Anders Nilsson, Edmonton- The ex-Islanders prospect has been on a tear of late for the Oilers, starting five straight games while winning four of them. And he's not just getting by either, allowing just nine goals over those contests. Although it's reasonable to assume that Cam Talbot will have another chance to reclaim the starting  job, Nilsson is only 25 and is showing off some of that upside that he displayed in the KHL. Take a flier on him as he could be the real deal.   Connor Hellebuyck,Winnipeg- The rookie has started 3 of Winnipeg's last four games and has won them all. The Jets needed a spark in the crease so it's possible that good ol Connor can pull off an Andrew Hammond and run a fantasy friendly scorching streak of victories. For that reason alone, he should be on your radar. Defintely worth a short-term goalie stopgap and maybe much more.   Shayne Gostisbehere, Philadelphia - What are some of you guys waiting for? All the rookie defender has done in place of the injured Mark Streit is collect points in 6 of his last 7 games. He has added a much needed offensive flair to the Flyer's anemic offense, so look for him to remain on the top power-play unit until he runs out of gas.   Mike Cammalleri, New Jersey- The veteran forward is probably taken already off the waiver wire but given his Third Star of the week honors and his torrid point-per-game numbers, Cammy deserves plenty of fantasy love. Hey, ex- 80-point producers arent available often so do the right thing.   Adam Henrique, New Jersey - After he pulled a 51-point rookie season in 2011, he has failed to reach those totals again, frustrating many fantasy owners along the way. Well, he is off to a much more promising start this season with 23 points in 27 games and has the potential to finally break out. Whether he does or not is another question but he is streaking enough to warrant immediate fantasy consideration.   

Colin Wilson LW, Nashville- The 26-year old Predator showed plenty of promise last season, especially during a great December/January stretch where he picked up 23 points in 25 games. However, consistency has never been his strong suit and that hurts his long-term value in most fantasy formats. After starting with one helper in the first 5 games, he now has 5 over the last 7 contests. When streaking and logging top-six minutes, he makes for a strong fantasy play. Watch him closely as he could be pile up plenty of points over the next while. Mikkel Boedker LW, Arizona- With the young guns leading the way early, many fantasy owners have already given up on the talented German winger. While practically invisible over the first two weeks, his hat trick in the romp over Ottawa and four goals over the last three games could be a sign of him waking up. If he is available, consider scooping him up as he should be the main offensive contributor for the Coyotes moving forward and would have broken out last season if not for a rash of injuries slowing him down.   Mike Cammalleri LW, New Jersey As streaky as they come, Cammy has led the way for Jersey's recent resurgence with a current four-game point streak(2G/6A) and 11 points overall in the eight games. Don't let his diminutive size fool you- this man can score and has regularly in his long NHL career. It's just that playing for a weak offensive team like the Devils generally limits your scoring ceiling and an extensive injury history has also further waned on his recent offensive numbers. He could help in the short-term but consider him no more than a 5th or 6th fantasy forward     Adam Henrique, New Jersey: A 25-goal effort in '13-14 was supposed to be a precursor to a bigger breakout season but it never materialized for the budding Devil's pivot. However the 5th year forward is off to a rocking start with 9 points in the first 8 games, fueling hopes of a true breakout for his fantasy owners. Based on what Henrique has already accomplished in his career, 55-60 points should easily be in reach given that he stays healthy. Keeping up the chemistry between Cammalleri would also help.   Ryan Murray D, Columbus: The former 3rd overall draft pick has yet to realize his vast potential but has been sparked in the early going by the coaching change to John Tortorella. He has been known to ride his talented players so maybe Murray will get the a big uptick in minutes and be out in a favorable position to succeed. So far...

Blue Jackets showcasing for next season, Bruins put down Cats, OV gets 50 Two teams trying to finish out the season on high notes, the New Jersey Devils and Columbus Blue Jackets battled to a 3-2 Columbus win.  Players like Mike Cammalleri and Nick Foligno improved on their goal scoring with both reaching 27 on the season so far.  Cammalleri showed what he is capable of when healthy and Foligno displayed that he has arrived in the NHL.  Ryan Johansen had 2 assists on the night and with the Jackets starting to gain some experience, they should be better off next year as long as they don’t get hit with so many injuries like this year…. Alex Ovechkin reached 50 goals for the 6th time in his career and is in contention for the scoring title as well as the goal-scoring trophy with 77 points, just 2 points behind leader Sidney Crosby.  Oh, and the Capitals beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2, not only solidifying their hold on one of the wild card slots, but also chasing the NY Islanders for third place in the division…. The Florida Panthers gave it their best shot but the Boston Bruins came away with a 3-2 regulation win, putting the Cats 6 points behind the Bruins for that last wild card slot.  As impressive as the young Panthers have been this year, it was the young talent of the Bruins that provided the spark in the 3rd period as David Pastrnak (G, A) and Ryan Spooner (2A) showed what is to come in their NHL careers in this pressure-packed game…. The King is Back! Henrik Lundqvist turned aside 32 of 34 shots to gain his first victory since returning from injury, helping down the Winnipeg Jets 3-2. Cam Talbot had quite the fantasy run but his starts will be limited over the last two weeks as Lundqvist gets back to elite level... The struggling Toronto Maple Leafs win their second straight contest, prevailing 3-1 over a Tampa Bay squad coming off a huge win of their own over Montreal. Nazem Kadri led the way with a goal and an assist while goalie James Reimer saved 40 shots for the Leafs. Of fantasy consequence, Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman and forward Tyler Johnson missed the game due to injuries.. Albeit a light night in terms of shot faced, Ottawa's Andrew Hammond was back in fine form after saving 16 of 17 shots to preserve the 2-1 SO win over Detroit. The rookie looks good to go for his fantasy owners as Craig Anderson has not delivered in the clutch thus far. For Detroit, Petr Mrazek was solid again and will be getting the next start against Boston...

Dubynk keeps shining; MVP hopes for Nash; two rookie goaltending debuts with opposite endings; and more... What more can you say about Devan Dubnyk? The Minnesota goaltender picked up his sixth shutout of the season in the 4-0 rout of Edmonton, his fifth with the Wild. For those who were lucky enough to grab him via waivers after his trade, enjoy his ride to elite fantasy stardom. For at the least the remainder of this season... In the quest for his first 50-point season as an NHL defenseman, Tyson Barrie collected two goals and one assist to improve his numbers to 35 points in 57 games. His three points equaled his output over the last nine games, so it could be time for Barrie to heat up again. We say he hits 50 plus.... For those who "sold high" on Vladimir Tarasenko based on concerns on whether he was the real deal, we regret to inform you that he is still a fantasy dynamo with greater upside in dynasty formats. His two goals last night gives him 31 on the season including 58 points in 57 games. While not on that earth shattering pace of earlier in the season, Vladdy has collected nine points over the last ten games. .. It was the tale of two rookie goaltending debuts, as Mackenzie Skapski shined for the Rangers while Malcolm Subban floundered for the Bruins. Playing behind Rask and Lundqvist limits even their long-term fantasy value but they have plenty of potential playing at the NHL level.. Are MVP bells ringing for Rick Nash? The winger collected a goal and an assist in the win over Buffalo, giving him 58 points in 57 games. For my money, it's an even split now between Nash and John Tavares... Two struggling veterans posted good numbers last night, as Eric Staal and Mike Cammalleri each had two-point efforts for their respective squads. This marks the second straight season that Staal has struggled offensively, so there are clear signs of statistical regression. Lack of a strong supporting cast hurts, but maybe Staal needs a change of scenery...

Dubynk keeps shining; MVP hopes for Nash; two rookie goaltending debuts with opposite endings; and more... What more can you say about Devan Dubnyk? The Minnesota goaltender picked up his sixth shutout of the season in the 4-0 rout of Edmonton, his fifth with the Wild. For those who were lucky enough to grab him via waivers after his trade, enjoy his ride to elite fantasy stardom. For at the least the remainder of this season... In the quest for his first 50-point season as an NHL defenseman, Tyson Barrie collected two goals and one assist to improve his numbers to 35 points in 57 games. His three points equaled his output over the last nine games, so it could be time for Barrie to heat up again. We say he hits 50 plus.... For those who "sold high" on Vladimir Tarasenko based on concerns on whether he was the real deal, we regret to inform you that he is still a fantasy dynamo with greater upside in dynasty formats. His two goals last night gives him 31 on the season including 58 points in 57 games. While not on that earth shattering pace of earlier in the season, Vladdy has collected nine points over the last ten games. .. It was the tale of two rookie goaltending debuts, as Mackenzie Skapski shined for the Rangers while Malcolm Subban floundered for the Bruins. Playing behind Rask and Lundqvist limits even their long-term fantasy value but they have plenty of potential playing at the NHL level.. Are MVP bells ringing for Rick Nash? The winger collected a goal and an assist in the win over Buffalo, giving him 58 points in 57 games. For my money, it's an even split now between Nash and John Tavares... Two struggling veterans posted good numbers last night, as Eric Staal and Mike Cammalleri each had two-point efforts for their respective squads. This marks the second straight season that Staal has struggled offensively, so there are clear signs of statistical regression. Lack of a string supporting cast hurts, but maybe Staal needs a change of scenery...

Just as Tuesday night was good to be the home team with 10 of 11 teams winning at home, Friday night was good to be out on the road with 5 of the 6 visiting teams taking home the 2 points. The night was sandwiched around shutouts, first by New Jersey's Cory Schneider who seems to be getting into a groove after a rough 4 game stretch and then by, of all goalies, Arizona's Devan Dubnyk. I'm not too surprised by Schneider's 1-0 blanking of the Washington Capitals but Dubnyk?  I guess with the way Mike Smith has been playing of late, even last year's Holey Goalie was a better option. I would continue starting Schneider but don't have a lot of faith in Dubnyk.  Dubnyk may have earned another start, but Smith will be their starter....Schneider played well but the Devils caught a break when Mike Cammalleri intercepted a pass from Washington G Braden Holtby and fired the miscue into the net for his seventh goal and the game-winner. Cammalleri has provided the offense the Devils were lacking last year.  Good signing Lou!.... Arizona D-man Keith Yandle continues to be a somewhat undervalued beast on defense as he scored a goal and 2 assists and now leads the Coyotes in scoring with 14 points in 17 games. Yandle has led the team in scoring the past two seasons and it looks like he is heading for the trifecta....Hats off to Martin Hanzal who had a hat trick in the 5-0 pasting of the Vancouver Canucks. Hanzal is a decent depth fantasy forward but that's about it....I guess you could say that Vancouver's G Ryan Miller was due for a clunker after an 11-2-0 start. Expect Miller to return to form in his next start..... IT was quite a matchup between two teams who have been frequent exchangers of players over the past few years. Steve Mason didn't fare as well as he would have liked against his former team, losing 4-3 and only stopping 34 of 38 SOG. Mason has not fared as well as last season, but the young goalie should shake off the inconsistency.... Jakub Voracek, another ex-Blue Jacket, had a better game with goal and an assist to continue his torrid start to the 2014 season. He now has 24 points in 17 games and is 1 point behind league leader Sidney Crosby. WOW!...Ex-Flyer Scott Hartnell tried his darnedness to get on the score sheet as he took 6 SOG, but Mason gobbled those up....Ryan Johansen had a 4 assist night and along with Nick Foligno (2G, A) are your best options for offense on Columbus....Blue Jacket D-man James Wisniewski scored his first 2 goals on the ...

The New Jersey Devils stopped their 4-game losing streak as Cory Schneider stepped up his game against the Minnesota Wild with a 23-save, 3-1 victory. The Devils will not face a stretch where they will play 12 of their next 16 games away from the Prudential Center. It would be a good time for Schneider and the Devils defense to tighten up a bit and this was a good start....Having Mike Cammalleri back in the lineup has sure done wonders for Travis Zajac and the Devils offense as Zajac added a power play goal giving him 3 points in past two games since Cammalleri's return.... Henrik Lundqvist (33 SV) and the New York Rangers took care of the highly potent Pittsburgh Penguin offense with a 5-0 shellacking. The Blueshirts welcomed the return of John Moore to the defense from his suspension and the defense seemed to gel from the start......Rick Nash (G, 2A) just keeps on ticking and with the majority of the Rangers starting to return from injury and/or suspension, the offense should start to click as we get into the heart of the season. Nash seems like a man on a mission this year so don't even think about trading him.....Derek Stepan, with 2 assists, now has 3 points in the first 3 games back from injury.... It was shutout night in New York as the Islanders blanked the Colorado Avalanche 6-0 behind Jaroslav Halak's 20-save effort. That's 2 shutouts in a row for Halak as he seems to be settling in after a rough stretch.....6 different scorers for the Isles....Colorado seems to be missing Paul Stastny more than they thought they would as they now sit at 4-9-5 and are nowhere near what they were last season..... Braden Holtby and the Washington Capitals took care of a reeling Columbus Blue Jacket team that has now lost 9 in a row. This team held so much promise but injuries have just gotten in the way this season.  It may be getting late early in Columbus....Alex Ovechkin (2G) and Marcus Johansson (2G) shared the goal scoring duties and while Ovechkin is not available in your league, Johansson just may be worth a flyer as he seems to be gelling with rookie Andre Burakovsky..... Winnipeg's G Ondrej Pavelec continues to play well in net but Montreal's Carey Price got the better of the Jets with a 3-0 victory, blocking all 29 SOG to raise his record to 9-3-1. It was Price's first shutout of the season.  The Habs still seem to have trouble scoring lately but have now won three in a row with the offense starting to come around.... The San Jose Sharks barely showed ...

The New Jersey Devils have gone 3-7-2 in their last 12 games and Cory Schneider has not lived up to the no. 1 billing so far, but is too good of a goalie to not turn it around.  Travis Zajac showed signs of breaking out of his slump with a goal and an assist in the loss....Mike Cammalleri returned to the lineup and added 2 assists showing his importance to the Devils offense....Patrice Bergeron (G, 2A) and Reilly Smith (G, A) were the catalysts for the Boston Bruins...Tuukka Rask picked up the win, raising his record to 8-4-0 with a perfect November.  If it's November, that means it's time for Bruin season to start.... Not only is November Bruins' season, it also has been a time for Cam Ward's to shine as he is perfect in the month of November with a 5-0-0 record.  Ward should be ensconced as Carolina's no. 1 goalkeeper so start him with confidence...Ward's streak has been aided by the hot streak of one Justin Faulk who has 5 points in past two games and 8 points in 6 November games.  Grab either or both if still available in your league.

Cold, windy autumn day here in New York but I've got my hot cup of Joe right in front of me. There were a lot of significant happenings for fantasy owners last night. Some important fantasy players broke the ice or showed signs of life finally.  Boston's defense seems to be awakening as Zdeno Chara got his 2nd goal, Jason Krug got his 1st and Dougie Hamilton scored his 1st and added an assist. Chara had 7 SOG; out to prove critics wrong about his decline. 2 players that should be added; one for this season and the other for this season and beyond. LW Nick Foligno has 7 points in 5 games for Columbus while Alex Galchenyuk has 6 points in 6 games but is ready to breakout in this his 3rd NHL season. Washington has embraced Barry Trotz' system and is 3-0-2. It's going to be a real dogfight in the Metropolitan division this year. Patric Hornqvist is going to have one huge year in Pittsburgh it seems. 12 SOG last night.  It was good to see Logan Couture have a big game with a goal and 2 assists.   He could be San Jose's leading point-getter this season. Huge overtime win for Philadelphia in Dallas last night.  Huge. Jonas Gustavsson played big last night, blanking his former team the Toronto Maple Leafs 1-0 in overtime. Dion Phaneuf had 6 SOG on goal but his best days as far as big fantasy point-getter are behind him. The Ottawa Senators are surprising me with their play. Are they surprising you? Ottawa G Robin Lehner looks like the promising young goaltender everyone has been waiting for. 2-0-0 with a 1.92 GAA and a .950 SP.  Don't slip Mr. Anderson. Erik Karlsson had 7 SOG last night. Big night for defensemen taking lots of shots.  Matt Duchene, not a defenseman, had 10 SOG for Colorado last night. I really like Galchenyuk this year. I really do. Do the Devils think that with adding this offense they can give up playing defense? If they combine who they used to be with their new offense, they could be dangerous. Mike Cammalleri loves playing in New Jersey it seems with 5 goals and 2 assists in 5 games. This Damon Severson kid looks like he's the real deal on defense for the Devils, doesn't he? A lot of people have the Islanders making the playoffs this year. I think they just miss out.  Sorry, I just don't see it. Claude Giroux is waking up earlier than he did last year. Watch out! This Tyler Seguin has his sights on the Art Ross Trophy this year, but Sid the Kid will have something to say about that. Take a look at Dallas D-man Trevor Daley as he has 3 ...

After two uneventful games to start the year, Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn served notice that they are among the NHL fantasy elite by combining for seven points in the Star's 4-2 road win over Columbus. Seguin notched a "hat trick", while Benn cruised along with a goal and three helpers. We all tend to panic when our superstars don't immediately get in the scoring column, but these two have been proven scorers. With the added depth to the Dallas forward corps, it was just a matter of time. It was only a few days ago when I recieved an email expressing concerns over Phil Kessel's lack of production over the first few games. After last night's overtime game-winner to seal the fate of the Colorado Avalanche, "Phil The Thrill" has responded to his slow start with five points over the last two games. A memo to all novice fantasy owners- always be patient with your high-end forwards early in the season, because they can pick up the slack in a hurry as made evident by both Seguin and Kessel. You will get many seasoned owners knocking at your door for the first slumping star, but do yourself a favor and don't answer. Now, if we are talking about the quarter point of the season, then maybe you have a chat.. Staying in Toronto, there has been surprising developments involving the goalie situation as "back-up" goalie James Reimer has proven to be the more dependable option with two straight wins, including last night's 22-save effort in the 3-2 victory over Colorado. Head Coach Randy Carlyle is going with the "hot hand" at the moment as Reimer (2.24 GAA/.920 SP) has posted far superior numbers to Jonathan Bernier (4.51 GAA/ .882 SP). I would suggest for Bernier owners to stay the course as he is far too talented to lose the starting job long-term, but if scooping up Reimer allays your fears a bit, do it then. In the "classic trap" game after an inspiring 7-1 demolition of Montreal, the Tampa Bay Lightning fell back to earth by losing to New Jersey. The real story of the contest is Devil's goalie Cory Schneider who is now 3-0 after stopping 26 of 27 shots. His key numbers speak for themselves- 2.00 GAA and .931 SP, as he is finally heading toward the top of the fantasy charts as the undisputed starter for a Brodeur-less Jersey squad. We loved him as a potential top-five goalie before the season started and now even more.. Mike Cammalleri has fallen into the right place as a new member of the team, collecting a goal and an assist plus points in all three games. ...