THE ELITE 3 (The top three fantasy players to own in any position) 1. Ryan Getzlaf C, Anaheim   2. Corey Perry RW, Anaheim 3. Jonathan Quick G, Los Angeles GREAT BET TO REBOUND (Three players who are solid bounce-back candidates in 14-15') 1. Ryan Kesler C, Anaheim   2. Daniel Sedin LW, Vancouver 3. Mike Green D, Washington HERE THEY COME.. (Three players who should be breaking out with career seasons) 1. Logan Couture C, San Jose 2. Cam Fowler D, Anaheim 3. Taylor Hall LW, Edmonton SLEEPER ALERT (Three players who should be late-round fantasy draft bargains) 1. Sean Monahan C, Calgary   2. Sami Vatanen D, Anaheim   3. Mikkel Boedker LW, Arizona BUYER BEWARE (Three players who will be overvalued in most fantasy leagues) 1. Sam Gagner C, Arizona   2. Jonas Hiller G, Calgary   3. Marian Gaborik RW, Los Angeles

While Marc-Andre Fleury was undoubtedly the fantasy star of Pittsburgh's 3-2 road win in Colorado with 39 saves, an important side story for owners was that both Sidney Crosby and Chris Kunitz were scratches. Like Boston, the Pens don't have much to play for and will pull out all the stops to enter the playoffs on a healthy note. This truly means that any fantasy owners starting any key Pittsburgh players will be doing so at their own risk. Defenseman Paul Martin could be the possible exception, considering he is working his way back through an injury. In the case of Edmonton, their young players have been performing very well even though the team has been out of playoff contention for seemingly forever. With three home games in the final week, fantasy owners should consider starting their key Oilers. Last night, Taylor Hall collected a goal and 2 assists, giving him 77 points in 72 games on the season. With 9 points in his last 5 games, the youngster is a must-start this week. The same should hold true for Jordan Eberle who has disappointed for much of the campaign but has come back strong lately. He chipped in with a goal and an assist, raising his totals to 8 points in the last 5 games. It's unbelievable that the underachieving Eberle will have a crack at the 70-point mark if he could end the season with 6 points in the last 3 games. I would also like to mention arguably the biggest underachiever of Edmonton's talented young nucleus, d-man Justin Schultz, who scored a goal and an assist, giving him 32 points in 70 games despite being maddenly inconsistent all season. This guy should get 40+ points in his sleep. He might be worth a flier as well, as the young guns in "Oil Town" seem destined to end this debacle of a season on a high note. Columbus grabbed an important 2 points last night as Sergei Bobrovsky turned aside all 31 shots he face for a 4-0 blanking of the NY Islanders. That's 2 shutouts in the past three games for the Blue Jacket goalie, clearly indicating that he is up to the task of carrying the team to the playoffs.  Start him with extreme confidence for this last week, and also for the next few seasons to come. Steve Mason had a fairly easy game in net for the Philadelphia Flyers as they defeated the Buffalo Sabres 5-2. Mason was staked to a 4-0 lead heading into the third period and only faced 19 SOG.  Even though the victory didn't clinch the Flyers a playoff position, it would take a total collapse for them not to get in.  The way ...

While Marc-Andre Fleury was undoubtedly the fantasy star of Pittsburgh's 3-2 road win in Colorado with 39 saves, an important side story for owners was that both Sidney Crosby and Chris Kunitz were scratches. Like Boston, the Pens don't have much to play for and will pull out all the stops to enter the playoffs on a healthy note. This truly means that any fantasy owners starting any key Pittsburgh players will be doing so at their own risk. Defenseman Paul Martin could be the possible exception, considering he is working his way back through an injury. In the case of Edmonton, their young players have been performing very well even though the team has been out of playoff contention for seemingly forever. With three home games in the final week, fantasy owners should consider starting their key Oilers. Last night, Taylor Hall collected a goal and 2 assists, giving him 77 points in 72 games on the season. With 9 points in his last 5 games, the youngster is a must-start this week. The same should hold true for Jordan Eberle who has disappointed for much of the campaign but has come back strong lately. He chipped in with a goal and an assist, raising his totals to 8 points in the last 5 games. It's unbelievable that the underachieving Eberle will have a crack at the 70-point mark if he could end the season with 6 points in the last 3 games. I would also like to mention arguably the biggest underachiever of Edmonton's talented young nucleus, d-man Justin Schultz, who scored a goal and an assist, giving him 32 points in 70 games despite being maddenly inconsistent all season. This guy should get 40+ points in his sleep. He might be worth a flier as well, as the young guns in "Oil Town" seem destined to end this debacle of a season on a high note. Columbus grabbed an important 2 points last night as Sergei Bobrovsky turned aside all 31 shots he face for a 4-0 blanking of the NY Islanders. That's 2 shutouts in the past three games for the Blue Jacket goalie, clearly indicating that he is up to the task of carrying the team to the playoffs.  Start him with extreme confidence for this last week, and also for the next few seasons to come. Steve Mason had a fairly easy game in net for the Philadelphia Flyers as they defeated the Buffalo Sabres 5-2. Mason was staked to a 4-0 lead heading into the third period and only faced 19 SOG.  Even though the victory didn't clinch the Flyers a playoff position, it would take a total collapse for them not to get in.  The way ...

NOTE: Steve's ISD will be back tomorrow for a look at the top 5 fantasy defensemen over the last month. Here is another little taste of one of our premium articles, UNDER THE RAYDAR, which focuses on up-and-coming fantasy stars which may not have gotten any notice, or are on the verge of making an impact in the NHL.  Only available as a PRIME+PLUS subscriber, here is a piece on NY Islander Joshua Bailey: 10/18/13". Enjoy!: UNDER THE RAYDAR: Joshua Bailey-C-New York Islanders October 18, 2013 Everyone in fantasy hockey knows of John Tavares, and everyone in fantasy hockey has been waiting for Kyle Okposo to breakout. There are those who know how well Matt Moulson has done being on the wing of JT.  There are those who stare in awe at the speed of Michael Grabner but sigh at his lack of consistency.  As everyone's eyes have been focused on these bright and talented Islanders, there are other Islanders who should at least be on someone's watch list.  In the pre-season, everyone had thought it was time for Ryan Strome to make the jump to the big leagues, me included.  Maybe that time will come during the season.  There was another player who piqued my interest this year but I did not follow through on it with much conviction, although in the 2013-2014 Fantasy Draft Guide, we did predict him making a leap forward in production. The New York Islanders and GM Garth Snow have been waiting for 24 year old Josh Bailey to take the next step in his NHL career. He was drafted #9 overall in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft after a spectacular season with the Windsor Spitfire of the OHL.  His Spitfire team mates that year were Taylor Hall, Adam Henrique and Ryan Ellis among others.  Would you believe that Mr. Bailey actually led that bunch in scoring? Even beating out Taylor Hall? Well he did and you know how highly touted Mr. Hall is. John Tavares was drafted #1 overall the following year, which took all the attention away from Josh Bailey, leaving him to grow under JT's shadow. Bailey led that Spitfire team with 96 points in 67 games, outscoring Hall by 12 points, who played in 4 fewer games. The year prior, Bailey scored 61 in 69 games splitting time between Windsor and the Owen Sound Attack.  In four years of OHL play, the young Center had 183 points in 191 games.  Not too shabby.  So why is Bailey not recognized as an extremely talented offensive center?  With the Isles getting the number 1 overall in 2009, a lot of the focus was placed immediately on Tavares as being the...

NOTE: Steve's ISD will be back tomorrow for a look at the top 5 fantasy defensemen over the last month. Here is another little taste of one of our premium articles, UNDER THE RAYDAR, which focuses on up-and-coming fantasy stars which may not have gotten any notice, or are on the verge of making an impact in the NHL.  Only available as a PRIME+PLUS subscriber, here is a piece on NY Islander Joshua Bailey: 10/18/13". Enjoy!: UNDER THE RAYDAR: Joshua Bailey-C-New York Islanders October 18, 2013 Everyone in fantasy hockey knows of John Tavares, and everyone in fantasy hockey has been waiting for Kyle Okposo to breakout. There are those who know how well Matt Moulson has done being on the wing of JT.  There are those who stare in awe at the speed of Michael Grabner but sigh at his lack of consistency.  As everyone's eyes have been focused on these bright and talented Islanders, there are other Islanders who should at least be on someone's watch list.  In the pre-season, everyone had thought it was time for Ryan Strome to make the jump to the big leagues, me included.  Maybe that time will come during the season.  There was another player who piqued my interest this year but I did not follow through on it with much conviction, although in the 2013-2014 Fantasy Draft Guide, we did predict him making a leap forward in production. The New York Islanders and GM Garth Snow have been waiting for 24 year old Josh Bailey to take the next step in his NHL career. He was drafted #9 overall in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft after a spectacular season with the Windsor Spitfire of the OHL.  His Spitfire team mates that year were Taylor Hall, Adam Henrique and Ryan Ellis among others.  Would you believe that Mr. Bailey actually led that bunch in scoring? Even beating out Taylor Hall? Well he did and you know how highly touted Mr. Hall is. John Tavares was drafted #1 overall the following year, which took all the attention away from Josh Bailey, leaving him to grow under JT's shadow. Bailey led that Spitfire team with 96 points in 67 games, outscoring Hall by 12 points, who played in 4 fewer games. The year prior, Bailey scored 61 in 69 games splitting time between Windsor and the Owen Sound Attack.  In four years of OHL play, the young Center had 183 points in 191 games.  Not too shabby.  So why is Bailey not recognized as an extremely talented offensive center?  With the Isles getting the number 1 overall in 2009, a lot of the focus was placed immediately on Tavares as being the...

Happy Super Bowl Sunday & Happy Groundhog Day! Wow, a double shot!  Need lots of coffee today! Steve Mason had 2 shutouts this week! He had also signed a contract extension recently.  I guess he likes playing in Philadelphia. Semyon Varlamov also signed an extension, He also is having a great season.  I guess goaltenders signing contract extensions in the middle of a season doesn't affect their performance like when a forward signs an extension. Wayne Simmonds is so under-rated. He really is. It's a shame what's going on with Edmonton again this year. When??? Ryan Callahan isn't going anywhere. Please. Jarome Iginla has always been a second half player. Always. Did David Krejci turn it up a notch this week or what? Torey Krug with another PP goal. This kid is amazing. At least Taylor Hall came to play yesterday. Carey Price deserved a 1-0 shutout victory over Tampa Bay instead of a 2-1 overtime loss. Subban had part in two goals in that game. One, a tipped pass between two Lightning players past Price.   And the other, an assist on the tying goal.  A game I think he would rather forget about. Buffalo got buried by the Avalanche yesterday, 7-1. They haven't been that bad all year long even thought they are bad. Nathan MacKinnon had some game. A goal, 2 assists, +3, 4 SOG, 1 BS, 1 HT and 8/12 faceoff wins. Kessel with the hat trick and assist. This is the Kessel the Leafs need. Kadri & Lupul. Lupul & Kadri. They keep this up and they will get a nickname like, Kadpul.  Ewwww! Now you see how important Tyler Bozak is to the Leafs offense. Columbus is not going to go away. They have arrived in the East. Writing Blue Jackets all the time is tough on writers who look for witty shortcuts or catchy monikers, but in this case, I would be wise to stick to Blue Jackets otherwise I might hear some complaints. Why couldn't they be called Yellow Jackets? With Nathan Horton being a main cog in the Columbus offense, Marian Gaborik's days may be short and few. Bobrovsky, last year's Vezina winner, has been playing great, but not "lights out" like last year's run. If Nashville can get a little closer in the Western Conference playoff race, and Rinne comes back after the Olympics, they may have a chance, which would be an amazing feat IMHO. Another team that is hanging around even though their starting goaltender has been anything but his usual self this year is the Phoenix Coyotes. Maybe Greiss getting 2 starts in a row will awaken the slumbering giant. The Calgary ...

***TEAM RANKINGS have been updated------> It is safe to say that the King has returned. Henrik Lundqvist turned aside 30 of 31 SOG to improve his record over the last 10 games to 7-2-1 as he bested the NY Islanders 2-1 at Yankee Stadium last night. The Blueshirts are undefeated at The Stadium; having beaten their cross-river rivals, the New Jersey Devils, on Sunday.  Patience has paid off for fantasy owners who were scratching their heads pondering what to do with the elite goalie earlier in the season.  Those who held onto the King are puffing their chests as he is back in form...... More Fantasy Game Notes-The San Jose Sharks have gone 3-7-0 in their last ten games and three of those losses were by shutouts. Recently acquired Edmonton G Ben Scrivens took another bite out of the Sharks with a 3-0 victory on his home ice. Scrivens has been playing well since his acquisition from LA, and he should garner more starts going forward as the play of Ilya Bryzgalov has been suspect at best. The ex-King, and ex- Maple Leaf, turned aside 59 SOG, an average of approximately 20 per period.   A new NHL record for saves in a shutout.  Scrivens is now 2-2-0 for Edmonton.  It appears that the Oil have a more than decent shot of winning with Scrivens in net, as opposed to Bryzgalov....Just like last season, with apparently nothing to play for, the youngsters on Edmonton may feel more relaxed playing with Scrivens and you can expect their scoring to increase modestly.  Ryan Nugent-Hopkins & Taylor Hall each had 2 assists, with Hall adding a goal. Jordan Eberle had a power play goal and an assist. They are the three main forward contributors on offense for Edmonton along with Justin Schultz on the back-end who has been suffering from what appears to be a sophomore jinx. Fantasy owners have been frustrated by these and other Oilers for their non-consistent play, but as they mature, they will become elite fantasy scorers, so be patient for those of you in dynasty leagues....As we had mentioned in our SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE this past Sunday, the signings of both Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton may cause a slowdown in scoring from these two forwards. Playing for a contract motivates players to do well to secure their future.  Having signed an extension causes a player to become less motivated, less focused.  We have seen this happen many times before.  Having a player sign an extension in the middle of a season does not bode well for their fantasy owners.  It happens to the ...

***TEAM RANKINGS have been updated------> It is safe to say that the King has returned. Henrik Lundqvist turned aside 30 of 31 SOG to improve his record over the last 10 games to 7-2-1 as he bested the NY Islanders 2-1 at Yankee Stadium last night. The Blueshirts are undefeated at The Stadium; having beaten their cross-river rivals, the New Jersey Devils, on Sunday.  Patience has paid off for fantasy owners who were scratching their heads pondering what to do with the elite goalie earlier in the season.  Those who held onto the King are puffing their chests as he is back in form...... More Fantasy Game Notes-The San Jose Sharks have gone 3-7-0 in their last ten games and three of those losses were by shutouts. Recently acquired Edmonton G Ben Scrivens took another bite out of the Sharks with a 3-0 victory on his home ice. Scrivens has been playing well since his acquisition from LA, and he should garner more starts going forward as the play of Ilya Bryzgalov has been suspect at best. The ex-King, and ex- Maple Leaf, turned aside 59 SOG, an average of approximately 20 per period.   A new NHL record for saves in a shutout.  Scrivens is now 2-2-0 for Edmonton.  It appears that the Oil have a more than decent shot of winning with Scrivens in net, as opposed to Bryzgalov....Just like last season, with apparently nothing to play for, the youngsters on Edmonton may feel more relaxed playing with Scrivens and you can expect their scoring to increase modestly.  Ryan Nugent-Hopkins & Taylor Hall each had 2 assists, with Hall adding a goal. Jordan Eberle had a power play goal and an assist. They are the three main forward contributors on offense for Edmonton along with Justin Schultz on the back-end who has been suffering from what appears to be a sophomore jinx. Fantasy owners have been frustrated by these and other Oilers for their non-consistent play, but as they mature, they will become elite fantasy scorers, so be patient for those of you in dynasty leagues....As we had mentioned in our SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE this past Sunday, the signings of both Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton may cause a slowdown in scoring from these two forwards. Playing for a contract motivates players to do well to secure their future.  Having signed an extension causes a player to become less motivated, less focused.  We have seen this happen many times before.  Having a player sign an extension in the middle of a season does not bode well for their fantasy owners.  It happens to the ...

It is safe to say that the King has returned. Henrik Lundqvist turned aside 30 of 31 SOG to improve his record over the last 10 games to 7-2-1 as he bested the NY Islanders 2-1 at Yankee Stadium last night. The Blueshirts are undefeated at The Stadium; having beaten the cross-river rivals, the New Jersey Devils on Sunday.  Patience has paid off for fantasy owners who were scratching their heads pondering what to do with the elite goalie earlier in the season.  Those who held onto the King are puffing their chests as he is back to form...... More Fantasy Game Notes-The San Jose Sharks have gone 3-7-0 in their last ten games but the three of those losses were by shutouts. Recently acquired G Ben Scrivens took the bite out of the Sharks with a 3-0 victory on home ice. Scrivens has been playing well since his acquisition and should garner more starts going forward as the play of Ilya Bryzgalov has been suspect at best. The ex-King, and ex- Maple Leaf, turned aside 59 SOG, an average of approximately 20 per period.   Scrivens is now 2-2-0 for Edmonton.  It appears that the Oil have a more than decent shot of winning with Scrivens in net, as opposed to Bryzgalov....Just like last season, with apparently nothing to play for, the youngsters on Edmonton may feel more relaxed playing with Scrivens and you can expect their scoring to increase modestly.  Ryan Nugent-Hopkins & Taylor Hall had 2 assists apiece, with Hall adding a goal. Jordan Eberle had a power play goal and an assist. These are the three main contributors on offense for Edmonton along with Justin Schultz on the back-end who has been suffering from what appears to be a sophomore jinx. Fantasy owners have been frustrated by these and other Oilers for their non-consistent play, but as they mature, they will be close to elite fantasy scorers, so be patient for those in dynasty leagues....As we had mentioned in our SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE this past Sunday, the signings of both Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton could cause a slowdown in scoring from the two forwards. Playing for a contract motivates players to do well to secure their future.  Having signed an extension causes a player to become less motivated, less focused.  We have seen this happen many times before.  Having a player sign an extension in the middle of a season does not bode well for fantasy owners.  It happens to the best of them, so beware that if you own these players, you might see a reduction in their production.  San Jose has been ...

I would like to start off by saying that the NHL's series of outdoor games are great for marketing our favorite sport and fun to watch, but not as endearing to teams who are in the thick of the playoff race and really need these points. Whether the quality of the ice or the variable weather conditions are affecting the outcome of the play, too much seems to be on the line for the NHL to keep expanding the amount of these games. Anyway, on to a few fantasy thoughts: What's happened to Vancouver's Daniel Sedin? No goals in 12 straight games and only 2 assists in the last 9. Having been dropped to the second line with Zack Kassian and Zac Dalpe, the normally consistent Swede has struggled miserably and probably should be on your bench this week. Sit him for now.The streaky Kevin Bieksa showed up on the scoresheet with 2 goals, including the overtime game-winner in Vancouver's 5-4 win over Phoenix. Watch him as he might get real hot over the next few weeks, but don't expect much power-play production.Another sign of life for Edmonton's "Big Three" of Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, and Ryan-Nugent Hopkins, as the trio combined for 6 points in the 5-1 romp over Nashville. With the exception of Hall, the offensive inconsistencies of the other two highly hyped forwards have plagued their fantasy owners throughout the first half. I still think they could be due for a great post-Olympic stretch, given they will be resting and should have plenty of gas left when the NHL games resume. Plenty to prove for Eberle and RNH..Mats Zuccarello was the fantasy star of the outdoor Rangers-Islanders clash at Yankee Stadium, as the diminutive Norwegian winger scored 2 goals in his team's 7-3 victory. While he has plenty of real-life value to the Ramger's blossoming offensive attack, his numbers (37 points in 53 games) suggest that he is a border-line starting forward at best.With constant injuries to Detroit's star forwards, the young guns are on the rise. Keep tabs on Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Tatar, as their time is coming.