Wayne Simmonds has a great matchup against the Arizona Coyotes. Who else should be in your lineups for NHL DFS?

SMC 3-15-2015 The weather is turning and the smell of playoff fever is starting to fill the air.  Nice cup of java to get teh day started off right! There are some really hot teams out there right now.  Boston, Ottawa and the NY Rangers in the East all at 8-1-1 in last ten.  In the West it’s Colorado and Minnesota at 7-3-0. Philadelphia’s offense exploded against the Detroit Red Wings but where was it for the longest time?  They still need defense though. Wayne Simmonds had everything yesterday.  A goal, two assists and 14 PIMs.  Not a bad fantasy day for the RWer. If Chicago’s Patrick Sharp can expound on his 2-goal night, the Blackhawks are going to be tough once again in the playoffs. San Jose is a hard team to figure out sometimes. Congratulations to New York Ranger goaltender Mackenzie Skapski who got his second win in only his second start, both against Buffalo, with last night being a 2-0 shutout.  With the way both Skapski and Cam Talbot have been playing, Henrik Lundqvist may not be needed until the end of the regular season to warm up for the playoffs. Vancouver is definitely not Eddie LACK-ing in the net after Ryan Miller went down as they are 6-3-1 in last ten. Montreal helped out the Rangers with a 3-1 win over the Islanders and they also helped themselves to stay tied with the Rangers atop the Eastern Conference.  Could be another amazing Conference Final come May? You just gotta love the way the Florida Panthers have played this entire season.  Jaromir Jagr is making a difference. Devan Dubnyk with 27 straight starts.  Who woulda thunk it in September? I bet Arizona’s Mike Smith can’t wait for this season to be over. Okay, now Pekka Rinne has won two of his last three starts. That’s more like it! The Predators offense has sure dried up quickly. This is going to be some race for the NHL Scoring title in the next few weeks.  Any of 15 players have a legitimate shot at it, especially if one player gets red-hot.  For a while it was Boston feeling the pressure of securing that last wild card slot in the East but now that has switched to Washington.  Gotta love the race! Detroit has looked real sloppy of late. 3 teams mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.  It’s not hard to guess which three. Have a great week and may all your fantasies come true!

A few noteworthy goalie efforts stood out for teams who needed them the most, none more impressive than Devan Dubnyk's 41 saves in St. Louis. The Wild held up for the 3-1 road win, but easily could have been down a few goals early if not for "Dubie's" heroics in net. Check this out- He has started 27 straight games while allowing three or more goals only six times during that stretch. How one can come out of nowhere and become arguably the best fantasy goalie seemingly overnight is astounding. Those fortunate to have scooped up Dubnyk have been in for some surprise. Game-changer for sure.. After falling off the map with five straight losses, Nashville's Pekka Rinne has found his elite form once again, stopping 23 of 24 shots in the 2-1 win in LA. The All-World goalie has given up just a single goal in each of the last three starts so he seems safe to ride again as the Predators dig out of their late-season doldrums.. We need to talk up the reigning Vezina winner a bit more in fantasy circles, as Tuukka Rask continues to ascend to the top of the goalie ranks with his fourth straight win, a 30-save shutout in Pittsburgh. Surely it helped that Sidney Crosby was a late scratch with an illness and Evgeni Malkin was hurt early in the game, but the Penguins generated many prime scoring opportunities only to be stymied over and over by Rask. With the Boston Bruins further cementing a wildcard spot, look for the Finnish netminder to keep up his elite ways moving forward... Guess who scored the game-winner for the Rangers? None other than newly-acquired Keith Yandle who took six games to score his first point for the Blueshirts. Now that the weight has been lifted off his shoulders, expect the high-scoring rearguard to drastically pick up the scoring pace over the final stretch... His 19-game goal-scoring drought is no more as Chicago's Patrick Sharp scored two key goals in the 6-2 win over San Jose. He was expected to carry much of the Blackhawk's offense since the Patrick Kane injury, but this hasn't exactly come to fruition as he struggled mightily since the beginning of February- 4 points in 18 games. It's tough to recommend him once again based on one great performance, but Sharp is as streaky as they come so watch him over the next few games.. Speaking of streaky, Winnipeg's Drew Stafford scored a power-play goal in the 2-1 victory over the Lightning, his fourth in the last six games. The inconsistent winger bears watching as he could be a key offensive cog...

The huge news of the night involved the lower-body injury suffered by Tyler Seguin after a low hit by Florida's Dimitry Kulikov. Seguin owners and Dallas fans are holding their breath as he could miss significant time if the MRI reveals major damage. If you want to look ahead, Jason Spezza would stand to be the major fantasy beneficiary during Seguin's potential absence. But let's hope the superstar is ok and misses minimum time.. I found it real funny and somewhat predictable that Kari Lehtonen turned in arguably his strongest performance of the season on the heels of the Stars acquiring goalie Jhonas Enroth in a trade. Lehtonen needed a kick in the butt to get his game going so fantasy owners owe Mr. Enroth a big thank you.. Fantasy star of the night honors belongs to San Jose's Joe Pavelski who collected a hat trick to raise his goal total to 31, good for fourth in the NHL. 'Little Joe" deserves way more fantasy recognition but it's the more famous "Joe"-Mr. Thornton- who has been killing it lately with 14 points over his last ten games. After a few seasons of showing some decline, the veteran center is scoring again at a point-per-game clip. Start him while he pumps out assists at such a high rate.. Marian Hossa is taking a page out of Joe Thornton's book and has turned back the clock lately with another two-point effort, his fourth straight. With seven goals over that span, the Slovakian winger is absolutely on a roll and needs to be starting while he is streaking... The "Wayne Train" is flying express these days, as Wayne Simmonds is heating up again. His two goals and an assist gives him six points over his last five games. Get him in your lineup now but be prepared to pull the plug soon when he goes cold. There is no middle ground with Simmonds. He is either great or not...  

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 ...

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 ...

With 7 points in the past 4 games and 15 points in past 9, it is safe to say that Chicago's Patrick Kane is on fire. Kane's 2 goals paced the way in the Blackhawk's win over Jake Allen (29/33 SV) and the St. Louis Blues. ...Allen didn't have his best game and new Blue Martin Brodeur will make his debut tonight against the Nashville Predators....Antti Raanta turned aside 40 shots on goal to earn the win in his first start since October 25th. Raanta should see most of the action over the next few weeks as starter Corey Crawford recovers from a lower-body injury... Kris Versteeg has shown no signs of slowing down as he pitched in with a goal and 2 assists giving him 7 points in last 3 games. Versteeg es en fuego!  He now has 21 points in 21 games played this season.  Grab him as he is for real.... Minnesota's Darcy Kuemper (18/19 SV) came within a minute of pitching a shutout against the Montreal Canadiens but Alex Galchenyuk spoiled that bid. Kuemper is solidifying his hold on the starter's role but things can change if and when Josh Harding is ready to return to NHL action. The Wild will need to address their soon to crowded goaltending core..... Will the Edmonton Oilers ever win another game this season? That's 11 straight losses with 4 of those losses in overtime so they did manage to grab 4 points out of this ordeal.  Big deal, right?  Something will have to give for these poor Oiler fans who have suffered long enough.... The Philadelphia Flyers are just a touch above the Edmonton Oilers as they have now lost 10 of their last 11 with a 5-4 shootout loss to the Anaheim Ducks last night....Wayne Simmonds scored twice and, with 7 SOG, may be on the verge of breaking out of his slump. The Flyers are in a desperate state and something big may be lurking just around the corner.  He does have 17 points in 25 games but more was expected of the RWer....

The Flyers tried Chris VandeVelde on the top line on Thursday, but will have Simmonds there to start the game tonight. Simmonds is a natural RW who will shift to the left side, but playing with Jakub Voracek and Claude Giroux should provide ample scoring chances for the big winger. Simmonds has cooled off after a hot start, but has six goals and three assists with a plus-10 rating in 13 games this season.

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 ...

For all the fantasy owners who drafted New York Rangers winger Rick Nash a bit later than the customary early rounds, you reaped huge returns in Game 1. The enigmatic forward led the way with 2 goals, including the late game-winner and an assist in the Blueshirt's huge 3-2 road win over St. Louis. While seemingly star-crossed and in a state of disfunction all of last season, Nash looked every bit the part of a dangerous scorer last night while clicking on a line with the emerging Chris Kreider and the newly appointed center Martin St. Louis. While this represents a small sample size, this was an encouraging sign for a possible rebound season for Nash... Big injury news out of the same game- New York defenseman Dan Boyle will be out 4-6 weeks with a broken hand that he sustained while blocking a shot. Obviously, a blow to fantasy owners as Boyle looked to poise to put up decent numbers while anchoring their top power play unit. Give Ryan McDonagh a slight boost in fantasy value as he should get a modest uptick in power-play minutes.. Huge nights for Sidney Crosby (2G/1A) and Corey Perry (3G) in Pittsburgh's 6-4 win over Anaheim, but this high-scoring affair also introduced the debuts of Ryan Kesler and Patric Hornqvist in new uniforms. Both opened up the year in grand style, as fantasy owners must be thanking their luck stars for scooping them up. Kesler was terrific on the power-play with Getzlaf and Perry, collecting a goal and two assists. Meanwhile, Hornqvist responded to starting on the first line with a goal and a helper. Barring injuries, the gritty Swede is well on his way to a career season playing in his new digs... Sami Vatanen looked pretty comfortable with the man advantage, also chipping in with two assists. Even with a healthy Cam Fowler, the talented Finn might push for more PP time. Keep your eyes on him as his fantasy ascension has already begun.. So much for sitting Flyer's winger Wayne Simmonds this week on the basis that he was a bit banged up- two goals and assist in the 6-4 loss to New Jersey provides further evidence that his 60-point breakout season was definitely for real. Don't get caught up with the fact that he doesn't skate on the first line with Claude Giroux. He is a dominating force on the power-play and always around the net. 30+ goals should be a lock... The "Zach Attack" was on full display in Minnesota, as Zach Parise was in dominant form with a goal and two assists in the 5-0 drubbing of Colorado. Not much on Tomas ...