OCTOBER 15, 2017 Hockey is back!  And so is Sunday Morning Coffee!  With just over a week into the season and already things seems to be turned upside-down more than usual. Vegas as more wins (3) than Montreal and the NY Rangers combined (2). Los Angeles is one of only 2 undefeated team at 3-0-1.  There is a Dustin Brown renaissance it seems. You just knew that Kings G Jonathan Quick was going to rebound this year. The other undefeated team is the Ottawa Senators and they have started the season without their #1 star in defenseman Erik Karlsson.  Go figure! New Jersey and Colorado at or near the top of their respective divisions?  WTF? Isn’t it so crazy that Backstrom, Kuznetsov and Ovechkin are off to such sizzling hot starts as all three sit atop the NHL point-leaders board? The Capital defense is going to be a thorn in their side this year it seems. OV having back-to-back hat trick games is not so surprising but getting them in two straight periods is amazing! Don’t you just hate it when guys you have pegged for big seasons get injured in the like the first game or week of the season practically derailing your chances in fantasy hockey?  Guys like Charlie Coyle or Nino Niederreiter, Mikael Granlund or Robby Fabbri.  Just doesn’t seem right. Wow, three of those are Minnesota Wild players.   If you have depth on your bench, get them and ride the second half wave. I think we need to move on with all these Matt Duchene and Alex Galchenyuk rumors and stories about getting traded.  I have had enough about hearing their teams mishandling or mistreating them.  Either stick them in favorable positions to succeed or move on and trade them. I think Auston Matthews already has like 12 game-winning goals in his 1+ year of NHL existence.  It sure seems like it if he isn’t at that number yet. I had to pinch myself when I saw all those high-scoring box scores over the first 5-6 days of the season.  It looks like we are back to our normal scoring ways. Well, it didn’t take long for Anaheim goalie John Gibson to suffer an injury.  Come on now!  Is this a joke or what with the way he always gets injured? If somehow, some way Vladislav Namestnikov is available in your fantasy league, scoop him up right away as he is playing on Tampa bay’s first line and first PP unit.  I knew Brandon Saad was going to be a beast this year that’s why I traded for him in one dynasty league and drafted him in 2 others.  Love it when a plan works out. Dan Girardi had 5 SOG last night ...

SMC 1-17-2016 Good morning hockey lovers!  With a tooth pulled an hour ago, I’m on the ice but without the coffee.  This is the time of year when players and teams start to put it into a higher gear as they try to reach their stride heading into the playoffs. There has been a little bit of a Dallas fade lately while Chicago has picked up their game and now have taking over the lead in the Central Division. Washington seems to have the Metropolitan Division locked up while the two New York City area teams battle for 2nd and 3rd places. New Jersey continues to surprise by staying in contention in the East while Arizona is in the same category with their standing in the West. The Devils shutout the Coyotes on Saturday afternoon. The Devils are doing it because of G Cory Schneider. Patrice Bergeron is so under-rated in fantasy circles but the guy is consistent each and every game. The Rangers need Kreider, who scored just his 7th of the season, and Nash to display some scoring consistency. People may be saying that Boston Bruin Ryan Spooner is playing better because of the David Krejci injury but he has been playing well since the end of last season. Carl Hagelin is back in the East and he will now have some opportunities to stick it to the Ranges for trading him to Anaheim in the off-season. The Washington Capitals took a day off yesterday while in Buffalo.  The Sabres won 4-1.  Really. Colorado has to win those games against the lower teams.  Losing to Columbus is not Earth-shattering, but they gotta win those games. Alex Galchenyuk hasn’t panned out for the Canadiens like I think they thought he would. Nashville were 3-0 shutout winners over Minnesota but it was Carter Hutton in net for the PReds, not Pekka Rinne. Everyone on the Edmonton Oilers had a SOG in the game against Calgary except for Teddy Purcell and Justin Schultz. Schultz has been getting some points of late with 4 in the last 5 games. Carolina and Philadelphia with their stronger play of late are going to make things for the Pittsburgh Penguins to make the playoffs. Keep an eye on Tomas Hertl as he has been scoring more consistently lately. Anaheim has played themselves back into the Pacific Division race with a 7-2-1 record over the last 10 but the other teams have been playing just as well.  The only team with a losing record over the past 10 games in Edmonton. Enjoy the week and may all your fantasies come true!

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. NEW YORK RANGERS vs. PITTSBURGH PENGUINS:  After last season’s improbable run at the Stanley Cup only to fall short by losing to a more determined Los Angeles Kings team, the New York Rangers are back in the dance but this time with a more focused outlook.  It appears the Rangers got a very good taste and were thisclose to hoisting Lord Stanley’s Cup that they locked down the home ice advantage throughout by winning the President’s Cup with a very solid second half. The Rangers take on the Pittsburgh Penguins who seem to be a team in disarray especially after losing their best defenseman in Kris Letang for the remainder of this season with a concussion. The team with all this talent up front seemed to have trouble finding their offensive game with the loss of Letang.  The Rangers on the other hand seemed to be getting better with every passing game.  Expect the Rangers to win this in no more than 6 games as they forge ahead to another Finals appearance.  Those of you in playoff pools should definitely start all the major Blueshirts like Rick Nash, Henrik Lundqvist, Keith Yandle, Derek Stepan, Mats Zuccarello, Ryan McDonagh, Martin St. Louis and company as this team has their eyes set on the silver trophy. MONTREAL CANADIENS vs. OTTAWA SENATORS:  The Rangers likely opponent in the Conference Finals, the Canadiens, should dispose of the surprising Ottawa Senators fairly easy behind MVP Candidate Carey Price.  The Senators had an amazing climb in the standings to reach the playoffs but will run into a team that has some motivation of their own to exact revenge on the Rangers, who they may have beaten in last year’s Conference Finals if it weren’t for Chris Kreider knocking Price out of the series with a collision in the first game of their match. For the Canadiens, it all starts with Price. And in front of Price there is a defensive core that packs a punch both in the scoring department and defensively as well.  P.K. Subban leads the charge on both those ends with veteran Andrei Markov supplying steady support. The rest of the defense will give other teams fits to round out the Montreal defense.  On the forward front, Max Pacioretty leads the charge with Tomas Plekanec, Alex Galchenyuk, David Desharnais and Brendan Gallagher rounding out the scorers but don’t expect ...

SMC 3-22-2015 Spring has sprung and the snow is melting and the coffee is brewing.  Grab a cup and settle in. What an amazing story it will be if the Ottawa Senators manage to get into the playoffs!  Alas, Florida will also have an amazing story to tell this summer but I don’t think they will earn a spot. Come June, can you imagine the Cup Finals pitting one rookie goaltender in John Gibson against another in Andrew Hammond?  That would be mind-blowing! All season long I thought the Winnipeg Jets should have just stuck with Michael Hutchinson in net and sit Ondrej Pavelec as Hutch was the better net minder.  However, Pavelec has re-established himself as a bona fide No. 1 NHL goalkeeper again. There have been a lot of great NHL stories this year as we have mentioned a few above but what about New York Ranger’s Cam Talbot taking over for an injured Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers not missing a beat? Carey Price can definitely lock down the Hart with his spectacular season.  And if it weren’t for Pekka Rinne’s injury and subsequent cold streak, we might have had a battle between them for the MVP. Enough with the goalies, right?  Wait.  One more. Devan Dubnyk, last year’s whipping boy has transformed into an elite NHL goaltender as he now has started 30 straight games and has a 22-6-2 record.  Wow!  That’s wild! LOL Vladimir Tarasenko is a beast as he scored his 35th with an assist and had 8 SOG, 2 PIM.  The Blues will be fun to watch for a few years with Jaden Schwartz and VT teaming up. Some hot lines of late: Gaudreau-Monahan-Hudler, Pouliot-RNH-Eberle, Simmonds-Giroux-Voracek, Stafford-Scheifele-Wheeler Watch out for the Columbus Blue Jackets next season as they should be playing close to full health unlike this season. Barring a late surge, and not that they have been eliminated, but it’s not looking good for the LA Kings to defend their crown.  There will be a collective huge sigh of relief from the Western Conference once that becomes official. If you take a look, it appears Vancouver defenseman Alexander Edler may be coming around as he had 8 SOG last night and 3 points in last 3 games.  He does have the talent, but last year messed him up I think. Boston just may be the best team to not make the playoffs this season.  It happens. Patrice Bergeron is probably one of the most under-rated fantasy hockey players around. Ottawa is just driving hard and making that push and it’s coming from every player in their lineup, not just one or two hot players....

Rangers continue to roll, Islanders round up the Coyotes, Boston & Philly blow chances & birthday wishes. Happy Birthday wishes go out to our newest PrimePucks™ fan, Ella from New York.  Happy Birthday Ella! Huge injury news from Chicago as RW Patrick Kane apparently injured his shoulder while falling head-first into the boards. Nothing more to say other than a long-term injury to Kane would represent an irreaplacable loss for fantasy owners at this time of the NHL season. Hopefully, the MRI will not reveal serious damage but it did not look good. More info when we get it... New York Rangers Cam Talbot has performed brilliantly in net as he starts for the injured Henrik Lundqvist and gives the Rangers some breathing room in making sure the King is ready to return.  Talbot posted a 1-0 shutout of the Calgary Flames who gave the Rangers their all but Talbot came up big stopping all 21 SOG to raise his record to 8-1-2 since taking over.  Don’t fret Lundqvist owners, the King will rightfully return to his throne when he is 100% healthy….With the trade deadline approaching, the Rangers may look to solidify their 3rd and 4th lines but with all cylinders clicking, may not need to make a big move… Cam Ward continues to show that he still has what it takes to be a premier starting goaltender in the NHL by beating the Philadelphia Flyers 4-1 and raising his record to 5-1-0 in last six starts.  Start Ward with confidence as he is playing extremely well…As I mentioned in my SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE, when Jeff Skinner is healthy and gets on a roll, he’s a blessing as witnessed by his second consecutive game with a goal and 5 in his last 7.  Ride him while he’s hot, but get ready because he is injury prone….Philly, in a race for a Wild Card spot, lost a tough one especially, and with Boston losing as well, they missed a golden opportunity to bridge the gap.  They still remain 4 points behind the Bruins… The New York Islanders exploded for 4 goals in the 3rd period to rout the Arizona Coyotes who are plummeting fast in the Western Conference.  Expect a fire sale of Arizona veterans as the trade deadline approaches.  Names like Antoine Vermette, Shane Doan, Keith Yandle perhaps and more…. Although the Buffalo Sabres are at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, they have been playing spirited hockey although the wins haven’t been coming but tonight Goalie Michal Neuvirth was rewarded for his solid play of late with a 4-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets… With Eddie Lack ...

Alex Galchenyuk C, Montreal: The 20-year old center has started to roll since being moved to the top line with winger Max Pacioretty. With six points during a current three-game point streak, the gifted Galchenyuk could be breaking out before our very eyes. David Desharnais was never able to consistently live up to top billing, so the youngster should keep this gig for awhile. Kyle Turris C, Ottawa: While more forwards have been providing offense for the Sens lately, Turris still leads the way on the top line. He has heated up with seven points during his five-game point streak while also scoring back-to-back game-winners. He has fallen short of becoming an elite scorer like Jason Spezza but he has been a consistent offensive threat and should be owned in all fantasy formats. Joffrey Lupul RW, Toronto: Despite the slow start, the streaky winger is having a solid month of December scoring at close to a PPG clip with 9 points in 11 games. What makes him even more appealing to fantasy owners should be that coach Randy Carlyle has been shuffling lines and using him with Phil Kessel at times. If that would to become a permanent move, Lupul's fantasy value would skyrocket. Alex Tanguay LW, Colorado: The crafty veteran has arguably been the most consistent Av's forward in recent games, collecting five points over the last five and 22 in 31 overall. While he will surely not maintain his PPG pace, he should be a decent short-term addition for offense-needy fantasy squads. Michael Hutchinson G, Winnipeg: It's just a matter of time before the 24-year old gets the permanent starting gig given his superior numbers to Pavelec- 7-2-2, 1.73 GAA, .940 SP. For the time being, they are alternating starts but the evidence in favor of "Hutch" is mounting.

With Marian Gaborik returning to the lineup, Anze Kopitar has woken up. I think LA is ready to go on some sort of streak. Gaborik has 6 goals in last 4 games. As streaky as they come and as injury-prone as they come. Colorado played Buffalo last. A very uncharacteristic game for both clubs as the Avalanche won 5-1. Jarome Iginla did his Kopitar imitation and had 3 assists last night as well. Did you know that Jeff Carter has 9 goals and 16 assists so far this season? Usually it's the other way around.  You know what that means. Jakub Voracek had 4 assists last night to take over the NHL point lead. His team mate Claude Giroux and Dallas Star Tyler Seguin (does Boston feel that pain yet?) are 3 points behind. Not a positive nigh for the Toronto Maple Leafs in their 7-4 loss to Philadelphia. Pekka Rinne was irregular last night against Minnesota but still won 6-5 in overtime. I think Alex Galchenyuk is loving the new responsibilities of centering the top line. He has 6 points in last 3 games.  Ottawa is going to have one of those years where they seem like they can't move one way or another. Tampa Bay is 3-5-2 in last team. You can breathe Lightning fan.  They will be alright, trust me. The last year on Long Island is turning out to be a special one. Brooklyn is awaiting. Every Florida Panther had a SOG except Derek MacKenzie so you know they were trying in their 3-1 loss to Pittsburgh. See Derek, you made the SMC! Steve Downie had a great night with 2 assists and 17 PIMs. I am very disappointed in the Pittsburgh Penguins for scratching Robert Klinkhammer from the lineup on a Saturday night. I may have to call Bettman. I just don't know if the New Jersey Devils are this bad. They have a lot of home games coming up so maybe they can get back in the thick of things.  Or, they may be looking at a new head coach pretty soon. Nicklas Backstrom is becoming a scoring machine lately notching his 9th and 10th goals on the season. The Rangers are streaking. Martin St. Louis needs to start scoring a little bit more methinks. Even with going 8-1-1 in last 10, Columbus still finds themselves 7 points behind a playoff spot. Keep plugging away boys. Minny G Niklas Backstrom has started the last 3 and last 4 of 6 games. He had to relieve Darcy Kuemper in last night's game. What has happened to Kuemper? Calgary is really going through a tough stretch right now. They face LA and Edmonton twice in the next four games.  So there is hope in two of those games.  The Christmas/...

The hard luck loser award goes to Tampa Bay rookie Andrei Vasilevskiy, who was unpenetrable for most of the game against the Isles with 45 saves but gave up three goals over the last four minutes. Ben Bishop is close to returning, but the youngster has made a strong case for backup duties over the struggling Evgeni Nabokov... Calvin Pickard has performed well above expectations in the Colorado crease while subbing for the injured Semyon Varlamov, turning aside 28 of 29 Buffalo shots for his 5th win of the season. With a 2.16 GAA and .936 SP, the youngster should have little difficulty in maintaining back-up status when 'Varly returns... Don't look now, but a fantasy star is quickly taking center stage for the Montreal Canadiens as Alex Galchenyuk is making the most of his opportunity of centering the top line. Another goal and assist gives him 7 points in his last five games, raising his overall numbers to 24 points in 34 games. The third-year pivot could still be available in many leagues so snatch him ASAP before it's too late... I would hesitate to write that a veteran forward not named Jarome Iginla is Colorado's most consistent fantasy option on offense these days, but Alex Tanguay has been real solid with 22 points in 30 games. He led the way last night with two goals and an assist. Maybe worth a flier as a borderline starter... Here is to stating the obvious, but Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek are the best fantasy tandem in NHL. With a combined 8 points in the 7-4 win over the Leafs, these two have kept many fantasy squads afloat with no end in sight. Expect the good times to continue much longer... With 34 points in 32 games, Nicklas Backstrom has been the far superior fantasy asset over Alex Ovechkin for Washington. Another 3-point night gives him 9 points in his last 6 games. As undercover a superstar as one can be in today's NHL. Perenially a lock for a PPG clip... Maybe it's time to buy low on Chicago winger Patrick Sharp as he is slowly shaking off his early season rust with two goals in the last three games. Coming off a career-high 78 points in 2013-14, he could be in line for a huge second half. I know many fantasy owners who have soured on him... Watch out for Thomas Vanek in Minny, as the struggling winger has begin to hit his offensive stride while riding shotgun to Zach Parise on the top line. His goal and an assist in the loss to Nashville gives him 9 points in the last ten games. With Parise streaking with 26 points in 26 games, I...

Could this be the coming out party for Montreal's Alex Galchenyuk? Moved to the center the top line a few games ago, the ultra-talented Center, with his 3-goal game tonight against the Hurricanes, has 5 points in the three games since being moved.  It's too early to say for sure that he is ready for greater things, but he is capable...Max Pacioretty who knows a few things about hat tricks assisted on all three Galchenyuk goals... Tampa Bay won for just the second time in the past 6 games with rookie G Andrei Vasilevskiy making his NHL debut and turning aside 23 of the 24 Philadelphia SOG for the win. Regular starter Ben Bishop hurt himself the previous night but according to Bishop, he shouldn't be out long...Tyler Johnson had the game-winner and an assist in the game giving him 33 points in 33 games this season. No sophomore jinx for this Johnson....  Toronto continued their winning ways and remain the hottest team in the Eastern Conference with an impressive 6-2 win over Frederik Andersen and the Anaheim Ducks. The top line of Phil Kessel-Tyler Bozak-James van Riemsdyk combined for 7 points in the Leaf victory....G Jonathan Bernier, our latest BETWEEN THE PIPES feature, remained hot with a 40-save effort in notching his 13th win and his 8th win in last 10 decisions. Continue to ride the hot net minder.... Both Sergei Bobrovsky and Jimmy Howard wouldn't budge in their matchup last night and it took a shootout to decide the regulation scoreless tie. Both net minders have been playing excellent goal of late and should continue for the remainder of the season..... The Florida Panthers continue to scratch and claw their way against their opponents to come away with at least a point and last night was just another reminder that the Cats aren't going to be an easy game anymore. Roberto Luongo turned aside 23 of 24 and then saw another 20 attempts in the shootout before Nick Bjugstad put an end to the shootout marathon for the win....   Just when you thought the Los Angeles Kings would continue their recent dominance over St. Louis, their breakout star Vladimir Tarasenko fueled the 5-2 comeback win with a heck of a third period effort- two goals and an assist. He finished with four points on the night to extend his point streak to six games. His overall 36 points is only two behind the NHL lead so treat Tarasenko as an ultra-elite fantasy option and enjoy his monster season. Trading him is not recommended... Not much to say about Arizona's 2-1 overtime win ...

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....