This version of SMC is coming to you from Wells, Maine where it's really cold but the coffee is really good! I've been telling you that Boston has been getting their act together. Don't let last night's hiccup against Columbus discourage you.  They are back. T-Rask is back to being his dominant self. Ryan Johansen looks like you ‘will' be the centerpiece for the Jackets after all. It has been a pleasure to see him rise to new levels. Once Milan Lucic gets a head of steam, watch out! I think Philly's season is practically over, but they still had to beat Buffalo last night. It will take a miracle for the Flyers to make the playoffs.  That's a shame considering the seasons that Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek are having. I had to take a week of lessons on how to both pronounce and spell this Buffalo Sabres name because I think Zemgus Girgensons is going to be a good one in a very short time. The Toronto Maple Leafs went 0-4 on their mostly West Coast road trip scoring only 1 goal. I wonder if they left their sticks in TO?   They'll probably be glad to be home, but they have 5 of their next 7 on the road.  David Backes has 16 points in last 9 games. Say what?!?!?!  He's a good fantasy player in all categories but this prolific of a scorer? The Islanders are going to have to work on their defense if they want to go deep into the playoffs. Are John Tavares and Kyle Okposo going to tear up the NHL from here on out? I think JT has been saving it up for the stretch run. I truly believe that. This Montreal Canadiens team is scary. Carolina beat Ottawa in a "does anyone really care" matchup. Eric Staal should not be disappearing in some games. He's just too good for that. What happens to Jeff Skinner? Sometimes he looks like a world-beater and then you don't hear from him for months. I mean besides the oft-times that he's injured. Too many top goalies getting injured of late. Or is it a plot to keep them out of the All-Star game?  My conspiracy theory for the week. Tomas Tatar has 20 goals already. What have I been watching to not realize he was having this good of a season? That 5-2 loss to Detroit really showed how much Pekka Rinne is perhaps the best net minder in the NHL right now. If anyone can have a huge second half that has been pretty much non-existent, it's Nathan MacKinnon, he's that talented. For a minute I thought Victor Hedman got injured again when I saw Anton Stralman's line in the box score. 1G, 1A, -1, 1 SOG, 1 BS, 2 HT, and the most power play ...

On a night when Washington coach Barry Trotz returned to the city where he coached for 17 years, we need to start with the monster effort by Kyle Okposo. His natural hat trick in the third period culminated in a 4-goal effort leading the Metropolitan Division front-running Islanders over the Penguins. Frankly,he was in extreme "beast" mode, boding well for his fantasy owners as Okposo and John Tavares(3A) should serve up huge numbers in the second half. Ever since the duo has clicked last season, Okposo finally realized his scoring potential and now stands as a legitimate point-per-game performer. His career-high of 69 points should be "toast" if he can stay healthy... Now on to Mr. Trotz! He was greeted with a warm welcome from the Nashville fans, but that's where the red carpet ended as the Predators scored two late goals to defeat Washington 4-3. James Neal provided the game-winning tally with a few minutes left, giving him four points in two games since returning from injury. That second line of Neal-Wilson-Fisher has been scorching, so ride your hot Preds while they are streaking. There seems to be no end to the new-found offense that has been on display under new coach Peter Laviolette,,, "Hutch" is clutch for Winnipeg as the Jet's goalie Michael Hutchinson lead the Jets to their third road win over the Chicago Blackhawks this season. While not officially tabbed as their full-time starter, the youngster has been as solid as any NHL goalie so far and barring a huge breakdown, should continue to get the majority of starts on a team all of a sudden in playoff contention.. Bryan Little collected a goal and an assist, raiaing his totals to 15 points over the last 13 games. As streaky as they come, make sure you are benefitting from his torrid streak and keep him active until further notice... Quick Notes: Center Derek Stepan returned to the New York Rangers just in time to help them end their 2-game losing streak in the 2-1 win over Columbus. His two assists has him squarely on a point-per-game pace with 29 points in 29 games. An undercover "star in the making", play him with confidence as he has fully flourished this season..Goalie Cory Schneider left the game last night between New Jersey and Anaheim with an apparent head injury after the first period. Monitor the situation as Schneider has truly been one of the NHL's biggest workhorses in 2014-15, despite average numbers at best.. Ryan Johansen extended his point streak to 12 games with an assist. ...

The biggest news to come out of last night's action was Claude Giroux getting the back of his leg sliced by a Justin Faulk skate in the 3rd period of the Flyers-Hurricanes matchup. Giroux left the ice with assistance, not being able to put any weight on his leg.  The word is that the Philly Captain is fine and expected to be in tonight's game in New Jersey.  Giroux is tied for third in league scoring.  Whew! After losing their captain, the Flyers fought back to get within one but that was all as they lost for the fourth straight time. Wallowing near the bottom of the Metropolitan Division, it would take an incredible run to qualify for the playoffs.  Carolina G Cam Ward (23/24 SV) has played excellent of late, this time being on the positive side of a close game. Ward could be an excellent number 2 fantasy goalie.  With Jordan Staal returning from a broken leg and Eric Staal looking like he is starting to heat up, it may be worth it to have a few Canes on your fantasy squad now.... Roberto Luongo continues to enjoy life in sunny F-L-A as he shut out the Buffalo Sabres 2-0 behind a 30-save effort making 2 first period goals stand up. Bobby Lu raised his record to 15-7-7 with a 2.22 GAA and a .926 SP.  Continue to start Luongo with confidence while we wait for the young offense to pick up.... P.K. Subban was the story for Montreal last night against New Jersey assisting on 3 goals. The Habs built a 3-0 early in the 3rd period before the Devils made it interesting. The Devils ship is sinking fast and there is no land in sight.  New Jersey has gone 2-7-3 in last dozen games.  Ugh! You just knew it was going to be a high-scoring affair in Pittsburgh as the Penguins took on the Lightning of Tampa Bay. It was all Pens early as they built a 3-0 in the first period chasing starter Ben Bishop from the net. The bolts tried to stage a comeback but Steve Downie put the final 2 nails in the coffin of a 6-3 win for the Penguins. Sidney Crosby with 4 assists in the game almost matched his total output for November where he had 5 total points. Look for Sid to pick up his game from here on out.... The return to early season form for Minnesota G Darcy Kuemper was what the Wild needed against the high-scoring Toronto Maple Leafs who came into the game as the highest scoring team in the NHL. Kuemper turned aside 34 of 35 SOG as Minnesota won for just the second time in the past 8 games....With a power play assist, perhaps Thomas Vanek is ready to heat up as he has been very...

The biggest news to come out of last night's action was Claude Giroux getting the back of his leg sliced by a Justin Faulk skate in the 3rd period of the Flyers-Hurricanes matchup. Giroux left the ice with assistance, not being able to put any weight on his leg.  The word is that the Philly Captain is fine and expected to be in tonight's game in New Jersey.  Giroux is tied for third in league scoring.  Whew! After losing their captain, the Flyers fought back to get within one but that was all as they lost for the fourth straight time. Wallowing near the bottom of the Metropolitan Division, it would take an incredible run to qualify for the playoffs.  Carolina G Cam Ward (23/24 SV) has played excellent of late, this time being on the positive side of a close game. Ward could be an excellent number 2 fantasy goalie.  With Jordan Staal returning from a broken leg and Eric Staal looking like he is starting to heat up, it may be worth it to have a few Canes on your fantasy squad now.... Roberto Luongo continues to enjoy life in sunny F-L-A as he shut out the Buffalo Sabres 2-0 behind a 30-save effort making 2 first period goals stand up. Bobby Lu raised his record to 15-7-7 with a 2.22 GAA and a .926 SP.  Continue to start Luongo with confidence while we wait for the young offense to pick up.... P.K. Subban was the story for Montreal last night against New Jersey assisting on 3 goals. The Habs built a 3-0 early in the 3rd period before the Devils made it interesting. The Devils ship is sinking fast and there is no land in sight.  New Jersey has gone 2-7-3 in last dozen games.  Ugh! You just knew it was going to be a high-scoring affair in Pittsburgh as the Penguins took on the Lightning of Tampa Bay. It was all Pens early as they built a 3-0 in the first period chasing starter Ben Bishop from the net. The bolts tried to stage a comeback but Steve Downie put the final 2 nails in the coffin of a 6-3 win for the Penguins. Sidney Crosby with 4 assists in the game almost matched his total output for November where he had 5 total points. Look for Sid to pick up his game from here on out.... The return to early season form for Minnesota G Darcy Kuemper was what the Wild needed against the high-scoring Toronto Maple Leafs who came into the game as the highest scoring team in the NHL. Kuemper turned aside 34 of 35 SOG as Minnesota won for just the second time in the past 8 games....With a power play assist, perhaps Thomas Vanek is ready to heat up as he has been very...

It's up to you New York... New York, New York!!!! Well, you get the idea. Three games in the NHL last night, involving all three New York state teams, and each went into extra time.  First, we head to upstate New York where the Buffalo Sabres earned a point with another tough defensive matchup, losing to the Montreal Canadiens in the shootout 2-1.  We know all about Buffalo's scoring troubles but Montreal has been struggling on the score sheet as well lately with scoring only 6 goals in the last 6 matchups.  This is perhaps a good time to "buy-low" on top Montreal talent while continuing to stay clear of Buffalo players.... Down to Manhattan as the Rangers squeaked out the extra point with Derrick Brassard scoring the game-winning goal on the power play. Brassard, with 7 points in the last 4 games, should continue to put up points until Derek Stepan returns to the lineup. Rick Nash scored his 10th and continues to have a strong season. Martin St. Louis is heating up with another goal and a power play assist making it 4 points in last 2 games. With the impending returns of Stepan and Dan Boyle, St. Louis' production should come more steadily.....The soon-to-be Brooklyn-bound NY Islanders are in the midst of a 5-game Western road trip and came away with a 3-2 OT win over the goalie-depleted Anaheim Ducks. In the course of a weekend, both Frederik Andersen and John Gibson were befallen to injury meaning that Jason LaBarbera was thrust into action. John Tavares started and ended the scoring while Kyle Okposo assisted on both JT goals. Tavares now has 14 points in 12 games and barring any type of setback, should be a lock to reach the 100-point plateau this year.  Although Okposo has the same amount of points as Tavares, he will probably hit a dry patch but can still end up close to a point-per-game pace.

It was a rare feat last night as two of the projected top teams in the Western Conference fought to a 1-0 shootout match between the St. Louis Blues and Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick (43 SV) held on just enough as he battled Brian Elliott (18) SV), proving that both are ready for the long season. Start both with confidence as both goalies should supply you with not only loads of wins, but excellent metrics as well....... The Pittsburgh Penguins were shocked as the Dallas Stars snatched what appeared to be a sure victory with 2 late third period goals to win 3-2. Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin both scored with under 3 minutes remaining the game, proving that they both should be considered among the NHL Elite..... People are all talking about the start that the New York Islanders are having this year and most of the focus has been on John Tavares, Kyle Okposo, newcomer Johnny Boychuk, and young Brock Nelson but not much has been spoken of G Jaroslav Halak. Halak raised his record to 3-0-0 win the shootout win over San Jose last night and although his metrics aren't spectacular at 2.92 GAA and a .900 SP, he should get you lots of wins on a much-improved Islander team. Expect his numbers to improve a bit as we settle into the season.... Perhaps the New Jersey Devils should've reverted back to their defensive ways last night as Washington chased Cory Schneider by scoring 5 goals on 26 shots. Not Schneider's best.  The Capitals had 6 different goal-scorers and raised their record to 2-0-2.  It looks like the Caps are a more balanced scoring team at the beginning of the season.  Mike Green chipped in with 2 assists giving him 5 points in 3 games and looks like he is playing with more confidence under Barry Trotz.  He may not be the dynamic scoring defenseman he once was, but he seems to be over the past injuries that curtailed his output.... Don't look now, I know it's only 2 games, but Braden Holtby is 2-0-0 with a 1.85 GAA and a .932 SP. We predicted his resurgence this year in our Guide and it looks like he is rewarding our confidence in him... Looking for a 4th defensemen that can provide some pop? Look at New Jersey's Damon Severson as he had 2 goals last night with 8 SOG. Plus he had the most PP time of all, yes ALL, New Jersey players.  He now has 3 goals and an assist in 4 games.... No one expected the Colorado Avalanche to take the league by surprise this year but no one them to start off 1-3-1 after their loss to the Ottawa Senators last night. ...

My first order of business in passing along any words of waiver wire wisdom is the following: pick up Johnny Boychuk ASAP if he is somehow still available. The window is rapidly closing as the Islander's recently acquired defenseman has set the world on fire with one goal and four assists in two games. Having inherited the position of power-play quarterback on a unit that features John Tavares and Kyle Okposo, Boychuk is breaking out right before our eyes. On to a more realistic list of waiver-wire candidates that should be available and should help you get off to a quick start: Brock Nelson C, New York Islanders: Speaking of hot starts, Boychuk can only be outdone by the prolific Nelson, who has begun the year as the Isle's second-line center and the down-low presence on their primary power-play unit. In two games against lowly Carolina, he managed three goals and three assists, benefiting greatly from a hot NYI unit on the man-advantage. If he can stay in the top-six and continues to rack up top power-play minutes, the 22-year old can be an early-season steal. Cam Atkinson RW, Columbus: With a myriad of injuries to key Columbus forwards, the speedy winger will continue to get a boatload of front-end minutes on the top line and power-play. With three goals in two games, Atkinson is off and running toward what should be a true breakout season for him. Maybe he actually catches up to Ryan Johansen in terms of scoring potential. If he is available, grab him immediately. Tyler Bozak C, Toronto: Not a sexy name in fantasy circles, but you need to get plenty of fantasy consideration when you are flanked by Phil Kessel and James van Riemsdyk on your line. The underrated Bozak has started the season in grand style, scoring three goals and adding a helper in three games despite Kessel not playing great yet. When Kessel starts to roll, you know Bozak will rack up plenty of assists and remain a decent 4th-5th fantasy forward. Antoine Vermette C, Arizona: Coming off a 24-goal season, the talented pivot finds himself in a solid position as the top-line center to be among the Coyote's premier offensive contributors. With a goal and an assist against Los Angeles on Saturday night, he could get on a serious roll. While we doubt he challenges his career-high of 65 points set five years ago as a member of the Blue Jackets, he can get close to the 50-55 point mark. There is some decent value here as he has quickly supplanted Sam Gagner as the no.one center in the 'Desert...

We had expected the New York Islanders to take the next step in their development and qualify for the playoffs. Without their star center John Tavares-lost to an injury suffered at 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, the team actually went 12-7-3 but it wasn't enough to overcome a poor start to the season. With the emergence of Kyle Okposo and the new additions in goaltending, there will be some improvement before the Isles move to Brooklyn for next season. The Vanek-Moulson trade proved to be a non-event so Vanek was later shipped off to Montreal, where he was criticized for his poor playoff performance.  There were quite a few new additions via free agency which will give the team stability in net and a more balanced offensive attack. GOALIES Out with the old in Evgeni Nabokov and in with the not-so-old with Jaroslav Halak and Chad Johnson signing via free agency to backstop the upstart Islanders. After grabbing everyone's attention back in the 2009-2010 playoffs with Montreal, Halak signed with the St. Louis Blues via free agency on the heels of his playoff excellence but could never take the Blues to the next step during his tenure.  Now with the improving Islanders, Halak will get another chance to prove his past playoff performance was not a one-off type of deal.  Also brought in was Johnson who had success as the backup to Boston's Tuukka Rask last season with a 17-4-3 record, a 2.10 GAA and .925 SP. Things will be different on the Island as the Isles are far from the same type of team as the Bruins.  The team felt that Kevin Poulin would benefit from a regular workload at Bridgeport rather than spot starts in the NHL. Expect Halak to get the majority of the starts, 55-60. DEFENSE The makeup of the Islanders' defense is pretty interesting. They have the experience with two 38-year olds in Lubomir Visnovsky and Radek Martinek, one for offense and to play the power play point and the other in a more defensive role. Then there are few support defensemen in Tom Hickey, Travis Hamonic, and Brian Strait who are in their mid-20's but don't offer much in terms of offense. Then there is the young stable of up-and-comers in Matt Donovan and Calvin de Haan, both saw limited action in the NHL last season. There are more on the way but we will take a look at those in the PROSPECTS section below. Lubomir may not be the force he once was, but he is more than capable of putting up decent numbers with JT and the rest of the young Islanders rounding into form. ...

None of the Islanders injured players will return this season. Head coach Jack Capuano said there is "no need to rush anyone back, the standings won't change." Okposo finally had that breakout season that everyone had been waiting for. He tallied 27 goals and 42 assists (69 points) in 71 games. This certainly is something he can build off of next season, when he and John Tavares return at 100 per cent.

Okposo will miss his fifth straight contest tonight. The Isles have been really quiet on Okposo's injury. The details have been extremely vague, so it is tough to pinpoint whether he will be back this season.