OCTOBER 15, 2017 Hockey is back!  And so is Sunday Morning Coffee!  With just over a week into the season and already things seems to be turned upside-down more than usual. Vegas as more wins (3) than Montreal and the NY Rangers combined (2). Los Angeles is one of only 2 undefeated team at 3-0-1.  There is a Dustin Brown renaissance it seems. You just knew that Kings G Jonathan Quick was going to rebound this year. The other undefeated team is the Ottawa Senators and they have started the season without their #1 star in defenseman Erik Karlsson.  Go figure! New Jersey and Colorado at or near the top of their respective divisions?  WTF? Isn’t it so crazy that Backstrom, Kuznetsov and Ovechkin are off to such sizzling hot starts as all three sit atop the NHL point-leaders board? The Capital defense is going to be a thorn in their side this year it seems. OV having back-to-back hat trick games is not so surprising but getting them in two straight periods is amazing! Don’t you just hate it when guys you have pegged for big seasons get injured in the like the first game or week of the season practically derailing your chances in fantasy hockey?  Guys like Charlie Coyle or Nino Niederreiter, Mikael Granlund or Robby Fabbri.  Just doesn’t seem right. Wow, three of those are Minnesota Wild players.   If you have depth on your bench, get them and ride the second half wave. I think we need to move on with all these Matt Duchene and Alex Galchenyuk rumors and stories about getting traded.  I have had enough about hearing their teams mishandling or mistreating them.  Either stick them in favorable positions to succeed or move on and trade them. I think Auston Matthews already has like 12 game-winning goals in his 1+ year of NHL existence.  It sure seems like it if he isn’t at that number yet. I had to pinch myself when I saw all those high-scoring box scores over the first 5-6 days of the season.  It looks like we are back to our normal scoring ways. Well, it didn’t take long for Anaheim goalie John Gibson to suffer an injury.  Come on now!  Is this a joke or what with the way he always gets injured? If somehow, some way Vladislav Namestnikov is available in your fantasy league, scoop him up right away as he is playing on Tampa bay’s first line and first PP unit.  I knew Brandon Saad was going to be a beast this year that’s why I traded for him in one dynasty league and drafted him in 2 others.  Love it when a plan works out. Dan Girardi had 5 SOG last night ...

        Let's begin our week's focus on solid waiver wire bait with a veteran winger who has seen his production wane over the last few years. Ever since erupting for four goals six games ago, Patrick Marleau has rewarded the San Jose Sharks with a six-game point streak and ten points. While he has been absolutely dreadful over the first half of the season and his recent scoring binge accounts for a third of his points, he could be due for a strong finish. I for one am intrigued, having benefitted from Joe Thornton's torrid second half in 2015-16. Also, having a healthy Logan Couture sure helps Marleau get back to his scoring ways.    The window might be closing to get on the Jonathan Huberdeau bandwagon as the star winger has returned to the Florida line-up a month sooner than expected. Try to catch your fellow fantasy owners napping if they are not aware that he was dropped earlier this season. I am ashamed to admit that I thought JH was still rostered. Now with him and Aleksander Barkov back, look for the Panthers offense to flourish moving forward. With these recent high-end offensive additions, the previously hot Vincent Trocheck will move down the pecking order and as a result, will see a decent hit in fantasy value...   The Minnesota Wild are now the surging offensive dynamo in the Western Conference, with a few viable fantasy options possibly still available. I snatched up Mikko Koivu last week and with Mikael Granlund probably long gone, the one remaining forward on that super hot line is Jason Zucker. The 25-year old is riding a four game point streak, collecting two goals and 4 assists over that span. His overall numbers have reached 38 points in 51 games and a monster plus 33 rating. Grab him and take advantage of the Wild's ascension to one of the NHL' most prolific scoring squads.    Viktor Arvidsson has opened up many eyes with his stellar two-way play on Nashville's top line with Filip Forsberg and Ryan Johansen. The 23-year old spark plug is enjoying a breakout season with 7 points over his last 8 games and has been settling into a more prominent offensive role with the Predators. He deserves a long look, especially in keeper formats.    I have a couple of thoughts on defense. First, Flyer's rearguard shayne Gostibehere has regressed mightily in his sophomore year, being a healthy scratch on three different occasions. This might open the door for veteran Mark Streit to reclaim his position on the primary power play for down the stretch....

#9 MINNESOTA Seemingly going nowhere real fast, Mike Yeo's Wild crew jumped into the playoff picture after the mid season acquisition of goalie Devan Dubnyk and him subsequently playing out of his mind. Besides signing him to multi-year extension, it was a rather quiet offseason for a team who got swept out of the playoffs in the second round. The fact being that their young players such as Mikael Granlund and Nino Niederreiter are expected to make a bigger splash on offense while the blue line is littered with quality d-men under the age of 25. In terms of fantasy, it's no longer Zach Parise or bust when it comes to the Wild.   Goalies It's all about which Dubnyk can fantasy owners expect - the 2nd half of '14-15 version which was impenetrable in the crease with a 1.78 GA/.936 SP in 39 games or the '13-14 one which wasn't even good enough for the hapless Oilers? I am leaning toward a decent no. 2 fantasy option that will fall short of lofty expectations but will deliver with 35 wins plus decent peripherals. Don't pay top notch dollar for Dubie, given he won't be surprising anyone this upcoming year.    Defense It all starts with arguably the premier minute crunching NHL rearguard in Ryan Suter. He gets insane ice time in all types of situations which probably limits his offensive upside a bit. He can score 50-plus but given his overall importance to the team, 40-45 is a more reasonable projection. Definitely more value in multi-category formats... Matt Dumba and Mike Reilly are unproven but have the highest offensive ceiling, but let's save them for the prospects section.    Forwards  For super safe value,LW Zach Parise is a lock to score between 25-30 goals and 69-65 points. He tends to be overvalued based on a few prolific seasons in Jersey so don't reach on him. Thomas Vanek should rebound slightly from a 21-goal season in his Minny debut but don't count on much more than 30 in the back of the net. Jason Pominville doesn't offer much upside but the consistent right winger had never scored less than 54 points in a full reason. One center is falling while one is on the rise. Care to guess who? Miko Koivu hasn't scored 60+ pts in 4 years as injuries have hindered his offensive production. Meanwhile, budding star Mikael Granlund has had his share of injuries but could be in for a huge breakout. Nab him late and possibly reap the rewards.   Prospects After spurning Columbus and accepting Minnesota' free agent offer, university of Minnesota star ...

Seemingly going nowhere real fast, Mike Yeo's Wild crew jumped into the playoff picture after the mid season acquisition of goalie Devan Dubnyk and him subsequently playing out of his mind. Besides signing him to multi-year extension, it was a rather quiet offseason for a team who got swept out of the playoffs in the second round. The fact being that their young players such as Mikael Granlund and Nino Niederreiter are expected to make a bigger splash on offense while the blue line is littered with quality d-men under the age of 25. In terms of fantasy, it's no longer Zach Parise or bust when it comes to the Wild.   Goalies It's all about which Dubnyk can fantasy owners expect - the 2nd half of '14-15 version which was impenetrable in the crease with a 1.78 GA/.936 SP in 39 games or the '13-14 one which wasn't even good enough for the hapless Oilers. I am leaning toward a decent no 2 fantasy option that will fall short of lofty expectations but will deliver with 35 wins plus decent peripherals. Don't pay top notch dollar for Dubie, given he won't be surprising anyone this upcoming year.    Defense It all starts with arguably the premier minute crunching NHL rearguard in Ryan Suter. He gets insane ice time in all types of situations which probably limits his offensive upside a bit. He can score 50-plus but given his overall importance to the team, 40-45 is a more reasonable projection. Definitely more value in multi-category formats... Matt Dumba and Mike Reilly are unproven but have the highest offensive ceiling, but let's save them for the prospects section.    Forwards  For super safe value,LW Zach Parise is a lock to score between 25-30 goals and 69-65 points. He tends to be overvalued based on a few prolific seasons in Jersey so don't reach on him. Thomas Vanek should rebound slightly from a 21-goal season in his Minny debut but don't count on much more than 30 in the back of the net. Jason Pominville doesn't offer much upside but the consistent right winger had never scored less than 54 points in a full reason. One center is falling while one is on the rise. Care to guess who? Miko Koivu hasn't scored 60+ pts in 4 years as injuries have hindered his offensive production. Meanwhile, budding star Mikael Granlund has had his share of injuries but could be in for a huge breakout. Nab him late and possibly reap the rewards.   Prospects After spurning Columbus and accepting Minnesota' free agent offer, university of Minnesota star defenseman Mike Reilly ...

Great weekend for the Flyers; Career night for MacKinnon; Miller injury; and more: The Flyers won another big game and are drawing closer to a playoff spot.  The final weeks should be exciting for Philly fans as they have battled to stay close.  Claude Giroux (G, A) seems to have awoken from his slumber after my SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE comment about him being the invisible man.  Mark Streit (2A) and Jakub Voracek (2A) also contributed in the win.  Keep these Flyers in your lineup as they can be explosive on any given night as evidenced by their performance yesterday afternoon…. Boston, without the services of David Krejci, took it to the Chicago Blackhawks with a 6-2 pasting on home ice.  Six different goal scorers for the Bruins as they are feeling the heat from the Flyers and Florida Panthers for that final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.  Patrice Bergeron, with a goal and 2 assists, is perhaps one of the most under-rated fantasy players and hardly gets enough credit.  Bergeron should have a really good finish to his season…. Like I had predicted in yesterday's SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE, Pittsburgh erupted for 5 goals against the Florida Panthers with Patric Hornqvist having a huge night with 2 goals and an assist.  Get your Pegnuins in your fantasy lineups ASAP... The NY Islanders were blanked by the Vancouver Canucks but unfortunately for the Canucks, Ryan Miller left the game after a collision. Expect the net-minder to miss a few games with Eddie Lack getting the call.  Radim Vrbata, with his 22nd on the year, and the Sedin twins were the catalysts on offense.... Yes, the sophomore jinx has victimized the young Nathan MacKinnon this season, but the future Colorado star gave us a reminder of what is to come with his first NHL "hat trick" last night. With six points over his last five games, the 19-year old could be saving his best for last in 2014-15, before erupting in Year 3.. Veteran Martin St. Louis has been heating up for the Blueshirts lately, scoring two more goals to improve his numbers to seven points in his last five games. We probably seen the last of any prolonged slumps for the 39-year old, who should be starting in all fantasy leagues.. The Minnesota Wild lit up the Dallas Stars for 6 goals in the third period, winning 6-2 in another crucial match with heavy playoff implications. After a mini-drought, Zach Parise has collected four points over his last two games, while his center Mikael Granlund was the fantasy star of the night ...

THE ELITE 3 (The top three fantasy players to own in any position) 1. Tyler Seguin C, Dallas   2. Patrick Kane RW, Chicago 3. Shea Weber D, Nashville GREAT BET TO REBOUND (Three players who are solid bounce-back candidates in 14-15') 1. Pekka Rinne G, Nashville   2. Jason Spezza C, Dallas 3. Tobias Enstrom D, Winnipeg HERE THEY COME.. (Three players who should be breaking out with career seasons) 1. Matt Duchene C, Colorado 2. Jamie Benn LW, Dallas 3. Brandon Saad LW, Chicago SLEEPER ALERT (Three players who should be late-round fantasy draft bargains) 1. Mikael Granlund C, Minnesota   2. Darcy Kuemper G, Minnesota   3. Trevor Daley D, Dallas BUYER BEWARE (Three players who will be overvalued in most fantasy leagues) 1. Duncan Keith C, Chicago   2. Jonathan Toews C, Chicago   3. James Neal LW, Nashville

Granlund is a more skilled and crafty forward than Coyle and should provide a spark to a Wild power-play that has just two goals on 15 opportunities in this series. Granlund has one goal (OT GWG in Game 3) and two assists through the first five games.

Granlund missed the final six games of the regular season with a head injury, but he is ready to go in game 1 vs. the Avalanche. Tonight, will mark Granlund's NHL playoff debut. He finished the season with eight goals and 33 assists (41 points) in 63 games. Expect him to centre a line with Jason Pominville and Matt Moulson.

Granlund suffered what appeared to be a head injury Monday when his face smacked Jarret Stoll's left shoulder during a check along the boards in Monday's victory over the Kings in Los Angeles. Granlund won't play Thursday against the defending Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks. Beyond that, coach Mike Yeo said he could shed little light on Granlund's status.

Granlund left Monday's game early after suffering a black-eye following in the third period. The Wild have recalled Jake Dowell to fill-in for Granlund if he is unable to play.