*** PRIME 120+ RANKINGS have been updated. Take a look at your favorite players and see where they are ranked in our RANKINGS Section in the right hand side of your home page. .*Ranger's goalie Henrik Lundqvist was the fantasy star of the night in MSG, snapping a three game skid with his 21-save shutout in 5-0 win over Montreal. Although his peripheral numbers are not what they used to be-2.51 GAA/ .914 SP- he can still be dominant in long stretches and is a solid no 1 fantasy option. It just seems other goalies have caught up.. Martin St. Louis led the offense with a goal and an assist, extending his point streak to four games. With 11 points in his last ten contests, he should be starting in all formats. *Jannik Hansen provided the bulk of Vancouvers offense in the 5-1 victory over Chicago, collecting a "hat trick". Not much fantasy value here, but goalie Ryan Miller continued to stake to claim to elite honors with another impressive effort, winning three of his last four starts. *For St. Louis, defenseman Alex Pietrangelo chipped on with two more assists, giving him four in last 2 games. He earned that he could heat up in a hurry, so target him I'm trade talks if you can. We think he is still getting to the 50.. *Ryan Kesler assisted on both goals in Anaheim's 2-1 win over Arizona, while goalie Federik Andersen was only beaten once in 26 shots. Mike Smith performed amirably in the Arizona crease, but the trend continues- Smith Keeps losing and Devan Dubnyk keeps winning. Something has to give here.. WHO'S HOT, WHO'S NOT Featured every week i nthe right margin======> Who's Hot as of 11/23 PLAYER               GP   G  A  +/-  PIM  SOG Steven Stamkos   8     6   4    3     4      21 Kris Versteeg       7      4   5    3     9      21 Jori Lehtera         7      4    5    5     0      19 Jaden Schwartz 7      2    7    4     0      16 Marian Hossa      7      1    8    2     0      18 Patrick Kane       7      4    5     1     0      22   Nick Bjugstad     6      5    3     5     0      19 Who's Not as of 11/23 PLAYER             GP   G   A    +/-   PIM  SOG Kris Letang         6      0   1    -2       6       22 Thomas Vanek   6     0    2    -2       0        9  Tomas Fleischmann 6 1 0     -1       0       8 Henrik Zetterberg 6   0   1    -4        0     20 Bryan Little         7      1   0     -2       0       9 Nail Yalupov       7      1   0     -4       0      17 Scott Hartnell     6     0    0     -3       6      16

It was a sort of homecoming for three ex-Rangers to Madison Square Garden as the Tampa Bay Lightning, behind G Ben Bishop, defeated the New York Rangers 5-1, making Bishop a perfect 6-0-0 lifetime against them with a 0.93 GAA and a .967 SP.  Outstanding!.... Ryan Callahan has been enjoying life playing alongside Steven Stamkos and plated 2 goals last night including what turned out to be the game-winner. If Callahan is in any way available, he should be picked up and inserted in your lineup as long as he remains healthy and on that line. Stamkos had a goal and 2 assists while Valtteri Filppula, Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat each chipped in with 2 assists. All of these Lightning players should be in your starting lineup as they are heating up even without the services of D Victor Hedman, who should be back in early December.....The only piece of good news to come from the Rangers side of this outcome was that Martin St. Louis scored his 7th goal on the year, this one on the power play.  St. Louis now has 6 goals and 8 total points in 9 November games. His play has improved as the injured Rangers have returned to the lineup, so keep him in your lineup.

While I am a bit skeptical of Ryan Callahan continuing his strong play for the Lightning for the long-term, he is being utilized in a very fantasy-friendly fashion so far. The feisty winger collected two more assists last night in the SO win over Detroit, giving him 11 points in 10 games. Playing alongside Steven Stamkos could result in career numbers if he can stay healthy, but I am loving the supreme dose of power-play time that he has been receiving, Five of his 11 points have come on the man-advantage, so you need to start Callahan right now as he has been sizzling.. Winger Gustav Nyquist will have to wake up for Detroit and take a permanent step forward if the Red Wings are going to withstand the latest injury to Pavel Datsyuk. Good sign for fantasy owners as he responded last night with a goal and an assist. 11 points in 14 games, but young Gustav is on a 40-goal pace to start the year.. Despite losing three of his previous four starts, Chicago goalie Corey Crawford has been "money" for his fantasy owners in the early going. After stopping 32 of 34 shots in the 5-2 triumph over San Jose, his peripheral stats are now 1.75 GAA and .932 SP. Even with Taylor Hall out, Ryan-Nugent Hopkins has been remarkably consistent for the Edmonton Oilers, gathering points in 8 of his last ten games. RNH was the fantasy star of the night in the Oiler's road win at MSG, collecting a goal and an assist. Look for his numbers to soar by mid-season with Hall back in the line-up and the chemistry fully intact.

What a difference a year makes for Daniel Sedin, as the 33-year old along with his brother Henrik have re-discovered their scoring touch under new coach Willie Desjardins. Daniel's overtime game-winner off a precise feed from Henrik was a thing of beauty, but something fantasy owners had grown accustomed too over the years. Then, coach Tortorella came into town last season and Daniel's numbers slipped down to levels way below his offensive standards, scoring just 47 points in 73 games. With "Torts" out and "Willie" in, the Sedins are revitalized again and should easily be looking at 70+ point numbers as they get back to what they do best: score. Daniel's goal last night was only his third of the season but he has collected 12 points in 10 games. Look for him to comfortably stay close to that pace, as the brothers are locked in as must-starts again. Two great signs emerged for the Colorado Avalanche in their huge 5-0 romp of the Islanders: First, Nathan McKinnon led the offense with two goals, his first two of the season. Sophomore slumps demoralize many lesser players, but only only temporarily derail the great stars in the making. Such is the case of McKinnon who has only 6 points in 11 games, but looked like one of the NHL's true up-and-coming elite forwards last night. Don't fret fantasy owners; Nathan and company will be scoring in bunches very soon. Also, the "doughnut" put on the board by Semyon Varlamov came in the form of 40 saves, as he keeps excelling in the crease with just three goals allowed over his last three starts. He hasn't been the problem for the Avalanche during their poor start, so get him in your starting line-ups if you haven't already. Colorado faces better times ahead... Huge night for Steven Stamkos as the electrifying Lightning winger scored two goals and added a helper to improve his numbers to 12 points in 10 games. His eight goals on the year put him on a 60-goal pace, which is exactly what we expect from the NHL's best pure goal scorer. Valtteri Filppula also "wowed" the crowd with three assists and is on more of a sustainable pace with seven points in 10 games. Coming off a 58-point campaign for the 'Bolts, this underrated fantasy asset is probably sitting on a few waiver wires. Grab'em if you need offensive help, as he is getting plenty of power-play time alongside Stamkos.. One start after giving up five third-period goals to the Rangers at MSG, Darcy Kuemper was back to his winning ways as he turned aside 25 of 28 ...

On a night where superstar John Tavares entered the Leafs-Islanders tilt as one of the NHL's most prolific scorers early on, it was Phil Kessel who took center stage on Long Island. His big-game performance, where he dominated the Isle's with two goals and an assist truly showed why he is one of the league's most feared snipers. As a fantasy asset, his value lies in his ability to score points in bunches, as all eight points on the season were scored in just three of his seven games. That's what you get with Kessel so despite feeling frustrated about a few score-less outings in a row, always keep him in your starting line-up. You will be sorry if you didn't.. Speaking of streaking (It rhymes!), 25-year old Logan Couture continues to awake from an early slumber, scoring two goals for San Jose in their 5-3 defeat to the Boston Bruins. After registering one point in his first four games, the talented winger has rolled up five points in the last three games and has the ability to put up career numbers if he can stay healthy. Last season, Couture racked up 27 points in his first 26 games so a point-per-game scoring clip is well within his means. Start him with confidence but treat him like Kessel- his scoring streaks will greatly outweigh a few dry spells in terms of overall fantasy production. The Jonathan Drouin watch has officially begun, as the prized 19-year old collected his first NHL point, an assist, in the Lightning's 2-1 triumph over Calgary. In just his second game, the youngster played over 19 minutes while sharing top-line duties with Steven Stamkos. A 2-on-nothing opportunity in overtime almost gave the young Drouin a taste of scoring his first NHL goal, but was foiled by Karri Ramo. The early returns suggest a quick ascension up the fantasy charts for Drouin, so watch him carefully over the next few games. The return of David Krejci to the Boston Bruins has restored his place as a solid fantasy center, but what has it meant to the overall fantasy value of the "B's"? In his last four games, the crafty pivot has racked up two goals and four assists, while also helping to ignite the previously dormant Milan Lucic who has five assists in the last three. During the last four games of Krejci's point streak, the Boston offense has scored 16 goals for an average of 4-per-game. After a putrid start, it looks safe to start your key Boston skaters as the forward corps looks much more formidable with Krejci back in the picture. Mike Ribeiro crafted a ...

The highly anticipated NHL debut of Tampa Bay winger Jonathan Drouin took place in Edmonton last night, as Alex Killorn's morning skate injury resulted in his last-minute addition to the line-up. The 2013 third overall pick played over 16 minutes and did register a shot, but the night belonged to Taylor Hall and company, as the Oilers seized their first win of the season with the 3-2 triumph. The star winger scored on a penalty shot and added a helper, while his pivot Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored his first goal of the season for the game-winner in the third period. Head coach Dallas Eakins reunited the Hall-Eberle-Hopkins unit, paying off handsomely as they combined for four points while keeping the opposing Steven Stamkos line off the scoresheet. If the trio could stay intact, then you possibly see RNH and Jordan Eberle reach the fantasy level that they are so capable of.. RW Ryan Callahan left the game for the Lightning in the second period and did not return.

A few key injury news to mention coming out of last night's NHL action- Tampa Bay defenseman Victor Hedman suffered a hand injury that will keep him out for at least four games. If the talented Swede is out for an extended period of time, this would represent a huge blow to the Lightning and fantasy owners. Hedman was on fire to start the year with three goals and four assists in five games.. St. Louis center Paul Stastny left last night's game after getting hit from behind by Martin Hanzal and is considered day-to-day. He was also off to a flying start with his new club, having collected four points on the season. Starting with the late games first, another electrifying performance by Lightning star Steven Stamkos (2G/1A) led Tampa Bay in knocking Vancouver out of the undefeated ranks. RW Ryan Callahan produced instant results after being moved to the top line, chipping in with a goal and assist. With five points in five games, the ex-Ranger's captain has found offensive chemistry playing with the Bolts and should be good for 50-55 points if he keeps playing big minutes.. Goalie Ben Bishop served up a huge win, stopping 30 of 32 shots and improving his record to 3-0 with a 1.71 GAA and a .933 SP. Proving that last year's 37-win effort was no abberation, only injuries can prevent Bishop from maintaining his elite fantasy status.. Vancouver defenseman Alex Edler scored a goal and an assist in a losing cause, improving his totals to three points in four games. With Kevin Bieksa currently replacing him on the primary power-play unit, the talented defender gave his new coach something to think about with the solid effort.. MORE COMING..

Jordan Staal suffered a broken bone in his right leg during Carolina's game at Buffalo. Obviously, this is a huge blow to the team and fantasy owners alike. The exact timetable on how long he will be out of action has yet to be determined, so more news should come out shortly. A few more injuries to mention: Logan Couture got a bit banged up during San Jose's 4-2 split squad loss to Vancouver and was taken out of the game, albeit more for precautionary reasons.. Vancouver defenseman Alex Edler left his game with an upper body injury. We have him pegged for a nice comeback season.. Tampa Bay star prospect Jonathan Drouin will miss 3-4 weeks due to a fractured thumb. This means that he won't start the season alongside Steven Stamkos, buy you can bet that will happen sooner than later.. Pavel Datysuk is getting an MRI on his shoulder today, but for now is set to miss a week. Game Bits: Both Alex Stalock and John Gibson started the first games for their respective teams, San Jose and Anaheim. They both came up short as they allowed a combined 6 goals. There will be interesting goaltending battles for starting supremacy involving both, as Antti Niemi and Frederik Andersen hold the early edge entering camp. In Stalock's case, the road might be tougher but Niemi will be a UFA at season's end so the Sharks will be prompted to give him a serious look.. Another goal and an assist for Cam Atkinson, giving him four points in two games. The major breakout hasn't happened yet, but there is still time for the youngster.. Buffalo's Jhonas Enroth starts the pre-season on a high note with a 35-save shutout of Carolina... Jonathan Toews scores the game-winner in OT for Chicago over Detroit. What else is new? Always clutch and forever a consistent point-per-game guy. Very safe top-four round pick.. Joe Thonton starts his post-captain era in San Jose with two goals. Expect him to play with a chip on his shoulder as much of the team's collapse was blamed on his leadership or lack therof.

Last season, the Tampa Bay Lightning surprised quite a few people especially after their sub-par Lockout season where they finished next to last in the Eastern Conference. One of the main reasons for their success last season was putting ben Bishop in the net.  Ben Bishop's emergence along with the success of young talent like Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat, had the Bolts near the top of the Eastern Conference throughout the year even without their superstar talent Steven Stamkos. Can the Lightning strike again? GOALIES The Tampa Bay Lightning are stacked with young goaltending talent with Ben Bishop the current starter, Kristers Gudlevskis and Andrei Vasilevskiy developing in the minors. Bishop proved himself as a bona fide NHL number 1 starter with a 37-14-7 record in his first stint in that role last year and will continue again in that role this season.  39-year old Evgeni Nabokov has been signed as a veteran backup with Anders Lindback, last year's inadequate backup, signing as a free agent in Dallas during the off-season. Bishop had always been touted but had been traded from St. Louis to Ottawa and to Tampa Bay.  At 6'7" and 207 lbs., Bishop has the size and the skill, now just needs to build on his stamina for the long NHL season. Expect big things from Benny and the Bolts this year. Gudlevskis and Vasilevskiy will get all the time they need to develop properly as long as Bishop continues his stellar play in net.  DEFENSE Not enough can be said about Victor Hedman and his breakout season. During the lockout season, Hedman played in the KHL and amassed 21 points in 226 games played before the NHL season was restored. Hedman proceeded to 20-points in 44 games during that Lockout season.  Last season, all Hedman do was score 55 points, 42 of which were assists, and all this with Stamkos only playing in 37 of those games.  Can you imagine what he will produce with a motivated Stamkos playing a full season?  Brought in were Jason Garrison and Anton Stralman to round out the defensive corps. Garrison to provide a booming shot supposedly on one of the power play units while Stralman is looked upon to contribute sound defense in front of Bishop.  Matt Carle and Eric Brewer are the veterans on the squad and young Radko Gudas round out the top 6. FORWARDS When you think of the Lightning offense, Steven Stamkos immediately comes to mind, as well it should be. All Stamkos did in his injury-shortened season was score 25 goals in 37 games played, 14 goals...

Our summer fantasy lists begin with a few names from the Atlantic Division that should be considered or overlooked when your fantasy leagues start up in September. For actual point predictions and comprehensive fantasy player analysis, make sure to get your hands on our 2014-15 PrimePucks Fantasy Guide available on August 15th. Also, make sure to read our fantasy overviews on each team during our NHL in 30 series coming in September. For now, here is a brief look at what we foresee for the upcoming NHL season: THE ELITE 3 (The top three fantasy players to own in any position) 1. Steven Stamkos C, Tampa Bay   2. Erik Karlsson D, Ottawa 3. Tuukka Rask G, Boston GREAT BET TO REBOUND (Three players who are solid bounce-back candidates in 14-15') 1. Loui Eriksson RW, Boston   2. Tyler Myers D, Buffalo 3. Bobby Ryan RW, Ottawa HERE THEY COME.. (Three players who should be breaking out with career seasons) 1. Gustav Nyquist C, Detroit 2. Kyle Turris C, Ottawa 3. Jonathan Bernier G, Toronto SLEEPER ALERT (Three players who should be late-round fantasy draft bargains) 1. Morgan Reilly D, Toronto   2. Dougie Hamilton D, Boston   3. Tomas Tatar LW, Detroit BUYER BEWARE (Three players who will be overvalued in most fantasy leagues) 1. Zdeno Chara D, Boston 2. Johan Franzen RW, Detroit 3. Dion Phaneuf D, Toronto