AIM HIGH, BUY LOW  SHOOT HIGH, AIM LOW by YES  https://youtu.be/CNnKau1OLp4 As we reach the 10-game mark or thereabouts, time to take a look at the slow-starters.  For those poolies who drafted the players mentioned in this article, its decision time as to whether you want to drop, trade or stick with the underperforming.  I’ve separated the defensemen from the forwards into different tables but here are my BUY LOW candidates on the blue line, which I hope will help you make your decision easier; DEFENSEMEN  GAMES POINTS SOG +/- HITS Pietrangelo-STL 9 1 12 -6 19 Leddy-NYI 8 0 4 -4 13 Goligoski-ARZ 9 1 12 -6 3 Shattenkirk-NYR 9 2 21 -4 4 Hamilton-CAR 10 4 44 0 17 Theodore-LVS 10 2 30 -6 9 Miller,C-LVS 10 1 19 -2 13   Phaneuf-LAK 10 0 9 -7 19   Pulock,R-NYI 8 1 17 -3 9     As you can see form the table above, most of these defensemen are producing at less than career averages, so you should see a return to normal levels as the season progresses.  Especially when you look at players like Alex Pietrangelo and Nick Leddy where they play a prominent role in terms of minutes played plus playing on the top PP units.  Both players should get you at least 40 points over the remainder of the season (approx. 70 gms.).  Those would be my top 2 targets. The rest may be on your waiver wire because of their slow starts.  Most are depth defensemen at best but are consistent and are good in case of an injury to one of your top defensemen. I would put the likes of Kevin Shattenkirk & Dougie Hamilton above the remaining players as they have scoring pedigree and it looks like the NY Rangers are starting to score more and their power play is starting to gel, while the Carolina Hurricanes are scoring and winning, it is just taking the newcomer time to adjust to his new team. Rounding out the leftovers, Shea Theodore of the Las Vegas Golden Knights is a great selection especially for those in dynasty/keeper leagues as he is young and has been quite active but hasn’t been hitting the score sheet with just 2 points in 10 games played.  Another in the same category of Theodore is Ryan Pulock of the Islanders.  Both have potential but Theodore has more of a chance to contribute because of the presence of Leddy in New York sharing time with Pulock.  Along with Theodore’s team mate Colin Miller, Arizona Coyote Alex Goligoski and LA King Dion Phaneuf, these players should net you around 30-35 points over the next 70+ games.  Keep them on your list and maybe you can pry them away ...

AIM HIGH, BUY LOW https://youtu.be/CNnKau1OLp4 As we reach the 10-game mark or thereabouts, time to take a look at the slow-starters.  For those poolies who drafted the players mentioned in this article, its decision time as to whether you want to drop, trade or stick with the underperforming.  I’ve separated the defensemen from the forwards into different tables but here are my BUY LOW candidates on the blue line, which I hope will help you make your decision easier; DEFENSEMEN  GAMES POINTS SOG +/- HITS Pietrangelo-STL 9 1 12 -6 19 Leddy-NYI 8 0 4 -4 13 Goligoski-ARZ 9 1 12 -6 3 Shattenkirk-NYR 9 2 21 -4 4 Hamilton-CAR 10 4 44 0 17 Theodore-LVS 10 2 30 -6 9 Miller,C-LVS 10 1 19 -2 13   Phaneuf-LAK 10 0 9 -7 19   Pulock,R-NYI 8 1 17 -3 9     As you can see form the table above, most of these defensemen are producing at less than career averages, so you should see a return to normal levels as the season progresses.  Especially when you look at players like Alex Pietrangelo and Nick Leddy where they play a prominent role in terms of minutes played plus playing on the top PP units.  Both players should get you at least 40 points over the remainder of the season (approx. 70 gms.).  Those would be my top 2 targets. The rest may be on your waiver wire because of their slow starts.  Most are depth defensemen at best but are consistent and are good in case of an injury to one of your top defensemen. I would put the likes of Kevin Shattenkirk & Dougie Hamilton above the remaining players as they have scoring pedigree and it looks like the NY Rangers are starting to score more and their power play is starting to gel, while the Carolina Hurricanes are scoring and winning, it is just taking the newcomer time to adjust to his new team. Rounding out the leftovers, Shea Theodore of the Las Vegas Golden Knights is a great selection especially for those in dynasty/keeper leagues as he is young and has been quite active but hasn’t been hitting the score sheet with just 2 points in 10 games played.  Another in the same category of Theodore is Ryan Pulock of the Islanders.  Both have potential but Theodore has more of a chance to contribute because of the presence of Leddy in New York sharing time with Pulock.  Along with Theodore’s team mate Colin Miller, Arizona Coyote Alex Goligoski and LA King Dion Phaneuf, these players should net you around 30-35 points over the next 70+ games.  Keep them on your list and maybe you can pry them away cheap.   On to the forwards.  ...

SMC 1/22/2017 OLDIES BUT GOODIES! Good day my fellow hockey addicts!  Got my fresh brewed cup of coffee and ready to tackle the day. Oh wait, that’s a football term.  I’m ready to rush up the ice! The early afternoon tilt for Saturday was a Jet-Blue affair.  St. Louis was the one feeling blue after with a 5-3 loss.  Trouble in St. Lou?  Perhaps they are missing David Backes a little more than originally thought. Surprised to see Ondrej Pavelec back up with the big boys since it seemed he was exiled for his inconsistent play.  I guess Hutchinson and Hellebuyck were pretty inconsistent themselves.  Pavelec should be motivated since being recalled.  Grab him and start him. I think Winnipeg can make a run for the playoffs.  It’s a gut feeling. Columbus is still sporting that 2017 magic!  Scott Hartnell is now picking up his scoring production with 6 in last 8 games. Carolina will be clawing away for that last Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference along with about 9 other teams. Crazy! Some wild, high-scoring games at the beginning of the week.  An 8-7 PIT-WSH game on Monday.  A 7-6 DAL-NYR game on Tuesday night. Plus 6-4 OTT-STL and CHI-COL affairs on Tuesday as well.  A 6-5 DET-BOS on Wednesday and a 7-3 WSH-STL contest on Thursday.  And a 7-1 PIT-CAR finisher on Friday night. Must’ve been a full moon or just the craziest leading up to the Presidential inauguration. The blues gave up a lot of goals this past week. That Ottawa-Toronto game was fun to watch. The Montreal Canadiens have been quite pedestrian of late after that terrific start to the season in October and early November. The Islanders are coming! The Islanders are coming! John Tavares is heating up big time.  Safe to say he’s a second half player now.  9 points in last 5 games! Josh Bailey and Anders Lee are the beneficiaries of JT’s hot streak.  And Nick Leddy has been a force of late with 5 points in last 5 games. With 2 assists in Saturday’s Philly game, and 3 in last 3 games, New Jersey’s Michael Cammalleri might be starting one of those hot streaks he has. New Jersey may makes things interesting as they have a lot more home games then away games the rest of the way. The Flyers are spiraling out of playoff contention as fast as they got themselves into it in December. If Ovechkin is going to reach 50 goals, he is going to have to go on some scoring streak being that he has 22 to this point.  Worth it to try and trade for him. It wouldn’t hurt to surround your fantasy team with some ...

Nick Leddy, New York- We expected a huge breakout season for Leddy this season coming after a 37-point effort in 2014-15. Unfortunately to the chagrin of many fantasy owners, all he had accounted for so far is 8 points in 29 games. Huge disappointment for sure, but his two assist game last night and a spot on the top powerplay unit over Marek Zidlicky suggests that he might be in serious buy-low mode.  Dennis Wideman, Calgary- Yes, his huge '14-15 season was crying for a huge regression this year but he is starting to rack up some points and could be ready for a strong second half. While currently on a 3-game point streak, the 32-year old veteran is logging huge minutes and also getting power play time as well. Only drawback has been not being paired with Mark Giordano but he has the ability to push toward 40+ points regardless. If he is available, he might be worth adding to your fantasy squad.    Shea Weber, Nashville- Super hot over the last fifteen days as evidenced by his 8 points over 8 games, including a stunning hat trick in the process. His slow start coinciding with the rise of Roman Josi had many thinking that he was no longer the primary blue line option in Nashville. The gap has clearly narrowed between the two, but weber needs to be treated like an elite fantasy option. Don't dare contemplating trading him as it will be tough getting back equal value    Dougie Hamilton, Calgary- We are back in Calgary where 9 points on the year isn't exactly what was expected of the high profile free agent acquisition, but a three game point streak shows he is currently trending up. He has all the ability to be a perennial 50 point producer, but he faces intense competition in Calgary for powerplay time.    Mark Streit, Philadelphia- Yes we know he is still injured but the question remains whether the recent phenomenon known as Shayne Gostisbehere and his sizzling offense will be enough to hurt Streit's future fantasy value. I know this- if the youngster keeps up his scoring pace, then decisions will need to be made. I heard a few folks speculate about a possible Streit trade but perhaps we are crowning the youngster way too early. Talk to me in a few weeks 

#10 NEW YORK ISLANDERS The Islanders are looking to make it 3 out of 4 years of making the playoffs as they begin their new life in Brooklyn USA.  The Isles missed the playoffs the 5 prior seasons but now have their franchise player reaching his prime in John Tavares.  JT, with a career high 86 points, finished 1-point behind Art Ross Trophy winner Jamie Been.  JT’s wingers will be enjoying career seasons as well.  The younger talent is starting to filter in and the team is looking to improve on last season so they were able to ship Michael Grabner off to Toronto to clear some room.  Just who takes advantage of the opportunity will be seen.  Jaroslav Halak has been a steadying influence since signing a free agent deal last summer.  Look for that to continue.  The defense was solidified when Snow brought in Nick Leddy and Johnny Boychuk just prior to the season in deals with teams looking to create cap space.  Free agent signing of Marek Zidlicky should help with the power play. GOALIES It was pretty much status quo in the goalie department expect the team improved their backup position by signing Thomas Greiss to a 2-year deal. Halak should amass another 60 starts and give similar performance as last season.  The team is improving in front of him so as long as he remains consistent, there shouldn’t be a problem.  He needs to improve his GAA a little, as you can see from the table below, but they just need him to be the rock he was last year. 2014-2015                      GP      GAA       W        L        OTL       SP Jaroslav Halak             59         2.43       38       17         4         .914   DEFENSE The signing of Zidlicky could be a godsend and just be the spark that could make the Islander power play click.  Even at 38, he still has a knack for scoring and being an asset oh the power play. A lot of people are believing that Leddy will be the main focus on the blue line and well he should be.  At 24 and a year under his belt as an Islander look for the young d-man to better his career high of 37 points accomplished twice.  Last year and his second year with the Blackhawks. When Boychuk started with the Islanders, he came out of the shoot like a house on fire but settled in after that hot start.  He does have a scoring touch but don’t expect anything more than mid-30’s and that may be a stretch with the arrival of Zidlicky.  Travis Hamonic has shown glimpses but is lower on the depth chart while Thomas Hickey and Calvin de Haan round out ...

The Minnesota Wild roll by the St. Louis Blues 6-3, as Brian Elliott was pulled after giving up four goals. Thomas Vanek scored a goal, extending his point streak to seven games. His late season scoring surge is good enough reason to get him in your starting lineups... Is there a better line going in the NHL than the Gaudreau-Hudler- Monahan unit for the Calgary Flames? In another big spot, the trio have combined for five points but the team fell short in overtime after Rene Bourque buried the game-winner. Start all three as thay are providing the bulk of Calgary's offense during their hot streak... Carey Price for MVP? It's looking more and more likely as he keeps churning out suberb efforts in the crease, this gtime posting his second straight shutout and blanking the San Jose Sharks...   Jonathan Quick kept the Los Angeles Kings in the match with 36 saves, but Radim Vrbata spearheaded the Canuck's offense with the go-ahead goal in the third period plus an assist. He has been heating up so give him an extended look as Vancouver pushes hard for a playoff spot.  Boston blows another opportunity to extend their point lead over Florida as Roberto Luongo outlasted Tuukka Rask in the shootout to give the panthers the 2-1 win. In two games back, "Bobby Lou" looks every bit the solid fantasy goalie that he was during his peak years in Vancouver...  Jaroslav Halak is back starting for the Islanders after missing two games and his presence along with the return of defenseman Nick Leddy helped lead them to a 3-0 win over New Jersey. Kyle Okposo scored his 16th goal of the season, slowly shaking off his injury rust and getting ready for a strong finish. Get him in your starting lineups..   Kyle Turris continued his hot play with the game winning goal and Andrew Hammond won his sixth straight start for Ottawa as the Senators defeated their provinciakl rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-3. Defenseman Erik Karlsson finished the match with a goal and an assist. He is definitely paying fantasy dividends now for those owners who drafted him in the early rounds.. The goaltending enigma known as Kari Lehtonen was spectacular in net after he posted his fifth shutout of the season in the 4-0 drubbing of Chicago. Jason Spezza picked up a goal and  an assist while Alex Goligoski notched two helpers. Give "Gogo" the starting nod this upcoming week if you own him as he is on a serious scoring roll to finish the season.. What a return for Taylor Hall as he assisted on ...

Islanders gain critical 2 points, Detroit struggles to win 5-2, Pekka and Preds finally win again The New York Islanders gained a crucial 2 points in their overtime win over the Toronto Maple Leafs as they try to stave off the charging New York Rangers whom they face tonight on the Island.  A win tonight over their rivals will go a long way in securing their hold on the Metropolitan Division title.  Of course you have to look no further than John Tavares for the Isles offense as he had the OT game-winner and an assist to pad his NHL scoring lead….Islander defenseman Nick Leddy left the game and did not return putting more emphasis on Travis Hamonic to pick up the vacancy that may be created if Leddy is out for any period of time.  Monitor this situation…. Detroit struggled with a clearly inferior Edmonton Oiler team until the 3rd period when they managed to eke out a 5-2 win.  I know it sounds funny to say “eked out a win” especially winning by three goals but two of those were empty-netters that sealed the game late in the 3rd period.  It was the veterans of Henrik Zetterberg (3A) & Pavel Datsyuk (G, A) that provided the offense and leadership as the Red Wings try to close the gap in the Atlantic Division…. Pittsburgh didn’t close out their California string by sweeping the West Coast teams but got the next best thing with a 2-1 overtime loss to San Jose giving them a point, and 5 in three games, in the race for the Metro Division, keeping them 1 point behind the second place Rangers and 4 behind the Islanders with 2 games in hand.  It’s tough to keep the Penguin offense at bay but Antti Niemi had a strong game with 39 saves earning the win.  The Sharks will need lots of strong efforts like this one if they want to get into the playoffs, but it may be a bit too late…. Nashville’s Pekka Rinne finally got a win after losing 5 straight but it was a nail-biter against the Arizona Coyotes and their rookie net minder Louis Domingue, winning by a score of 2-1 in overtime.  The Predators offense has struggled a bit lately but hopefully getting this monkey off their back will lead to better things.  They did pour 40 SOG against the rookie with everyone getting in on that action. So that’s a good sign… Eddie Lack and the Vancouver Canucks got a solid 2-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks winning 2- 1 in regulation.  The win helps keep some distance between the Canucks and those trying to gain a playoff spot.  Lack has now gone 4-1-1 since Ryan Miller was injured.  Keep...

Mike Ribeiro C, Nashville- The 34-year old has found life on the Predator's top line an easy transition in comparison to his tumultuous season with Arizona last year. With 22 points in 26 games and 9 in his last ten, Ribeiro has clicked with Neal and Forsberg from Day one. While he is on pace to close in on his career-high of 83 points, he will probably fall short and be a reliable 65-70 point center moving forward. Aaron Ekblad D, Florida- What else is there to say about Florida's 18-year old prodigy who has collected 17 points in 26 games. The defenseman has flashed the ability to have a Tyler Myers type of rookie season, when he captured the Calder Trophy with a 48-point campaign. Ekblad's supporting cast is made up of mostly young talented forwards who are still far from producing consistently, so expect many peaks and valleys in his scoring production. Huge keeper league upside though.. Brandon Saad LW, Chicago- The 22-year old has been thriving on the top Chicago line with Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa, but he could lose his spot this week with Patrick Sharp returning. With five points in his last four games, Saad has been one of better Blackhawk forwards, so he is worth a gamble. Plus playing for a contract! A little risk-reward here, but has legit 60-point upside if playing in the top-six. Nick Leddy D, NYI- Coming off a two-assist performance on Saturday, the 23-year old is benefitting from injuries to the top three blueliners on the Island. Yeah, Lubomir Visnovsky might be back this week, but can you really trust him? Take a flier on Leddy if you need defense, considerig he has been on the top power-play unit with John Tavares and company. Michael Hutchinson G, Winnipeg- In the case of the youngster, he has produced far superior numbers than the starter Ondrej Pavelec (1.62 to 2.30 GAA/.942 to .915SP) while owning an impressive 5-1-2 mark. Pavelec has gone cold many times and been yanked from no.1 duty, so with the team playing so well, maybe Hutch has the chance to usurp the starting job at some point. If your goaltending is struggling, keeb tabs on this guy.

This is de Haan's first practice since suffering an upper-body injury in the preseason. The additions of Nick Leddy and Johnny Boychuk will push de Haan down the depth chart when he is ready to return. At this point, there is no timetable for his return; he remains on injured reserve.

With just two weeks into the 2014-15 season, there are several defensemen off to hot starts that have fantasy owners scratching their heads. Who's for real or who is not? The phenomenon of NHL'ers playing well beyond their natural abilities has become a frequent occurrence but it's alway more difficult to gauge at the beginning of the season. With the limited trends that we have at our disposal, we can always make well-educated decisions on which of these sleeper targets can actually help our fantasy teams in the long run. By now everyone should be aware of Johnny Boychuk's explosion on the New York Islanders scene after being traded from Boston. While the Bruins seldom used the two-way defender in offensive situations, his new team was down a power-play quarterback with Lubomir Visnovsky out and chose to give him a shot. No pun intended, but it's Boychuk's big bomb of a shot that has made him an instant success on the top power-play unit. With six points in the first three games, continue to ride him while he's hot but temper your expectations just a bit. He should put up a career-high in points, but Visnovsky has been skating again and a decent bet to regain his power-play spot once he is cleared to return. You also have Nick Leddy, who's offensive upside might be hard to ignore once he is acclimated to his new team. I love Boychuk as 35-40 point guy, but there are too many variables to count on a 50+ point breakout season. That being said, would I be shocked if it happens? Absolutely not. Visnovsky has been very brittle these days... In Calgary, young TJ Brodie is off to a blazing start with five points in his first five games. While this shouldn't qualify as an absolute stunner since he did rack up 31 points last season, the circumstances surrounding his success have played a major factor. The one common denominator over his first three seasons was that he was relegated to secondary power-play duty while veterans such as Dennis Wideman and Mark Giordano had surpassed him on the depth chart. While Giordano has become an elite offensive defenseman, Wideman has slipped past his prime and fallen out of favor with coach Bob Hartley. Brodie has been promoted to the top unit alongside Giordano and has really reaped the benefits of his new-found confidence. He should be long gone off most waiver wires, but snag him ASAP if he is still available. Year 4 looks like a big breakout for Mr. Brodie.. I am loving myself some Sami Vatanen in Anaheim, as he has ...