SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE: RUNNING INTO YOUR EX! The season is upon us and what an opening week so far, especially if you got to play against your old team. Jacob Trouba versus Winnipeg: 1G, 2A, 3 SOG, 5 Hits, +1 Conor Sheary vs. Pittsburgh: 2G, 3 SOG, +1 Semyon Varlamov vs. Washington: 26/28 Saves, .929 SP in a 2-1 loss Mika Zibanejad vs. Ottawa: 3G (1 SHG & 1 PPG), 1A,  3 SOG, 2 HTS, +2 Auston Matthews makes opening day his very own with another 2 goals on opening night, which makes 9 goals in 4 opening nights at the start of his NHL career.  I can remember his inaugural night when he scored 4 goals, seems like just yesterday. Ottawa lost to the Leafs on opening night 5-3.  That’s what you’re gonna see when you tune into an Ottawa Senators game. Some talent, some scoring, but a lot more L’s than W’s. Washington against St. Louis, a matchup of the two previous Stanley Cup Champions, was a heated battle with the Capitals ruining St. Louis’ home opener with a Jakub Vrana OT game-winner.  This guy is going to be good so if he is available in your fantasy league, scoop him up ASAP. The Vegas Golden Knights easily handled the San Jose Sharks, who were without the services of Erik Karlsson, by a score of 4-1.  The Knights are expected to battle for the Western Conference title and it sure looks like they will. Don’t worry Sharks fans.  They will bounce back and compete with a slight shuffling of the deck as some of the mainstays like Joe Pavelski (now a Dallas Star) and Joonas Donskoi (On Colorado Avalanche) are now gone .  The Oilers won in Head Coach Dave Tippett’s first game as head coach.  Don’t dispel the Tippett magic as he usually finds a way to make his team competitive and maybe even surprise a few teams. I’m expecting a big bounce back year from the Devils G Cory Schneider as he looked at the end of last season to be over his injuries that have plagued him the past 2.  Let’s hope what we saw on Friday night was nothing major because Mackenzie Blackwood did not look good as his replacement.  Nor in his start against the Jets.. Leon Draisaitl is a beast and is already in beast mode. Going to the NY Rangers home opener I told my buddy Vin that it’s 6-5 but didn’t say who would win. The game could have been decided either way really. LGR! Buffalo beating Pittsburgh didn’t surprise me as it may have others.  I don’t believe the Penguins will make the playoffs this season.  Just a feeling. With the Sabres starting off 2-0, that’s exactly what they needed as ...

WILL NYE, THE SIGNING GUY! SMC 12/2/2018 The season is just rolling along as we head into December!  Lots of cold days so make sure you have plenty of hot coffee to warm the cockles. Whatever that means, lol. December 2 and we have already see a boatload of coach firings and even a GM getting the axe.  That was a shocker to see Hex getting the whack. For the calendar year of 2018, 10 coaching changes have been made.  But all were necessary.  Some teams just weren’t responding anymore. How much longer will Rick Tocchet remain behind the Coyotes bench? The team that will turn it around quickly is probably the Edmonton Oilers, but they must ride Mikko Koskinen because he has clearly been deserving of the #1 starter role. Patrik Laine sure has broken out of his goal-scoring malaise of late with 13 over the past 2 weeks! Good to see Auston Matthews come back.  The NHL needs him to be in the lineup every day. Such a dynamic player.  He makes everyone around him so much better as evidenced by the increase in production of Morgan Rielly and mitch Marner and company. Of course, Oscar Klefbom has responded nicely to Ken Hitchcock taking over behind the bench for the Oilers.  Shame I traded him about 2 days prior. Mikkel Boedker had a career day with a goal and 3 assists for Buffalo in the matchup against his former team the San Jose Sharks on Friday.  Don’t buy into it.  It was one of those motivational revenge factors. The NY Rangers, Vancouver Canucks and to a degree the Montreal Canadiens have started to come back to Earth after a great stretch of games.  Look for the Buffalo Sabres to come back to Earth after their run to the top. The St. Louis Blues have been a real disappointment so far this season. I am expecting the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Edmonton Oilers to pick up their game in the very near future. Is Ilya Kovalchuk really this bad?  Probably not, so try to get him on the cheap. Vegas is going on a hot streak!  Let it ride! As bad as the Anaheim Ducks have been hit with the injury bug, they are right up there competing for the top spot in the Pacific Division because they have John Gibson in net. If you can stash Vincent Trocheck on your bench for the next month, do so. Zach Hyman benefits from a fully healthy Toronto lineup but will his production be hurt by William Nylander’s return? What a horrible saga that was with Nylander signing at the 11th hour.   Why did we need that drama? With Adin Hill winning back-to-back for Arizona, does that mean ...

SMC 11/4/201 Had an extra hour as we turned back our clocks 1 hour marking the end of Daylight Savings Time which means it’s lighter earlier in the day and gets darker sooner for the next 6 months.  Oh who cares anyway?  We have hockey, and Thanksgiving, and Christmas/Boxing Day, and New Year’s Eve, and the Winter Classic.  All good stuff to look forward to as the temperature gets colder and less daylight to bask in. Speaking of basking, how about those Nashville Predators?  Top of the NHL with 22 points.  They definitely have their minds focused on hoisting the Stanley Cup come June when the temperatures are rising, the sun is shining and…. If you haven’t noticed, the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks share 1st place in the Pacific Division. And Edmonton is 2 points behind. The Buffalo Sabres exploded against G Craig Anderson and the Ottawa Senators in a Saturday matinee winning 9-2.  Anderson only let 3 goals in before being pulled, so he wasn’t to blame really. I believe everyone on the Sabres roster had like 3-point days.  Okay, maybe not all the players. You would think at some point that Rasmus Ristolainen would start getting points just by being on the ice with these guys. I stated watching season 3 of Daredevil and I have to say that I am really enjoying it so far.  Episode 4 tonight before watching the NY Rangers take on the Sabres.  Rangers first game home after a California road trip and the Sabres coming off a barn burner win yesterday should all point to a low-scoring affair at MSG.  I finally pulled the trigger and grabbed Yanni Gourde off the free agent wire and dropped Travis Konecny.  I’m keeping my eye on Konecny but Gourde just gets points all the time.  Anton Stralman had a 3 assist game and today I have him as a drop in a claim I have in one of my leagues.  Maybe I should pull him back. Part of me wants to believe that Gustav Nyquist is real this year and another part can’t forget all the disappointment seasons I’ve had waiting for him to breakout. The NY Islanders are for real.  New GM.  New Head Coach.  New beginnings with John Tavares gone to TO. Speaking of TO, the Maple Leafs played the perfect game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night.  And without Auston Matthews and holdout William Nylander. There’s a Jason Spezza resurgence this season but I don’t have room for him on my fantasy squad.  If you do, ride him for a bit. The St. Louis blues have looked good of late but not last night.  The boring team we know ...

SMC 12/24/2017 Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy Boxing Day! Lot of games played Saturday with the Flames the only team getting the night off. Some early Christmas presents for some fantasy owners with the Lightning, Panthers, Golden Knights, Sharks and Ducks posting shutouts.  A warm weather team shutout bonanza! I wonder if the Golden Knights will go the way of the Mighty Ducks and drop off the Adjective at some point in the future.  Las Vegas Knights…Kinds like it! My thoughts on the Islanders Mathew Barzal.  He is having the type of inaugural NHL season much like Gustav Nyquist had.  I would ride this out until he starts to slow down and then trade him off for steadier player(s) and picks because he won’t be this good going forward due to his size.  That’s my take. The NJ Devils are proving me wrong as they remain atop the Metropolitan Division at the Christmas break.  The Anaheim Ducks should be one of the better teams for the second half as all their players are coming back from being injured.  Beware the Boston Bruins as I mentioned a few weeks back! Patrik Laine will have a super 2018! One more week until 2018! As bad as the Buffalo Sabres have been adjusting to Phil Housley behind the bench, I think it’s safe to say that they won’t be as bad and may just be a team that can have the best record going forward.  Maybe I’m being a little too enthusiastic. Tampa Bay is just having a season! Ottawa doesn’t seem to be in sync this year. I would’ve thought Arizona would have been at least close to being in contention. And what is going on with Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins? Auston Matthews is back and that means get all your Maple Leafs back in your fantasy lineup. It appears that Edmonton is starting to right the ship. If the NY Ranges can just make the playoffs, they will have a very good chance at a long run for the Cup. Have a great week and may all your fantasies come true!

Auston Matthews, Will Nylander, and Jake Gardiner are a great trio in NHL DFS tournaments tonight. Who else should you stack?

Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and Jake Gardiner are in a great spot at home against the Panthers. Who else should we stack in NHL DFS tournaments on Tuesday?

William Nylander and his power-play linemates -- Auston Matthews and Jake Gardiner -- are in a sweet spot tonight against the Winnipeg Jets. Which other players should you stack in NHL DFS?

Matthews has done his part in helping the Maple Leafs. How good as he -- and the team -- been?

SMC 1/8/2017 NEW BEGINNINGS! Good morning and welcome to the New Year!  Got my mug of hot coffee and ready to start 2017 with renewed energy! Looks like New York’s Michael Grabner also has found renewed energy with 4 goals and 3 assists in past 6 games.  As streaky as they come as he streaks down the ice in a flash. Nathan Beaulieu is excited to see 2017 with 1 goals and 5 assists in past 6 with some additional PP time added to his game. All the talk in Toronto and the NHL is Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, but don’t forget about Connor Brown.  6 points in last 6 games, 9 in last 8. Don’t hit Patrik Laine too hard because they will protect him as evidenced in Buffalo on Saturday. Mark Scheifele is rounding into true captain material, not only with his offensive capabilities but his standing up for future star Laine. Staying in Winnipeg, this Nikolaj Ehlers is a joy to watch.  Some fantastic goals this past week. Tampa Bay needs Ben Bishop back sooner than later as Anfrej Vasilevskiy has stunk up the joint in his absence. Philly, with 4 goals from their secondary scoring against TB, needs that to continue if they want to be a force in the playoffs this year. Minnesota is having a great season, but that wild, Wild West is tough to advance in come playoff time. Jeff Carter is less streaky this season, but in a good way.  36 points in 40 games. Where have you gone Anze Kopitar? I don’t think teams will be looking forward to playing the Toronto Maple Leafs in the near future, if not already. Montreal prospect Nikita Scherbak scored his first NHL goal in his first NHL game.  Congrats! Alex Radulov means a lot to this Canadiens team even though it’s his first year with the team. Who shot JVR out of a cannon?  9 points in last 5 games. Braden Holtby with 2 consecutive shutouts.  He’s a beast on that Washington team that is picking up steam. I can see Pittsburgh faltering a bit as 2016 comes to an end.  It was some calendar year that’s for sure, but the New Year brings change. T-Rask doesn’t get the props he deserves of late but he is a top 5 NHL goalie for sure. Patrice Bergeron is starting to put points on the board more consistently now.  And he had 7 SOG in Saturday’s game versus the Panthers. Where is Colonel Klinkhammer? If the New Jersey Devils can make a bit of a run now, they can be a thorn in some team’s playoff sides. Rangers with a nice comeback win against Columbus going into their mandated break.  Columbus’ second half could possibly be a huge ...

With goals in four of his last five games, Auston Matthews is underpriced in a great matchup. Which other players are worth a look in NHL DFS?