Stamkos continues to skate as he works his way back from a broken tibia that he suffered on November 11. His recovery to this point has been extremely promising and impressive as he works his way back for early February and the Sochi Winter Olympics. He had 14 goals and 25 points in 17 games prior to breaking his leg.

Christmas came early for not only Mark Pysyk but also the Buffalo Sabres who won in overtime on a most incredible way to score one. Merry Christmas!  Click video below, courtesy of SomeHockeyVideos to see this amazing winning goal. FANTASY GAME NOTES: Ryan Miller has been playing well since the start of the season but you wouldn't have known it just by looking at the standings. His record now stands at 9-17-0 with the win last night against the Coyotes, and 5 of those wins have come in his last 7 starts.  He's a steady goaltender who gets tons of starts, perhaps the law of averages is panning out.  So, if you need a decent 2nd goalie, it's Miller time!....The Toronto Maple leafs played their third shootout in a row, losing the last two.   At least they are gaining some points after losing 5 of their previous 6.  Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul have been sort of ice cold, at least for them. So perhaps you may be able to snatch them away from an unknowing GM....Ducks with a capital ‘D'.  The Anaheim Ducks defense kept Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Caps at bay in their 3-2 victory but Nicklas Backstrom continued his torrid scoring pace with a power play goal, giving him 17 points in 10 December games. ....No Skinner off their backs as the Columbus Blue Jackets were able to overcome Jeff Skinner's 2-goal effort. Skinner is one of those you live and die with becvause he can give you some good fantasy production, but at the same time gets injured ‘way too much'. He's already been on the sideline once this year, so perhaps it's safe to keep him in.  OR, you can try and "sell-high".  See what you can get?....Maybe Columbus doesn't need Marian Gaborik. They have gone 6-3-1 in December basically without the enigmatic score. In those 10 games, Ryan Johansen has gone 5-6-11. Johansen is finally coming of age.....Craig Anderson should study the tape of his game last night against Pittsburgh because he blanked the Penguins 5-0. Anderson struggles have been the talk of Ottawa but last night's performance could signal a turnaround for the struggling goaltender....Speaking of turnarounds, The NY Isles avenged their early season loss to the Detroit Red Wings with a 3-0 blanking of their own.  Having Evgeni Nabokov back in net is a world of difference from having Kevin Poulin in there. It's just not Poulin's time yet...The Bolts blasted the Florida Panthers in the Battle of Florida.  The Cats took the first shot with a late 1st period goal by Sean Bergenheim, ...

FANTASY GAME NOTES: Ryan Miller has been playing well since the start of the season but you wouldn't have known it just by looking at the standings. His record now stands at 9-17-0 with the win last night against the Coyotes, and 5 of those wins have come in his last 7 starts.  He's a steady goaltender who gets tons of starts, perhaps the law of averages is panning out.  So, if you need a decent 2nd goalie, it's Miller time!....The Toronto Maple leafs played their third shootout in a row, losing the last two.   At least they are gaining some points after losing 5 of their previous 6.  Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul have been sort of ice cold, at least for them. So perhaps you may be able to snatch them away from an unknowing GM....Ducks with a capital ‘D'.  The Anaheim Ducks defense kept Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Caps at bay in their 3-2 victory but Nicklas Backstrom continued his torrid scoring pace with a power play goal, giving him 17 points in 10 December games. ....No Skinner off their backs as the Columbus Blue Jackets were able to overcome Jeff Skinner's 2-goaleffort. Skinner is one of those you live and die with becvause he can give you some good fantasy production, but at the same time gets injured ‘way too much'.  He's already been on the sideline once this year, so perhaps it's safe to keep him in.  OR, you can try and "sell-high".  See what you can get?....Maybe Columbus doesn't need Marian Gaborik. They have gone 6-3-1 in December basically without the enigmatic score. In those 10 games, Ryan Johansen has gone 5-6-11. Johansen is finally coming of age.....Craig Anderson should study the tape of his game last night against Pittsburgh because he blanked the Penguins 5-0. Anderson struggles have been the talk of Ottawa but last night's performance could signal a turnaround for the struggling goaltender....Speaking of turnarounds, The NY Isles avenged their early season loss to the Detroit Red Wings with a 3-0 blanking of their own. Having Evgeni Nabokov back in net is a world of difference from having Kevin Poulin in there. It's just not Poulin's time yet...The Bolts blasted the Florida Panthers in the Battle of Florida.  The Cats took the first shot with a late 1st period goal by Sean Bergenheim, but the Lightning answered less than 20 seconds and then with 5 more unanswered goals. The loss of Steven Stamkos has not hurt Tampa Bay at all. It's all because of Goalie sensation Ben Bishop who has been nothing less than spectacular ...

Good morning all! We have a new overall points leader in the NHL this morning; The Anaheim Ducks. This Martin Jones kid is pretty spectacular, isn't he? I always wondered when Antoine Vermette was going to have that one really good season. Maybe this is the year.  Congrats on his hat trick last night. The Senators really need one of their goaltenders to step up here. The only two players on the Phoenix Coytotes to get less playing time yesterday than Colonel Klinkhammer were Kyle Chipchura and Jordan Szwarz. That was probably due to the fact that it was easier to say, "Hey Klinkhammer!  Get in there!"  Plus it sounds way cooler. Two Colorado Avalanche players woke up this past week: Paul Stastny and Ryan O'Reilly. Is Jarome Iginla waking up at this time of year like he usually does? He 7 points in 9 December games. It's ‘Feast or Famine' with Joffrey Lupul isn't it? The Detroit Red Wings are still scary to play against and I wouldn't want to play them come playoff time. Tampa Bay really hasn't skipped a beat while Steven Stamkos has been out. Just wait when he does get back in the lineup.  Ben Bishop has been phenomenal in net this year which makes you wonder why he was traded around so much so early in his career. HE's everything you ever want in a goaltender.  He's tall, big and can move. The Anaheim Ducks beat down the NY Islanders with a four-goal third period on the Island last night. Ugh-leeeee! Perry and Getzlaf. Getzlaf and Perry.  They are having one amazingly productive year.  I hope it's not another 19 games before Temmu scores again. This Islander team needs to send out an SOS because it looks like they are stranded on Long Island. The New Jersey Devils scored 5 goals last night. They have scored 3 or more goals in 6 of their past 10 games. Jaromir Jagr is leading the way for the Devils. Grab some Devs like Travis Zajac and Andy Greene if available. I saw that the Columbus Blue Jackets scored 6 goals last night and then I read the box score and saw that Marian Gaborik returned to the lineup. If he can stay healthy, they can be a sneaky dangerous team. No amazing comeback for the Flyers in this one against the Blue Jackets. The Canadiens made that game a little tougher than it should've been against the Predators. The Oilers just can't seem to score much lately. During their current 6-game losing streak, they have been shutout 3 times. Chris Stewart is getting hot! Have a Very Merry Christmas and Happy Boxing Day to all. For those who don't ...

ALL GOALIES CONFIRMED UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED AT TIME OF PRINT Steve Mason will be going in his fourth straight start breaking the pattern of two starts and then Emery. In fact, Mason will start for the 6th time in last 7 games and 11th time in past 14. Mason continues to play well in net while the Flyers are finding their offensive game.  Perhaps playing against his former team had a little to do with this start.  Curtis McElhinney will get back in net for the Columbus Blue Jackets after missing a little time to injury. The Jackets have won 4 of 7 and are becoming tough to play against.  Mason should be able to stonewall the visiting Jackets....  Jaroslav Halak will look to get back in the win column against his former team, the Montreal Canadiens. I'm sure he will be stoked to show up his old team, but Carey Price has been playing equally well and this should be a duel between the net minders. Tough call, but slight edge to home team....Calgary visits Detroit at an opportune time as the Red Wings have struggled with injuries to the main components of their team. If you can believe this, the Wheels have lost 6 in a row and have lost starter Jimmy Howard for a few weeks.  However, Jonas Gustavsson has been playing well this year except for his last 2 outings when he let in 5 against a superior Anaheim Ducks team and 4 against the Mighty Pens of Pittsburgh the game prior. The Monster hasn't been the answer as he now has lost 4 in a row.  The Flames have been playing tighter games and if Detroit can't solve starter Karri Ramo, fans may start to get a little uneasy seeing the losing streak extended....Josh Harding will get some treatment for his MS so expect him to miss a few starts. Not considered anything but a maintenance call, fantasy owners should not worry, he will return as the No. 1 in Minnesota. Niklas Backstrom gets the nod and will be up against a somewhat depleted Pittsburgh offense with Malkin and Letang out. Jeff Zatkoff (LIKELY) gets the call as the Pens played last night against the NY Rangers and Fleury was in net. Perhaps a letdown for the Pens, and we all know how the West has been beating up the Eastern Conference teams....Anders Lindback gets the start against his former team, the Nashville Predators. That seems to be the trend tonight with 4 such matchups going.  Tampa Bay has played well without the services of Superstar Steven Stamkos but Lindback has suffered some tough losses in his past two outings.  Carter Hutton has played well ...

After posting his league-leading third shutout with the 28-save blanking of the Detroit Red Wings yesterday, Tampa's Ben Bishop needs to finally get the elite fantasy respect he deserves. Despite getting minimal goal support after the loss of the "Mighty" Steven Stamkos to injury, the hulking goaltender has maintained his position among the best in all the crucial fantasy categories: wins (17), GAA(1.97), SP (.933). His GAA and SP has steadily improved each month since October, indicating that his netminding has been on the rise despite the Lightning's offensive shortcomings. With Stamkos making a furious push to return from injury and represent Team Canada at the Winter Olympics, there is no reason to believe that Bishop cannot continue his dominant season and end up as s top-ten fantasy goalie. Top Fantasy Performers for 12/15: Alex Ovechkin, Washington: 2G--7SOGClaude Giroux, Philadelphia: 1G--1A--4SOGJonathan Toews, Chicago--2A--5SOG***Check out the updated Player Rankings in the right margin. Prospects, Prime 100 and more...

After posting his league-leading third shutout with the 28-save blanking of the Detroit Red Wings yesterday, Tampa's Ben Bishop needs to finally get the elite fantasy respect he deserves. Despite getting minimal goal support after the loss of the "Mighty" Steven Stamkos to injury, the hulking goaltender has maintained his position among the best in all the crucial fantasy categories: wins (17), GAA(1.97), SP (.933). His GAA and SP has steadily improved each month since October, indicating that his netminding has been on the rise despite the Lightning's offensive shortcomings. With Stamkos making a furious push to return from injury and represent Team Canada at the Winter Olympics, there is no reason to believe that Bishop cannot continue his dominant season and end up as s top-ten fantasy goalie. Top Fantasy Performers for 12/15: Alex Ovechkin, Washington: 2G--7SOGClaude Giroux, Philadelphia: 1G--1A--4SOGJonathan Toews, Chicago--2A--5SOG***Check out the updated Player Rankings in the right margin. Prospects, Prime 100 and more...

Pretty incredible that Stamkos is back on the ice one month and three days after breaking his leg. He was in a track suit this morning, but it is still fantastic news. He will continue to skate as he works his way back and will continue to be monitored closely. He is way ahead of schedule on his recovery which is great news for fantasy owners, the Lightning and Team Canada.

Alex Ovechkin scored 4 goals, including a last-minute game-tying tally, in Washington's 6-5 come-back win over Tampa Bay. With 26 goals in 29 games, the absence of Steven Stamkos makes the chances of anyone catching "Ovie" for the Maurice Richard Trophy slim to none. Nicklas Backstrom actually finished with more points in the contest, collecting a goal and 4 assists. After going scoreless in seven straight, the talented center has 7 points in the last three games. Regardless of a scoring drought, you never sit Backstrom out of your fantasy lineup.... Patrick Kane continues his ascent up the fantasy elite with another three points (1G/2A) in the 6-2 Chicago win over Dallas, giving him 12 points in the last 6 games. With 40 points on the season, the slick winger sits second in the NHL in scoring. For all of those pundits, including myself, that thought Kane would take a step back after hoisting the Cup, he is making a huge statement.  Patrick Sharp continues his hot streak with 2 goals.... Martin St. Louis extended his point streak to three games with a goal and two assists in the OT loss to Washington. Even without Stamkos, the ageless wonder is just barely out of the top-ten in scoring with 30 points. Don't discount him as he is still an elite fantasy forward who will get "hotter" when Stamkos returns. For now, marginal players like Tyler Johnson have seen a boost in fantasy value playing alongside St. Louis....The dynamic trio in Edmonton- Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins- combined for 6 points in the Oiler's OT win over Carolina. Eberle provided the overtime heroics with his 11th goal and 27th point in 32 games. His recent hot streak will have him over a point-per-game pace real soon, so trade for this guy if you can.  As for Hall, only injuries stand in his way as a permanent top-five fixture amongst fantasy forwards.... While playing for a "lousy" team, superstar John Tavares keeps notching the points, two more assists last night in the improbable 2-1 Islander win over San Jose.... Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk seamlessly returned from a concussion, scoring a goal and an assist in the 3-2 loss to Florida. He now has 25 points in as many games, so activate him ASAP.... Easy win for Los Angeles last night 6-0 over Montreal. Rookie goaltender Martin Jones had his second straight shutout with 31 saves, and with Jonathan Quick out, and Ben Scrivens in Coach Darryl Sutter's dog house, this guy is a great short term pickup. Young center Tyler ...

Alex Ovechkin scored 4 goals, including a last-minute game-tying tally, in Washington's 6-5 come-back win over Tampa Bay. With 26 goals in 29 games, the absence of Steven Stamkos makes the chances of anyone catching "Ovie" for the Maurice Richard Trophy slim to none. Nicklas Backstrom actually finished with more points in the contest, collecting a goal and 4 assists. After going scoreless in seven straight, the talented center has 7 points in the last three games. Regardless of a scoring drought, you never sit Backstrom out of your fantasy lineup.... Patrick Kane continues his ascent up the fantasy elite with another three points (1G/2A) in the 6-2 Chicago win over Dallas, giving him 12 points in the last 6 games. With 40 points on the season, the slick winger sits second in the NHL in scoring. For all of those pundits, including myself, that thought Kane would take a step back after hoisting the Cup, he is making a huge statement.  Patrick Sharp continues his hot streak with 2 goals.... Martin St. Louis extended his point streak to three games with a goal and two assists in the OT loss to Washington. Even without Stamkos, the ageless wonder is just barely out of the top-ten in scoring with 30 points. Don't discount him as he is still an elite fantasy forward who will get "hotter" when Stamkos returns. For now, marginal players like Tyler Johnson have seen a boost in fantasy value playing alongside St. Louis....The dynamic trio in Edmonton- Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins- combined for 6 points in the Oiler's OT win over Carolina. Eberle provided the overtime heroics with his 11th goal and 27th point in 32 games. His recent hot streak will have him over a point-per-game pace real soon, so trade for this guy if you can.  As for Hall, only injuries stand in his way as a permanent top-five fixture amongst fantasy forwards.... While playing for a "lousy" team, superstar John Tavares keeps notching the points, two more assists last night in the improbable 2-1 Islander win over San Jose.... Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk seamlessly returned from a concussion, scoring a goal and an assist in the 3-2 loss to Florida. He now has 25 points in as many games, so activate him ASAP.... Easy win for Los Angeles last night 6-0 over Montreal. Rookie goaltender Martin Jones had his second straight shutout with 31 saves, and with Jonathan Quick out, and Ben Scrivens in Coach Darryl Sutter's dog house, this guy is a great short term pickup. Young center Tyler ...