Zach Parise and Eric Staal are in a good spot as the Minnesota Wild take on a struggling Winnipeg Jets team.

Zach Parise and the Minnesota Wild are in a great spot tonight against a struggling Dallas squad. Which other teams should you target in NHL DFS?

#9 MINNESOTA Seemingly going nowhere real fast, Mike Yeo's Wild crew jumped into the playoff picture after the mid season acquisition of goalie Devan Dubnyk and him subsequently playing out of his mind. Besides signing him to multi-year extension, it was a rather quiet offseason for a team who got swept out of the playoffs in the second round. The fact being that their young players such as Mikael Granlund and Nino Niederreiter are expected to make a bigger splash on offense while the blue line is littered with quality d-men under the age of 25. In terms of fantasy, it's no longer Zach Parise or bust when it comes to the Wild.   Goalies It's all about which Dubnyk can fantasy owners expect - the 2nd half of '14-15 version which was impenetrable in the crease with a 1.78 GA/.936 SP in 39 games or the '13-14 one which wasn't even good enough for the hapless Oilers? I am leaning toward a decent no. 2 fantasy option that will fall short of lofty expectations but will deliver with 35 wins plus decent peripherals. Don't pay top notch dollar for Dubie, given he won't be surprising anyone this upcoming year.    Defense It all starts with arguably the premier minute crunching NHL rearguard in Ryan Suter. He gets insane ice time in all types of situations which probably limits his offensive upside a bit. He can score 50-plus but given his overall importance to the team, 40-45 is a more reasonable projection. Definitely more value in multi-category formats... Matt Dumba and Mike Reilly are unproven but have the highest offensive ceiling, but let's save them for the prospects section.    Forwards  For super safe value,LW Zach Parise is a lock to score between 25-30 goals and 69-65 points. He tends to be overvalued based on a few prolific seasons in Jersey so don't reach on him. Thomas Vanek should rebound slightly from a 21-goal season in his Minny debut but don't count on much more than 30 in the back of the net. Jason Pominville doesn't offer much upside but the consistent right winger had never scored less than 54 points in a full reason. One center is falling while one is on the rise. Care to guess who? Miko Koivu hasn't scored 60+ pts in 4 years as injuries have hindered his offensive production. Meanwhile, budding star Mikael Granlund has had his share of injuries but could be in for a huge breakout. Nab him late and possibly reap the rewards.   Prospects After spurning Columbus and accepting Minnesota' free agent offer, university of Minnesota star ...

Seemingly going nowhere real fast, Mike Yeo's Wild crew jumped into the playoff picture after the mid season acquisition of goalie Devan Dubnyk and him subsequently playing out of his mind. Besides signing him to multi-year extension, it was a rather quiet offseason for a team who got swept out of the playoffs in the second round. The fact being that their young players such as Mikael Granlund and Nino Niederreiter are expected to make a bigger splash on offense while the blue line is littered with quality d-men under the age of 25. In terms of fantasy, it's no longer Zach Parise or bust when it comes to the Wild.   Goalies It's all about which Dubnyk can fantasy owners expect - the 2nd half of '14-15 version which was impenetrable in the crease with a 1.78 GA/.936 SP in 39 games or the '13-14 one which wasn't even good enough for the hapless Oilers. I am leaning toward a decent no 2 fantasy option that will fall short of lofty expectations but will deliver with 35 wins plus decent peripherals. Don't pay top notch dollar for Dubie, given he won't be surprising anyone this upcoming year.    Defense It all starts with arguably the premier minute crunching NHL rearguard in Ryan Suter. He gets insane ice time in all types of situations which probably limits his offensive upside a bit. He can score 50-plus but given his overall importance to the team, 40-45 is a more reasonable projection. Definitely more value in multi-category formats... Matt Dumba and Mike Reilly are unproven but have the highest offensive ceiling, but let's save them for the prospects section.    Forwards  For super safe value,LW Zach Parise is a lock to score between 25-30 goals and 69-65 points. He tends to be overvalued based on a few prolific seasons in Jersey so don't reach on him. Thomas Vanek should rebound slightly from a 21-goal season in his Minny debut but don't count on much more than 30 in the back of the net. Jason Pominville doesn't offer much upside but the consistent right winger had never scored less than 54 points in a full reason. One center is falling while one is on the rise. Care to guess who? Miko Koivu hasn't scored 60+ pts in 4 years as injuries have hindered his offensive production. Meanwhile, budding star Mikael Granlund has had his share of injuries but could be in for a huge breakout. Nab him late and possibly reap the rewards.   Prospects After spurning Columbus and accepting Minnesota' free agent offer, university of Minnesota star defenseman Mike Reilly ...

Chicago have had their way with the Minnesota Wild in the playoffs in recent times, knocking them out of the postseason in each of the last two years. Their home dominance in the playoffs extends to six games in the playoffs, so the Wild will need to steal a victory or two in Chicago. However, their luck has changed after the mid season acquisition of Devan Dubnyk who stopped 56 of 57 shots in his two meetings as a member of the Wild. On the other side, incumbent Chicago goalie Corey Crawford has struggled enough to be pulled in favor of Scott Darling for a few starts but looks like the starter moving forward to round 2. Given his uneven  play against the Predators, the edge belongs to the Wild in goal.  The return of a healthy Patrick Kane from a clavicle injury has Chi-town pumped on offense as his seven points in the first round series was one behind NHL playoff leader Jonathan Toews and tied with defenseman Duncan Keith. Zach Parise has been the main Wild offensive contributor with an overall playoff total of 7 points plus two huge goals in the series clinching Game 6 against Saint Louis, Thomas Vanek was brought in via trade to provide more scoring but has been mostly a non-factor with just two points in the first round.  Minny has all the momentum but Chicago has the championship pedigree so you must favor Jonathan Toews and company in a closely fought series that should go seven. The Wild will need to continue their hot ways on the power play on order to have any chance of pulling this off. 

PRIMEPUCKS™ 2015 FIRST ROUND PLAYOFF REVIEW The 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs are beginning shortly and PrimePucks™ is taking a look at what they predict will happen in the first round and beyond. MINNESOTA vs. ST. LOUIS St. Louis is my pick to represent the Western Conference in the Stanley Cup Finals, but they will have their hands full with the resurgent Minnesota Wild. "Left for dead" midway through the season, the acquisition of veteran goalie Devan Dubnyk proved to be the main catalyst behind their surge into the playoffs. Since becoming the starter, the Wild went 28-9-3 while allowing two or less goals in 29 of 39 games. A staunch defense led by Ryan Suter will make it tough for the formidable Blues' offense to score consistently. Premier snipers Zach Parise and Thomas Vanek will lead the Wild scoring party, but do they have enough to match the highly balanced firepower of St Louis which went down the stretch without Vladimir Tarasenko and Alexander Steen but still managed to finish the regular season on fire. Speaking of Tarasenko, he is the ultimate x-factor in this opening series, given that his game changing talent unleashed is the a weapon that the team has lacked in recent years. Combined with the development of future star Jaden Schwartz and the trade for Paul Stastny, these guys will be tough to beat. Jake Allen will probably get the nod for Brian Elliott in goal but he should be able to ride his hot offense and elite D to a hard fought series win. It's looking like 7 games, this will serve the Blues well as they possibly face Chicago in the next round. Load up on your Blues as they are my pick to reach the Stanley Cup Finals. Your premium picks are Vladimir Tarasenko, David Backes, Kevin shattenkirk, and Alex Pietrangelo. I would gamble on Jake Allen as a late widcard goalie pick. Just keep in mind that one bad outing and Brian Elliott can be right back in goal. Taking a late flier on Zach Parise or Thomas Vanek might prove to be a shrewd move, given that if the Wild squeaks by, they could make some serious noise.   ANAHEIM vs. WINNIPEG After getting bounced out by the LA Kings last season in the playoffs, the Ducks look more equipped for a long postseason run with the acquisition of center Ryan Kesler. The former Vancouver center makes the Anaheim forward lines more potent and balanced, giving them more pop up the middle and a better second line to complement the Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry top unit. The bigger question for the Ducks is ...

SMC 4-5-2015 Happy Easter and Happy Passover to all on this pleasant Sunday morning.  The Hurricanes have some work cut out for them to be contenders next season, but they do have a good sore to build upon.  Remember that cam Ward is still only 31 years old. Claude Giroux must be playing with a nagging injury for half the season. I’ve been touting the Columbus Blue Jackets as the team to watch next season.  Well, they are ending this disappointing one with a 9-game winning streak at the moment. The Eastern Conference playoff teams should count their blessings that they won’t be facing these red-hot (and) Blue Jackets.  Congrats to Nick Foligno with his first career hattie.  He has had some breakout season. Pittsburgh has not been playing well of late but as long as they make the playoffs, everything changes. I’m thinking that David Savard is getting valuable ice time with Wisniewski gone to Anaheim.  He could be a great sleeper pick in September. The Winnipeg Jets are fighting tooth-and-nail for a playoff spot.  What city will have a blast if they make it? Bring ear plugs please. Alex Burrows-Henrik Sedin-Daniel Sedin combined for 7 points.  No, this isn’t 2009-2010. Ottawa is keeping the heat on Boston, and now Pittsburgh. The New York Islanders shut out the Buffalo Sabres but they are going to have to tighten up their game when they play against higher level talent or it will be a short ride. Zach Parise has to be the quietest 30-goal scorer in the NHL. Danny DeKeyser has been a bit of an assist-machine of late with 5 in his last 6 games.  Keep an eye on him for next year.  One of those last round picks. Steven Stamkos pretty much ended the Florida Panthers season last night with 2 goals and an assist. What was once a very intense rivalry is now just two teams heading in opposite directions as the New York Rangers trampled the New Jersey Devils 6-1 and the lone Devil goal came with just under 4 minutes remaining and the game well in hand for the Blueshirts. The Rangers are atop the NHL at this point and they have games in hand on the ones they are competing with. 3 different Rangers had a part in the scoring showing their balance. I think Tyler Johnson should be getting his deserved ‘props’ from here on out. The Predators once looked invincible but since the point Pekka Rinne got injured, they haven’t been the same team. If it weren’t for missing time due to an injury, Tyler Seguin would have won the scoring title hands down.  Boston, what were you ...

Okposo is back; Faulk and Barrie amongst the fantasy elite d-men; and more: It was an epic battle in New York as the Islanders took on the Rangers and it was the Rangers who came away with the regulation 2-1 victory that leaves them one point behind the Isles with 4 games in hand. Kyle Okposo returned to the Islanders lineup and saw some action on John Tavares’ line near the end of the third period so look for that combination to stick the rest of the way….Cam Talbot with yet another win as he continues to play superbly in place of the injured Henrik Lundqvist.  Talbot’s time is coming to an end soon as Lundqvist is close to returning to the lineup and will need a few weeks to get into top form for the playoffs…. Philadelphia didn’t do themselves any favors by losing another close one, this time 2-1 to the Dallas Stars.  What has happened to Claude Giroux and the rest of the Flyers offense?.... Scott Hartnell (2 PPG) was the reason the Carolina Hurricanes lost 4-3 in a shootout last night after leading 3-1 after the first period.  Although it doesn’t really matter for these two teams as they are just riding out the season….Canes D-man Justin Faulk had a goal and 2 power play assists to lead the Carolina offense.  Continue to play the young talent as he is having a career year on his way to 50 points…. Carey Price and Ben Bishop put on a heck'uva goalie duel in Montreal but the Lightning's Tyler Johnson stole the show with the overtime game-winner. The undrafted sophomore continues to plug away with a monster season, having collected nine points during his current seven-game streak. How many of us predicted any other besides Steven Stamkos to lead the Bolts in scoring? Hey, it could happen... Cory Schneider was chased out of the Jersey net by the swarming Minnesota Wild, who scored plenty in the 6-2 rout of the Devils. Devan Dubnyk has shown few signs of slowing down as he made 30 saves in his 25th straight start. Thomas Vanek scored twice while Zach Parise picked up two helpers. D-man Jared Spurgeon played a solid game, collecting a goal and an assist and showing little rust from his time gone due to injury. If you are in need of defense, he bears watching.. For Colorado, no Semyon Varlamov in goal usually means no win and last night's game against LA was no different. Rota Berra replaced an ineffective Calvin Pickard in the first period and the Kings behind Brayden McNabb's three points waliopped the Av's 5-2. Fantasy stud Tyson Barrie scored a goal, ...

Tavares stars again; Dubnyk can't lose; Stamkos heating up; and more: The Philadelphia Flyers got a much-needed win against a tough St. Louis Blues as they try to climb up into that last wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.  Having goalie Steve Mason back in net surely will help the Flyers cause as he turned aside 28 of 29 shots on goal.  It looks like a four team race for the last spot with Ottawa and Florida all in the hunt for the spot occupied by the Boston Bruins at the moment…. Devan Dubnyk continues on a most unlikely run as he improved to 17-3-2 as the starting Minnesota Wild goalie.  Even in his losses he has played brilliantly.  Last year’s version is long forgotten but probably not in Edmonton…Jason Pominville provided all the offense DD would need as the Wild beat the Ovechkin-less Washington Capitals 2-1. Ovechkin was out with a lower-body injury but look for him to be back in the lineup in the next game…..Zach Parise assisted on both Pommer goals and should be in your starting lineup as he has the talent to get on a run in a hurry…. Boston gained a much needed point as they lost 4-3 in a shootout to the Calgary Flames who are having a fine season as they are in the playoff hunt in the Western Conference.  Flames goalie Karri Ramo has now won 3 of his last five starts and his numbers are impressive during that streak with a 1.80 GAA and a .947 SP.  If available, he could help your fantasy squad as the Flames are riding his hot play….   With Florida down to their third goalie, the Dallas Stars prevailed in the 4-3 shootout win. Kari Lehtonen was yanked early after another inconsistent effort leading to Jhonas Enroth's first win as a Star. The Dallas fantasy goalie situation has been in flux all season, mostly due to Lehtonen's wildly erratic play. Never know what you are getting... Easy game for the Bolt's as Steven Stamkos led the offense with two helpers in the 4-2 victory over the hapless Maple Leafs. Super "Stammer" has come to life after a mid-season slump, holding a current four-game point streak (4G/2A) and having collected 15 points over the last 15 games. Seems like a down year, but he should be 'cooking' down the stretch... The Nashville Predators keep sliding with their fourth straight loss, this time at the hands of the Islanders. John Tavares collected a goal and an assist on the night, improving to an NHL-leading 67 points. Most of us expected a slight drop-off after the Kyle Okposo injury, but JT has actually improved on ...

Great weekend for the Flyers; Career night for MacKinnon; Miller injury; and more: The Flyers won another big game and are drawing closer to a playoff spot.  The final weeks should be exciting for Philly fans as they have battled to stay close.  Claude Giroux (G, A) seems to have awoken from his slumber after my SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE comment about him being the invisible man.  Mark Streit (2A) and Jakub Voracek (2A) also contributed in the win.  Keep these Flyers in your lineup as they can be explosive on any given night as evidenced by their performance yesterday afternoon…. Boston, without the services of David Krejci, took it to the Chicago Blackhawks with a 6-2 pasting on home ice.  Six different goal scorers for the Bruins as they are feeling the heat from the Flyers and Florida Panthers for that final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.  Patrice Bergeron, with a goal and 2 assists, is perhaps one of the most under-rated fantasy players and hardly gets enough credit.  Bergeron should have a really good finish to his season…. Like I had predicted in yesterday's SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE, Pittsburgh erupted for 5 goals against the Florida Panthers with Patric Hornqvist having a huge night with 2 goals and an assist.  Get your Pegnuins in your fantasy lineups ASAP... The NY Islanders were blanked by the Vancouver Canucks but unfortunately for the Canucks, Ryan Miller left the game after a collision. Expect the net-minder to miss a few games with Eddie Lack getting the call.  Radim Vrbata, with his 22nd on the year, and the Sedin twins were the catalysts on offense.... Yes, the sophomore jinx has victimized the young Nathan MacKinnon this season, but the future Colorado star gave us a reminder of what is to come with his first NHL "hat trick" last night. With six points over his last five games, the 19-year old could be saving his best for last in 2014-15, before erupting in Year 3.. Veteran Martin St. Louis has been heating up for the Blueshirts lately, scoring two more goals to improve his numbers to seven points in his last five games. We probably seen the last of any prolonged slumps for the 39-year old, who should be starting in all fantasy leagues.. The Minnesota Wild lit up the Dallas Stars for 6 goals in the third period, winning 6-2 in another crucial match with heavy playoff implications. After a mini-drought, Zach Parise has collected four points over his last two games, while his center Mikael Granlund was the fantasy star of the night ...