Hockey fans, we are on the verge of getting some quality live-action NHL hockey with the qualifying set to get under way.  The New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes will kick off the qualifying round at 12:00 PM EST followed by 4 other matchups that day.  And then Sunday follows up with another 5 games so there is something for everyone on the re-opening weekend on this wacky 2019-2020 season.  It’s usually around this time that I am wrapping up my Fantasy Hockey Draft Guide, but that will have to wait.  Now  let’s go into the predictions.   EASTERN CONFERENCE MATCHUPS #5 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #12 Montreal Canadiens Pittsburgh in 5 When you have the Chipotle group (CMG-Crosby-Malkin-Guentzel), hard to bet against such talent and experience even if Montreal has G Carey Price to keep them in the series.  Too much Penguin firepower will overcome the Price factor.  CMG is the stock symbol for the chipotle corporation for those who did not know.  Just like the food, this Pittsburgh team is soooo good.   #6 Carolina Hurricanes vs. #11 New York Rangers New York Rangers in 4 Probably a little hyped after watching Googly Eyed Scorpion’s YouTube video of the Rangers road to the 1994 Stanley Cup but if D Dougie Hamilton is out of the Carolina lineup, the Canes’ defensive corps will be stressed.  If indeed he does return to action, and do not forget playoff wonder RW Justin Williams, then the Canes will have enough to win in 5 games.   #7 New York Islanders vs. #10 Florida Panthers New York Islanders in 4 I remembered how hard the Panthers played in their last playoff appearance in 2015-2016 against these very same Islanders team and expect the same level of competitiveness but the Islanders play a stifling defensive game and have Barry Trotz behind the bench. That’s all there is to know unless somehow Sergei Bobrovsky rises from the horrible funk he’s been in and brings his Vezina-winning form to the ice.   #8 Toronto Maple Leafs vs. #9 Columbus Blue Jackets Toronto Maple Leafs in 5 This is going to be a fierce battle between two teams that finished the truncated season with the same amount of points, 81, but got there in different ways.  Columbus more of a blue-collar work ethic while Toronto has a load of flash,  Again, most series on determined on the backs of the goaltending and this series will be no different.  Slight edge to Toronto in that department even with Elvis in their building.     WESTERN CONFERENCE MATCHUPS   #5 Edmonton Oilers vs. #12 ...

SMC 11/19/2017 Glad to be back on somewhat of a routine again!  Looks like RW Sebastian Aho from Carolina, not to be mistaken for the defenseman Sebastian Aho from the NY Islanders-although he may be a good one someday, seems to be heating up.  Kudos to those sticking with him through his rather slow start.  Grab him if he’s available.  The Carolina player, not the Islander one. Chicago’s Brandon Saad has really crashed and burned since his hot start.  I believe he will start to score more consistently going forward. Auston Matthews is back and he made his return with a ‘statement’.  That Statement being 2 goals.  Wow. Half as good as his NHL debut.  Mitch Marner was appreciative assisting on both AM’s goals. What is up with Luke Witkowski?  And shouldn’t Matthew Tkachuk get more than the 1-game suspension and Witkowski get less than the 10-games?  I mean, he slashed the back of Witkowski’s leg kind of instigating that melee. Break out the champagne!  The Arizona Coyotes won 2 in a row for the first time this season.  Of course the champagne will have to be a dry one. Need a goal scorer badly.  If Anthony Duclair is available, perhaps he will be the goal scorer everyone has been waiting for.  He did have a hattie on Saturday. Sean Monahan also had a hattie against Philadelphia, all coming in the second period. Wooohoo! Is that all we get from the Edmonton Oilers?  One good season and a playoff berth and now a return to mediocrity?  Oh wait, they’ve been worse than mediocrity for a long time before last season’s 2 playoff rounds. If Jason Spezza is available, pick him up, store him on your bench, and then he will either get on a roll, or get traded and really get on a roll. I believe you are about to see the Division standings start to look like they are supposed to with maybe one or two surprises in there like we have every year. That Devan Dubnyk sure went on a roll, didn’t he?  Three straight shutouts!  Plus one guy in m one of my fantasy leagues had him.  But he also had Sergei Bobrovsky who shutout the Rangers on Friday night.  What a week! Looks like Bobrovsky is finally over his injury-prone stage. The Winnipeg Jets are coming together thanks to Conor Hellebuyck’s play this season.  Sorry Steve Mason. LA’s Darcy Kuemper must’ve been watching ex-teammate Devan Dubnyk recent performance as he too posted a shutout on Saturday, just not three in a row.  That would be difficult to do with Jonathan Quick in net for the Kings. Does anyone else feel like ...

BTP: SOMEWHERE, UNDER THE RAINBOW… Every year when it comes to draft day, the elite goalies always go in some variation of preference order but for the most part it’s names like Price, Rinne, Lundqvist, Quick, Crawford and Rask that go off the board first.  Most poolies know that having that stabilizing force in your fantasy lineup does wonders for your compete level.  But there are always goalies that never appears on one’s screen at draft time, goalies like Winnipeg’s rookie Connor Hellebuyck, or even an established veteran like Toronto’s James Reimer, and then there are those that never get the credit they deserve because of being rather inexperienced at the NHL level or poor performance records from their past.  Today we will take a look at some under-rated goaltenders from around the NHL. Cory Schneider-New Jersey Devils— New Jersey wasn’t expected to do well this season, with projections of the team missing the playoffs once again.  One thing hockey fans know is that if you have a good enough goalie to keep you in games, you have a chance to be in the dance come April.  The Devils are one such team with Cory Schneider in net.  Clearly under the radar more for the team he is playing for than his own abilities, the New Jersey net minder has been a steady rock for the Devils.  He is tied for 5th in the NHL with 13 wins and has very good metrics of 2.09 GAA and a .926 SP.  Not too shabby considering Schneider wasn’t selected probably until the mid-to-later rounds in some pools. Schneider may not give you elite numbers especially in the win total column, but overall you could do worse.  And the good thing, you could probably get him for a lot less than some other goalies and get better-than-average numbers.   Devan Dubnyk-Minnesota Wild— I must admit I was expecting a bit of a letdown from DD only because he hasn’t done it consistently and consecutively.  Last season’s numbers were incredible and Dubnyk used it to cash in big time.  And what about this year?  Well, in 23 games, he has 13 wins with average metrics of a 2.30 GAA and a .918 SP.  Some poolies probably steered clear of the Minnesota goaltender because of the reasons I stated earlier.  One other thing.  He has 4 shutouts already. You most likely will never see the likes of last season’s performance again but playing on a defensive-minded team like the Wild will provide Dubnyk with the chance to post decent numbers for an NHL goaltender.   Michal Neuvirth-Philadelphia Flyers-- Everyone ...

SMC 11-8-2015 If anyone hasn’t noticed yet, the Buffalo Sabres are going to be a tough opponent this year. Especially once Robin Lehner returns and gets into mid-season form. Rasmus Ristolainen is going to be a force for the Sabres power play someday soon. Along with Jake Eichel and Sam Reinhart amongst others, this team will be quite competitive for some time. The LA Kings seem to be on a mission this year which doesn’t bode well for the Western Conference. The window of opportunity of getting any Anaheim Duck player on the cheap is quickly closing with the 4-game winning streak.  They dug themselves a bit of a hole but they are the team who can overcome that in a hurry. Anze Kopitar is going for the CY Young award this season with 5 goals and an assist at this point in the season. Panther fans are still waiting for that late season magic displayed last year with the arrival of Jaromir Jagr.  Growing pains with young talent will always be the case no matter what. Tyler Toffoli with 7 points in past 6 games has arrived.  Mike Condon is almost a splitting image of Carey Price, but not really. Who would’ve thought that the Philadelphia Flyers were going to shut out the mighty Winnipeg Jets?  And can Michal Neuvirth get a win without shutting out the other team?  All three of his wins have come by shutout. Toronto keeps losing but they are playing better.  Just looks bad seeing all those red ‘L’s in a row. Nazem Kadri with 7 SOG still couldn’t beat out Mr. SOG Alex Ovechkin who had 8. Kris Versteeg is leading the Carolina Hurricanes in points with 10.  Shame on you Eric Staal. St. Louis has started Jake Allen 6 games in a row and he has won 5 of those.  Looks like he is ready for full-time #1 duties. Remember Magnus Paajarvi?  He played last night for the Blues.  That’s the second game he has played this season. This Colton Parayko is something else.  Scored on the PP even though Kevin Shattenkirk returned to the lineup last night. Since Filip Forsberg isn’t grabbing the headlines like he did last year, some owners may think he doesn’t have it this season, but he still has 8 points in 13 games.  One good streak and he is on his way.  Buy low? No Parise?  No Problem says Devan Dubnyk.  Just let me go back in time to a year ago and play like I know I can; a 1-0 shutout of the Tampa Bay Lightning. No small feat. I think Tampa’s Nikita Kucherov is ready to break out. The NY Rangers know what they had in their grasps last year and are determined to get back ...

Chicago have had their way with the Minnesota Wild in the playoffs in recent times, knocking them out of the postseason in each of the last two years. Their home dominance in the playoffs extends to six games in the playoffs, so the Wild will need to steal a victory or two in Chicago. However, their luck has changed after the mid season acquisition of Devan Dubnyk who stopped 56 of 57 shots in his two meetings as a member of the Wild. On the other side, incumbent Chicago goalie Corey Crawford has struggled enough to be pulled in favor of Scott Darling for a few starts but looks like the starter moving forward to round 2. Given his uneven  play against the Predators, the edge belongs to the Wild in goal.  The return of a healthy Patrick Kane from a clavicle injury has Chi-town pumped on offense as his seven points in the first round series was one behind NHL playoff leader Jonathan Toews and tied with defenseman Duncan Keith. Zach Parise has been the main Wild offensive contributor with an overall playoff total of 7 points plus two huge goals in the series clinching Game 6 against Saint Louis, Thomas Vanek was brought in via trade to provide more scoring but has been mostly a non-factor with just two points in the first round.  Minny has all the momentum but Chicago has the championship pedigree so you must favor Jonathan Toews and company in a closely fought series that should go seven. The Wild will need to continue their hot ways on the power play on order to have any chance of pulling this off. 

SMC 3-29-2015 The regular season is winding down but the high octane playoffs will be starting shortly.  Mmmmm, mmmm good! It looks to me that the Nashville offense is back along with Pekka Rinne’s form.  They will be tough to beat come playoff time. Filip Forsberg has had dome year with 59 points in 76 games.  Amazing!  Must be something in the name. Henrik Lundqvist returned to action and got smacked early by Boston but then settled in.  Don’t you worry, Henrik will soon be hearing his name loudly shouted at MSG.  Hen-Rik!  Hen-Rik! There is no doubt that David Krejci just makes this team gel, even though he didn’t get a point in yesterday afternoon’s game versus the Rangers. The NY Islanders have had a great season but had really faded in the last 10 games or so.  Regardless of what happens from here on out, they have had a successful last season at Nassau Coliseum. Look out Brooklyn, the Islanders are coming! For being in the top 10 in NHL scoring at this point in the season, Evgeni Malkin and Claude Giroux have been the quietest members of this club all year. With 3 points yesterday, I guess Sidney Crosby wants the scoring crown. It will be weird not seeing the San Jose Sharks in the playoffs this year.  Changes they are a-comin! With Kris Letang possibly being out the remainder of the regular season and perhaps the playoffs, we will get to get a good look at rookie defenseman Derrick Pouliot.  Pouliot definitely has a bright future ahead. Detroit’s Petr Mrazek blanked the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-0 and looks like he will get a very serious look next season to become the regular starter in Hockeytown. That Ottawa-Toronto game last night was so good.  I can’t wait for next Sunday’s rematch. Toronto finally woke up with the season almost over. You just have to love Montreal’s chances this year. I keep saying this but Columbus should be really good next year.  They have built the right way lately and it will all start to come together. Devan Dubnyk continues to amaze me with his play this year.  He hasn’t stopped or slowed down one bit. Poor Buffalo.  This season can’t end soon enough for them. Radim Vrbata reached the 30-goal mark with 2 goals last night.  Were there any doubts as he was lined up with the Sedin twins for most of the year? Have a great week ahead and may all your fantasies come true!

* Superstar Evgeni Malkin returned to the Pittsburgh lineup after missing six games, paying immediate fantasy dividends with two assists. Also back was Patrick Hornqvist, which is great news for his fantasy owners. However, the injury to defenseman Kris Letang after a Shane Doan hit does a take bite out of the Pen's power-play and would have an adverse effect on the team's overall scoring over the last two weeks of the regular season. We will update you with info on Letang's status when we get it.. *To put it mildly, Henrik Lundqvist was rusty upon his return to the Ranger's crease the Boston Bruins beat him four times in the 4-2 win. With the B's really needing the W to stay in the playoff hunt, "King Henrik" was in a tough spot after the long layoff but Cam Talbot will be in net Sunday afternoon against Washington. With his starting days numbered for the rest of this campaign, I would expect a great start from Talbot as he looks to go out with a bang.. *Goalie Devan Dubnyk continues to be the NHL's top fantasy surprise of the year, prevailing once again as the Minnesota Wild down the Los Angeles Kings 4-1. Thats 35 straight starts and counting for the breakout net minder who has registered 26 wins during this prolific stretch. Mikko Koivu collected two goals and an assist, giving him six points over the last five games. Give him serious starting consideration for the upcoming week.. *There was a Toronto revival at least for one night, as Toronto's top line of Tyler Bozak-Phil Kessel-James van Riemsdyk dominated the stat sheet with a combined 10 points. The trio were fantasy duds for much of the season, but maybe, just maybe, this super effort perks them up for the last few games.. *Huge shutout effort by Detroit's Petr Mrazek in the 4-0 win over the Lightning, temporarily delaying their late-season slide but is a change in goal in order for the Wings? With Jimmy Howard struggling mightily, you can expect Mrazek to be starting on Sunday against the Isles. If he wins again, he might be worth starting next week as the Wings should ride the "hot" hand... *Frederik Andersen has taken the Anaheim starting job back from young John Gibson, turning aside 29 saves for his second straight win over tough Eastern conference opponents on the road. Having said that, one bad effort and coach Boudreau can easily turn back to Gibson as his playoff guy, so the Duck's goalie situation is far from settled.. *Tyler Seguin finished with a goal and an assist in the Dallas 4-...

* Superstar Evgeni Malkin returned to the Pittsburgh lineup after missing six games, paying immediate fantasy dividends with two assists. Also back was Patrick Hornqvist, which is great news for his fantasy owners. However, the injury to defenseman Kris Letang after a Shane Doan hit does a take bite out of the Pen's power-play and would have an adverse effect on the team's overall scoring over the last two weeks of the regular season. We will update you with info on Letang's status when we get it.. *To put it mildly, Henrik Lundqvist was rusty upon his return to the Ranger's crease the Boston Bruins beat him four times in the 4-2 win. With the B's really needing the W to stay in the playoff hunt, "King Henrik" was in a tough spot after the long layoff but Cam Talbot will be in net Sunday afternoon against Washington. With his starting days numbered for the rest of this campaign, I would expect a great start from Talbot as he looks to go out with a bang.. *Goalie Devan Dubnyk continues to be the NHL's top fantasy surprise of the year, prevailing once again as the Minnesota Wild down the Los Angeles Kings 4-1. Thats 35 straight starts and counting for the breakout net minder who has registered 26 wins during this prolific stretch. Mikko Koivu collected two goals and an assist, giving him six points over the last five games. Give him serious starting consideration for the upcoming week.. *There was a Toronto revival at least for one night, as Toronto's top line of Tyler Bozak-Phil Kessel-James van Riemsdyk dominated the stat sheet with a combined 10 points. The trio were fantasy duds for much of the season, but maybe, just maybe, this super effort perks them up for the last few games.. *Huge shutout effort by Detroit's Petr Mrazek in the 4-0 win over the Lightning, temporarily delaying their late-season slide but is a change in goal in order for the Wings? With Jimmy Howard struggling mightily, you can expect Mrazek to be starting on Sunday against the Isles. If he wins again, he might be worth starting next week as the Wings should ride the "hot" hand... *Frederik Andersen has taken the Anaheim starting job back from young John Gibson, turning aside 29 saves for his second straight win over tough Eastern conference opponents on the road. Having said that, one bad effort and coach Boudreau can easily turn back to Gibson as his playoff guy, so the Duck's goalie situation is far from settled.. *Tyler Seguin finished with a goal and an assist in the Dallas 4-...

Dubnyk continues to keep WIld rolling, Young Blue Jackets may be next season's fashion, and young Oilers remain hot Not a good time to go a losing streak but as Calgary has done all year, they should bounce back after losing 4-2 to the Minnesota Wild and make things interesting.  They just happened to go against one of the hottest goaltenders in the NHL in Devan Dubnyk last night, which is still pretty strange coming out of my mouth after all this time.  It’s just one of those years…. Columbus continues to play strong even though they are out of the playoff hunt with a 5-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks but don’t forget about this team next year as they should be one of the better bounce back teams of 2015-2016 as they get healthy and mature with their young core of talent. They should stack up on a lot of ammo for their cannon with the likes of Ryan Johansen, Boone Jenner, Nick Foligno, Cam Atkinson, Alex Wennberg, David Savard and more on their way like Kerby Rychel and Marko Dano… Edmonton blanked the enigmatic Dallas Stars 4-0 behind Richard Bachman’s 29-save effort.  The win the first of the season for Bachman and it came against his former team, who are the most Jekyll and Hyde team of the season.  Jordan Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins continue to stay hot with a goal and assists respectively so continue to ride these two down the stretch as the Oil are playing well with nothing on the line.  Wait ‘til next year…hopefully!

Hartnell's hattie, Ducks struggle on road trip, Isles & Wild battle The Anaheim Ducks have struggled at the beginning of their 5-game road trip with their second straight loss, this time losing 5-3 to the Columbus Blue Jackets.  The Ducks managed to get off to a 2-0 lead but the Jackets battled back with Scott Hartnell getting a hat trick.  Ryan Johansen had a goal and an assist in the victory and the duo reminds me when Hartnell had that career season playing alongside Claude Giroux when in Philadelphia.  Perhaps Hartnell will continue his productive play until the end of the season…. The St. Louis Blues beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 in overtime as they managed to keep Sidney Crosby off the score sheet.  The Pens have been struggling of late in the scoring department but have the guns once everyone is in full health.  So expect the scoring to return when the likes of Evgeni Malkin and Patric Hornqvist return to the lineup….. Jonathan Quick (34/36 Sv) and the Los Angeles Kings took control of the game after Mats Zuccarello scored just 51 seconds into the match, never letting the Rangers get back into the match.  Quick was excellent in the win that pitted last season’s Stanley Cup finalists against one another.  LA is battling to gain a playoff position while the Rangers are looking to perhaps have a shot at the President’s Cup… The Minnesota Wild and New York Islanders fought to a 2-1 shootout win by the Wild as both goaltenders, Jaroslav Halak and Devan Dubnyk, continued on with their career years.  Kudos to both net minders on a remarkable season… Roberto Luongo not so sharp in Florida's pivotal match-up with Tampa Bay as rookie Andrei Vasilevskiy outplayed the veteran, turning aside 36 shots in the 4-3 win... No Pavel Datsyuk, no win for the Red Wings as they suffered the ultimate let-down game, dropping a 5-4 home decision to Arizona.. After being a lock for Calder Trophy honors for most of the season, Nashville's Filip Forsberg has not enjoyed a prolific month of March: four points in 11 games. Perhaps last night's overtime winner against the Hab's gets him going again. His fantasy value is far more certain for next season, where he could easily rank amongst the top15-20 fantasy forwards. Love him for 2015-16 and beyond... For those who drafted Radim Vrbata on the speculation that playing with the Sedin twins has it's perks, it's all coming together late in the season. His three points in the 5-2 triumph over Winnipeg improved his numbers to ...