BTP: NOW THE TIME IS RIGHT FOR…… Steve Mason to take control of the Flyer’s crease with Michal Neuvirth out with injury.  Neuvirth was a godsend early on in the season when Mason couldn’t seem to get his footing down.  Mason has started the last 3 and has gone 2-0-1 with the Flyers power play becoming a force to be reckoned with.  We all know that Mason has the ability to be Vezina-like in net and that is what Philadelphia is hoping for down the stretch so as not to miss the playoffs again.  Look for a stellar second half from the former Rookie of the Year. Roberto Luongo to shift into high gear and get his Florida Panthers back to the playoffs.  With the team missing the playoffs the past three seasons, it looks like this squad is playing team hockey and will gain some valuable experience as GM Dale Tallon has built a strong team just like he did in Chicago.   Expect Luongo to play 3 out of every 4 games as Al Montoya has proven to be a more than capable backup going 8-2-1 with a 1.93 GAA and a .931 SP. Antti Niemi to show the NHL once again that he is capable of carrying a team to the Stanley Cup finals like he did in Chicago.  Just like in Chicago, Niemi has plenty of support with Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin at #2 and #3 in the scoring race behind a torrid Patrick Kane.  Niemi has started the last 5 games and has gone 4-1-0 and it looks like Head Coach Lindy Ruff is going with the hot hand in Niemi so start the ex-San Jose Shark with confidence right now as Kari Lehtonen has just started just 4 of the past 15 games and losing 3 of those. Ben Bishop to be that wall the Tampa Bay Lightning saw in the Stanley Cup playoffs last season.  You just knew that the Bolts would get that high-powered offense on track sooner or later and the team has responded of late winning 10 of the past 11 with Bishop going 6-1-0.  BB has given up 1 goal in three of those starts and a shutout in another.  You can say that bishop is in the zone now so leave him in your starting lineup. Jaroslav Halak to bring his A game with the New York Islanders in a battle for a playoff spot in the highly competitive Metropolitan Division.  Halak hasn’t been that guy the past two games giving up 3 and 4 goals but if the Islanders look to expand on last year’s playoff experience, they will need Halak to find that magic he has displayed so often.  Halak has been inconsistent at best this season but there is no time like the present to shake that off and ride the magic bus to the playoffs. Cam...

SMC 11-1-2015 Typical cloudy, cool November day as the hockey season shifts into the second month.  Nice to be inside with a hot cup of joe while thousands of people are running all through the 5 boroughs of NYC. It looks like Detroit’s Gustav Nyquist is coming to life after a somewhat disappointing second season.  It’s November and that means that Pavel Datsyuk is close to returning for the struggling Red Wings.  I looked and saw that the Dallas Stars are atop the Western Conference.  Getting Antti Niemi might be the most underrated off-season move. The Sharks started off hot and now are just floundering.  Didn’t mean to use the bad pun there. NY Islanders Frans Nielsen is a beast so far this season.  Let’s see if the change from October to November affects him much. If Alain Vigneault breaks up the Nash-Brassard-Zuccarello line ever again, he should be interrogated intensely. Happy to see Zuccs fully recovered from that scary incident that happened during practice in last year’s playoffs. The Devils are serving notice that they will be competitive.  Well, that’s until the injuries start taking hold. Los Angeles is for real after that extremely slow start.  And they are doing it without Anze Kopitar being involved much. Devils’ Lee Stempniak is usually a streaky scorer but he seems to be more aware of his surroundings with 6 of his 8 points assists. Stars D John Klingberg is not having any effects of the sophomore jinx as he leads all NHL defenseman in points with 11.  Well, actually tied with those two guys in Montreal and Erik Karlsson.  Some pretty decent company, no? I expected Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin to be atop the league leaders in scoring but a bit surprised to see Boston’s David Krejci up there at number 3. I didn’t realize that Nashville is 7-1-2 on the season.  They certainly have been quiet about it. Toffoli, Carter and Lucic oh my! Jake Muzzin should see his production increase with Christian Ehrhoff now sidelined for a bit. Pittsburgh’s offense has finally erupted with two straight 4 goal games.  Oh wait!  They played Buffalo and Toronto back to back. This is not the Tampa team everyone was expecting to see this season at 5-5-2.  Will Andrej Vasilevskiy cut into Ben Bishop’s playing time this season?  Brad Marchand is having himself a season with 5-4-9 in 8 games. Everyone, well mostly everyone, is expecting the Montreal Canadiens will win the President’s Trophy but the Washington Capitals will give them a good run along with the NY ...

SMC-10/11/2015 Always love this time of year when the leaves start turning colors, Mallomars hit the grocery store shelves and NHL hockey comes back for another season! We at PrimePucks™ expected a big bounce back season from Nathan MacKinnon (77 pts.) and he sure hasn’t disappointed so far in the early going with 5 points in the first two games. Ranger rookie C Oscar Lindberg is surely fitting in just nicely with 3 goals and 4 points in the first three games of the season.  May be too early to go out and grab this kid, but you never know. The PrimePucks™ Rankings are up for your perusal.  The first BETWEEN THE PIPES article is up a few days early as we couldn’t wait to pour it on you.  Our DAILY ROTO LINEUPS have been up since Day 1 and last night was a successful one for yours truly. I didn’t expect Columbus to start out 0-2-0 but they did face the unbeaten NY Rangers in those 2 matches.  They have company in Pittsburgh who started their two games on the road.  Buy low people!  LOL! If Jaroslav Halak battles injuries this season, the Isles will be hard-pressed to repeat last season’s effort. No hangover for these Chicago Blackhawks.  They, instead of the Rangers, could be 3-0 if not for the heroics of Henrik Lundqvist on opening night. The Flyers look just like last year’s version.  Didn’t they get a new coach and new attitude for this season? Detroit may be winning because of other teams being in shock that they have so many young players in pertinent roles which was never the case before.  Or they are just that good of an organization.  I’ll go with the latter. Edmonton played two tough teams to open the season and the schedule doesn’t get any easier any time soon. Artemi Panarin looks like he’s been playing in the NHL for years with the poise he has displayed.  I’d take a chance on him if he’s still available, but I doubt he is. If you are looking for action-packed, high-scoring and any other hyphenated descriptions, watch any Colorado Avalanche game this season.  10 goals in 2 games….Who says global warming is here? Did you know that Buffalo is outscoring Pittsburgh, Anaheim & Edmonton so far?  Useless stat I know, but fun for the moment. Antti Niemi comes in to start his first game for Dallas as part of a so-called platoon and shuts out the Mighty Pittsburgh Penguins.  Then let’s in 6 goals against Colorado in the next start.  Oh boy. Happy for Jimmy Howard to get a shutout in Detroit’s opener.  Been hit with injuries the past two seasons so to ...

#8 CHICAGO What more can you say about a team that has won 3 Stanley Cups in the matter of 6 years?  And the amazing part about them winning those Cups is that they needed to overhaul their team because of salary cap reasons and still managed to remain competitive enough and return to the Cup Finals without too big of gap in between in terms of years.  The team’s cap issues this year led to the team trading away one of their better young talents in Brandon Saad to the Columbus Blue Jackets.  In that deal they were able to get back a few needy pieces and a good young forward in Marko Dano.  Some believe Dano to be the next Marian Hossa, who the Blackhawks still have on their roster.  Patrick Sharp was also a victim of the cap and was traded to the Dallas Stars, who also acquired defenseman Johnny Oduya via free agency.  D-man Trevor Daley was the other side of that Sharp trade so the Hawks managed to fill in critical pieces as they were losing them.  Thank you Brad Richards!  Enjoy your ring, now take care!  All those pieces were crucial to the Hawks Stanley Cup hoisting, but knowing them, they will return there in short order as the core of the team remains intact. GOALIES He probably doesn’t get the respect he deserves but Corey Crawford has been exactly what the Blackhawks have needed as he won both times the hawks went to the Cup finals with him as their #1.  He may not be the flashiest of net minders, nor may he be one of the elite goaltenders, but he has been a part of all three Chicago Championship teams, although he didn’t get any playoff time during their first Cup run with Antti Niemi.  Crawford will return as the #1 and the fans will grumble about his performance when he gets in one of his funks, but the team is a dynasty and he is a major part of that.  His metrics may be average, but he knows how to come up big in the big games. Backup Scott Darling is the local flavor and favorite and has performed admirably as he is getting his feet wet as an NHL goalkeeper. 2014-2015                      GP      GAA       W        L        OTL       SP Corey Crawford            57         2.27       32       20         5         .924   DEFENSE Two-time Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Duncan Keith is about all you need to say about the Chicago defense.  He was just masterful during the Cup run of 2015 and received the playoff Conn Smythe MVP trophy for his efforts.  Build your fantasy defense around this superstar and you won’t be sorry.  He is joined by ...

#8 CHICAGO What more can you say about a team that has won 3 Stanley Cups in the matter of 6 years?  And the amazing part about them winning those Cups is that they needed to overhaul their team because of salary cap reasons and still managed to remain competitive enough and return to the Cup Finals without too big of gap in between in terms of years.  The team’s cap issues this year led to the team trading away one of their better young talents in Brandon Saad to the Columbus Blue Jackets.  In that deal they were able to get back a few needy pieces and a good young forward in Marko Dano.  Some believe Dano to be the next Marian Hossa, who the Blackhawks still have on their roster.  Patrick Sharp was also a victim of the cap and was traded to the Dallas Stars, who also acquired defenseman Johnny Oduya via free agency.  D-man Trevor Daley was the other side of that Sharp trade so the Hawks managed to fill in critical pieces as they were losing them.  Thank you Brad Richards!  Enjoy your ring, now take care!  All those pieces were crucial to the Hawks Stanley Cup hoisting, but knowing them, they will return there in short order as the core of the team remains intact. GOALIES He probably doesn’t get the respect he deserves but Corey Crawford has been exactly what the Blackhawks have needed as he won both times the hawks went to the Cup finals with him as their #1.  He may not be the flashiest of net minders, nor may he be one of the elite goaltenders, but he has been a part of all three Chicago Championship teams, although he didn’t get any playoff time during their first Cup run with Antti Niemi.  Crawford will return as the #1 and the fans will grumble about his performance when he gets in one of his funks, but the team is a dynasty and he is a major part of that.  His metrics may be average, but he knows how to come up big in the big games. Backup Scott Darling is the local flavor and favorite and has performed admirably as he is getting his feet wet as an NHL goalkeeper. 2014-2015                      GP      GAA       W        L        OTL       SP Corey Crawford            57         2.27       32       20         5         .924   DEFENSE Two-time Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Duncan Keith is about all you need to say about the Chicago defense.  He was just masterful during the Cup run of 2015 and received the playoff Conn Smythe MVP trophy for his efforts.  Build your fantasy defense around this superstar and you won’t be sorry.  He is joined by ...

DALLAS STARS Lindsey Ruff hopes that the upcoming season, his 3rd as Dallas head coach, will have a happier ending than last as the Stars failed to get into the playoffs. Despite having the 2nd best offense in the NHL, inconsistent goaltending plus shoddy defensive play were the main factors behind their underachieving effort. Free agent acquisition G Antti Niemi and D Johnnu Oduya were brought in to fortify both areas of weakness while a potent scoring attack got even scarier with the addition of Patrick Sharp. On paper, the Stars are full of high level fantasy options as the team looks ready to maintain a spot amongst the elite offensive units. Whether this translates into team success could be another story.   Goalies One big question facing many fantasy owners is how to deal with the newly created two-headed monster in the crease with Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi. Both have been capable # 1's in recent years, but Lehtonen's clear regression last season led to adding Niemi. A muddling fantasy situation for sure given that the Stars have minimal shutout potential and both will be in the running for the top gig until one stands out to Ruff's liking. If you have already taken two starting goalies, picking up one or both of these underachievers could be a worthwhile late-round gamble.   Defense The emergence of rookie John Klingberg as a scoring machine really swayed many fantasy leagues but the question remains whether he can continue to build on his numbers or suffer a sophomore setback. A loaded staple of elite forwards on the power-play plus Trevor Daley out of the picture and you would think that Klingberg will get loads of chances to rank up points. Think 40-50 pts. with the potential for a lot more the following season. Alex Goligoski is a threat to steal premium power-play time but had been inconsistent at best. Still, the offensively skilled rearguard warrants mid-round consideration as he is a safe bet to collect 35-40 points while playing top-four minutes for this high scoring outfit.    Forwards  On top of the fantasy food chain, you will find Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn ranked as high as 1-2 by many fantasy owners, but for the sake of our purposes, let's consider them safe top 5 selections. This electrifying duo can be good for  200 combined points if all the cards fall right. The addition of Patrick Sharp was supposed to bolster the second line, but he is being tried on the top line early in camp.. Look for a huge rebound season for Sharp ...

DALLAS STARS Lindsey Ruff hopes that the upcoming season, his 3rd as Dallas head coach, will have a happier ending than last as the Stars failed to get into the playoffs. Despite having the 2nd best offense in the NHL, inconsistent goaltending plus shoddy defensive play were the main factors behind their underachieving effort. Free agent acquisition G Antti Niemi and D Johnnu Oduya were brought in to fortify both areas of weakness while a potent scoring attack got even scarier with the addition of Patrick Sharp. On paper, the Stars are full of high level fantasy options as the team looks ready to maintain a spot amongst the elite offensive units. Whether this translates into team success could be another story.   Goalies One big question facing many fantasy owners is how to deal with the newly created two-headed monster in the crease with Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi. Both have been capable no 1's in recent years, but Lehtonen's clear regression last season led to adding Niemi. A muddling fantasy situation for sure given that the Stars have minimal shutout potential and both will be in the running for the top gig until stands out to Ruff's liking. If you have already taken two starting goalies, picking up one or both of these underachievers could be a worthwhile late-round gamble.   Defense The emergence of rookie John Klingberg as a scoring machine really swayed many fantasy leagues but the question remains whether he can continue to build on his numbers or suffer a sophomore setback. A loaded staple of elite forwards on the power-play plus Trevor Daley out of picture and you would think that Klingberg will get loads of chances to rank up points. Think 40-50 pts with the potential for a lot more the following season. Alex Goligoski is a threat to steal premium power-play time but had been inconsistent at best. Still, the offensively skilled rearguard warrants mid-round consideration as he is a safe bet to collect 35-40 points while playing top-four minutes for this high scoring outfit.    Forwards  On top of the fantasy food chain, you will find Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn ranked as high as 1-2 by many fantasy owners, but for the sake of our purposes, let's consider them safe top 5 selections. This electrifying duo can be good for  200 combined points if all the cards fall right. The addition of Patrick Sharp was supposed to bolster the second line, but he is being tried on the top line early in camp.. Look for a huge rebound season for Sharp who has ...

Islanders gain critical 2 points, Detroit struggles to win 5-2, Pekka and Preds finally win again The New York Islanders gained a crucial 2 points in their overtime win over the Toronto Maple Leafs as they try to stave off the charging New York Rangers whom they face tonight on the Island.  A win tonight over their rivals will go a long way in securing their hold on the Metropolitan Division title.  Of course you have to look no further than John Tavares for the Isles offense as he had the OT game-winner and an assist to pad his NHL scoring lead….Islander defenseman Nick Leddy left the game and did not return putting more emphasis on Travis Hamonic to pick up the vacancy that may be created if Leddy is out for any period of time.  Monitor this situation…. Detroit struggled with a clearly inferior Edmonton Oiler team until the 3rd period when they managed to eke out a 5-2 win.  I know it sounds funny to say “eked out a win” especially winning by three goals but two of those were empty-netters that sealed the game late in the 3rd period.  It was the veterans of Henrik Zetterberg (3A) & Pavel Datsyuk (G, A) that provided the offense and leadership as the Red Wings try to close the gap in the Atlantic Division…. Pittsburgh didn’t close out their California string by sweeping the West Coast teams but got the next best thing with a 2-1 overtime loss to San Jose giving them a point, and 5 in three games, in the race for the Metro Division, keeping them 1 point behind the second place Rangers and 4 behind the Islanders with 2 games in hand.  It’s tough to keep the Penguin offense at bay but Antti Niemi had a strong game with 39 saves earning the win.  The Sharks will need lots of strong efforts like this one if they want to get into the playoffs, but it may be a bit too late…. Nashville’s Pekka Rinne finally got a win after losing 5 straight but it was a nail-biter against the Arizona Coyotes and their rookie net minder Louis Domingue, winning by a score of 2-1 in overtime.  The Predators offense has struggled a bit lately but hopefully getting this monkey off their back will lead to better things.  They did pour 40 SOG against the rookie with everyone getting in on that action. So that’s a good sign… Eddie Lack and the Vancouver Canucks got a solid 2-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks winning 2- 1 in regulation.  The win helps keep some distance between the Canucks and those trying to gain a playoff spot.  Lack has now gone 4-1-1 since Ryan Miller was injured.  Keep...

Holtby is unreal; Pittsburgh scoring woes; St. Louis fantasy relevant again; and more... Braden Holtby and the Washington Capitals had an easy time against Ondrej Pavelec and the Winnipeg Jets, winning 5-1 at home.  Having Barry Trotz behind the bench has done wonders for Holtby while it hasn’t deterred Alex Ovechkin from scoring as he netted his 38th on the year.  Enjoy the ride poolies.…The big question is , “why isn’t Winnipeg going with Michael Hutchinson night in, night out?”  The Jets clearly play better in front of Hutch… Who would have thought that the Pittsburgh Penguins would have trouble scoring?  They lost to Columbus last night, 2-1, making it three games in arrow that they only scored once.  You just know that at some point, with all those offensive weapons that they will bust out in a big way…. The New York Islanders are making a habit of scoring early and putting the pressure on opposing teams as they scored a minute into their game against Nashville and never let up against perhaps the best goaltender in the NHL today in Pekka Rinne.  The Islanders are playing like a juggernaut lately and you would be wise to have a few players in your fantasy lineup…. IT was a very spirited game between the New York Rangers and the Vancouver Canucks with the Canucks prevailing in the shootout, 5-4.  The Sedins had 2 points apiece as they continue their comeback season while Martin St. Louis seems to be waking up from his little slumber of late with a goal and an assist in the losing effort.  Keep the veterans in your lineup as they are just too experienced and too good to leave out…. Not much to say about the Philly-Buffalo tilt other than the Flyers dearly miss Steve Mason in the crease and although Jakub Voracek scored a goal, his owners maybe should have "sold high" when he was leading the entire NHL in points. It kinda made sense... Carey Price resembled a mere mortal in the Montreal crease as the Habs continued their season-long tradition of playing down to their opponents at home, losing 3-2 to Florida. However, the Panthers are no slouch and should never be taken lightly. Just ask the Bruins who suddenly have the Cat's breathing down their neck in the playoff race.. San Jose scored a huge road win in Dallas as Antti Niemi thoroughly outplayed the inconsistent Kari Lehtonen in goal. Jamie Benn and Jason Spezza will keep rewarding their fantasy owners as they carry the "O" with Tyler Seguin out. Am so delighted I didn't trade Spezza when I had the...

It appears that St. Louis Blues Vladimir Tarasenko is back on track as he scored his 27th on the season and his third straight game with a goal after going scoreless in 6. What a breakout season for the talented right winger...Jaden Schwartz now has 4 points in 3 February games. He just might be disappointed that February is the shortest month of the year with the rate his month is going...Ever since the turn of the calendar year, Alexander Steen has been on fire.  21 points in 14 games for the New Year has the LWer just about on pace to eclipse last season's career high of 62 points.... The NY Islanders halted their 3-game losing streak by coming back from a 2 goal deficit to defeat the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 in a shootout. Isles G Jaroslav Halak was barely tested throughout the game by facing only 16 shots on goal.... Braden Holtby is loving life playing for Washington Capitals Head Coach Barry Trotz as he turned aside 25 of 26 SOG for his 25th win on the season. He is well on his way to a 40-win career year... Roberto Luongo does it again, giving the Florida Panthers a chance to win the game as they battled to a 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings. Luongo stopped 29 of 31 SOG and is the main reason the Cats are in playoff contention.  Keep riding Bobby Lu!.... The story coming in was Pekka Rinne back in net for Nashville, but the story coming out was Federik Andersen stopping 44 of 46 shots to lead Anaheim to a 5-2 win over the Predators. The youngster righted the ship after allowing eight goals over his last two starts and now has won nine of his last ten games. Start him with extreme confidence.. So much for the sophomore jinx, as Tyler Johnson scored two late goals to help the Lightning hold off Dallas. There were signs of slippage after a slow ten-game stretch but he is back on a point-per-game-pace with 51 points in 51 games.. With Jimmy Howard close to returning, Petr Mrazek kept the Wings "hot" streak alive by posting a 28-save shutout over the Colorado Avalanche. Regardless of whomever is in the Detroit net, they need to be starting in all fantasy formats. Few teams playing better than the Wings lately... The Sharks crushed the Canucks 5-1 behind a streaking Antti Niemi, while Ryan Miller has been regressing lately. Niemi easily over Miller in fantasy moving forward...