If you missed it, Brad May scored his first goal as a red wing – the only problem is that for some reason they decided it wasn’t a goal. It’s pretty clear from the video that the puck went in, 2 or 3 seconds pass, and then the whistle blows. Have a look for yourself, and try not to think about whether or not the call would have been different if it were Crosby and the Penguins instead of Brad May.
Bonus Video: Ever wonder which city has the most classless fans in the league? Right now, that goes to Anaheim after these fans starting throwing punches when Niedermayer tried to give a stick to a girl in the stands. Check it out:
Hit or miss across the Buy/Sell board from last week, let’s see if we can’t get you some help for this coming week’s action…
BUY
Jason Demers (San Jose) – Once again looking at the stockpile of talent in San Jose, Demers has been consistent most of this season. Most owners would notice the big goose egg sitting in the goal column at the moment, but it’s not for lack of effort. He’s got 10 assists so far and is seeing ice time ranging anywhere from 13 to 18 minutes a night depending on how Todd McClellan is playing the matchups. If you need some helpers, don’t hesitate to look his way. (34% ownership in Yahoo! leagues)
David Perron (St. Louis) - I’m still reluctant to go anywhere near the Blues after my Keith Tkachuk experiment went horribly wrong after their stint in Sweden, but owners may as well ride the hot hand while it’s out there. All but one of the games where he’s recorded at least a point have been multiple-point outings, so they seem to come in spurts. Even more encouraging is that he’s getting some goals on the power play (two of his last 4 have been with the man advantage). (36% owned)
Marek Zidlicky(Minnesota) - Now that the Wild have things pointing closer to the right direction, their players become more feasible fantasy options. Obviously, Koivu and Brunette are the big names that would be the best options, but Marek Zidlicky is gaining momentum as well. 5 points in his last 4 games (2 G, 3 A) to go along with 13 PIM makes him worthy of an “add” in most leagues, especially since he get’s 22+ minutes of ice time a night. (69% owned)
Keep an eye on…
Niclas Bergfors (New Jersey) – Has put up very good numbers in sort of a role position so far (10 points in his last 10 games). Be cautious of jumping right after his as Patrick Elias has returned from the IR and Bergfors’ playing time might be in jeopardy. (9% owned)
Ryan Clowe (San Jose) - You’re probably tired of seeing all these Sharks, but it’s hard to ignore with as many goals as they score. Anyone who is on the same line as Patrick Marleau right now has some sort of value in my mind. Clowe has 33 PIM to-date as well. (46% owned)
Jimmy Howard(Detroit) - For those in need of goaltending help, take a look at the other Detroit net-minder. He’s gotten the start in both of the Wings’ last two games and came up with wins both nights. He’s sporting a 1.00 GAA and a .966 SV% in those games. If Osgood comes up lame in his next outing, Howard may see significantly more time. (6% owned)
SELL
The Carolina Hurricanes – Don’t look around and try to question what I’m getting at here, but the ‘Canes have been dreadful all season. It started with a rush of injuries and hasn’t gotten better even with some key players returning (i.e. Ray Whitney, Eric Cole). Consider that five of their “go-to” guys are pretty much in the cellar of the plus/minus category: Matt Cullen, -8/Joe Corvo, -9/ Joni Pitkanen, -10/ Aaron Ward, -12/ Rod Brind’Amour, -13. There is just no offensive production from the only team in the NHL to average less that 2 goals a game (1.94).
Milan Michalek (Ottawa) – For a guy getting almost 20 minutes of playing time per game, he’s not producing like the Senators would like. He’s got only 6 points in his last 10 games and only one multi-point game this year, and that was a freakish three goal outburst. He’s a -2 on the season and the team around him isn’t getting much better, so if you have better options, look to deal him before he’s worthless.
Mattias Ohlund (Tampa Bay) – While I’m a big fan of the offensive core that Tampa has built with Stamkos, Malone, Lecavalier, and St. Louis, the defense doesn’t get into the scoring as much as fantasy owners would like. Ohlund is currently owned in 40% of Yahoo! leagues, which is awfully high for a guy who has just 6 points in 16 games. He took a lot of money to come here and isn’t producing enough to justify it as of yet. If you’re in bad enough shape to have a Tampa Bay defensive player in your starting lineup, you need to look elsewhere quickly before the serviceable players are taken.
Use caution with these guys…
Bill Guerin (Pittsburgh) – The Pens are scoring at the moment, and a lot of that has to with Malkin still being out of the lineup. They’ve had to shuffle lines constantly to try and find something that works, but without success so far. Just 1 point and a -6 in his last seven games isn’t what owners like to see after the surprising start he had.
Michael Frolik (Florida) – Even for a guy who was drafted in the late rounds, owners are still upset with his lack of production. The re-emergence on Steve Reinprecht and others has really diminished some of his value. Still getting quality playing time isn’t the issue, getting on the scorer’s sheet is: he has just 1 point in his last 9 games.)
Ilya Bryzgalov (Phoenix) – After maybe the most surprising start of the young NHL season, the big goaltender has faltered as of late, but I think you should consider the team he plays for. After 18 games this year, the Coyotes are averaging 2.50 goal per game. They are allowing 2.39 goals per game. These numbers are far too close for Phoenix to be a long-term fantasy goldmine. Either hope for the goal for to go up (way up) or hope that Bryzzy stops more of the shots that come at him (he only sees 27.3/game… 4th fewest in the NHL).
There are some seriously interesting games this weekend in the NHL that not only have the type of intrigue to make for an intensely great game, but also as a spot to score a buck or two. Consider the following:
Saturday, November 14
Anaheim @ Detroit, 7 pm (all times eastern) – Everyone can remember the countless games these two Western Conference “rivals” have played against each other the past few seasons. Keep an eye on this game though. The Wings are always one of the best home-ice teams in hockey year in and year out, with this season being no different. They are 5-1-1 at Joe Louis Arena and usually buckle down the defense when a high scoring team arrives. The Ducks haven’t really proven they can win on the road yet this season and traveling across that much of the country is bothersome to say the least. Detroit 4, Anaheim 2.
Washington @ New Jersey, 7 pm – Many thought that without Alexander Ovechkin in the lineup, the Caps would struggle to score as much as their followers are used to. However, the loss of #8, along with Mike Green’s absence, hasn’t stopped Washington from maintaining its goal scoring frenzy. They still lead the league in goals scored whereas the Devils are tied for first in goals allowed (with the Sabres). In most games, a good defense beats a good offense, and I tend to agree. New Jersey 3, Washington 2.
Vancouver @ Colorado, 10 pm – It’s looking more and more like these two teams are becoming the cream of the crop in the Northwest Division. In their previous two meetings this season, the Avs and Canucks each have a 3-0 over one another. Both of these wins came on the respective teams home ice. Vancouver will be getting this test on their way home from an east-coast road trip, so they will undoubtedly want to snag a win to gain some momentum. Look for Craig Anderson to come up with some big saves and help the Avs gain another two points. Colorado 3, Vancouver 1.
Sunday, November 15
San Jose @ Chicago, 7 pm – Every fantasy manager knows that the San Jose Sharks are a gold mine when it comes to accruing stats. For no other reason, I like the Sharks in this game. I will point out that Chicago has only allowed 38 goals in 15 games and when San Jose scores 2 goals or less, they are 1-5-0. San Jose 4, Chicago 2.
Let’s face it, quite a few high draft pick goalies aren’t performing well to start the season. (see: Osgood, Price, Ward, Mason, Toskala, Vokoun) You’re probably stuck with one of these guys (or like me, 2 of them) and wondering what to do. You really want to drop them, but you’re afraid that they’re going to inevitably turn their season around.
Some of these goalies will actually do that (I’d keep Ozzie, he’s going to get wins when his team is healthy – but I’d show Toskala the door.)
Here’s some easily attainable (owned in <50% of yahoo leagues) goalies who can get you quality spot starts while you wait out your starters:
Andrew Raycroft is still available in 80% of leagues and has played solidly in replace of Luongo. He got lit up the other night, but should still continue to put up decent numbers in his starts.
Ty Conklin Almost had his 2nd shutout the other day, but is continuing to improve in his limited starts. Sadly, the W’s will be few and far between unless he gets some better goal support.
Antero Niittymaki has 4 wins already and a GAA under 2. He’s also starting tonight against the Wild and makes an excellent play in daily leagues.
Tuukka Rask will also most likely get the Nod for the Bruins next, and also has a good likely hood of getting you some W’s
Dwayne Roloson has been on fire lately, posting 5 wins, but is only owned in about 40% of leagues.
Martin Biron, the other Isles goalie, is an even more interesting case. He’s going to be traded eventually, and he’s probably going to end up somewhere like Detroit or Montreal where he will become an instant upgrade and post much better numbers when he has an actual NHL caliber team playing in front of him. If you’ve got bench room, start thinking about stashing him away.
Jonas Gustavsson is healthy and looking like he’ll soon be the #1 man in Toronto. If he’s still on waivers in your league, I’d consider picking him up.
Rick DiPietro can’t obviously provide instant help, but he’s one I’ve got my eye on. He’s practicing again and will instantly resume the #1 role on the Island as soon as he’s healthy enough to do so. If he ever gets back to game shape he’s one that can steal W’s all by himself – which, he’s going to have to do given the talent in front of him.
Ondrej Pavelec is having a Terrible November, but it’s mostly the fault of lackluster defense not clearing the net and letting him see shots. If ATL ever figures out how to play in their own end, Pavelec will see the benefit.
Nikolai Khabibulin is not having a great year, but he’s still top 12 in wins right now.
Semyon Varlamov, while techincally a backup, is probably one who I’d tier with the starters. He’s 6-1 so far this year and the team in front of him is playing well. He’s a rookie though, so tread carefully. If it were me though, I’d run him out there every game he plays.
Phil Kessel netted his first goal as a leaf the other day. It’s a far stretch from a “great goal” since it probably would have gone in anyway had he not touched it (and I’m not just saying that because I own Blake in one of my leagues and am bitter about him stealing a goal….no I wouldn’t do that…) It’s “monumental” because the Leafs are counting on Kessel to provide a significant chunk of offense for them, and he hasn’t done that yet.
It’s easy to look past this goal, especially considering who it was scored against and how he’s playing this season (yeah, I own him too and am refusing to say his name)
Anyway, check it out – and be sure to mock it in the comments.
Those who play fantasy hockey with me know that I keep one of the most accurate and up to date watch lists that there is. Chances are if you just picked up a player, he was already on my watch list. I’m the guy that snagged Peverly before he got hot and traded him for a top tier player. I’m the guy who had Quick sitting on the bench before you heard of him – and lucky for you I’m the guy who’s going to tell you who the next pickups in your league will be.
Cam Ward is out for 4 to 5 weeks and the Canes have called up 36 year old Manny Legace to be their go to guy in his absence. Legace’s played 6 games for the AHL Wolves so far, and has posted a dismal 3.21GAA with a .898 SV%. Carolina is struggling though, and Legace is of interest because if he plays good, he may just stick around and steal some starts from Ward. Never underestimate the veteran who feels like he’s got something to prove.
Milan Michalek was dropped in a lot of leagues at the start due to his poor performance, but the LW has 10 points through 12 games and should be owned in every league out there but is only owned in about 70% of Yahoo leagues. If he’s not owned in your league pick him up before somebody else does.
David Clarkson (owned in 40% of leagues) is seeing a lot of pickups now, but his role on the PP will probably decrease as soon as Elias returns to playing full time. I’d look elsewhere for powerplay help.
Antero Niittymaki is starting to see increased playing time with Mike Smith Struggling, and he’s making the best of it. Antero is 4-1 with a 1.95 / .940 but it only owned in 30% of leagues. If you’re stuck with a struggling Carey Price or Chris Osgood, Nittymaki may be the reason you’re looking for to leave those guys on the bench against tougher matchups.
Update:Okposo has just been quarantined from the team since it was discovered he’s also come down with the H1N1 swine flu. Given that, I’d leave him benched in daily leagues for a while. Kyle Okposo has really benefited from playing alongside Tavares and has managed to put up 10 points in the last 12 games as well. As a general rule, I tend to avoid drafting anybody on the Islanders (mainly because I haven’t heard of any of them) but Okposo should see some heavy ice time and powerplay chances as the season goes on. He’s worth stashing away on the bench on daily leagues. I wouldn’t quite play him in weekly format yet though.
Ian White, despite being a the #3 defenseman in Toronto, has been seeing his fair share of powerplay time. The leafs are still god awful, but White may be worth taking a flyer on in deep daily (ones with 5 or more D per team) leagues. I wouldn’t use a high waiver here though.
Jay McKee is currently one of the top 100 players in the league. I never thought I’d say that, but he does usually lead in blocked shots and always posts a positive plus minus. With Letang being out for about 2 weeks, McKee should see a slightly increased role as well. If you’re really hurting in the +/- and PIM category, you could do a lot worse than McKee. Just don’t expect too much offensive stats – as shown by his 5% ownership in Yahoo leagues.
Chris Neal is somebody who a lot of people will end up picking up based on rank alone. That rank is due to his extremely high number of penalty minutes – which are artificially inflated by his 21 minutes against Tampa. Pass on Neal and laugh at those who only play based on Yahoo ranks.
Alexei Ponikarovsky is the guy you’ll want to target if you insist on owning a Maple Leaf this year – but unless you’re one of those who likes to draft players who you can watch regularly on CBC, I wouldn’t touch anybody on Toronto’s roster. Even Blake is a free agent in my league (and he’s the only one worth drafting.) Still, 8 points in 12 games and powerplay time… there are lots of worse players you could pick up. See above.
Mike Comrie has come back to life after a long battle with the flu to score 2 goals last week. Look for him to heat up and get back to his regular self once the Oilers can finally get past their flu outbreak. Keep him off your bench for now to avoid infecting your other players, but keep an eye on him in the coming weeks. A 7% ownership is way too low for him – diseased or not.
Ryan O’Reilly 14 points in 18 games, and whopping +13. The Avs are hot and the 2nd round draft pick is off to an even hotter start. Eventually Colorado is going to simmer down and O’Reilly won’t be able to sustain these numbers, but for now things look good so pick him up if he hasn’t already been added and try to trade him for somebody who’s slumping. You may get a hell of a deal from an Elias, Lecavalier, or Datsyuk owner who has grown impatient with their high round draft choice.
Niklas Kronwall should see some increased powerplay time now that Jason Williams is out. Brad Stuart also becomes the #4 D man on the PP. Kronwall is 2/4/-1/16 so far this year while Stuart is posting a 1/1/-3/6. There’s better D out there than Stuart, but Kronwall is worth a serious look in most leagues.
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Jerome Iginla (Calgary) – This probably comes as nor surprise to many of you, but consider the fact that his slow start may have made him available by his owners in some leagues. Last week he posted 4 goals (2 of them on the PP), 1 assist, and ended the week +1. This week, the Flames are on an east-coast trip with visits at Montreal, Buffalo, and Toronto. The Montreal and Toronto games look like good spots where Iggy might see quality even-strength and multiple PP chances.
Anze Kopitar (Los Angeles) – Last week’s leading point scorer netted 3 goals and 3 helpers. The surprising thing about those numbers is that none of his goals came on the PP (which by all accounts was his M.O. the majority of the season thus far). Again, Anze is probably owned in most leagues, but his owners have to be wondering just how long the Kings plan on maintaining their baffling start to the season.
Alex Tanguay (Tampa Bay) – At last check, he was only owned in about 40-50% of fantasy leagues. Following a 5 point week (2 goals, 3 assists) and looking ahead to a this week where the Lightning are at home for their only two meetings against Minnesota and Los Angeles. The Wild have seen their share of road struggles this season and the Kings will be playing the second game of a back-to-back schedule in the midst of a five game, 8 day road trip. In his career, Tanguay has 38 points in 43 games against the Wild to go with 23 points in 28 games against the Kings.
Take a flyer on…
Pavel Kubina (Atlanta) – Scored his first 3 goals of the season (2 on the PP) and added 8 PIM last week. Playing well at a good time with Peverly, Little, and Antropov scoring as well. Games @NYR, vLA, and vEDM.
Brendan Morrison (Washington) - Filled in nicely in a bigger role with some of the Caps’ star players injured. Only a 3 point week, but the bigger picture shows he’s getting more ice time and better scoring chances. Games vNYI, vMIN, and @NJ.
Jeff Tambellini (N.Y. Islanders) – The Isles hovering around .500 this far into the season is more surprising overall, but JT has been a huge part of that. Tavares, Moulson, and Okposo seem to be the big names, but Tambellini has 6 goals and 3 helpers thus far. Games @WAS, @CAR, and @FLA.
SELL
David Backes (St. Louis) – After what was a red hot start, the Blues have faded off, somewhat dramatically, and now find themselves at 5-6-4. Backes was expected to be one of their biggest contributors along with Brad Boyes, Paul Kariya, and a host of younger talent. Unfortunately, Backes has just 2 points in 15 games and more surprising for his fantasy value, only 15 PIM to date (a far cry from the 165 PIM he spent in the box last season). A tough stretch of games this week against Vancouver, Nashville, and San Jose doesn’t have me any more optimistic that things will change. Unload him via trade or drop.
Olli Jokinen (Calgary) – You may be asking yourself, how can he like Iginla but not Jokinen when they are back on the same line together? Well, having scored only 2 goals in 15 games this season has a lot to do with that. Granted, you’ll find your Calgary faithful out there who still feel that the Olli who had 15 points in 19 games at the end of last season with Calgary will eventually show up. Unfortunately, I’m not holding my breathe any longer. Sell him now if you can for a mid-level or second-liner and consider yourself lucky.
Ray Whitney (Carolina) – It goes without saying that Carolina is off to a horrific start, but Whitney, who was coming off of a 77 point campaign in 2008 was expected to lead this team. So far, he has only 4 goals and 4 assists in 14 games and is a -4. We can trace his woes this season back to the fact that he just isn’t getting the scoring chances like he was last season. With only 28 shots on goal, he is on pace for 164 this season compared to last year where he landed 219 on net. His ice time isn’t going down, and now the ‘Canes are without Cam Ward in net, so dumping Whitney seems like a great move.
Be very cautious…
Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg (Detroit) – For the moment, both are still “must starts” in almost all leagues. However, a recent run of injuries to the Red Wings will put significantly more pressure on the stars to perform. No Filppula, no Franzen, and now no Jason Williams, could make these two hard to start with any confidence. Games @CLS, vVAN, and vANH.
Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh) – Pointless in four straight games now, it is evident that the Pens miss Evgeni Malkin opposite of Crosby. During his scoreless streak, Sid is a -4 and has just 9 SOG. Malkin is at least one more week away from returning, but I still think Crosby gets in most starting lineups anyways. Games @BOS, vNJ, and vBOS.
Dennis Wideman (Boston) – A lot was expected out of Boston following their finish a year ago, but so far, they’ve fallen drastically short. Wideman is pointless in 10 straight games, and is a -1 to boot. The Bruins are obviously in an offensive funk at the moment, so until they bust out of it, use extreme caution with any Boston player. Games vPIT, vFLA, and @PIT.
A new NHL season is among us, and with that a new NHL fantasy hockey website is needed. Join us each week as we share our player specific insights, tips for dominating your fantasy league, expert picks, general hockey musings, and hatred for whoever is playing against the Wings and Islanders.
John Tavares had many people wondering just how much offense he could produce on the lackluster islanders, but after watching him play it’s certain that he’s going to be a beast on the powerplay this year. Tavares is a must-start in any league that values PPP. He may struggle at first, so trade for him now while his value is low.
Vesa Toskala had a rough start – posting an abysmal .800 save percentage through the first couple of games. Now may be a good time to pick up Gustavsson just in case, or think about abandoning the Leafs goalies for now.
Brooks Laich was only drafted in about 20% of leagues, but that number is sure to skyrocket after his 5 point week. Laich plays alongside the talented Semin and gets his fair share of powerplay chances. With opponents putting their best D out against the Ovechkin line, Laich should be in store for a breakout season.
John-Michael Liles. Normally I wouldn’t even draft an Avalanche player – let alone a former Spartan who was -19 last year – but Liles seems to have stepped up his play this year and could emerge as a top offensive defenseman. Somebody on the Avs has to score goals, and it’s certainly not the bunch of scrubs they currently have playing forward.
Michael Del Zotto, the Rangers first round pick, scored his first goal, but I wouldn’t pick up a Rangers defenseman in a New York teams only league.
Jordan Staal opened the season on the 3rd line for the Pens and is quickly being dropped in a lot of leagues. Pit is deep at center this year, and that doesn’t look good for Staal. Look for them to deal somebody at the trade deadline to try and boost up their defense. At this point I’d only own Staal if you also had Crosby and Nash and wanted to name your team “Crosby, Staals, and Nash” without having to give up anybody good to acquire Eric Staal. Of course, you could also go with Marc Staal, in which case I refer you to the above “Del Zotto” paragraph.
Wojtek Wolski may sound like something something from an Elmer Fudd cartoon, but the 3rd year player is off to a hot start for Colorado. He’s put up 3 goals in 2 games while playing on the top line (which puts him on pace for 117 if he can keep it up,) but don’t expect it to last all season. This is a guy who hasn’t reached the 20 goal plateau yet in his career. Trade him now while he’s got value and then try to stay away from drafting Avs or Blues.
