SMC 2/9/2020 First off, I’d like to apologize for not writing in so long.  But now that the holidays are past us as, well as the All-Star break, it’s time to get back on the horse so to speak. Now is the time for you to evaluate your fantasy team and either make a run for the championship or build for next year if you are involved in any type of dynasty league. First half slumping veterans are a good play in the second half after the All-Star break as they know the importance of these games for their playoff contending teams.  Players such as Blake Wheeler, Taylor Hall, Jakub Voracek, Ilya Kovalchuk ( I can’t believe I said his name here!), Jamie Benn etc.  Trading away potential prospects and mid-round picks may be worth it if your team has a legitimate chance. On the other side of the coin is to trade those same players mentioned above for high-level, near-NHL-ready prospects and high draft picks returns as you build for next year and beyond. I recently made trades for Sebastian Aho, Blake Wheeler, Jakub Voracek, Steven Stamkos a few weeks back but had to give up a lot for Stammer. Starting to pay dividends! Patrik Laine with his 8th NHL hat trick last night.  He was an assist machine early this season but the goals are coming now! NY Rangers blew their slim playoff hopes with that regulation loss to a reeling Buffalo Sabres team on home ice the other night.  Let the rebuild continue. How about those Montreal Canadiens making a push for playoff significance? Can Ilya lead them to the promised land? Elvis is in the building! Elvis is in every building lately with his 5 shutouts in last 9 games. Shades of Patrick “the Dream” Lalime and Brian Boucher’s string of 5 consecutive shutouts. He's already known on a first-name basis! The LA Kings are really bad.  The LA Suc-Kings!  Sorry, just making a joke.  I’m sure they will turn that team around in the next year or two. I think the SJ Sharks are waking up just a tad too late. I cannot believe how the Minnesota Wild have turned their season around after that horrendous start and making themselves playoff contenders. Arizona needs Darcy Kuemper back in net and quick if they want to stay in the playoff picture. Adin Hill is not he answer and Antti Raanta got hurt yet again the other night. Are the NJ Devils sabotaging their chances of another 1st overall pick with Mackenzie Blackwood posting consecutive shutouts and winning 3 of past 6 games? Nick Suzuki scoring with more consistency over the past 7 games. ...

A few Jets are soaring while under the radar star in Columbus is showing signs: Nail Yakupov RW Edmonton- Under coach Todd Nelson, the youngster has shown some of the massive upside expected of him when drafted early a few years ago. With 7 points in his last 8 games, the 21-year old has been heating up while the oilers play out the string and assess what they have up front. While Eberle, RNH and Hall grab all the headlines, it seems the equally talented Yakupov is getting a second chance with the new coaching regime.    Mark Scheifele C Winnipeg- The Jets are flying and Scheifele offensive production had been a huge reason why. The center has racked up 13 points over his last 12 contests, exhibiting much chemistry lately with new line mates Drew Stafford and Blake Wheeler. With Winnipeg amidst a legitimate push toward the playoffs, it might be prudent to get Scheifele on your roster.  Marko Dano C Columbus- With the Blue Jackets out of playoff contention, The 20-year old has been given an extended role on the big club and not his normal AHL stint with the Springfield Falcons . The youngster has benefited big time from playing alongside Alexander Wennberg and Scott Hartnell, collecting 12 points over his last 18 games. He should continue to produce at that clip while he gets a strong look to finish the year.  Elias Lindholm C Carolina- Another young blue chipper playing for a no playoff bound team, the center has racked up 15 points in last 22 games for the Canes. The next big thing after Eric Staal, expect him to play well for the remainder of 2014-15 before taking a huge leap forward next season. Ondrej Pavelec G Winnipeg- The 27-year old has won four straight and his jets are among the hottest teams in the NHL right now. With rookie Michael Hutchinson far removed from the starting festivities in Winnipeg, there is no better time for a goalie-starved fantasy owner to grab Pavelec. 

Most important news of the night was that Corey Perry left the game with an apparent knee injury on a check along the side boards. The seriousness of his injury is not known at this time but after a sensational start to the season, Perry will continue to travel with the team, so the eseverity of his injury might not be that bad.  This injury, and his recent bout with the mumps and I'm sure Perry can't wait for the new year to begin.... Anaheim Duck G Frederik Andersen (21/25 SV) didn't have his best game but managed to play well enough for his 13th win on the season. With the recent tryout of one-time Duck Ilya Bryzgalov and rookie John Gibson still recovering from a lower-body injury, it appears that Andersen will be manning the crease for the foreseeable future.  If, and when, Bryzgalov signs, Gibson seems to be headed for the minors to develop his game once he returns from injury.... Minnesota G Darcy Kuemper (13/18 SV) didn't have his best game either as he was pulled after letting in all 5 goals in the Ducks 5-4 win over the Wild. Kuemper's play has been off-and-on lately going 3-3-0 in last 6 starts.  The Wild need consistent play form their net minders and with Josh Harding lurking in the AHL, Kuemper's days as the undisputed no. 1 in Minnesota may be drawing to a close.... The good thing to come out of this game was the play of Ryan Kesler who had 2 goals and an assist. Kesler will need to bring his ‘A' game as Perry could be out of the lineup for a period of time depending on the severity of his injury.... Winnipeg G Michael Hutchinson (20/22 SV) is not making it easy for the Jets coaching staff not to play him more regularly as he put in another superb performance by allowing just 2 goals or less in a game for the sixth straight start. Ondrej Pavelec owners need to grab him as a handcuff pronto.....The line of Bryan Little (3G, A), Andrew Ladd (G, 2A) and Blake Wheeler (3A) were the offensive stars of the game. Perhaps the Colorado Avalanche were exactly what the doctor ordered for the Jets' offense and is a sign of things for Winnipeg forwards.... The Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-3 on a last minute goal by Brandon Saad who now has 3 points in the last 3 games showing signs of breaking out of an early season slump....Kris Versteeg continued his resurgence as a Blackhawk with another power play assist, making that 8 points in last 5 games and 22 points in 22 games. Perhaps the imminent return of Patrick Sharp will slow ...

***UPDATE: Prime D rankings have been updated.  Check out the latest in our RANKINGS Section in the right margin====> Dan Boyle returned from injury and even though he didn't figure in the scoring, you could tell that the Rangers' offense was buzzing with him back in the lineup. Boyle will be a huge addition to the power play as his conditioning improves....Even though Colorado's Matt Duchene (G, A) is having what some are considering a slow start with 12 points in the first 18 games including last night's tilt, you need to stick with him as he could explode at any time..... Winnipeg was able to cool off red-hot goaltender Cam Ward as the Jets, behind Blake Wheeler's 2 goal effort. We all know that Wheeler has come into his own after last season's monster year, but keep your eyes on Mark Scheifele as he had 2 assists in the contest giving him 5 points in the past 5 games. If you are need of offensive help, pick him up now if he's available.  Before he got injured last season, he got on a good run with 19 points in a 23-game span midway through the season..... After starting out November 4-0-0, the Boston Bruins have gotten shallacked on back-to-back nights by scores of 6-1 and 5-1, although to division rivals. Is this the beginning of the end for the big, bad Bruins?  Far from it as they are too good of a team and will rebound.  Montreal's Max Pacioretty had 2 goals so get him in your lineup ASAP as he is one of the streakiest scorers in the NHL..... Tampa Bay Lightning G Ben Bishop was huge against the San Jose Sharks, turning aside 37 of 39 SOG but Antti Niemi was just a tad better, only letting in one on 33 SOG. Start both goaltenders with extreme confidence...Joe Thornton has points in 4 straight games with a goal in this one, giving fantasy owners hope that he is beginning to heat up.... The story in Minnesota is that the Wild prevailed 6-3 against the lowly Buffalo Sabres, despite Darcy Kuemper getting pulled after allowing two first-period goals. It is time for fantasy owners to pull the trigger on adding Josh Harding as Kuemper has struggled big-time in recent starts. Harding will get every opportunity to take the starting position, but how long he holds up is anyones's guess.. Nino Neiderreiter's "hat trick" could the start of a short streaky run, but nothing more.. Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon returned to a lineup, scoring a goal and registering 8 shots on goal. With all the injuries to Minny defenders, the youngster will get an uptick in ...

Last year was probably as far away from what every fan and the coaching staff expected as you can get. Evander Kane getting injured and then trade rumors didn't help matters. Ondrej Pavelec had his worse career performance since his early days in Atlanta, posting .901 SP and a 3.01 GAA. Two big reasons why the Jets failed to qualify for the playoffs for 7 seasons as franchises of Winnipeg and Atlanta.  The only player left from that playoff team is Center Jim Slater. The team's roster doesn't have much in the way of players with playoff experience.  Perhaps that is something the coaching staff needs to take a look at. GOALIES We all know the importance of steady goaltending when it comes to the emotional stability of a team. Pavelec hasn't been that rock in net for the Jets as he has some up and down seasons so far in his young career.  In fact, it has been more down than up especially when his metrics are usually below average.  It has been said that Pavs has been working hard in the off-season.  I wonder if Michael Hutchinson put a scare into him with his amazing 3-game audition at the end of the season. All Hutchinson did was post a 2-1-0 record with a .943 SP and 1.64 GAA.  Now, no one should expect those types of numbers again, especially since that is all of his NHL experience, but he is 24 years old and will get a chance to steal the starting job since Pavelec has been anything but that solid starter every playoff team needs in the crease. Keep an eye on this situation in camp and the start of the season.  With Pavelec, the team is going to have to support him night-in and night-out, but with Hutchinson in net, he may be able to steal a few games and the offense won't have to be constantly counted on to bail Pavelec out.. DEFENSE There is no lack of blue line talent with this crew. Led by Dustin Byfuglien, who may or may not be a RW this season, the jets have a plethora of offensive-minded d-men patrolling the back end. Buff brings the grit along with the capability to score 20 goals. Then there is Tobias Enstrom, who should respond from a down year. The talented Swede only scored 30 points, his lowest total ever.  Then there are the two youngsters, Zach Bogosian and Jacob Trouba, who were 1st round draft picks, selected 3rd and 9th overall respectively. Both can score, but with Buff and Enstrom ahead of them, expect only secondary scoring.  Paul Postma and Grant Clitsome are your stay-at-home defensemen, so no fantasy value there. FORWARDS There...

A few Jets had strong fantasy numbers last night as Winnipeg demolished the Dallas Stars 7-3. Big Blake Wheeler led the way with 4 assists, but Dustin Byfuglien was easily the fantasy star of the night with 2 goals, one assist, and 7 shots on goal. His current "smoking" streak of 8 points (6G/2A) in the last 5 games has landed him at 50+ point territory once again. Ride the "big man" down the stretch as he has caught "fire" at the right time. Suddenly, it might be time to pay attention to defenseman Tobias Enstrom, who also put forth a worthy effort with a goal and two assists. The former 50+ point guy has struggled all season, but has collected 4 points in the last two. He might be worth a spot start if you are weak on defense. Before I move any forward, the news of Kris Letang set to practice for Pittsburgh today is awesome on many levels, and while his return seems imminent, the earliest fantasy owners could hope for would seem to be the weekend. Nevertheless, Letang could provide an instant dose of fantasy punch to any defensive corps. Kudos if you held onto to him. Bad news for St. Louis, as the ultra-talented Vladimir Tarasenko is done for the season after undergoing hand surgery. Less of a blow to fantasy owners, given the carousel of forwards who contribute to the Blues balanced offensive approach. So, Eric Staal extends his point streak to six games with a goal during Carolina's huge 2-1 loss to Edmonton. Ooops.. I meant Jordan. What the heck is going on? It's actually the Alex Semin effect, as Eric has been struggling ever since the Russian winger has been moved to Jordan's line. If Ottawa's newly-acquired winger Ales Hemsky is still available in your fantasy leagues, shame on all of you. How frustrating is owning Detroit's Johan Franzen? I inserted him in my starting lineup while he was blazing "hot", and he responded with 3 straight ZEROS. Thank you Johan. It's been real. VETERAN WATCH: I would consider Calgary's Mike Cammalleri for a spot-start this week, as the 31-year old has been a power-play warrior and a point-machine recently for the Flames. With 9 points in the last 8 and not much on the line for his team, I could see "Cammy" finishing the season strong. The other vet I like for completely the opposite reason is Shane Doan. The captain is raising his as game as the stakes are higher for his Phoenix Coyotes who are currently in a dogfight for a playoff spot.

A few Jets had strong fantasy numbers last night as Winnipeg demolished the Dallas Stars 7-3. Big Blake Wheeler led the way with 4 assists, but Dustin Byfuglien was easily the fantasy star of the night with 2 goals, one assist, and 7 shots on goal. His current "smoking" streak of 8 points (6G/2A) in the last 5 games has landed him at 50+ point territory once again. Ride the "big man" down the stretch as he has caught "fire" at the right time. Suddenly, it might be time to pay attention to defenseman Tobias Enstrom, who also put forth a worthy effort with a goal and two assists. The former 50+ point guy has struggled all season, but has collected 4 points in the last two. He might be worth a spot start if you are weak on defense. Before I move any forward, the news of Kris Letang set to practice for Pittsburgh today is awesome on many levels, and while his return seems imminent, the earliest fantasy owners could hope for would seem to be the weekend. Nevertheless, Letang could provide an instant dose of fantasy punch to any defensive corps. Kudos if you held onto to him. Bad news for St. Louis, as the ultra-talented Vladimir Tarasenko is done for the season after undergoing hand surgery. Less of a blow to fantasy owners, given the carousel of forwards who contribute to the Blues balanced offensive approach. So, Eric Staal extends his point streak to six games with a goal during Carolina's huge 2-1 loss to Edmonton. Ooops.. I meant Jordan. What the heck is going on? It's actually the Alex Semin effect, as Eric has been struggling ever since the Russian winger has been moved to Jordan's line. If Ottawa's newly-acquired winger Ales Hemsky is still available in your fantasy leagues, shame on all of you. How frustrating is owning Detroit's Johan Franzen? I inserted him in my starting lineup while he was blazing "hot", and he responded with 3 straight ZEROS. Thank you Johan. It's been real. VETERAN WATCH: I would consider Calgary's Mike Cammalleri for a spot-start this week, as the 31-year old has been a power-play warrior and a point-machine recently for the Flames. With 9 points in the last 8 and not much on the line for his team, I could see "Cammy" finishing the season strong. The other vet I like for completely the opposite reason is Shane Doan. The captain is raising his as game as the stakes are higher for his Phoenix Coyotes who are currently in a dogfight for a playoff spot.

The Olympic break has shut down the NHL for the next two weeks, but we are always thinking about ways to give you information. Today we talk about the chances that the United States hockey team can win the gold medal in Sochi.  Remember that the games in Sochi will be on the big ice, where the rinks are about 15 feet wider than in the NHL.  This really brings speed and skill into play.  So lets start in goal because in a short series like the Olympics a hot goalie can win it all for you.  The US has 3 goaltenders, Ryan Miller, Jimmy Howard and Jonathan Quick. Miller was the hero of the US 2010 team that lost in overtime to Canada in the gold medal game.  They always say that you do not win silver, you lose gold if you come in second place.  While Buffalo has really had a bad year, and Miller has only 14 wins, his .923 save percentage should make him the likely starter, as both Howard and Quick have struggled this year.  But goaltending should be pretty good for the US. The US has a pretty solid group of defensemen with a nice mix of age and a lot of size, and a combination of shut-down defensemen and offensive talent. At 33 years of age, Brooks Orpik is the classic shut down defenseman, and he has the size at 6' 2" and 220 lbs. He will be joined by Paul Martin of Pittsburgh who also has good size at 6' 1" and 200 lbs, and is a shutdown guy as well. Ryan Suter should be the leader on defense, and the 29 year old has had a great season with 33 points on the year. 22 years old Cam Fowler of the Ducks is another offensive d-man who has 31 points this season. All-in-all the US defense has a very nice mixture of age, defensive and offensive skills.  This group is not going to hurt the US. On offense the US has two great stars in Patrick Kane and Phil Kessel. Joe Pavelski of San Jose has had a terrific year as well with 54 points. The problem is that after these three, the talent level drops off a bit.  T J Oshie from St. Louis is very fast, and Max Pacioretty from Montreal can really score with 26 goals on the season, and he appears to be okay after crashing into the net in his last game. Blake Wheeler, at 27 years of age, has really been coming on strong for Winnipeg with 48 points this year, and his teammates have been raving about his play. David Backes of the Blues has great speed and he can score as well. Toronto's James van Riemsdyk will be playing in his first Olympics, and the 24 year old is having a terrific season with 47 points. Not quite sure why ...

The Olympic break has shut down the NHL for the next two weeks, but we are always thinking about ways to give you information. Today we talk about the chances that the United States hockey team can win the gold medal in Sochi.  Remember that the games in Sochi will be on the big ice, where the rinks are about 15 feet wider than in the NHL.  This really brings speed and skill into play.  So lets start in goal because in a short series like the Olympics a hot goalie can win it all for you.  The US has 3 goaltenders, Ryan Miller, Jimmy Howard and Jonathan Quick. Miller was the hero of the US 2010 team that lost in overtime to Canada in the gold medal game.  They always say that you do not win silver, you lose gold if you come in second place.  While Buffalo has really had a bad year, and Miller has only 14 wins, his .923 save percentage should make him the, likely, starter, as both Howard and Quick have struggled this year.  But goaltending should be pretty good for the US. The US has a pretty solid group of defensemen with a nice mix of age and a lot of size, and a combination of shut down defensemen and offensive talent. At 33 years of age Brooks Orpik is the classic shut down defenseman, and he has the size at 6' 2" and 220 lbs. He will be joined by Paul Martin of Pittsburgh who, also, has good size at 6' 1" and 200 lbs, and is a shutdown guy as well. Ryan Suter should be the leader on defense, and the 29 year old has had a great season with 33 points on the year. 22 years old Cam Fowler for the Kings is another offensive d-man who has 31 points this season. All in all the US defense has a very nice mixture of age, defensive and offensive skills.  This group is not going to hurt the US. On offense the US has two great stars in Patrick Kane and Phil Kessel. Joe Pavelski of San Jose has had a terrific year as well with 54 points. The problem is that after these three the talent level drops off a bit.  T J Oshie from St Louis is very fast, and Max Pacioretty from Montreal can really score with 26 goals on the season, and he appears to be ok after crashing into the net in his last game. Blake Wheeler at 27 years of age has really been coming on strong for Winnipeg with 48 points this year, and his teammates have been raving about his play. David Backes of the Blues has great speed and he can score, as well. Toronto's James van Riemsdyk will be playing in his first Olympics, and the 24 year old is having a terrific season with 47 points. Not quite sure why ...

Upon his return to the Winnipeg lineup after missing 4 games due to a hand injury, Evander Kane made his presence felt immediately with a shorthanded goal and an assist in the stunning 3-2 victory over the Ducks, their first regulation loss at home. He resumed a heavy workload, playing 20:07 minutes while lining up with Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler. His overall numbers this season (27 pts.in 39 games) are leaving a sorry impression on fantasy owners, but he has quietly started to pick up his offense. After a slow start where he collected 14 points in the first 26 games, Kane has been a point-per-game scorer over the last two months with 13 points in 13 games. His injury issues have kept his game totals low, but now might be the best time to "buy low" on a budding star ready to reap the rewards of a new coach and a more free-flowing offensive scheme. If the line combinations in Winnipeg remain intact, his line will produce the most for fantasy purposes. More Fantasy Notes: Last season's Vezina Trophy winner is on quite a roll since returning from injury, as Sergei Bobrovsky has won eight straight starts for Columbus. Not showing his best form last night against the Kings, he stopped 26 of 29 shots in the 5-3 win. His overall numbers stand at 16-11-2, .915 SP, and a 2.55 GAA.. Defenseman James Wisniewski finished with 2 assists and is "on fire" with 10 points (2G/8A) in his last 9 games. If health permits, the hard-shooting blueliner should easily be a top-ten fantasy fixture for a few years to come. A talented core of young forwards are blossoming around him and Jack Johnson, so the future looks bright for this streaking Columbus squad.. 2 more goals for Rick Nash, who probably would have a had a few more if it wasn't for some tremendous saves by the Isle's Kevin Poulin. Fantasy owners are loving Nash right now, as the Ranger's most talented forward has 9 goals in the last 9 games. Smoking hot.. Ondrej Pavelec has been a different goalie since coach Paul Maurice took over for the Winnipeg Jets, winning four straight. Not tested much in the previous 3 starts, the much-maligned netminder earned his "keep" last night as he made 40 saves in a 3-2 road victory over Anaheim. Maybe " buying low" on him would be a prudent idea considering it wouldn't require a hefty return and the team has responded in a huge way to the coaching change. Pavelec is far from a "sure thing", but he is much better than the form he shown earlier in the season. I say he's worth a ...