Jonathan Huberdeau LW, Florida- The addition of veteran Jaromir Jagr had ignited the youngster's offensive game as Huberdeau has racked up 10 points in his last 10 games. While his current offensive spurt should get him past the 50-point mark, it's next season where he should make a big jump. Fantasy owners in keeper formats should stash him away if somehow he is still available.  Kevin Hayes C, New York- A tricky add for sure but the youngster is beginning to blossom right before our eyes, albeit still playing on the third line. Counting today's game against Washington, Hayes has collected points in five of his last six games. Having generated most of his rookie offensive output in brief streaks, maybe take a gamble and hope this one lasts 6 games longer.. Alex Tanguay C, Colorado- The veteran forward had been on the Avalanche's hottest line during the month of March, collecting 11 points in 11 games. Landeskog is rolling so I would consider starting Tanguay as the chemistry has been borderline elite... Cam Atkinson RW, Columbus -Waiting, waiting,waiting... Is the shifty winger with tons of upside ever going to break out? well, with 7 goals and 12 points in his last 14 games, we hope this is a preview of things to come. For now, enjoy the ride as Columbus is giving it's youngsters plenty of extra minutes to impress for next season.  Derrick Pouliot D, Pittsburgh- With Kris Letang out due to a concussion, the young Pouliot will get the coveted spot of quarterbacking the Penguins top power play unit in the short term. Two points over the last two games is a good sign so get the youngster in your lineups while you figure the Pens will be extra careful with Letang...

Bruins, Panthers win to make things interesting, Rangers blue, and Calgary stays hot After a tremendous run when Henrik Lundqvist got injured, the New York Rangers are skidding a bit as they lost to the Washington Capitals 5-2 making three losses in their past 4 games.  The schedule is winding down so expect Lundqvist to get the majority of starts as they prepare for the expected long playoff haul.  Alex Ovechkin scored twice giving him 49 on the season, proving that you can still score in a Barry Trotz system while still playing defensively….  Boston continues to fight hard as they gained a valuable 2 points today while the Ottawa Senators lost for the second night in a row, this time to a Florida team still chasing a dream.  It was the young guns for the Bruins that contributed to the overtime victory of the Carolina Hurricanes with David Pastrnak and Ryan Spooner scoring the goals.  The future is bright in Beantown with these talented young forwards gaining valuable experience.  Boston G Tuukka Rask was back in net after leaving the previous game with dehydration issues.  Continue to start this elite goaltender…. As mentioned above, the Florida Panthers defeated the Ottawa Senators by a score of 4-2 making things quite interesting in the Eastern Conference wild card race.  Obtaining Jaromir Jagr at the trade deadline has done wonders for the Cats offense, especially the young talent, as he scored twice with Jonathan Huberdeau contributing on both goals.  If Jagr re-signs with Florida next season, it could mean better stats out of the young talent like Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov and company… What a wild game on the Island yesterday as the New York Islanders exchanged blows with the Detroit Red Wings and finally prevailing 5-4.  For the Wings it was important that Pavel Datysuk returned to the lineup and he showed why with a goal and an assist, showing that he is still a major component of this Detroit team.  What was more important for the Islanders was that they had 5 different goal scorers with John Tavares picking up 3 assists, but the Isles need to tighten up their defense if they want to make a run in the playoffs…. The Calgary Flames aren’t going away as they handily defeated the Nashville Predators 5-2 with Lance Bouma scoring twice and Jiri Hudler picking up a goal and two assists.  Defenseman Deryk Engelland continues to get his name on the score sheet picking up 2 assists after having a 2-goal game against Dallas on Wednesday night.  ...

Bernier gives Devils fire, Lightning ground Red Wings, Ducks paddle on The days are getting longer and he games are getting tighter as the season draws nearer the playoffs.  In last night’s Devils-Sabres game, won by the Devils by a score of 3-1, there wasn’t much to talk about except Steve Bernier’s rise in fantasy value as he has taken over for the departed Jaromir Jagr in terms of production with 2 goals giving him 8 points in 8 March games.  I’d only play him if I were in desperation mode and no other options were available…. It was just three short weeks ago that the Detroit Red Wings were challenging for not only the top spot in the Atlantic division, but also the top spot in the Eastern Conference but March came in like a lion for Detroit as a they have lost 6 of 9 games to fall out of those competitions.  They are still firmly entrenched in a playoff spot and it is better to go through ha slump before the playoffs start so I’m sure the Red Wings will turn things around soon.  Pavel Datsyuk missed his second straight game and was sorely missed as the Red Wings could only muster 1 goal again without their talented Center.  I was a close game until Tampa Bay’s Alex Killorn broke the tie with just under 10 minutes remaining in regulation.  Steven Stamkos added his 40th with an empty-netter to seal the 3-1 victory.  The lightning are still in the race for the Eastern Conference title & President’s Cup trophy…. Anaheim kept their hopes alive for the overall lead in NHL points as they edged the Colorado Avalanche 3-2 in overtime as Corey Perry got the game-winner, his 29th.  It was all defense as the Ducks took a 1-0 lead into the third period until a burst of scoring saw the Avs take a 2-1 lead with two goals in a two-minute span before the Ducks tied it less than two minutes after.  Frederik Andersen got the start for Anaheim after John Gibson started the last four.  Look for the rookie Gibson to be in net versus the Rangers on Sunday.

SMC 3-15-2015 The weather is turning and the smell of playoff fever is starting to fill the air.  Nice cup of java to get teh day started off right! There are some really hot teams out there right now.  Boston, Ottawa and the NY Rangers in the East all at 8-1-1 in last ten.  In the West it’s Colorado and Minnesota at 7-3-0. Philadelphia’s offense exploded against the Detroit Red Wings but where was it for the longest time?  They still need defense though. Wayne Simmonds had everything yesterday.  A goal, two assists and 14 PIMs.  Not a bad fantasy day for the RWer. If Chicago’s Patrick Sharp can expound on his 2-goal night, the Blackhawks are going to be tough once again in the playoffs. San Jose is a hard team to figure out sometimes. Congratulations to New York Ranger goaltender Mackenzie Skapski who got his second win in only his second start, both against Buffalo, with last night being a 2-0 shutout.  With the way both Skapski and Cam Talbot have been playing, Henrik Lundqvist may not be needed until the end of the regular season to warm up for the playoffs. Vancouver is definitely not Eddie LACK-ing in the net after Ryan Miller went down as they are 6-3-1 in last ten. Montreal helped out the Rangers with a 3-1 win over the Islanders and they also helped themselves to stay tied with the Rangers atop the Eastern Conference.  Could be another amazing Conference Final come May? You just gotta love the way the Florida Panthers have played this entire season.  Jaromir Jagr is making a difference. Devan Dubnyk with 27 straight starts.  Who woulda thunk it in September? I bet Arizona’s Mike Smith can’t wait for this season to be over. Okay, now Pekka Rinne has won two of his last three starts. That’s more like it! The Predators offense has sure dried up quickly. This is going to be some race for the NHL Scoring title in the next few weeks.  Any of 15 players have a legitimate shot at it, especially if one player gets red-hot.  For a while it was Boston feeling the pressure of securing that last wild card slot in the East but now that has switched to Washington.  Gotta love the race! Detroit has looked real sloppy of late. 3 teams mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.  It’s not hard to guess which three. Have a great week and may all your fantasies come true!

Boston is swarming, some hot Oilers, and shutouts are all the rage. The Boston Bruins are heating up with a 3-2 shootout win over the Tampa Bay Lightning giving them a 7-1-1 record over their past nine games as they fend off the Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators.  Boston Goalie Tuukka Rask has really picked up his game of late after a tough stretch last month.  With the Bruins streaking, I don’t know if any teams in the East are looking forward to going against them head-to-head in a 7-game series come playoff time… What appeared to be a cakewalk early on with Pittsburgh building a 4-0 lead turned into a nail-biter as the Penguins needed 2 third period goals to stave off the Edmonton Oilers 6-4.  Ryan Nugent-Hopkins must love the month of March as he now has 7 points in 5 games while Jordan Eberle’s game has also sprung to life of late as he has 6 points in last three games and 9 points in last 7 games.  Perhaps this a sign of things to come from these Oilers next season… If you are searching for late-season defensive help take a look at Dallas Star Alex Goligoski who has been having a tough year but lately he has found the scoring touch with a goal and an assist last night.  With Trevor Daley and John Klingberg depleting the Stars blue line, Gogo should be counted on more for some offense… Ottawa keeps their playoff hopes alive with 5 unanswered goals to defeat the Montreal Canadiens 5-2 at the Bell Centre.  With another superb Andrew Hammond (27/29) performance, it would be a shock to see anyone else in net while the Senators still have a shot at a playoff berth…. Florida also kept their dreams alive with 2 late third period goals to beat the Winnipeg Jets who are just 3-4-2 over their last 9.  The Jets are barely holding on as the Los Angeles Kings are breathing down their necks with 2 games in hand and just 1 point behind.  The Panthers are winning without their top goaltender, Roberto Luongo, still ailing and have gotten 5 out of a possible 6 points in their last 3 games to stay alive.  Jaromir Jagr (2A) has done wonders for this talent-laden team and especially Jonathan Huberdeau who picked up 2 more assists last night.  Don’t look now but Huberdeau is budding right before our eyes with 8 points in 5 March games…. There were several dominating goaltending performances last night, but none more than Brian Elliott outlasting Steve Mason in the shootout 1-0 after ZERO goals scored in regulation between Philly and St. Louis. With all the talk that ...

SMC 3-8-15 Lost an hour last night but good thing I have some good coffee brewing. You just have to love the Wild Card race in the Eastern Conference as it’s now a 4-team race for that last wild card slot.  Boston holds a 2-point edge over Florida but Ottawa has quickly joined the race along with Philadelphia.  Philadelphia has let a few points slip away from them recently but still remain in the hunt. My odds-on favorite to sneak in that wild card spot is Ottawa who have been on fire lately behind their rookie net minder Andrew Hammond.  They are 7-0-1 behind the rookie.  Wow! Philly had the Bruins right where they wanted them but the B’s scored with 15 seconds remaining to tie the game before winning in overtime.  Why hasn’t Claude Giroux stepped up his game with the Flyers in the playoff race?  He has been nearly invisible during this most critical time. Brad Marchand has a 3-game scoring streak as he has remained out of the penalty box of late.  I guess the Bruins saw that his offense would be more beneficial than his agitation tactics. I guess Ovechkin didn’t want to miss out on some easy points last night against Buffalo, coming back from a missing one game against Minnesota.  He had a goal and an assist. Buffalo had 17 SOG total in that game against Washington; Ovechkin had 8. Newly acquired St. Louis Blues defenseman Robert Bortuzzo had 6 SOG last night against Toronto.  I think he had that many in his entire NHL career so far. Every Blue had a SOG against Toronto except for Alex Pietrangelo.  What has happened to his offense this year? Carey Price and the Montreal Canadiens blanked the Arizona Coyotes 2-0.  I didn’t expect anything less. Tampa Bay had a much harder time with Dallas last night than I thought they would.  Probably because Tyler Seguin was back in the lineup for the Stars and scored twice.  He’s soooo good!  It could be a fantastic race to the finish for the NHL scoring title this year as we have 17 players within 10 points of one another. Jaromir Jagr is really helping the young talent in Florida.  I wonder if he will re-sign for another year there. Colorado has made a nice run lately in the Western Conference but it’s a case of too-little, too late. Tyson Barrie is a beast on the blue line for Colorado.  Watch out for next year! Nashville has, let me come out and just say it, sucked lately. Pittsburgh with a 1-0 win in overtime over the Los Angeles Kings.  The Penguins don’t usually win those games. Patric Hornqvist is just ...

Fantasy Impact Of Yandle Trade; and Sunday Game Notes: A huge trade sending All-Star defenseman Keith Yandle to the New York Rangers for young Anthony Duclair, John Moore, and a 2015 1st rd pick has pretty decent fantasy implications. Yandle was already a lock to top 50 points once again as his 41 points led the Coyotes. Expect a marginal rise in his own fantasy value as he will be surrounded by a much better supporting cast on the Rangers. However, any boost in power-play efficiency for the Blueshirts should help all on the top unit, including the already smoking Rick Nash, Derick Brassard, Derek Stepan and whichever rearguard plays the point alongside him- Ryan McDonagh or Dan Boyle. Let's see how the PP configurations play out, but Boyle could be the odd man out on the top unit. Early Sunday action saw Jaromir Jagr make a huge impact for his new team in a huge spot as the 43-year old scored a goal and an assist in a crucial 4-3 win for Florida. While its unreasonable to suggest that he could maintain a PPG pace, youngsters such as Jonathan Huberdeau, Aleksander Barkov and even Brandon Pirri should all see their scoring improve as Jags should get the power-play going plus give the kids a much needed a jolt of confidence. Love this deal for real-life purposes as Florida could sneak into the playoffs... Evgeni Malkin posted his third straight three-point effort in the 5-3 Pittsburgh win over Columbus. Sergei Bobrovsky returned to the Blue Jackets crease, but found it difficult to shake off the rust against one of the NHL's most dangerous teams. BTW, we all know Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang are must-starts, but Patrick Hornqvist has been heating up again. Get him in all starting line-ups for next week and beyond.. Big triumph for Winnipeg over the LA Kings, as Andrew Ladd led the offense with two goals. Two new additions Drew Stafford and Tyler Myers continue to gain fantasy relevance with consistent offensive production since the Evander Kane trade. Don't look now but the Kings have lost three straight after notching eight consecutive victories... In Dallas, the Getzlaf/Perry superstar tandem combined for four points while John Gibson stopped 39 of 40 shots in the 3-1 Anaheim win... The St. Louis Blues roared back from a third-period three-goal deficit to force overtime, but the Vancouver Canucks get the extra point. Eddie Lack has been hit or miss since the Ryan miller injury, but he should get the bulk of the work in the crease. A decent no. 2 ...

Vermette traded to Chicago; Hammond wins again; Jagr's South Florida debut; and more... In the wake of Patrick Kane's long-term injury, the Blackhawks have traded for former Arizona center Antoine Vermette. While this represents a super solid move for the team in their quest for another Stanley Cup, his fantasy value will largely depend on how he is utilized. You can bet Vermette will get a shot at centering the second line but his power play time should be relegated to the secondary unit. He is worth an add though on an explosive Chicago team looking to make up for Kane's offensive absence... The Florida Panthers got some veteran leadership the other day by acquiring Jaromir Jagr from the New Jersey Devils and his guidance helped pave the way for the Cats to come back against the Buffalo Sabres after being down 2-0 after one period of play.  Although he didn’t figure in the scoring, the Panthers scored 5 goals with Jussi Jokinen leading the way with a goal and 2 assists.  Perhaps Jokinen would be a good pickup for the remainder of the season as he clearly seems to benefit from Jagr being on the team.  Others who may also benefit are Brian Campbell and Brad Boyes as the Panthers may lean on the veterans to try and make the playoffs…. Putting a bit of a damper on Florida’s comeback win was the fact that Boston manhandled the Arizona Coyotes 4-1 shortly thereafter keeping the panthers 4 points behind.  Patrice Bergeron should be the main contributing factor now that David Krejci is out due to injury.  Bergeron’s goal and assist was matched by Zdeno Chara, Milan Lucic and Brad Marchand with goalie Tuukka Rask turning aside 32 of 33 shots on goal.  The Bruins will battle the rest of the way and it may be a good idea to get some of these big, bad B’s on your fantasy squad… New Jersey’s Cory Schneider probably deserves a better record but continues to play strong even though the Devils are practically out of the playoff hunt.  Schneider shutout the Columbus Blue Jackets 2-0, it was his 4th shutout on the season and 2nd of the week…. It was a classic battle between old Western Conference rivals Nashville Predators and Detroit Red Wings that saw the latter edge the Preds 4-3.  The once invincible Predators have now lost 4 of their last 6 but should right the ship.  Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne has been a little pedestrian of late but he also will turn things around… If you haven’t noticed, the Carolina Hurricanes have won 3 straight and 5 of their last 7 as the...

POWER TO THE HABS The Montreal Canadiens were dead to rights last night against the Columbus Blue Jackets being down 2-0 with just under 9 minutes remaining in the game when the Jackets' started to lose their cool. One penalty after another awoken the sleeping giant and they made them pay with 3  consecutive power play goals to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.  It was a P. K. Subban sandwich wrapped around 2 pieces of Max Pacioretty power play bread as they provided the fantastic finish for the visiting Habs. The loss put a damper on the Jackets who are trying to get back into playoff contention which would be a minor miracle considering the start they have had this season with all the injuries.... Where Columbus' Sergei Bobrovsky faltered, Washington's Braden Holtby & Anaheim's Frederik Andersen stood tall as the pair pitched shutouts against their respective opponents, 1-0 and 4-0 respectively. Holtby made Jason Chimera's 1st-period goal hold up while Andersen got the benefit of a Corey Perry hat trick. Kudos goes out to the threesome. It was the unlikeliest outcome between the New Jersey Devils and Los Angeles Kings as the Devils took a 5-3 win in LA. New Jersey has been struggling all year and beating the Kings was going to be difficult. Devils' G Cory Schneider wasn't at this best, stopping 23 of 26 SOG, but the team played a solid game in front of him with some early help from an unlikely power play source, Steve Bernier, who netted 2 with the man-advantage. Without the services of Jaromir Jagr, someone had to fill those shoes. Expect Bernier to return those rentals once Jagr is cleared for action. ***The Minnesota Wild are trying to address their goaltending woes by acquiring journeyman goaltender Devan Dubnyk from the Arizona Coyotes for a third round pick. Dubnyk has played well this season for the Coyotes with a 9-5-2 record but average metrics in 2.72 GAA and a .916 SP.  Those numbers are a huge improvement over last season's nightmare, so look for the Wild to give Dubnyk every chance to be the number 1 guy in Minnesota.

* TJ Oshie has been a dominant offensive force for the St. Louis Blues since the start of December, so it's time for fantasy owners to take notice. His four-point night, including a "hat trick", helped seal the fate of the San Jose Sharks in the 7-2 rout. He is currently sporting a five-game point streak and has racked up 17 points in the last 16 games. His line, with Alex Steen and David Backes, is rolling, but the return of Jaden Schwartz will also get the Tarasenko unit probably back to their early-season dominant form. Start Oshie now while he is smoking hot... *In his first game donning a Pittsburgh Penguin uniform, David Perron lined up with Sidney Crosby and scored a goal on his first shot. Awesome fairy tale stuff, eh? Well, the Pens got smoked 4-1 by visiting Montreal and should expect a transition period while Perron acclimates to his new high-end teammates. He should get top power-play minutes in the short-term but that could change when Patrick Hornqvist returns in a few weeks. Anyway you slice it, huge boost in fantasy value for the suddenly relevant Perron.. *A wild high-scoring affair in LA, as the Kings rallied for three goals in the dying minutes to sent the game against Nashville into overtime only to lose 7-6 after a goal by defender Roman Josi in the extra frame. Don't worry, both Pekka Rinne and Jonathan Quick still rock in goal! It was just one of those games.. *In case you have not received the memo, Winnipeg goalie Michael Hutchinson is indeed for real. After allowing six goals over his last two starts, "Hutch" settled down by stopping 20 of 21 Toronto shots in the 5-1 blowout win. I feel confident in saying that the youngster's superb numbers (10-3-2, 1.81 GAA, .937 SP) are not flukish and that he will be the starter over Ondrej Pavelec down the stretch.. *Now for the not so obvious- Sam Gagner is actually playing good hockey for Arizona and might warrant short-term fantasy consideration. The underachieving forward scored twice while adding an assist, improving his numbers to 8 points over the last five games. He has clicked big-time with Martin Hanzal, so he might be worth a starting nod for the next few weeks before he goes ice-cold again... *Huge applause for future HOFer Jaromir Jagr becoming the oldest player in NHL history-42- to collect a "hat trick". Pause. Reality check. 25 points in 40 games. His best fantasy days are behind him, but he will occasionally blow up for a few big offensive outbursts.. *The Dallas Stars are...