Good day fanatics! Sorry for the delay in updates but we had a death in the family last year. I made a few updates in the Guide but mostly just contract signings and a few injuries that have been in the news of late and Guentzel testing positive for Covid. I was involved in 4 drafts, some slow, one live and it all went well I think but we won't know until the season starts. In the 10-team live draft (Starters: 6F, 4D, 2G) I managed to pick up some firepower early with Matthews, Zibanejad, and Ovechkin with top 3 picks then started to fill in my defense Josi in the 4th, Pietrangelo, Werenski and Rasmus Andersson in the 6th, 7th, and 8th with Pacioretty slotted in the 5th. Wondering where my goalies are? In this league we are able to keep up to 3 players not drafted in the first 5 rounds or who were kept for last season's draft. So I kept Mike Smith and Darcy Kuemper in the 12th and 14th rounds. My other keeper was DeBrincat in the 9th. Filling out my bench there is Gibson-G (13th) , Leddy and Ekholm on defense and then some decent fill-ins like Giroux (10th, Bjorkstrand (!1th), Larkin (15th), DuBois (17th) and Kapanen in the 20th-last round. I selected Verhaeghe in the 19th when I probably should have picked up another goalie but managed to claim Jake Allen after news of Price's entry into the Players Assistance Program hit. Prayers are with Carey and his family! The 3 slow drafts I think I killed it but too involved to get into that. Also helped a subscriber in his draft, especially with the later rounds. I hope you all have faired well in your fantasy drafts and good luck to those who have drafts coming up and most of all good luck in the upcoming season! Ciao Ray

BTP: DIAMOND DOG OF THE DESERT Louis Domingue made a brief NHL appearance last season in Arizona playing in 7 games, starting 4 of those.  He had a very unimpressive record of 1-2-1 with a 2.73 GAA and .911 SP but with Coyote starter Mike Smith going down to injury, the doors opened up for the talented rookie and he has made the most of this opportunity under Head Coach Dave Tippett.  Tippett has always been known to have goalies perform at a high level under his tutelage (look at Smith’s numbers in 2011-2012 his first year back in Phoenix) and Domingue is proving that point once again. At 23-years of age, Domingue has shown such poise in leading the Coyotes on a 7-2-1 in his past 10 games and has settled in after a rough first start back this season losing 7-5 to the Columbus Blue Jackets.  He responded with a 1-0 shutout the next game out against the NY Islanders.  HE has gotten 16 points out of a possible 22 and has the Yotes in second place in the ultra-competitive Pacific division. Domingue has had stints in both the QMJHL and ECHL along with time in the AHL.  He showed some promise in the Quebec league posting impressive win numbers along with a solid year in the ECHL but really hasn’t translated into anything in the AHL but it appears he has grabbed the bull by the horns with his recent play. Without a proven track record in the minor leagues, one doesn’t know how the coaching staff will handle the situation when Smith returns, but as long as he is winning and posting better than average metrics, they may not have a choice with the team being competitive and in the thick of things than to keep him in the crease while he continues to gain points for the club.  The Coyotes play 5 of the next 7 and 7 of next 9 at home so if you are in need of some goaltending help, take a flier on Domingue as the Arizona Coyotes seem to be a surprise team this season.  

We don't project too many high scoring affairs tonight, so I look to use as many Islander skaters as possible against a Columbus squad giving up a ton of goals. Look for Washington to get their share in the road against slumping Calgary, as mid value pick TJ Oshie could be worth the start. On defense, I am loving PK Subban at home, while taking Mike Smith against the lowly Devils in a pure value move. Stay away from the Stars as Philly had been very stingy lately in goal.    Steves Picks- Draft Kings   C John Tavares, NYI  C Jason Spezza, Dallas W TJ Oshie, Washington W Craig Smith, Nashville W Kyle Okposo, NYI D PK Subban, Montreal D Nick Leddy, NYI G Mike Smith, Arizona U Anders Lee, NYI

Nikolaj Ehlers F, Winnipeg- The "Great Dane" is off to a quick start in his NHL career playing on Winnipeg's second line, collecting 3 points in 5 games. The youngster is a solid sleeper pick who could continue paying fantasy dividends given his top six status. Just beware of the rookie wall, but the elite ones often avoid hitting it. Could Nikolaj be one of them ?    Max Domi/Anthony Duclair F, Arizona- The young guns have taken hold of the offense early in Arizona as Max and Anthony are making the Coyote offense look much less putrid as expected. The duo have combined for 10 points over the first 5 games, making them very intriguing sleeper picks to consider. They hold more value in dynasty league formats but they could have 40-50 point upside this season.    Ales Hemsky F,  Dallas-Before you get too excited with the winger's point streak to start the season- 6 points in 5 games-, he is currently getting third line minutes and not getting big power-play time. However, Hemsky has the talent to be productive in the short term. It's a matter of time before injuries and inconsistencies start to creep up in his game.    Francois Beauchemin D, Colorado-Being partnered with Erik Johnson has done wonders early on for this vet's fantasy value as he has collected five assists in four games. With Tyson Barrie set to miss 3 games, expect Beauchemin to keep contributing for a little while longer. But make no mistake about it- his scoring will come to a screeching halt at some point soon.    Mike Smith G, Arizona- For those who were ready to proclaim Smith a fantasy stud as a scorching start, reality has already begun to set in. He has allowed 8 goals over the last two as he even he can't overcome a porous Arizona defense. With the offense coming mostly from up and coming youth, wins could be hard to come by. Having said that, Smith looks focused and could serve well as a goalie depth option in most fantasy formats. 

BTP: BOTTOM FISHING-WHO’S BITING Look for a BETWEEN THE PIPES feature article beginning regularly on Thursdays beginning October 22nd.  We hope you enjoy the initial 2015-2016 article below as we are bringing you this week’s article a few days early to help you in your fantasy leagues.   We are only just a few games into the regular NHL regular season and we are already seeing some positive signs, and a tough break, from what we consider the bottom teams of the NHL.  Let’s take a look at a few goaltenders that poolies may have steered clear at the draft table this September. MIKE SMITH: ARIZONA COYOTES – Let’s face it, after last season, who could blame any fantasy hockey player to even want to go near last season’s disaster of a goaltender Mike Smith?  Those who took a chance on Smith last year were strung along the whole season in hopes that the veteran goalkeeper would find his form and produce at least as a #2 for their fantasy squad.  His metrics were the worst of his career if you take out the 13-game stint with Tampa Bay in 2007-2008 after being traded there.  With a 3.16 GAA and a .904 SP, no wonder you could find the enigmatic net minder on the waiver wire at the start of the season. Well, with a new year comes a fresh start and Smith has been nothing short of perfect in his first two starts.  He is sporting a 1.00 GAA and a .971 SP, but we all know that players usually gravitate towards career average statistics.  Don’t expect this pace to continue but it looks like he is a safe bet to be a decent #2 goaltender if your fantasy team needs help in that department.   ROBIN LEHNER: BUFFALO SABRES – Nothing is more disheartening to a starting goaltender than to suffer an injury when starting on a new team.  Robin Lehner was getting a grand opportunity to shake off the inconsistent play while with the Ottawa Senators and build a career playing for the upstart Buffalo Sabres. In his first start with his new team he suffered an ankle sprain landing him on the IR and could be out for up to 2 months.  Lehner was brought in to be the #1 for the next few years, but for now, he’ll have to rehab and work his way back into the lineup.  In the meantime, Chad Johnson and Nathan Lieuwen will man the crease for this Sabres team who just bagged Jack Eichel with the second overall pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.  Are either one of these goaltenders worthy of a pickup?  At this point in time on the Buffalo Sabres rebuilding timeline, I would say no.  Lehner will ...

Rangers win big; Bruins keep free-falling, Canucks keep pace; A huge triumph at MSG for the New York Rangers who pummeled the Anaheim Ducks 7-2 and gained a share of the NHL lead in points-99. Two Blueshirts who busted out of long scoring droughts were center Derek Stepan(2G/1A- First points in 13 games) and defenseman Keith Yandle(3A/ First points in 10 games!). With the Ranger's offense rather anemic over the last month, it's hard to recommend either player as a starting option right now, but both can be capable of a hot stretch to end the season. Feel much safer starting Yandle at D than Stepan at a forward postion.. It was a Detroit team without Pavel Datsyuk outlasting a suddenly struggling St. Louis team on the road, 2-1 thanks to Justin Abdelkader's OT goal. Not much to say here other than Marek Zidlicky picked up another point and has been a waiver-wire steal since his trade to Detroit.. The Boston Bruins are quickly playing themselves out of a playoff position with another key loss, this time to the Lightning. With David Krejci out and now also arguably their best defenseman in rising fantasy star Dougie Hamilton, the B's are in hot water..With a goal and an assist, Tampa's Ondrej Palat has recorded four points in two games since returning from injury. Get him in your starting lineups ASAP.. A decent goaltending battle ensued in Arizona as Jakub Markstrom, once regarded as the hottest goalie prospect, picked up the win for the Canucks over Mike Smith and company. Vancouver staying alive for the playoffs while the Coyotes are pushing hard for Connor McDavid..  

Some hot Oilers, Caps get needed 2 points, Quick stonewalls Coyotes The Washington Capitals got a much needed 2 points as they try to stave off playoff hopefuls Ottawa and Florida.  It took a shootout but regardless the extra point gives them some breathing room. Alex Ovechkin had 9 shots on goal but buffalo managed to keep him off the score sheet.  Defenseman Matt Niskanen showed some signs of life with 2 assists giving him just 23 points on the season which is afar cry from last year’s career season with Pittsburgh. Keep those Caps in your lineup as they try to establish a favorable playoff spot as they are just 2 points behind the Penguins for third in the Metropolitan Division... In what could be a preview for a potential playoff matchup, Tampa Bay controlled the game against thee I treat Canadiens 4-2 which tied the teams atop the Atlantic Division and just 2 points behind Eastern Conference leader the New York Rangers.  Steven Stamkos had 2 goals and an assist giving him 39 goals on the year and with a good hot spurt could reach the 50 mark… In a contest between two sad Canadian teams, the Edmonton Oilers behind red-hot Jordan Eberle (G, 2A) and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (2A) defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-1 behind Ben Scrivens 28-save effort. If you missed the first period then you missed all the scoring.  Scrivens had extra incentive as he was playing against his old team.  The Oil may be safe bets to put in your fantasy lineup the rest of the way as they seem to be playing looser with the pressure off… Jonathan Quick was the story against Arizona as the Kings won by a score of 1-0 although Coyote goalie Mike Smith put on a stellar performance stopping 34 SOG.  Smith has been playing a bit better lately but the team is so devoid of offense, he's not getting any help, never mind wins.  

SMC 3-15-2015 The weather is turning and the smell of playoff fever is starting to fill the air.  Nice cup of java to get teh day started off right! There are some really hot teams out there right now.  Boston, Ottawa and the NY Rangers in the East all at 8-1-1 in last ten.  In the West it’s Colorado and Minnesota at 7-3-0. Philadelphia’s offense exploded against the Detroit Red Wings but where was it for the longest time?  They still need defense though. Wayne Simmonds had everything yesterday.  A goal, two assists and 14 PIMs.  Not a bad fantasy day for the RWer. If Chicago’s Patrick Sharp can expound on his 2-goal night, the Blackhawks are going to be tough once again in the playoffs. San Jose is a hard team to figure out sometimes. Congratulations to New York Ranger goaltender Mackenzie Skapski who got his second win in only his second start, both against Buffalo, with last night being a 2-0 shutout.  With the way both Skapski and Cam Talbot have been playing, Henrik Lundqvist may not be needed until the end of the regular season to warm up for the playoffs. Vancouver is definitely not Eddie LACK-ing in the net after Ryan Miller went down as they are 6-3-1 in last ten. Montreal helped out the Rangers with a 3-1 win over the Islanders and they also helped themselves to stay tied with the Rangers atop the Eastern Conference.  Could be another amazing Conference Final come May? You just gotta love the way the Florida Panthers have played this entire season.  Jaromir Jagr is making a difference. Devan Dubnyk with 27 straight starts.  Who woulda thunk it in September? I bet Arizona’s Mike Smith can’t wait for this season to be over. Okay, now Pekka Rinne has won two of his last three starts. That’s more like it! The Predators offense has sure dried up quickly. This is going to be some race for the NHL Scoring title in the next few weeks.  Any of 15 players have a legitimate shot at it, especially if one player gets red-hot.  For a while it was Boston feeling the pressure of securing that last wild card slot in the East but now that has switched to Washington.  Gotta love the race! Detroit has looked real sloppy of late. 3 teams mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.  It’s not hard to guess which three. Have a great week and may all your fantasies come true!

"DIVINE" DUBNYK Not so fast! Granted, since being acquired from the Arizona Coyotes to shore up their goaltending, all Devan Dubnyk has done is provide the Minnesota Wild with a chance to win every night. Edmonton fans may be wondering why Dubnyk couldn't play like this last season when he was given the starter's job.  Dubnyk's game was horrible but he wasn't getting any support from the team in front of him which resulted in an 11-17-2 record, a 3.36 GAA and a .894 SP.  WOW!  Those are terrible numbers that gave the coaching staff no choice but to trade the young net minder. We all know now that it wasn't Dubnyk's fault at all as the Edmonton Oiler are still bad this season. Dubnyk landed in Nashville, who were having goaltending issues, with Pekka Rinne not fully recovered from his off-season hip surgery and the Predators scrambling for any resemblance of NHL goaltending in hopes of staying in the playoff race until Rinne could return. He only played in two games before being sent to the minors.  In fact, Dubnyk was traded to the Montreal Canadiens but only played in the minors.  With Montreal having no need for the battered goalkeeper, Dubnyk used his free agency to sign a one-year deal with Arizona in hopes of reviving his career.   Signing with the Coyotes ended up be a shrewd move as Mike Smith has struggled mightily paving way for Dubnyk to get some starts.  Well, Dubnyk made the most of it by going 9-5-2 with a 2.72 GAA and a .916 SP. Way better than what he did in Edmonton the year prior.  The Coyotes made the most of Dubnyk's revival and traded him to the suddenly goalie-starved Minnesota Wild.  Arizona picked up a third-round draft pick.  What did Dubnyk do in his debut with Minnesota? He did what a lot of just-traded goaltenders do, pitched a shutout.  Now don't get too excited as it was against the Buffalo Sabres and he received a lot of support as the Wild exploded with 7 goals. He then won his next start 3-2 against his former team, the Arizona Coyotes 3-1.  He lost the next two but has rebounded nicely with three wins in a row, one of them a 1-0 shutout of the Calgary Flames.  Dubnyk has gone 5-1-0 as he is building on his fine season with the Coyotes.  However, Dubnyk hasn't exactly been facing the cream of the NHL crop with the likes of Buffalo, Arizona, Columbus, Edmonton and Vancouver among his competition.  Niklas Backstrom must be scratching his head as he had to face some significant competition in Chicago twice, Pittsburgh, ...

Mid-winter morning with a nice cup of hot coffee. Mmmmmmm! Speaking of hot, Carey Price posting 2 shutouts of 1-0 in a row is insane! The Eastern Conference playoffs are shaping up to what should be a doozy of a spring. Detroit is back to being Detroit. It's amazing how the Red Wings go from Yzerman/Fedorov to Datsyuk/Zetterberg and now are just about ready for the Nyquist/Tatar era. The Isles lose Okposo for a while but get back Visnovsky which should help ease the sting of the loss of Okposo. Is this the start of the Islanders slump? Is Mike Smith this bad? And how did he get so bad so quickly? Boston is red-hot. It just took a little longer than normal. Will LA just do enough to squeak into the playoffs and then have the Western Conference nervous about playing them? Philadelphia and New Jersey dug themselves too big of a hole but they are still playing like they have a shot at the playoffs. Credit to the head coaches, ALL 4 of them! The New York Rangers took care of the Carolina Hurricanes like they were supposed to do. Almost lost Henrik Lundqvist there with a scare with him getting hit in the throat by a puck, Winnipeg has lost 3 in a row and is not the time for them to start slumping with them playing a league high 51 games and battling for a playoff spot. I love to see players come out of nowhere and make an impact as is the case of Dallas D John Klingberg. Enjoy the ride this season! One player I would like to see regain his former self is Winnipeg D Tobias Enstrom. Steven Stamkos is having a good season but perhaps we were all expecting greater things this season. I guess winning is better than spectacular stats. Go Flames go! Nashville is biting at the bit as they wait for Pekka Rinne to return. His absence solidifies that he is the best in the NHL right now, although Price of Montreal is right there at the top. The All-Star looked like a lot of fun for the players. Glad they were laughing and smiling! Can't believe it's been three years since they one with the Olympics last year and the Lockout the season before. It just goes to show you how much the ASG is not missed. Have a great week and may all your fantasies come true!