MONTREAL CANADIENS vs. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING:  The Montreal Canadiens probably could have had an easier time than they did in their first round matchup against the Ottawa Senators, winning 4 games to 2, but Craig Anderson showed once again that he rises to the occasion come playoff time holding off Montreal as best he could.  It was just that Carey Price and the Habs were a bit much in the end.  Now the Canadiens take on the Tampa Bay Lightning who they didn’t gain a single point from during the regular season, going 0-5-0.  The playoffs are a different story and the outcome may be a little bit different than what you saw during the regular season. It all starts and ends with Carey Price in net for the Montreal Canadiens.  One of the NHL’s 3 candidates for the Hart Trophy, he will be a tough one for the Bolts to solve but make no mistake that they possess a lot of weapons besides Steven Stamkos.  Tyler Johnson again proved that he is a very capable NHLer even though he wasn’t drafted by having 50 and 72 points in his first two seasons.  The Lightning are comprised of offensively talented young guns and some wily veterans who know to play the nitty gritty of the game.  Players like Ryan Callahan, Brenden Morrow and Valtteri Filppula to complement youngsters like Nikita Kucherov and Ondrej Palat.   One player who has stepped up his game while getting valuable ice time these playoffs is Alex Killorn.  If he continues to log the ice time, he can be a huge factor in swaying the series. The Tampa Bay defense is a fine mix of veterans such as Anton Stralman, Matt Carle, and Jason Garrison to go with the Victor Hedman who can put up some points.  Tampa’s defense is not to be outdone by the Montreal core which starts at the top with P. K. Subban.  Mix in Andrei Markov and you have a very high potent offense from the backend.  Jeff Petry was brought in to give them some toughness and grit.  It could be that Subban could be the biggest impact player in this series.  There really wasn’t a lot of scoring in that first round victory over the Ottawa Senators, but for Montreal it’s all in the goaltending and defense.  But don’t forget that they do possess one of the streakiest goal scorers in the NHL in Max Pacioretty.  They will get most of the scoring from Mad Max but don’t forget about Brenden Gallagher, Tomas Plekanec and David Desharnais. One player who be a surprise factor is Alex Galchenyuk. The kid is such a tremendous talent but has not broken out in a big way ...

PRIMEPUCKS™ 2015 FIRST ROUND PLAYOFF REVIEW The 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs are beginning shortly and PrimePucks™ is taking a look at what they predict will happen in the first round and beyond. NEW YORK RANGERS vs. PITTSBURGH PENGUINS:  After last season’s improbable run at the Stanley Cup only to fall short by losing to a more determined Los Angeles Kings team, the New York Rangers are back in the dance but this time with a more focused outlook.  It appears the Rangers got a very good taste and were thisclose to hoisting Lord Stanley’s Cup that they locked down the home ice advantage throughout by winning the President’s Cup with a very solid second half. The Rangers take on the Pittsburgh Penguins who seem to be a team in disarray especially after losing their best defenseman in Kris Letang for the remainder of this season with a concussion. The team with all this talent up front seemed to have trouble finding their offensive game with the loss of Letang.  The Rangers on the other hand seemed to be getting better with every passing game.  Expect the Rangers to win this in no more than 6 games as they forge ahead to another Finals appearance.  Those of you in playoff pools should definitely start all the major Blueshirts like Rick Nash, Henrik Lundqvist, Keith Yandle, Derek Stepan, Mats Zuccarello, Ryan McDonagh, Martin St. Louis and company as this team has their eyes set on the silver trophy. MONTREAL CANADIENS vs. OTTAWA SENATORS:  The Rangers likely opponent in the Conference Finals, the Canadiens, should dispose of the surprising Ottawa Senators fairly easy behind MVP Candidate Carey Price.  The Senators had an amazing climb in the standings to reach the playoffs but will run into a team that has some motivation of their own to exact revenge on the Rangers, who they may have beaten in last year’s Conference Finals if it weren’t for Chris Kreider knocking Price out of the series with a collision in the first game of their match. For the Canadiens, it all starts with Price. And in front of Price there is a defensive core that packs a punch both in the scoring department and defensively as well.  P.K. Subban leads the charge on both those ends with veteran Andrei Markov supplying steady support. The rest of the defense will give other teams fits to round out the Montreal defense.  On the forward front, Max Pacioretty leads the charge with Tomas Plekanec, Alex Galchenyuk, David Desharnais and Brendan Gallagher rounding out the scorers but don’t expect ...

SMC 3-22-2015 Spring has sprung and the snow is melting and the coffee is brewing.  Grab a cup and settle in. What an amazing story it will be if the Ottawa Senators manage to get into the playoffs!  Alas, Florida will also have an amazing story to tell this summer but I don’t think they will earn a spot. Come June, can you imagine the Cup Finals pitting one rookie goaltender in John Gibson against another in Andrew Hammond?  That would be mind-blowing! All season long I thought the Winnipeg Jets should have just stuck with Michael Hutchinson in net and sit Ondrej Pavelec as Hutch was the better net minder.  However, Pavelec has re-established himself as a bona fide No. 1 NHL goalkeeper again. There have been a lot of great NHL stories this year as we have mentioned a few above but what about New York Ranger’s Cam Talbot taking over for an injured Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers not missing a beat? Carey Price can definitely lock down the Hart with his spectacular season.  And if it weren’t for Pekka Rinne’s injury and subsequent cold streak, we might have had a battle between them for the MVP. Enough with the goalies, right?  Wait.  One more. Devan Dubnyk, last year’s whipping boy has transformed into an elite NHL goaltender as he now has started 30 straight games and has a 22-6-2 record.  Wow!  That’s wild! LOL Vladimir Tarasenko is a beast as he scored his 35th with an assist and had 8 SOG, 2 PIM.  The Blues will be fun to watch for a few years with Jaden Schwartz and VT teaming up. Some hot lines of late: Gaudreau-Monahan-Hudler, Pouliot-RNH-Eberle, Simmonds-Giroux-Voracek, Stafford-Scheifele-Wheeler Watch out for the Columbus Blue Jackets next season as they should be playing close to full health unlike this season. Barring a late surge, and not that they have been eliminated, but it’s not looking good for the LA Kings to defend their crown.  There will be a collective huge sigh of relief from the Western Conference once that becomes official. If you take a look, it appears Vancouver defenseman Alexander Edler may be coming around as he had 8 SOG last night and 3 points in last 3 games.  He does have the talent, but last year messed him up I think. Boston just may be the best team to not make the playoffs this season.  It happens. Patrice Bergeron is probably one of the most under-rated fantasy hockey players around. Ottawa is just driving hard and making that push and it’s coming from every player in their lineup, not just one or two hot players....

~~Is a career year underway for Montreal's Max Pacioretty? His overtime game winner gives him 23 goals and 40 points on the season. He would need 17 goals and 26 points over the last 34 games to establish new career-highs in both offensive categories. He should be starting in all formats, while his new center man Tomas Plekanec might be worth a waiver grab if available. After allowing 16 goals over his last four starts, Goalie Petr Mrazek rebounded yesterday afternoon with a 22-save effort in the win over the a Islanders. However, the promising youngster could be heading back to minors soon with Jonas Gustavsson and Jimmy Howard close to returning. The Wings were be much better off having Mrazek play more games in the AHL and continue to develop rather than sitting behind Howard... A bunch of multiple point performers on display during Ottawa's 7-2 romp over Phoenix, including Mark Stone who now has registered points in 8 of last 9 games. He is on the cusp of being starteable in most leagues. Hopefully you heeded our advice during our last ADD'EM installation... So who you rather have starting for your fantasy team- Tuukka Rask or Jonathan Quick? Based on last night alone, the Boston goalie looks to be the better option but let's judge based on January's peripherals- Rask: 1.61 GAA and .949 SP/Quick: 3.18 GAA and .878 SP. Pretty one-sided just in case you hadn't realized... Rookie defenseman John Klingberg need to be picked up ASAP after his dominating 4-point effort in the unfriendly confines of Winnipeg. His 6 points in his last 2 games, the 22-year old has left Dallas defender Alex Goligoski "in the dust". Start him immediately as he doesn't appear to be fading anytime soon... Whats up with Michael Hutchinson? The Winnipeg goalie has given up nine goals over his last two starts. Despite the blip on the radar, he is the superior goalie over Ondrej Pavelec so no need to worry about diminishing fantasy returns.. So how many of you picked up Cam Talbot when "King Henrik" received his huge scare with a puck to the throat? Great thinking, but Lundqvist should be ok to resume his monstrous workload for the Rangers. BTW, Cam Ward was rewarded for his fine effort against the Blues with the start at MSG. Bad move as Anton Khudobin has owned the Blueshirts lately. Expect the Russian in the Carolina crease the next time out.. Michael Del Zotto now has points in six straight games. The 24-year old defender is worth a long fantasy look as he has been logging big ...

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...

Good morning! Fresh cup of hot coffee and I'm ready to roll! We have a new point leader in the NHL this morning and he goes by the name of Jakub Voracek. And to think I traded him in the off-season for a 2nd round pick. Ugh! I have to say that Boston is doing a good job of hanging in there with the injuries they've had. It is amazing how at the drop of a dime, a player's fantasy value can change. I'm talking about a player like Justin Faulk who had been a bust and then all of sudden he's the hottest thing since sliced bread. Quietly, Claude Giroux is only 5 points behind team mate Voracek for the NHL lead in points. Patrice Bergeron is a true leader, so very under-rated and he just does it all. And he is still only 29. It feels like he has been around forever. Dallas needs to find some consistency in their game. Those LA-Anaheim matchups are sure fun to watch. The Ducks sure miss Corey Perry. Mumps?  Really?  OF all the things that can sideline a hockey player, mumps? I guess after giving up 6 goals a game for three straight, the Buffalo Sabres decided to put up 6 themselves against a flat Toronto team on Saturday. Zemgus Girgensons sounds more like a Dr. Seuss character than a hockey player, but I'm sure Buffalo fans are happy as a Who. I suppose now that the Sabres can go back on a losing streak since they won one. It was couples night in Montreal, or should I say pair's night. Braden Schenn, P.A. Parenteau, and Dale Weise (really) each had 2 goals. Tomas Plekanec, Max Pacioretty, Sergei Gonchar, Andrei Markov, and NHL-points leader Voracek all had 2 assists in the game. Alex Galchenyuk wanted to stand out so he had 3 assists. Cory Schneider has started all 18 games for the New Jersey Devils so far this year. I really think he should get a night off, but maybe he is like a bionic goalie or something. That NY Ranger-Pittsburgh was something to watch. It had everything in it.  Fights, hard hitting, a few goals (except for Crosby-again), spectacular saves, overtime, and a shootout.  It even had Crosby complaining to the refs all night.  Oh wait, doesn't he do that every game? Martin St. Louis is heating up. With the return of Derek Stepan and Dan Boyle to the lineup, he should be producing more frequently. The Blue Jackets are sure glad to have Sergei Bobrovsky back in the crease. They were lost, and losing, without him.  He may have come back just in time to save their season. Pekka Rinne wins again! I have to say that Winnipeg's G Ondrej Pavelec has ...

It's so nice when the air is crisp, hockey is back and my coffee is hot! I think it's safe to say Sidney Crosby loves Mike Johnston's system. Sid the Kid already has 6 points in only 2 games which comes out to 246 for the year at that pace.  Does anyone doubt that he could do it?  If anyone can, he could. Who would've thought that Tomas Plekanec would be a point behind Crosby in the scoring race? Sell high, LOL. One thing though about Plekanec, if Alex Galchenyuk has the breakout year that I am expecting, he could have a career year, or at least be a solid bottom end forward on your fantasy squad. Braden Holtby is already putting last year behind him. Barry Trotz' system is going to work wonders for "the Holt". If only Darcy Kuemper could play Colorado every game. You just knew Colorado wasn't going to get off to a great star like last year.  That surprise factor is gone. Alex Ovechkin had 2 goals and 7 SOG in yesterday's game against Boston. That's 11 SOG in 2 games.  He isn't hurting in Trotz' system either. Johnny Boychuk fits right in with the Islanders. He can have a tremendous year playing the point for Tavares.  I think the Boston Bruins will miss Jarome Iginla but not the other way around. I think Toronto needs to find themselves quickly. They can't afford to get off to a poor start like the Flyers did last season if they want to make the playoffs. I guess all those questions about Evgeni Malkin's pre-season status are answered now. The elite veterans like Malkin and Tavares know what the training camp is for, and they know that the regular season is when it matters. I might have been a bit light in my predictions for Patric Hornqvist this year. He had a goal and an assist last night, BUT he had 9 SOG.  If he continues with that type of effort, congrats to all who drafted him. Everyone on Montreal had at least 1 SOG last night except for Malhotra, Prust and Wiese. Those guys you don't expect to have SOG, they play different roles. Although they have given up 12 goals in just 3 games, the Philadelphia goaltending will get better. New Jersey is tied for the league lead in goals by a team with 11, and that in just 2 games. We are talking about the Devils here, right? Wayne Simmonds is a beast! I just love Victor Hedman this year! He's probably my man-crush for the season. Welcome back to the NHL Robin Lehner! We missed you last year.  I think last year is one young Mr. Lehner would soon like to forget. Is Tampa Bay waiting for Jonathan Drouin to ...

Some of the top fantasy forwards were held off the score sheet last night while some other top forwards put last year's nightmare behind them. Claude Giroux, Milan Lucic, Phil Kessel, Joe Thornton and Anze Kopitar all were pointless in their team's season opener. Now, one game does not a fantasy season make, so don't sweat it... If you believed that the Sedin twins and the rest of the Vancouver Canucks' statistics suffered last year being under the tutelage of John Tortorella and that they should return to form under new Head Coach Willie Desjardins, then you were rewarded right off the bat last night as both Sedins had an assist, with Henrik getting a goal as well.... New Canuck Radim Vrbata seems right at home playing alongside the Sedin twins as he potted his first goal of the season. Look for a return to the mid-30's in goals for Vrbata.... If your surname began with a "P" and you played for the Montreal Canadiens then it was your night. Max Pacioretty (G), Tomas Plekanec (2G, including the game-winner) and P.A. Parenteau (2A) all did their part in crashing the Toronto Maple Leafs home opener.... P.K. Subban had the game-winner along with 5 SOG last night. Monster year ahead for the talented d-man from Montreal.... James van Riemsdyk of the Leafs and Tyler Toffoli of the Kings had great training camps but they couldn't carry it over into the openers for their respective teams. Both forwards are expected to contribute greatly to their respective offenses.... Looking for a deep sleeper/rebounder? Alex Burrows had an injury-plagued year only playing in 49 games and notching 15 points. With a goal in the opener, perhaps Burrows is on his way to the 50-point level once again.... Antti Niemi stopped all 34 shots as the Sharks exacted a little bit of revenge against the LA Kings last night.  Niemi quieted some buzz going around that perhaps backup Alex Stalock will cut into his playing time as Niemi approaches free agency at the end of the year. Shutting out last year's Stanley Cup Champions is not a bad start.... Ryan Miller had a solid debut in net for the Canucks, stopping 23 of 25 in defeating the Calgary Flames 4-2 at the Saddledome. Miller should provide some consistency in net this year in Vancouver.

If it wasn't for goalie Carey Price getting knocked out of the series, it could have been the Montreal Canadiens playing against the Los Angeles Kings for the right to hoist the Cup.  Apparently fully recovered from his knee injury, Price looks to lead the Habs back to the Promised Land.  Gone are Thomas Vanek, Brian Gionta and Daniel Briere. Vanek didn't pan out and was often pointed out as the scapegoat.  Gionta and Briere will be missed for their leadership and playoff experience.  PA Parenteau and Tom Gilbert were brought in for depth purposes. Will the Canadiens have what it takes to get back again this year? GOALIES At 27-years of age, Price is entering his prime and has adapted to the pressure of being Montreal's starting goaltender. At 34-20-5, he almost matched his career best in 2010-2011 when he had a 38-28-6 record and his metrics were almost identical.  Now that he is a bit more seasoned, expect more consistency from Price going forward.  Peter Budaj will serve as backup again but if he falters, I'm sure the Canadiens won't hesitate to bring up last year's playoff darling, Dustin Tokarski. DEFENSE There is no denying the fire in P.K. Subban's belly but if he can control that emotion and funnel it into the game, he will be extremely dangerous. Look for Subban to mature a bit this season.  Andrei Markov seems to have rid himself of the injury bug and now has played in 2 back-to-back seasons, although one was the shortened 48-game Lockout season. Markov will still get you around the mid-40 level in points.  FORWARDS They may not have the elite name like a Crosby, Stamkos or an Ovechkin, but the Habs can throw out a few solid lines at you. Max Pacioretty along with David Desharnais, form the top pairing and should lead the team in offense. One player to keep your eye on this year is Alex Galchenyuk. This kid packs a tremendous amount of talent that it is just a matter of time before he explodes.  He has shown flashes, but not the consistency.  Slated to play on a line with Tomas Plekanec and Parenteau, these veterans just may be able to bring out his best. Brendan Gallagher is an energetic player that packs a scoring touch. For deeper leagues, Lars Eller could have a breakout year as he has been steadily improving every year. PROSPECTS Two defensive prospects, Jarred Tinordi and Nathan Beaulieu, are close to joining the club but far from making an impact. Other players are perhaps a season or two away from being any kind of factor. ...

If you are a diehard hockey fan like Steve and myself, and you are totally involved in fantasy hockey, then you are just itching for some pertinent hockey information to sink your teeth into as the fantasy hockey season is about to get underway. I already have had a little taste of it as one of my dynasty leagues held their online, or as Vince Vaughn says in the movie Internship, "on-the-line", draft over the Labor Day weekend. I am quite pleased with the way my team filled out nabbing some solid players in Patrik Elias, Dan Boyle & Tomas Plekanec to go along with "keepers" Zach Parise, Anze Kopitar, Gustav Nyquist, Pekka Rinne & Co.   I was also able to nab Justin Faulk and Craig Smith, among others, who I believe can make big contributions to their respective NHL teams.  But it will all depends on how the teams fare during the course of the 82-game NHL season and which players can ward off the injury bug. Starting this weekend, PrimePucks will bring you the "NHL IN 30" where each day we foocus on one team and give you a full team analysis on our coutndown to who we eventually think will be the Stanley Cup Champions come June 2015. So, check back each day and get a fantasy look at all the NHL teams, starting Saturday with Buffalo.