SMC 3-7-2016 Counting down the weeks!  No worries, we have plenty of coffee to keep us going! Some of you are already into your fantasy league playoffs and I wish you all well.  And then there are those that are battling in their points-only league & rotisserie leagues.  Good luck as well. The Florida Panthers have been on a little bit of a fade but having so much young talent on the squad, the long haul of an NHL season takes its toll. The other Florida team, the Tampa Bay Lightning, are starting to bring it as Stamkos and Johnson are heating up the score sheets of late.  Oh, and Ryan Callahan as well.  Time to get those Bolts in your lineup. You just kinda knew that trading away Andrew Ladd would give Mark Scheifele all the opportunity to show what an NHL stud he can be, and he’s proving it.  A hattie on Saturday night.  Niiiiice! Another team heating up is the San Jose Sharks with the Two Joes, Thornton & Pavelski, along with Brent Burns are carrying the offensive load of late. Another duo that’s been scorching of late are the Nashville Predators Craig Smith and Filip Forsberg. I have been waiting for Smith to display this kind of talent for almost 2 years.  He can help some fantasy team in need of offense. On Defense, the Capitals Matt Niskanen looks like he is heating up for the playoffs with 2 goals and an assist in past 5 games.  He is shooting more with 9 SOG in that same time frame. The Buffalo Sabres are playing tough but they still need a few years together I think. Pittsburgh lost to Calgary in what was definitely a trap game after games against the Rangers and Capitals. Sidney Crosby had both goals in the 4-2 loss to the Flames.  Crosby is on fire of late with 7 points in past 4 games. Pekka Rinne is rounding into top form and the Predators are red hot going 7-0-3 in past ten. It was definitely a Battle In LA yesterday with the Ducks prevailing 3-2.  A lot of fights 7 minutes into the game and then it settled into old-fashioned hockey the rest of the way. Drew Doughty with a PP goal continues to show why he is Norris-worthy. Evgeny Kuznetsov with 7 SOG and nothing to show for it.  He’s good, so grab him early next year.  Ovechkin had 5, if you were curious. Toronto is really going young the rest of the way.  Except for the law firm of Hunwick & Laich, lol. Steve Mason comes back strong with a 6-0 blanking of the Columbus Blue Jackets, showing his old team what they are missing. Radko Gudas had 2 goals and 2 assists giving him 2 goals and 2 ...

SMC 3-7-2016 Counting down the weeks!  No worries, we have plenty of coffee to keep us going! Some of you are already into your fantasy league playoffs and I wish you all well.  And then there are those that are battling in their points-only league & rotisserie leagues.  Good luck as well. The Florida Panthers have been on a little bit of a fade but having so much young talent on the squad, the long haul of an NHL season takes its toll. The other Florida team, the Tampa Bay Lightning, are starting to bring it as Stamkos and Johnson are heating up the score sheets of late.  Oh, and Ryan Callahan as well.  Time to get those Bolts in your lineup. You just kinda knew that trading away Andrew Ladd would give Mark Scheifele all the opportunity to show what an NHL stud he can be, and he’s proving it.  A hattie on Saturday night.  Niiiiice! Another team heating up is the San Jose Sharks with the Two Joes, Thornton & Pavelski, along with Brent Burns are carrying the offensive load of late. Another duo that’s been scorching of late are the Nashville Predators Craig Smith and Filip Forsberg. I have been waiting for Smith to display this kind of talent for almost 2 years.  He can help some fantasy team in need of offense. On Defense, the Capitals Matt Niskanen looks like he is heating up for the playoffs with 2 goals and an assist in past 5 games.  He is shooting more with 9 SOG in that same time frame. The Buffalo Sabres are playing tough but they still need a few years together I think. Pittsburgh lost to Calgary in what was definitely a trap game after games against the Rangers and Capitals. Sidney Crosby had both goals in the 4-2 loss to the Flames.  Crosby is on fire of late with 7 points in past 4 games. Pekka Rinne is rounding into top form and the Predators are red hot going 7-0-3 in past ten. It was definitely a Battle In LA yesterday with the Ducks prevailing 3-2.  A lot of fights 7 minutes into the game and then it settled into old-fashioned hockey the rest of the way. Drew Doughty with a PP goal continues to show why he is Norris-worthy. Evgeny Kuznetsov with 7 SOG and nothing to show for it.  He’s good, so grab him early next year.  Ovechkin had 5, if you were curious. Toronto is really going young the rest of the way.  Except for the law firm of Hunwick & Laich, lol. Steve Mason comes back strong with a 6-0 blanking of the Columbus Blue Jackets, showing his old team what they are missing. Radko Gudas had 2 goals and 2 assists giving him 2 goals and 2 ...

With the trade deadline slowly upon us, a few acquisitions could end up being fantasy relevant after long stretches of dormancy. For starters, Eric Staal received a much needed change of scenery after being traded to playoff bound New York Rangers. While the former Carolina captain has been more relegated to bench duty on most fantasy teams than being available on the waiver wire, he could make for a solid starting option in the coming weeks. The plan is to give him a chance on a line with Derek Stepan and Rick Nash upon his return from injury, which is much better fantasy wise than having him as the 3rd line center. My guess is that a hungry Staal will come out flying in order to prove he still belongs in the pseudo elite class of NHL forwards. The potential taste of playoffs should motivate him... Mikkel Boedker is an intriguing fantasy option given his trade to Colorado. With Alex Tanguay gone in return, the talented German winger is almost a lock for top six minutes with a more talented supporting cast. I would scoop him up if he is out there...   The last guy that I find super interesting is former Oiler and present Penguin, defenseman Justin Schultz. After tearing up the AHL prior to playing for the big boys in Edmonton, he was higly touted as an integral piece of the Oiler's future. A few years later, the 25-year old has regressed mightily but like Staal, might have just needed another home to get him going again. Landing in Pittsburgh seems like a perfect spot for a career revival, especially since Kris Letang has been very injury prone and Schultz represents the best remaining offensive threat from the blueline. Take a flier on him as he is still oozing plenty of offensive upside..

Jonathan Huberdeau LW, Florida- The addition of veteran Jaromir Jagr had ignited the youngster's offensive game as Huberdeau has racked up 10 points in his last 10 games. While his current offensive spurt should get him past the 50-point mark, it's next season where he should make a big jump. Fantasy owners in keeper formats should stash him away if somehow he is still available.  Kevin Hayes C, New York- A tricky add for sure but the youngster is beginning to blossom right before our eyes, albeit still playing on the third line. Counting today's game against Washington, Hayes has collected points in five of his last six games. Having generated most of his rookie offensive output in brief streaks, maybe take a gamble and hope this one lasts 6 games longer.. Alex Tanguay C, Colorado- The veteran forward had been on the Avalanche's hottest line during the month of March, collecting 11 points in 11 games. Landeskog is rolling so I would consider starting Tanguay as the chemistry has been borderline elite... Cam Atkinson RW, Columbus -Waiting, waiting,waiting... Is the shifty winger with tons of upside ever going to break out? well, with 7 goals and 12 points in his last 14 games, we hope this is a preview of things to come. For now, enjoy the ride as Columbus is giving it's youngsters plenty of extra minutes to impress for next season.  Derrick Pouliot D, Pittsburgh- With Kris Letang out due to a concussion, the young Pouliot will get the coveted spot of quarterbacking the Penguins top power play unit in the short term. Two points over the last two games is a good sign so get the youngster in your lineups while you figure the Pens will be extra careful with Letang...

The Edmonton Oilers seem to have gotten out of the habit of long losing streaks of late, but they are still a bad team. Milan Michalek put on a nice audition with 2 goals, an assist and 6 SOG, or was it because the Ottawa Senators were playing the Edmonton Oilers? Bobby Ryan is becoming a force for the second half. Ryan Hamilton, at age 29, is finally getting some NHL time after a prolific minor league career.  Three games so far this season with Edmonton after playing parts of 3 seasons (14 games) with Toronto & Edmonton. It's nice to see a few teams like the NY Islanders and Winnipeg Jets remain competitive throughout the season after years of futility. The Jets just might have to stick with Michael Hutchinson in net the rest of the way for playoff’s sake. Pavel Datsyuk had a spirited game (2G, A, 7 SOG) after a few weeks of mediocrity for him. Byfuglien & new Jet, Tyler Myers had 2 assists in the win over Detroit.  The Winnipeg defensive core is looking pretty good, but it did so before. It’s a wonderful life, huh Mr. Bailey (2G, A)?  It must be playing alongside John Tavares. Andres Lee, pick him up ASAP!  4 more assists in last night’s game giving him 6 points in last 2 games and 8 in last 4.  Not much PP time but he’s on fire! It seems like the Nashville Predators have it all going for them this season. Cory Schneider deserves a better fate than his record shows with the performance he has put on this year. NY Rangers are firing on all cylinders lately.  Except for Marty St. Louis that is.   The Rangers will be just fine with Cam Talbot in net for a while. You never could have predicted that Devan Dubnyk would be the savior of the Minnesota Wild’s season. I love Jeff Skinner but he disappears in long stretches at a time which is so very frustrating. There was a Nathan MacKinnon sighting last night.  Jarome Iginla and Alex Tanguay defy the test of time. I'm just loving the Calgary Flames the past 2 years!  Why is it taking the Oilers so long? Skiing with the family this weekend so my apologies for the shortened SMC. Have a great week and may all your fantasies come true!      

ALL THE RANKINGS HAVE BEEN UPDATED. LOOK IN THE RANKINGS SECTION FOR THE LATEST RANKINGS OF ALL THE NHL TEAMS, DEFENSEMEN, GOALIES, ETC. Washington continues to roll and Braden Holtby continues to start, with his 25th in a row. Holtby raised his record to 21-8-7 as the team seems to have fully embraced Head Coach Barry Trotz' system as they defeated the Colorado Avalanche 2-1.  Don't look for Holtby to slow down any as the team is playing terrific team hockey......Colorado's Semyon Varlamov's return to DC didn't go as well as he wanted but he continued to play well and is the key component in the Avs' hopes of making the playoffs....Alex Tanguay (ppg) and Jarome Iginla (ppa) continue to key the Colorado offense with 28 points apiece in 41 and 43 games played respectively. Iginla, a notorious slow starter now has 10 points in his last 12 games while Tanguay has slowed down as bit with just 4 points in last 10 games..... The Philadelphia Eagles, I mean Flyers, scored 7 goals with 7 different goal-scorers as they blasted the Tampa Bay Lightning 7-3. Don't worry! Ben Bishop had the night off. D-man Mark Streit had a goal and 2 assists to lead the parade. Streit is having himself a fine year on the Philadelphia back end with 31 points in 43 games.  Playing alongside All-Stars Jakub Voracek and Claude Giroux, you are just bound to accumulate points with the productive years they are having....G Rob Zepp earned his 2nd NHL win in just his second NHL start as he fills in for the injured Steve Mason. Zepp will probably get most of the playing time unless he stumbles badly as Ray Emery is having a poor statistical season.... Back-up Martin Jones earned a 19-save shutout for the Kings against the Maple Leafs, snapping a three-game losing skid. Anze Kopitar and Jeff Carter led the way with two points apiece, while Marian Gaborik scored his 14th goal of the season. With Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson out for an extended period of time, expect this forward trio to be heavily involved in the bulk of the scoring for the Kings. As for the Leafs, game three under new coach Peter Horachek displayed little momentum leading from the Columbus victory. Still looking for Phil Kessel to gain that elite consistency that his fantasy owners had expected. So far decent but mixed results from Kessel...

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.

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...

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 Avalanche did not have a morning skate today at Madison Square Garden, so there were no updates given on either player's status, just that more would be determined once the team gets to the rink later.