ADD’EM: CRAZY EIGHTS After the All-Star break, fantasy teams look for those players who can push their team over the top in their chase for the championship.  Sifting through the waiver wire can produce some gems if you weed carefully. Players on teams fighting for a playoff spot are more desirable than those who are already destined to participate in this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs.  PrimePucks™ will take a look at 8 players who can possibly enhance your team’s efforts down the homestretch. Let’s start with 2 players who can produce better than a point-per-game but are known for getting injured quite easily.  Winnipeg’s Bryan Little (55.4%) and ex-Winnipeg and current Buffalo Sabre Evander Kane (42.8%) are owned by quite a few fantasy clubs who are holding on with the hope that these players can reach their true potential as they help their respective NHL clubs fight for a playoff spot.  Little has already been injured this season and has played in only 29 games but has 26 points split evenly between goals and assists.  Little would be a constant inclusion in your fantasy lineup as he is a point-per-game candidate but, along with Kane, need to ward off the injury demon.  Kane on the other hand is an enigma as he possesses sick offensive skills but has never fully shown those on a consistent basis, causing his fantasy owners to continually pull their hair in frustration. The Sabre has also battled injury this year and has played in only 37 games.  With Jack Eichel back from an early season injury and the Sabres desperate to reach the post-season, perhaps some much-needed chemistry will occur and all that potential comes pouring out.  Enjoy their production while healthy but be ready with a backup plan just in case. PLAYER TEAM ESPN  % OWNED GAMES   PLAYED     ACTUAL NHL STATS (PTS/GL) PRIMEPUCKS™ FORECAST (PTS/GL) B. LITTLE WPG 55.4 29 26/13 50/18 E. KANE BUF 42.8 37 23/14 44/17 A.BURAKOVSKY WAS 24.5 46 27/10 56/24 R. VRBATA ARZ 26.0 48 34/11 39/18 J. ZUCKER MIN 34.7 48 33/14 29/12 J. BAILEY NYI 18.1 47 32/8 36/14 A.LEE NYI 24.8 46 25/17 48/22 V. FILPPULA TB 20.3 48 32/7 36/10   One of the up-and-coming stars is getting red-hot at the right time after a very slow start to the season.  Andre Burakovsky (24.5%) of the Washington Capitals is often overlooked as he plays behind Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, TJ Oshie, Justin Williams and Evgeny Kuznetsov, to name a few, but the budding star has been on fire since his sit down a few weeks back.  With 12 points in his last 8 games and 14 in past 16, it is safe to add AB to your fantasy lineup as the Capitals are an explosive offensive team and have been hitting on all cylinders heading into the All-Star break. Radim Vrbata (26.0%) hasn’t had the luxury of playing with top-notch, in their prime fantasy talent this season in Arizona but still has 34 points in 48 games which is quite the accomplishment as the Coyotes at one point in time forgot how to score.  I’m sure this NHL veteran will be coveted by some teams battling for a playoff spot so look for this goal-scorer to land somewhere in the next few weeks and be surrounded by better talent.  One of the more surprising names on this list is Jason Zucker (34.7%) of the Minnesota Wild.  The Wild have been more of an offensive team this year, tied for third in goals scored with 160, so they are getting contributions from up and down their lineup.  Zucker has been scoring at close to a PPG clip over the past 9 games with 8 points but has been shooting more with 24 shots on goal.  A name that hasn’t produced much in the past, but if you are looking for an all-around category player for your fantasy team, Zucker could be your guy, but more of a risk. Two Islanders make this list as Josh Bailey (18.1%) and Anders Lee (24.8%) have been the beneficiaries of playing alongside Captain John Tavares and getting major power play time.  Lee is more of a goal scorer of the two and Bailey more of an assist guy but both are durable and the Islanders are surging up the standings of late and these two should be the go-to guys on an Islander team that struggled a lot early in the season. Look for a decent second half from the Islanders in general as JT has them playing solid hockey. Valtteri Filppula of the Tampa Bay Lightning has been a vital part of this team because of all their injuries so his scoring hasn’t suffered as he already is close to surpassing our forecast for 2016-2017.  With the team getting healthy and struggling to get back into playoff contention, look for Filppula to improve on his stats, possibly reaching his 58 accomplished in 2013-14, his first year as a member of the Lightning.  His career high of 66 with Detroit in 2011-12 is probably out of reach, but a good hot streak just might push his totals for this season to 60+. There you have 8 players with varying degrees of talent, experience, ages and playing on teams with different degrees of talent to choose from.  This is the time to take a risk or to improve your depth as the final weeks of your fantasy season dwindle down. Good luck!