Newsmakers in the NHL: Steven Stamkos Gets a Night Off

I think it would be fair to say that Steven Stamkos, the No. 1 overall pick in this year's NHL Entry Draft, has been somewhat of a disappointment for the Tampa Bay Lightning during his rookie season.

After Lightning management hyped the stuffing out of him before he was even a member of the organization, the 18-year-old has registered just four goals and 10 assists through his first 40 games. Probably not what Oren Koules and Len Barrie had in mind when they plastered his name all over billboards this summer.

Beyond that, in the wake of his firing after just 16 games, Barry Melrose called out the Lightning for, among other things, subjecting Stamkos to the competition in the NHL before he was ready for the challenge, suggesting that he should have remained with his junior team, the Sarnia Sting.

This leads us to Friday, as Stamkos was a healthy scratch for the Lightning's 4-3 win in Anaheim. Somewhere Barry Melrose is screaming, "I told you so," at his television set.

As for the guys in the lineup for Tampa Bay, Ryan Malone scored a pair of goals, including the game-winner at the 10:50 mark of the third period, while Martin St. Louis recorded three points, including a shorthanded goal in the first period.

Sabres 2, Rangers 1: Buffalo goaltender Ryan Miller made 43 saves to help lead the Sabres to a 2-1 shootout win over the slumping New York Rangers. Paul Mara put the Rangers on the board late in the first period with his fourth goal of the season, only to have Derek Roy tie the game for Buffalo late in the second period. Buffalo's Ales Kotalik scored the lone goal in the shootout, beating Steve Valiquette.

Blue Jackets 3, Capitals 0: Washington outshot Columbus by a 45-23 margin on Friday night, and still ended up losing, 3-0, due in large part to the play of goaltender Steve Mason. Mason earned his sixth shutout of the season for the Blue Jackets, stopping all 45 shots he faced, as he continues to lead the league in goals against average and save percentage. And he's not an all-star. Ted Starkey has more on Mason.

Sharks 4, Oilers 1: Patrick Marleau scored a pair of goals to help lead the Sharks to a 4-1 win in Edmonton. San Jose chased Oilers goaltender Dwayne Roloson after just one period, as the veteran netminder surrendered three goals on the first 10 shots he faced. Brad Staubitz scored his first career goal for San Jose in the first period, while Devin Setoguchi picked up three points (goal, two assists) to help lead the Sharks to just their fifth win in their past 10 games. I guess that's considered a slump for San Jose.

Blues 6, Canucks 4: Mats Sundin made his home debut for Vancouver on Friday and, well, it didn't go very well for the Canucks. The Blues scored three goals in the final six minutes of regulation on their way to a 6-4 win. Brad Boyes scored the game-winner -- a power play goal with Sundin sitting in the box -- with 2:10 to play, while B.J. Crombeen picked up his ninth of the season just 22 seconds later.