STEVES PICKS- DRAFT KINGS( Writeup coming later) C Derick Brassard, NYR C Evgeni Kuznetsov, Was W Mike Hoffman, Ott W Patrick Kane, Chi W James Neal, Nas D Keith Yandle, NYR D Viktor Svedberg, Chi G Henrik Lundqvist, NYR U TJ Oshie, Was

We don't project too many high scoring affairs tonight, so I look to use as many Islander skaters as possible against a Columbus squad giving up a ton of goals. Look for Washington to get their share in the road against slumping Calgary, as mid value pick TJ Oshie could be worth the start. On defense, I am loving PK Subban at home, while taking Mike Smith against the lowly Devils in a pure value move. Stay away from the Stars as Philly had been very stingy lately in goal.    Steves Picks- Draft Kings   C John Tavares, NYI  C Jason Spezza, Dallas W TJ Oshie, Washington W Craig Smith, Nashville W Kyle Okposo, NYI D PK Subban, Montreal D Nick Leddy, NYI G Mike Smith, Arizona U Anders Lee, NYI

#1 Washington The Capitals, under the direction of second year coach Barry Trotz, have more of a defensive identity entering the '15-16 season. This bodes well for a team full of offensive firepower. Losing to the Rangers in the playoffs left Washington hungry for more playoff success so the addition of Mr Game 7 Justin Willams will surely help. Add the talented TJ Oshie to the mix and you have the makings of arguably the best top six group of forwards in the NHL. Like Trotz accomplished with Pekka Rinne in Nashville, he has helped Braden Holtby reach that level.    Goalies Seemingly an overnight postseason sensation a few years back, Holtby's development had stalled a bit. That's until Trotz took over. Now BH is coming off a huge season where maintained elite numbers why starting an NHL high 73 games. He didn't slow in the playoffs either. No longer sleeper value here. He has arrived as an premier no.1 fantasy option.    Defense No Mike Green, no problem. Right? John Carlson achieved a career high 55 points in '15-16, having supplanted Green as the top pp QB by seasons end. There are some questions whether he will regress some this upcoming season, but he should come close to repeating last seasons totals. Another under the radar pick is Matt Niskanen who has excelled in brief spots where he was on the top power play. Well worth a late round flier.    Forwards   It all starts with Alex Ovechkin, who is the ultimate stat stuffer in every sense of the word. Leading the NHL in goals over the last 3 seasons, including topping 50 in two straight, he always contributes a monster amount of shots and is no longer a liability in formats that reward plus/minus. I take him as number one overall.. Plenty of riches down the middle as Nicklas Backstrom might just miss a few games due to injury and resume his point per game ways before November rolls in. Evgeni Kuznetsov has monster sleeper upside as he will be the top center during Backstroms absence but possibly have a permanent role in that loaded power okay unit. 55-60 points is not out of the question.. Don't forget to get your hands on TJ Oshie as well. The speedy winger should be an ideal compliment to Ovie on the top line and should be a lock for career highs in points if he stays there. Don't overrate Justin Williams in fantasy. This is not the playoffs.     Prospects If anything would happen to Holtby, then young Philippe Grubauer would be a very valuable fantasy asset to own. Most of his value resides in ...

#1 Washington The Capitals under the direction of second year coach Barry Trotz have more of a defensive identity entering the '15-16 season. This bodes well for a team full of offensive firepower. Losing to the Rangers in the playoffs left Washington hungry for more playoff success so the addition of Mr Game 7 Justin Willams will surely help. Add the talented TJ Oshie to the mix and you have the makings of arguably the best top six group of forwards in the NHL. Like Trotz accomplished with Pekka Rinne in Nashville, he had helped Braden Holtby reach that level.    Goalies Seemingly an overnight postseason sensation a few years back, Holtby's development had stalled a bit. That's until Trotz took over. Now BH is coming off a huge season where maintained elite numbers why starting an NHL high 73 games. He didn't slow in the playoffs either. No longer sleeper value here. He has arrived as an premier no.1 fantasy option.    Defense No Mike Green, no problem. Right? John Carlson achieved a career high 55 points in '15-16, having supplanted Green as the top pp QB by seasons end. There are some questions whether he will regress some this upcoming season, but he should come close to repeating last seasons totals. Another under the radar pick is Matt Niskanen who has excelled in brief spots where he was on the top power play. Well worth a late round flier.    Forwards   It all starts with Alex ovechkin  who is the ultimate stat stuffer in every sense of the word. Leading the NHL in goals over the last 3 seasons, including topping 50 in two straight, he always contributes a monster amount of shots and is no longer a liability in formats that reward plus/minus. I take him as number one overall.. Plenty of riches down the middle as Nicklas Backstrom might just miss a few games due to injury and resume his point per game ways before November rolls in. Evgeni Kuznetsov has monster sleeper upside as he will be the top center during Backstroms absence but possibly have a permanent role in that loaded power okay unit. 55-60 points is not out of the question.. Don't forget to get your hands on TJ Oshie as well. The speedy winger should be an ideal compliment to Ovie on the top line and should be a lock for career highs in points if he stays there. Don't overrate justin Williams in fantasy. This is not the playoffs.     Prospects If anything would happen to Holtby, then young Philippe Grubauer would be a very valuable fantasy asset to own. Most of his value resides in him...

Starting with the late-night thriller between Pittsburgh and Los Angeles, Marc-Andre Fleury withstood a 31-shot barrage to hold on for his ninth shutout of the season. Patrick Hornqvist provided the game-winner in overtime, improving his goal to seven over the last seven games. After a mid-season dip in offensive production, the former Nashville winger has resumed his early-season scoring ways where he was one of the hottest fantasy assets with 25 points in his first 23 games. With all their key forwards healthy for the stretch run, look for Hornqvist to close the season on a point-per-game pace and back to fantasy must-start status.. Speaking of streaking, Vancouver's Radim Vrbata scored two goals to extend his point-streak to four games. Even though fantasy owners rather him play on the top line with the Sedin twins, the winger has delivered a team-leading 25 goals and still gets primary power-play time. If you have him on your bench, it might be time to start him while the Canucks push hard for a playoff spot. With Eddie Lack manning the crease instead of the injured Ryan Miller, there will be a stronger focus on the offense carrying the team.. Let's just re-name John Tavares Art Ross as the Islanders star continues to lead the NHL in scoring with another dominant effort, a goal and two assists in South Florida. With Kyle Okposo nearing a return, there has been plenty of debate on how the top line will look when he gets back. For my money, Anders Lee has more than earned his spot alongside JT so he should stay put. A Tavares-Okposo-Lee unit would reap huge fantasy dividends for all three... Big news in Dallas as Tyler Seguin returned to action last night, not missing a beat with two goals in the 5-3 loss to Tampa Bay. Jason Spezza's fantasy value once again takes a slight hit as he returns back to second-line center duties but he remains a fixture on the no. 1 power-play unit. Breakout defenseman John Kingberg left the contest with a lower-body injury and is listed as day-to-day. With Trevor Daley also out, this could be the best and only time to start Alex Goligoski who has been a bitter fantasy disappointment. He could string together a decent stretch of games with those two out. Consider playing him.. The Leafs were beaten down by the St. Louis Blues, as Vladimir Tarasenko plus Jaden Schwartz and TJ Oshie each collected a goal and an assist.One fact remains true- Phil Kessel is definitely unstarteable in all fantasy formats, while Tarasenko has ...

A potential devastating injury to defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk (LBI) could sting for fantasy owners as his 40 points in 48 games will be impossible to replace. The severity of the injury is not clear, so many fingers should be crossed... Roman Josi keeps flying under the radar as an elite fantasy defender, collecting a goal and an assist for a total of 33 points in 49 games. Weber gets all the love but the Swiss youngster has taken a big leap toward super fantasy relevance....Nashville Goalie Carter Hutton rebounded from his poor start last outing with a 4-0 blanking of the Penguins. The victory keeps the Preds tied atop the Western Cnoference with the Anaheim Ducks.  The Predators have done well to stay at or near the top since starting goaltender Pekka Rinne went down to injury but he is expected to be back perhaps as soon as next week.... Alex Steen and TJ Oshie have been feasting on opponents lately with yesterday's game being no different. After collecting three assists, Oshie now has a five-game point streak brewing (6G/4A) while Steen's 3-point effort has him at 43 points in 47 games. Both are among the hottest forwards right now, so keep rolling with them.

First of all, is there a hotter top line in the NHL than Alex Steen-TJ Oshie-David Backes? The trio combined for five points in last night's 3-0 blanking of the Toronto Maple Leafs, improving their point totals to 49 in the last 11 games. Seriously? Proving to all fantasy owners that he is the "real deal" after his breakthrough 2013-14 season, Steen is currently riding point-streaks in goals and points, 5 and 9 respectively... Another shutout for Brian Elliott and another step closer to fantasy elite status. Jake Allen represents the future in the crease for the Blues, but Elliott is clearly the "now". Start him with confidence... Fantasy performer of the night- clearly Tomas Plekanec, who helped roll the Metroplitan Division leading Islanders with a four point effort. A "heart and soul" Hab who can draw some comparison to Boston's Patrice Bergeron mainly because of his superior two-way play, but is no more than a seviceable depth forward option in most fantasy formats. Awesome game nonetheless.. Two more points in a losing cause for John Tavares, giving him five points over the last two games and 13 over the last 10. JT has accelerated the scoring since the beginning of the calendar year, so superstar production seems likely for the second half... Columbus snapped a four-game losing skid with the road win at Boston, but fantasy phenom Ryan Johansen kept a 13-game point streak alive with another goal and an assist. This guy is looking like an early round draft selection come next September as he is downright dynamite... Two great buy-low options to consider at the forward position- Nathan MacKinnon and Jason Spezza. The former was expected to take a huge leap in Year 2 for Colorado, but has fizzled during the first half of the season. However, MacKinnon has shown signs of late including a late 3rd period equalizer last night against the Lightning. The latter continues to plug away as six points over the last eight games is encouraging for his typical second half outburst. Consider this- Spezza centers the second line alongside Erik Cole who is starting to heat up. Plus, he is a mainstay on the top power-play unit with All-World Tyler Seguin and the underrated Jamie Benn. This team will light the lamp plenty in the second half. Love Spezza moving forward... Dubie,Dubie,Dubie-where are you? In Minnesota, that's where! The former Arizona Coyote Devan Dubnyk continues to inject some life into his new team as the goalie led the Wild to a 3-1 win and only has...

*Tyler Johnson- After his two goals last night helped propel the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning past the Montreal Canadiens, the 2nd-year center has now vaulted into third in NHL scoring with 45 points. It's unbelievable how quickly Johnson has ascended into the upper echelon of fantasy forwards, but he is as MUST-START as they come now. Keep rolling Johnson. **Patrik Elias- Kudos to the veteran Czech winger for surpassing the 1,000 point mark in his NHL career with a goal and two assists. I beg you to buy low on Elias who has been a huge fantasy disappointment but has been turning it on with 5 points over the last 5 games. If there is anyone left on the waiver-wire that can notch 30-35 pts in the second half, it's surely him. ***Steve Mason- An extraordinary effort by Mason as he single-handlely provided the Flyers the much-needed win with 40 saves on 41 shots against Ottawa. The victory snapped his personal six-game losing streak and although he was all-world last night, he has a way to go before he earns our confidence as a solid fantasy goalie option. ****David Backes- Wow, a four-goal performance by the superior St. Louis two-way center who is also benefitting from two "HOT" line-mates in TJ Oshie and Alex Steen. The return of Jaden Schwartz will help balance the offense a bit, but I would keep riding Backes and company until they cool off. *****Semyon Varlamov- The Colorado Avalanche have been struggling to keep opposing offenses at bay and last night in Chicago was no different. The Blackhawks fired 53 shots at Varlamov but he was up to the task with the Herculean shutout effort. Just like Mason, I still don't trust Varly as a consistent fantasy netminder, but a few more of these type of games and I'm sure I could be swayed.

* 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...

Let's start off with saying "Hat's off to Nick" as the cerebral passing machine known as Nicklas Backstrom collected his first career regular season "hat trick" in Washington's 4-2 win over Tampa Bay. His career high in goals scored was 33 in 2009-10, but he routinely falls in the 15-20 category. Meaning, don't get overly excited over his scoring explosion. His point-per-game ways will continue this season thanks to a healthy dose of assists.. Need to mention our second fantasy star of the night, Kris Letang who has played this season like a man on a mission, scoring another two goals in Pittsburgh's losing effort to Columbus. He has collected points in five straight games, plus goals in three straight. With 21 points on the season and injury-free again, get him in your starting line-ups ASAP.. Should we start to take Buffalo's goalie Jhonas Enroth seriously in all fantasy leagues? The streaking Swede did not enjoy his best night by any means but held on for his eighth win in his last ten starts. The Sabres have been gaining much confidence during this hot stretch and are even scoring some goals. When you see them defeating Florida and Calgary by the score of 4-3, then you know the team is trending upward. I say use Enroth as a solid no. 2 if your goaltending is struggling.. Tyler Seguin is the "man" again, scoring a goal and an assist in the 4-2 Dallas triumph over New Jersey. His 23 goals and 38 points leads the entire NHL, while his robust 118 SOG ranks him second. Superstar status has arrived.. Want to add that Jason Spezza is back on Seguin's line. His two points last night was no coincidence. Start him immediately... The formula is simple for Philly's offensive success- secondary scoring is a must and it's been on display over recent games. Third-line center Sean Couturier scored a goal in their 5-1 win over Carolina, extending his point to six games. Wayne Simmonds is back on one of his famous hot streaks, collecting the game-winner plus a helper so use him while he is on fire. The Flyers have been buzzing on offense as top dogs Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek continue to lead the way.. Where have you been, Mats? Despite sub-par offensive production at the quarter mark, Mr. Zuccarello sparked the 'Blueshirts to a 5-1 win over Vancouver with his two goals. With 13 points in 25 games, he is falling way short of his 59-point pace he set last season, but consider "buying low" on him. He was moved up to the Rick Nash-Derick Brassard line, which would ...