Good morning all! Coffee's hot, the air is cold!  Brrrrrr! Telling you what's not cold is the Boston Bruins. I think they are waking up.  No hibernating for this big, bad bear! Krejci is a big part of making that team click. You know who else is a big part of it?  Zdeno Chara  J. Pekka Rinne continues to prove that he is the best goaltender in the NHL. From the start of the season I keep seeing these three names in the Philly box scores. Voracek, Giroux & Streit. It's a shame their record is so poor. Will Minnesota make a deal for a goaltender? I think it's a matter of sooner than later. Colorado is starting their move. They have won 3 in a row and 5 of last six played.  Watch out as they will make the race for the playoffs very interesting.  The Avalanche is packed full of young explosive talent that can go off at any given moment. MacKinnon and Duchene had 5 and 6 SOG respectively last night. David Perron scored on like his first shot with Pittsburgh and nothing since. Don't worry.  He's getting plenty of chances and will break out soon.  He's had 6, 5 and 5 SOG in his first three games with the Pens. That Pitt-Montreal game would be a great series to watch come April. Even though Carey Price lost last night against Pittsburgh, he has truly blossomed into an elite NHL goaltender. Mike Smith's problems continue so don't rely on the Arizona goalie to help your cause this year unless he gets traded to some place like Minnesota. Every once in a while the Ottawa Senators give a glimpse of what may be in store for the future. Is there any hope for Arizona in the foreseeable future? I mean their defense looks tremendous going forward.... Losing Jimmy Howard for an extended period of time sucks but the Red Wings will be just fine with Petr Mrazek in net for the time being. Braden Holtby has turned into a workhorse; 24 starts in a row for the young goaltender. That's almost two month's worth of games. Look at those Islanders go! There were 8 goals in regulation between the Blues and Hurricanes and those 8 goals were scored by 8 different players. Carolina has been playing much better since Jordan Staal returned to the lineup. The New York Rangers remain hot with the three-game sweep of California. All lines are clicking! There is no ‘win' in Winnipeg unless Michael Hutchinson is in net it seems. Tobias Enstrom returned to the Jets lineup. They are slowly but surely getting their injured defensemen back which should be good for the team. Has anyone noticed ...

Can this be the start of the Bruin resurgence? With the 3-0 shutout of the New Jersey Devils, Boston has now won 2 in a row and they are starting to look like their old selves.  It may be time to start stocking up on your beloved B's for the stretch run....Milan Lucic had 2 goals with one on the power play and with David Krejci back to full health, it seems like this duo is ready to light it up.... Buffalo is reeling and Carolina is starting to put together a few wins as Cam Ward turned aside 18 of 20 shots for the 5-2 win. The Canes have won 3 of last 4 and if you haven't noticed, Eric Staal has now scored a goal in last 5 of the last six games. Ward and Staal should be in your starting lineups along with D-man Justin Faulk who had 2 assists in the contest. The time may be right to count on a few Canes to provide decent output..... Braden Holtby started his 23rd straight game for the Capitals and played well in the 3-2 overtime loss to the Philadelphia Flyers who breathed a sigh of relief that G Steve Mason was able to tend net. Mason stopped 26 of 28 for the win.  Mason has been playing well lately and the effort earned him his second straight victory.  The Flyers will need a healthy Mason to make a run if they hope to make the playoffs.... In Nashville, defenseman Shea Weber continued his "hot" ways with two goals, including the overtime game-winner to help give the Predators a 3-2 win over Dallas. The gifted defender now has collected ten points over the last ten games and is surging toward a potential top-five finish. If not better...Fellow defender Roman Josi continues his brilliant breakout season with a goal and an assist, improving his numbers to 27 points in 41 games... After a classic 7-0 thumping by St. Louis, Arizona bounced back with a 4-1 win over Winnipeg, largely due to the scoring of Shane Doan (1G/2A) and goaltending by Mike Smith (34/35 saves). The Coyotes have been struggling mightily and besides their two elite d-men- Yandle and OEL- there is little reason for fantasy owners to take any vested interest in this team. Having said that, if you are a firm believer that the Coyotes will turn this sorry season around, then Doan and Smith should have a much stronger second half.. Jarome Iginla gave the Avalanche a much-needed offensive boost, scoring two goals in the 5-2 victory over Ottawa. Don't look now, but the 37-year old has turned it on recently with nine points in his last ten games. While he is clearly on the decline, his famous ...

Happy New Year to everyone! May you, your friends and families be blessed with health and happiness and many great moments together! The Bruins don't look as threatening as they have over the past 2 years, but they're not fooling me. You can see how much David Krejci means to the B's offense. 2 more assists last night. Was that Nashville-LA game entertaining or what? 13 goals in one game!  Sometimes you only get 13 goals in an entire night's schedule. I'm going out on a limb and say Anze Kopitar loves playing with Marian Gaborik. LA's Dwight King was the only player on both teams to have more than 3 shots on goal. He had 6.  NY Rangers had 6 goals in defeating Buffalo. The first 3 were power play goals.  The first goal should not have been allowed as the puck hit the net but all 4 officials didn't catch it.  Nolan was livid! Ever since I put Martin St. Louis on my fantasy trading block he has awoken offensively. J All the Rangers were trigger happy except for Derek Stepan who did not register a SOG. I think it's safe to say that Michael Hutchinson is now the starter in Winnipeg as he has started 4 of the last five games and has won 3 of those 4 starts. Mathieu Perreault can still be available on the waiver wire, and if he is, snatch him up as he is a staple on the Jets power play. Bryan Little is heating up in a big way. David Perron made his Pittsburgh debut against Montreal and promptly scored a goal assisted by Sidney Crosby. Colonel Klinkhammer didn't have enough time to unpack his bags. May he find comfort in his new digs in Edmonton. I've noticed Steve Downie making some noise of late. My boy Matt Jackson told me to watch him when the season started.  Thanks Matt! Is it me or have the Pittsburgh penguins just been ho-hum this season even though they are near the top of the Eastern Conference? Sound the alarms! New Jersey won a game!  Oh wait, it was against the Claude Giroux-less Philadelphia Flyers. Hats off to JJ! Jagr defies old age and scores a hat trick.  Just kidding!  Congratulations Jaromir!!! It may be time to seriously consider picking up Scott Gomez for your fantasy squad if you need assist or forward depth. It seems he can only score playing for New Jersey.  Continuing on with this year's atrocious performers, the Arizona Coyotes behind Mike Smith beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 6-2. Will this be the start of a resurgent Mike Smith? Sam Gagner, with 10 points in last 8 games, welcomed in the New Year with a 2 goal and 1 assist ...

Columbus is continuing to climb into the playoff picture as they beat a floundering Boston Bruin team who is just 4-4-2 in last 10. Scott Hartnell returned to the lineup for the Blue Jackets and netted 2 goals and D Kevin Connauton had a goal and 2 assists giving him 7 points in past 8 games. The 24-year old defenseman may be worth a shot in deeper leagues.... Another team that has turned their play around of late are the buffalo Sabres who beat the NY Islanders by coming back with 3 unanswered goals in the third period to tie up the game before winning in overtime. Sabres G Jhonas Enroth got the win to break a two-game skid and should only be used as a fantasy starter in desperate situations.... Detroit started off a 9-game schedule with 8 on the road with an overtime win in Ottawa as Gustav Nyquist scored another clutch goal for the game-winner. Gustav now has 15 goals to go along with 8 assists in 36 games.  That was his 3rd game-winning goal on the season....Red Wing D Niklas Kronwall returned to action after leaving the last game and had 2 assists in the game. Continue to start with confidence.... Tampa Bay Lightning G Ben Bishop returned to action himself and backstopped the team to a 2-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. Canes G Cam Ward had a tremendous game by turning aside 36 of 38 SOG. Too bad his team isn't giving him support.... The New York Rangers continued their amazing run by winning 3-1 over the New Jersey Devils, who were playing their first game after Pete DeBoer was let go. Behind the bench for the Devils were Lou Lamoriello, Scott Stevens and Adam Oates.  Maybe three heads aren't better than one....Derek Stepan had all the answers and all the goals for the Rangers who won for the 8th straight game. Stepan is playing at a point-per-game pace with 22 points in 21 games ever since his return from a leg injury that delayed his start to the season... Braden Holtby blanked the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 3-0 Washington triumph, improving his numbers to 16-8-5 with a 2.22 GAA and a .921 SP. With the roll that the talented goaltender has been on for the surging Capitals, four wins in his last five, he is definitely on the must start short list for fantasy netminders... Two key injuries to take note of- key Pittsburgh skaters Patrick Hornqvist and Kris Letang left the game due to apparent leg injuries although the severity of either is not clear... Another easy night for Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne as he turned aside 26 of 27 shots in the 4...

Good morning all! Christmas is coming! With Zdeno Chara back in the lineup, Boston should be able to get back on track soon enough. I don't know if this particular coaching change will help Ottawa but I do agree that a change was needed. I think you can now consider Buffalo NHL-ready as they have gone 7-3-0 in last ten games separating themselves from the Carolina Hurricanes. The biggest reason in Buffalo is G Jhonas Enroth. He has taken the reins after a somewhat sluggish start.  The Philadelphia Flyers have an upcoming 8-game road trip which will say a lot about their chances for the playoffs. I could see a lot of names changing addresses for the Hurricanes when the trading deadline approaches. It's impressive to see the Florida Panthers in the middle of the Eastern Conference standings with 32 points through 28 games. Nice job! Can you believe Toronto is the hottest team in the NHL right now with an 8-1-1 record over last 10 games? Who would've thought after the 9-2 Tampa catastrophe? The Leafs did it by beating the former hottest team, the Detroit Red Wings, twice in one week. Nazem Kadri is playing well on both sides of the puck and has 7 points in 6 December games and he had 7 total points in all of November. That Sean Couturier is on fire recently if you haven't noticed. He also has 7 points in 6 December games like Kadri. At 6-3-1 in last 10 games, is that considered a slump for Tampa Bay? With Crosby slumping and all their injuries throughout the early season, the Pittsburgh Penguins still sit atop the Eastern Conference. Nicklas Backstrom, the assist machine, had a hat trick against Tampa. Now, with all the firepower in that game, I wouldn't have guessed him to get a hattie. Scott Darling lost against the Islanders 3-2.  He has played well with a 5-2 record and a 1.97 GAA.  Corey Crawford has a 1.87 GAA and Antti Raanta has a 2.02 GAA. What do they feed those Blackhawk goalies? Sergei Bobrovsky and the Columbus Blue Jackets are storming their way back into the playoff picture by rattling off six straight wins. Get on the bandwagon and hitch the cannon up to the back. When Kris Letang is in the lineup, he is lethal. Well, maybe not lethal, but damn good. Frederik Andersen is 7-0-0 in December. I don't think he can get through the month without a loss. Do you? If Edmonton could only score a little bit more each game, Arizona might have been in last place in the Western Conference instead of the Oilers. I think a coaching change may be in order ...

Tampa Bay seems unbeatable now that they have D-man Victor Hedman (3A) back in the lineup. I'm sure the NY Rangers are glad that they don't have to face the Lightning anymore after losing all three matchups against the Bolts, the latest a 6-3 drubbing on home ice.  The Lightning broke open a 3-3 game with 3 in the 3rd period showcasing their well-rounded talent up and down the lineup. This team isn't all about Steven Stamkos and Ben Bishop as evidenced by their young talent producing lately. Brett Connolly scored two goals, including the game-winner, and Tyler Johnson also scored twice and added an assist. Johnson is a must-start while Connolly may be worth a shot in deeper leagues as the 2 points were the RWer's first points in past 7 games.....Bishop has now won 8 straight against the Blueshirts to remain unbeaten against them.... The Columbus Blue Jackets may be happy that November has ended as they started off December with a solid 2-1 victory over the Florida Panthers halting a six-game losing streak. Sergei Bobrovsky had his best game in a while stopping 24 of 25 SOG for the win after losing 5 straight. The Jackets go as Bobrovsky goes, and while the team may have been stricken with a lot of injuries early on, if Bobber gets going, this team can be dangerous.... P.K. Subban helped Montreal keep pace with the Tampa Bay Lightning atop the Eastern Conference as he scored a goal and added an assist in defeating Patrick Roy's Colorado Avalanche. Fantasy fans are waiting for the talented defenseman to step up his game as he has been producing below expectations.  With the start of a new month, perhaps his game will start to click... Edmonton continues to flounder at the bottom of the Western Conference, and like the Philadelphia Flyers, change is coming. Arizona's Mike Smith returned to the net for the Coyotes and played as solid game to pick up his first win after 7 straight losses. He will need to string together a few good games to regain confidence among poolies with beating the Oilers a step in the right direction....Someone named Tobias Rieder scored 2 shorthanded goals at the start of the 2nd period to turn the game around. No need to rush to pick Rieder up as he sees limited action, but Rieder has shown the ability to score in the minors but you can find more reliable forward depth out there..... Anaheim G Frederik Andersen (32/34 SV) snapped a modest 2-game losing streak with a solid performance against the Boston Bruins allowing the Ducks to ...

Poor Mike Smith out there in Arizona, as a promising start against Colorado last night just blew up in his face after the Colorado Avalanche rallied for four unanswered goals to register the 4-3 win. Despite Head coach Dave Tippett defending his play recently, the "ice cold" goalie has not won in his last seven starts while posting an overall 3.26 GAA and a .893 SP. We been endorsing Devan Dubnyk as a quality sleeper pickup for goalie-starved fantasy owners, as Mike Smith continues to distance himself from his huge breakout season from a few years back. On the injury front, I hope all of you Brian Elliott owners stashed away Jake Allen early on as Elliott left the game last night with a lower-body injury and did not return. Our own 'Razor spoke wrote about Allen being on the cusp of fantasy relevance in his BTP yesterday, so maybe his time is now if Elliott is out for awhile. No word yet on the severity of his injury.. Now on to our top-five: 1. Ryan Miller- An emotional night in Vancouver starting with a stirring ceremony for the late Pat Quinn and marked by the return of goalie Cory Schneider, but the late headlines belonged to Ryan Miller in the end. The Canuck's back-stopper saved all 20 shots his way for his 31st career shutout and his league-leading 14th win. I don't see much of a letdown coming for Miller, but keep in mind that his peripheral stats- 2.47 GAA &.908 SP- are just above average, so any prolonged slumps for Vancouver could hurt his fantasy value at some point. 2. John Klingberg- For those starting the young Dallas defender this week, he reaped immediate dividends with a goal and an assist, raising his totals to eight points in games. Obviously, the point-per-game "madness" will have stop sooner or later but the 22-year old has legit offensive upside. 3. Gabriel Landeskog- We told you to "buy low" on either him or Nathan McKinnon, as the tandem are showing real signs of busting out of an early-season slump. Landeskog led the Colorado Avalanche to a furious 4-3 comeback victory over Arizona, scoring two huge goals and stretching his point streak to four games. 4. Evander Kane- The fantasy enigma known as EK was enormous in Winnipeg's 4-2 win over Columbus, striking twice on the power-play. While the overall stats appear meager at 8 points in 15 games, he has registered 7 in the last 10 games. In his sixth NHL season, fantasy owners are running out of patience for his long-awaited break-out. All the high-end skill in the world, but ...

*** PRIME 120+ RANKINGS have been updated. Take a look at your favorite players and see where they are ranked in our RANKINGS Section in the right hand side of your home page. .*Ranger's goalie Henrik Lundqvist was the fantasy star of the night in MSG, snapping a three game skid with his 21-save shutout in 5-0 win over Montreal. Although his peripheral numbers are not what they used to be-2.51 GAA/ .914 SP- he can still be dominant in long stretches and is a solid no 1 fantasy option. It just seems other goalies have caught up.. Martin St. Louis led the offense with a goal and an assist, extending his point streak to four games. With 11 points in his last ten contests, he should be starting in all formats. *Jannik Hansen provided the bulk of Vancouvers offense in the 5-1 victory over Chicago, collecting a "hat trick". Not much fantasy value here, but goalie Ryan Miller continued to stake to claim to elite honors with another impressive effort, winning three of his last four starts. *For St. Louis, defenseman Alex Pietrangelo chipped on with two more assists, giving him four in last 2 games. He earned that he could heat up in a hurry, so target him I'm trade talks if you can. We think he is still getting to the 50.. *Ryan Kesler assisted on both goals in Anaheim's 2-1 win over Arizona, while goalie Federik Andersen was only beaten once in 26 shots. Mike Smith performed amirably in the Arizona crease, but the trend continues- Smith Keeps losing and Devan Dubnyk keeps winning. Something has to give here.. WHO'S HOT, WHO'S NOT Featured every week i nthe right margin======> Who's Hot as of 11/23 PLAYER               GP   G  A  +/-  PIM  SOG Steven Stamkos   8     6   4    3     4      21 Kris Versteeg       7      4   5    3     9      21 Jori Lehtera         7      4    5    5     0      19 Jaden Schwartz 7      2    7    4     0      16 Marian Hossa      7      1    8    2     0      18 Patrick Kane       7      4    5     1     0      22   Nick Bjugstad     6      5    3     5     0      19 Who's Not as of 11/23 PLAYER             GP   G   A    +/-   PIM  SOG Kris Letang         6      0   1    -2       6       22 Thomas Vanek   6     0    2    -2       0        9  Tomas Fleischmann 6 1 0     -1       0       8 Henrik Zetterberg 6   0   1    -4        0     20 Bryan Little         7      1   0     -2       0       9 Nail Yalupov       7      1   0     -4       0      17 Scott Hartnell     6     0    0     -3       6      16

Jonathan Huberdeau LW, Florida After a mediocre sophomore campaign , the talented winger is showing signs of a breakout after a slow start. He has been clicking with Nick Bujgstad on the second line, and now collected four points in his last four games. Always long on potential but short on delivering, it's a prudent move to take a shot on the 21-year old, as Year 3 could be his long-awaited breakout. John Klingberg D, Dallas- The 22-year old is making quite the splash in the NHL as he collected 6 points in his first 7 games. Successful stints in the SEL and the AHL provide evidence of his scoring pedigree but it still early to recommend him as a long term answer. However, he is definitely worth stashing away or even starting while he keeps getting quality minutes in Dallas..  Devan Dubnyk G, Arizona- with Mike Smith completely off his game for the Coyotes, Dave Tippett has turned to Dubnyk for some extended time in goal and he has responded with four straight wins. While it's seems unlikely he could steal the top job, just remember that it's all about wins and losses.. and for now, Dubnyk gives them the best chance to win. If you need goalie helo, he is defintely worth a waiver grab and stash. Jake Muzzin D, Los Angeles- The window to scoop him up is quickly closing, as the defender has heated up in the absence of key defensemen Slava Voynov and Alec Martinez. In fantasy, it's all about opportunity and Muzzin is defintely taking advanyage of his. He is worth starting while he is "smoking hot".

Just as Tuesday night was good to be the home team with 10 of 11 teams winning at home, Friday night was good to be out on the road with 5 of the 6 visiting teams taking home the 2 points. The night was sandwiched around shutouts, first by New Jersey's Cory Schneider who seems to be getting into a groove after a rough 4 game stretch and then by, of all goalies, Arizona's Devan Dubnyk. I'm not too surprised by Schneider's 1-0 blanking of the Washington Capitals but Dubnyk?  I guess with the way Mike Smith has been playing of late, even last year's Holey Goalie was a better option. I would continue starting Schneider but don't have a lot of faith in Dubnyk.  Dubnyk may have earned another start, but Smith will be their starter....Schneider played well but the Devils caught a break when Mike Cammalleri intercepted a pass from Washington G Braden Holtby and fired the miscue into the net for his seventh goal and the game-winner. Cammalleri has provided the offense the Devils were lacking last year.  Good signing Lou!.... Arizona D-man Keith Yandle continues to be a somewhat undervalued beast on defense as he scored a goal and 2 assists and now leads the Coyotes in scoring with 14 points in 17 games. Yandle has led the team in scoring the past two seasons and it looks like he is heading for the trifecta....Hats off to Martin Hanzal who had a hat trick in the 5-0 pasting of the Vancouver Canucks. Hanzal is a decent depth fantasy forward but that's about it....I guess you could say that Vancouver's G Ryan Miller was due for a clunker after an 11-2-0 start. Expect Miller to return to form in his next start..... IT was quite a matchup between two teams who have been frequent exchangers of players over the past few years. Steve Mason didn't fare as well as he would have liked against his former team, losing 4-3 and only stopping 34 of 38 SOG. Mason has not fared as well as last season, but the young goalie should shake off the inconsistency.... Jakub Voracek, another ex-Blue Jacket, had a better game with goal and an assist to continue his torrid start to the 2014 season. He now has 24 points in 17 games and is 1 point behind league leader Sidney Crosby. WOW!...Ex-Flyer Scott Hartnell tried his darnedness to get on the score sheet as he took 6 SOG, but Mason gobbled those up....Ryan Johansen had a 4 assist night and along with Nick Foligno (2G, A) are your best options for offense on Columbus....Blue Jacket D-man James Wisniewski scored his first 2 goals on the ...