SMC 10/27/2019 There were some who may have been skeptical about my prediction of the NY Islanders making the playoffs this year, perhaps because of Robin Lehner’s departure to Chicago, but a team led by Barry Trotz will always have more than a decent chance to make the playoffs and I’m sticking to it even though it way early in the season. Carter Hutton, Tuukka Rask and Petr Mrazek lead the NHL with 2 shutouts so far this season. T-Rask I can see, but the other 2?  I know it’s only 2, but they seemed to be locked in for a good season. Ever since I gave up on him just a few short years ago is when he started becoming the offensive defenseman we all thought he was going to be, John Carlson has been one of the top 3 defensemen to own in your fantasy league. He’s actually at the top the leader board in points in the NHL. I’ve expected more out of the Chicago Blackhawks but they did have a weird opening schedule so I’ll give them another 2 weeks to get rolling. Bottom of the league in goals scoring with 20 in 9 games? Pffft! They won’t stay there long with the like of Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat among others. BUY LOW if possible. David Pastrnak has 11 of the Boston bruins’ 29 goals scored this season. And he could have about 15 with a little luck. WOW! Buy lows on Carolina’s Sebastian Aho and Nino Niederreiter as once they get going the cost will be prohibitive. Patrice Bergeron will now be known to me as the Quiet Scorer.  He has 8 points in 10 games and I hardly notice him in the box scores. I thought Andreas Johnsson of the Toronto Maple Leafs was injured in the game last Saturday and was doubtful for the week.  Boy was I wrong.  He had a goal and two assists in 4 games this week. D Tyson Barrie is shooting but not scoring.  When he does, he will probably score in bunches. I think that the Tampa Bay Lightning are saving some of that high-octane force for the playoffs after their early dismissal last season. Roman Josi is the defenseman from Nashville to own in fantasy, but Ryan Ellis is a good #3 or #4 this season. Did you know he has 13 points in 11 games and is tied with team mate Josi for 2nd amongst all NHL defensemen in points so far this season? I don’t think the Predators are missing PK all that much. Did the Blue Jackets implode or what last night against Philadelphia? 5 unanswered goals in the last 10 minutes of the game to lose 7-4. Did the defense go home early? If Sonny Milano, with 5 points in 9 games, is your bright spot then you know ...

SMC-Let's Be Thankful! 11/17/2018 Good day! Grab your coffee and settle in on this dank autumn day. Thankful that we don’t have to worry about an NHL lockout or any of that nonsense that makes our winters unbearable without the thought of ice hockey being played. We have 2 Avs atop the leaderboard in Mikko Rantanen and Nathan MacKinnon sandwiching who will probably win out by the end of the season, Connor McDavid. Patrice Bergeron is still the most under-rated NHL player in both the pro league and fantasy leagues. D Morgan Rielly is the only defenseman in the top ten in scoring now. Never expected to see Max Domi at #10 in scoring after a few disappointing seasons in the desert. Brayden Point leads the Bolts in scoring.  He had a hattie of three PP goals the other night. Amazing! Teams that I thought would be battling for extra lottery balls are contending early on this year for a playoff position. NY Rangers, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators and the Vancouver Canucks. Disappointing teams so far: Pittsburgh Penguins.  Matt Murray has been such a fantasy disappointment the past few years.  But lights out in the playoffs. More teams include the Florida Panthers who shouldn’t count on another late season run like last season. Then there is the St. Louis blues who stacked their team in the off-season to be a true contender for the Stanley Cup.  Not working out so far. Can Jaden Schwartz ever stay healthy? And how is that Ilya Kovalchuk signing working out for LA?  Surely the Jonathan Quick injury didn’t help.  Perhaps a second half run is in the cards.  Or should I have saved that line for the Vegas Golden Knights? The San Jose Sharks are atop the Pacific Division, but it doesn’t seem like they have really done much so far.  Except for Timo Meier who has cooled down a bit. A big disappointment this year must be the Chicago Blackhawks who many thought would be a huge rebound team this year.  It still can happen though now that Corey Crawford is back manning the net. Detroit Red Wing Michael Rasmussen has scored in 3 straight games but doesn’t warrant a huge role on your fantasy team because his time on the ice is limited.  Good prospect though. Cam Atkinson with the Saturday hat trick.  Hats off! Is Dave Rittich for real?  The Calgary Flames may be banking on it. Henrik Lundqvist won the veteran goalie contest last night over Roberto Luongo. Buy low candidates: Pierre-Luc DuBois, Sebastian Aho, Patric Hornqvist, any LA king especially Anze Kopitar. Too ...