Dose: Wiles of Coyotes

Here’s a bit of advice: take a step back.

I was going to tailor this advice to people who are new to the Dose, but honestly, it’s easy for anyone to get swept into the story of the moment. Just look at all of the people on Twitter who were trying to bring attention to their Genius Predictions That Have Come True.*

Many will assume that All is Lost for the likes of the Columbus Blue Jackets and other teams who are off to funky starts; likewise, there may be a few weirdos planning parade routes for the Arizona Coyotes already.

There’s nothing wrong with jumping on a bandwagon in fantasy hockey, especially when the ability to add/drop allows you to treat bandwagon-hopping as if it’s your means of public transportation.

Just remember in higher stakes cases that we’re just one week into this season, so don’t trade a great player who is struggling for a guy who might just have a hot hand. The Dose will do its best to help you suss out who’s for real and who’s for really gullible people, but make sure to follow your own instincts, too.

Unless those instincts are dumb. Then … do not.

Don't forget, for everything NHL, check out Rotoworld's up to the minute coverage on Player News, as well as follow@Rotoworld_HK and @cyclelikesedins on Twitter.

* - I even micro-gloated about Martin Jones starting well … hopefully people could tell that I was doing so in jest. But still, I’m not totally innocent either.

Let’s get recapping now, shall we?

COYOTES 4, DUCKS 0

-- What a sensational game by Arizona's "kids," aka Anthony Duclair and Max Domi.

If you're going that "bandwagon-hopping" route, then there's not a big problem with going with either one. If I had to choose a single guy, it might be Domi, though.

Before this game, Duclair remarkably had two assists in two games despite having a single SOG. He generated five last night - the same as Domi - but high points and low SOG usually raise red flags for your fearful author.

Domi, meanwhile, had four SOG in his previous two games. He's also a higher profile prospect, even if it's only by a hair.

(I saw plenty of Rangers fans cringing to see Duclair already producing at the NHL level last night. Don Maloney really made the most of trading Keith Yandle and Antoine Vermette last season.)

Anyway, just remember that while these guys are blazing by everyone now, they might slow down just a touch once the season wears on. After all, someone like Domi is more used to playing 60-ish game seasons.

Again, just be careful if your consideration is trading away an established player for one of them, but go for it if you're just deciding between them and some jabroni at the bottom of your order.

-- That baseball reference reminds me to congratulate Toronto Blue Jays fans ... except the ones throwing beers/debris at the game. Any of those types with a smidge of self-awareness had to feel like fools after their team pulled off a remarkable comeback.

(I doubt the worst of that small section of the fanbase owns any sense of self beyond their next concession visit, though.)

Again, most Blue Jays fans are quality people, and it's been a delight to see how ecstatic even unrelated parts of Canada can be at a time like this. It's also a reminder of how a few bad apples can really rot the perception of an otherwise shining basket of Red Delicious.

-- I wonder how important the month of March was to Mike Smith.

During a nightmare season for Smith, there was something of a mirage in the desert. While he only won three times in 12 games, Smith managed a .934 save percentage.

Having success at the World Championships was an obvious confidence-booster, but that had to help a bit, right?

One worrying sign is that he's faced so many shots in two of his three strong starts, although that might come down to "score effects."

Again, I wouldn't go insane here, but you could do worse than to make him your third goalie until he proves you wrong.

-- So, maybe Anton Khudobin was just a guy who had some small sample size success? The Ducks would be wise not to throw away too many games with him if this is the norm.

It could also just be a tough start.

SENATORS 7, BLUE JACKETS 3

-- Honesty is something us news/blog types love, but sometimes it's easy to see why teams and players opt for canned, bland cliches.

For every time Roberto Luongo makes us laugh on Twitter, there's that quote that digs into teammates a little TOO much, or in Sergei Bobrovsky's case, something that's a little TOO soul-searching.

He admitted that he has no confidence after last night's loss, and it's easy to see why. He's allowed at least four goals in four losses.

You don't want a $7.425 million goalie trying to rebuild his confidence. Still, it's another reminder that a goalie can't use his wallet to make saves.

-- Erik Karlsson had a ridiculous for assists, because he's incredible. For whatever reason, it tickled me that all four of those helpers were secondary assists.

-- I have to admit I underrated the trio of Mike Hoffman, Kyle Turris and Mark Stone going into this season. They're looking like Ottawa's answer to Gaudreau - Monahan - Hudler. I'd add Turris and Stone, in particular, if they're available.

-- It had to be nice for Ottawa to see Bobby Ryan enjoy a nice game. If he can be productive, this Sens team could be quite the dark horse in the East.

-- There aren't a ton of happy stories going for Columbus right now - they're letting home games slip through their fingers here - but Brandon Saad is fitting in nicely. He scored his third goal as a Blue Jacket last night.

FLYERS 3, BLACKHAWKS 0

-- It's tough for me to tell how much this was about Philly playing well or Chicago being flat, as really each case seemed reputable here (so many both?). Either way, the Flyers weren't just depending upon a great performance from Michal Neuvirth in this case. They deserved to be in the game.

-- Speaking of Neuvirth, he is now on a two-game shutout streak. He's a respectable backup in the grand scheme of things, but sure, give him a shot if you're hoping he can maintain a hot streak. Just don't get your hopes up too high.

-- Jakub Voracek finally got a point and Claude Giroux finally got his first goal of the season. Those two should be fine going forward.

-- Sam Gagner scored his first goal of 2015-16. He has a ton on the line this season, and very few supporters (it seems), so he should be an interesting guy to watch.

-- Radko Gudas is doing Radko Gudas things: delivering hits, taking bad penalties that are great for fantasy owners, etc.

-- Patrick Kane's NHL.com mug is vaguely unsettling.

BRUINS 6, AVALANCHE 2

-- Colorado might just be the punching bag for teams trying to shake off slow starts this week.

Boston did it last night, and the Avs visit the Anaheim Ducks on Friday and the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday. Those could be ugly games for Patrick Roy & Co., although who knows?

-- Carl Soderberg was off to a solid enough start (two assists in his first two games), but hopefully you sat him last night, as he did nothing of merit and absorbed a -4 rating.

-- This could be a long season for Semyon Varlamov. So far, it's tough to place all of the blame on Roy's system, even if I wonder if even Colorado's blindest supporters may begin to have pause as 2015-16 limps along.

-- After doing close to nothing in his first three games, Jimmy Hayes exploded with a one-goal, three-assist game. He seems streaky even by the typical hot-and-cold standards of a power forward.

-- If Zdeno Chara is still falling in the end-of-the-draft range, scoop him up. As a fourth defenseman, he stands as a promising blend of plus/minus, points and PIM. It's weird talking about him as a fringe guy, by the way.

/shakes fist at Father Time.

-- Matt Beleskey is sliding into Milan Lucic in at least one way: being a power forward whose SOG rates are frustrating. He didn't have any last night, and only has four SOG in as many games.

-- Jonas Gustavsson may end up being a decent spot-starter if you're the heavy add/dropping type. Nothing spectacular, but Boston's style could work well for him as a backup.