Ryan O'Reilly and Kyle Okposo are set up for a big night against the Hurricanes. Who else should you stack in your NHL DFS lineups?

Justin Williams, Washington- Mr Game 7 is actually having a  fantasy impact early on with his new team as he collected 8 points over the first 10 games. Whether his production is sustainable or not largely depends on whether Nicklas Backstrom remains as his pivot. If he moves back to Ovie's line or Williams is shuffled out of top six, then his fantasy value could plummet.    Marcus Johansson, Washington- This guy has more of a shot to maintain some fantasy relevance as he has been a top six fixture for the Capitals over the last few years. The additions of Oshie and Williams puts a mild dent in his value but off to a decent start with 6-points in 10 games.    Frans Nielsen, New York- that's a four game point streak- 4G/2A- for the Isles second line center who flourished in a unit with Kyle Okposo and Josh Bailey . Coming off a 43-point season, there is little reason to believe he can't build on those numbers and surpass the 50-point plateau.    David Pastrnak, Boston- The youngster has been getting big minutes with one of the NHL's most underrated centers in David Krejci. While he possesses true 35-goal upside, he might be a year away. Or if you are lucky, maybe not. Give him a shot of still available.    Darnell Nurse, Edmonton- Dont sleep on this 20-year old who is one of the better defensive prospects out there. Since being recalled from the minors, he had picked up a goal and an assist. This one is simple as he will continue to log more minutes if he keeps producing like an NHLer. Nurse is well worth the risk. 

#10 NEW YORK ISLANDERS The Islanders are looking to make it 3 out of 4 years of making the playoffs as they begin their new life in Brooklyn USA.  The Isles missed the playoffs the 5 prior seasons but now have their franchise player reaching his prime in John Tavares.  JT, with a career high 86 points, finished 1-point behind Art Ross Trophy winner Jamie Been.  JT’s wingers will be enjoying career seasons as well.  The younger talent is starting to filter in and the team is looking to improve on last season so they were able to ship Michael Grabner off to Toronto to clear some room.  Just who takes advantage of the opportunity will be seen.  Jaroslav Halak has been a steadying influence since signing a free agent deal last summer.  Look for that to continue.  The defense was solidified when Snow brought in Nick Leddy and Johnny Boychuk just prior to the season in deals with teams looking to create cap space.  Free agent signing of Marek Zidlicky should help with the power play. GOALIES It was pretty much status quo in the goalie department expect the team improved their backup position by signing Thomas Greiss to a 2-year deal. Halak should amass another 60 starts and give similar performance as last season.  The team is improving in front of him so as long as he remains consistent, there shouldn’t be a problem.  He needs to improve his GAA a little, as you can see from the table below, but they just need him to be the rock he was last year. 2014-2015                      GP      GAA       W        L        OTL       SP Jaroslav Halak             59         2.43       38       17         4         .914   DEFENSE The signing of Zidlicky could be a godsend and just be the spark that could make the Islander power play click.  Even at 38, he still has a knack for scoring and being an asset oh the power play. A lot of people are believing that Leddy will be the main focus on the blue line and well he should be.  At 24 and a year under his belt as an Islander look for the young d-man to better his career high of 37 points accomplished twice.  Last year and his second year with the Blackhawks. When Boychuk started with the Islanders, he came out of the shoot like a house on fire but settled in after that hot start.  He does have a scoring touch but don’t expect anything more than mid-30’s and that may be a stretch with the arrival of Zidlicky.  Travis Hamonic has shown glimpses but is lower on the depth chart while Thomas Hickey and Calvin de Haan round out ...

SMC 3-22-2015 Spring has sprung and the snow is melting and the coffee is brewing.  Grab a cup and settle in. What an amazing story it will be if the Ottawa Senators manage to get into the playoffs!  Alas, Florida will also have an amazing story to tell this summer but I don’t think they will earn a spot. Come June, can you imagine the Cup Finals pitting one rookie goaltender in John Gibson against another in Andrew Hammond?  That would be mind-blowing! All season long I thought the Winnipeg Jets should have just stuck with Michael Hutchinson in net and sit Ondrej Pavelec as Hutch was the better net minder.  However, Pavelec has re-established himself as a bona fide No. 1 NHL goalkeeper again. There have been a lot of great NHL stories this year as we have mentioned a few above but what about New York Ranger’s Cam Talbot taking over for an injured Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers not missing a beat? Carey Price can definitely lock down the Hart with his spectacular season.  And if it weren’t for Pekka Rinne’s injury and subsequent cold streak, we might have had a battle between them for the MVP. Enough with the goalies, right?  Wait.  One more. Devan Dubnyk, last year’s whipping boy has transformed into an elite NHL goaltender as he now has started 30 straight games and has a 22-6-2 record.  Wow!  That’s wild! LOL Vladimir Tarasenko is a beast as he scored his 35th with an assist and had 8 SOG, 2 PIM.  The Blues will be fun to watch for a few years with Jaden Schwartz and VT teaming up. Some hot lines of late: Gaudreau-Monahan-Hudler, Pouliot-RNH-Eberle, Simmonds-Giroux-Voracek, Stafford-Scheifele-Wheeler Watch out for the Columbus Blue Jackets next season as they should be playing close to full health unlike this season. Barring a late surge, and not that they have been eliminated, but it’s not looking good for the LA Kings to defend their crown.  There will be a collective huge sigh of relief from the Western Conference once that becomes official. If you take a look, it appears Vancouver defenseman Alexander Edler may be coming around as he had 8 SOG last night and 3 points in last 3 games.  He does have the talent, but last year messed him up I think. Boston just may be the best team to not make the playoffs this season.  It happens. Patrice Bergeron is probably one of the most under-rated fantasy hockey players around. Ottawa is just driving hard and making that push and it’s coming from every player in their lineup, not just one or two hot players....

The Minnesota Wild roll by the St. Louis Blues 6-3, as Brian Elliott was pulled after giving up four goals. Thomas Vanek scored a goal, extending his point streak to seven games. His late season scoring surge is good enough reason to get him in your starting lineups... Is there a better line going in the NHL than the Gaudreau-Hudler- Monahan unit for the Calgary Flames? In another big spot, the trio have combined for five points but the team fell short in overtime after Rene Bourque buried the game-winner. Start all three as thay are providing the bulk of Calgary's offense during their hot streak... Carey Price for MVP? It's looking more and more likely as he keeps churning out suberb efforts in the crease, this gtime posting his second straight shutout and blanking the San Jose Sharks...   Jonathan Quick kept the Los Angeles Kings in the match with 36 saves, but Radim Vrbata spearheaded the Canuck's offense with the go-ahead goal in the third period plus an assist. He has been heating up so give him an extended look as Vancouver pushes hard for a playoff spot.  Boston blows another opportunity to extend their point lead over Florida as Roberto Luongo outlasted Tuukka Rask in the shootout to give the panthers the 2-1 win. In two games back, "Bobby Lou" looks every bit the solid fantasy goalie that he was during his peak years in Vancouver...  Jaroslav Halak is back starting for the Islanders after missing two games and his presence along with the return of defenseman Nick Leddy helped lead them to a 3-0 win over New Jersey. Kyle Okposo scored his 16th goal of the season, slowly shaking off his injury rust and getting ready for a strong finish. Get him in your starting lineups..   Kyle Turris continued his hot play with the game winning goal and Andrew Hammond won his sixth straight start for Ottawa as the Senators defeated their provinciakl rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-3. Defenseman Erik Karlsson finished the match with a goal and an assist. He is definitely paying fantasy dividends now for those owners who drafted him in the early rounds.. The goaltending enigma known as Kari Lehtonen was spectacular in net after he posted his fifth shutout of the season in the 4-0 drubbing of Chicago. Jason Spezza picked up a goal and  an assist while Alex Goligoski notched two helpers. Give "Gogo" the starting nod this upcoming week if you own him as he is on a serious scoring roll to finish the season.. What a return for Taylor Hall as he assisted on ...

Okposo is back; Faulk and Barrie amongst the fantasy elite d-men; and more: It was an epic battle in New York as the Islanders took on the Rangers and it was the Rangers who came away with the regulation 2-1 victory that leaves them one point behind the Isles with 4 games in hand. Kyle Okposo returned to the Islanders lineup and saw some action on John Tavares’ line near the end of the third period so look for that combination to stick the rest of the way….Cam Talbot with yet another win as he continues to play superbly in place of the injured Henrik Lundqvist.  Talbot’s time is coming to an end soon as Lundqvist is close to returning to the lineup and will need a few weeks to get into top form for the playoffs…. Philadelphia didn’t do themselves any favors by losing another close one, this time 2-1 to the Dallas Stars.  What has happened to Claude Giroux and the rest of the Flyers offense?.... Scott Hartnell (2 PPG) was the reason the Carolina Hurricanes lost 4-3 in a shootout last night after leading 3-1 after the first period.  Although it doesn’t really matter for these two teams as they are just riding out the season….Canes D-man Justin Faulk had a goal and 2 power play assists to lead the Carolina offense.  Continue to play the young talent as he is having a career year on his way to 50 points…. Carey Price and Ben Bishop put on a heck'uva goalie duel in Montreal but the Lightning's Tyler Johnson stole the show with the overtime game-winner. The undrafted sophomore continues to plug away with a monster season, having collected nine points during his current seven-game streak. How many of us predicted any other besides Steven Stamkos to lead the Bolts in scoring? Hey, it could happen... Cory Schneider was chased out of the Jersey net by the swarming Minnesota Wild, who scored plenty in the 6-2 rout of the Devils. Devan Dubnyk has shown few signs of slowing down as he made 30 saves in his 25th straight start. Thomas Vanek scored twice while Zach Parise picked up two helpers. D-man Jared Spurgeon played a solid game, collecting a goal and an assist and showing little rust from his time gone due to injury. If you are in need of defense, he bears watching.. For Colorado, no Semyon Varlamov in goal usually means no win and last night's game against LA was no different. Rota Berra replaced an ineffective Calvin Pickard in the first period and the Kings behind Brayden McNabb's three points waliopped the Av's 5-2. Fantasy stud Tyson Barrie scored a goal, ...

Starting with the late-night thriller between Pittsburgh and Los Angeles, Marc-Andre Fleury withstood a 31-shot barrage to hold on for his ninth shutout of the season. Patrick Hornqvist provided the game-winner in overtime, improving his goal to seven over the last seven games. After a mid-season dip in offensive production, the former Nashville winger has resumed his early-season scoring ways where he was one of the hottest fantasy assets with 25 points in his first 23 games. With all their key forwards healthy for the stretch run, look for Hornqvist to close the season on a point-per-game pace and back to fantasy must-start status.. Speaking of streaking, Vancouver's Radim Vrbata scored two goals to extend his point-streak to four games. Even though fantasy owners rather him play on the top line with the Sedin twins, the winger has delivered a team-leading 25 goals and still gets primary power-play time. If you have him on your bench, it might be time to start him while the Canucks push hard for a playoff spot. With Eddie Lack manning the crease instead of the injured Ryan Miller, there will be a stronger focus on the offense carrying the team.. Let's just re-name John Tavares Art Ross as the Islanders star continues to lead the NHL in scoring with another dominant effort, a goal and two assists in South Florida. With Kyle Okposo nearing a return, there has been plenty of debate on how the top line will look when he gets back. For my money, Anders Lee has more than earned his spot alongside JT so he should stay put. A Tavares-Okposo-Lee unit would reap huge fantasy dividends for all three... Big news in Dallas as Tyler Seguin returned to action last night, not missing a beat with two goals in the 5-3 loss to Tampa Bay. Jason Spezza's fantasy value once again takes a slight hit as he returns back to second-line center duties but he remains a fixture on the no. 1 power-play unit. Breakout defenseman John Kingberg left the contest with a lower-body injury and is listed as day-to-day. With Trevor Daley also out, this could be the best and only time to start Alex Goligoski who has been a bitter fantasy disappointment. He could string together a decent stretch of games with those two out. Consider playing him.. The Leafs were beaten down by the St. Louis Blues, as Vladimir Tarasenko plus Jaden Schwartz and TJ Oshie each collected a goal and an assist.One fact remains true- Phil Kessel is definitely unstarteable in all fantasy formats, while Tarasenko has ...

Tavares stars again; Dubnyk can't lose; Stamkos heating up; and more: The Philadelphia Flyers got a much-needed win against a tough St. Louis Blues as they try to climb up into that last wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.  Having goalie Steve Mason back in net surely will help the Flyers cause as he turned aside 28 of 29 shots on goal.  It looks like a four team race for the last spot with Ottawa and Florida all in the hunt for the spot occupied by the Boston Bruins at the moment…. Devan Dubnyk continues on a most unlikely run as he improved to 17-3-2 as the starting Minnesota Wild goalie.  Even in his losses he has played brilliantly.  Last year’s version is long forgotten but probably not in Edmonton…Jason Pominville provided all the offense DD would need as the Wild beat the Ovechkin-less Washington Capitals 2-1. Ovechkin was out with a lower-body injury but look for him to be back in the lineup in the next game…..Zach Parise assisted on both Pommer goals and should be in your starting lineup as he has the talent to get on a run in a hurry…. Boston gained a much needed point as they lost 4-3 in a shootout to the Calgary Flames who are having a fine season as they are in the playoff hunt in the Western Conference.  Flames goalie Karri Ramo has now won 3 of his last five starts and his numbers are impressive during that streak with a 1.80 GAA and a .947 SP.  If available, he could help your fantasy squad as the Flames are riding his hot play….   With Florida down to their third goalie, the Dallas Stars prevailed in the 4-3 shootout win. Kari Lehtonen was yanked early after another inconsistent effort leading to Jhonas Enroth's first win as a Star. The Dallas fantasy goalie situation has been in flux all season, mostly due to Lehtonen's wildly erratic play. Never know what you are getting... Easy game for the Bolt's as Steven Stamkos led the offense with two helpers in the 4-2 victory over the hapless Maple Leafs. Super "Stammer" has come to life after a mid-season slump, holding a current four-game point streak (4G/2A) and having collected 15 points over the last 15 games. Seems like a down year, but he should be 'cooking' down the stretch... The Nashville Predators keep sliding with their fourth straight loss, this time at the hands of the Islanders. John Tavares collected a goal and an assist on the night, improving to an NHL-leading 67 points. Most of us expected a slight drop-off after the Kyle Okposo injury, but JT has actually improved on ...

Huge nights for Benn and Spezza, Ovie dominates in Pitt, the Isles bounce back and deep fantasy sleeper in Detroit...   It was a night of "firsts" for Jamie Benn as the talented forward helped the Stars pull off the improbable road upset in St. Louis by collecting his first career "hat trick". Benn is currently on a four-game point streak where he posted 10 points (6G/4A). With Tyler Seguin out of action, Jason Spezza has moved up to the top line and responded with three assists last night. He also has a decent game point streak going, collecting ten points over his last six games. Offense will be tougher to come by without Seguin, but the off-season Spezza acquisition is starting to look great right now. Start both Dallas forwards as they will be heavily involved in the scoring as the Stars battle for a playoff spot. Also, don't understimate Kari Lehtonen's fantasy worth moving forward as the Star's goalie has won four straight, including three on the road against elite opponents, and has seen his overall numbers improve greatly over that stretch. More than a solid no. 2 fantasy option in goal so play him with confidence... In the Washington-Pittsburgh rivalry match, only one superstar showed up as Alex Ovechkin collected his league-leading 37th goal and an assist in the Capital's 3-1 road win. AO has been on an absolute tear lately, notching 14 points over the last ten games and looks poised to grab fantasy MVP honors if he keeps up his frenetic pace... What else can you say about Braden Holtby? A little belief instilled by coach Barry Trotz and a monster workload has resulted in an elite fantasy campaign for the young netminder... After suffering a brutal loss to the New York Rangers, John Tavares and the Islanders showed plenty of resiliency in defeating the Carolina Hurricanes in an obvious let-down game. JT picked up a goal and an assist, while rookie line-mate Anders Lee continued to impress by scoring his 18th goal. We have seen what Tavares has done for the fantasy value of wingers such as Matt Moulson and more recently, Kyle Okposo, so Lee's rise toward fantasy relevance can't come as completely shocking... A 5-1 score in favor of Nashville over San Jose looks lopsided on paper, but Pekka Rinne had to "stand on his head" to the tune of 42 saves in order to help the Preds secure the win. He continues to dominate more and more with each passing start, so enjoy the ride if you own Rinne.. Plenty of deserving kudos for Florida goalie Roberto ...

John Tavares was king against Columbus as his two goals and two assists plus a whopping nine SOG was the fantasy statline of the evening. However, more owners need to pay attention to his newest side-kick, Anders Lee, who also contributed four assists and has been on "fire" during his current five-game point streak. Short-term power move- Get Lee in your fantasy lineups next week while the Islanders play five games. If he continues to light it up, then you might have a gem on your hands in Kyle Okposo's absence.. Tyler Myers made amends in a hurry for a ho-hum Winnipeg debut, collecting two points in his second game for the Jets. This guy might merit a serious look as Tobias Enstrom hasn't exactly been scoring much and has been underachieving on the power-play. Even money that Myers gets a chance to get serious PP minutes with Dustin Byfuglien as his running mate.. Five straight games with at least a point for Jason Spezza who will be counted upon for no.1 center duties in Dallas while Tyler Seguin heals from his knee injury. Loved him before this and love him even more now. JS is about to take off so you need to start him... It could be the right time to "buy low" on Thomas Vanek, who collected three points in the win over Carolina and now has nine points over the last ten games. Get all your Minnesota Wild key players activated as they have been arguably the "hottest" team around... Say goodbye to Justin Faulk's career-high of 32 points as the Carolina defender picked up two assists to improve his numbers to 34 in 54 games. Can anyone say 50? He has a great chance as his fantasy stock is shooting straight up... Columbus winger Cam Atkinson has quietly moved up to borderline fantasy relevance with his latest offensive outburst of four goals in his last five games and eight points over his last nine contests. I had jumped off his bandwagon, but the talent is there for a significant turnaround. Just not sure about the long-term compete level... MORE TO COME...