Blue Line Buzz: Around the League

Last week it was Torey Krug. This week, it's Keith Yandle and Dustin Byfuglien.

It took 19 games and more than 40 attempts, but Yandle finally scored his first goal of the season. His goal drought actually lasted 35 games going back to last year, but his seeing-eye point shot beat Henrik Lundqvist on Sunday with the man advantage. Putting the puck in the net has never really been Yandle's strong suit, and just 15 percent of his power-play points are goals, which is far lower than what shooters such as Shea Weber (44.1 percent) or Brent Burns (31.6 percent) typically average. Still, it's nice to see something happen on the Panthers' power play, which ranks just 19th in the league.

Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, Big Buff finally found twine for the first time this year:

On another note, it's been a tough year for the Stars so far with injuries and — not surprisingly — goaltending woes. With Johnny Oduya placed on injured reserve Sunday with a lower-body injury, the Stars have made two notable roster moves, calling up Esa Lindell for the second time this season and also giving the nod to Julius Honka, who has scored 12 points in 16 games with AHL Texas.

Because Honka was on loan to the WHL Swift Current from Finland the year he was drafted, the CHL/NHL agreement that prevents CHL players from playing in the AHL under the age of 20 doesn't apply to Honka. He scored 75 points in 141 career AHL games before his 21st birthday, and his advantage is his experience; with two full seasons of pro hockey in North America under his belt, he should be able to make an impact right away in Dallas.

He's undersized for his position at 5-foot-11, but also represents a new breed of defenseman that emphasizes skill over size, which has allowed the likes of Shayne Gostisbehere (also 5-foot-11), Torey Krug (5-foot-9), and Jared Spurgeon (5-foot-9) to excel. Honka is expected to make his NHL debut Monday against Minnesota, which should be a small preview of a bright Stars future along with guys like John Klingberg and Stephen Johns.

Studs of the Week:

Andrei Markov, Canadiens – The Leafs snapped his seven-game point streak but the Habs came out with a 2-1 win, and the Russian is proving everyone wrong again at 37 years old. With a little bit of help from Shea Weber, Markov now has 14 points in 19 games and is on pace to reach the 60-point plateau for the first time since Saku Koivu was captain.

Matt Benning, Oilers – Drafted by Boston in the sixth round in 2012, Benning has seen his ice time steadily increase, playing 13:53 in his NHL debut on Nov. 1 and then a season-high 21:14 against the Rangers just two weeks later. The Northeastern University grad has three assists in 10 games in his rookie season, and although the sample size is small, has played well enough to be considered a regular player for the foreseeable future after being cut late in training camp.

Mark Pysyk, Panthers – In Saturday's 4-1 win in Ottawa, Pysyk blocked a career-high 12 shots, and played more minutes than both Aaron Ekblad and Keith Yandle. Acquired from Buffalo for Dmitry Kulikov, he's playing himself into a top-four role — he finished with the second highest ice time among Florida defensemen for the second game in a row Sunday.

Rasmus Ristolainen, Sabres – Like the Coyotes, the Sabres had high hopes going into the season, but only just managed to snap a seven-game losing streak Saturday. The Sabres are leaning on Risto heavily — he's played over 29 minutes in his past two games — breaking a pre-season promise to scale his ice time back a little. Through 18 games he's still looking for his first goal, but can you imagine where the Sabres would be without him? He notched 10 shots on goal this past week.

Nikita Nesterov, Lightning – Nesterov's 53.8 Corsi rating is the best on the team, just slightly ahead of Anton Stralman, who is out with an upper-body injury. The Bolts have won four consecutive games, and Nesterov has played in each one of them, recording three points.

Duds of the Week:

Alexander Edler, Canucks – If Jim Benning is committed to his rebuild, dealing Edler should be his first course of action, but they may not get much in return with the way he's been playing. He was minus-3 in a crushing loss to Chicago on Saturday after blowing a 3-0 lead, and finished minus-5 for the week to make him minus-9 for the season.

Brent Burns, Sharks – The Sharks are consistently inconsistent. Since Oct. 25, they've alternated three-game winning streaks with three-game losing streaks twice, so if history is any indication they'll be winning their next three games against the Devils, Blackhawks and Islanders. Burns, by the way, has gone three games without a point, and has relinquished the top spot on the Big Board.

Shayne Gostisbehere, Flyers – He was a surprise healthy scratch Thursday against Winnipeg, as Dave Hakstol sent a message to his young swashbuckler to clean up his defensive-zone play. However, in the following game against Tampa Bay, Gostisbehere logged 23:32 with a minus-1 rating in a losing effort. Defense is incredibly difficult to play in the NHL, and Ghost is going through some growing pains. He'll bounce back eventually.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Coyotes – Not only has OEL failed to score a point in three straight games, he has just eight points this year and whatever playoff hopes the new-look Coyotes had going into the season are starting to evaporate quickly. His pedestrian play is also what makes me think Anthony DeAngelo (below) will be sticking around for a bit.

Recommended Pickup:

Anthony DeAngelo, Coyotes – He's averaged at least 19 minutes per game since making his NHL debut, and with a power-play point in each of his past two games against Vancouver and San Jose, has lived up to the billing as a swift, aggressive and very talented offensive defenseman. Originally a first round pick by the Lightning, DeAngelo was a brilliant scorer in major junior, and already has four points in six games this season. He may be worth a stash in deep leagues.

The Big Board:

^ = stock rising
˅ = stock dropping

Colton Paryako, StL
Brandon Manning, Phi
Mark Giordano, Cgy
Sami Vatanen, Ana

Notable omissions:

Rasmus Ristolainen, Buf
Dougie Hamilton, Cgy
Aaron Ekblad, Fla
John Klingberg, Dal
Tyson Barrie, Col