BTP: HOW'M I DOIN? – SETTLING IN A few teams have made major goaltending changes during the pre-season in hopes of solidifying their #1 in net.  PrimePucks™ will take a look to see how things are working out so far for the teams and their new goaltenders.  As former New York City Mayor Ed Koch used to frequently say, "How'm I doin?" *(All stats through Thursday, November 12th’s games.)   BUFFALO SABRES:  The Buffalo Sabres thought they had solved their goaltending issues after trading their previous #1 Ryan Miller a few years back by trading for Robin Lehner of the Ottawa Senators who seemed to be crowded at the position with the emergence of Andrew Hammond at the end of last season.  Unfortunately for the Sabres, Lehner injured his ankle and had only started one game before going on the IR.  Lehner’s injury gave the team an opportunity to see what they had in their system as they called up Linus Ullmark to back up Chad Johnson and to see how Johnson would do in extended time.  Well, Johnson hasn’t played well since 2013-2014 with Boston in which he posted a 17-4-3 record with a 2.10 GAA and a.925 SP.  In 11 appearances with Buffalo since Lehner’s injury, Johnson has only 4 wins against 6 losses with a GAA of 2.75 and SP of under .900, not exactly endearing yourself to fans or your team mates.  Ullmark on the other hand has a 4-2-0 record with a 2.46 GAA and .924 SP which aren’t bad for a rookie thrust into the starter’s role in the NHL. What this shows the Sabres is that they have a solid goaltending prospect to fall back upon if Robin Lehner doesn’t fit into their plans over the next few years.  It will also afford the Sabres to have both Ullmark and Lehner split time next season and save on Johnson’s salary, although there’s not much of a difference between those two but it is clear that Ullmark is the better goaltender at this point. Lehner, at 24, will be given every opportunity to prove he is a #1 NHL goaltender once he returns.  The Buffalo Sabres have done a good job in drafting the past few years and it will start to show once the young talent gets a chance to gain experience and grow together.  It is Lehner’s job to lose but he needs to show consistency at the NHL level. EDMONTON OILERS: When it comes to goaltending, it appears that the Edmonton Oilers can’t seem to get it right.  They imagined that Devan Dubnyk would be the answer for the long-term when he played well at the end of the 2012-2013 season and was awarded the starter’s job but ...

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!

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...

Starting with the late-night thriller between Pittsburgh and Los Angeles, Marc-Andre Fleury withstood a 31-shot barrage to hold on for his ninth shutout of the season. Patrick Hornqvist provided the game-winner in overtime, improving his goal to seven over the last seven games. After a mid-season dip in offensive production, the former Nashville winger has resumed his early-season scoring ways where he was one of the hottest fantasy assets with 25 points in his first 23 games. With all their key forwards healthy for the stretch run, look for Hornqvist to close the season on a point-per-game pace and back to fantasy must-start status.. Speaking of streaking, Vancouver's Radim Vrbata scored two goals to extend his point-streak to four games. Even though fantasy owners rather him play on the top line with the Sedin twins, the winger has delivered a team-leading 25 goals and still gets primary power-play time. If you have him on your bench, it might be time to start him while the Canucks push hard for a playoff spot. With Eddie Lack manning the crease instead of the injured Ryan Miller, there will be a stronger focus on the offense carrying the team.. Let's just re-name John Tavares Art Ross as the Islanders star continues to lead the NHL in scoring with another dominant effort, a goal and two assists in South Florida. With Kyle Okposo nearing a return, there has been plenty of debate on how the top line will look when he gets back. For my money, Anders Lee has more than earned his spot alongside JT so he should stay put. A Tavares-Okposo-Lee unit would reap huge fantasy dividends for all three... Big news in Dallas as Tyler Seguin returned to action last night, not missing a beat with two goals in the 5-3 loss to Tampa Bay. Jason Spezza's fantasy value once again takes a slight hit as he returns back to second-line center duties but he remains a fixture on the no. 1 power-play unit. Breakout defenseman John Kingberg left the contest with a lower-body injury and is listed as day-to-day. With Trevor Daley also out, this could be the best and only time to start Alex Goligoski who has been a bitter fantasy disappointment. He could string together a decent stretch of games with those two out. Consider playing him.. The Leafs were beaten down by the St. Louis Blues, as Vladimir Tarasenko plus Jaden Schwartz and TJ Oshie each collected a goal and an assist.One fact remains true- Phil Kessel is definitely unstarteable in all fantasy formats, while Tarasenko has ...

Rangers continue to roll, Islanders round up the Coyotes, Boston & Philly blow chances & birthday wishes. Happy Birthday wishes go out to our newest PrimePucks™ fan, Ella from New York.  Happy Birthday Ella! Huge injury news from Chicago as RW Patrick Kane apparently injured his shoulder while falling head-first into the boards. Nothing more to say other than a long-term injury to Kane would represent an irreaplacable loss for fantasy owners at this time of the NHL season. Hopefully, the MRI will not reveal serious damage but it did not look good. More info when we get it... New York Rangers Cam Talbot has performed brilliantly in net as he starts for the injured Henrik Lundqvist and gives the Rangers some breathing room in making sure the King is ready to return.  Talbot posted a 1-0 shutout of the Calgary Flames who gave the Rangers their all but Talbot came up big stopping all 21 SOG to raise his record to 8-1-2 since taking over.  Don’t fret Lundqvist owners, the King will rightfully return to his throne when he is 100% healthy….With the trade deadline approaching, the Rangers may look to solidify their 3rd and 4th lines but with all cylinders clicking, may not need to make a big move… Cam Ward continues to show that he still has what it takes to be a premier starting goaltender in the NHL by beating the Philadelphia Flyers 4-1 and raising his record to 5-1-0 in last six starts.  Start Ward with confidence as he is playing extremely well…As I mentioned in my SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE, when Jeff Skinner is healthy and gets on a roll, he’s a blessing as witnessed by his second consecutive game with a goal and 5 in his last 7.  Ride him while he’s hot, but get ready because he is injury prone….Philly, in a race for a Wild Card spot, lost a tough one especially, and with Boston losing as well, they missed a golden opportunity to bridge the gap.  They still remain 4 points behind the Bruins… The New York Islanders exploded for 4 goals in the 3rd period to rout the Arizona Coyotes who are plummeting fast in the Western Conference.  Expect a fire sale of Arizona veterans as the trade deadline approaches.  Names like Antoine Vermette, Shane Doan, Keith Yandle perhaps and more…. Although the Buffalo Sabres are at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, they have been playing spirited hockey although the wins haven’t been coming but tonight Goalie Michal Neuvirth was rewarded for his solid play of late with a 4-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets… With Eddie Lack ...

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 ...

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 ...

SHUT THE FRONT DOOR! For most poolies, a top-notch goalie is priority number 1 and so goalkeepers like Pekka Rinne, Tuukka Rask, & Henrik Lundqvist are usually the first three to be taken or are the basis for a lot of dynasty league teams.  The prospect of near-40 wins total, more than a handful of shutouts and some stellar metrics have fantasy players salivating at their potential performances.  Those who are not as fortunate to have such an elite goaltender settle for goalies who play the majority of their team’s games like a Ryan Miller or a Marc-Andre Fleury where they will give you about 35 wins and some good GAA and SP statistics but are light in the shutout column. But sometimes, you catch a lucky break such was the case in 2009-2010 when Brian Elliott, clearly the backup to Jaroslav Halak in St. Louis, had a remarkable season with 9 shutouts in 38 games, a 1.56 GAA and a .940 SP.  So far this season, we have a handful of goaltenders who just might make you do a double-take. We all know about Pittsburgh Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury and how he is a great fantasy goalie during the regular season, but supposedly fades come playoff time despite the fact he has a Stanley Cup ring.  You can pretty much count on 40 wins from this talented netminder but couldn’t rely on him for more than 4 or 5 shutouts. In fact, he posted 5 shutouts twice in his career.  One being last season and the other was way back in 2006-2007.  Fleury has obliterated his career high and now has 8 on the season with about a third of the season remaining.  A career year for sure. Washington Capitals Goalie Braden Holtby was supposed to lead the way for the Caps last season but fell a little flat early on in the season and lost confidence and lost his starting role as the Caps searched for some stability in the crease.  They even went so far as to trade for ‘hot-potato’ Halak.  It’s amazing what a new head coach can do for a goaltender’s confidence especially when it’s a person named Barry Trotz.  It took some time for Holtby to settle in as he struggled early on and it wasn’t until early November that the confidence started to build and he was on his way to a career season.  Taking out his inaugural 14-game NHL season of 2010-2011, Holtby has his best GAA of 2.14 and SP of .925 so far.  He has established himself as the No. 1 in Washington where at one point he started 27 games in a row.  Oh, and before I forget, he has 6 shutouts to go along with those fabulous statistics, eclipsing ...

It appears that St. Louis Blues Vladimir Tarasenko is back on track as he scored his 27th on the season and his third straight game with a goal after going scoreless in 6. What a breakout season for the talented right winger...Jaden Schwartz now has 4 points in 3 February games. He just might be disappointed that February is the shortest month of the year with the rate his month is going...Ever since the turn of the calendar year, Alexander Steen has been on fire.  21 points in 14 games for the New Year has the LWer just about on pace to eclipse last season's career high of 62 points.... The NY Islanders halted their 3-game losing streak by coming back from a 2 goal deficit to defeat the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 in a shootout. Isles G Jaroslav Halak was barely tested throughout the game by facing only 16 shots on goal.... Braden Holtby is loving life playing for Washington Capitals Head Coach Barry Trotz as he turned aside 25 of 26 SOG for his 25th win on the season. He is well on his way to a 40-win career year... Roberto Luongo does it again, giving the Florida Panthers a chance to win the game as they battled to a 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings. Luongo stopped 29 of 31 SOG and is the main reason the Cats are in playoff contention.  Keep riding Bobby Lu!.... The story coming in was Pekka Rinne back in net for Nashville, but the story coming out was Federik Andersen stopping 44 of 46 shots to lead Anaheim to a 5-2 win over the Predators. The youngster righted the ship after allowing eight goals over his last two starts and now has won nine of his last ten games. Start him with extreme confidence.. So much for the sophomore jinx, as Tyler Johnson scored two late goals to help the Lightning hold off Dallas. There were signs of slippage after a slow ten-game stretch but he is back on a point-per-game-pace with 51 points in 51 games.. With Jimmy Howard close to returning, Petr Mrazek kept the Wings "hot" streak alive by posting a 28-save shutout over the Colorado Avalanche. Regardless of whomever is in the Detroit net, they need to be starting in all fantasy formats. Few teams playing better than the Wings lately... The Sharks crushed the Canucks 5-1 behind a streaking Antti Niemi, while Ryan Miller has been regressing lately. Niemi easily over Miller in fantasy moving forward...

*On a thrilling evening in the NHL where no lead was safe, we start with a feisty affair between arch-rivals Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. The game featured many fights and hits, including one by Zac Rinaldo that took out Pen's defenseman Kris Letang out of the game. That injury could be a costly one for fantasy owners but there is no word yet on the severity of his injury. The timing of it all considering the team won't play for another week could end up minimizing actual game-time lost for Letang. As for the match, Claude Giroux ended it deep in overtime with a huge power-play goal and his 51st point in 47 games. Firmly established as one of the NHL's fantasy elite, the center continues to rack up the points along with the league's top point getter in Jakub Voracek and "hot" defenseman Mark Streit. On the Pittsburgh front, the word is that forward Patrick Hornqvist should resume skating within a few days and could be back shortly after the All-Star Break. **The goaltending carousel continues in Minnesota as Devan Dubnyk was yanked in Detroit after allowing 4 goals on 10 shots. Enter year-long starter Darcy Keumper, fresh after injury who stopped the 14 shots only to lose in overtime to the streaking Wings. I am not sure where this leaves the Wild's netminding situation entering the break, but at the very least Kuemper will get a legitimate shot to re-earn his starting position. Dubnyk has played better hockey for most of the season, so this situation bears watching. As for the game itself, Zach Parise's two third-period goals led a furious 3-goal comeback for the Wild, but just fell short. Thomas Vanek also added two points, hinting to signs of both wingers heating up for the second half... Speaking of heating up, Detroit's Gustav Nyquist is already a blazing inferno, registering his fifth two-point effort over his last ten games. This guy should be close to a PPG lock moving forward as his slow start has become a distant memory. ***For one night, all the talk that PK Subban has regressed for fantasy purposes is a bunch of "hogwash" as the prolific defender helped the Habs bounce back from a one-goal deficit by scoring the overtime game-winner. His two-point effort gives him 31 points in 45 games which is the same as ultra-elite Erik Karlsson in Ottawa. The moral of the story- d-men like Subban and Karlsson are rare breeds who can heat up in a hurry and all of a sudden, they are right back to where they belong. Ride both with confidence as the they ...