SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE: BACK TO 2019! primepucks.com Sun 2/10/19 2:46 PM

SMC 2/10/2019 WE NOW RESUME OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED PROGRAMMING My apologies for not writing for a while but hope to be back on a weekly basis until the end of the regular season.  Don’t worry, I have my coffee. It’s a race to the playoffs now that the ASG game is over and done with.  The games should be hotly contested for those battling for the last few spots. For the defensive minded teams, it’s a good time to try and grab their goalies for your fantasy squad as they tighten up their defense approaching the playoffs. Nashville and Las Vegas have the least games remaining with 24 and 25 respectively. Some teams in difficult position on deciding to make a playoff run or ‘lose for Hughes’. St. Louis is making a run by going 7-2-1 in last ten and are one of the 3 teams with the most games remaining with 28.  They have games in hand to catch the teams ahead of them. Hottest Blues in February---Tarasenko with 6 and Schenn also with 6 points in 4 games.  O’Reilly has been consistent all year and has 3 points in 4 February games. The best line in NHL was the Colorado line of Landeskog-MacKinnon-Rantanen.  But that was the first half.  The best line going forward is probably Pastrnak-Bergeron-Marchand. Surprise team of this season is the NY Islanders.  Coach Trotz and the coaching staff have solidified the goaltending and the offense is coming around nicely after a slow start. Ryan Pulock might be the best D-man the rest of the season.  6 points in 5 February games. Devils missed Cory Schneider, but they really miss Taylor Hall.  Ducks have been roasted since the beginning of 2019.  Not even that old Ducker Corey Perry will save them. Anders Nilsson is making a name for himself to be the Ottawa Senators starting goaltender for next season.  He only has won 6 of his last 8 starts while Craig Anderson, probably heading out by the trade deadline, has lost all four of his starts since returning from injury. Can the Florida Panthers get hot enough like they did the second half of last year and just fall short of the playoffs again?  History repeats.  Growing pains. When you have Carey Price in net I guess you shouldn’t count the Canadiens out. Not sure if Zibanejad can keep up this pace, especially since his line mate Zuccarello will get traded in a few weeks.  Can’t stay that hot anyway.  SELL HIGH! Zuccarello on the other hand will continue to produce since he should be traded to a contender battling for the playoffs.  Incentive remains. There are quite a few ...

NHL Daily Fantasy Helper: Monday 2/6/17 numberfire.com Mon 2/6/17 3:10 PM

Taylor Hall is coming off a big performance and finds himself in a great spot tonight. Which other NHL players are worth targeting for Monday's DFS slate?

SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE: COFFEE TALK! FEBRUARY 5, 2017 primepucks.com Sun 2/5/17 9:54 AM

SMC 2/5/2017 COFFEE TALK Good morning!  Warming up my hands to a piping hot cup o’ joe! The Caps are rolling right along and there is no stopping this locomotive. Nicklas Backstrom doesn’t always get the credit he deserves.  It feels like he’s been around forever and he’s only 29. Alex Radulov has been a much better fit than I originally thought. Jay Beagle and Alex Ovechkin led the Caps in shots against Montreal on Saturday.  It was a dog day afternoon. The LA-Philly game was a real 1-0 pitcher’s duel.  For an afternoon matinee, I was hoping for some more action. Shayne Gostibehere, aka The Ghost, has really been a bit invisible after last year’s outstanding production. Wow, Colorado won a game this week! So much talk lately of the Avalanche dismantling their team but they have so much good young talent that just hasn’t blossomed yet.  But I guess you can’t wait to long for things to develop. The Maple Leafs are going to make a run for the playoffs and getting any of those top forwards on your fantasy squad will do wonders except for in the plus/minus category.  Willie Nyllie with the hattie against the B’s!  Congrats! Just to show how good Patrice Bergeron is…he comes back after suffering an LBI and puts up 7 SOG, scores a goal and assists on two others and they still lose the game.  How much more can this guy do? Oh, and after a horrendous start to his season, B’s d-man Torey Krug has been on fire lately.  He also had 7 SOG.  And David Pastrnak (2G, A)….breakout season, which PP called by the way.  Along with some other forecasters I suppose. Buffalo shut out Ottawa?  The Sens must’ve have been sightseeing at Niagara Falls. Tampa Bay is in last place of the Eastern Conference?  Is that even possible with all that talent?  I mean, they were thisclose to winning the Stanley Cup just a few short years ago. Two teams desperate to stay in the playoff race, Carolina and Islanders, had a real hard-fought battle on Saturday that saw the Canes get the extra point in OT. I think every team has a shot still to make the playoffs except for the Avs and the Arizona Coyotes. Every Islander had a SOG in that contest. Some of the luster has fallen off the Columbus Blue Jackets hot start to the season, now 4-5-1 in last 10 games, but they are still battling hard every game. Taylor Hall wins the Saturday SOG contest with 8. Kris Letang means so much to that Pittsburgh team.  As much as Crosby I’d say. What’s happening with the St. Louis Blues this season?  So unlike ...

3 Daily Fantasy Hockey Stacks for 2/3/17 numberfire.com Fri 2/3/17 4:26 PM

Taylor Hall and the Devils have a sneaky good home matchup against the Flames tonight. Who else should you stack in NHL DFS tournaments?

ADDEM: QUICK THOUGHTS primepucks.com Mon 12/5/16 6:55 AM

First of all, Jack EIchel is the real deal. Grab his inemates if available. Sam Reinhart or Evander Kane anyone?The Sabres have a top-six set of forwards worthy of rostering in all formats  Eichel's return will do wonders for that offense...Corey Crawford owners don't despair. You still got Scott Darling.  Use him in the interim.  Btw, if Chad Johnson or Peter Budaj are still out there and you need goalie help, you clearly have not done your homework...Am loving the situation in Jersey. Taylor Hall is back but will Michael Cammalleri cool down? From the looks of their OT win in Nashville, that duo can be prolific together.  Take a chance on Cammy. Only injuries to worry about. Had 38 points in 42 games last year.... Bad news for the Minnesota Wild? The top line has been floundering. The good news? Former top pivot Mikki Koivu has found his scoring with six points over the last 6 games.  Short-term option based on worrisome durability history..

SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE: RELEVANT!....DECEMBER 4, 2016 primepucks.com Sun 12/4/16 10:07 AM

SMC 12/4/2016   RELEVANT I hope everyone had a good week… A full week of work is always tough to get back into the swing of things. If he knows it or not, Chris Kreider is going to be a huge part of the Rangers offense and how they perform this year. Patrice Bergeron is just too good to be only having 7 points in 22 games.  I expect his production to increase starting in the near future. Philly beat Chicago!   Ivan Provorov to the rescue with 2 goals.  Richard Panik sure has slowed down a bit since his early season explosion out of the gate. Taylor Hall with 3 points last night against Nashville just shows you how important he is to the Devils offense.  Weird saying Hall and Devils offense in the same sentence still. This Michael Cammalleri is hotter than a pistol at the moment with the run he is on since returning to the lineup.  Ride him while he’s hot! Travis Zajac as well while we are on the subject of red-hot Devils. One thing fantasy owners must hate about Ryan Johansen is the intermittent offensive display around periods of invisibility.  Our prayers go out to Craig Anderson and his wife in this trying time. I really like Kyle Turris, I just wish he would put up more points consistently. I’m telling you that Washington is just going to play hard enough to reach the playoffs then make a good run for the Cup. One day Jonathan Drouin is going to start producing like a superstar.  I hope that day comes soon for his, and Tampa Bay’s, sake. Anthony Mantha is playing a pretty good NHL game at the moment. With everyone getting healthy in Pittsburgh, it seems like D-man Justin Schultz is stringing together some points lately.  He’s got 4 points in past 3 games. Alex Steen is back in the Blues lineup and making an immediate impact. As is Winnipeg’s Btyan Little. Rumors floating around of JVR being traded?  Unless they get a great return, why do it? And with the first overall pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, here are the Colorado Avalanche.  Maybe. Just when you thought the Islanders couldn’t win to save their lives, they go out and beat Pittsburgh and Washington after edging out Calgary to make it 3 wins in a row.  That bides a little time for Capuano. Columbus is going to ruin someone’s plans on making the playoffs this year. I still don’t know why Jack Capuano is still behind the bench in Brooklyn. The Ranges will be playing 8 of their next 13 games for December on the road.   This will be telling. Connor McDavid, WOW!  He is kicking ass!  Even if he ...

SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE: SOME CHANGE IS GOOD! NOVEMBER 6, 2016 primepucks.com Sun 11/6/16 9:36 AM

SMC 11-6-2016  SOME CHANGE IS GOOD! This could be the time to pick up Carl Hagelin of the Pittsburgh Penguins as he had 3 assists last night 2 of those on Crosby goals.  He may not get much PP time, if any, but he can skate and with Sid the Kid feeding him, can anyone spell B-R-E-A-K-O-U-T? Al Montoya smacked up for 10 goals the other night.  YEEESH!  And it was the Columbus Blue Jackets scoring those10 goals.  Haven’t seen 10 goals scored by 1 team in a looooong time.  Reminds me of the old-old days when the Rangers played the Minnesota North Stars and the games would be 10-2, 1-3, etc. Saturday matinee was a bit of a snoozer as Colorado beat Minnesota, no not the North Stars, 1-0 behind Calvin Pickard’s 32 save shutout.  AS my buddy Steve said in the Fantasy Guide, Varlamov may start out the season as the Avs #1, but Pickard will wrestle that from him come mid-season. The NY Rangers with another 5-goal game.  They are exciting to watch this year.  And no one gave them a chance this year, but it’s early still.  But they are getting contributions from everybody, I mean everybody. Looks like Boston’s Patrice Bergeron is in form now after missing the first few games of the season. Look out Auston Matthews!  It certainly looks like Mitch Marner is getting more and more comfortable and just might surpass you for the team scoring lead next game. Hey!  The Vancouver Maple Leafs finally scored last night after being shutout in 4 of their previous 5 games. I had to look twice at the date when I saw that Devin Setoguchi had a hat trick the other night.  There were a couple of goalie fights on Saturday night.  Well one goalie vs. goalie and another with Dubnyk fighting Landeskog who got the game-winner.  Sweet revenge.  Elton John was right!  Saturday night is alright for fighting. Montreal let in 14 goals in back-to-back games giving the NY Rangers the best goal differential by far in the NHL with +23.  Next is Chicago with a +10. No sophomore jinx for Shayne Gostibehere that’s for sure.  And what a turnaround for team mate mark Streit.  The young and the old can play and contribute.  The PrimePucks™ Fantasy guide had Streit for 10 goals and48 points.  Some might have thought that generous, but with a line of 3-6-9 in 13 games, we like our chances. Buffalo is 5-3-2 in last ten.   Imagine when Jack Eichel returns to the lineup? Our prayers are with Craig Anderson and his wife and their families.  Having been stricken with cancer myself and also my daughter, I ...

SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE: THE NEW ERA HAS BEGUN! OCTOBER 30, 2016 primepucks.com Sun 10/30/16 1:05 PM

SMC 10-30-2016 THE NEW ERA HAS BEGUN! 8 shutouts yesterday in the NHL with Devan Dubnyk getting his third one in a row. Wild, isn’t it? If you were to tell me that the Edmonton Oilers would be this good, this early in the season, I would’ve said you were crazy.  I mean first place and 7-1-0? I mean Cam Talbot is already surpassing any and all expectations that fantasy poolers had in him. But low on any Dallas Stars players as they are hit with the injury bug but you know they will score in bunches when everyone is back in the lineup. John Carlson?  Does he know the regular season has started? Montreal looks invincible with Shea Weber back there in front of Carey Price.  And Alexander Radulov is no slouch either. All the talk has been on Auston Matthews but these other kids Mitch Marner and William Nylander look real good also.  Glad I have two of them on my dynasty team. T-Rask returns and stonewalls Jimmy Howard and the Detroit Red Wings 1-0 at the Joe least night.  That’s how you gotta beat Howard this year; 1-0 or 2-1. The Devils beat Tampa bay 3-1 last night but I know, I know, that they were looking ahead to today’s tilt vs. the New York Rangers.  That is the match to watch tonight. The Devils actually won without Taylor Hall scoring a single point.  The Lightning got a point from Brayden Point.  What’s the point of this comment?  I don’t know.  I guess it was pointless, like Taylor Hall last night. The Battle of Pennsylvania was a barn burner with the Pens mightier than the Flyers by a score of 5-4. I’m a little late but Jakub Voracek is heating up. Mark Streit is trying to remain relevant even with Shayne Gostibehere there. Blues Jake Allen was absolutely brilliant last night versus LA.  So was Peter Budaj in a 1-0 road loss. Rumors of Jaroslav Halak to the Kings just might be good for both teams as the Isles could get some talented youth and the Kings can make it a season until Quick gets back. Part of me wants to see the Arizona Coyotes do well, but seeing their lineup of young talent, it’s gonna take a while to see the improvements. Ovechkin was tied with 2 others for the team lead in SOG last night versus Vancouver.  Very rare that he isn’t the shot leader by a large margin.  The leader in total shots for the game?  Vancouver d-man Troy Stecher with 5.  Come on OV!  You let this no-name, rookie defenseman beat you out in SOG? Let’s see if the Bishop can beat the King once again. McDavid is #1 in points scored and Matthews #3, tied with ...

SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE: SURPRISE! SURPRISE! OCTOBER 23, 2016 primepucks.com Sun 10/23/16 10:20 AM

SMC 10-23-2016 I think that we should just the Hart Trophy to Carey Price right now.  You can see how much he means to this team. After just two weeks, the NHL Standings are rounding into shape just the way pretty much everyone thought they would look like except that Edmonton is off to a 4-1-0 start. Oh and Vancouver at 4-0-1 is another one that has me scratching my head.  Aren’t they supposed to be just a so-so team this season? I guess Anaheim doesn’t believe in fast starts.  It’s not how you start but how you finish is what I always say. Is anyone else waiting for the Dallas Stars offense to explode? Los Angeles better stock up on backup goaltenders this year as they are going through goaltending like water. NY Rangers’ Jimmy Vesey has really impressed me so far with his poise and confidence just two weeks into his NHL career. I wouldn’t be surprised if Brent Burns actually led the league in scoring this year.  He’s that kind of Beast! I know he hasn’t scored 4 goals in a game since opening night, but Auston Matthews is right up there with 8 points in 5 games.  And who does Richard Panik believe he is leading the league in goal scoring? Matt Read has resurrected his scoring ways this season. A lot of interesting names atop the leader board in points so far this season.  Thomas Vanek and Artem Anisimov are in the top 10 along with a bunch of young studs like Matthews, Connor McDavid and David Pastrnak. Gustav Nyquist is going to have a nice rebound year. Jonathan Marchessault has found a home in southern Florida as opposed to Western Florida where they didn’t have room for him to show off his offensive skills. Speaking of resurrections and rebounds, Jimmy Howard seems to be a man on a mission with a miniscule 0.50 GAA and a .984 SP.  Wow!  He shut out the Sharks las t night 3-0. It’s going to be fun to watch teams like the Lightning, Capitals, Canadiens, Rangers and Penguins battle this year.  You just might want to add Boston and Florida in that group as well.  Any one of those teams can go to the Cup Finals. Devils 2-1 winners over the Wild.  Didn’t expect anything more, or less! The Maple Leafs might be getting a complex about squandering leads and losing games late. The Rangers look impressive this year with their speed and tenacity.  Tampa Bay is 4-1-0 and I don’t think they are even hitting on all cylinders yet.  Scary! Both Montreal and New Jersey have only given up 9 goals in 5 games.  The big difference?  Montreal has 20 goals scored for and...

SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE: DECEMBER 20, 2015 primepucks.com Sun 12/20/15 6:52 PM

SMC 12-20-2015 A good hot cup of coffee to get the sleep out of one’s eyes and the chill out of the air! Colonel Klinkhammer made a cameo then went to the infirmary.  I appreciate the effort mein commandant! Jonathan Bernier making it a statement game against the LA Kings with a 5-0 shutout.  It will be interesting to see when James Reimer gets back in action. Sabres played the Blackhawks tough going to a shootout before losing 3-2.  It seems like the Hawks should never lose with the way Patrick Kane is going this season. The Calgary Flames have been playing great of late by winning 7 in a row before losing to the St. Louis blues 3-2 on Saturday.  They beat some good teams in that streak too. In case you haven’t noticed, Vladimir Tarasenko has woken up something fierce with 9 points in 5 games.  He has a 5-game goal-scoring streak! The Rangers were good to get off to a solid start to begin the season because they have looked like garbage the past 12 games or so. Over the last 10 games the Rangers aren’t the worst NHL team at 3-5-2.  The Montreal Canadiens are a bit worse at 2-7-1 but they aren’t playing with Carey Price in net where the Rangers have Henrik Lundqvist playing. I know the Anaheim Ducks are in last place in the entire Western Conference, but did you know that they are only 3 points behind 3rd place in the Pacific Division? That Pacific Division is going to be a dogfight until the end. Pittsburgh is fading. They have changed the coach already.  Some players will be the next to part ways. Carolina’s Jeff Skinner was on a torrid scoring pace of late but didn’t register a point on Saturday against The Pens.  He didn’t even get a shot on goal.  Hot or cold.  Or injured. That’s Skinner’s M-O. What is going to happen with Columbus’ Ryan Johansen?  He’s safe for the holidays.  Or is he? Patrick Sharp was cold for a while but Saturday’s game just might be the beginning of a hot spell for the streaky winger. Pekka Rinne finally got a win after 3 straight losses, and losing 6 of last 7.  So unlike Rinne to go into a long dry spell. I guess it’s time to start taking Arizona a bit more seriously.  I mean we are almost at Christmas time and they are playing solid hockey and sit in a playoff spot. In an Edmonton-Colorado matchup, you would expect a lot of scoring.  Well, Saturday night saw Colorado live up to their end of the commitment with a 5-1 victory. Taylor Hall did have 8 SOG in the loss so you know he was playing at a high level. You just have to ...