Tkachuk had to be helped off the ice late in the first period of Monday's 4-0 loss to the Lightning after a knee-on-knee collision with Nikita Kucherov, but he was able to return to the lineup in the second period.

Kucherov got a game misconduct for the dirty hit, but Tkachuk seems to have avoided what at the time looked like a very serious injury. The Panthers star still played only 11:14 on the night, well below his usual workload, and it's not yet clear if that was due to lingering soreness in the knee or just an abundance of caution from the training staff. Florida is off until Saturday due to the holiday break, so Tkachuk will get extra time to heal up. Through 31 appearances this season, he's produced 13 goals and 35 points with 88 shots on net, 53 hits, 26 PIM and a minus-5 rating.

Kucherov scored the game-winning goal before being ejected from Monday's 4-0 victory over the Panthers for kneeing Matthew Tkachuk.

Kucherov notched his 15th goal of the season just under seven minutes into the first period and appeared to be in line for a big night, firing five shots on net in his 6:12 of ice time before getting the boot. Tkachuk had to be helped off the ice but was able to return to the game -- even so, Kucherov could be facing some additional discipline from the league. The Tampa Bay superstar heads into the holiday break with 50 points through 30 appearances, tying him for fourth with Kirill Kaprizov in the NHL scoring race.

Talbot stopped 17 of 20 shots in Monday's 4-0 loss to the Blues, with St. Louis' final goal getting scored into an empty net.

The Red Wings looked like they decided to start their holiday break early, and while Talbot wasn't busy, he faced a number of high-danger chances. The veteran netminder has dealt with a lower-body injury in December that's limited him to four outings, and he hasn't been especially sharp when he's been in the crease, going 0-3-0 with a 3.26 GAA and an .891 save percentage. Detroit is off until Friday, and Talbot will try to use the time off to regain his focus.

Parayko notched two assists in Monday's 4-0 win over the Red Wings.

He had a hand in the final two goals of Dylan Holloway's hat trick. Parayko snapped a five-game point drought with the performance, and it was his first multi-point effort since Nov. 2. On the season, the veteran blueliner has five goals and 18 points in 36 appearances with 88 blocked shots, 67 shots on net, 51 hits and a minus-4 rating.

Thomas picked up two assists in Monday's 4-0 win over the Red Wings.

The 25-year-old center helped set up Alexandre Texier in the second period and Dylan Holloway for an empty-netter in the third. Thomas has five multi-point performances in 11 December games, racking up four goals and 16 points on the month.

Holloway scored three goals, including the game-winner, in Monday's 4-0 victory over the Red Wings.

The 23-year-old found the back of the net in each period, capping his first career hat trick with an empty-netter. Holloway snapped a six-game point drought with the performance, and he heads into the holiday break with 13 goals and 22 points through 36 appearances this season.

Binnington made 19 saves in Monday's 4-0 win over the Red Wings.

He wasn't busy until the third period when Detroit fired 10 shots his way, but Binnington had little trouble coming away with his second shutout of the season. The victory snapped a five-start losing streak for the veteran netminder during which he'd gone 0-4-1 with a 3.55 GAA and an .874 save percentage, so the clean sheet sends Binnington and the Blues into the Christmas break with a little jolt of confidence.

Johnson scored a goal on two shots in Monday's 5-4 win over the Canadiens.

The tally was Johnson's 10th goal and 20th point of the season. He's picked up a goal and an assist over his last two contests to bounce back from a recent three-game dry spell. The 22-year-old forward has added 45 shots on net and a minus-3 rating over 21 appearances. While he's currently in a middle-six role, Johnson has been one of the Blue Jackets' best scoring threats this season, though his fantasy value is highest in formats that focus on point production.

Brink notched an assist, two shots on goal and five hits in Monday's 7-3 loss to the Penguins.

Brink has three helpers over his last seven contests while filling a middle-six role. The 23-year-old winger has a total of 15 points, 47 shots on net, 43 hits and a minus-11 rating over 32 appearances this season. Brink's got a little physicality, but his role in a shaky offense doesn't offer much security for fantasy managers -- he's best deployed as a streaming option in favorable matchups.

Laughton notched two assists, four shots on goal, three hits and a plus-2 rating in Monday's 7-3 loss to the Penguins.

Laughton hasn't gone completely quiet since his four-goal game versus the Red Wings on Dec. 12. The 30-year-old has four helpers over his last five outings, which included him assisting goals by Egor Zamula and Sean Couturier in Monday's loss. Laughton is up to 18 points, 65 shots on net, 80 hits, 20 blocked shots and a minus-10 rating over 35 appearances. He's a bottom-six forward by nature, but the kind that tends to be trusted by head coach John Tortorella. Laughton is on pace for roughly 40 points, so he can be rostered in deeper fantasy formats.