SMC 3/5/2017 SEASON DWINDLING DOWN Got my cup of coffee and ready to write on this extremely cold day in NYC! The trade deadline came and went and in my honest opinion, it wasn’t as exciting as some past ones.  Okay, the Shattenkirk one was a doozy, but only for the Washington Capitals, who just got even stronger. Mark Streit doing the East Coast shuffle from Philly to Tampa to Pittsburgh. Bishop to LA was interesting to say the least. The Deadline didn’t impress me, and I love trades.  I’m an equities trader in my other life outside of hockey. 5 weeks left in the NHL regular season.  Where does the time go? With a goalie like Tuukka Rask, I can see the Boston Bruins going far in the playoffs. The Devils would have made the playoffs if they had the 80-point Hall and not the 60-point version. After such a slow start, December and January have been very good months for Patrice Bergeron.  He was my favorite buy-low candidate at that time.  Too bad I owned him. Even though it looked like the Tampa Bay Lightning were sellers at the trade deadline, they still have a shot at making the playoffs.  Crazy I know. Gotta give credit to the Columbus Blue Jackets for not letting up as the season wore on. You would think that eh Dallas Stars would be locks to make the playoffs with offensive weapons such as Benn, Seguin and Spezza.  Montreal pasted a lifeless NY Rangers team on Saturday.  Are the Rangers on cruise control at the moment? The Winnipeg Jets seemed to be refueled and generating some high-octane offense of late. Dusty Buf has picked up his game after a rough stretch. Steve Mason will drive you nuts as a fantasy owner.  He looks horrible for a spell then looks absolutely unbeatable after. Gostisbehere has got to be the man guy now that Streit is plying his wares across the state. Ovechkin with only 1 SOG in that Philly game.  And last week he had a game with 0 SOG.  Now that Trump is in Washington, maybe he will tweet that there is some sort of espionage going on and that this is not the real OV. It’s that time of the year when the Chicago Blackhawks start to get serious.  I think Minnesota has found that out. Artemi Panarin is having another solid season with 58 points in 65 games but you would never know because he isn’t this year’s NHL Flavor. This will be the year the Red Wings miss the playoffs for the first time in forever, but their future looks b right with Mantha, Larkin and company growing.SEA Vancouver came out strong and struck quickly and ...

Steve Mason blanked the Avalanche and secured 33 saves. Who joined him in the perfect lineup?

NHL IN 30/2016: PART 5 (OTT, PHI, PIT, STL, SJ) OTTAWA I think you are going to see a more high-powered offensive game coming out of Ottawa this season with Mark Stone, Mike Hoffman, Bobby Ryan and the rest of the forwards lighting up the lamp quite frequently.  And when you have the game’s most explosive defenseman joining in on the offense, the Senators will be a handful for any team.  It just may all come down to which Craig Anderson they will get in goal.  Will it be the game-changing, highlight reel Anderson, or the mediocre Anderson who has been disappointing from time to time. PLAYOFFS: I WOULD LIKE TO SAY YES, BUT NO   PHILADELPHIA The Flyers roster remained status quo throughout the off-season without any real additions or subtractions so it may be a good thing as the team ran off a late charge last season and into the playoffs only to lose to the Washington Capitals in six games.  The big boys will have to be the key cogs once again with Shayne Gostibehere, last year’s sensational rookie defenseman, supplying the offense.  But in the tight Metropolitan Division, they will need the goaltending duo of Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth to backstop the team into the playoffs. PLAYOFFS: MAYBE WIH SOME LUCK   PITTSBURGH When you win the Stanley Cup the way the Penguins did last year, one would be hard-pressed to not say yes to return engagement to the playoffs.  Some writers, myself included, had the Penguins missing the playoffs and if it were not for the hot play of rookie goaltender, Matt Murray, the Pens might have been in a slight rebuilding stage this past off-season.  They have Sid the Kid, Geno, Kessel and Hornqvist to lead the offense and Letang on the backend but Murray will be tending to a minor injury and miss several weeks at the beginning of the season, but they still have the Flower, Marc-Andre Fleury, so they should form a solid duo in net and that should be enough to get them back for another run at Lord Stanley’s Cup. PLAYOFFS: YES   ST. LOUIS They have been perennial regular season masters but when it comes playoff time, they seem to not have enough left in the tank to get very far.  That was until last year when they fell to San Jose in the Conference Finals. So playoff progress has been made but will have to do it without the likes of David Backes, who left via free agency.  The team does not lack offense that’s for sure when you have Tarasenko, Schwartz, and Steen among others leading the way and when you have the type of ...

SMC 3-7-2016 Counting down the weeks!  No worries, we have plenty of coffee to keep us going! Some of you are already into your fantasy league playoffs and I wish you all well.  And then there are those that are battling in their points-only league & rotisserie leagues.  Good luck as well. The Florida Panthers have been on a little bit of a fade but having so much young talent on the squad, the long haul of an NHL season takes its toll. The other Florida team, the Tampa Bay Lightning, are starting to bring it as Stamkos and Johnson are heating up the score sheets of late.  Oh, and Ryan Callahan as well.  Time to get those Bolts in your lineup. You just kinda knew that trading away Andrew Ladd would give Mark Scheifele all the opportunity to show what an NHL stud he can be, and he’s proving it.  A hattie on Saturday night.  Niiiiice! Another team heating up is the San Jose Sharks with the Two Joes, Thornton & Pavelski, along with Brent Burns are carrying the offensive load of late. Another duo that’s been scorching of late are the Nashville Predators Craig Smith and Filip Forsberg. I have been waiting for Smith to display this kind of talent for almost 2 years.  He can help some fantasy team in need of offense. On Defense, the Capitals Matt Niskanen looks like he is heating up for the playoffs with 2 goals and an assist in past 5 games.  He is shooting more with 9 SOG in that same time frame. The Buffalo Sabres are playing tough but they still need a few years together I think. Pittsburgh lost to Calgary in what was definitely a trap game after games against the Rangers and Capitals. Sidney Crosby had both goals in the 4-2 loss to the Flames.  Crosby is on fire of late with 7 points in past 4 games. Pekka Rinne is rounding into top form and the Predators are red hot going 7-0-3 in past ten. It was definitely a Battle In LA yesterday with the Ducks prevailing 3-2.  A lot of fights 7 minutes into the game and then it settled into old-fashioned hockey the rest of the way. Drew Doughty with a PP goal continues to show why he is Norris-worthy. Evgeny Kuznetsov with 7 SOG and nothing to show for it.  He’s good, so grab him early next year.  Ovechkin had 5, if you were curious. Toronto is really going young the rest of the way.  Except for the law firm of Hunwick & Laich, lol. Steve Mason comes back strong with a 6-0 blanking of the Columbus Blue Jackets, showing his old team what they are missing. Radko Gudas had 2 goals and 2 assists giving him 2 goals and 2 ...

BTP: NOW THE TIME IS RIGHT FOR…… Steve Mason to take control of the Flyer’s crease with Michal Neuvirth out with injury.  Neuvirth was a godsend early on in the season when Mason couldn’t seem to get his footing down.  Mason has started the last 3 and has gone 2-0-1 with the Flyers power play becoming a force to be reckoned with.  We all know that Mason has the ability to be Vezina-like in net and that is what Philadelphia is hoping for down the stretch so as not to miss the playoffs again.  Look for a stellar second half from the former Rookie of the Year. Roberto Luongo to shift into high gear and get his Florida Panthers back to the playoffs.  With the team missing the playoffs the past three seasons, it looks like this squad is playing team hockey and will gain some valuable experience as GM Dale Tallon has built a strong team just like he did in Chicago.   Expect Luongo to play 3 out of every 4 games as Al Montoya has proven to be a more than capable backup going 8-2-1 with a 1.93 GAA and a .931 SP. Antti Niemi to show the NHL once again that he is capable of carrying a team to the Stanley Cup finals like he did in Chicago.  Just like in Chicago, Niemi has plenty of support with Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin at #2 and #3 in the scoring race behind a torrid Patrick Kane.  Niemi has started the last 5 games and has gone 4-1-0 and it looks like Head Coach Lindy Ruff is going with the hot hand in Niemi so start the ex-San Jose Shark with confidence right now as Kari Lehtonen has just started just 4 of the past 15 games and losing 3 of those. Ben Bishop to be that wall the Tampa Bay Lightning saw in the Stanley Cup playoffs last season.  You just knew that the Bolts would get that high-powered offense on track sooner or later and the team has responded of late winning 10 of the past 11 with Bishop going 6-1-0.  BB has given up 1 goal in three of those starts and a shutout in another.  You can say that bishop is in the zone now so leave him in your starting lineup. Jaroslav Halak to bring his A game with the New York Islanders in a battle for a playoff spot in the highly competitive Metropolitan Division.  Halak hasn’t been that guy the past two games giving up 3 and 4 goals but if the Islanders look to expand on last year’s playoff experience, they will need Halak to find that magic he has displayed so often.  Halak has been inconsistent at best this season but there is no time like the present to shake that off and ride the magic bus to the playoffs. Cam...

Look for a BETWEEN THE PIPES article every week on PrimePucks! BTP: KEEPING THE FAITH There is nothing more frustrating than one of the top players you selected in your fantasy pool gets off to a slow start, and that especially holds true if that player is a goaltender.  Top goaltenders are consistent point-getters as they usually get close to 40 wins and have good metrics along with pitching in a few shutouts along the way.  But what happens when your #1 goalkeeper gets off to a slow start? Let’s take a look at a few NHL goaltenders that have done just that; gotten off to a slow start. FREDERIK ANDERSEN: ANAHEIM DUCKS – Everyone’s pick to win not only the Western Conference but the Stanley Cup as well, the Anaheim Ducks have gotten off to such a slow start winning just 1 game in their first 6.  Usually a team’s slow start could be attributed to poor defense or a shaky goaltender.  Well, that is not the case with the Ducks as their #1 goaltender Frederik Andersen has been nothing short of spectacular so far in the early going.  Sporting a 0-2-1 record, Andersen has seen backup Anton Khudobin steal a few starts as the team won their first game with Khudobin in the crease.  However, Andersen has incredible metrics with a 1.56 GAA and a .947 SP.  For those who own the Great Dane net minder, keep him in your starting lineup as the wins will start to come in bunches as the team gets their offense into 2nd gear.  For those who are need of a true number 1 goalie, perhaps this is a good time to grab a starting goalie from a team that is supposed to compete for the Stanley Cup from a disgruntled fantasy owner.  Don’t wait until it’s too late because you know the Ducks will start winning.   SERGEI BOBROVSKY: COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS – When you are as high on a team as we are with the Columbus Blue Jackets and the team is supposed to highly competitive, is a huge disappointment that the team gets off to a 0-8-0 start and they fire their head coach after 7 games to start the season.  The team now has to get accustomed to the new head coach and his style while trying to keep themselves relevant and get back into the playoff hunt.  Funny to say that only after 8 games, but the Jackets can’t dig themselves any deeper. IF any team can rebound from such a poor start it is the Columbus Blue Jackets who had to overcome numerous injuries to key players last season and had a tremendous run in the second half only to come up short as they ran out of season. I know Bobrovsky has...

PHILADELPHIA It was hard to believe that the Philadelphia Flyers did not make the playoffs last season after the incredible season Jakub Voracek enjoyed amassing 81 points in a career year.  And you couldn’t place blame on goaltender Steve Mason who enjoyed one of his better overall seasons in bet with a 2.25 GAA and A .928 SP, which were actually better than his rookie season in Columbus when he was nominated for the Vezina trophy eventually awarded to Tim Thomas.  Part of the blame could be on Claude Giroux who had just a so-so season with 71 points.  Giroux needs to be his dominating self and post in the 90-point range for this team to be successful.  Even a patchwork defense held their own with young journeyman defenseman Michael Del Zotto and veteran Mark Streit finding their offensive games again.  So what was the reason behind such an average season?  Perhaps it was that the team just didn’t mesh with Head Coach Craig Berube.  Well, Berube is gone now and stepping into his shoes is a rookie head coach in Dave Hakstol, who implements a similar style but perhaps with a little more emphasis on speed and quicker transition.  GOALIES When a team misses the playoffs, a lot of the blame gets placed on the goaltender.  Mason had struggles early in his career after a spectacular rookie season under Ken Hitchcock in Columbus but faltered quickly in his sophomore year and just couldn’t find that magic again.  After a few average seasons as a Blue Jacket, the Flyers traded for Mason, giving up their own struggling net minder in Sergei Bobrovsky.  Mason regained his confidence with a 4-2-0 record and a 1.90 GAA and a .944 SP in his brief stretch at the end of the 2012-2013 season after being acquired.  His metrics as a Philadelphia goaltender are   2012-2015         GP       GAA     W         L          T          SP Steve Mason     119       2.36     55        38         18         .923 So you can see his numbers are a bit above average for a goaltender and if the Flyers can get that type of performance again and the team tightens up and wins more of their fair share of 1-goal games that they lost early last season, better times await.  Michal Neuvirth was brought in to back up Mason, getting a little younger in that department by letting Ray Emery walk.  Neuvirth is another underrated goaltender who does well with stopping high-percentage shots down low and will be capable to fill in if and when Mason goes down to injury.  Don't let Mason slip too far as ...

Toronto and Philly playing spoiler; Caps are in: Plenty of spoiler alerts to go around as the Philadelphia Flyers handed the Pittsburgh Penguins a costly loss, winning 4-1 for their eighth straight time against them. Goalie Steve Mason was a monster in goal, saving 49 of 50 shots. The Penguin's  offense has struggled, but start your key Pens for the final week as all three games will matter and help determine their playoff fate. Evgeni Malkin has returned from injury, so he looks good to go.. Ottawa had a chance to pull within one of the Detroit Red Wings for the last playoff spot with a victory, but could only manage one point in the shootout loss against Toronto. Keep Andrew Hammond in your fantasy crease, as he will likely make all the starts in what amounts to a "win every game" scenario to have a shot for the playoffs. Read today's ADD'EM as we focus on which Ottawa forwards you should consider starting for the final stretch run... Washington clinched a playoff berth after beating the Detroit Red Wings 2-1 and Ottawa losing to the Leafs. Get your key Wings in your fantasy lineups while keep in mind that some key Caps could be rested for a game as they are oficially in the postseason... Jake Allen played a heck of a game as the St. Louis Blues held off Chicago 2-1. Impressive considering no Vladimir Tarasenko or Alex Steen, but fantasy owners need to check their status before considering starting them for the final week. Iffy proposition at best...

Tavares stars again; Dubnyk can't lose; Stamkos heating up; and more: The Philadelphia Flyers got a much-needed win against a tough St. Louis Blues as they try to climb up into that last wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.  Having goalie Steve Mason back in net surely will help the Flyers cause as he turned aside 28 of 29 shots on goal.  It looks like a four team race for the last spot with Ottawa and Florida all in the hunt for the spot occupied by the Boston Bruins at the moment…. Devan Dubnyk continues on a most unlikely run as he improved to 17-3-2 as the starting Minnesota Wild goalie.  Even in his losses he has played brilliantly.  Last year’s version is long forgotten but probably not in Edmonton…Jason Pominville provided all the offense DD would need as the Wild beat the Ovechkin-less Washington Capitals 2-1. Ovechkin was out with a lower-body injury but look for him to be back in the lineup in the next game…..Zach Parise assisted on both Pommer goals and should be in your starting lineup as he has the talent to get on a run in a hurry…. Boston gained a much needed point as they lost 4-3 in a shootout to the Calgary Flames who are having a fine season as they are in the playoff hunt in the Western Conference.  Flames goalie Karri Ramo has now won 3 of his last five starts and his numbers are impressive during that streak with a 1.80 GAA and a .947 SP.  If available, he could help your fantasy squad as the Flames are riding his hot play….   With Florida down to their third goalie, the Dallas Stars prevailed in the 4-3 shootout win. Kari Lehtonen was yanked early after another inconsistent effort leading to Jhonas Enroth's first win as a Star. The Dallas fantasy goalie situation has been in flux all season, mostly due to Lehtonen's wildly erratic play. Never know what you are getting... Easy game for the Bolt's as Steven Stamkos led the offense with two helpers in the 4-2 victory over the hapless Maple Leafs. Super "Stammer" has come to life after a mid-season slump, holding a current four-game point streak (4G/2A) and having collected 15 points over the last 15 games. Seems like a down year, but he should be 'cooking' down the stretch... The Nashville Predators keep sliding with their fourth straight loss, this time at the hands of the Islanders. John Tavares collected a goal and an assist on the night, improving to an NHL-leading 67 points. Most of us expected a slight drop-off after the Kyle Okposo injury, but JT has actually improved 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 ...