SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE: TIS THE SEASON!....DECEMBER 18, 2016 primepucks.com Sun 12/18/16 10:05 AM

SMC 12/18/2016 TIS THE SEASON! Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta, ta-ta-ta-tar!  This season it seemed more like “tata” than “Tatar” but his hat trick on Saturday just might be the awakening.  You might recall a few weeks ago I mentioned to start targeting players who were having subpar seasons or slow starts and that the beginning of the New Year just might be a reversal of sorts?  This is that point in time to consider those players. The Dallas Stars have only won two games in a row once this year so far.  They are due for a long hot streak. The Stars beat a very hot Philly Flyer team on Saturday.  Minnesota is taking over the spot of hottest NHL team with 7 wins in a row now.  They been scoring a decent amount as well.  The only big powerhouse team they beat in that stretch was St. Louis though. When Arizona’s defenseman Luke Schenn leads your team in SOG in a game with 4, you know you have issues.  Minny’s leading shot taker…Tyler Graovac.  (Pause) That’s what I said! Every Penguin had a SOG against Toronto except Matt Cullen.  Come on Matt! The Ottawa-New Jersey game ended up with the Senators winning 3-1.  Every goal scorer in that game for both teams scored their 5th goal on the season. Rikard Rakell now has gone 14-7-21 in 21 games played this season.  IS he a point-per-game player?  Probably not but he is having a breakout year, like we said in the PrimePucks Guide where we projected him for 55 points. I’m on the fence if Detroit’s Thomas Vanek is still fantasy relevant. Montreal did a superb job of shutting down the Washington offense on Saturday.  And vice versa. There has some smack about Chicago not being the same team and on the decline but hey are leading the Western Conference by 6 points with 46 points. There were four 2-1 games and 2 g-4 games out of 10 games on Saturday’s schedule. Patrik Berglund was the scoring star for St. Louis against Chicago with 2 goals in their 6-4 loss.  Not to take anything away from Berglund, but when he and defenseman Joel Edmundson with 3 assists are your leading scorers, you’re probably not going to win many of those games. Jaden Schwartz needs to pick up his game now.  Enough time has passed since his injury. Over the past 5-6 games, the NY Rangers are showing they can still win the tight ones. What is going on with Nashville goaltender Pekka RInne this season?  He’s gone through stretches of good and bad, with some ugly thrown in there as well. The Sharks are circling and the Blue Jackets (9-0-1 in last 10) just keep are...

SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE: TIS THE SEASON!....DECEMBER 18, 2016 primepucks.com Sun 12/18/16 10:05 AM

SMC 12/18/2016 TIS THE SEASON! Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta, ta-ta-ta-tar!  This season it seemed more like “tata” than “Tatar” but his hat trick on Saturday just might be the awakening.  You might recall a few weeks ago I mentioned to start targeting players who were having subpar seasons or slow starts and that the beginning of the New Year just might be a reversal of sorts?  This is that point in time to consider those players. The Dallas Stars have only won two games in a row once this year so far.  They are due for a long hot streak. The Stars beat a very hot Philly Flyer team on Saturday.  Minnesota is taking over the spot of hottest NHL team with 7 wins in a row now.  They been scoring a decent amount as well.  The only big powerhouse team they beat in that stretch was St. Louis though. When Arizona’s defenseman Luke Schenn leads your team in SOG in a game with 4, you know you have issues.  Minny’s leading shot taker…Tyler Graovac.  (Pause) That’s what I said! Every Penguin had a SOG against Toronto except Matt Cullen.  Come on Matt! The Ottawa-New Jersey game ended up with the Senators winning 3-1.  Every goal scorer in that game for both teams scored their 5th goal on the season. Rikard Rakell now has gone 14-7-21 in 21 games played this season.  IS he a point-per-game player?  Probably not but he is having a breakout year, like we said in the PrimePucks Guide where we projected him for 55 points. I’m on the fence if Detroit’s Thomas Vanek is still fantasy relevant. Montreal did a superb job of shutting down the Washington offense on Saturday.  And vice versa. There has some smack about Chicago not being the same team and on the decline but hey are leading the Western Conference by 6 points with 46 points. There were four 2-1 games and 2 g-4 games out of 10 games on Saturday’s schedule. Patrik Berglund was the scoring star for St. Louis against Chicago with 2 goals in their 6-4 loss.  Not to take anything away from Berglund, but when he and defenseman Joel Edmundson with 3 assists are your leading scorers, you’re probably not going to win many of those games. Jaden Schwartz needs to pick up his game now.  Enough time has passed since his injury. Over the past 5-6 games, the NY Rangers are showing they can still win the tight ones. What is going on with Nashville goaltender Pekka RInne this season?  He’s gone through stretches of good and bad, with some ugly thrown in there as well. The Sharks are circling and the Blue Jackets (9-0-1 in last 10) just keep ...

DAILY PRIME - MARCH 24, 2015: SENS LEAP OVER BRUINS primepucks.com Tue 3/24/15 7:33 AM

Hammond keeps hitting right notes, Kings keeping the heat on, Wild & Jets win again! Ottawa continues their amazing run with a 5-2 win over the San Jose Sharks catapulting them into the last wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, wresting it away from the Boston Bruins.  Senators Goaltender Andrew Hammond (14-0-1) is just having an incredible run as he still hasn’t lost in regulation.  Simply remarkable!...Mika Zibanejad (2G). Bobby Ryan (3A) and Mike Hoffman (G, 2A) were the offensive providers tonight as the whole roster takes turns being involved in the offense.  Now that they have risen so high, can they maintain the intensity for the last 10 game?... A couple of 3-1 contests last night as LA defeated the New Jersey Devils and the Chicago Blackhawks bested the Carolina Hurricanes.  For LA, Anze Kopitar (G, 2A) and Marian Gaborik (2A) seem to be heating up as they try to climb into playoff position as the season is winding down.  For Kopitar, that’s 5 points in last 3 and 9 points overall in 11 March games.  With just 57 points in 69 games, Kopitar should bounce back to his usual 70-points next season.  Gaborik isn’t built for the rigors of an 82-game NHL season, so don’t expect him to return to his glory days as 70+ point player anymore.  He does have 41 points in 59 games played but won’t get near a point-per-game pace anymore…The Blackhawks jumped out to a 2-0 lead early in the first period and made it stick as Corey Crawford turned aside 43 of 44 SOG for his 30th win on the season.  That’s 4 seasons of 30+ wins on last 5 which includes the shortened 48-game Lockout season where he was on pace for 30+ wins if it was a regular full season…. Devan Dubnyk continues to play large in net as he keeps on winning with a 2-1 win over Toronto.  Surging Thomas Vanek had a hand in both Minnesota goals, an assist on the first goal and the game-winner in the 3rd.  Dubnyk’s bid for a shutout was spoiled by Jake Gardiner (his 4th) with just under 7 minutes to play in regulation…. Jamie Benn (2G, 1A) had a night and it was sorely needed as the Buffalo Sabres gave the Dallas Stars all they could handle last night but the Stars prevailed in the end, 4-3. Sabres’ goalie Anders Lindback (35/39 SV) returned to his former team and did all he could but fell short at the end.  Dallas is still in the hunt for that last playoff spot but time is running out… Calgary helped their cause with a solid 3-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche keeping the Kings 2 points behind them ...

DAILY PRIME - MARCH 22, 2015: SUNDAY GAME BITS primepucks.com Sun 3/22/15 5:57 AM

The Minnesota Wild roll by the St. Louis Blues 6-3, as Brian Elliott was pulled after giving up four goals. Thomas Vanek scored a goal, extending his point streak to seven games. His late season scoring surge is good enough reason to get him in your starting lineups... Is there a better line going in the NHL than the Gaudreau-Hudler- Monahan unit for the Calgary Flames? In another big spot, the trio have combined for five points but the team fell short in overtime after Rene Bourque buried the game-winner. Start all three as thay are providing the bulk of Calgary's offense during their hot streak... Carey Price for MVP? It's looking more and more likely as he keeps churning out suberb efforts in the crease, this gtime posting his second straight shutout and blanking the San Jose Sharks...   Jonathan Quick kept the Los Angeles Kings in the match with 36 saves, but Radim Vrbata spearheaded the Canuck's offense with the go-ahead goal in the third period plus an assist. He has been heating up so give him an extended look as Vancouver pushes hard for a playoff spot.  Boston blows another opportunity to extend their point lead over Florida as Roberto Luongo outlasted Tuukka Rask in the shootout to give the panthers the 2-1 win. In two games back, "Bobby Lou" looks every bit the solid fantasy goalie that he was during his peak years in Vancouver...  Jaroslav Halak is back starting for the Islanders after missing two games and his presence along with the return of defenseman Nick Leddy helped lead them to a 3-0 win over New Jersey. Kyle Okposo scored his 16th goal of the season, slowly shaking off his injury rust and getting ready for a strong finish. Get him in your starting lineups..   Kyle Turris continued his hot play with the game winning goal and Andrew Hammond won his sixth straight start for Ottawa as the Senators defeated their provinciakl rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-3. Defenseman Erik Karlsson finished the match with a goal and an assist. He is definitely paying fantasy dividends now for those owners who drafted him in the early rounds.. The goaltending enigma known as Kari Lehtonen was spectacular in net after he posted his fifth shutout of the season in the 4-0 drubbing of Chicago. Jason Spezza picked up a goal and  an assist while Alex Goligoski notched two helpers. Give "Gogo" the starting nod this upcoming week if you own him as he is on a serious scoring roll to finish the season.. What a return for Taylor Hall as he assisted on ...

DAILY PRIME - MARCH 11, 2015: NEW YORK EPIC BATTLE primepucks.com Tue 3/10/15 9:53 PM

Okposo is back; Faulk and Barrie amongst the fantasy elite d-men; and more: It was an epic battle in New York as the Islanders took on the Rangers and it was the Rangers who came away with the regulation 2-1 victory that leaves them one point behind the Isles with 4 games in hand. Kyle Okposo returned to the Islanders lineup and saw some action on John Tavares’ line near the end of the third period so look for that combination to stick the rest of the way….Cam Talbot with yet another win as he continues to play superbly in place of the injured Henrik Lundqvist.  Talbot’s time is coming to an end soon as Lundqvist is close to returning to the lineup and will need a few weeks to get into top form for the playoffs…. Philadelphia didn’t do themselves any favors by losing another close one, this time 2-1 to the Dallas Stars.  What has happened to Claude Giroux and the rest of the Flyers offense?.... Scott Hartnell (2 PPG) was the reason the Carolina Hurricanes lost 4-3 in a shootout last night after leading 3-1 after the first period.  Although it doesn’t really matter for these two teams as they are just riding out the season….Canes D-man Justin Faulk had a goal and 2 power play assists to lead the Carolina offense.  Continue to play the young talent as he is having a career year on his way to 50 points…. Carey Price and Ben Bishop put on a heck'uva goalie duel in Montreal but the Lightning's Tyler Johnson stole the show with the overtime game-winner. The undrafted sophomore continues to plug away with a monster season, having collected nine points during his current seven-game streak. How many of us predicted any other besides Steven Stamkos to lead the Bolts in scoring? Hey, it could happen... Cory Schneider was chased out of the Jersey net by the swarming Minnesota Wild, who scored plenty in the 6-2 rout of the Devils. Devan Dubnyk has shown few signs of slowing down as he made 30 saves in his 25th straight start. Thomas Vanek scored twice while Zach Parise picked up two helpers. D-man Jared Spurgeon played a solid game, collecting a goal and an assist and showing little rust from his time gone due to injury. If you are in need of defense, he bears watching.. For Colorado, no Semyon Varlamov in goal usually means no win and last night's game against LA was no different. Rota Berra replaced an ineffective Calvin Pickard in the first period and the Kings behind Brayden McNabb's three points waliopped the Av's 5-2. Fantasy stud Tyson Barrie scored a goal, ...

DAILY PRIME - FEBRUARY 15, 2015: SUNDAY GAME BITS primepucks.com Sun 2/15/15 11:03 AM

John Tavares was king against Columbus as his two goals and two assists plus a whopping nine SOG was the fantasy statline of the evening. However, more owners need to pay attention to his newest side-kick, Anders Lee, who also contributed four assists and has been on "fire" during his current five-game point streak. Short-term power move- Get Lee in your fantasy lineups next week while the Islanders play five games. If he continues to light it up, then you might have a gem on your hands in Kyle Okposo's absence.. Tyler Myers made amends in a hurry for a ho-hum Winnipeg debut, collecting two points in his second game for the Jets. This guy might merit a serious look as Tobias Enstrom hasn't exactly been scoring much and has been underachieving on the power-play. Even money that Myers gets a chance to get serious PP minutes with Dustin Byfuglien as his running mate.. Five straight games with at least a point for Jason Spezza who will be counted upon for no.1 center duties in Dallas while Tyler Seguin heals from his knee injury. Loved him before this and love him even more now. JS is about to take off so you need to start him... It could be the right time to "buy low" on Thomas Vanek, who collected three points in the win over Carolina and now has nine points over the last ten games. Get all your Minnesota Wild key players activated as they have been arguably the "hottest" team around... Say goodbye to Justin Faulk's career-high of 32 points as the Carolina defender picked up two assists to improve his numbers to 34 in 54 games. Can anyone say 50? He has a great chance as his fantasy stock is shooting straight up... Columbus winger Cam Atkinson has quietly moved up to borderline fantasy relevance with his latest offensive outburst of four goals in his last five games and eight points over his last nine contests. I had jumped off his bandwagon, but the talent is there for a significant turnaround. Just not sure about the long-term compete level... MORE TO COME...

DAILY PRIME - JANUARY 21, 2015: NIGHT OF COMEBACKS primepucks.com Wed 1/21/15 5:35 AM

*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 ...

DAILY PRIME - JANUARY 4, 2015: WHAT STOOD OUT primepucks.com Sun 1/4/15 4:32 AM

* TJ Oshie has been a dominant offensive force for the St. Louis Blues since the start of December, so it's time for fantasy owners to take notice. His four-point night, including a "hat trick", helped seal the fate of the San Jose Sharks in the 7-2 rout. He is currently sporting a five-game point streak and has racked up 17 points in the last 16 games. His line, with Alex Steen and David Backes, is rolling, but the return of Jaden Schwartz will also get the Tarasenko unit probably back to their early-season dominant form. Start Oshie now while he is smoking hot... *In his first game donning a Pittsburgh Penguin uniform, David Perron lined up with Sidney Crosby and scored a goal on his first shot. Awesome fairy tale stuff, eh? Well, the Pens got smoked 4-1 by visiting Montreal and should expect a transition period while Perron acclimates to his new high-end teammates. He should get top power-play minutes in the short-term but that could change when Patrick Hornqvist returns in a few weeks. Anyway you slice it, huge boost in fantasy value for the suddenly relevant Perron.. *A wild high-scoring affair in LA, as the Kings rallied for three goals in the dying minutes to sent the game against Nashville into overtime only to lose 7-6 after a goal by defender Roman Josi in the extra frame. Don't worry, both Pekka Rinne and Jonathan Quick still rock in goal! It was just one of those games.. *In case you have not received the memo, Winnipeg goalie Michael Hutchinson is indeed for real. After allowing six goals over his last two starts, "Hutch" settled down by stopping 20 of 21 Toronto shots in the 5-1 blowout win. I feel confident in saying that the youngster's superb numbers (10-3-2, 1.81 GAA, .937 SP) are not flukish and that he will be the starter over Ondrej Pavelec down the stretch.. *Now for the not so obvious- Sam Gagner is actually playing good hockey for Arizona and might warrant short-term fantasy consideration. The underachieving forward scored twice while adding an assist, improving his numbers to 8 points over the last five games. He has clicked big-time with Martin Hanzal, so he might be worth a starting nod for the next few weeks before he goes ice-cold again... *Huge applause for future HOFer Jaromir Jagr becoming the oldest player in NHL history-42- to collect a "hat trick". Pause. Reality check. 25 points in 40 games. His best fantasy days are behind him, but he will occasionally blow up for a few big offensive outbursts.. *The Dallas Stars are...

DAILY PRIME - JANUARY 3, 2015: CLAUDE GIR-WHEW! primepucks.com Sat 1/3/15 9:36 AM

The biggest news to come out of last night's action was Claude Giroux getting the back of his leg sliced by a Justin Faulk skate in the 3rd period of the Flyers-Hurricanes matchup. Giroux left the ice with assistance, not being able to put any weight on his leg.  The word is that the Philly Captain is fine and expected to be in tonight's game in New Jersey.  Giroux is tied for third in league scoring.  Whew! After losing their captain, the Flyers fought back to get within one but that was all as they lost for the fourth straight time. Wallowing near the bottom of the Metropolitan Division, it would take an incredible run to qualify for the playoffs.  Carolina G Cam Ward (23/24 SV) has played excellent of late, this time being on the positive side of a close game. Ward could be an excellent number 2 fantasy goalie.  With Jordan Staal returning from a broken leg and Eric Staal looking like he is starting to heat up, it may be worth it to have a few Canes on your fantasy squad now.... Roberto Luongo continues to enjoy life in sunny F-L-A as he shut out the Buffalo Sabres 2-0 behind a 30-save effort making 2 first period goals stand up. Bobby Lu raised his record to 15-7-7 with a 2.22 GAA and a .926 SP.  Continue to start Luongo with confidence while we wait for the young offense to pick up.... P.K. Subban was the story for Montreal last night against New Jersey assisting on 3 goals. The Habs built a 3-0 early in the 3rd period before the Devils made it interesting. The Devils ship is sinking fast and there is no land in sight.  New Jersey has gone 2-7-3 in last dozen games.  Ugh! You just knew it was going to be a high-scoring affair in Pittsburgh as the Penguins took on the Lightning of Tampa Bay. It was all Pens early as they built a 3-0 in the first period chasing starter Ben Bishop from the net. The bolts tried to stage a comeback but Steve Downie put the final 2 nails in the coffin of a 6-3 win for the Penguins. Sidney Crosby with 4 assists in the game almost matched his total output for November where he had 5 total points. Look for Sid to pick up his game from here on out.... The return to early season form for Minnesota G Darcy Kuemper was what the Wild needed against the high-scoring Toronto Maple Leafs who came into the game as the highest scoring team in the NHL. Kuemper turned aside 34 of 35 SOG as Minnesota won for just the second time in the past 8 games....With a power play assist, perhaps Thomas Vanek is ready to heat up as he has been very...

DAILY PRIME - JANUARY 3, 2014: CLAUDE GIR-WHEW! primepucks.com Sat 1/3/15 9:36 AM

The biggest news to come out of last night's action was Claude Giroux getting the back of his leg sliced by a Justin Faulk skate in the 3rd period of the Flyers-Hurricanes matchup. Giroux left the ice with assistance, not being able to put any weight on his leg.  The word is that the Philly Captain is fine and expected to be in tonight's game in New Jersey.  Giroux is tied for third in league scoring.  Whew! After losing their captain, the Flyers fought back to get within one but that was all as they lost for the fourth straight time. Wallowing near the bottom of the Metropolitan Division, it would take an incredible run to qualify for the playoffs.  Carolina G Cam Ward (23/24 SV) has played excellent of late, this time being on the positive side of a close game. Ward could be an excellent number 2 fantasy goalie.  With Jordan Staal returning from a broken leg and Eric Staal looking like he is starting to heat up, it may be worth it to have a few Canes on your fantasy squad now.... Roberto Luongo continues to enjoy life in sunny F-L-A as he shut out the Buffalo Sabres 2-0 behind a 30-save effort making 2 first period goals stand up. Bobby Lu raised his record to 15-7-7 with a 2.22 GAA and a .926 SP.  Continue to start Luongo with confidence while we wait for the young offense to pick up.... P.K. Subban was the story for Montreal last night against New Jersey assisting on 3 goals. The Habs built a 3-0 early in the 3rd period before the Devils made it interesting. The Devils ship is sinking fast and there is no land in sight.  New Jersey has gone 2-7-3 in last dozen games.  Ugh! You just knew it was going to be a high-scoring affair in Pittsburgh as the Penguins took on the Lightning of Tampa Bay. It was all Pens early as they built a 3-0 in the first period chasing starter Ben Bishop from the net. The bolts tried to stage a comeback but Steve Downie put the final 2 nails in the coffin of a 6-3 win for the Penguins. Sidney Crosby with 4 assists in the game almost matched his total output for November where he had 5 total points. Look for Sid to pick up his game from here on out.... The return to early season form for Minnesota G Darcy Kuemper was what the Wild needed against the high-scoring Toronto Maple Leafs who came into the game as the highest scoring team in the NHL. Kuemper turned aside 34 of 35 SOG as Minnesota won for just the second time in the past 8 games....With a power play assist, perhaps Thomas Vanek is ready to heat up as he has been very...