Kris Versteeg is in a great spot on Monday. Who else should be on your radar in DFS NHL contests?

SMC 11-8-2015 If anyone hasn’t noticed yet, the Buffalo Sabres are going to be a tough opponent this year. Especially once Robin Lehner returns and gets into mid-season form. Rasmus Ristolainen is going to be a force for the Sabres power play someday soon. Along with Jake Eichel and Sam Reinhart amongst others, this team will be quite competitive for some time. The LA Kings seem to be on a mission this year which doesn’t bode well for the Western Conference. The window of opportunity of getting any Anaheim Duck player on the cheap is quickly closing with the 4-game winning streak.  They dug themselves a bit of a hole but they are the team who can overcome that in a hurry. Anze Kopitar is going for the CY Young award this season with 5 goals and an assist at this point in the season. Panther fans are still waiting for that late season magic displayed last year with the arrival of Jaromir Jagr.  Growing pains with young talent will always be the case no matter what. Tyler Toffoli with 7 points in past 6 games has arrived.  Mike Condon is almost a splitting image of Carey Price, but not really. Who would’ve thought that the Philadelphia Flyers were going to shut out the mighty Winnipeg Jets?  And can Michal Neuvirth get a win without shutting out the other team?  All three of his wins have come by shutout. Toronto keeps losing but they are playing better.  Just looks bad seeing all those red ‘L’s in a row. Nazem Kadri with 7 SOG still couldn’t beat out Mr. SOG Alex Ovechkin who had 8. Kris Versteeg is leading the Carolina Hurricanes in points with 10.  Shame on you Eric Staal. St. Louis has started Jake Allen 6 games in a row and he has won 5 of those.  Looks like he is ready for full-time #1 duties. Remember Magnus Paajarvi?  He played last night for the Blues.  That’s the second game he has played this season. This Colton Parayko is something else.  Scored on the PP even though Kevin Shattenkirk returned to the lineup last night. Since Filip Forsberg isn’t grabbing the headlines like he did last year, some owners may think he doesn’t have it this season, but he still has 8 points in 13 games.  One good streak and he is on his way.  Buy low? No Parise?  No Problem says Devan Dubnyk.  Just let me go back in time to a year ago and play like I know I can; a 1-0 shutout of the Tampa Bay Lightning. No small feat. I think Tampa’s Nikita Kucherov is ready to break out. The NY Rangers know what they had in their grasps last year and are determined to get back ...

While this year's verson did not get the media hype of past year's, the New Year Day Winter Classic between Chicago and Washington was as spectacularly done and as well played as any other. The home team ended up on top thanks to a late game tally by Troy Brouwer and superb goaltending by Braden Holtby (33/35 saves). Alex Ovechkin was easily the most dangerous forward on the ice, causing havoc with every shift and resulting in a dominant two-point effort. For Chicago, Patrick Sharp was also a "beast", scoring a power-play goal and racking up 10 SOG. Kris Versteeg left the game due to a hand injury and according to Chicago coach Joel Quenneville, "will be out for awhile". Last night's 3-2 win for the Kings over the Canucks featured three unanswered tallies for the road team in the third period. Of fantasy conswquence, winger Radim Vrbata paced the Canucks in the losing effort with a goal and an assist, raising his totals to 28 points in 34 games. With five points in his last five games, the streaky winger should be able to surpass his career-high of 62 points with the Sedin twins as his line-mates. Start him as a solid no.4/5 fantasy forward option..

While this year's verson did not get the media hype of past year's, the New Year Day Winter Classic between Chicago and Washington was as spectacularly done and as well played as any other. The home team ended up on top thanks to a late game tally by Troy Brouwer and superb goaltending by Braden Holtby (33/35 saves). Alex Ovechkin was easily the most dangerous forward on the ice, causing havoc with every shift and resulting in a dominant two-point effort. For Chicago, Patrick Sharp was also a "beast", scoring a power-play goal and racking up 10 SOG. Kris Versteeg left the game due to a hand injury and according to Chicago coach Joel Quenneville, "will be out for awhile". Last night's 3-2 win for the Kings over the Canucks featured three unanswered tallies for the road team in the third period. Of fantasy conswquence, winger Radim Vrbata paced the Canucks in the losing effort with a goal and an assist, raising his totals to 28 points in 34 games. With five points in his last five games, the streaky winger should be able to surpass his career-high of 62 points with the Sedin twins as his line-mates. Start him as a solid no.4/5 fantasy forward option..

Hooray to the great Martin Brodeur for picking up his first win For St. Louis, after stopping 14 of 16 shots in relief of an ineffective Jake Allen. Somewhere way inside me, I have a feeling he can push Allen for playing time given his tremendous future HOF pedigree but am not sure how it would play out when Brian Elliott returns. I would say that if you any room on your bench, stashing him for now might not be the worst idea.. To stay on this game, Kevin Shattenkirk's three points has vaulted him to second amongst NHL defensemen in scoring with 22 points. For fantasy formats that reward power-play points, he actually leads all d-men in power-play assists with 14. As elite as they come.. Up-and-coming Florida defenseman Aaron Ekblad is making quite the rookie impact with three more assists, giving him 17 points in 26 games. While its unreasonable to expect the youngster to maintain that level of production, I could easily see him pull off a "Tyler Myers"... Chicago's other great line came up huge for the second straight match, as Marian Hossa scored two goals in the 3-1 win over Nashville. Patrick Kane and Kris Versteeg have been dynamite on the second line, but the impending return of Patrick Sharp to the top unit might give them the edge going forward. Nonetheless, plenty of goals to go around as the Blackhawks are explosive.. While Sidney Crosby and Jakub Voracek have been battling for the NHL scoring lead seemingly all season long, studly Tyler Seguin roared past the two with a three-point effort and now also leads in goals scored with 21. There is a subtle "change of the fantasy guard" going on here, as the Dallas center making a bold statement for universal top-three selection in next year's fantasy drafts... Maybe it's time to change Mark Giordano's first name to "Norris" as the Calgary defenseman continues to prove that his breakout season of 2013-14 was no fluke. With his goal last night, he now leads all defensemen with 28 points. His point-per-game production last year-.73- ranked third only behind Erik Karlsson and Duncan Keith, so he keep your faith in this guy. He's legit elite and not worth trading under most circumstances... Shades of heavy-duty Vezina form for goalie Sergei Bobrovsky lately, as he turned aside 33 shots in the improbable victory in Tampa. He has now won three straight for an injury-plagued Columbus squad and should only get better as the team gets healthier. Your "buy-low" window is closing rapidly... MORE COMING..

Most important news of the night was that Corey Perry left the game with an apparent knee injury on a check along the side boards. The seriousness of his injury is not known at this time but after a sensational start to the season, Perry will continue to travel with the team, so the eseverity of his injury might not be that bad.  This injury, and his recent bout with the mumps and I'm sure Perry can't wait for the new year to begin.... Anaheim Duck G Frederik Andersen (21/25 SV) didn't have his best game but managed to play well enough for his 13th win on the season. With the recent tryout of one-time Duck Ilya Bryzgalov and rookie John Gibson still recovering from a lower-body injury, it appears that Andersen will be manning the crease for the foreseeable future.  If, and when, Bryzgalov signs, Gibson seems to be headed for the minors to develop his game once he returns from injury.... Minnesota G Darcy Kuemper (13/18 SV) didn't have his best game either as he was pulled after letting in all 5 goals in the Ducks 5-4 win over the Wild. Kuemper's play has been off-and-on lately going 3-3-0 in last 6 starts.  The Wild need consistent play form their net minders and with Josh Harding lurking in the AHL, Kuemper's days as the undisputed no. 1 in Minnesota may be drawing to a close.... The good thing to come out of this game was the play of Ryan Kesler who had 2 goals and an assist. Kesler will need to bring his ‘A' game as Perry could be out of the lineup for a period of time depending on the severity of his injury.... Winnipeg G Michael Hutchinson (20/22 SV) is not making it easy for the Jets coaching staff not to play him more regularly as he put in another superb performance by allowing just 2 goals or less in a game for the sixth straight start. Ondrej Pavelec owners need to grab him as a handcuff pronto.....The line of Bryan Little (3G, A), Andrew Ladd (G, 2A) and Blake Wheeler (3A) were the offensive stars of the game. Perhaps the Colorado Avalanche were exactly what the doctor ordered for the Jets' offense and is a sign of things for Winnipeg forwards.... The Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-3 on a last minute goal by Brandon Saad who now has 3 points in the last 3 games showing signs of breaking out of an early season slump....Kris Versteeg continued his resurgence as a Blackhawk with another power play assist, making that 8 points in last 5 games and 22 points in 22 games. Perhaps the imminent return of Patrick Sharp will slow ...

With 7 points in the past 4 games and 15 points in past 9, it is safe to say that Chicago's Patrick Kane is on fire. Kane's 2 goals paced the way in the Blackhawk's win over Jake Allen (29/33 SV) and the St. Louis Blues. ...Allen didn't have his best game and new Blue Martin Brodeur will make his debut tonight against the Nashville Predators....Antti Raanta turned aside 40 shots on goal to earn the win in his first start since October 25th. Raanta should see most of the action over the next few weeks as starter Corey Crawford recovers from a lower-body injury... Kris Versteeg has shown no signs of slowing down as he pitched in with a goal and 2 assists giving him 7 points in last 3 games. Versteeg es en fuego!  He now has 21 points in 21 games played this season.  Grab him as he is for real.... Minnesota's Darcy Kuemper (18/19 SV) came within a minute of pitching a shutout against the Montreal Canadiens but Alex Galchenyuk spoiled that bid. Kuemper is solidifying his hold on the starter's role but things can change if and when Josh Harding is ready to return to NHL action. The Wild will need to address their soon to crowded goaltending core..... Will the Edmonton Oilers ever win another game this season? That's 11 straight losses with 4 of those losses in overtime so they did manage to grab 4 points out of this ordeal.  Big deal, right?  Something will have to give for these poor Oiler fans who have suffered long enough.... The Philadelphia Flyers are just a touch above the Edmonton Oilers as they have now lost 10 of their last 11 with a 5-4 shootout loss to the Anaheim Ducks last night....Wayne Simmonds scored twice and, with 7 SOG, may be on the verge of breaking out of his slump. The Flyers are in a desperate state and something big may be lurking just around the corner.  He does have 17 points in 25 games but more was expected of the RWer....

Jiri Hudler RW, Calgary: The Czech winger has poured it on lately for the Flames, collecting eight points during a current four game point streak. The departures of key veteran scorers over the last few years has resulted in a more prominent role for Hudler, who looks to build on his 54-point season from last year. With 23 points in 24 games, he looks poised to do just that. The Flames look for real and so does Hudler.. Kris Versteeg RW, Chicago: Having prospered with a plum assignment on the second line, Versteeg has scored close to a PPG clip with 18 points in 20 games. The impending return of Patrick Sharp will change things, but there is no guarantee that the prolific Kane-Versteeg-Richards line will be dismantled. At the very least, Versteeg is worth a short-term look for fantasy teams struggling on offense. He could very much have a longer fantasy impact if he continues to click with his line-mates. Justin Faulk D, Carolina: With 14 points in November, the young rearguard has taken his game to the next level for the Hurricanes. How he is still available in over 50% of ESPN fantasy leagues is beyond me, as Faulk should be a safe bet to reach the 40-point mark. Scoop him up ASAP. Matt Niskanen D, Washington; This one is pretty simple: He plays big when replacing key offensive defensemen on the power-play. Last season, it was Kris Letang who went down and Niskanen responded with a career-high of 46 points. This year, he has scored five points in the last four games as Mike Green is currently out of the line-up. Overall, his numbers are not impressive but he is worth starting while Green is out. Jhonas Enroth G, Buffalo: After sweeping a weekend home-and-home series against Montreal, the 26-year old has won 4 of his last 5 starts. Even though Michal Neuvirth was the superior goalie prior to his injury, it seems that Enroth could hold onto the starting job with his recent "hot" streak. If you want to get your hands on a sleeper goalie with some upside, he might be your guy.

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.

The Philadelphia Flyers are just in a bad state right now as they lost for the 8th time in their last 9 games, losing again to the New York Rangers in the back end of a home-and-home series. The Story for the Rangers offense was their depth as Derick Brassard scored twice and Jesper Fast and J.T. Miller potted their first of the season with Fast's being his first NHL goal with both adding assists as well. I wouldn't be surprised if Philadelphia didn't make some sort of move like replacing Craig Berube behind the bench or pulling off a big trade to shake things up..... For those lucky enough to draft Tyler Bozak, you have been rewarded with the best start to a season in his career. With 22 points in 23 games this season, Bozak is on pace to obliterate his season high of 49 points last year, and that was in 58 games.  Playing alongside Phil Kessel (2A) doesn't hurt. James van Riemsdyk (2A), who after a somewhat slow start to the season, now has 13 points in 13 November games. All three should be in your starting lineups... Don't look now but the Buffalo Sabres are thundering back into legitimacy as they won for the 5th time in the past 6 games with a 4-3 shootout win over the Montreal Canadiens, who lost both ends of the home-and-home series. Jhonas Enroth was the story as he stopped 41 of 44 for his 4th win in past 5 starts. The Sabres now will face Tampa Bay in a home-and-home series this week so the schedule doesn't lighten up.... Speaking of Tampa, G Ben Bishop raised his record to 14-3-2 with a 4-1 win over the Ottawa Senators, where he had played briefly in 2012-13, to keep him apace with the league leaders. Bishop has developed into a go-to guy in fantasy circles playing with the Bolts..... Jaroslav Halak has won for the ninth straight time defeating the New Jersey Devils 3-1, making Halak a must-start in fantasy circles as the Islanders are for real this season. When you have a superstar like John Tavares leading the way, and back that up with some steady goaltending, you know you have a chance every night.... It's time to take notice of Calgary's Jiri Hudler, carried the offense with a goal and two assists in their 3-0 win in Arizona. The 30-year old extended his point streak to four games and has been basically a point-per game producer with 23 points in 24 games. Coming off a 54-point effort in his second year with Calgary, Hudler has become the veteran centerpiece of a young but talented forward corps, so give him a look. His 50.5 % ownership ...