NHL IN 30/2016: PART 5 (OTT, PHI, PIT, STL, SJ) OTTAWA I think you are going to see a more high-powered offensive game coming out of Ottawa this season with Mark Stone, Mike Hoffman, Bobby Ryan and the rest of the forwards lighting up the lamp quite frequently.  And when you have the game’s most explosive defenseman joining in on the offense, the Senators will be a handful for any team.  It just may all come down to which Craig Anderson they will get in goal.  Will it be the game-changing, highlight reel Anderson, or the mediocre Anderson who has been disappointing from time to time. PLAYOFFS: I WOULD LIKE TO SAY YES, BUT NO   PHILADELPHIA The Flyers roster remained status quo throughout the off-season without any real additions or subtractions so it may be a good thing as the team ran off a late charge last season and into the playoffs only to lose to the Washington Capitals in six games.  The big boys will have to be the key cogs once again with Shayne Gostibehere, last year’s sensational rookie defenseman, supplying the offense.  But in the tight Metropolitan Division, they will need the goaltending duo of Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth to backstop the team into the playoffs. PLAYOFFS: MAYBE WIH SOME LUCK   PITTSBURGH When you win the Stanley Cup the way the Penguins did last year, one would be hard-pressed to not say yes to return engagement to the playoffs.  Some writers, myself included, had the Penguins missing the playoffs and if it were not for the hot play of rookie goaltender, Matt Murray, the Pens might have been in a slight rebuilding stage this past off-season.  They have Sid the Kid, Geno, Kessel and Hornqvist to lead the offense and Letang on the backend but Murray will be tending to a minor injury and miss several weeks at the beginning of the season, but they still have the Flower, Marc-Andre Fleury, so they should form a solid duo in net and that should be enough to get them back for another run at Lord Stanley’s Cup. PLAYOFFS: YES   ST. LOUIS They have been perennial regular season masters but when it comes playoff time, they seem to not have enough left in the tank to get very far.  That was until last year when they fell to San Jose in the Conference Finals. So playoff progress has been made but will have to do it without the likes of David Backes, who left via free agency.  The team does not lack offense that’s for sure when you have Tarasenko, Schwartz, and Steen among others leading the way and when you have the type of ...

BTP: OUT WITH THE NEW AND IN WITH THE OLD? Looking over the top goalies in the NHL this season and what immediately comes to mind is; where are the elite names like Lundqvist, Rask and Price?   The top 10 is populated with names such as John Gibson of the Anaheim Ducks and Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets, both of whom started the season in the minors with thoughts they would be gaining a valuable year of seasoning before plying their wares in the NHL.  In fact, they are #’s 1 and 3 in GAA so not too shabby for rookies.  Then there is Petr Mrazek of Detroit and Philadelphia’s Michal Neuvirth having GAAs of just over 2.00.  So where do the recent elite goaltenders stand in this year’s NHL? Well, we all know Montreal’s Carey Price is out with an injury and will be back in another month or so.  This scenario is eerily similar to what happened with the NY Rangers last season when Henrik Lundqvist went down for a chunk of the season and was fresh for a long playoff run that ended just shy of a 2nd straight Stanley Cup appearance. Will the same thing happen with the Canadiens this spring? Speaking of Lundvist, we all know what he’s capable of bringing so it is no surprise that the Rangers are in the top three of the Metropolitan Division and should make another playoff appearance.  Will Lundqvist have enough to get through the long and tough playoff schedule in hopes of raising the coveted Cup after appearing in 38 games already?  The Rangers know what it takes to get to the dance and stay, perhaps they are just saving themselves for the second season. Boston Bruin goaltender Tuukka Rask has been nothing short of brilliant the past few seasons posting 30+ win seasons with better than average metrics.  This year’s team was expected to be a transitional club but they seemed to have turned the corner earlier than expected but Rask’s numbers have suffered as his record stands at 16-13-3 with a 2.45 GAA and a .918 SP which are sub-standard in for T-Rask. You know all three have the pedigree to go long stretches bringing dominance to the crease, plus they know how to turn up their game when they need to, so if you get a chance to grab one of them while they are muddling along in mid-season, now is your chance because when it comes to fantasy hockey, you just need the right players at the right time and you can make up a lot of ground in a hurry and what better way to slot in some elite goalies into your lineup.

BTP: SOMEWHERE, UNDER THE RAINBOW… Every year when it comes to draft day, the elite goalies always go in some variation of preference order but for the most part it’s names like Price, Rinne, Lundqvist, Quick, Crawford and Rask that go off the board first.  Most poolies know that having that stabilizing force in your fantasy lineup does wonders for your compete level.  But there are always goalies that never appears on one’s screen at draft time, goalies like Winnipeg’s rookie Connor Hellebuyck, or even an established veteran like Toronto’s James Reimer, and then there are those that never get the credit they deserve because of being rather inexperienced at the NHL level or poor performance records from their past.  Today we will take a look at some under-rated goaltenders from around the NHL. Cory Schneider-New Jersey Devils— New Jersey wasn’t expected to do well this season, with projections of the team missing the playoffs once again.  One thing hockey fans know is that if you have a good enough goalie to keep you in games, you have a chance to be in the dance come April.  The Devils are one such team with Cory Schneider in net.  Clearly under the radar more for the team he is playing for than his own abilities, the New Jersey net minder has been a steady rock for the Devils.  He is tied for 5th in the NHL with 13 wins and has very good metrics of 2.09 GAA and a .926 SP.  Not too shabby considering Schneider wasn’t selected probably until the mid-to-later rounds in some pools. Schneider may not give you elite numbers especially in the win total column, but overall you could do worse.  And the good thing, you could probably get him for a lot less than some other goalies and get better-than-average numbers.   Devan Dubnyk-Minnesota Wild— I must admit I was expecting a bit of a letdown from DD only because he hasn’t done it consistently and consecutively.  Last season’s numbers were incredible and Dubnyk used it to cash in big time.  And what about this year?  Well, in 23 games, he has 13 wins with average metrics of a 2.30 GAA and a .918 SP.  Some poolies probably steered clear of the Minnesota goaltender because of the reasons I stated earlier.  One other thing.  He has 4 shutouts already. You most likely will never see the likes of last season’s performance again but playing on a defensive-minded team like the Wild will provide Dubnyk with the chance to post decent numbers for an NHL goaltender.   Michal Neuvirth-Philadelphia Flyers-- Everyone ...

SMC 11-8-2015 If anyone hasn’t noticed yet, the Buffalo Sabres are going to be a tough opponent this year. Especially once Robin Lehner returns and gets into mid-season form. Rasmus Ristolainen is going to be a force for the Sabres power play someday soon. Along with Jake Eichel and Sam Reinhart amongst others, this team will be quite competitive for some time. The LA Kings seem to be on a mission this year which doesn’t bode well for the Western Conference. The window of opportunity of getting any Anaheim Duck player on the cheap is quickly closing with the 4-game winning streak.  They dug themselves a bit of a hole but they are the team who can overcome that in a hurry. Anze Kopitar is going for the CY Young award this season with 5 goals and an assist at this point in the season. Panther fans are still waiting for that late season magic displayed last year with the arrival of Jaromir Jagr.  Growing pains with young talent will always be the case no matter what. Tyler Toffoli with 7 points in past 6 games has arrived.  Mike Condon is almost a splitting image of Carey Price, but not really. Who would’ve thought that the Philadelphia Flyers were going to shut out the mighty Winnipeg Jets?  And can Michal Neuvirth get a win without shutting out the other team?  All three of his wins have come by shutout. Toronto keeps losing but they are playing better.  Just looks bad seeing all those red ‘L’s in a row. Nazem Kadri with 7 SOG still couldn’t beat out Mr. SOG Alex Ovechkin who had 8. Kris Versteeg is leading the Carolina Hurricanes in points with 10.  Shame on you Eric Staal. St. Louis has started Jake Allen 6 games in a row and he has won 5 of those.  Looks like he is ready for full-time #1 duties. Remember Magnus Paajarvi?  He played last night for the Blues.  That’s the second game he has played this season. This Colton Parayko is something else.  Scored on the PP even though Kevin Shattenkirk returned to the lineup last night. Since Filip Forsberg isn’t grabbing the headlines like he did last year, some owners may think he doesn’t have it this season, but he still has 8 points in 13 games.  One good streak and he is on his way.  Buy low? No Parise?  No Problem says Devan Dubnyk.  Just let me go back in time to a year ago and play like I know I can; a 1-0 shutout of the Tampa Bay Lightning. No small feat. I think Tampa’s Nikita Kucherov is ready to break out. The NY Rangers know what they had in their grasps last year and are determined to get back ...

PHILADELPHIA It was hard to believe that the Philadelphia Flyers did not make the playoffs last season after the incredible season Jakub Voracek enjoyed amassing 81 points in a career year.  And you couldn’t place blame on goaltender Steve Mason who enjoyed one of his better overall seasons in bet with a 2.25 GAA and A .928 SP, which were actually better than his rookie season in Columbus when he was nominated for the Vezina trophy eventually awarded to Tim Thomas.  Part of the blame could be on Claude Giroux who had just a so-so season with 71 points.  Giroux needs to be his dominating self and post in the 90-point range for this team to be successful.  Even a patchwork defense held their own with young journeyman defenseman Michael Del Zotto and veteran Mark Streit finding their offensive games again.  So what was the reason behind such an average season?  Perhaps it was that the team just didn’t mesh with Head Coach Craig Berube.  Well, Berube is gone now and stepping into his shoes is a rookie head coach in Dave Hakstol, who implements a similar style but perhaps with a little more emphasis on speed and quicker transition.  GOALIES When a team misses the playoffs, a lot of the blame gets placed on the goaltender.  Mason had struggles early in his career after a spectacular rookie season under Ken Hitchcock in Columbus but faltered quickly in his sophomore year and just couldn’t find that magic again.  After a few average seasons as a Blue Jacket, the Flyers traded for Mason, giving up their own struggling net minder in Sergei Bobrovsky.  Mason regained his confidence with a 4-2-0 record and a 1.90 GAA and a .944 SP in his brief stretch at the end of the 2012-2013 season after being acquired.  His metrics as a Philadelphia goaltender are   2012-2015         GP       GAA     W         L          T          SP Steve Mason     119       2.36     55        38         18         .923 So you can see his numbers are a bit above average for a goaltender and if the Flyers can get that type of performance again and the team tightens up and wins more of their fair share of 1-goal games that they lost early last season, better times await.  Michal Neuvirth was brought in to back up Mason, getting a little younger in that department by letting Ray Emery walk.  Neuvirth is another underrated goaltender who does well with stopping high-percentage shots down low and will be capable to fill in if and when Mason goes down to injury.  Don't let Mason slip too far as ...

Ottawa rookie goalie on fire; Dubnyk prevails over Rinne; Price remains right; and more... Every so often, a goalie comes out of the woodworks and changes the course of action for that luck NHL team, and in our case, fantasy squads starving for a clutch backstopper. Well, Ottawa's Andrew Hammond surely qualifies as he posted his second straight road shutout, this time against the Stanley Cup champs who had won eight straight. The Bowling Green product is currently living a dream during his call-up, collecting four straight wins with a 1.15 GAA and a .962 SP. With Craig Anderson basically already to go, you can be certain that Ottawa will ride Hammond as long as he remains unbeatable. So should you. Pick him up ASAP.. ************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** Carey Price and the Montreal Canadiens played a tidy game against the Columbus Blue Jackets winning 5-2.  Defense was the offense with P.K. Subban (G, 2A) and Andrei Markov (G, A) contributing to the road win.  The Habs will be a force to be reckoned with come playoff time…. Buffalo’s Michal Neuvirth is 3-1-2 in his last six starts and was the recipient of 6 goals in the win over Vancouver last night.  Neuvirth is a decent number 2 goalie with the team playing better hockey of late…Chris Stewart, with a goal and an assist, is rumored to be on his way out, most likely to rival Boston.  It will be an interesting weekend with the trade deadline on Monday… The New York Ranger’s beat the Arizona Coyotes with 2 pair against the Yotes 1.  Both Chris Kreider (2 PPG) and Lee Stempniak (2G) were enough to get by Arizona who got two power play goals of their own from Sam Gagner.  This one wasn’t easy for the Blueshirts as Goalie Cam Talbot continues to play brilliantly in place of the injured Henrik Lundqvist…Kreider shows glimpses of what is to come but hasn’t been able to provide the consistency just yet but his future looks bright…. While struggling at home lately, the St. Louis Blues continued their winning ways on the road with the 2-1 shootout win over Winnipeg. Not much to say here other than it seems no more Ondrej Pavelec in the Jet's goal for now. Thank gosh... The Monnesota Wild deliver a huge road win, 4-2 in Nashville, to further bolster their playoff chances. Don't worry about Pekka Rinne but remain thrilled about what Devan Dubnyk has done for the Wild goalie situation...

Rangers continue to roll, Islanders round up the Coyotes, Boston & Philly blow chances & birthday wishes. Happy Birthday wishes go out to our newest PrimePucks™ fan, Ella from New York.  Happy Birthday Ella! Huge injury news from Chicago as RW Patrick Kane apparently injured his shoulder while falling head-first into the boards. Nothing more to say other than a long-term injury to Kane would represent an irreaplacable loss for fantasy owners at this time of the NHL season. Hopefully, the MRI will not reveal serious damage but it did not look good. More info when we get it... New York Rangers Cam Talbot has performed brilliantly in net as he starts for the injured Henrik Lundqvist and gives the Rangers some breathing room in making sure the King is ready to return.  Talbot posted a 1-0 shutout of the Calgary Flames who gave the Rangers their all but Talbot came up big stopping all 21 SOG to raise his record to 8-1-2 since taking over.  Don’t fret Lundqvist owners, the King will rightfully return to his throne when he is 100% healthy….With the trade deadline approaching, the Rangers may look to solidify their 3rd and 4th lines but with all cylinders clicking, may not need to make a big move… Cam Ward continues to show that he still has what it takes to be a premier starting goaltender in the NHL by beating the Philadelphia Flyers 4-1 and raising his record to 5-1-0 in last six starts.  Start Ward with confidence as he is playing extremely well…As I mentioned in my SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE, when Jeff Skinner is healthy and gets on a roll, he’s a blessing as witnessed by his second consecutive game with a goal and 5 in his last 7.  Ride him while he’s hot, but get ready because he is injury prone….Philly, in a race for a Wild Card spot, lost a tough one especially, and with Boston losing as well, they missed a golden opportunity to bridge the gap.  They still remain 4 points behind the Bruins… The New York Islanders exploded for 4 goals in the 3rd period to rout the Arizona Coyotes who are plummeting fast in the Western Conference.  Expect a fire sale of Arizona veterans as the trade deadline approaches.  Names like Antoine Vermette, Shane Doan, Keith Yandle perhaps and more…. Although the Buffalo Sabres are at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, they have been playing spirited hockey although the wins haven’t been coming but tonight Goalie Michal Neuvirth was rewarded for his solid play of late with a 4-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets… With Eddie Lack ...

MAY I HELP YOU? As the regular season turns into the home stretch, many teams are striving to reach the playoffs and others are trying to better their positions.  The latter ones are all but set in the crease going forward but some of the former teams need to either fix what is wrong or improve on their situation. Let's take a look at who can help your fantasy team down the stretch in your quest for the championship. EDDIE LACK: With Vancouver’s Ryan Miller suffering an injury due to a collision the other night, it appears the 2nd year goaltender will assume starting duty for the next 4-6 weeks as Miller recovers.  Expect Lack, who saw considerable time last year when Roberto Luongo was traded, to provide consistent goaltending as the Canucks battle for a playoff spot.  Probably not available on the waiver wire anymore, but if he is, grab him… ANDREW HAMMOND: Another situation where the starring goalie is out due to an injury, as is the case with Craig Anderson.  However, the backup goalie in Ottawa is also out, with Robin Lehner out with a concussion after colliding with team mate Clarke MacArthur.  Hammond was pressed into action and he has done remarkably well by winning his first two starts.  He may have a rougher time this week with 3 away games against the three California teams so temper your expectations.  His NHL starting experience may be short-lived as Anderson is close to returning as he is travelling with the team. MICHAL NEUVIRTH: You wouldn’t expect a recommendation of a Buffalo Sabre player especially with the season they are having but ever since Jhonas Enroth was traded away to Dallas, Neuvirth has settled in as the undisputed starter with 6 starts in a row and has posted decent numbers during that span, although only going 2-2-2.  If you are in multi-category leagues, Neuvirth may be helpful in all statistical categories except wins.  MICHAEL HUTCHINSON:  It may not be obvious to all but the Winnipeg Jets seem to play better when Hutchinson is in net as he has gone 5-3-2 in last 10 starts while Ondrej Pavelec has gone just 3-5-2.  With the Jets trying to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since their return to Winnipeg, expect the team to rely more on Hutchinson and break away from the alternating starter system they have employed since the All-Star break. POST MARKS: RETURN OF THE KING—With Cam Talbot and the NY Rangers winning without their star net minder, it appears the Blueshirts can take their time getting Lundqvist ...

How about MDZ finding his scoring touch again; second chance for Stafford in Winnipeg; goalie waiver talk; and more: Drew Stafford RW, Winnipeg: The streaky winger has found a new home after the trade to the Jets, cementing a place in top six with injury to Mathieu Perreault. Coming off a two assist game, Stafford has shown early chemistry playing with Mark Schiefele and Dustin Byfuglien. Considering how quickly he can rack up points in spurts, he should be worth taking a flier on.  Craig Smith RW, Nashville- Hyped by many as a premier sleeper pick for 2014-15, Smith did not make the immediate offensive impact expected but has come on strong lately with six points (4G/2A) in the last four games. We can't recommend him as a long-term solution given the balanced attack employed by Peter Laviolette's Predators. However, use him while he is hot as he could put up big numbers over the next few weeks.  David Desharnais C, Montreal: When you are centering the hot Max Pacioretty and Brendan Gallagher, expect a fair share of assists. The diminutive center has struggled to find his 2011 60-point form, but could be poised for a strong finish. He and "Mad Max" were split up after early stint together but now are back again. Better than ever? We think so.    Michael Del Zotto D. Philadelphia: His game-winning goal in the Sunday matinee has capped a torrid stretch where he has collected 7 points over his last 10 games. With 23 points on the season, Del Zotto looks to have rediscovered his offensive game and has been more effective then the more heralded Mark Streit over the last month. Only drawback has been his lack of power-play time. Andrew Hammond G, Ottawa: The journeyman goalie is living a dream since his NHL promotion, winning both starts over Montreal and Florida. He has a tough task ahead with three games over Western Conference powerhouses during the next week. I would advise only the desperate fantasy owner to take a stab at Hammond but the goalie free-agent well is pretty dry. Maybe Michal Neuvirth from Buffalo who could still be available and should get all the work for the Sabres. Like I said, pretty dry..    

COLORADO SPRING?: SEMYON VARLAMOV What a difference a season makes especially after the start the Colorado Avalanche had last year. With new Head Coach Patrick Roy behind the bench, the team immediately adapted to the rookie coach's boisterous way and took the NHL by surprise; and what better coach to have than a former elite NHL goaltender to guide and push you to greater heights. Semyon Varlamov showed tremendous poise in 2009 playoffs and beyond when he took over for erratic starter Jose Theodore, who lost Game 1 against the NY Rangers, and blanked the Blueshirts in his first NHL playoff start by the score of 4-0. Varlamov eventually led the Washington Capitals to the second round with the series win over the Rangers.  He entered the 2009-2010 season vying for the starter's role and took over when Theodore got off to a slow start.  Varlamov won his first 5 starts that year and was 12-1-2 before going down with an injury.  The future did indeed seem bright for the young goaltender. The following season Varlamov was able to post decent metrics with a 2.23 GAA and a .924 SP but the team wasn't winning as his record when playing was 11-9-5.   It appeared on paper that young Russian goaltender was the Capitals starter as Jose Theodore wasn't resigned but he lost out to the hot new guy in Michal Neuvirth who almost had a similar start to his rookie season as Varly once did.  Neuvirth went 8-2-3 in his first 11 starts wresting the starting job from Varlamov.   Varlamov, a restricted free-agent, was traded on July 1, 2011 for 2 high draft picks from the Colorado Avalanche, as he was made available because of Neuvirth's stellar play. The Avalanche signed him to a three-year contract worth $8.5 million the next day.  He was just mediocre in his first season with the Avalanche, appearing in a career high 53 NHL games.  Then there was the "Lockout" season where he was just atrocious in net after returning from the KHL where he had spectacular numbers. Enter 2013 and Patrick Roy. We all knew what a great goaltender Roy was, but he had never coached an NHL before.  Well, those questions were answered right away as the Avalanche lost just 1 game in the month of October and Varlamov went 7-1-0 during that month.  The Avalanche goaltender slipped a little in November but ended the season with a 41- 14-6 record with a 2.41 GAA and a .920 SP.  He had finally arrived.  In the first round of the playoffs that year, he managed to take the Minnesota Wild to a 7th game but...