10/15/2017 Jimmy Howard-G-DET (56.4% ESPN), Will Butcher -D-NJD (57.2), Samuel Girard-D-NAS (4.5), Sean Couturier-C-PHI (16.6), Vladislav Namestnikov-LW/RW-TBL (45.9), Alex Killorn-LW-TBL (32.2), Tyler Johnson-C-TL (60.7), Dylan Larkin-C-DET (61.1), Scott Hartnell-LW-NAS (49.8). There have been quite a few hot starts this season, so if you are one of those fantasy teams already playing catch-up, or are hit with the injury bug, here area few players to consider for the upcoming week that may be available in your fantasy league. If you need goaltending help for the upcoming week because you lost a starter to injury, or in the case of Anaheim playing only 1 game this week, look to Detroit's Jimmy Howard.  Howard, who is off to a great start with 3 wins in 3 starts along with a .955 Save Percentage and 1.62 GAA, should get 2, possibly 3, starts this week with te Red Wings playing 4 games. The lineup this week?  Tampa Bay at home, an away game at Toronto, then returning home for a match up with Washington and closing out the week against Vancouver.  Start with confidence. If you need blue line help, there are several available with the top dog on the waiver wire being Will Butcher of New Jersey. All Butcher has done is play solid defense since signing as a free agent and has 8 assists in 5 games with 5 of those assists on the power play.  You might also want to consider rookie Samuel Girard of Nashville who has burst on to the scene since Roman Josi went down to an injury.  Girard has 3 points in 3 games and may be worth the shot as if he continues to impress, he just may extend his stay. Looking at the forward position, there were a few players that I was surprised weren't;t owned by more fantasy teams.  Sean Couturier & Vladislav Namestnikov are playing on the top lines of their respective teams with Namestnikov playing on Tampa bay's top power play unit.  Get them on your team and into the lineup as their lines have been quite explosive to start the season.  Couturier has 6 points in 5 games centering Claude Giroux (7 pts)  and Jakub Voracek (9 pts) so this is a no-brainer with 3 upcoming home games this week against Florida, Nashville and Edmonton, a somewhat favorable schedule. Tampa Bay is off to a solid start with a 4-1-0 record and sharing the top spot in the Atlantic Division with the Toronto Maple Leafs.  The Lightning are expected to be a solid contender this season and the start emphasized that point.  Alex Killorn-LW (6 pts) and Tyler Johnson (2...

Look for a BETWEEN THE PIPES article every week on PrimePucks™! BTP: THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN Last week we looked at a few teams that needed to have a plan in place because of their different goaltending situations.  This week we will take a look at what young, talented goaltenders are already getting their foot in the door a little deeper with each solid performance by them and a few poor starts from the incumbents.  If you look at the past 6 Stanley Cup winners, 5 of which have been shared by the Chicago Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings and the other by the Boston Bruins, the one thing that you will notice that they have in common is that the repeat winners have the same goaltender throughout their championship runs. A few teams need to make a decision in regards to their future and the future is approaching quickly. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING:  This team surprised a few teams in the Eastern Conference last season with a few upsets in getting to the Stanley Cup finals only to fall to the Chicago Blackhawks.  The Bolts are set in net for the time being with Ben Bishop being their #1 but with his short history of injuries and a uber-talented young net minder breathing down his neck in Andrei Vasilevskiy, Bishop’s time may have come and gone, especially if Vasilevskiy can lock down the #1 job with a few more solid starts.  Now the regular season is a totally different animal than the post-season but what could work for the Lightning to get back to the dance in June is perhaps have Vasilevskiy play somewhere between 50-75% of the remaining games and let Bishop rest-up and heal and get himself prepared for the rigors of the Stanley Cup playoffs.  It seemed to work wonders for the New York Rangers and Henrik Lundqvist last season when the King missed a few months of the regular season.  There is no doubt that Vasilevskiy has what it takes to be a #1 NHL goaltender, but he is still young and will someday soon be the undisputed #1 in Tampa, but having a big, hulking net minder in Bishop who got you to the Finals last year only provides you with a good formula for success if used the right way.  Get Vasilevskiy the experience and have a healthy Bishop for the playoffs.  DETROIT RED WINGS: The Detroit Red Wings are a perennial threat to make the playoffs given their history but the team is a transition period now not only with a new head coach in Jeff Blashill but possibly the unseating of goaltender Jimmy Howard by Petr Mrazek.  Howard’s numbers have suffered a ...

SMC-10/11/2015 Always love this time of year when the leaves start turning colors, Mallomars hit the grocery store shelves and NHL hockey comes back for another season! We at PrimePucks™ expected a big bounce back season from Nathan MacKinnon (77 pts.) and he sure hasn’t disappointed so far in the early going with 5 points in the first two games. Ranger rookie C Oscar Lindberg is surely fitting in just nicely with 3 goals and 4 points in the first three games of the season.  May be too early to go out and grab this kid, but you never know. The PrimePucks™ Rankings are up for your perusal.  The first BETWEEN THE PIPES article is up a few days early as we couldn’t wait to pour it on you.  Our DAILY ROTO LINEUPS have been up since Day 1 and last night was a successful one for yours truly. I didn’t expect Columbus to start out 0-2-0 but they did face the unbeaten NY Rangers in those 2 matches.  They have company in Pittsburgh who started their two games on the road.  Buy low people!  LOL! If Jaroslav Halak battles injuries this season, the Isles will be hard-pressed to repeat last season’s effort. No hangover for these Chicago Blackhawks.  They, instead of the Rangers, could be 3-0 if not for the heroics of Henrik Lundqvist on opening night. The Flyers look just like last year’s version.  Didn’t they get a new coach and new attitude for this season? Detroit may be winning because of other teams being in shock that they have so many young players in pertinent roles which was never the case before.  Or they are just that good of an organization.  I’ll go with the latter. Edmonton played two tough teams to open the season and the schedule doesn’t get any easier any time soon. Artemi Panarin looks like he’s been playing in the NHL for years with the poise he has displayed.  I’d take a chance on him if he’s still available, but I doubt he is. If you are looking for action-packed, high-scoring and any other hyphenated descriptions, watch any Colorado Avalanche game this season.  10 goals in 2 games….Who says global warming is here? Did you know that Buffalo is outscoring Pittsburgh, Anaheim & Edmonton so far?  Useless stat I know, but fun for the moment. Antti Niemi comes in to start his first game for Dallas as part of a so-called platoon and shuts out the Mighty Pittsburgh Penguins.  Then let’s in 6 goals against Colorado in the next start.  Oh boy. Happy for Jimmy Howard to get a shutout in Detroit’s opener.  Been hit with injuries the past two seasons so to ...

March 24, 2015 LW: Jaden Schwartz - STL @ PIT LW: Justin Abdelkader - DET vs. ARZ RW: Rickard Rakell - ANA @ CLB RW: Jakub Silfverberg - ANA @ CLB C: Ryan Getzlaf - ANA @ CLB C: Henrik Zetterberg - DET vs. ARZ  D: James WIsniewski - ANA @ CLB D: Nicklas Kronwall - DET vs. ARZ G: Jimmy Howard - DET vs. ARZ *NOT CONFIRMED

March 24, 2015 LW: Jaden Schwartz - STL @ PIT LW: Justin Abdelkader - DET vs. ARZ RW: Rickard Rakell - ANA @ CLB RW: Jakub Silfverberg - ANA @ CLB C: Ryan Getzlaf - ANA @ CLB C: Henrik Zetterberg - DET vs. ARZ  D: James WIsniewski - ANA @ CLB D: Nicklas Kronwall - DET vs. ARZ G: Jimmy Howard - DET vs. ARZ *NOT CONFIRMED

The regular season is finally over but not without it's full share of drama on Saturday. Here is a brief recap plus our fantasy thoughts: *The New York Islanders will be heading to the playoffs, but they lose out twice last night. First, their 5-4 home SO loss guaranteed the Washington Capitals home ice advantage for their first round meeting. Second, John Tavares tallied a goal and an assist to widen his NHL point lead to three but Jamie Benn's 4-point effort later in the evening enabled him to capture the Art Ross Trophy and beat out JT 87-86 on the year. We viewed Benn as a point-per-game forward entering the 2015-16 season, but NOBODY saw this coming. Benn blossomed into an elite scorer when Tyler Seguin went down and continued to pour on the points in April, finishing with 13 points in his last five games. So who would take higher in next season's drafts; Tavares and Benn? Am still leaning toward JT but the Seguin/Benn combo could be the most prolific for many years to come. * The Ottawa Senators and the Pittsburgh Penguins are in the playoffs, while the Boston Bruins fail to make it in after finishing with the President's Trophy in 2013-14. Mark Stone's two goals in the 3-1 win over Philadelphia gives him 26 on the season and makes him one to watch as a potential breakout player next year. Those Ottawa young guns on offense could turn some heads in the playoffs and beyond, so keep serious tabs on them... What to make of the Pen's? Don't overrate them in your playoff pools, given that they are likely one and done against the President Rangers.. What to make of the B's? Major changes possibly coming, with the only certainities of fantasy upper-tier status being Dougie Hamilton, Tuukka Rask, and Patrice Bergeron. * There are goaltending questions heading into the playoffs for Detroit and St. Louis, as veterans Jimmy Howard and Brian Elliott could be be usurped by upstarts Petr Mrazek and Jake Allen. Elliott was rock-solid between the pipes in their regular season finale victory over Minnesota while Mrazek blanked the Carolina Hurricanes to maintain their third place finish. Your guess is as good as mine, but am leaning toward the vets starting both of their respective Game 1's. * No time better than the present to predict the NHL's leading point-getter for the upcoming playoffs. Drum roll, please.. Am going with Vladimir Tarasenko of the St. Louis Blues. His team is poised to make serious noise in the post-season, as "Vladdy" returned after a brief ...

Blue Jackets showcasing for next season, Bruins put down Cats, OV gets 50 Two teams trying to finish out the season on high notes, the New Jersey Devils and Columbus Blue Jackets battled to a 3-2 Columbus win.  Players like Mike Cammalleri and Nick Foligno improved on their goal scoring with both reaching 27 on the season so far.  Cammalleri showed what he is capable of when healthy and Foligno displayed that he has arrived in the NHL.  Ryan Johansen had 2 assists on the night and with the Jackets starting to gain some experience, they should be better off next year as long as they don’t get hit with so many injuries like this year…. Alex Ovechkin reached 50 goals for the 6th time in his career and is in contention for the scoring title as well as the goal-scoring trophy with 77 points, just 2 points behind leader Sidney Crosby.  Oh, and the Capitals beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2, not only solidifying their hold on one of the wild card slots, but also chasing the NY Islanders for third place in the division…. The Florida Panthers gave it their best shot but the Boston Bruins came away with a 3-2 regulation win, putting the Cats 6 points behind the Bruins for that last wild card slot.  As impressive as the young Panthers have been this year, it was the young talent of the Bruins that provided the spark in the 3rd period as David Pastrnak (G, A) and Ryan Spooner (2A) showed what is to come in their NHL careers in this pressure-packed game…. The King is Back! Henrik Lundqvist turned aside 32 of 34 shots to gain his first victory since returning from injury, helping down the Winnipeg Jets 3-2. Cam Talbot had quite the fantasy run but his starts will be limited over the last two weeks as Lundqvist gets back to elite level... The struggling Toronto Maple Leafs win their second straight contest, prevailing 3-1 over a Tampa Bay squad coming off a huge win of their own over Montreal. Nazem Kadri led the way with a goal and an assist while goalie James Reimer saved 40 shots for the Leafs. Of fantasy consequence, Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman and forward Tyler Johnson missed the game due to injuries.. Albeit a light night in terms of shot faced, Ottawa's Andrew Hammond was back in fine form after saving 16 of 17 shots to preserve the 2-1 SO win over Detroit. The rookie looks good to go for his fantasy owners as Craig Anderson has not delivered in the clutch thus far. For Detroit, Petr Mrazek was solid again and will be getting the next start against Boston...

* 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-...

Zidlicky flourishing in Detroit; The Hamburglar does it again; Talbot on his head; and more: No need for Jimmy Howard to bail out the Wings against the pens as petr mrazek subbed in with a 42-save doozy culminating in the 5-1 drubbing. Marek Zidlicky was the fantasy star of the match, scoring a goal and collecting two assists. Hope you have scooped him off the waiver wire as that window of opportunity should be slammed shut after that effort... Injury alert- Patrick Hornqvist was hurt in the third period and might not be available for this week. Monitor the situation..Cam Talbot continues his stellar goaltending in place of 'King Henrik, stopping  shots in the 2-1 win. One thing to take away from this game is how dangerous the line of Jagr-Barkov-Huberdeau was all night for Florida. The future Hall of Famer has helped the youngsters begin to realize their immense potential so maybe consider playing them down the stretch. Definitely keep them in mind come next year.  A fourth shutout for Jake Allen as the  St. Louis Blues held on for a 3-0 win in Dallas. Alex Pietrangelo dished out two assists to improve his numbers to five points over the last five games. With 38 points in 69 games, another 40+ point season awaits AP. Not bad for a season that many have viewed as a fantasy disappointment. There is no doubt that he took a back sets to Kevin Shattenkirk this year, but expect a huge rebound in 2015-16.  Braden Holtby posted his eight shutout of the season as the Washington Capitals bounced back froma recent slide to defeat the Boston bruins 2-0. Holtby rocks but so does Nicklas Backstrom who finished with two assists in the winning cause.. Andrew Hammond wins again for Ottawa as their drive for a wildcard spot continues. Craig Anderson who? You know what to do.. Great comeback by Anaheim as the Ducks used a four-goal third period to defeat Nashville 4-2. James Wisniewski picked up his first point in his new uniform..