There is an unknown curse in the NHL at this time:
THE CURSE OF KESSEL!
It seems that Phil Kessel’s spirits do not like it when he is passed in any category.
Claude Giroux knows the feeling of the curse as he passed Kessel in points eight days ago. He then played Saturday and suffered a concussion when his own teammate Wayne Simmonds hit him accidentally (or was it) in the head.
Then on Tuesday Milan Michalek passed Kessel for the goal scoring lead with his 19th. Later in the game Michalek suffered a concussion when he collided with his own teammate, Erik Karlsson. Is this a coincidence?
Daniel Sedin is tied with Kessel at 36 points and suddenly had to sit out Thursday’s game with back spasms. Hmmm. That’s interesting.
A word of advice to Steve Stamkos who passed Kessel with his 19th goal on Thursday night.
BE CAREFUL. BE VERY CAREFUL.
In other news:
A Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukah to all as the NHL hits the Christmas break. There will be no games played on the weekend as the league is dark on December 24 and 25 to give the players time to spend with their families.
James O’Brien continues to write a great column, The Daily Dose, every Monday to Friday during the regular season. If you want it sent directly to you via e-mail, click on the NHL box in your Rotoworld profile.
Here is The Week Ahead.
WEEK OF DECEMBER 19-25
3 Games – Calgary, Colorado, Dallas, Detroit, Florida, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Montreal, Nashville, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Ottawa, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg
2 Games - Anaheim, Boston, Buffalo, Carolina, Chicago, Edmonton, New Jersey, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, San Jose, Tampa Bay, Washington
1 Game - Columbus
Detroit, Minnesota, Montreal and Philadelphia play three times away from home.
Colorado, Detroit, Vancouver and Winnipeg play three games at home this week.
Follow me on twitter!
INJURIES
Claude Giroux suffered a concussion, Chris Pronger is out for the season with a concussion and Zdeno Chara is out with a leg injury.
(Click here to see the rest of the injury list.)
ANAHEIM
Games this week
@ Dallas, @ Los Angeles
Notes
Lubomir Visnovsky returned to action this past week after missing five weeks with a broken finger, and his presence on the blueline will be a huge boost to the Ducks and new coach Bruce Boudreau. Corey Perry has five points in his last five games. Jason Blake has started to take some shots on net and has been skating. He suffered torn tendons in his wrist on October 14 and is slated to return by mid-January. Saku Koivu was put on the injured reserve with a lower body injury but is eligible to return at any time. The Ducks acquired Mark Fraser, Rod Pelley, and a 2012 seventh round pick from New Jersey in exchange for Kurtis Foster and goaltending prospect Timo Pielmeier. Pelley and Frase may help but will not have any fantasy value this season.
BOSTON
Games this week
vs. Montreal, vs. Florida
Notes
The Bruins will be rested on Friday when they play Florida as the Panthers are in Ottawa on Thursday and will be tired. The Bruins top line of Nathan Horton, David Krejci and Milan Lucic has struggled of late with only six points total in their last six games and all the points came in one game against the Blue Jackets on Saturday. Gregory Campbell is out of action with a cracked bone in his foot. Boston goaltenders Tim Thomas and Tuukka Rask have been outstanding this season as they are second and third respectively in save percentage at .940 and .939, while Rask is tied for second in GAA at 1.82 with Thomas right behind in fourth at 1.93. That is sensational and the main reason the Bruins are currently first overall in the East after trailing the complete pack heading into November.
BUFFALO
Games this week
@ Ottawa, @ Toronto
Notes
The Sabres will play both games on the road in Ontario this week against division rivals Ottawa and Toronto. Tyler Myers is looking to return after the Christmas break from a broken wrist suffered on November 19. Ville Leino is out for weeks with a lower body injury and his spot on the third line will be taken by Matt Ellis to start. Marc-Andre Gragnini got off to a great start in October and was on the first power play but his ice time has dwindled of late and is now seeing less than 10 minutes on some nights. Paul Szczechura is centering Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville at this time on the top unit.
CALGARY
Games this week
vs. Minnesota, vs. Detroit, @ Vancouver
Notes
Calgary plays three games in four nights so Leland Irving could get a start in relief of Miikka Kiprusoff this week. The Flames play all three games as either a rested or tired team. They will be tired on Friday when they are in Vancouver after facing the Red Wings at home on Thursday. Detroit is Vancouver on Wednesday and will be tired playing the Flames Thursday. On Tuesday the Flames face a tired Minnesota squad who are in Vancouver on Monday. That’s a lot of Vancouver talk for Calgary notes. It looks like the flu bug is still present in the Flames dressing room as Rene Bourque missed Tuesday’s game after Alex Tanguay and Curtis Glencross each missed a game last week. Kiprusoff had won his last five games heading into Thursday’s action but dropped a 5-4 overtime decision to Tampa Bay in which he made 29 saves.
CAROLINA
Games this week
vs. Phoenix, vs. Ottawa
Notes
Carolina gets a break this week when they face a couple of tired teams. They face Phoenix on Wednesday after the Coyotes travel from Florida on Tuesday. Then they play Ottawa on Friday after the Senators face the Panthers Thursday. The Hurricanes are reeling and have been one of the worst teams in the NHL this season so they are in the mix to select first overall at the Entry Draft with Nail Yakupov being the prize at this time. GM Jim Rutherford said backup goalie Brian Boucher might be out two months with a lower-body injury so look for Cam Ward to continue to see the vast majority of the action with Mike Murphy getting a rare start or coming in during blowouts. Jeff Skinner and Joni Pitkanen are out indefinitely with concussions.
CHICAGO
Games this week
@ Pittsburgh, vs. Montreal
Notes
Chicago will be tired on Wednesday when they face the rested Canadiens as the Blackhawks are in Pittsburgh Tuesday. The Blackhawks will get the earliest start on the Christmas break as they finish their schedule on Wednesday and get four days off. Dave Bolland got himself into some hot water when he made some disparaging remarks about the Sedin twins. Marian Hossa has been hot of late with six points in his last three games. Ray Emery has temporarily taken over as the Blackhawks number one netminder from the struggling Corey Crawford. Emery has started four of the last five games and finished up the fifth when Crawford was pulled after giving up three goals on 16 shots. Emery is 4-0-1 in his last five.
COLORADO
Games this week
vs. Philadelphia, vs. St. Louis, vs. Tampa Bay
Notes
The Avalanche play all three games at home this week. Erik Johnson has not scored this season, a span of 27 games. Brandon Yip has yet to get a point this season as he has played only nine games due to a broken forearm and is now on the injured reserve list. Paul Stastny returned after being out with a torso injury and had a three point night Thursday with new linemate Daniel Winnik who had a Gordie Howe hat trick. Kyle Quincey is having a nice rebound season after only one point in 21 games last season. He currently has three goals and 17 points this season and is tied for second in power play points with eight, including all three goals. Semyon Varlamov is struggling with a 3.14 GAA and a .896 save percentage, although his record is not that bad at 10-13-1. The Avalanche have given up eight empty net goals which does not help the plus/minus.
COLUMBUS
Games this week
@ Nashville
Notes
The Blue Jackets are the only team to play once this week so we suggest benching all your Columbus players. Steve Mason got into his first game this past week in four weeks and had to be pulled, not for a poor performance, but rather, he was dehydrated and began cramping in his left quadriceps, requiring intravenous fluids. The good news is that he is okay and actually played like an NHL goalie once again, giving coach Scott Arniel a choice between the pipes along with Curtis Sanford. James Wisniewski has 16 points in 23 games with a poor minus-15 rating. It was thought the leg injury suffered by Derek Dorsett was serious and that he might be out for months, but consider him day-to-day for now. He was third in penalty minutes in the NHL with 73 minutes, heading into action on Thursday.
DALLAS
Games this week
vs. Anaheim, vs. Philadelphia, vs. Nashville
Notes
Dallas plays all three games at home. They are rested on Friday when they take on the Predators, as Nashville are home to Columbus on Thursday. Richard Bachman has been sensational in his NHL debut since his recall to replace the injured Kari Lehtonen. He has taken over of late for Andrew Raycroft and has given up only three goals in his first three starts in 88 shots, winning all three. Mark Fistric returned to action on Thursday after serving a five game suspension. Loui Eriksson was having a tough time finding the back of the net with only one goal in his last 13 games heading into action Thursday, but broke out with a goal and an assist. Sheldon Souray is in a worse slump with no points in his last 15 games.
DETROIT
Games this week
@ Edmonton, @ Vancouver, @ Calgary
Notes
The Red Wings will spend the week before Christmas in Western Canada and they play three games in four nights. Look for Ty Conklin to play once in place of the red hot Jimmy Howard. They will be tired on Thursday when they travel to Calgary after playing the previous night in Vancouver. Jiri Hudler has been terrific of late on a line with Valtteri Filppula and Henrik Zetterberg. He has six points in his last four games. Jan Mursak was hoping to return to the lineup just after Christmas from a broken ankle, but it looks like it will be well into January before he returns.
There is an unknown curse in the NHL at this time:
THE CURSE OF KESSEL!
It seems that Phil Kessel’s spirits do not like it when he is passed in any category.
Claude Giroux knows the feeling of the curse as he passed Kessel in points eight days ago. He then played Saturday and suffered a concussion when his own teammate Wayne Simmonds hit him accidentally (or was it) in the head.
Then on Tuesday Milan Michalek passed Kessel for the goal scoring lead with his 19th. Later in the game Michalek suffered a concussion when he collided with his own teammate, Erik Karlsson. Is this a coincidence?
Daniel Sedin is tied with Kessel at 36 points and suddenly had to sit out Thursday’s game with back spasms. Hmmm. That’s interesting.
A word of advice to Steve Stamkos who passed Kessel with his 19th goal on Thursday night.
BE CAREFUL. BE VERY CAREFUL.
In other news:
A Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukah to all as the NHL hits the Christmas break. There will be no games played on the weekend as the league is dark on December 24 and 25 to give the players time to spend with their families.
James O’Brien continues to write a great column, The Daily Dose, every Monday to Friday during the regular season. If you want it sent directly to you via e-mail, click on the NHL box in your Rotoworld profile.
Here is The Week Ahead.
WEEK OF DECEMBER 19-25
3 Games – Calgary, Colorado, Dallas, Detroit, Florida, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Montreal, Nashville, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Ottawa, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg
2 Games - Anaheim, Boston, Buffalo, Carolina, Chicago, Edmonton, New Jersey, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, San Jose, Tampa Bay, Washington
1 Game - Columbus
Detroit, Minnesota, Montreal and Philadelphia play three times away from home.
Colorado, Detroit, Vancouver and Winnipeg play three games at home this week.
Follow me on twitter!
INJURIES
Claude Giroux suffered a concussion, Chris Pronger is out for the season with a concussion and Zdeno Chara is out with a leg injury.
(Click here to see the rest of the injury list.)
ANAHEIM
Games this week
@ Dallas, @ Los Angeles
Notes
Lubomir Visnovsky returned to action this past week after missing five weeks with a broken finger, and his presence on the blueline will be a huge boost to the Ducks and new coach Bruce Boudreau. Corey Perry has five points in his last five games. Jason Blake has started to take some shots on net and has been skating. He suffered torn tendons in his wrist on October 14 and is slated to return by mid-January. Saku Koivu was put on the injured reserve with a lower body injury but is eligible to return at any time. The Ducks acquired Mark Fraser, Rod Pelley, and a 2012 seventh round pick from New Jersey in exchange for Kurtis Foster and goaltending prospect Timo Pielmeier. Pelley and Frase may help but will not have any fantasy value this season.
BOSTON
Games this week
vs. Montreal, vs. Florida
Notes
The Bruins will be rested on Friday when they play Florida as the Panthers are in Ottawa on Thursday and will be tired. The Bruins top line of Nathan Horton, David Krejci and Milan Lucic has struggled of late with only six points total in their last six games and all the points came in one game against the Blue Jackets on Saturday. Gregory Campbell is out of action with a cracked bone in his foot. Boston goaltenders Tim Thomas and Tuukka Rask have been outstanding this season as they are second and third respectively in save percentage at .940 and .939, while Rask is tied for second in GAA at 1.82 with Thomas right behind in fourth at 1.93. That is sensational and the main reason the Bruins are currently first overall in the East after trailing the complete pack heading into November.
BUFFALO
Games this week
@ Ottawa, @ Toronto
Notes
The Sabres will play both games on the road in Ontario this week against division rivals Ottawa and Toronto. Tyler Myers is looking to return after the Christmas break from a broken wrist suffered on November 19. Ville Leino is out for weeks with a lower body injury and his spot on the third line will be taken by Matt Ellis to start. Marc-Andre Gragnini got off to a great start in October and was on the first power play but his ice time has dwindled of late and is now seeing less than 10 minutes on some nights. Paul Szczechura is centering Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville at this time on the top unit.
CALGARY
Games this week
vs. Minnesota, vs. Detroit, @ Vancouver
Notes
Calgary plays three games in four nights so Leland Irving could get a start in relief of Miikka Kiprusoff this week. The Flames play all three games as either a rested or tired team. They will be tired on Friday when they are in Vancouver after facing the Red Wings at home on Thursday. Detroit is Vancouver on Wednesday and will be tired playing the Flames Thursday. On Tuesday the Flames face a tired Minnesota squad who are in Vancouver on Monday. That’s a lot of Vancouver talk for Calgary notes. It looks like the flu bug is still present in the Flames dressing room as Rene Bourque missed Tuesday’s game after Alex Tanguay and Curtis Glencross each missed a game last week. Kiprusoff had won his last five games heading into Thursday’s action but dropped a 5-4 overtime decision to Tampa Bay in which he made 29 saves.
CAROLINA
Games this week
vs. Phoenix, vs. Ottawa
Notes
Carolina gets a break this week when they face a couple of tired teams. They face Phoenix on Wednesday after the Coyotes travel from Florida on Tuesday. Then they play Ottawa on Friday after the Senators face the Panthers Thursday. The Hurricanes are reeling and have been one of the worst teams in the NHL this season so they are in the mix to select first overall at the Entry Draft with Nail Yakupov being the prize at this time. GM Jim Rutherford said backup goalie Brian Boucher might be out two months with a lower-body injury so look for Cam Ward to continue to see the vast majority of the action with Mike Murphy getting a rare start or coming in during blowouts. Jeff Skinner and Joni Pitkanen are out indefinitely with concussions.
CHICAGO
Games this week
@ Pittsburgh, vs. Montreal
Notes
Chicago will be tired on Wednesday when they face the rested Canadiens as the Blackhawks are in Pittsburgh Tuesday. The Blackhawks will get the earliest start on the Christmas break as they finish their schedule on Wednesday and get four days off. Dave Bolland got himself into some hot water when he made some disparaging remarks about the Sedin twins. Marian Hossa has been hot of late with six points in his last three games. Ray Emery has temporarily taken over as the Blackhawks number one netminder from the struggling Corey Crawford. Emery has started four of the last five games and finished up the fifth when Crawford was pulled after giving up three goals on 16 shots. Emery is 4-0-1 in his last five.
COLORADO
Games this week
vs. Philadelphia, vs. St. Louis, vs. Tampa Bay
Notes
The Avalanche play all three games at home this week. Erik Johnson has not scored this season, a span of 27 games. Brandon Yip has yet to get a point this season as he has played only nine games due to a broken forearm and is now on the injured reserve list. Paul Stastny returned after being out with a torso injury and had a three point night Thursday with new linemate Daniel Winnik who had a Gordie Howe hat trick. Kyle Quincey is having a nice rebound season after only one point in 21 games last season. He currently has three goals and 17 points this season and is tied for second in power play points with eight, including all three goals. Semyon Varlamov is struggling with a 3.14 GAA and a .896 save percentage, although his record is not that bad at 10-13-1. The Avalanche have given up eight empty net goals which does not help the plus/minus.
COLUMBUS
Games this week
@ Nashville
Notes
The Blue Jackets are the only team to play once this week so we suggest benching all your Columbus players. Steve Mason got into his first game this past week in four weeks and had to be pulled, not for a poor performance, but rather, he was dehydrated and began cramping in his left quadriceps, requiring intravenous fluids. The good news is that he is okay and actually played like an NHL goalie once again, giving coach Scott Arniel a choice between the pipes along with Curtis Sanford. James Wisniewski has 16 points in 23 games with a poor minus-15 rating. It was thought the leg injury suffered by Derek Dorsett was serious and that he might be out for months, but consider him day-to-day for now. He was third in penalty minutes in the NHL with 73 minutes, heading into action on Thursday.
DALLAS
Games this week
vs. Anaheim, vs. Philadelphia, vs. Nashville
Notes
Dallas plays all three games at home. They are rested on Friday when they take on the Predators, as Nashville are home to Columbus on Thursday. Richard Bachman has been sensational in his NHL debut since his recall to replace the injured Kari Lehtonen. He has taken over of late for Andrew Raycroft and has given up only three goals in his first three starts in 88 shots, winning all three. Mark Fistric returned to action on Thursday after serving a five game suspension. Loui Eriksson was having a tough time finding the back of the net with only one goal in his last 13 games heading into action Thursday, but broke out with a goal and an assist. Sheldon Souray is in a worse slump with no points in his last 15 games.
DETROIT
Games this week
@ Edmonton, @ Vancouver, @ Calgary
Notes
The Red Wings will spend the week before Christmas in Western Canada and they play three games in four nights. Look for Ty Conklin to play once in place of the red hot Jimmy Howard. They will be tired on Thursday when they travel to Calgary after playing the previous night in Vancouver. Jiri Hudler has been terrific of late on a line with Valtteri Filppula and Henrik Zetterberg. He has six points in his last four games. Jan Mursak was hoping to return to the lineup just after Christmas from a broken ankle, but it looks like it will be well into January before he returns.
EDMONTON
Games this week
vs. Detroit, vs. Minnesota
Notes
Edmonton plays only twice for the second week in a row. Great news for the Oilers as Taylor Hall returned to action on Thursday playing on the second unit with Ales Hemsky and Shawn Horcoff and potted a pair of power play goals. Andy Sutton was suspended for eight games after hitting Alexei Ponikarovsky over the head. Colton Teubert will get a shot to replace Sutton during his absence but the return of Corey Potter could kibosh that opportunity. Potter returned to action on Thursday and partnered on the third unit with Theo Peckham. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins continues to be the best rookie in the NHL and is better than any second year player as well.
FLORIDA
Games this week
vs. Phoenix, @ Ottawa, @ Boston
Notes
The Panthers play three times this week in four nights so expect to see Scott Clemmensen play once in place of Jose Theodore. They will be tired on Friday in Boston after travelling from Ottawa where they play the Senators Thursday. Erik Gudbranson suffered a charley horse on Sunday after scoring his first NHL goal and the injury forced him to the sidelines. Mikael Samuelsson played his first game for the Panthers a week ago after missing almost two months with complications from sports hernia surgery. He was then a healthy scratch the next night so the Panthers are easing him back into the lineup. He should return to a top six role shortly. Kris Versteeg leads the Panthers with 15 goals and 33 points, while Stephen Weiss heads Florida with 20 assists to go with his 11 goals.
LOS ANGELES
Games this week
@ Toronto, vs. Anaheim, @ San Jose
Notes
The Kings will be tired as they play their last game on Friday before the Christmas break when they take on a fresh San Jose team. The Kings have been reeling and fired coach Terry Murray on Monday, replacing him for now with John Stevens, although Darryl Sutter is rumored to be having the opportunity to take over. Drew Doughty has not been himself this season with only nine points in 26 games. He sat out part of training camp looking for a new deal and it seems to have hurt his season. Murray was fired after the Kings lost their second straight game to a netminder making his NHL debut. The Kings have stopped scoring as well with only 10 goals in their last seven games. Mike Richards has still not returned from his concussion and has missed the last six games although he is expected to re-join the Kings for practice in Detroit.
MINNESOTA
Games this week
@ Vancouver, @ Calgary, @ Edmonton
Notes
The first place Minnesota Wild play three games in four nights in Western Canada this week. Josh Harding is back and the Wild sent Matthew Hackett back to Houston of the AHL, so look for Harding to spell Niklas Backstrom once this week. The Wild will be tired on Tuesday when they face Calgary as the Flames are in Vancouver the night before. Mikko Koivu has points in 13 of his last 14 games, scoring seven times with 11 assists in that span. Guillaume Latendresse could be out a while longer. He played two games after missing 15 with post-concussion syndrome, but only played one period before leaving the second game. Marek Zidlicky (concussion) returned to action this past week after missing 13 games. He has six assists in 19 games thus far.
MONTREAL
Games this week
@ Boston, @ Chicago, @ Winnipeg
Notes
The Habs are on the road for all three this week as they start a six game road trip. They play three games in four nights and will likely give Peter Budaj one start to give Carey Price a rest. They are rested on Wednesday when they take on the tired Chicago Blackhawks who are in Pittsburgh the previous night. The tables are reversed for Les Canadiens on Thursday when are in Winnipeg to take on a rested Jets team. Travis Moen is out with a foot injury and Michael Blunden was recalled from the minors to replace him. Erik Cole is tied for the team lead in goals with Max Pacioretty with 11. The Canadiens traded Jaroslav Spacek and received Tomas Kaberle in return. Kaberle has helped the Montreal power play in his first couple of games. Chris Campoli returned to the Habs lineup after being out since the opening game of the season when he tore his groin muscle. Alexei Emelin was a healthy scratch upon the return of Campoli.
NASHVILLE
Games this week
@ Washington, vs. Columbus, @ Dallas
Notes
The Predators play three games in four nights so expect to see Anders Lindback to play once in place of Pekka Rinne. The Predators will be tired on Friday when they play a rested Dallas team in Texas as Nashville will play the Blue Jackets the previous night. The Predators sent a couple of rookies, Blake Geoffrion and Jonathon Blum to the minors. The duo are a big part of their future but are not ready to contribute at the NHL level at this time. Roman Josi has played well on the blueline, making it easier to send Blum to Milwaukee. Thirty games into the season, the Predators still do not have anyone in double digits in goals with Craig Smith, Patric Hornqvist, David Legwand, Shea Weber and Colin Wilson leading the way with eight goals.
NEW JERSEY
Games this week
vs. New York Rangers, vs. Washington
Notes
The Devils do not leave New Jersey this week with a couple of games at home. Travis Zajac, who has been out with a torn Achilles tendon, will make his season debut on December 16. Jacob Josefsen is still one-two months away from returning to action as he suffered a fractured clavicle on October 21. The Devils picked up Kurtis Foster and netminder Timo Pielmeier from the Ducks on Monday in exchange for Rod Pelley and Mark Fraser. Foster will address the Devils’ need for a power play quarterback this season as New Jersey has taken rookie Adam Larsson off the point at this time.
NEW YORK ISLANDERS
Games this week
@ Winnipeg, @ New York Rangers, vs. Toronto
Notes
The Islanders play three games in four nights but we cannot tell you their goaltending situation at this time as Rick DiPietro is on injured reserve, Evgeni Nabokov is close to returning but not quite ready yet, Al Montoya is ready and Kevin Poulin, who the Islanders recalled on an emergency basis. Look for Montoya and Nabokov to split the net this week. Steve Staios is out and the Islanders recalled former number first round pick Calvin de Haan from the minors. Nino Niederreiter (concussion) is close to returning but will likely be sent to the minors for a conditioning stint.
NEW YORK RANGERS
Games this week
@ New Jersey, vs. New York Islanders, vs. Philadelphia
Notes
The Rangers play three games in four nights so Martin Biron should get a start in goal in place of Henrik Lundqvist. The Rangers could be tired on Friday as they play their second game in two nights and face a rested Flyers squad. Wojtek Wolski is skating and should be able to resume contact drills soon as he has been out since November 3 with a sports hernia injury. Marc Staal (concussion) skated with the Rangers on Tuesday for the first time this season. His timetable for a return is still unknown. Brad Richards and Marian Gaborik lead the Rangers in points with 25 each, while Brandon Prust is tops in penalty minutes at 66.
OTTAWA
Games this week
vs. Buffalo, vs. Florida, @ Carolina
Notes
The Senators play three games in four nights so look for Craig Anderson to see most of the action in goal although Alexander Auld could see action in one game. They will be tired when they travel to face a rested Carolina team on Friday as the Senators host Florida Thursday. Nikita Filatov has been allowed to return to his native Russia and will finish the season in the KHL after being unable to crack the Senators lineup. The Sens expect to see Filatov at training camp. Sergei Gonchar is out with an upper body injury. Jason Spezza leads the team with 32 points and Milan Michalek is tied for the NHL lead in goals with Steve Stamkos at 19.
PHILADELPHIA
Games this week
@ Colorado, @ Dallas, @ New York Rangers
Notes
The Flyers are rested on Friday when they face a tired Rangers squad. Claude Giroux suffered a concussion and is out indefinitely. The news on Chris Pronger is not good as he will miss the rest of the season and the playoffs with severe post-concussion syndrome. Brayden Schenn practiced on Wednesday for the first time since suffering a concussion on December 3 and is close to returning. Wayne Simmonds has registered a goal in five of his past six games and now has 15 points in 32 games including nine goals, and 44 penalty minutes. Rookie Sean Couturier is now centering the top line in place of the injured Claude Giroux with Jaromir Jagr and Scott Hartnell on his wings.
PHOENIX
Games this week
@ Florida, @ Carolina, vs. St. Louis
Notes
The Coyotes play three in four nights so expect to see Jason LaBarbera in goal once instead of Mike Smith. Phoenix will be tired on Wednesday when they travel to Carolina after playing in Florida Tuesday. Michal Rozsival returned to the lineup this past week for the second time this season as he had been out with a concussion since opening night. Kyle Turris has been held off the scoreboard in all six games this season and that can’t be a surprise as most holdouts have a poor season when returning once the year starts, never mind missing almost two months. Radim Vrbata continues to have a good season with 15 goals and 26 points in 31 games to go with a plus-12 rating.
PITTSBURGH
Games this week
vs. Chicago, @ Winnipeg
Notes
The Penguins will be rested on Friday when they are in Winnipeg to play their final game before the Christmas break. The Jets are home to Montreal on Thursday so the Penguins could see a good game. Jordan Staal is playing through a lower body injury, missing practice but managing to play in games. Zbynek Michalek is hopeful that he will be available to return to the lineup from a concussion on Friday after being out since November 26. There is now no timetable for Sidney Crosby’s return. Crosby has passed the baseline testing for concussion victims but doesn’t feel right so the Penguins will not rush him back. Richard Park will miss four-to-six weeks with a fractured foot.
ST. LOUIS
Games this week
@ Colorado, @ Phoenix
Notes
The Blues Brian Elliott continued his dream season with another win on Thursday and is now 13-2-0 with a league leading 1.43 GAA and a .948 save percentage, which is also best in the NHL. David Perron should be picked up in most leagues. After missing 13 months with a concussion, Perron has returned and has four points in his first five games. Vladimir Sobotka's foot isn't broken, but it is swollen and he will be re-evaluated in another two weeks so reserve him if he is in your lineup. Chris Stewart continues to be in a funk this season as he has only four goals, with only one in his last 13 games. Good thing for fantasy owners that he has 48 penalty minutes.
SAN JOSE
Games this week
vs. Tampa Bay, vs. Los Angeles
Notes
The Sharks are in the midst of a six game homestand. They are rested on Friday when they play the Kings as Los Angeles will be tired after playing the Ducks at home on Thursday. Antti Niemi has played well for the most part this season as he is 12-6-3 with a goals-against average of 2.41 and a .916 save percentage. Patrick Marleau continues to play on the third line and now Torrey Mitchell has taken over his old spot on the top line with Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski. Marleau broke a seven game goalless streak as he found the back of the net on Tuesday.
TAMPA BAY
Games this week
@ San Jose, @ Colorado
Notes
Steve Stamkos tied for the NHL goal scoring lead on Thursday as he potted his 19th of the season. Mathieu Garon has certainly outplayed 42-year-old Dwayne Roloson in goal this season but the Lightning likely need to go out and find a better number one if they hope to make the playoffs and do any damage if they get that far. They also have a mediocre blueline so that will hinder the cause as well. Pavel Kubina returned to Tampa Bay's lineup on Monday after missing four games with an undisclosed lower-body injury and that should help the defense. Martin St. Louis is out until after Christmas at the earliest with nasal and facial fractures.
TORONTO
Games this week
vs. Los Angeles, vs. Buffalo, @ New York Islanders
Notes
James Reimer won his first game on Tuesday since his whiplash/concussion injury on October 22. Matthew Lombardi has missed the last 11 games with a shoulder injury but he skated hard on Wednesday and his next step will be to partake in practice. His return is around the corner. Tyler Bozak continues to center the top line with Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul while Tim Connolly heads the third line, alongside Colby Armstrong and Clarke MacArthur. Nikolai Kumelin potted 30 goals last season but has been stuck on two since October 22, a span of 23 games.
VANCOUVER
Games this week
vs. Minnesota, vs. Detroit, vs. Calgary
Notes
Vancouver will be rested and waiting for Calgary on Friday as the Flames will be home to Detroit on Thursday before traveling to Vancouver. Daniel Sedin missed Thursday’s game with back spasms. Mason Raymond moved up to the first line with Aaron Rome, usually a defenseman, playing on the third line. Cody Hodgson is playing on the fourth line and getting less than 11 minutes of action per game. Andrew Ebbett skated on Thursday and has apparently recovered from his broken foot. His return is imminent. Cory Schneider and Roberto Luongo are splitting the net of late with Schneider actually playing better overall this season.
WASHINGTON
Games this week
vs. Nashville, @ New Jersey
Notes
Mike Green is finally due to play on December 17 as he has missed 22 games this season with a groin injury. If you have him in your pool, chances are you are trailing as he should have been a high pick. Jason Chimera is on pace to post his best offensive season in 2011-12 as he has 11 goals and 17 points in 30 games. His best point total in his career was 36 and his best goal output was 17, so he is definitely in line to best those numbers. John Carlson was the NHL's third star of the week with a goal and seven points in three games.
WINNIPEG
Games this week
vs. New York Islanders, vs. Montreal, vs. Pittsburgh
Notes
The Jets play three games in four nights so expect to see Chris Mason play once instead of Ondrej Pavelec. The Jets are rested on Thursday when they face a tired Montreal team as the Canadiens have to travel from Chicago on Wednesday evening. But the Penguins will be waiting and rested on Friday for the Jets. The Jets will end a six game homestand with the Pittsburgh game. Alexander Burmistrov has missed the last two games with an undisclosed injury. Evander Kane leads the Jets with 15 goals and 24 points while Blake Wheeler has 18 assists to lead the club in that category.