Nick Leddy, New York- We expected a huge breakout season for Leddy this season coming after a 37-point effort in 2014-15. Unfortunately to the chagrin of many fantasy owners, all he had accounted for so far is 8 points in 29 games. Huge disappointment for sure, but his two assist game last night and a spot on the top powerplay unit over Marek Zidlicky suggests that he might be in serious buy-low mode.  Dennis Wideman, Calgary- Yes, his huge '14-15 season was crying for a huge regression this year but he is starting to rack up some points and could be ready for a strong second half. While currently on a 3-game point streak, the 32-year old veteran is logging huge minutes and also getting power play time as well. Only drawback has been not being paired with Mark Giordano but he has the ability to push toward 40+ points regardless. If he is available, he might be worth adding to your fantasy squad.    Shea Weber, Nashville- Super hot over the last fifteen days as evidenced by his 8 points over 8 games, including a stunning hat trick in the process. His slow start coinciding with the rise of Roman Josi had many thinking that he was no longer the primary blue line option in Nashville. The gap has clearly narrowed between the two, but weber needs to be treated like an elite fantasy option. Don't dare contemplating trading him as it will be tough getting back equal value    Dougie Hamilton, Calgary- We are back in Calgary where 9 points on the year isn't exactly what was expected of the high profile free agent acquisition, but a three game point streak shows he is currently trending up. He has all the ability to be a perennial 50 point producer, but he faces intense competition in Calgary for powerplay time.    Mark Streit, Philadelphia- Yes we know he is still injured but the question remains whether the recent phenomenon known as Shayne Gostisbehere and his sizzling offense will be enough to hurt Streit's future fantasy value. I know this- if the youngster keeps up his scoring pace, then decisions will need to be made. I heard a few folks speculate about a possible Streit trade but perhaps we are crowning the youngster way too early. Talk to me in a few weeks 

Dating back to 2004, Calgary lost 20 straight in Anaheim. Why is that relevant?  Well, the upstart Flames will need to steal a road win or two if they are to advance past round round 2. However, they displayed tons of resiliency surviving the Vancouver Canucks Round 1, rallying from three goals down to win the series clinching Game 6. Anaheim knows a thing or two of overcoming adversity, becoming first team to win three straight playoff games trailing after the second period. So you know that there will not be an ounce of "quit" between both sides in this intense showdown.  The Calgary offense was led by the top line of Johnny Gaudreau-Sean Monahan-Jiri Hudler, who combined for 17 points in Round 1. Look for much of the same from this talented trio if Calgary has a shot of advancing to the Western Conference Finals. What was expected for Anaheim was Corey Perry leading the way in points with seven during their Winnipeg sweep. What was a bit more surprising was that the Ryan Kesler unit was every bit as offensively lethal as the Perry/Getzlaf tandem. Young Jakub Silfverberg showed clears signs of breaking out in his with a dominant 6-point effort, good for eighth in the playoffs so far. For this reason, you have to give the Ducks the decisive edge in the forward corps given the emergence of 2 legit scoring lines.  In goal, Federik Anderson was brilliant for the Ducks with a 2.20 GAA and should be primed to give the Calgary shooters all they can handle. However, former Duck Jonas Hiller should be motivated to exact revenge on his ex-mates while getting over an early hook in Game 6 against Vancouver. On defense, Dennis Wideman and TJ Brodie will be relied upon heavily to complement Calgary's so-so firepower. While Anaheim's edge belongs to their offensive depth, the Flames are more dominant on the blueline. Anaheim's James Wisniewski has yet to pay dividends as their main trade deadline acquisition. You have to love Calgary's bravado and can't lose attitude, but their long losing streak in Anaheim will continue. Fly with the Ducks in 6.  

Here are a few fantasy thoughts regarding games last night affecting the playoff picture: Plenty of playoff implications during last night's full slate of NHL action, but no news bigger than the reigning Stanley Cup champions LA Kings getting eliminated from playoff contention after losing to Calgary 3-1. On the other hand, the Flames will be reaching the postseason for the first time in six years. Jiri Hudler added to his career-high in points with two goals and an assist, giving him 31 goals and 76 points in 78 games. Speaking of career highs, d-man Dennis Wideman reached 56 points with two assists in the game. From a fantasy perspective, both veterans will still garner considerable fantasy value in 2015-16, but my gut is telling me that both will be way overvalued on Draft Day. I would sell high in keeper leagues for sure if you can get back some decent future draft picks... Crushing defeat for the Boston Bruins in sunny Florida as the Panthers defeat the big bad "B's" 4-2. Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov both tallied on the night while Jaromir Jagr chipped in with two assists. You all know how we feel about the potential dynamic duo of Huberdeau/Barkov, but signing Jagr for another season would bolster their chances of putting up huge numbers.. Adding to Boston's woes is that the Ottawa Senators blanked the New York Rangers 3-0 behind Andrew Hammond's 27-save effort and third shutout of the season. Despite the rookie going 19-1-2 with a 1.82 GAA and a .939 SP, I am yet totally sold on him as the "next coming" in the fantasy elite goalie category. Let's see how the off-season goes but I am reluctant to pencil him in as one of my keepers in dynasty leagues.. Is there a hotter goalie than Winnipeg's Ondrej Pavelec? Despite losing 1-0 to Colorado in the shoot-out, the Jets clinch a playoff berth behind the netminder's third straight shutout. After losing his job to rookie Michael Hutchinson early in the season, Pavelec has firmly entrenched himself as a solid no. 1 fantasy goalie option entering the playoffs on the highest of notes. Whether he can replicate his late-season success next season is another story as he has been incredibly inconsistent throughout his career.. Jake Allen is making the starting playoff goalie decision for the St. Louis Blues a very tough one after delivering a huge win over Chicago, wraopping up the division and clinching home-ice advantage over the first two rounds in the playoffs. Allen has allowed four goals over ...

Here are a few fantasy thoughts regarding games last night affecting the playoff picture: Plenty of playoff implications during last night's full slate of NHL action, but no news bigger than the reigning Stanley Cup champions LA Kings getting eliminated from playoff contention after losing to Calgary 3-1. On the other hand, the Flames will be reaching the postseason for the first time in six years. Jiri Hudler added to his career-high in points with two goals and an assist, giving him 31 goals and 76 points in 78 games. Speaking of career highs, d-man Dennis Wideman reached 56 points with two assists in the game. From a fantasy perspective, both veterans will still garner considerable fantasy value in 2015-16, but my gut is telling me that both will be way overvalued on Draft Day. I would sell high in keeper leagues for sure if you can get back some decent future draft picks... Crushing defeat for the Boston Bruins in sunny Florida as the Panthers defeat the big bad "B's" 4-2. Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov both tallied on the night while Jaromir Jagr chipped in with two assists. You all know how we feel about the potential dynamic duo of Huberdeau/Barkov, but signing Jagr for another season would bolster their chances of putting up huge numbers.. Adding to Boston's woes is that the Ottawa Senators blanked the New York Rangers 3-0 behind Andrew Hammond's 27-save effort and third shutout of the season. Despite the rookie going 19-1-2 with a 1.82 GAA and a .939 SP, I am yet totally sold on him as the "next coming" in the fantasy elite goalie category. Let's see how the off-season goes but I am reluctant to pencil him in as one of my keepers in dynasty leagues.. Is there a hotter goalie than Winnipeg's Ondrej Pavelec? Despite losing 1-0 to Colorado in the shoot-out, the Jets clinch a playoff berth behind the netminder's third straight shutout. After losing his job to rookie Michael Hutchinson early in the season, Pavelec has firmly entrenched himself as a solid no. 1 fantasy goalie option entering the playoffs on the highest of notes. Whether he can replicate his late-season success next season is another story as he has been incredibly inconsistent throughout his career.. Jake Allen is making the starting playoff goalie decision for the St. Louis Blues a very tough one after delivering a huge win over Chicago, wraopping up the divisuion and clinching home-ice advantage over the first two rounds in the playoffs. Allen has allowed four goals over ...

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 ...

The Calgary Flames are off to one of their best offensive starts in years, averaging 3.11 goals per game and possessing an explosive power play that ranks 5th in goals(20) and 7th in pp%(22.0). With only one forward Jiri Hudler- ranking in top 15 with 25 pts, a bulk of their offense has been generated by their defensemen. With Mark Giordano leading all NHL d-men with 27pts and TJ Brodie tied with two others for second, there are no shortage of premier defensive fantasy options in Flames Land. However, these two have become very tough to acquire because of their consistent value from Day one. The one gem emerging amongst their defensive corps has a longer track record that the aforementioned two yet has been forgotten in the shuffle: Dennis Wideman. Only owned in 66% of ESPN leagues, Dennis Wideman has been red-hot lately, collecting 5 pts in his last three games,raising his totals to 17 pts in 26 games. His recent goal scoring surge has him as the first to reach the 10-goal mark. Only three years removed from a 46-point campaign for Washington in 11-12, Wideman has also reached a career high of 13 goals and 50 pts for Boston in 08-09. At this pace, both could be surpassed but there are concerns whether he can sustain this level of production. His 18% shooting percentage is much higher than the 7.7 % he had during career year, so there could a goal-scoring dip sooner than later. Also, in his previous highest scoring seasons, Wideman always played a major role on the team's top power-play unit, but this hasn't been the case in 2014-15 so far. Mark Giordano and TJ Brodie have been getting all the top PP minutes, with Wideman and Kris Russell filling in admirably on the second unit. The Calgary power-play overall has extremely prolific, but an inevitable slowdown should be expected. With his proven scoring pedigree, Wideman should be viewed as a long-term option who will has his shares of ups and downs throughout the season. If any injuries occur to either Giordano or Brodie, the veteran is more than capable of handling a larger role with the man-advantage. Look for Wideman to get past the 40-point mark, but unless he moves up the depth chart, I can't see him setting career marks in point scored.. Parting Shots: Kris Letang is set to miss two weeks due to a groin injury. Look for Olli Maatta and Christian Ehrhoff to have more fantasy value over this span as they are getting more power-play time for the Penguins.. Dan Boyle (illness) should be ready to ...

Most eyes were on Martin Brodeur's first career start on a team other than New Jersey, and the end-results were mixed. He surrendered four goals on 24 shots in the 4-3 St. Louis loss to Nashville, but looked on his game early on after making several splendid saves. As a die-hard NHL fan, it's great to see Marty back manning the crease but as a fantasy owner, I won't be running to scoop him up soon. He will get a few starts to alleviate Jake Allen's workload while Brian Elliott recovers from injury, so don't get caught up in the hype. Brodeur's elite fantasy days are long over.. A heavy dose of reality for Jhonas Enroth and his Buffalo mates, as they got slammed by Tampa Bay 5-0 in the second game of a home-and-home set. You didn't think that the suddenly streaking Sabres would hand the Lightning a second straight loss, did you? Even though Enroth gave up 5 goals on 35 shots and had his three-game winning streak snapped, he has played extremely well lately and should be considered a depth spot on most fantasy squads. With a very manageable three-home game week coming up, I am seriously considering starting Enroth over the struggling Kari Lehtonen.. The injuries to Pittsburgh's forward corps keep piling up, as Patric Hornqvist was not out there for the third period of the 3-0 loss to Vancouver. Apparently, he suffered the injury after taking a big hit from Ryan Stanton, but there hasn't been a confirmation yet. The ex-Predator has been a fantasy revelation on the Pens, collecting 25 points in 25 games, so a serious injury would be a massive blow to his fantasy owners.. Sergei Bobrovsky's 52 saves paced the Blue Jackets in a much-needed 4-3 victory over the Florida Panthers and ending his personal five-game win-less skid.With a 6-8-1 record and a less than elite 2.89 GAA, the young Russian goaltender is off his normal slow start, but just like his 2013 Vezina winning year, he could heat up in a hurry. I am saying huge "buy-low" opportunity here, so inquire what it would take to get him on the moderate cheap.. Eleven straight and counting for Jaroslav Halak, as he continued his lengthy winning streak with his 20-save effort in New York's 2-1 road win over Ottawa. His numbers speak for themselves, with his .926 SP and 2.05 GAA ranking him amongst the fantasy elite. Keep riding him in the crease as the Islanders have shown no signs of any slippage soon.. Great news for Logan Couture fantasy owners, as he passed all concussion protocol and played last night in...

There are several situations around the NHL where a few up-start defenseman have benefited from the absence of other key players to become viable fantasy options- Johnny Boychuk, Trevor Daley, and to a lesser extent, TJ Brodie. In the case of Boychuk, who will be returning to Boston tonight to face the Bruins for the first time since the trade, he has claimed top power-play duties as a result of Lubomir Visnovsky being out since the pre-season. Now, things might get a bit "dicey" for fantasy owners as Visnovsky is getting to return to the Islander's line-up tonight. He has been banged up in recent years, missing 58 games last season due to concussion issues and 95 combined contests over the last three years. However, when healthy, the talented blueliner can still rack up the points as was made evident in 2010-11 after he led all NHL d-men in points with 68. His numbers have fallen off but he is clearly the best offensive option on the team. He does lack the powerful shot of Boychuk which has mightily contributed to the Islander's strong power-play early on. Visnovsky is well worth a pickup if available because the jury is still out on whether Boychuk can maintain his prolific scoring pace. He should get a chance soon to re-claim his top spot, but he might have to wait till "Johnny" cools off.. The news in Dallas has veteran rearguard Sergei Gonchar back skating on his own and possibly set to return to practice after Dallas ends their road trip. While he is probably still a few weeks away, he is going to have his hands full in restoring his offensive prominence of year's past. First, the number's game has not been kind to Gonchar as he only registered 22 points in 76 games last season. The 40-year old not only has to worry about a depleted gas tank, but also has to contend with a "smokin" hot Trevor Daley. While it's completely reasonable to assume that Alex Goligoski is viewed by the team brass as their most valuable offensive defenseman, leaving Daley standing in Gonchar's way of getting top power-play time again. All Daley has done in the early going is score three power-play goals and chip in with three helpers in six games. The bottom line- add Gonchar at your own risk, fully knowing that a skill-set on the decline will hurt his cause, but he should get a chance when Daley slows down. Our last veteran to consider, Dennis Wideman, has returned to the line-up with a vengeance after being made a healthy scratch by Calgary coach Bob Hartley. He has been...

With just two weeks into the 2014-15 season, there are several defensemen off to hot starts that have fantasy owners scratching their heads. Who's for real or who is not? The phenomenon of NHL'ers playing well beyond their natural abilities has become a frequent occurrence but it's alway more difficult to gauge at the beginning of the season. With the limited trends that we have at our disposal, we can always make well-educated decisions on which of these sleeper targets can actually help our fantasy teams in the long run. By now everyone should be aware of Johnny Boychuk's explosion on the New York Islanders scene after being traded from Boston. While the Bruins seldom used the two-way defender in offensive situations, his new team was down a power-play quarterback with Lubomir Visnovsky out and chose to give him a shot. No pun intended, but it's Boychuk's big bomb of a shot that has made him an instant success on the top power-play unit. With six points in the first three games, continue to ride him while he's hot but temper your expectations just a bit. He should put up a career-high in points, but Visnovsky has been skating again and a decent bet to regain his power-play spot once he is cleared to return. You also have Nick Leddy, who's offensive upside might be hard to ignore once he is acclimated to his new team. I love Boychuk as 35-40 point guy, but there are too many variables to count on a 50+ point breakout season. That being said, would I be shocked if it happens? Absolutely not. Visnovsky has been very brittle these days... In Calgary, young TJ Brodie is off to a blazing start with five points in his first five games. While this shouldn't qualify as an absolute stunner since he did rack up 31 points last season, the circumstances surrounding his success have played a major factor. The one common denominator over his first three seasons was that he was relegated to secondary power-play duty while veterans such as Dennis Wideman and Mark Giordano had surpassed him on the depth chart. While Giordano has become an elite offensive defenseman, Wideman has slipped past his prime and fallen out of favor with coach Bob Hartley. Brodie has been promoted to the top unit alongside Giordano and has really reaped the benefits of his new-found confidence. He should be long gone off most waiver wires, but snag him ASAP if he is still available. Year 4 looks like a big breakout for Mr. Brodie.. I am loving myself some Sami Vatanen in Anaheim, as he has ...

Wideman, who is the highest paid player on the Flames roster will be a healthy scratch tonight on the second night of a back-to-back. Wideman had no points and was a minus-1 in 16:30 against Vancouver last night. Raphael Diaz will enter the lineup fo Wideman.