Merry Christmas from DobberHockey! Have a wonderful and relaxing day. Some World Junior-related tidbits will be posted later on this evening.

You have to love hockey players – at the end of the game last night, Dorsett gave Ballard an ugly two-hander to the back of the legs. Ballard’s response? “I stuck my stick in his stomach so we’re probably even”.

Marc-Andre Fleury’s biggest change this season – consistency. The upgraded blueline helps immensely, but he is bringing the same quality of play each and every game. I traded him in the summer becuase his inconsistencies were maddening – he’d have a great few games and then allow five or six.

Derek Roy’s injury is a serious one. It sounds like he’ll be up for up to six MONTHS with a torn tendon/muscle in his leg. He’s been Buffalo’s best player this season by far – horrible news for a team already struggling.

Some Puck Daddy fantasy advice from Brent Lemon and Dobber – right here.

Timing is a funny thing – I told a friend of mine to trade Sharp for Marleau yesterday. I wrote how Marleau was a great buy-low candidate. Last night: two goals, one assist, six shots on goal.

82 games is a long time – in general I tend to buy low and sell high whenever I can. Sometimes you get burned (moved Stamkos in the summer, as I expected a bit of a sophomore slump), but in the long run I think it’s a strategy that will make you a more successful poolie.

I feel a bit for Jay Bouwmeester (just a bit, he still makes almost $7 million). He gets bashed because he is “soft” or not as flashy/offensive as people were expecting/hoping. What he does is eat up a ton of extremely difficult minutes.

He is a rock defensively, a great skater, and good in all situations. He doesn’t have the hockey IQ to be an elite offensive producer, and he is overpaid. But he gets a bad rap because people still seem to hope/think that he will be something different.

Phoenix is a very, very different team without Zbynek Michalek.

Craig Anderson left the game last night – he has looked injured over the past few games… far from the elite level he was at last season. I wonder if he is forcing through it considering this is a contract year?

Mike Green scored a goal last night – last year, this wouldn't be noteworthy. He played close to 35 minutes (the game went to a shootout, but still a very impressive number).

Paul Martin had an assist last night, which was his first point in seven games.

Jiri Hudler played just under 14 minutes last night – the ice time isn't there (yet). He'll have to earn whatever minutes he can, even with Datsyuk out.

Vlad Sobotka has seven points in his past eight games.

Erik Karlsson played over eight minutes on the PP last night, and he led all Sens in ice time by over four minutes.

Shea Weber had seven shots on goal, but none of them made it past Brian Elliott.

Stamkos, St. Louis, and Lecavalier all had goals for the Bolts last night.

Mats Zuccarello Aasen had two shots on goal in almost 18 minutes of ice time in his NHL debut. He was pointless.

Derek Stepan has goals in three straight games.

Marc Savard dropped the mitts last night for the Bruins… probably not the smartest idea.

Byfuglien – another goal, three shots on goal, 22 minutes of ice time. Isn't he supposed to start slowing down?

22 PIMs for Milan Lucic last night – the Thrashers/Bruins game was chippy to say the least. Savard, Ference, Little, and Anthony Stewart all had at least 15 PIMs.

Shawn Thornton had two goals and a fight for the Bruins – he is one of the more skilled tough guys in the league. Not really any fantasy value unless you are desperate for a PIM/combo type of player.

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Patrice Bergeron has six points in his past four contests. He's on pace for barely over 50 points… Expect him to end up at around 60-65 at the end of the season.

The streaky Chris Higgins scored twice last night, bringing his goal total for the season up to five.

Stephen Weiss has 11 points in eight games. He's probably the only Panther (skater) who I'd consider in a one year league.

Evgeni Dadonov had two helpers, and he now has eight points in his first eight games of this season. An impressive start to say the least.

Jordan Leopold scored twice last night – his first time lighting the lamp in over 10 games. He's producing way ahead of where I expected… Buffalo seems to be a great fit.

Jacques Lemaire's Devils lost to the lowly Islanders last night. Ilya Kovalchuk added another minus-3 and he now sits at minus-24 for the season.

Tavares scored for the second straight game, and Josh Bailey had two goals and a helper. Bailey has played very well since being recalled from the AHL. A few weeks down there looks to have done the trick.

Roloson stopped 34/35 – he's the man for the Isles with DiPietro on the shelf again (and again, and again, and again…)

Roloson would make a fantastic deadline pick up for a contending/playoff club – he's over 40 but still has a lot of game left. He didn't really become a starter until five or six years ago, so he has less mileage on his body than other old goalies.

Scott Gomez has points in five straight. He's a streaky producer, so ride him while he's hot.

Andrei Kostitsyn had a goal and played close to 19 minutes after being a healthy scratch last game for Montreal.

The Sedins and Alex Burrows combined for 10 points last night.

Burrows now has 15 points in 23 games – he's back on track.

The Canucks were up big early, which explains why the fourth line saw considerable PP time in the final frame.

Jakub Voracek found a way to be plus-2 in a 7-3 loss. He was skating well but didn't create much of anything offensively.

Derek Roy left the game against Florida with a leg injury last night. He was hammered into the boards (legally) by Kulikov.

Free WHL games will be shown online over the holiday season – the hockey is pretty good for those of you who have never seen it. Pace is good, skill level good, and very physical.

A great read on Drew Shore – a prospect to watch during the upcoming World Junior tourney. Duballstar014 delivers the goods.

Baseball season is just around the corner – don't forget about the other half of the DobberHockey Empire – DobberBaseball! The 2011 Prospects Report has just been released.

Less talk, more action, Mr. Burke. Sounds like the Leafs are working on a deal or two.

Ovechkin takes a huge run at Malkin – the NHL must have LOVED the action in the game last night: