lights out in Ottawa and in Boston, stealing the extra point in the shootout in both games. Don't see that happening again.  Go with Howard....The Edmonton Oilers will be facing red-hot Tampa Bay Goalie, Ben Bishop, and will have the services of Taylor Hall back in their lineup. Devan Dubnyk (LIKELY) is not having the kind of start the Oilers had been banking on, and even though he did get the win last game out versus Florida, he will have a much tougher time on the West Coast of Florida.  Bishop has been too solid, go with the Bolts...This will be St. Louis backup goalie Brian Elliott's third start of the season and it will be ...

Another busy night in the NHL as there were 9 games played. A suprising number of them went either to overtime or the shootout, six out of the nine.  It shows how difficult it is to win in the league this day.  Dallas suprised the Bruins with a 3-2 win in a shootout.  Stars left wing Jamie Benn had a goal for the Stars and he has a 5-9-14 record on the year in 15 games played. We view Benn as a point per game player.  Boston defenseman Torey Krug had a goal, and he has 5 goals and 8 points on the season. Krug played 4:35 minutes last night on the power play for Boston, so they love him there.  Pick him up if you can.  Dallas goaltender Kari Lehtonen was strong in net for Dallas with 34 saves. Now that he is healthy again he is a solid goalie pick...The Capitals are beginning to heat up again like they did last year.  Right wing Alexander Ovechkin returned from missing several games with 2 PP goals and an assist. Get him right back into your lineup. Capitals center Niklas Backstrom had a big night with 3 assists. Backstrom has 19 points on the season in 15 games.  I wish he had scored like this last year when I owned him.  Center Marcus Johansson scored his first goal of the season for Washington, but he does have 11 points this year. He is a good pickup if available in your pool.  New York forwards Kyle Okposo and John Tavares each had a goal and an assist, and Okposo is finally having a breakout year with 19 points and a plus 7. Karlsson the king: In one of the games that were not close Ottawa beat the tumbling Blue Jackets 4-1. Senators' defenseman Erik Karlsson had 2 goals and he is scoring like a forward with 17 points in 15 games. Karlsson is the best fantasy defenseman in the NHL.  Ottawa center Jason Spezza had 2 assists, and as long as he stays healthy he is an elite fantasy forward. He has 16 points in 14 games this year. The interesting player for Ottawa is young forward Kyle Turris. Turris is quietly having a solid season with 15 points in 15 games.  While he has only 2 goals scored, he is quietly racking up assists.  Get him if you can. Steen is still a dream: St. Louis beat Montreal 3-2 in a shootout last night. Blues forward Alexander Steen scored a goal again. He has 13 goals in 13 games played, and 19 points.  It is hard to believe that he will keep this pace going.  St. Louis forward Chris Stewart had a goal and he seems to be waking up a bit. He did have 64 points one season a few years ago.  He has only 5 points on the season, but he ...

Another busy night in the NHL as there were 9 games played. A suprising number of them went either to overtime or the shootout, six out of the nine.  It shows how difficult it is to win in the league this day.  Dallas suprised the Bruins with a 3-2 win in a shootout.  Stars left wing Jamie Benn had a goal for the Stars and he has a 5-9-14 record on the year in 15 games played. We view Benn as a point per game player.  Boston defenseman Torey Krug had a goal, and he has 5 goals and 8 points on the season. Krug played 4:35 minutes last night on the power play for Boston, so they love him there.  Pick him up if you can.  Dallas goaltender Kari Lehtonen was strong in net for Dallas with 34 saves. Now that he is healthy again he is a solid goalie pick...The Capitals are beginning to heat up again like they did last year.  Right wing Alexander Ovechkin returned from missing several games with 2 PP goals and an assist. Get him right back into your lineup. Capitals center Niklas Backstrom had a big night with 3 assists. Backstrom has 19 points on the season in 15 games.  I wish he had scored like this last year when I owned him.  Center Marcus Johansson scored his first goal of the season for Washington, but he does have 11 points this year. He is a good pickup if available in your pool.  New York forwards Kyle Okposo and John Tavares each had a goal and an assist, and Okposo is finally having a breakout year with 19 points and a plus 7. Karlsson the king: In one of the games that were not close Ottawa beat the tumbling Blue Jackets 4-1. Senators' defenseman Erik Karlsson had 2 goals and he is scoring like a forward with 17 points in 15 games. Karlsson is the best fantasy defenseman in the NHL.  Ottawa center Jason Spezza had 2 assists, and as long as he stays healthy he is an elite fantasy forward. He has 16 points in 14 games this year. The interesting player for Ottawa is young forward Kyle Turris. Turris is quietly having a solid season with 15 points in 15 games.  While he has only 2 goals scored, he is quietly racking up assists.  Get him if you can. Steen is still a dream: St. Louis beat Montreal 3-2 in a shootout last night. Blues forward Alexander Steen scored a goal again. He has 13 goals in 13 games played, and 19 points.  It is hard to believe that he will keep this pace going.  St. Louis forward Chris Stewart had a goal and he seems to be waking up a bit. He did have 64 points one season a few years ago.  He has only 5 points on the season, but he ...

Markstrom gave up four goals on 23 shots in a 4-0 loss to the Blues on Friday. He has now lost each of his last five starts and has seen his GAA climb to 3.29 while his SV% is down to .881. Markstrom could get back into the win column tonight vs. a struggling Oilers team.

Markstrom stopped 25 of 28 shots that the Lighting threw at him on Sunday. He has just one win in nine appearances with a 3.19 GAA and .887 SV% - numbers that don't warrant starting him vs. a really good Blues team.