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The Tampa Bay Times points out that Lightning center Steven Stamkos' hat trick stole the show in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Hurricanes. His special scoring ability is a reason he is one of the game's brightest young stars.

Stamkos is sizzling, having scored 10 goals in his past eight games to give him a league-leading 26. That puts him on pace for a second 50-goal season.

But it was Stamkos' relentless backchecking Saturday that coach Guy Boucher highlighted the most, saying it was a sign of how the center is growing into a complete player.

"He's just a jet out there," Boucher said. "You can see, 'You're not scoring on me.' It's inspiring."

As good as Stamkos was in his first three seasons, he said after signing a five-year, $37.5 million contract extension last summer he was determined to further develop his game in his fourth. And as the Lightning hits the midseason mark on a three-game road trip, which starts tonight in Stamkos' hometown, Toronto against the Maple Leafs, the 21-year-old is playing some of his best hockey.

"I find that he's made a difference just as much when he didn't have the puck as when he's had the puck," Boucher said. "And that's a mark of somebody who is becoming more of a winner than a star."

Stamkos has worked to improve his faceoffs; he has won 45.9 percent. He is becoming more aware in the defensive zone and welcoming opportunities on the penalty kill. Stamkos said the frustrating stretch to end last season — he scored seven goals in his final 32 regular-season games — taught him a lot.

"I want to be one of the top players in the game, and you have to look at those guys and how consistent they are," said Stamkos, named the NHL's star of the week for taking the goal-scoring lead with six goals in the Lightning's three straight wins.

"It's just focusing on the details. When things aren't going well, you tend to want to cheat to create offensive chances when it should be the other way around. When things aren't going well, you get back to playing solid defensive hockey, which leads to your chances."

The article also notes that Stamkos has found different ways to score as teams have adjusted to him. He hasn't had as many one-timers from the circle on the power play, and he has just five power-play goals, as opposed to his 51-goal season in 2009-10, when he had 24. Stamkos is driving to the net, scoring on deflections and rebounds.

When asked if it was too soon to call Stamkos a complete player, Boucher smiled, then lowered his voice as if his All-Star could hear him.

"We don't want to make a guy feel like he's there," Boucher said. "Oh, he's getting there, he's getting there."

The Boston Herald writes that while mere mortals might look at the turn of the calendar from one year to the next as a symbolic reset point in our lives, superstar Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas affords himself no such luxury.

“It’s just kind of another day. I didn’t even think about the New Year’s resolutions until we were flying back and then it was like, ‘Oh.’ I thought of whether I should’ve or not. But days are all the same in this business,” said Thomas yesterday after he and his teammates held their first practice of 2012 at Ristuccia Arena. “It’s either the day of a game, the day before the game or the day after a game, usually. So, I don’t usually pay attention to the number on the calendar.”

Although Thomas, ironically, finished 2011 with a loss Saturday in Dallas, the rest of the year he was practically unbeatable. It was a calendar year highlighted by a Stanley Cup championship, the second Vezina Trophy of his career and a Conn Smythe Trophy. Thomas compiled a 49-22-5 record with a goals-against average of just more than 2.00 and a save percentage nearly equal to the .938 he posted in the 2010-11 season to set a single-season NHL record.

To start the 2011-12 season, he’s posted a 1.94 GAA and .939 save percentage for the Northeast Division-leading Bruins. The B’s were off on New Year’s Day, but Thomas didn’t spend much time celebrating his recent past.

“I did very shortly (take time) to realize what a great year 2011 was. But as I was thinking of last season, the last half of 2010 was pretty good too for me,” said Thomas, whose only signal that it’s a new year was the shaving of his mustache (which he might grow back). “Obviously, the Stanley Cup was the tip of 2011, but now it’s up to us to make of 2012 what we will.”

The Herald notes that Regardless of what the calendar says, the important numbers for Thomas now are goaltending statistics — the ones that now feature him trailing his Bruins goaltending colleague Tuukka Rask in the major departments. After leading the NHL in save percentage and goals-against average last season, Thomas finished 2011 second in save percentage (.939) and fifth in goals-against average (1.94).

Rask leads the league in both departments with a .945 save percentage and 1.61 goals-against average, which would both be NHL single-season records if he sustains them over the course of the entire campaign. Another hot streak by Thomas, who at one point reeled off 10 straight wins, could both pull him even with Rask and put him on a record-breaking pace.

If that happens, according to Thomas, it will be because of the way he challenged himself and not because of some intrasquad rivalry with Rask.

“I’m self-motivated. As your goaltending partner, if you have a good relationship and stuff like this, if there’s anything I can do to help with my experience to help him, I’ll do that,” said Thomas. “But then when it comes to playing my game, I got my own bar in my own mind as far what level I want to try to shoot for. And it really doesn’t matter what the other goalies are doing throughout the league, or even what my goaltender partner is doing. That’s the best motivation for me.

“If I were to start thinking ‘Oh, (Philadelphia’s Ilya) Bryzgalov’s got a better save percentage than me, I’ve got to catch it’ or ‘Tuukka has this save percentage’ and start thinking about that, that turns into a negative motivation. So I try to keep it on a self-motivating, motivating level. And that way it allows me to be happy that he’s doing well. And I can be happy if I’m reaching kind of the goals that I’m setting for myself.”

The Raleigh News & Observer indicates that Jeff Skinner can't say definitively when he'll be back in the Carolina Hurricanes' lineup, back to playing in games. But he took a big step closer Monday.

The Hurricanes' second-year forward, sidelined almost a month following a concussion, returned to practice at the RBC Center. While not yet cleared for contact, Skinner was back on the ice with his teammates, skating, smiling and pushing himself.

"It was good," Skinner said. "I've been out a little (skating) by myself, and it gets boring pretty quick. It was fun to get out there with everyone."I haven't been out there with that many bodies, that much noise, kind of moving around. I wasn't sure how I was going to react with all that noise, that emotion. It was good."

Skinner, 19, has not played since the Canes' Dec. 7 game in Edmonton, when he absorbed an open-ice hit from the Oilers' Andy Sutton. He was held out of games against the Winnipeg Jets and Toronto Maple Leafs at the end of the Canes' Canadian road trip and was diagnosed with a concussion once back in Raleigh.

Skinner said he was not allowed to do anything the first 10 days of his recovery and was cleared for light work on a stationary bike only about a week-and-a-half ago. Then came more strenuous workouts on the bike, weight training and light skating on his own.

Skinner said there is no set timetable for his return to games. He must first go through contact work in practice, then be evaluated by doctors again.

"It's a tough thing to sort of put a finger on because of the uncertainty," he said. "Everyone wants to play. Everyone is competitive and wants to get back as soon as possible, but with this injury you've got to be careful.

"They differ for every person. Every person is affected differently. The symptoms are different, and their recovery time is different."

The Montreal Gazette says that the Canadiens, desperate to provide some good news for Habs Nation, have locked up defenceman Josh Gorges for the next six seasons but the $23.4-million deal won't do anything to reverse the team's current slide.

Gorges can't give any more than he currently does, which is why he deserves the extension.

For the Canadiens to get better, they need more from Gorges' teammates. Randy Cunneyworth summed up the Canadiens' plight following Saturday's loss in Florida when he recycled an old cliché and said, "Our best players have to be our best players."

With a few exceptions, they haven’t been.

That’s one reason why the Canadiens limped home from their holiday road trip with a 1-5 record. They have one win in their last eight games and are 1-6 since Cunneyworth replaced Jacques Martin as head coach. Two weeks ago, the Canadiens were two points out of a playoff spot; they are currently eight points out.

There are only a handful of players who have stood out over the first half of the season, according to The Gazette.

Gorges is one. He’s second to P.K. Subban in ice time, leads the NHL in blocked shots, is the key to the No. 2-ranked penalty-killing unit and leads the team with a plus/minus of plus-6.

Newcomer Erik Cole has met or exceeded expectations after a slow start. Travis Moen is in pace for a career season. Rookie defencemen Raphael Diaz and Alexei Emelin are making a successful transition to the North American game.

Carey Price has been good but not as good as last season and his goals-against average on the recent road trip was 3.20.

Max Pacioretty has cooled off with only one goal in the 12 games since he returned from a three-game suspension and Subban, who arrived with a big-risk, big-reward reputation, is becoming a defensive liability. He was minus-5 on the road trip and was benched for one game.

The recent slide raises the question: What’s next?

Gauthier offered a three-step plan for turning things around.

The first involves help as Brian Gionta, Scott Gomez and Andrei Markov return from injuries. But Gionta and Gomez aren’t skating with the team and Gomez was struggling when he was healthy. As for Markov, Gauthier said the defenceman won’t be back until after the All-Star break.

The second step calls for some of the under-performing players to step it up and a greater emphasis on cohesion. In theory, it seems simple but there’s a danger that if the losses continue to mount, it will become every man for himself . The fisticuffs between Tomas Plekanec and Subban Monday could prove to be significant. Are they an example of a new competitiveness or are they a sign that there are deep divisions on this team?

Finally, Gauthier said the coaches and management will have to do a better job. But Gauthier has already replaced the coach and, while there might be some Canadiens who are attractive at the trading deadline, there are no trades in the immediate future.

The Winnipeg Sun believes that proving life is not so much what happens to you but how you deal with it, the Jets Monday took what should have been a one-day blip and turned it into a story with legs.

Here’s what we were left with: head coach Claude Noel doesn’t think much of forward Eric Fehr’s play of late, and the Jets think even less of Fehr’s ability to speak for himself.

The whole thing began innocently enough, as Noel was asked about Fehr, who hasn’t exactly been lighting it up as he tries to come back from off-season shoulder surgery.

Noel, as is his custom, told it like he sees it.

“I’m waiting for him to play a little better,” the coach began. “He’s still dealing with the injury. It still bothers him. It bothers him somewhat mentally. That’s something he has to overcome. He wants to play more. I have no problem with that. Play better, you play more. It’s that simple. I’ve spoken to him about that.”

Noel went on to say Fehr is playing cautiously, which, if you’ve watched the Jets at all lately, is bang-on.

“I see it everywhere,” Noel said. “He gives me no reason to move him off of that slot. You’re playing five minutes, seven minutes, eight minutes.”

Not the best skater to begin with, Fehr’s hesitancy to get involved makes him look like he’s skating in sand, at times. As a result, he’s mired on the fourth line — not exactly what the Jets had in mind when they acquired him from Washington.

“How could it be frustrating — we’re winning,” Noel said. “How could it be frustrating for me? It’s his career, not mine. He’s gotta figure it out.”

Noel’s comments weren’t shocking, but they were refreshing in their honesty, as they often are. Of course, the media wanted to get Fehr’s comments on the matter, which is when things got a little testy. The Jets didn’t want to “subject” Fehr to questions, so they called off his media availability.

Never mind that the guy is 26 years old and has always handled himself with aplomb when dealing with the press. And never mind he’d already talked to Noel about his lackluster play and lack of ice time, according to the coach.

The Sun posits it’s just the latest example of a team trying to control the message, which, as former Blue Bomber boss Mike Kelly discovered a couple years back, is pointless, not to mention impossible — unless they want to hire robots as players and coaches.

If the Jets figure the Eric Fehr story is controversial, heaven help them when something really dirty breaks.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette describes how Matt Cooke lined up a juicy slap shot during Penguins practice Monday, let it fly, and was puzzled when it sailed past Marc-Andre Fleury as the goaltender stayed upright on his skates instead of sinking into a butterfly.

"Are you too lazy to go down?" Cooke chastised Fleury.

"After a day off [Sunday], I don't trust you not to hit me in the head. Maybe I'll trust you more tomorrow. We'll see," Fleury replied.

"Well, you just gave up a goal," Cooke shot back.

It was but a small slice of the entertaining relationship between the winger and the goalie that has developed over the past three-plus years.

"He's a little bit of a ... joker," Fleury said of Cooke, halting and smiling while he carefully chose the label. "You've always got to watch for him because he's always trying to mess with me somehow.

"You make it fun, make it a challenge. It's fun competition."

The good-hearted exchanges between the two date to Cooke's first training camp with the Penguins in 2008.

"I've never seen a goalie yap like him," said Cooke, 33 and a 13-year NHL veteran.

Fleury yells at the shooters in practice with non-stop taunts, but of all the Penguins teammates Fleury, 27, has had, Cooke more than anyone felt compelled to engage in some give-and-take that has never ceased.

The article points out that during practices, Cooke often stations himself in front of Fleury for deflections and screens, as an opposing player would -- only perhaps a bit more zealously.

"He'll play hard. He'll get in my face," Fleury said. "I think he would get penalties in a game, but still it's fun."

Or maybe it's Fleury who is bending the rules.

"A lot of times I'm the guy standing in front of the net and he's kicking my feet out or whatever," Cooke said. "We go at it pretty good. It's all in good fun."

It also serves a purpose, preparation for games. Cooke won't face many better goaltenders than Fleury, and Fleury isn't exactly treated with kid gloves by opposing players.

The two figure they might as well have a blast along the way.

The Post-Gazette says Cooke is drawn to Fleury's outgoing personality, one he notes doesn't change even if the team or Fleury is going through a bad stretch. It's the same demeanor when Fleury is helping to carry the team through injuries, such as the past calendar year, or when Fleury is struggling, as he did the first month of the 2010-11 season.

"He's outgoing and embraces the role that he has," Cooke said. "He feels that if he's having fun, he's the best he's going to be in his position. When things start to get serious, he'll do something totally off the wall just to loosen the mood, and that's a good thing.

"He would be the guy that would find a ramp and try to jump 10 feet off of it and do a skateboard kick or something. Just to be goofy. It's often we've said he's not going to get hurt playing; he's going to hurt himself doing something else. Cartwheels or something."

The Orange County Register recalls that Teemu Selanne has dealt with the annual summertime decision of whether to lace up his skates for another NHL season and hasn't surprised anyone by returning to the Ducks each time.

But with his team possessing a 10-21-6 record and being a near lock at missing the postseason, the franchise icon might have to consider another tough call — whether to ask for a trade to a Stanley Cup contender and leave.

Selanne skated around the topic of possibly leaving the Ducks on Monday as they returned to practice at Honda Center.

"I've read some stories in the papers too about what the situation could be," said Selanne, who took the day off for "maintenance."

"To be honest, I haven't really thought about that too much. I still believe that we can make the playoffs. I don't want to think about that thing before we're out."

When asked by ESPN.com two weeks ago if he would consider trading Selanne, Murray said: "No, he's retiring a Duck and that's the way it's going to be. But the way he's playing, why should he retire?"

Murray reiterated his previous statement Monday through a spokesman.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune notes the Wild put in a long workday Monday at Xcel Energy Center with the objective of refining an out-of-sync game that has led to a 1-6-3 slide.

But getting injured players back can only help, and three returned to practice, including first-line winger Devin Setoguchi. Missing 12 games because of a knee injury, Setoguchi said there's "definitely a good chance" he returns Wednesday when the Wild opens a two-game road trip in Vancouver. The Wild could use the offensive boost the former 30-goal scorer could provide.

"We're going to have to make sure that he's ready," coach Mike Yeo said. "We don't want to bring him back too early, but we could use him right now. And I thought he looked really good today. I didn't think his conditioning looked like it was an issue.

"When you see him out there and you see his skill level, the fact of the matter is we've been missing some of that."

Setoguchi has scored eight goals and 13 points in 28 games. The Wild has gone 3-6-3 without him, falling from first in the conference to fifth before Monday's action.

"You never want to miss games, especially if your teammates are losing," Setoguchi said. "So you want to be back as quick as possible. But at same time you don't want to come back too early and do something where you jeopardize it again."

The Wild will see how he holds up after Tuesday's practice. Setoguchi said he got his wind back and his legs under him surprisingly quick Monday. He certainly looked as if he would be returning -- he took his normal spot on the top line with Mikko Koivu and Dany Heatley and was thrust right into the No. 1 power play.

One point in 10 games. The Buffalo News says you can wrestle all you want with the hows and whys of Zack Kassian getting scratched Saturday night, but that's the bottom-line reason the former first-round draft pick didn't play against the Ottawa Senators and probably will be in the press box tonight against Edmonton.

"I have one point. That's unacceptable and I know that," Kassian said Monday. "I need to be better. When you go 10 games with one point, call-up or not, I hold myself to high expectations. I have to be better."

"The one area he's been real good at is on the outside hanging on to pucks using his body," said coach Lindy Ruff. " ... He's been great on the outside, great shooting on the outside. But with his size and strength, he's got to get to the inside and be a force around the front of the net."

Kassian has three goals, all in his first six games, and three assists in 16 games. He hasn't scored since Dec. 7 against Philadelphia. He was going well on a line with Luke Adam and Ville Leino, but when Leino went down with a foot injury, Kassian's production ended.

"Obviously I've gone on a little bit of a cold streak," Kassian said. "If you work hard, things will happen. You can't hang your head. You have to keep working."

Might it be better for Kassian to go back to Rochester and get big minutes again?

"I couldn't tell you," he said. "You can develop in both places. Both places have good coaches, good development people, a lot of video. Both places are great spots to be."

Email: chris.nichols@sportsnet.rogers.com

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­Chris Nichols is Sportsnet.ca's fantasy hockey writer.