Good day poolies! Finally some hockey news and action with the Traverse City rookie tournament starting place this week and some signings to speak of.  "Jumbo" Joe Thornton returns for another season in San Jose which should help the Sharks transition from the departure of the other Joe, Joe Pavelski and Joonas Donskoi heading to Colorado.   Carolina bolsters their defensive unit with the signing of free-agent Jake Gardiner.  The former Maple Leaf held some promise while in Toronto but could never fulfill the expectations and also didn't show consistency. Taking a backseat to Morgan Reilly and Tyson Barrie wouldn't have helped his cause but also allowed the Leafs to move on. Both players have been updated in the Guide for their respective teams and also included in the TierAdvantage system. Enjoy the rest of the weekend and hope you enjoy some of the rookie tournaments.  Camps open soon! Ray  

Captain Toews to the rescue, Shoot’em out in Wild West, Ducks & Habs losing helps Rangers The Buffalo Sabres almost made it 2 in a row by scaring the Chicago Blackhawks until Captain Jonathan Toews rescued the Hawks from a humiliating defeat against the NHL’s worst team by scoring two late goals with less than 2 minutes remaining to give the Blackhawks a 4-3 win.  Toews just shows what a tremendous talent he is by upping his game in the wake of losing Patrick Kane for the last month and a half and carrying the team to within reach of the Central division crown…Brandon Saad added 2 assists and has 6 points in the last six games.  Perhaps the time has come for the young LWer.  With next year being his fourth, you could see a good jump in production from the 50’s level to perhaps a 70-point campaign….For those looking ahead to next season, Buffalo’s defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen may be the main cog on the Sabres’ power play along with Zach Bogosian.  Regardless, Buffalo has a tremendous amount of defensive young talent to build the team up on.  And don’t forget Sam Reinhart…. The New Jersey Devils actually helped their cross-river rivals, the New York Rangers, by beating the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 in a shootout, keeping the Mighty Habs from gaining that extra point that is so crucial at this point of the season.  It was a battle of the backups as both teams have or had back-to-back nights… It was a regular ‘shoot-em out in the Old West’ as the St. Louis Blues outlasted the Dallas Stars 7-5 last night in a game atypical at this time of year.  With Vladimir Tarasenko sidelined, Patrik Berglund has stepped up his production of late with 6 points in last 4 games.  Berglund has never lived up to his scoring potential but has come on of late...Jaden Schwartz had a hattie and showed that he can score without the talented Tarasenko giving the Blues a potent duo for years to come…Dallas has their own potent duo in Jamie Benn (2G, A) and Tyler Seguin (G, 2A) as both contributed with 3 points each in the loss.  You can probably expect more matches like this in the upcoming years… The New York Rangers got some more help as the Colorado Avalanche defeated the Anaheim Ducks 4-2, keeping the Ducks from expanding their 2-point lead over the Rangers for the President’s Cup.  With 2 assists Avs’ defenseman Tyson Barrie cracked the 50-point plateau, bettering his previous high of 38 set last year.  Barrie has arrived big time and should be high on your draft lists next ...

Buffalo stomps Leafs, Ain't that a Schenn and a Silfverberg lining in Anaheim The Buffalo Sabres scored three unanswered goals to defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3 in a game with little relevance at this stage of the season.  4 different goal-scorers for the Sabres, so no big help there in the waning two weeks for fantasy players but Phil Kessel and Tyler Bozak have shown signs of life of late and both added 2 assists on the night so keep playing those two especially against weaker opponents…. In the battle of Pennsylvania, it was the Flyers who showed some scoring punch with a 4-1 win over the Penguins. Brayden Schenn was the scoring star with 2 goals giving him 16 on the year.  It has been a bit of a disappointing year for the young forward who we expected to have more of a breakout season.  Perhaps next year….Meanwhile, the Penguins have only scored more than 2 goals in regulation twice in the last 10 games in which they have gone 3-6-1.  Not exactly lighting the world on fire especially with that lineup.... The Anaheim Ducks blasted the Edmonton Oilers 5-1 to claim the Pacific Division title and eighth win in the last ten games. Jakub Silfverberg had a career night with three assists and could be a decent play over the last week while the stars get rested a bit in Anaheim.. Thanks to a 5-1 drubbing of Colorado, the San Jose Sharks are still alive in the playoff hunt. Logan Couture continues to be a strong fantasy option down the stretch with two more points. BTW, what happened to Joe Thornton? Six straight games with no points.

The huge news of the night involved the lower-body injury suffered by Tyler Seguin after a low hit by Florida's Dimitry Kulikov. Seguin owners and Dallas fans are holding their breath as he could miss significant time if the MRI reveals major damage. If you want to look ahead, Jason Spezza would stand to be the major fantasy beneficiary during Seguin's potential absence. But let's hope the superstar is ok and misses minimum time.. I found it real funny and somewhat predictable that Kari Lehtonen turned in arguably his strongest performance of the season on the heels of the Stars acquiring goalie Jhonas Enroth in a trade. Lehtonen needed a kick in the butt to get his game going so fantasy owners owe Mr. Enroth a big thank you.. Fantasy star of the night honors belongs to San Jose's Joe Pavelski who collected a hat trick to raise his goal total to 31, good for fourth in the NHL. 'Little Joe" deserves way more fantasy recognition but it's the more famous "Joe"-Mr. Thornton- who has been killing it lately with 14 points over his last ten games. After a few seasons of showing some decline, the veteran center is scoring again at a point-per-game clip. Start him while he pumps out assists at such a high rate.. Marian Hossa is taking a page out of Joe Thornton's book and has turned back the clock lately with another two-point effort, his fourth straight. With seven goals over that span, the Slovakian winger is absolutely on a roll and needs to be starting while he is streaking... The "Wayne Train" is flying express these days, as Wayne Simmonds is heating up again. His two goals and an assist gives him six points over his last five games. Get him in your lineup now but be prepared to pull the plug soon when he goes cold. There is no middle ground with Simmonds. He is either great or not...  

The New York Rangers keep plugging along and now sit just 3 points behind Division leader New York Islanders with a game in hand and just 6 points off Conference leader Tampa Bay with 3 games in hand. It should be a good race to the end especially if Rick Nash continues his tremendous season. Nash notched his 30th and 31st goals on the season and there seems to be no stopping him....Keep an eye on Mats Zuccarello as he had a goal and an assist against Florida last night and could be in store to for a good second half. Zuccarello, at .56 ppg, is currently well behind last season's scoring pace but should regain close to his .76 point-per-game pace he achieved last season.....Ranger D-man Dan Boyle has scored goals in two straight games and could finally be contributing the way the Blueshirts had been hoping for... Are the Edmonton Oilers waking up finally? Jordan Eberle had his best game of the season with 2 goals as the Oil beat the San Jose Sharks 5-4 in a shootout. Like all the Edmonton forwards the talent is there, it's just a matter of time before...BAM!...Edmonton D-man Justin Schultz had a goal and assist but polices have soured on the uber-talented defenseman but he is still only 24 years old, but one day!...Joe Pavelski just keeps heading towards matching last season's career year with 2 goals and an assist giving him 46 in 51 games...Joe Thornton had 3 assists extending his scoring streak to 6 games and has 7 points during that streak.

Winnipeg starting goalie Michael Hutchinson (34/37 SV) did his best to steal the game against the San Jose Sharks last night but was done in by a goal with just under 5 seconds left in regulation to lose 3-2. The Jets were battling from behind all night as they took 7 penalties but Hutchinson, starter of 5 of last 6, kept them in the game with his stellar play.  Look for Hutchinson to continue to start the majority of games coming up on the schedule as the team seems to play better with Hutch in net.  Brent Burns (G,A), Joe Pavelski (2A) and Logan Couture (2A)were the catalysts for the Sharks as they played their second straight game with Joe Thornton who is out with a upper-body injury.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!! WISHING THE BEST OF HEALTH, HAPPINESS AND LOTS OF HOCKEY! A lot of games on NYE preceding the Winter Classic today pitting the Chicago Blackhawks against the Washington Capitals at Nationals Park. The game is scheduled to go off at 1:00 pm but expect delays because of sun glare on the ice making it difficult for the players to see.  Some previous games were delayed up to 2 hours, so be prepared.... It was all the Ryan-Strome-Frans Nielsen-Anders Lee last night for the NY Islanders as they defeated the Jets at Winnipeg. The Isles benefitted from playing against the lesser of their goalies in Ondrej Pavelec but the play of the SNL line was on point last night. Strome (G, 3A), Nielsen (2G, A) and Lee (G, A) combined for 9 points in the victory and 13 in last 2 games.  Perhaps you need to get one of these players in your lineup as it looks like there are heating up for the New Year....Jaroslav Halak won his 20th in 26 starts. Islander fans hope this performance carries over to 2015.... After losing their first matchup in Buffalo on December 2nd in a shootout, it has been all Tampa Bay in the next two, winning 5-0 2 days later and then 5-1 last to finish December with a 4-game winning streak. Ondrej Palat-Tyler Johnson-Nikita Kucherov remain hot for the Bolts with the trio combining for 10 points matching the Islanders hot line. Everyone was expecting the Lightning to get bulk of their scoring from the Stamkos line but these youngsters are making a major impression right now.... Don't look now but it looks like the New York Rangers are the hottest team in the NHL right now as they are getting contributions from up and down their entire lineup and it all starts from G Henrik Lundqvist who is in the zone right now. Winners of 9 of their last 10, the Blueshirts have shaken off all doubts from earlier in the season and are looked primed to build for the playoffs.... If you haven't noticed the Dallas Stars are streaking right now going 8-2-0 to climb back into the playoff picture after struggling in the month of November. G Kari Lehtonen has been on a resurgence winning 8 of December starts, capping off 2014 with a 6-0 shutout of the Arizona Coyotes. Lehtonen is a solid number 2 goalie in all fantasy scenarios... SCRAPS San Jose's Antti Niemi posted a 3-0 shutout of the Anaheim Ducks raising his record to 15-8-4. The Sharks lost Joe Thornton to injury in the first period and he did not return to the game. More news on his injury as it ...

Let's start off with saying "Hat's off to Nick" as the cerebral passing machine known as Nicklas Backstrom collected his first career regular season "hat trick" in Washington's 4-2 win over Tampa Bay. His career high in goals scored was 33 in 2009-10, but he routinely falls in the 15-20 category. Meaning, don't get overly excited over his scoring explosion. His point-per-game ways will continue this season thanks to a healthy dose of assists.. Need to mention our second fantasy star of the night, Kris Letang who has played this season like a man on a mission, scoring another two goals in Pittsburgh's losing effort to Columbus. He has collected points in five straight games, plus goals in three straight. With 21 points on the season and injury-free again, get him in your starting line-ups ASAP.. Should we start to take Buffalo's goalie Jhonas Enroth seriously in all fantasy leagues? The streaking Swede did not enjoy his best night by any means but held on for his eighth win in his last ten starts. The Sabres have been gaining much confidence during this hot stretch and are even scoring some goals. When you see them defeating Florida and Calgary by the score of 4-3, then you know the team is trending upward. I say use Enroth as a solid no. 2 if your goaltending is struggling.. Tyler Seguin is the "man" again, scoring a goal and an assist in the 4-2 Dallas triumph over New Jersey. His 23 goals and 38 points leads the entire NHL, while his robust 118 SOG ranks him second. Superstar status has arrived.. Want to add that Jason Spezza is back on Seguin's line. His two points last night was no coincidence. Start him immediately... The formula is simple for Philly's offensive success- secondary scoring is a must and it's been on display over recent games. Third-line center Sean Couturier scored a goal in their 5-1 win over Carolina, extending his point to six games. Wayne Simmonds is back on one of his famous hot streaks, collecting the game-winner plus a helper so use him while he is on fire. The Flyers have been buzzing on offense as top dogs Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek continue to lead the way.. Where have you been, Mats? Despite sub-par offensive production at the quarter mark, Mr. Zuccarello sparked the 'Blueshirts to a 5-1 win over Vancouver with his two goals. With 13 points in 25 games, he is falling way short of his 59-point pace he set last season, but consider "buying low" on him. He was moved up to the Rick Nash-Derick Brassard line, which would ...

Let's start off with saying "Hat's off to Nick" as the cerebral passing machine known as Nicklas Backstrom collected his first career regular season "hat trick" in Washington's 4-2 win over Tampa Bay. His career high in goals scored was 33 in 2009-10, but he routinely falls in the 15-20 category. Meaning, don't get overly excited over his scoring explosion. His point-per-game ways will continue this season thanks to a healthy dose of assists.. Need to mention our second fantasy star of the night, Kris Letang who has played this season like a man on a mission, scoring another two goals in Pittsburgh's losing effort to Columbus. He has collected points in five straight games, plus goals in three straight. With 21 points on the season and injury-free again, get him in your starting line-ups ASAP.. Should we start to take Buffalo's goalie Jhonas Enroth seriously in all fantasy leagues? The streaking Swede did not enjoy his best night by any means but held on for his eighth win in his last ten starts. The Sabres have been gaining much confidence during this hot stretch and are even scoring some goals. When you see them defeating Florida and Calgary by the score of 4-3, then you know the team is trending upward. I say use Enroth as a solid no. 2 if your goaltending is struggling.. Tyler Seguin is the "man" again, scoring a goal and an assist in the 4-2 Dallas triumph over New Jersey. His 23 goals and 38 points leads the entire NHL, while his robust 118 SOG ranks him second. Superstar status has arrived.. Want to add that Jason Spezza is back on Seguin's line. His two points last night was no coincidence. Start him immediately... The formula is simple for Philly's offensive success- secondary scoring is a must and it's been on display over recent games. Third-line center Sean Couturier scored a goal in their 5-1 win over Carolina, extending his point to six games. Wayne Simmonds is back on one of his famous hot streaks, collecting the game-winner plus a helper so use him while he is on fire. The Flyers have been buzzing on offense as top dogs Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek continue to lead the way.. Where have you been, Mats? Despite sub-par offensive production at the quarter mark, Mr. Zuccarello sparked the 'Blueshirts to a 5-1 win over Vancouver with his two goals. With 13 points in 25 games, he is falling way short of his 59-point pace he set last season, but consider "buying low" on him. He was moved up to the Rick Nash-Derick Brassard line, which would ...

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving holiday! Coffee time! The Flyers are in a bad state right now. Something is going to happen sooner than later. The mumps are making their way around the NHL. That's right, the mumps. Tyler Seguin is having a monster year. Who woulda thought that Columbus would be the worst team in the NHL right now? It's not Ryan Johansen or Nick Foligno's fault the Jackets are last in the Eastern Conference. The Buffalo Sabres are on fire, going 5-5-0 in last 10! It is sad how the Edmonton Oilers aren't better yet. The Toronto Maple Leafs are 12-8-3. I thought they were having a terrible season? Tyler Bozak is having himself a very nice season. I knew the Islanders would be better this season, but not "tied at the top of the Eastern Conference with the Penguins, Lightning and Canadiens" better! I wonder if New Jersey will beat Philadelphia in making a head coaching change. Pekka Rinne is better than ever since his hip surgery/infection last season. Zach Parise fans will be happy that he had 9 SOG against St. Louis on Saturday night. Thomas Vanek has not been his normal self ever since going to Montreal last year. The Colorado Avalanche have quietly gone 6-4-0 and are climbing back into the race. IF there is any player that is ready to go on a streak it's Jarome Iginla.   A notorious slow starter, it's around this time of the year when his game comes around. Kris Versteeg and Alex Tanguay are two veterans who are having better than expected productive seasons so far. That Calgary defense can sure put up points, can't they? Joe Thornton did not have a SOG last night against Anaheim. I wish they had a stat like, Attempted Assists because Jumbo Joe would probably lead that category every game. Calgary and Nashville at, or near, the top of the Western Conference standings. Impressive! Henrik Lundqvist has 9 wins, 4 of those by shutout. Have a great week and I hope all your fantasies come true.