The Boston Bruins pounded the Hurricanes yesterday afternoon 5-1, and the Lucic, Krejci, Iginla line was all over the ice, and all over the scoreboard. Left wing Milan Lucic had a goal and 2 assists, while center Dave Krejci had 3 assists and right wing Jarome Iginla had 2 goals. This line is on fire and you should grab any one of these guys if you can.  Krejci has 59 points and is a plus 31.  Wow!  Tough game in goal for Cam Ward of Carolina who allowed all 5 goals with 36 saves.  Ward is really struggling to find his game right now after missing so much of the season with injury.  Nice shutout for Steve Mason of Philadelphia as the Flyers beat the suddenly staggering Penguins 4-0. Mason had 25 saves and improved his record to 27-16-6.  Good game for me because I have him in one of my pools.  Right wing Matt Read had 2 goals for Philadelphia, but with only 33 points on the season we can't recommend him.  Pittsburgh center Sydney Crosby had a game to forget with no points and a -3 rating.  Forward Claude Giroux had 2 assists for the Flyers, and after a brutal start to the seasonhe now has 67 points in 66 games. Expect him to have a great finish on the year. Nice game for Montreal defenseman P K Subban as he had 3 assists in the Canadiens 5-4 win over Ottawa in OT. Subban has 48 points on the season, and he is a premier fantasy defenseman pick.  Senators forward Jason Spezza had a goal and an assist, and he is smoking hot right now with 8 points in his last 3 games, and now has 55 points on the year. Tampa Bay goaltender Ben Bishop continued his fantastic season with a 3-0 shutout of New Jersey. Bishop's record is 31-11-6 with a 2.10 GAA and a .929 SP.  Amazing season. The New York Islanders beat the terrible Buffalo Sabres 4-1 as defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky had 3 assists. Good for me because I own him.  He has only 11 points on the season though because he had been hurt.  Islander right wing Kyle Okposo continued his breakout year with a goal and an assist. Okposo has 69 points on the season.  St. Louis beat Nashville 4-1.  Remember when Nashville used to be hard to defeat?  Not any more.  Center Patrik Berglund had 2 goals for the Blues, but he has only 31 points on the season. St Louis center Alexander Steen had a goal and he does have 53 points on the year, but he has cooled off considerably from his hot start. Maybe he will heat up again.  The NHL season is a long grind, and tends to wear players down.  Blues goaltender Ryan Miller had another ...

Exciting night yesterday in the NHL. San Jose right wing Martin Havlat had a big night with a goal and an assist in the Sharks 4-3 win over the Islanders. Havlat once had a lot of potential as a possible 90 point player, but injuries have taken their toll on him, and he has only  14 points in 35 games this year.  What a waste of talent.  New York forward Kyle Okposo had 2 assists in the loss, and with 67 points he is having a great year. Draft him high next season.  Okay game for San Jose goalie Antti Niemi as he had 35 saves in the win, and he has 33 wins on the season, but his .912 SP is a little bit unnerving. The Capitals beat the Canucks 4-3 as young Russian forward Evegny Kuznetsov scored his first NHL points by collecting 3 assists. Great game for the 21 year old rookie.  The amazing thing is that he did it in only 9:58 of time on ice, and on the 4th line no less.   Don't get too excited about him yet.  Goaltender Jaroslav Halak got the win with 35 saves, and he is playing well with 26 wins and a 2.25 GAA. He is pretty solid.  Detroit beat Edmonton 2-1 in a shootout as goaltender Jimmy Howard had a good game for the Wings with 21 saves. Howard has had a tough year with a losing record and this is his first win in 4 games, but he was sharp last night.  The Panthers beat the Devils 5-3 as Florida forward Brad Boyes had a goal and an assist. Boyes once scored 71 points for St Louis in the  2008-2009 season, but he has really struggled with injuries since then and has only 32 points on the year.  New Jersey defenseman Marek Zidlicky was a -4 by the way. Florida center Jonathan Huberdeau had 2 assists, but with only 27 points on the season, he has been a major disappointment. So much talent wasted.  Goaltender Pekka Rinne looks like he is rounding into shape for Nashville as he had 31 saves in a 3-2 victory over the suprisingly struggling Blackhawks. Rinne has good metrics with a 2.27 GAA and a .920 SP.  Get him if you can, as he is coming on strong.  Defenseman Roman Josi had a big night for Nashville assisting on all 3 goals. With 30 points in 51 games played he is a good defenseman choice.   Huge game for Rangers forward Carl Hagelin as he scored his first hat trick in the NHL. But he has only 28 points on the season, so we would not chase him.  He does have a lot of speed, but not yet so much skill.  Winnipeg goalie Ondrej Pavelec left the game early with an LBI. No word yet on how serious it is. Al Montoya replaced him, and if Pavelec is going to...

Welcome folks, it's that time of the week again. This week's edition of SMC is being brought to you by 'Steve' as Ray gets the day off. Let's start by handing out major kudos to Jaromir Jagr and Alex Oveckin for their milestone moments last night. JJ gets his 700th goal. AO gets his 800th point. Future fantasy hockey Hall of Famers for sure! Is there a better big-game player than Jonathan Toews? He absolutely dominated in Chicago's 6-1 romp of Pittsburgh at Soldier Field. A game of huge stars dominated by one. Eddie Lack is projected to start the Heritage Classic for Vancouver. How much more disrespect can Roberto Luongo take? You think Marty St. Louis is playing with a chip on his shoulders since returning from Sochi? Four goals in the last two games, while apparently making it clear he wants out. If he stays put and Stamkos gets back soon, they should be the best fantasy forward tandem over the last 20 games or so. Phil Kessel has made James van Riemsdyk and Tyler Bozak very fantasy relevant this season. Just like he did for Joffrey Lupul last year. In Steve Mason we trust? The Flyer's starting goalie had a 7-goal clunker sandwiched between 2 great wins against Colorado and the New York Rangers. So much for Team Russia's meltdown and a IOC suspension slowing them down... Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom are on "fire" for the Washington Capitals. Fantasy owners should enjoy the ride. Looking for a nice sleeper goalie with solid starting fantasy value? Darcy Kuemper that's who. It's looking less likely that Minnesota will be trading for a goalie by the deadline. If Johan Franzen can stay healthy for Detroit, he will put up big numbers with Henrik Zetterberg out. Big "IF" though.. Is Alex Semin hurt again? What else is new? Will Daniel Sedin ever score again? Tortorella's defensive scheme is "kryptonite" to the fantasy values of offensive stars. I am loving Jarome Iginla as solid fantasy option the rest of the way. The Olympic Break has done the 36-year old plenty of good. He has great chemistry with Krejci and Lucic. He is also perennially a second-half stud. Do you need anymore evidence? Now, speaking of second-half duds, hopefully many Kyle Okposo owners "sold high" when the news of JT's season-ending injury broke out. His numbers are about to get even worse if Vanek is dealt soon. Under Paul Maurice, Winnipeg goalie Ondrej Pavelec is very startable in all fantasy formats. Those poor Edmonton Oilers.. All these claims of incredible offensive ...

Sorry for an abbreviated version of ISD, but I have been ailing for a few days with the flu. However, we need to deliver our fantasy tidbits on the defense. Big news from last night, as Lubomir Visnovsky returned to live-action for the New York Islanders after missing almost 3 months due to a concussion. Although he was held off the score-sheet, the talented rearguard played over 22 minutes, including a team-high 7:23 on the power play. Andrew McDonald could be in for quite a fantasy free-fall, as he was immediately dropped off the primary PP unit, seeing only 2:55 minutes with the man-advantage. He served as a solid stop-gap fantasy option during Visnovsky's absence, collecting 10 points in a nine-game stretch from December 21st thru January 6. However, his offense has disappeared in recent games as he has only one point in his last 11 games. Visnovsky has an awesome scoring pedigree in his NHL career, leading all d-men with 68 points for Anaheim in '10-11. Although injuries have begun to take their toll, the 37-year old is a premier power-play quarterback who should greatly benefit from playing with one of the "hottest" top lines in John Tavares, Thomas Vanek, and Kyle Okposo. If he could remain healthy, consider him a lower-tier no. 1 fantasy option on the blueline. If you have stashed him on your bench, you are about to reap huge fantasy dividends. Parting Shots: With 7 assists in his last 4 games, Dallas defenseman Alex Goligoski has rebounded nicely from a horrid start. His ownership in ESPN fantasy leagues has increased over 85%, so the window of opportunity to pick him up is quickly closing.. Matt Niskanen continues to rack up points for Pittsburgh with 7 points in the last 10 games, but he has been seeing minimal power-play time with the healthy returns of Kris Letang and Paul Martin. The time to "sell high" is now.. Victor Hedman is catapulting himself into fantasy elite status with two straight 3-point efforts and 32 points overall in 45 games. Another one of those curious Olympic snubs, the prolific Swede is officially breaking out in '13-14. Start him with confidence.

Tyler who? In case you have been on the far side of the moon the past couple of weeks, you should have noticed that the Boston Bruins second line of Patrice Bergeron-Brad Marchand-Reilly Smith has been absolutely on fire. Last night in a 6-3 victory over the Islanders Marchand had a goal and 3 assists, Bergeron had one goal and an assist and Smith had one goal and an assist as well.  This line is clicking about as good as one could ever expect.  In the last 6 games they have combined for 30 points.  After a slow start, Marchand has 12 points in his last 6 games.  He still has only 33 points on the season, but he is on fire.  If you can get any one of these guys right now in your pool, please do so immediately, as these three guys are playing extremely well together.  New York forward Kyle Okposo continued his great season with a goal and 2 assists. With 57 points on the year, Okposo is having a huge breakout season.  The Islanders welcomed back d-man Lubomir Visnovsky who had been out since October 19th with a concussion. Grab him if he is still available.  They, also, welcomed back goaltender Evgeni Nabokov, so Kevin Poulin will likely go back to the bench. Staal speed: The Carolina Hurricanes came from behind to beat Columbus 3-2. Carolina forward Eric Staal had 2 goals to start the comeback and his brother Jordan scored the game winner on a beautiful curl and drag play that fooled Sergei Bobrovsky. Staal's line continues hot as Alex Semin and left wing Jiri Tlusty each had an assist. Staal has 44 points on the season, and if this line stays hot he could have a big finish this year. Anton Khudobin seems to have established himself as the number one goalie in Carolina. He has won 4 in a row, and 5 of his last 6 games, and his 2.18 goals against is hard to argue with. Fleury pitches a zero: Pittsburgh goalie Marc-Andre Fleury had a great night with a shutout of the Sabres 3-0. Fleury had 24 saves, and he now has 29 wins on the season.  Top fantasy goalie!  Chris Kunitz had the game winner, and he is having a great year with 54 points. Tanner Glass had a goal and an assist for the Penguins, but with only 10 points on the season, he is just a third line plodder. The rumors are flying about 33 year old Buffalo goaltender Ryan Miller getting traded before the deadline. Miller is an unrestricted free agent after this season, and if he goes to a decent team his fantasy value would increase  a lot. His .926 save percentage indicates that he is still playing ...

Tyler who? In case you have been on the far side of the moon the past couple of weeks, you should have noticed that the Boston Bruins second line of Patrice Bergeron-Brad Marchand-Reilly Smith has been absolutely on fire. Last night in a 6-3 victory over the Islanders Marchand had a goal and 3 assists, Bergeron had one goal and an assist and Smith had one goal and an assist as well.  This line is clicking about as good as one could ever expect.  In the last 6 games they have combined for 30 points.  After a slow start, Marchand has 12 points in his last 6 games.  He still has only 33 points on the season, but he is on fire.  If you can get any one of these guys right now in your pool, please do so immediately, as these three guys are playing extremely well together.  New York forward Kyle Okposo continued his great season with a goal and 2 assists. With 57 points on the year, Okposo is having a huge breakout season.  The Islanders welcomed back d-man Lubomir Visnovsky who had been out since October 19th with a concussion. Grab him if he is still available.  They, also, welcomed back goaltender Evgeni Nabokov, so Kevin Poulin will likely go back to the bench. Staal speed: The Carolina Hurricanes came from behind to beat Columbus 3-2. Carolina forward Eric Staal had 2 goals to start the comeback and his brother Jordan scored the game winner on a beautiful curl and drag play that fooled Sergei Bobrovsky. Staal's line continues hot as Alex Semin and left wing Jiri Tlusty each had an assist. Staal has 44 points on the season, and if this line stays hot he could have a big finish this year. Anton Khudobin seems to have established himself as the number one goalie in Carolina. He has won 4 in a row, and 5 of his last 6 games, and his 2.18 goals against is hard to argue with.  Fleury pitches a zero: Pittsburgh goalie Marc-Andre Fleury had a great night with a shutout of the Sabres 3-0. Fleury had 24 saves, and he now has 29 wins on the season.  Top fantasy goalie!  Chris Kunitz had the game winner, and he is having a great year with 54 points. Tanner Glass had a goal and an assist for the Penguins, but with only 10 points on the season, he is just a third line plodder. The rumors are flying about 33 year old Buffalo goaltender Ryan Miller getting traded before the deadline. Miller is an unrestricted free agent after this season, and if he goes to a decent team his fantasy value would increase  a lot. His .926 save percentage indicates that he is still playing ...

Joe Pavelski continues his elite scoring ways for the Sharks with two more goals in the 3-2 win over Calgary. With 18 goals in the past 20 games, he now has 27 on the season, tied for second in the NHL with Corey Perry. At this rate, his career-high of 31 goals will be obliterated very soon, but be wary of a point slow-down after the Sochi Olympics. A few of the "chosen ones" for Team USA have responded with above-the-norm scoring production, but it will be difficult for them to maintain that pace. In the case of Pavelski, his current point-per-game scoring pace of "50 in 50" is unchartered territory for him, as his best statistical year was his 66 points in 74 games back in '10-11. For now, enjoy the ride as few are better for fantasy purposes. USA Snub Keeps Rubbing It In: On the contrary to Pavelski, Kyle Okposo keeps putting up "monster" numbers in the face of not being selected by Team USA. He pulled off the Gordie Howe hat trick against the Flyers yesterday afternoon, including scoring the game-winner in the shoot-out. With 49 points in 50 games, he has been exceptionally sharp with 13 points (6G/7A) in the last 10 games. His scoring pace could actually remain constant, considering he is clicking with John Tavares and at the age of 25, he could be breaking out in Year 6. Plus, he will not be dealing with post-Olympic fatigue and his motivation for being snubbed will last all season long. Am loving Okposo as a solid fantasy option in the second half! More Fantasy-Game Notes: Toronto's Nazem Kadri has responded to a plethora of trade rumors with another solid effort, a goal and an assist in the 4-2 win over Phoenix. With 4 points in the last two games, he has briefly bounced back after a mediocre first half so far, but can fantasy owners trust him? He will need a few more high-scoring efforts to warrant fantasy status.. What's up with Kari Lehtonen? With yesterday's loss to Nashville, he has gone 1-6-1 in his last 8 starts. His current numbers are still better-than-average with a 17-14-8 record, a 2.69 GAA and a .913 SP. If you have a better option, sit him for now.. Watch out for Toronto defenseman Jake Gardiner, who been playing at a very high level in recent games. With a goal and an assist against Nashville, the enigmatic blueliner might be worth a look if Coach Randy Carlyle keeps rewarding him with big minutes, especially on the power-play... Jimmy Howard and Jakub Voracek both left their respective games due to injury. In the case of Howard, ...

Joe Pavelski continues his elite scoring ways for the Sharks with two more goals in the 3-2 win over Calgary. With 18 goals in the past 20 games, he now has 27 on the season, tied for second in the NHL with Corey Perry. At this rate, his career-high of 31 goals will be obliterated very soon, but be wary of a point slow-down after the Sochi Olympics. A few of the "chosen ones" for Team USA have responded with above-the-norm scoring production, but it will be difficult for them to maintain that pace. In the case of Pavelski, his current point-per-game scoring pace of "50 in 50" is unchartered territory for him, as his best statistical year was his 66 points in 74 games back in '10-11. For now, enjoy the ride as few are better for fantasy purposes. USA Snub Keeps Rubbing It In: On the contrary to Pavelski, Kyle Okposo keeps putting up "monster" numbers in the face of not being selected by Team USA. He pulled off the Gordie Howe hat trick against the Flyers yesterday afternoon, including scoring the game-winner in the shoot-out. With 49 points in 50 games, he has been exceptionally sharp with 13 points (6G/7A) in the last 10 games. His scoring pace could actually remain constant, considering he is clicking with John Tavares and at the age of 25, he could be breaking out in Year 6. Plus, he will not be dealing with post-Olympic fatigue and his motivation for being snubbed will last all season long. Am loving Okposo as a solid fantasy option in the second half! More Fantasy-Game Notes: Toronto's Nazem Kadri has responded to a plethora of trade rumors with another solid effort, a goal and an assist in the 4-2 win over Phoenix. With 4 points in the last two games, he has briefly bounced back after a mediocre first half so far, but can fantasy owners trust him? He will need a few more high-scoring efforts to warrant fantasy status.. What's up with Kari Lehtonen? With yesterday's loss to Nashville, he has gone 1-6-1 in his last 8 starts. His current numbers are still better-than-average with a 17-14-8 record, a 2.69 GAA and a .913 SP. If you have a better option, sit him for now.. Watch out for Toronto defenseman Jake Gardiner, who been playing at a very high level in recent games. With a goal and an assist against Nashville, the enigmatic blueliner might be worth a look if Coach Randy Carlyle keeps rewarding him with big minutes, especially on the power-play... Jimmy Howard and Jakub Voracek both left their respective games due to injury. In the case of Howard, ...

The Islanders are a team on the rise, winning seven straight on the road with the latest being a come-from-behind 4-2 win in Dallas last night. Superstar John Tavares led the charge with the game-winning goal and an assist, but his linemates have entered the conversation as elite fantasy forwards in '13-14. Team USA snub Kyle Okposo continues his "monster" breakout season with two more goals giving him 19 tallies and 45 points in 46 games. And what about Thomas Vanek? It took the Austrian sniper some time to get adjusted to life on Long Island, but he has been among the "hottest' scorers in the NHL with 22 points(7G/15A) in his last 20 games. If there was anyway for fantasy owners to "buy low" on him, the window of opportunity is probably shut. Think about what John Tavares did for Matt Moulson and P.A. Parenteau's offensive production while sharing the top line for the Islanders, and then just salivate about what the future can hold for the present trio if they can stay together. Maybe the present winning streak and the sudden glimmer of hope for making the postseason will quell rumors of Vanek being moved by the trade deadline. Fantasy Notes: Jonas Hiller wins his 14th straight game, stopping all 22 shots in Anaheim's 1-0 victory over Detroit. Barring any health issues, fantasy elite status at last for the Swiss goalie stud.. The 'King" has returned, as the Ranger's Henrik Lundqvist is slowly reverting to his previous Vezina-winning form after his third straight win last night. The Flyers were no match for his stingy play in the crease.. Carolina captain Eric Staal was practicing on Sunday and could be back in the line-up Monday night. His return would minimize Jordan Staal's fantasy value, as he would move back down to center the 2nd line and the secondary power-play. The scorching Jeff Skinner would move back to wing on the top line.. Play all your key Tampa Bay Lightning players this week, as they have a whopping 5 games on the slate. Conversely, maybe its for the best to sit all your Pittsburgh Penguins with only one game up. One tough decision can be possibly starting Lightning goalie Anders Lindback, but Ben Bishop can be back in a game or two. Listen to any injury updates regarding his impending return.

The Islanders are a team on the rise, winning seven straight on the road with the latest being a come-from-behind 4-2 win in Dallas last night. Superstar John Tavares led the charge with the game-winning goal and an assist, but his linemates have entered the conversation as elite fantasy forwards in '13-14. Team USA snub Kyle Okposo continues his "monster" breakout season with two more goals giving him 19 tallies and 45 points in 46 games. And what about Thomas Vanek? It took the Austrian sniper some time to get adjusted to life on Long Island, but he has been among the "hottest' scorers in the NHL with 22 points(7G/15A) in his last 20 games. If there was anyway for fantasy owners to "buy low" on him, the window of opportunity is probably shut. Think about what John Tavares did for Matt Moulson and P.A. Parenteau's offensive production while sharing the top line for the Islanders, and then just salivate about what the future can hold for the present trio if they can stay together. Maybe the present winning streak and the sudden glimmer of hope for making the postseason will quell rumors of Vanek being moved by the trade deadline. Fantasy Notes: Jonas Hiller wins his 14th straight game, stopping all 22 shots in Anaheim's 1-0 victory over Detroit. Barring any health issues, fantasy elite status at last for the Swiss goalie stud.. The 'King" has returned, as the Ranger's Henrik Lundqvist is slowly reverting to his previous Vezina-winning form after his third straight win last night. The Flyers were no match for his stingy play in the crease.. Carolina captain Eric Staal was practicing on Sunday and could be back in the line-up Monday night. His return would minimize Jordan Staal's fantasy value, as he would move back down to center the 2nd line and the secondary power-play. The scorching Jeff Skinner would move back to wing on the top line.. Play all your key Tampa Bay Lightning players this week, as they have a whopping 5 games on the slate. Conversely, maybe its for the best to sit all your Pittsburgh Penguins with only one game up. One tough decision can be possibly starting Lightning goalie Anders Lindback, but Ben Bishop can be back in a game or two. Listen to any injury updates regarding his impending return.