SMC 11/11/2018 ANOTHER ONE BITES THE ICE DUST- Why not? Bohemian Rhapsody just came out in theaters, so it’s apropos. Getting cold here in the Northeast, so grab your hot cup of coffee and settle in. Another one bites the dust, this time in Chicago.  Wasn’t too much of a shock with Stevens, but with Quenneville, well, that was a surprise.  But when your team is supposed to be a contender and not a pretender, you can’t wait too long to salvage the season. Some team will benefit from Quenneville’s experience, but probably not until next season. The coaching change isn’t working out yet in Chicago.  Ugh! Now is the time of year when the standings will start to settle in to what was expected of teams.  However, there will be 2 teams that will defy the notion that ‘The cream always rises to the top”. And who might those 2 teams be?  How about the NY Rangers & Arizona Coyotes.  Why? Well, the Rangers have an experienced goaltender and a good one at that.  Plus they have some veteran defensemen in front of him.  The Coyotes have Antti Raanta and he just needs to stay healthy.  With all that young talent, it is only a matter of time before they start to put it together.  Those are my 2 picks. It is time to try and grab some Florida Panthers from other teams before they start to really turn it on.  Could be your last chance to get players like Barkov, Trocheck, Huberdeau, Dadonov and Yandle on the cheap. Panthers beat the Islanders 4-2 giving them 3 wins in a row, scoring 4 goals in each.  Two ships passing in the night going in opposite directions from where they started. Roberto Luongo is their core and most valuable player. The Buffalo Sabres are winning of late.  I still don’t know how well they will be this season, but like the ride so far. That Elias Pettersson is some player! WOW!  Taking the NHL by storm!  Taking Casey Mittelstadt instead of Pettersson is coming back to bite me in the “you-know where.” Sean Couturier is heating up in November with 7 points in 5 games so far.  Proving that last year was no fluke. Nolan Patrick saw some decent PP time against the Hawks on Saturday. Hasn’t had any PP points yet.  Notched an assist in the game though giving him 5 points in 5 November games.  Available in your league?  Take a Flyer! Couldn’t resist. The Nashville Predators just seem to have it all this season.  They may also have the monopoly on players whose first name is Ryan. Speaking of Ryan, how about that Dzingel character in Ottawa?  8 goals, some ...

BTP: ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS… COREY CRAWFORD – some recognition as a top-flight goaltender.  I mean I’ve been involved in 4 consecutive shutouts lately, winning three of those, and have won 6 of 7.  And have won 2 Stanley Cups in the last 3 years. SEMYON VARLAMOV – Some stability please.  II know I have the talent, I just need to stay healthy and gain some consistency in the crease.  I’ve won 5 in a row of late, but I’ve also had a stretch of losing 6 of 8 earlier in the season. ANTTI NIEMI/KARI LEHTONEN – Each of us need to put together a streak of solid goaltending so that the team can find some stability and know they have someone to rely upon.  The former has won a Stanley Cup but that seems like eons ago while the latter has had a career full of injury issues.  DEVAN DUBNYK – I just want this year to be like last year when I proved that I belonged in the NHL as a starting goaltender.  Minnesota has been good to me, now I just need to put together a solid stretch of steady goaltending. PEKKA RINNE – Under Barry Trotz it seemed so easy to put in solid efforts in night-in and night-out.   Where has that strong goaltending gone over the last year and a half?  I need to find my moxie once again. JAKE ALLEN – I am finally able to show that I am capable of being the #1 NHL goaltender.  I just want to show that they can rely on me every night and not have too many stretches of poor outings. CONNOR HELLEBUYCK – I got my taste of NHL action and have shown that I can handle it.  But what will happen when Ondrej Pavelec comes back?  OR Michael Hutchinson decides he needs to play like he did when he first came to the NHL?  What will happen in Winnipeg? ANDERS NILSSON – I know I can compete at this level and my game has shown glimpses of late.  I did win 5 in a row and the team needs this kind of performance on a nightly basis.  TUUKKA RASK – I know there were doubters in the beginning of the season, but the team has shown their faith in me and the system and things have fallen into place.  ROBIN LEHNER – I never even got a fair chance getting injured in the first game of the season.  I need to come back when completely healthy and the team needs time to mature in front of me.  The second half will be a stepping stone heading into next season. ROBERTO LUONGO – I Have been able to supply the team with solid efforts throughout the first half of the season and the team is coming together very nicely.  I can keep this team competitive enough to fight for a ...

A lot of good matchups tonight with some struggling teams in Pittsburgh and Edmonton looking for their first wins while Montreal & Nashville look to remain unbeaten with games against the NY teams. We all know that the Penguins are ready to burst out in a big way with the amount of offensive talent they have but can they break thorugh against red-hot Ottawa goalie Craig Anderson?  Ottawa did play last night in Columbus and scored 7 goals.  That usally results in a lack of production the next game, so we shall see.  Dallas-Tampa Bay can be very explosive as well with both teams sporting some high octane talent up front.  RAY'S PICKS G: Roberto Luongo-FLA ($8,400) D: Alex Pietrangelo-STL ($5,500) D: Colton Parayko-STL ($3,000) LW: Jonathan Huberdeau-FLA ($5,000) LW: Jonathan Drouin-TB ($4,600) RW: Vladimir Tarasenko-STL ($8,200) RW: Phil Kessel-PIT ($7,900) C; Steven Stamkos-TB ($8,500) C: Teuvo Teravainen-CHI ($3,800)  

Every year it seems like there is a surprise team or two that make and miss the playoff season.  Last year the Calgary Flames were dancing come April and the Colorado Avalanche on the outside looking in after being the surprise team the year earlier.  In the Eastern Conference everyone thought that the Boston bruins were a lock for the playoffs but somehow Ottawa pushed past them with a great late-season surge.  So who will be this year’s surprises?  For one, we are very high on the Columbus Blue Jackets to not only make the playoffs but possibly contend for the President’s Trophy.  Who is out, you ask?  We think it could be a toss-up between the Ottawa Senators and the Pittsburgh Penguins.  The Conference is just that tight this year.  It is also a possibility that both teams may miss the playoffs with the Florida Panthers sneaking in a la 2014-2015 Ottawa. Columbus, if you recall, were inundated with injuries at the beginning of last season and took a long time to recover and start to win again.  They were 16-2-2 in their last twenty games and you know they will be itching to show that they are for real in the East.  With a Vezina winner in net in Sergei Bobrovsky and the emergence of Center Ryan Johansen and Defenseman David Savard, the Jackets are ready to shoot the cannon, and often.  Florida also had a late-season surge and all because of Jaromir Jagr coming to the team and showing youngsters Jonathan Huberdeau and company how to win.  With Jagr signing up again to stay in sunny F-L-A, expect good things from the Dale Tallon built team.  A lot will have to go right for the Cats to make the playoffs, but they do have a world-class goalkeeper in Roberto Luongo manning the crease.  Things will be exciting in Miami this winter. The one constant that you can always rely on is change and you can expect a little bit of change in 2015-2016 when April rolls around.

Hartnell's hattie, Ducks struggle on road trip, Isles & Wild battle The Anaheim Ducks have struggled at the beginning of their 5-game road trip with their second straight loss, this time losing 5-3 to the Columbus Blue Jackets.  The Ducks managed to get off to a 2-0 lead but the Jackets battled back with Scott Hartnell getting a hat trick.  Ryan Johansen had a goal and an assist in the victory and the duo reminds me when Hartnell had that career season playing alongside Claude Giroux when in Philadelphia.  Perhaps Hartnell will continue his productive play until the end of the season…. The St. Louis Blues beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 in overtime as they managed to keep Sidney Crosby off the score sheet.  The Pens have been struggling of late in the scoring department but have the guns once everyone is in full health.  So expect the scoring to return when the likes of Evgeni Malkin and Patric Hornqvist return to the lineup….. Jonathan Quick (34/36 Sv) and the Los Angeles Kings took control of the game after Mats Zuccarello scored just 51 seconds into the match, never letting the Rangers get back into the match.  Quick was excellent in the win that pitted last season’s Stanley Cup finalists against one another.  LA is battling to gain a playoff position while the Rangers are looking to perhaps have a shot at the President’s Cup… The Minnesota Wild and New York Islanders fought to a 2-1 shootout win by the Wild as both goaltenders, Jaroslav Halak and Devan Dubnyk, continued on with their career years.  Kudos to both net minders on a remarkable season… Roberto Luongo not so sharp in Florida's pivotal match-up with Tampa Bay as rookie Andrei Vasilevskiy outplayed the veteran, turning aside 36 shots in the 4-3 win... No Pavel Datsyuk, no win for the Red Wings as they suffered the ultimate let-down game, dropping a 5-4 home decision to Arizona.. After being a lock for Calder Trophy honors for most of the season, Nashville's Filip Forsberg has not enjoyed a prolific month of March: four points in 11 games. Perhaps last night's overtime winner against the Hab's gets him going again. His fantasy value is far more certain for next season, where he could easily rank amongst the top15-20 fantasy forwards. Love him for 2015-16 and beyond... For those who drafted Radim Vrbata on the speculation that playing with the Sedin twins has it's perks, it's all coming together late in the season. His three points in the 5-2 triumph over Winnipeg improved his numbers to ...

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 ...

Hammond finally loses a game; Devils hang on in playoff race; Florida goalie trouble; and much more: The New Jersey Devils are hanging on to a sliver of playoff hope as they continue to push for a berth.  They may be too far behind but there is no giving up in Jersey.  Goalie Cory Schneider has been on top of his game of late and is the main reason why they are still alive, although barely.  The Devils took advantage of a Nashville Predator team that played the night before against the NY Rangers by scoring twice in the first 4 minutes and making them stand up as they won 3-1…Mike Cammalleri, with points in 6 straight games, and perhaps d-man Adam Larsson, 6 points in past 6 games, could be useful on your fantasy squad…. Calgary and Philadelphia are battling for their playoff lives and each did not disappoint last night with the Flames edging the Flyers 3-2 in overtime.   Calgary is holding on to the third playoff spot in the Pacific Division while the Flyers are trying to catch the Florida Panthers and Boston Bruins for the last wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. Philadelphia is better with Steve Mason back in net, but they need every point they can get and not getting the extra point may come back to haunt them in the end…. Sergei Bobrovsky was back in net for the Columbus Blue Jackets but Braden Holtby (27/30 SV) and the Washington Capitals were too much for him in his return.  Alex Ovechkin continues to pour them in with 2 goals giving him 43 on the year as he has not be hindered by Head Coach Barry Trotz’ defensive style...   Steven Stamkos' eighth goal in the last games was all the Lightning needed to defeat the rebuilding Buffalo sabres 3-0. Ben Bishop fantasy owners were bummed out when learning of the last-minute news that Andre Vasilevskiy was starting and probably getting the easy win that were you were counting on. Well, he did one better by posting the shut-out so it was a bad break for Bishop's boys... It was double trouble in Florida as the Panthers lost both their goalies during the game against the hapless Leafs, who ended a 16-game road losing streak in the 3-2 win. Thankfully for Roberto Luongo owners, he was able to return in the third period but the Panthers lost a crucial two points in their playoff run.. Here's hoping that Phil Kessel's lengthy rant in defense of the much-maligned Dion Phaneuf(which I thought was sooo appropriate!) gets him going a bit after a long scoring slide. A power=play assist last night is a good ...

Hammond finally loses a game; Devils hang on in playoff race; Florida goalie trouble; and much more: The New Jersey Devils are hanging on to a sliver of playoff hope as they continue to push for a berth.  They may be too far behind but there is no giving up in Jersey.  Goalie Cory Schneider has been on top of his game of late and is the main reason why they are still alive, although barely.  The Devils took advantage of a Nashville Predator team that played the night before against the NY Rangers by scoring twice in the first 4 minutes and making them stand up as they won 3-1…Mike Cammalleri, with points in 6 straight games, and perhaps d-man Adam Larsson, 6 points in past 6 games, could be useful on your fantasy squad…. Calgary and Philadelphia are battling for their playoff lives and each did not disappoint last night with the Flames edging the Flyers 3-2 in overtime.   Calgary is holding on to the third playoff spot in the Pacific Division while the Flyers are trying to catch the Florida Panthers and Boston Bruins for the last wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. Philadelphia is better with Steve Mason back in net, but they need every point they can get and not getting the extra point may come back to haunt them in the end…. Sergei Bobrovsky was back in net for the Columbus Blue Jackets but Braden Holtby (27/30 SV) and the Washington Capitals were too much for him in his return.  Alex Ovechkin continues to pour them in with 2 goals giving him 43 on the year as he has not be hindered by Head Coach Barry Trotz’ defensive style...   Steven Stamkos' eighth goal in the last games was all the Lightning needed to defeat the rebuilding Buffalo sabres 3-0. Ben Bishop fantasy owners were bummed out when learning of the last-minute news that Andre Vasilevskiy was starting and probably getting the easy win that were you were counting on. Well, he did one better by posting the shut-out so it was a bad break for Bishop's boys... It was double trouble in Florida as the Panthers lost both their goalies during the game against the hapless Leafs, who ended a 16-game road losing streak in the 3-2 win. Thankfully for Roberto Luongo owners, he was able to return in the third period but the Panthers lost a crucial two points in their playoff run.. Here's hoping that Phil Kessel's lengthy rant in defense of the much-maligned Dion Phaneuf(which I thought was sooo appropriate!) gets him going a bit after a long scoring slide. A power=play assist last night is a good ...

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 ...

Huge nights for Benn and Spezza, Ovie dominates in Pitt, the Isles bounce back and deep fantasy sleeper in Detroit...   It was a night of "firsts" for Jamie Benn as the talented forward helped the Stars pull off the improbable road upset in St. Louis by collecting his first career "hat trick". Benn is currently on a four-game point streak where he posted 10 points (6G/4A). With Tyler Seguin out of action, Jason Spezza has moved up to the top line and responded with three assists last night. He also has a decent game point streak going, collecting ten points over his last six games. Offense will be tougher to come by without Seguin, but the off-season Spezza acquisition is starting to look great right now. Start both Dallas forwards as they will be heavily involved in the scoring as the Stars battle for a playoff spot. Also, don't understimate Kari Lehtonen's fantasy worth moving forward as the Star's goalie has won four straight, including three on the road against elite opponents, and has seen his overall numbers improve greatly over that stretch. More than a solid no. 2 fantasy option in goal so play him with confidence... In the Washington-Pittsburgh rivalry match, only one superstar showed up as Alex Ovechkin collected his league-leading 37th goal and an assist in the Capital's 3-1 road win. AO has been on an absolute tear lately, notching 14 points over the last ten games and looks poised to grab fantasy MVP honors if he keeps up his frenetic pace... What else can you say about Braden Holtby? A little belief instilled by coach Barry Trotz and a monster workload has resulted in an elite fantasy campaign for the young netminder... After suffering a brutal loss to the New York Rangers, John Tavares and the Islanders showed plenty of resiliency in defeating the Carolina Hurricanes in an obvious let-down game. JT picked up a goal and an assist, while rookie line-mate Anders Lee continued to impress by scoring his 18th goal. We have seen what Tavares has done for the fantasy value of wingers such as Matt Moulson and more recently, Kyle Okposo, so Lee's rise toward fantasy relevance can't come as completely shocking... A 5-1 score in favor of Nashville over San Jose looks lopsided on paper, but Pekka Rinne had to "stand on his head" to the tune of 42 saves in order to help the Preds secure the win. He continues to dominate more and more with each passing start, so enjoy the ride if you own Rinne.. Plenty of deserving kudos for Florida goalie Roberto ...