SMC 12/8/2019 Hope you are enjoying a cup of fresh brew on this chilly December morn! Thoughts this week were mostly on the Calgary Flames and their new Head Coach Geoff Ward.  Seems he is trying different line combos looking for something that works like magic. You would think these are buy-low moments for the likes of Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan and Elias Lindholm.  Calgary D Mark Giordano had a season of all seasons last year but when the previous two were just in the 30s no reason to believe he would return to that historical level of 74 points. John Carlson is having himself a 2018-2019 Giordano-type season isn’t he? If you are looking for points on any given night, just look for a Vancouver Canucks game because they don’t seem to be lacking in points. I have always thought highly of Evgeni Malkin, especially when Sidney Crosby goes down because he really steps up. Not that I wish badly on Crosby, just Malkin turns on the beast mode. Pittsburgh will fight for a playoff spot this season but the emergence of G Tristan Jarry and D John Marino make the future a little brighter as the team ages. The other Pennsylvania team also has some young guns in D Ivan Provorov and C Morgan Frost amongst others that their future looks just as bright. Anthony Duclair may be good for those fantasy teams that need goals because he looks relaxed in Ottawa.  If you believe he won’t be traded, then add him.  If traded, that could disrupt his comfy flow and production. Vancouver D Tyler Myers not getting the PP time that was made available by Alex Edler’s IR stint that some had alluded to. Hmmmm. Looks like Boston took the night off against the Colorado Avalanche with only 19 SOG against the pair of Avs goalies. G Phillip Grubauer left after tweaking something on a save early in the  game. Add Pavel Francouz if in need of goaltending just in case if you haven’t added as a handcuff yet. Detroit is really having a crap year aren’t they? And they looked so good in their season opener.  Oh well. They are on a current 11-game losing streak.  And before the 3-game winning streak that preceded this current losing one, they lose 12 of 13.  And still no coaching change.  Interesting. Lightning have found their offense lately but no the San Jose Sharks. More like sand sharks than Great Whites. Brent Burns?  Brent Burns?  Where are you?  All you fantasy owners are wondering where you have gone off to. Amazing how the Dallas Stars and the Minnesota Wild have made themselves ...

SMC 12/1/2019 Hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving that were celebrating! If the NY Rangers can find consistency to their game, they could be poised for a very good second half.  IF they remain healthy of course. This Adam Fox is such a joy to watch.  He seems like a complete defenseman.  Crazy that the other teams couldn’t persuade him to sign on with them. Penguins getting hit by injuries could create an opening for that last playoff spot.  In the PP Guide, I predicted the Penguins wouldn’t make the playoffs this year. I can’t for the life of me see how the Devils can be this bad.  Buy low team right now. The Detroit Red Wings look like a minor league team these days. #1 draft pick in the cards. The Nashville Predators need to find their game and fast because Laviolette could be next head coach gone. A coaching change sure looks like it benefitted the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Calgary Flames followed Toronto’s lead in order to save their playoff hopes. No Stanley Cup hangover for the St. Louis Blues as they sit at 17-5-6 atop the Central Division. Chicago Blackhawks may not have enough unless they get themselves on a long hot streak to get back into the playoff picture. The Colorado Avalanche should start to rumble as they get key players back into the lineup. Edmonton and Arizona hanging tough atop the Pacific Division.  Who will fall? Have you seen the rise of teams like Dallas and San Jose lately?  Teams that look to be dead in the water after a horrendous start to their seasons. Timo Meier is a buy-low candidate as it looks like he is starting to turn things around.  Goal scorers tend to get on a roll. Brent Burns seems to have gone AWOL on the stat sheet lately. Had a few chats this week about veterans off to poor starts like Wheeler, Benn, Voracek, etc. and my advice was if you can hold onto these guys, do so, because veterans tend to turn it up around the start of the new year when they know games mean a lot more. Short post this week as I have Christmas lights & decorations to put before the snow! May all your fantasies come true this week!

Brent Burns is back on track and in a good spot on Tuesday. Which other NHL players should you target for today's DFS contests?

Brent Burns' salary has fallen enough to make him a huge value against the Stars. Who else should be on your radar in NHL DFS tonight?

Despite a recent scoring slump, Brent Burns is once again an elite fantasy option against Dallas tonight. Who else should be on your radar in DFS?

Brent Burns looks to get back on track against Winnipeg. Who else should be on your radar for NHL DFS contests on Monday?

It's easy to make a case for Brent Burns just about every night. What about the other players you should roster tonight?

SMC 2/26/20017 QUICK RETURNS IN TAX SEASON! Goooooooooood morning Hockeynam!  Got my coffee and ready to go!  My apologies for not writing last week as I was away with the family on a ski weekend. Back now with about 6 weeks remaining the regular season. Jonathan Quick is back and that means the LA Kings should be rolling on all cylinders to gain a playoff spot, barring any key injuries of course. Tyler Toffoli took a few games but lit the lamp twice in Saturday’s tilt against crosstown rivals, the Anaheim Ducks. Don’t worry Duck fans, if John Gibson is out longer than expected, they are in capable hands of Jonathan Bernier. 7-11 is Tanner Pearson’s lucky number with 11 points in past 7 games.  Breaking out!  He had the assist hat trick against the Ducks. It was that LA 70’s Show with Jeff Carter, Toffoli and Pearson amassing 7 points appropriately enough. With 5 points in last 3 games it appears that New Jersey Devil Kyle Palmieri is turning around his dreadful fantasy season.  Well, dreadful compared to last season. The NY Rangers are one of the hottest teams in the NHL at the moment with an 8-1-1 record over the past 10.  They are getting scoring from all 4 lines again just like early in the season. The Nashville Predators are a strange team to figure out this season.  They should make the playoffs but it feels like they shouldn’t because of their inconsistent play this season. Speaking of the inconsistency and the Preds, will they rely on Juuse Saros more next season in the slow transition to their #1? Viktor Arvidsson is having the type of season fantasy owners love to predict as their dark horse before the season and take him in one of the last rounds of the draft and puff out their chest when things work out.  I don’t think many had Arvidsson in their sights though. The Columbus Blue Jackets seem well rested in their return from that NHL mandatory break and blew the NY Islanders out of the water with a 7-0 cannon blast. Did Alex Ovechkin not record a shot on goal against Nashville on Saturday?  Has this ever happened before?  I’m stunned. John Carlson was the hog with 10 SOG though….maybe OV was deferring to JC’s accuracy. Seth Jones didn’t record a single point in that 7-0 win over the Islanders. Toronto and Montreal had a tightly fought contest for Hockey Night in Canada with the Habs prevailing in OT 3-2. The battle of Pennsylvania went to the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-2 as Matt Murray helped the Pens keep pace in the Metropolitan division. It ...

Brent Burns is one of the top fantasy hockey producers and has a decent matchup Thursday against the Lightning. Who else should you target in NHL DFS contests?

Logan Couture and Brent Burns should fill up the stat sheet today against the Winnipeg Jets. Who else should be in your NHL DFS tournament lineups?