Fantasy Hockey *Saturday: Boxing Day

By John Cullen

I’ve taken a lot of time in this space to talk about my hatred of what I call “set it and forget it” pools. These are pools often done in offices by people who are otherwise “too busy”(see: not knowledgeable enough) to participate in daily/weekly roster update pools, where the real poolies lie. So oftentimes these pools won’t even have a draft, they won’t meet together at some point during the year to watch a game or three, and most guys won’t even check to see how they’re doing more than once every three or four months. The favorite of the office pool is the “box” pool, where players are divided according to skill into boxes, and you pick one player from each box. Guy with the most points wins. Most box pools will have one “trading day” a year, where you can exchange one or several players for other players within the box, inheriting their points in the process. This is done as a measure to prevent injuries from completely ruining a team, and also to give the teams in the last few places some hope for the new year(even though realistically if you’re not within 30 points of the lead at this point in the season, you’re probably not going to win--sucks but it’s the truth). So today, I’m going to talk about box pool deadline day, the one time a year where you get to manipulate your pool in your favor. I’m not JUST a daily roster player, you know.

There isn’t a whole lot to say about these moves, and most fantasy owners won’t even really care too much, they’ll simply look at which categories they can gain the most points in, and pick those two players. This logic is naturally flawed, and if you don’t take to consider overall output for the season, you’re going to screw yourself and you may end up trading for a player who will fall apart.

Much like when you’re dealing with goalies, trending is the most important thing to look at when you’re trading these players. What I mean to say by that is you need to make sure that the guy you are trading for isn’t simply a hot player, and that his current point total will reflect exactly where he’s going to go for the year. By taking a look into some research and finding out some average point totals for your player over the past few seasons, you’ll give yourself a better understanding of exactly where the player is heading. Some guys have “point ceilings”, or totals where they really can’t achieve too much more over the course of their career. Be aware of these ceilings and make your adjustments accordingly.

The New York Rangers are a prime example of how trending can affect your team negatively. At the beginning of the year in daily update pools, nearly everyone was stumbling over themselves to pick up guys like Ales Kotalik, Michael Del Zotto, Vinny Prospal, etc. The Rangers have been abysmal offensively and in the standings since their initial 7-1 run, and I’ve seen nearly all Rangers get dropped as fast as they were picked up. To pick up a guy because he’s hot in December can crush you, so you need to be sure you’re getting the best value.

As always in box pools, injuries are a huge concern. Many guys will be making a move for Marian Gaborik in their pool, and this is very troubling to me. Unless the guy you have in your box is 20-25 points under Gaborik at this point and heading for a 50-point season, you simply can’t pick up a guy that’s a constant injury worry. Yes, he’s second in the league now, but if he goes down tomorrow and is out for the year, everyone in his box will pass him in points. This goes for every player, of course, but why not stick with a player who has a reputation for durability instead?

And finally, be very wary of exchanging defensemen or goalies. Only the most elite defensemen score over 50 points in a season(last season, only 13 d-men scored 50 or more, with 39 points being enough to get you into the top 30) and the reality is that unless your boxes were made very poorly, the point differential between all the defensive guys in a box might be 10-15 points at the end of the season. Compare that with a forward box where a guy like say, Anze Kopitar, is in with a bunch of chumps based on his last season’s point total, and you could have a point differential between the first and last guy of 40-50 points, which is a ridiculous difference. Sure, Tomas Kaberle might have 15 more points than Chris Pronger right now, but is Kaberle REALLY going to score 70 points this year, and are the Flyers REALLY going to keep being this bad? Not bloody likely in either case.

As for goalies, the same thing applies. Unless your goalie categories are wildly imbalanced or goalie points are applied in silly fashion(1 pt=win, 2 pts=SO is pretty standard), you’re not going to end up with a huge difference between guys and because the goalie stats in these types of pools are geared more towards team quality rather than goalie quality and the boxes usually reflect this, you’re at risk by exchanging goalies unless there’s some major gap in class in the box rankings, and that’s without even considering goalie slumping, which can kill any good box poolie.

So make sure when you head to your trade deadline in the coming weeks that you do with point ceilings, expectations, and team trending in mind, otherwise you could end up wasting your trades on lateral moves and your only chance at gaining any ground in the standings.

The Saturday Slate

Your weekly guide to goalie sits and starts. If my “start” goalies record a win and a peripheral statistic of either 2.00 GAA or less, or .920 save % or higher, I take one point. If they record one of the two, I take a half-point. If my “sit” goalies take a loss and post either a 3.00 GAA or higher or a .900 save % or less, I take one point. If they take either one of the two, I take a half. For the year, I have 18.5 of a possible 32 points, recording at least a half-point in 23 of 32 games thus far. In the event of a starting goalie not playing the game, I will assume their backup’s stats.

Last week: I missed another week, but got back on the board, albeit in small fashion with my only point coming at the hands of Mathieu Garon and the Blue Jackets. Better things ahead in time for Christmas!

START

Ilya Bryzgalov @ Anaheim Both teams will be playing their third game in four nights, but I think that’s more of a problem for the anemic offense of the Ducks, rather than the trap-happy Coyotes. Breezy is putting up career numbers and is making an early bid for a surprise Vezina Trophy nomination. He’s a must-start on any given night, but against the Ducks he has a real shot at a goose-egg.

Brian Elliott v. Minnesota Elliott’s finding his game just in time for Pascal Leclaire’s return and where the job seemed Leclaire’s assuredly only a few weeks ago, Elliott’s put up two donuts in the last 4 games and has won 3 of 4, putting up some very excellent numbers in the process. Mike Brodeur may see his first NHL start here, but I think Cory Clouston will have enough faith in Elliott to roll him on back-to-back nights, and so do I.


SIT

Tomas Vokoun @ Carolina: Carolina’s beginning to find their game again, with Eric Staal back and playing like one of the elite players in the game and their starting goalie Cam Ward back between the pipes. Florida’s been playing some good hockey as of late, but in a B2B situation and against a team that has averaged over 3.0/GPG in their last 10, I like the bench here.

Henrik Lundqvist @ Philadelphia: Case of two teams playing poorly here, and I still feel Philly’s going to find their game under Peter Laviolette, and this afternoon date with the Rangers might just be it. The Rangers will be playing their 3rd game in 4 days against the well-rested Flyers, and I think this is where the Flyers begin their rebound. The King has been known for inconsistency and I think it shows through again here.

NHL Players of the Week: 12/6 through 12/12

By Dara Heaps

1. Daniel Sedin, Vancouver Canucks. Daniel has points in all but 2 games since returning from a broken foot on November 22nd. This week he notched his 3rd career hat trick Thursday and added 2 goals in 2 assists in his other 2 games this week. He and brother Henrik have combined for 14 points this week, which brings me to my 2nd star…

2. Henrik Sedin, Vancouver Canucks. Henrik’s seven points this week all came in the form of assists, pushing him to 4th overall in assists and tied for 2nd in points with Marian Gaborik. Henrik assisted on 4 of brother Daniel’s 5 goals this week and notched his 500th career point with his 3-assist effort Saturday night against the Minnesota Wild.

3. Jimmy Howard, Detroit Red Wings. Howard won 2 of 3 games this week with a sparkling .951 save percentage. The Wings seem to always be looking for goaltending and it looks like they have a replacement for Chris Osgood. The Wings haven’t been the past dominant selves but goaltending seems to be sorted out, for not.

Honorable Mentions:

Alex Ovechkin had 3 goals and 4 assists over 4 games this week, including 2 goals in his return game from suspension. … Matt Stajan was solid for the Leafs, scoring 3 goals and 3 assists. … Niclas Bergfors is making a strong case for the Calder so far this season. He scored 3 goals and an assist over 4 games. … Tomas Plekanec is playing for a big extension so far this year. He notched 6 assists in 4 games, including a 3 assist effort against Ottawa. … Ray Whitney scored the game winning goal for Carolina against Pittsburgh Monday night, helping the Canes win their first game of the season on the road. Whitney also scored 2 against Ottawa Saturday. … Semyon Varlamov stopped all 26 shots for his second shutout of the season before sustaining a lower body injury. … After having a career-high 7 game point streak, Eric Fehr hasn’t had a point in 3 straight. … The Edmonton Oilers have won 5 in a row all on the road and goaltender Jeff Drouin-Deslauries has been key in those wins. He’s won all 5 of those games for the Oil. … Colorado netminder Peter Budaj records a shutout against St. Louis Monday night, stopping 35 shots. Wojtek Wolski had 3 assists in the win. … Phoenix goalie Ilya Bryzgalov stopped 28 saves for the Coyotes, earning the shutout against Minnesota Monday night. … Martin Erat notched his 2nd career hat trick Tuesday night against Vancouver. He also had an assists. … The Flyers ended a 5-game losing streak and new head coach Peter Lavoiolette got his first win Tuesday night with a 6-2 win over the Islanders. Mike Richards, Jeff Carter and Claude Giroux each had 2 goals. … Kyle Okposo had 2 assists in every game he played last week (3). Teammate John Tavares had 4 goals in that span. … Jaroslav Halak was stellar Tuesday for the Canadiens, stopping 45 of 46 shots for the win. … Saku Koivu scored 2 goals and 3 assists for the Ducks this week. … Ryan Miller stopped 35 shots for his 4th shutout of the year and 16th of his career Wednesday night against Washington. … Steve Mason played like his Calder-winning self on Wednesday against the Panthers, earning his first shutout of the season. Mason had 10 as a rookie last season. … Blues netminder Ty Conklin stopped 42 shots against his former Detroit team for the shutout. … Did you know Detroit’s opponent has scored first in 21 of 32 games this season? … Henrik Lunqvist was fantastic in the Rangers’ OT loss in Chicago, stopping 39 of 41 shots and posting a .951 save percentage. … Niklas Backstrom stopped all 22 of Colorado’s shots Wednesday for his first shutout of the season. … Ryane Clowe’s career-best 10 game point streak came to an end Friday night. … Did you know Boston’s Tuukka Rask hasn’t lost in regulation since November 16th? … Ottawa netminder Brian Elliott posted his first shutout of the season playing in place of injured started Pascal Leclaire on Thursday, stopping all of Philadelphia’s 23 shots. … Alex Semin scored 5 points this week for the Capitals (2+3). … Patrick Lalime was stellar Friday night stopping 39 of 40 shots for the Buffalo win. … Dustin Penner lead the Oilers to a 5-3 come-from-behind win, scoring a goal and 3 assists on Friday Gilbert Brule had 2 goals and an assist. … Martin Havlat has been solid for the Wild, scoring 2 goals in 3 assists in his past 2 games. … Despite stopping 42 of 44 shots, Evgeni Nabokov’s Sharks couldn’t pull out a win on Friday against Dallas. … Dwayne Roloson made 36 saves for a 3-2 OT win against the Bruins on Saturday night. Roloson does not look like he’s 40. … Alexei Kovalev scored 3 goals against the Canes on Saturday, the second goal being his 400th career goal. … Jonas Hiller got his first win in 4 starts, stopping 35 of 36 shots Columbus threw at him. … Did you know that all 3 of Florida and Pittsburgh’s meeting this year have been 3-2 Pittsburgh wins, all wins in extra time? … Todd Bertuzzi scored 4 goals for Detroit in 2 games this week. … Did you know Dallas has gone to extra time a league-high 14 times this season?

Notes:

-Darren McCarty retired after 15 years in the NHL. McCarty won 4 Stanley Cups, all with the Detroit Red Wings.
-Phoenix defenseman Ed Jovanoski was suspended for 2 games for hitting Andrew Ebbett in the head with his forearm Monday night.

Milestones:

-Martin Brodeur tied Terry Sawchuk’s shutout record at 103 Monday night with a 3-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres.
-Montreal forward Georges Laraque notched this 100th career assist Monday.
-Leafs forward Lee Stempniak got his 100th carreer assist.
-Radek Dvorak played his 1,000th career game Monday.
-Patrik Bergulind played his 100th career game.
-Darcy Tucker played his 900th career game.
-Chris Pronger earned his 1,500th career penalty minute Tuesday.
-Anaheim forward Dan Sexton scored his first NHL goal Tuesday. He also set a rookie record with 9 shots on goal.
-Matthew Lombardi recorded his 200th NHL point.
-Buffalo forward Nathan Gerbe scored his first NHL goal Wednesday.
-Luke Schenn played his 100th NHL game.
-RJ Umberger recorded his 100th career assist.
-Patrick Sharp scored his 100th career goal with Chicago.
-Jay Bouwmeester played his 373rd consecutive game Friday night, the longest of active players.
-Islanders forward Rob Schremp scored his first NHL goal.
-Patrick Elias scored his 300th career goal Saturday night.
-Jere Lehtinen scored his 500th NHL point.
-Andrew Brunette played in his 900th career game.

Injury Report:

-Alexander Edler (VAN), arm, unknown.
-Eric Brewer (STL), back, 2-4 weeks.
-Ray Emery (PHI), abdomen surgery, 6 weeks.
-Tim Jackman (NYI), unknown.
-Sean Bergenheim (NYI), unknown.
-Paul Mara (MTL), shoulder, unknown.
-Brian Pothier (WSH), undisclosed.
-Erik Cole (CAR), upper body, 3 weeks.
-Chad Larose (CAR), unknown.
-Dan Cleary (DET), shoulder separation, 1 month.
-Derek Dorsset (CJB), hand, unknown.
-Wayne Simmonds (LAK), torn meniscus, 2 months.
-Mike Grier (BUF) has missed 3 games due to the death of his mother.

Rob Scuderi (LAK), Brian Rafalski (DET), Vesa Toskala (TOR), Brendan Morrison (WSH), Peter Mueller (PHX), Jay Pandolfo (NJD), Cam Ward (CAR), Wade Redden (NYR) and Mike Knuble (WSH) all returned from injury.

NHL Players of the Week: 11/29 through 12/5

1. Miikka Kiprusoff, Calgary Flames. Kiprusoff followed a 40-save shutout performance with 22 saves against Nashville Monday night, earning his second straight shutout and third of the year for the Flames. Kiprusoff only allowed 3 goals in the 2 following games, ending the week with a .969 save percentage. His stellar November combined with captain Jarome Iginla’s propelled the Flames to first in their division and third in the Western Conference. Kiprusoff also entered this save into contention for Save of the Year. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69yO4ORf-c0

2. Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh Penguins. Fleury has been fantastic all season long for the Pens and this week was no exception. In 3 games, Fleury has 2 wins and an overtime loss (to the Blackhawks in one exciting game) and a .936 save percentage. He’s also tied for league leader in wins at 17 (with none other than his childhood idol, Martin Brodeur).

3. Andrew Brunette, Minnesota Wild. The Wild have won 5 straight and Brunette has been instrumental in the past 3. Brunette has 7 points in 3 games (1+6) and +4 rating. The Wild have been dealing with their share of injuries and have struggled accordingly but the return of Martin Havlat and Antti Miettinen should help the Wild continue to win.

Honorable Mentions:
Players with hat tricks. Seven different players had hat tricks this week: Pittsburgh’s Mike Rupp (first career), Columbus’s RJ Umberger (second career), Florida’s Stephen Weiss (second career), the Islanders’ Matt Moulson (first career), Montreal’s Mike Cammalleri (in Montreal’s Centennial game; fourth career, second of the season), Carolina’s Erik Cole (sixth career) and Boston’s Marc Savard (third career). … Sidney Crosby played 2 games last week and scored 3 points in each (2+1). … Ryan Miller won 2/3 games last week, including a 38 shutout save performance against Toronoto Monday. … Miller’s teammate Jason Pominville had a good week, scoring 2 goals and 4 assists in 3 games. … Brenden Morrow is currently riding a 7-game point streak, scoring 5 goals and 2 assists in that span. … Craig Anderson earned his 3rd shutout of the season Monday night against Tampa Bay. Anderson had help up front from rookie Matt Duchene who scored two goals. … Paul Stastny had a fantastic week for his Avs, scoring a goal and 5 assists, 4 of those points coming against Florida (1+3). … Daniel Sedin notched 4 points in 4 games, including a goal and assist against the Devils. … Roberto Luongo stopped 38 shots Thursday against Philadelphia for his second shutout of the year. … Alex Semin made his return to the Capitals lineup and has scored 6 points in two games (2+4). … Did you know Phil Kessel has 10 goals in his past 14 games? … Dany Heatley may have only scored one goal and two assists this week but in 4 games, he has 20 shots on goal, including 7 in the first period against St. Louis. … Heatley’s teammate Ryan Clowe is riding a 9-game point streak … The Penguins were the first team to reach 20 wins with their victory over Colorado Thursday. Evgeni Malkin had 3 assists in the win. … Washington’s Eric Fehr is riding a 6 game point streak. … Carey Price was solid for the Habs in their Centennial game, only allowing one goal on 38 shots. Cammalleri’s hat trick helped propel the Canadiens to a 5-1 win. The Habs honored their past greats with former players Guy Lafleur, Jean Beliveau and Patrick Roy in attendance. … Did you know Martin St. Louis has played in 336 consecutive games? … Mikko Koivu and Antti Miettinen each had 2 goals and an assists against Anaheim Friday night. Joffery Lupul and Bobby Ryan each had 2 goals for the Ducks as the Wild won in a shootout. … The Capitals routed the Flyers 8-2 on Saturday. Nicklas Backstrom scored a goal and 4 assists, Mike Green had 2 goals and 2 assists and Tomas Fleischmann had 2 goals for the Caps. … Wayne Simmonds’ 2 assists against St. Louis extended his point streak to 6 games. … Mike Smith stopped 30 shots for the shutout on Saturday night.

Notes:

-The Philadelphia Flyers fired head coach John Stevens Friday, replacing him with 2006 Cup winner Peter Laviolette.
-The Chicago Blackhawks announced the extensions of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith on Thursday. Toews and Kane will make $31.5 million over 5 years ($6.3mm cap hit) and Keith will make $72 million over 13 years ($5.52mm cap hit).
-Alex Ovechkin got handed his first career suspension for his knee-on-knee hit with Tim Gleason. Ovechkin was given 2 games.
-Florida defenseman Keith Ballard injured his own goalie by swinging his stick at the goalpost, missing and hitting netminder Tomas Vokoun in the head. Later in the week, he injured former teammate Craig Anderson by running into him in the crease.

Injury Report:

-Alex Ovechkin (WSH), knee, day-to-day.
-Jonas Gustavsson (TOR), second ablation heart procedure, indefinitely.
-Sidney Crosby (PIT), groin, day-to-day.
-Teemu Selanne (ANA), broken bone in hand, surgery, 4-6 weeks.
-Alexandre Picard (OTT), upper body injury, DTD.
-Brian Rafalski (DET), back injury, unknown.
-Patrick Eaves (DET), ankle, unknown.
-Mike Comrie (EDM) mononucleosis, indefinitely.
-Paul Gaustad (BUF), knee, unknown.
-Rostislav Klesla (CBJ), torn groin, 6 weeks.
-Jussi Jokinen, Chad LaRoase, (CAR), lower body injuries, unknown.
-Joe Corvo (CAR), leg laceration, 8-12 weeks.
-Jay McKee (PIT), Brian Sutherby (DAL), Martin Havlat (MIN), Antti Miettinen (MIN), Rob Niedermayer (NJD), Alexander Semin (WSH), Rene Bourque (CGY), Milan Hejduk (COL), Robert Nilsson (EDM), Scott Walker (CAR), Johnny Oduya (NJD) and Ed Jovanoski (PHX) all returned from injury or illness.

Milestones:

-Montreal Canadiens celebrated their 100th year Friday.
-Corey Perry (ANA) set a new franchise record point streak at 19 games. The streak ended Thursday.
-Chicago coach Joel Quenneville won his 500th game as coach in a shootout win against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
-Sidney Crosby (PIT) scored his 150th career goal Thursday against the Avalanche.
-Ryan Whitney (ANA) played his 300th career game on Thursday.
-Jakub Kindl made his NHL debut for Detroit.
-Jordan Staal (PIT) played his 250th consecutive game Saturday. He scored the game-tying goal in a 2-1 OT loss to Chicago.
-Aaron Ward (CAR) notched his 100th career assist Saturday when the Canes took on the Canucks.
-Victor Hedman (TBL) scored his first NHL goal.
-Play-by-play announcer Randy Hahn called his 1,000th game for the Sharks Saturday night.

Fantasy Hockey Friday: Trading Places

By John Cullen

Being in a pool with your buddies has its many benefits: bragging rights at the end of the season, getting together for a big game or two, draft night, and the ability to see first-hand just how much that egotistical friend of yours ACTUALLY knows about hockey. One of the major downsides to trying to pool with your friends, despite being one of the more fun aspects of pools, is trying to make trades. I’ve been in pools with both random people and my best friends, and it can often be very difficult for anyone to make a trade with a friend, who can prove to be more of a stickler than your average NHL GM. So how do you make trades work? What is the best route to go?

We’re approaching that time of year where teams start to look at their line-up, look at the waiver wire which has now been picked drier than the Christmas bird, and wonder just how they’re going to mount a charge up the standings. What are some things to think about before you wade into the trade market? Trades can be very difficult to pull off because everyone involved in a deal wants to do the best for their team and especially if you’re pooling with your friends, who’d rather be caught dead than offer you any kind of a steal.

The first thing to do when you approach any deal is assess your needs. There’s no sense in making a lateral move because trading is really only in place to improve your squad. Straight elite player-for-elite player deals don’t often have a huge impact on a pool and there really isn’t any point in breaking out the “propose trade” function for those deals unless you’re addressing a positional need. Positional need SHOULD be the number-one reason you make a deal, as poolies will often end up with a glut of good players at one position, especially if they’re new to a pool and didn’t have a draft strategy to cope with the various positions often required by pools. When you sit down to consider a trade, make sure you’re not going to leave yourself in a deep hole at any position either--this is the time of year where people get really smart to all the fantasy resources available to them(like this column) and the waiver wire begins to resemble a graveyard, so giving up your best player at a position you’re shallow at to strengthen another position can be your death knell, as the limited starts you get at each position won’t allow you to maximize your new asset’s potential. For example, in one pool, I have Mike Richards, Joe Thornton, Steve Stamkos, and Derek Roy at centre. It’s definitely a position most people would envy, but the problem is that on nights when I have all 4 playing, Derek Roy--a guy who is a C1 for a lot of fantasy teams--sits on the bench. Making a move that might deplete one position to build another can spell the end.

Another thing to consider is just the plain number of assets you’re getting. Any fantasy owner worth his salt knows that a 3-for-2 deal favors the guy getting 2 players every time. I know what you’re thinking: “wait a minute, the guy getting MORE players loses?! WHAT?!” But in almost every case, the guy getting 3 players has to drop someone. The guy getting 2 players gets a free spot to fill with a guy from the waiver wire, or, if he’s even smarter, times the deal when he has a key player returning from the IR, so it’s almost as though he makes the trade for free. Having Marian Hossa come off my IR in one of my pools actually gave me MORE flexibility for a trade, because I was able to make a 3-for-2 deal and maybe give up a little bit more because I had an elite player coming my way for free. Unless you have a total plug on your roster or you’re getting 3 amazing players, you need to be wary of any deal that comes your way with a lopsided number of players involved.

Finally, propose trades that work for everyone, most especially if you’re pooling with your friends. Sending trade offers that even a monkey with a typewriter wouldn’t accept serves no purpose aside from pissing your fellow poolies off and wasting your time. Guys are not as stupid as you think, and I’ve seen the classic poolie who offers you a different trade every 3-5 days, all of them equally terrible and all of them based off “name value”. If you’re a relatively smart poolie, most of the trades you will make or see in your pool will be considered fair deals. The only time a truly lopsided deal will come through the wire is when one poolie foolishly trades away a sure thing based on a player’s past performance or his name value. Be careful before you ever hit the “accept” button that you’re having a look at how that player is truly performing(we are a quarter of the way through the season now, which is a decent yardstick if you ask me) and you’re not just excited at the shiny name on the back of his sweater, because if there’s anything your friends will kill you for, it’s excitement over shiny things.

The Saturday Slate

Your weekly guide to goalie sits and starts. If my “start” goalies record a win and a peripheral statistic of either 2.00 GAA or less, or .920 save % or higher, I take one point. If they record one of the two, I take a half-point. If my “sit” goalies take a loss and post either a 3.00 GAA or higher or a .900 save % or less, I take one point. If they take either one of the two, I take a half. For the year, I have 16.5 of a possible 28 points, recording at least a half-point in 20 of 28 games thus far. In the event of a starting goalie not playing the game, I will assume their backup’s stats.

Last week: I missed last week, but it figures that the week after I start doing the “last week” feature I lay my first egg, going a disturbing 0-fer on my picks, striking out on all 4 match-ups. Not even a half-point! Recovery starts now.

START

Jon Quick v. St. Louis: St. Louis continues to struggle and with a recent dry spell when it comes to scheduling, they should be ripe for the picking, playing only their second game in a week. While L.A. hasn’t done much to allay their recent struggles, I like this play.

Ray Emery v. Washington: It’s never a good idea to recommend a goalie who is slumping, and even worse form when it’s against one of the league’s top offensive squads. That said, AO is sitting this one out as part of his kneeing suspension and Emery will look for a bounce-back at Wachovia. Philly always plays Washington very close and I think Rayzor shows his form here.


SIT

Mason/Garon v. Colorado: Colorado, despite their struggles of late, are still averaging more than 3 goals per game, and have put up 5 twice in the last two weeks. Mason and Garon haven’t exactly lit the world on fire and have given up 6 to the Leafs and lost an 11-round shootout to Chicago in the last week, causing the home fans in Columbus to actually BOO the Jackets after the loss to the Buds. Bench both these guys until some sign of life appears.

Miikka Kiprusoff @ San Jose: Playing another one of my “reverse streaks” here, as Kipper has allowed only 2 goals in the last 3 games, including 2 shutouts during that same time. It’s bound to end sometime, and for a goalie as consistent as the Kipper, it’s hard to give him a start against one of the league’s offensive dynamos and the current hottest line in the league in the form of the Money Line. Bench Kipper and save yourself the trouble.

NHL Players of the Week: 11/22 through 11/28

1. Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins. Crosby had 8 (5+3) points in 4 games last week, including his 4th career hat trick and second of the season plus two assists against the New York Rangers (41 points in 30 career games against the Rangers).

2. Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils. Three games, three wins. In those 3 games, Brodeur only allowed one goal per game. Brodeur ended the week with a .963 save percentage and a new record. Marty broke Patrick Roy’s minutes played record Friday night, achieving 60,235 minutes played in his career. Not a bad week.

3. Jean-Sebastian Giguere, Anaheim Ducks. Giguere won the starting job off of Jonas Hiller and has been solid for the Ducks. In 4 games last week, he won 3 and lost another in overtime and had a .943 save percentage.

Injury Report:

-Pascal Leclaire (OTT), fractured cheek, 4 weeks.
-Wade Redden (NYR), shoulder, 1 week.
-Brent Burns (MIN), concussion, indefinitely.
-Pierre-Marc Bouchard (MIN), concussion, indefinitely.
-Martin Havlat (MIN), hamstring, indefinitely.
-Milan Lucic (BOS), high-ankle sprain, 4 weeks.
-Chris Neil (OTT), knee, 2 weeks.
-David Clarkson (NJD), fractured bone above ankle, 4-6 weeks.
-Ales Hemksy (EDM), shoulder surgery, done for the season.

Notable returns:

Daniel Sedin (VAN), Marc Savard (BOS), Chris Drury (NYR), Eric Staal (CAR), Marian Hossa (CHI, two goals in debut game), Zbynek Michalek (PHX), Kris Letang (PIT), Alex Goligoski (PIT), Tyler Kennedy (PIT)

Discussion: NHL's Best/Worst Offseason Signings

Brandon Femia: Best signing was Craig Anderson by Colorado Avalanche. When the Avs signed Anderson this past July, no one really thought twice about it even though Anderson had a solid season last year for the Panthers. However, his impact has been greatly noticed as he is 3rd in the league in save percentage and tied for the league lead in wins with 12. The Avs knew they had to shore up their goaltending situation but I don't think in their wildest dreams they would have expected Anderson to step in and play as well as he has. Anderson has filled the #1 role nicely and has made himself an early candidate for the Vezina trophy, which is not bad for a guy making under $2 million a year.


Worst is Marian Hossa by the Blackhawks. This is sort of a to be continued type of thing, since Hossa has only played one game as a member of the Blackhawks. However, on a team thats already going to be right up against the cap, many have to wonder if this signing was even necessary, especially since the Blackhawks were one of the final 4 teams remaining in the playoffs last season. Chicago is almost definitely going to be forced to trade one of its core players because of the Hossa deal. They better hope that the injury he had/has is not something that will stick with him long term because he will be around for awhile

Pat Andrzejewski: Well thanks Brandon for basically saying exactly what I was going to say, haha. If I had to choose 2 others:

Best: Vinny Prospal, New York Rangers. Prospal was signed for dirt cheap ($1.1m) and has developed instant chemistry with Marian Gaborik.

Worst: Martin Havlat, Minnesota Wild. Havlat's contract may not actually be that terrible, but I don't think he fits that system in Minnesota and his numbers are suffering because of it.

Andrew Harvey: Taking value into account I think you have to look at Prospal as the most bang for your buck right now. Martin Biron for the money is really good too because of how movable his contract is and how many teams will likely overpay for a competent and proven goalie. Derek Morris is also proving to be a very good signing by Boston, he is a guy that was kind of an afterthought the last few years but is quickly regaining his form and he is legitimate first pairing dman.

Martin Havlat is overpaid and underacheiving (its not a contract year) as is Francois Beauchemin who has been dreadful for the Leafs.

The best off season move belongs to the Flyers bringing in Chris Pronger. If the season was over today Id give him the Norris and he instantly turned Matt Carle into a reliable player instead of the defensive disaster he usually is.

Tim Daily: I agree with Harv, Prospal is definitely looking like the best value...but the addition of Pronger to that Philadelphia blueline was a huge boost. There were some other great signings though, like Mike Knuble to the Caps. Knuble brings net presence to an already potent power play and makes the team better because he creates traffic for Washington's snipers. You also have to throw Gaborik into the discussion as well, despite the expectation that he will inevitably go down. He produces and is usually the best player on the ice. The skating is what is most impressive, and he has one of the premier shots in the game.

I'm not a big fan of either the Kovalev or Havlat signings, although at the time a $5m hit for a player with Havlat's potential seemed worth it. Kovalev seems like he'd rather fly planes than play hockey.

Corey Sznjader: Best is either Craig Anderson and Chris Pronger. I also think Brendan Morrison was a really good signing for the Capitals. He played the point very well while Ovechkin was injured. He's also been great on faceoffs and given us more depth to our top 6.

Mike Knuble was a good one as well with how he generates pressure in front of the yet and along the boards. The Rangers bringing in Marian Gaborik and Vaclav Prospal has also helped them out a lot. The Jackets bringing in Garon to backup Mason was a really good signing, too.

Worst: Right now, I'd say Francois Beauchemin. He's been awful for the Leafs. Not playing with Niedermeyer and Pronger has affected his play a lot. Havlat is also showing to be a major bust in Minnesota considering what they're paying him. Also, what about Saku Koivu? I (and many others) was expecting him and Selanne to put up a lot of points this year.

Beth Krumholtz: For best signings, Gaborik was one of the first to pop into mind. He has only missed one game so far this season when players are getting hurt left and right and has been amazing for the Rangers. Also, I agree with Craig Anderson. Can't really give an opinion on the worst off-season signing because I haven't really watched that many games, but I agree with Havlat.

Nate Wells: I agree with Pat on the two snapshot choices, although it'd probably be more the Prospal/Gaborik combination than just Prospal. I still don't think Havlat was a bad deal and believe it will pay off in the long run once the team gets built around him and Fletcher/Richards' philosophy [it also doesn't help when you're a playmaker to have most of a top-six sidelined with injuries and don't mesh with the only other top-forward left]; however for someone who was paid to replace Marian Gaborik in scoring goals, only having two goals at this point in the season is unacceptable. It really wouldn't have surprised me if he's been injured since the beginning of the year and hopefully taking off these next couple games will help.

Dara Heaps: Best signing: Craig Anderson. He has been the main reason the Avs are where they are. Marian Gaborik has also been great for the Rangers. He's providing the offense they've been sorely lacking so they're no longer relying on Lundqvist to steal games.

Worst signing: Marian Hossa. Even though he has yet to lace up the skates, it was an unnecessary signing by the Hawks. He's eating up cap space they could be giving to Kane, Toews, Keith and eventually Versteeg.

NHL Players of the Week: 11/15 through 11/21

1. Joe Thornton, San Jose Sharks. Thornton has been on fire as of late. He and winger Dany Heatley have found a great chemistry together and its showing up on the score sheet. A lot. Thornton scored 2 goals (one game winner) this week and 7 assists (4 of them coming against the Flyers Friday night where he was 68.4% on faceoffs). Thornton is leading the league in assists with 25 and second in points with 32.

2. Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens. After coming off a 53 save performance against Nasville, Price continues to be one of Montreal’s best players. Price went 2-0-1 this week with a .940 save percentage and allowing only 2 goals per game. Price won the starting job back (for now) from back-up Jaroslav Halak and if he continues performing the way he is, Halak won’t see the net any time soon.

3. Dany Heatley, San Jose Sharks. Heatley is leading the league in goals (18), power play goals (9) and game winning goals (4) this season. Three of his goals this week came in the form of a hat trick. Heatley scored the first at even strength, the second short handed and finished it off on the power play. All three goals were assisted by Thornton. Heatley’s hat trick is his second of the season and 9th career.

Honorable Mentions

The Carolina Hurricanes got their first win in 14 games Sunday against the Minnesota Wild in a shootout. The Canes have now won 3 of their past 4 games and have points in 5 straight. … The Devils 9 game road winning streak came to an end Monday as the Flyers beat the Devils 3-2. Claude Giroux had 2 assists and Ray Emery made 33 saves in the win. … Corey Perry didn’t have any goals this week but his 4 assists helped extend his career-high point streak to 14 games Linemante Ryan Getzlaf‘s point streak ended at 11 games on Monday against the Penguins. … Jarome Iginla notched his first hat trick of the season and 9th of his career Saturday against the Kings. Iginla has 11 goals in the past 9 games. … The Predators are on a hot streak winning 5 in a row after getting a shootout win Saturday night against the Blue Jackets. Pekka Rinne has been in net for all 5 wins. … After choosing Ryan Miller as my #1 player last week, he puts on his worst performance of the year, allowing 5 goals on 23 shots against Florida. The Sabres gave up 6 goals total, the most they’ve allowed all season long. Keith Ballard had 3 assists, Michael Frolik scored twice and Tomas Vokoun made 26 saves in the 6-2 romp of the Sabres. After a 2-7-1 start, the Panthers have on 8 games in their past 11, including back-to-back wins Friday and Saturday against the Red Wings and Rangers. … Marian Gaborik continues to be the Rangers’ best player, scoring 3 goals in 2 games. Gaborik has 9 points (5+4) in his last 6 games. … Fedor Tyutin had 5 assists in 3 games for the Blue Jackets. … Vincent Lecavalier has been off to a slower start. He scored 2 goals and an assists in a 4-1 win over the Coyotes. … Tomas Plekanec has been fantastic for the Habs this season. He has 22 points in 23 games and 8 points in his last 5. … Mike Fisher scored 2 goals in a fight-filled affair against Toronto Tuesday night and added 3 assists in a 6-2 win against the Penguins Thursday night. … The Sharks saw their 12 game point streak come to an end Tuesday against the Predators in a 3-2 loss, their first since October 22nd. David Legwand and Joel Ward each had a goal and 2 assists for Nashville. … Miikka Kiprusoff suffered his first loss in November at the hands of the Avalanche on Tuesday. Tuesday marked only the 5th time all season the Flames didn’t score first. … Brian Boucher started his second game of the season and made 37 saves for the Flyers win against the Kings. Anze Kopitar was held pointless for the 5th time this season. … Thursday saw a wild game in Carolina as the Canes beat the Leafs in 6-5 in a shootout. Ian White gave the Leafs the lead by scoring with 29 seconds left but Erik Cole tied it with 2.9 seconds remaining in regulation. Tuomo Ruutu had 4 assists in the Canes win.. … Kristian Huselius had 2 goals and an assits in a 4-1 Jackets win against the Stars. James Neal was handed a 2 game suspension for his hit on Derek Dorsett in the second period. … Michael Ryder scored 2 goals for the Bruins in a 4-3 shootout win Thursday night. Ilya Kovalchuk scored a goal and two assists and Ondrej Pavelec made 39 saves for Atlanta. … Keith Tkachuk scored his first goal in 14 games for the Blues and Erik Johnson netted the OT winner in a 3-2 win against the Coyotes. … Zach Parise is currently riding a 7 game point streak. He netted 2 against Nashville in a 3-2 shootout loss. Jason Arnott had both goals for the Predators. … The Blackhawks routed the Flames 7-1 Thursday night. Duncan Keith had 3 assists, Kris Versteeg scored 2 goals and Cristobal Huet made 27 saves. … Scott Niedermayer scored his 13th career OT goal against Tampa Bay. Niedermayer hold the NHL record for most OT goals by a defenseman. Ryan Getzlaf and Teemu Selanne each had a goal and two assists in the Ducks win. … Scott Clemmenson got his 4th win in 5 games by making 39 saves and only allowing oen goal against the Red Wings. … The Leafs got their first win in extra time with a shootout win against the Capitals. Semyon Varlamov made 38 saves for the Caps. … Filip Kuba scored a goal and 3 assists against Buffalo Saturday night. Daniel Alfredsson added 2 goals and an assist for the Sens in a 5-3 win. … Montreal lost their first game in extra time Saturday. The Red Wings beat the Habs 3-2 in a shootout. … David Perron scored 2 goals against the Islanders for the Blues. Chris Mason made 23 saves, allowing one goal. … Stephane Robidas and Brad Richards led the Stars to a 5-3 win over the Devils who have lost the past 3 games on the road. Robidas had 2 goals and 2 assists and Richards had 4 assists for the Stars. … 2009 Calder winner Steve Mason seems to be regaining his form. In 2 games for the Jackets this week, Mason stopped 70 of 74, good for .946 save percentage. … Hawks winger Pat Kane is on a 5 game goal streak and 9 game point streak.

Milestones:

-Robbie Earl scored his first NHL goal for the Wild.
-Jussi Jokinen scored his 25th career shootout goal, most in the NHL.
-Tuomo Ruutu notched his 100th career assist Sunday.
-Jason Demers scored his first career NHL goal Sunday night against Chicago.
-Capitals head coach Bruce Boudreau got his 100th career win Tuesday against the Rangers. He’s the 4th fastest to reach 100 wins.
-Mike Pyorala scored his first NHL goal.
-Chris Phillips played in his 800th career game Thursday against the Penguins. He also had his first career 2 goal game.
-Milan Michalek scored his 100th career goal.
-Travis Zajac scored his 100th career assist.
-James Wisniewski played his 200th career game, but left with a bruised foot.
-Joe Thornton reached 600th career assist. He’s the 73rd player to get 600 and 26th fastest.
-Claude Giroux has his first multi-goal game, scoring 2 against San Jose.
-Christian Ehrhoff scored his first 2 goal game, scoring two against Colorado.
-Stephane Robidas’ 4 points Saturday night was the first of his career.

Injury Report:

-Scott Walker (CAR), upper body, unknown.
-Ryan Smyth (LAK), upper body, out 4 weeks.
-Rob Scuderi (LAK), lower leg injury, day-to-day.
-Alex Semin (WSH), sore wrist, day-to-day.
-Brian Gionta (MTL), broken bone in left foot, out indefinitely.
-Jay McKee (PIT), finger infection, 2-4 weeks.
-Fabian Brunnstrom (DAL), shoulder injury, unknown.
-Adam Foote (COL), jaw, unknown.
-Dainus Zubrus (NJD), fractured right patella, 4-6 weeks.
-Cory Stillman (FLA), knee injury, “quite a while.”
-Scott Gomez (MTL), lower body, unknown.
-Blair Betts (PHI), separated shoulder, up to 4 weeks.
-Ed Jovanoski (PHO), lower body, unknown.
-Niklas Kronwall (DET), MCL damage due to knee-on-knee hit, 4-8 weeks.
-Jarrett Stoll (LAK), lower body, unknown.
-Shean Donovan (OTT), MCL/ACL damage, 8 weeks or more.
-Derek Dorsett (CBJ), concussion, unknown.

Sheldon Souray (EDM), Alex Ovechkin (WSH), Drew Stafford (BUF), Chris Osgood (DET), Max Talbot (PIT), Sergei Gonchar (PIT), Milan Lucic (BOS), Ryan O’Byrne (MTL), Georges Laraque (MTL) and Brooks Orpik (PIT) all returned from injury or illness.

Fantasy Hockey Friday: Injury Madness

On Yahoo!, if you go to your Hockey ’09 mainpage, there will be a list of trends happening within fantasy hockey. Who’s hot, who’s not, and it will usually list reminders about your own teams, either letting you know you have an injured player on your starting roster, or letting you know you own a guy that thousands of other teams have dropped. That statistic usually ends up being my absolute favorite, because it’s guaranteed that no matter who the player is, how good they are, if they get injured, the next day, tens of thousands of teams in Yahoo! hockey will have dropped that player. Thomas Vanek out for a week? Drop him. Ilya Kovalchuk out for 2-4? Peace out. Ryan Smyth maybe out for a month? 663 teams can’t be wrong!

This year has been a pretty remarkable one for injuries, with people who take care of important things like statistics saying that at one point this season, 18% of NHLers were either injured or sick enough to miss a game. There’s never been a better time to be in the AHL and teams have been forced on a nightly basis to dress 5-7 minor-league players. So what does this mean for your fantasy team? How should you deal best with injured players?

The most important statistic to consider is points-per-game. The fact that guys like Thomas Vanek and Ilya Kovalchuk got dropped while injured speaks more to the fact that poolies tend not to understand that even if your pool doesn’t have an IR spot to stash injured players, a player like Ilya Kovalchuk, who averages over 1.0 PPG for his career is simply worth more to your fantasy team over the length of a season than a guy on a hot streak, say maybe Tomas Fleischmann(a popular waiver-wire add in recent weeks) who averages less than 0.5 PPG. So that essentially means that were Ilya Kovalchuk to miss HALF the regular season and Tomas Fleischmann played all 82 games, they would score roughly the same number of points. Now, of course trends can change and guys can take off(I’m a huge Flash backer, personally), but before your trigger finger gets itchy, take a look at long-term stats and make the smart decision, not the snappy one. I know as well as anyone that it can get extremely frustrating to look at a guy not playing on your roster every night and to watch guys on the waiver wire rack up points(Eric Staal JUST got put on the injured reserve by Carolina today and he was injured NINETEEN DAYS AGO), but these players are simply too valuable to let go for the shiny new toy on the waiver wire.

When you’re looking at replacing an injured player(if your pool allows you the luxury of IR spots), it’s important to look at the needs of your team, and not simply replacing the player straight-out. For example, a lot of teams will have an offensive defenseman go down, and then see the need to replace him immediately with another offensive stalwart. It makes sense, one offensive guy out, one offensive guy in. However, that might not be what your team needs most at the moment and if you’re picking up a guy for only 2-4 weeks, you want to make sure you can maximize your use of that extra roster spot by picking up someone that may boost certain categories for you. If you need +/- help, PIM help, these are places you can look to get short-term boosts without damaging the core of your team because hey, the core of your team is injured anyway. Players who are on your roster for a short period of time aren’t going to win or lose you a pool and especially when it comes to big-time stats like goals/assists or in the case of goalies wins/shutouts, because they’re on the waiver wire for a reason: they don’t accrue enough of those points anyway. So pick up the guys who can make the most impact in a short period of time by focussing on guys who are very solid in one or two categories and who won’t hurt your team in the interim while your main guy is out.

Be patient, ride the injury wave as best you can, and make smart decisions, particularly when it comes to dropping an injured player. Those sorts of decisions can lose you a pool and impatience is the key reason why guys win and lose pools. The injury bug has been especially tough this year and I’ve likely had one of my fantasy seasons ruined by having some major players injured, but it’s one of those things that’s bound to happen and you may as well set yourself up for a strong run at the end of the season by IR’ing guys or saving a roster spot for them than ditching them for a short run when the season’s not even one-quarter over yet.

The Saturday Slate

Your weekly guide to goalie sits and starts. If my “start” goalies record a win and a peripheral statistic of either 2.00 GAA or less, or .920 save % or higher, I take one point. If they record one of the two, I take a half-point. If my “sit” goalies take a loss and post either a 3.00 GAA or higher or a .900 save % or less, I take one point. If they take either one of the two, I take a half. For the year, I have 16.5 of a possible 24 points, recording at least a half-point in 20 of 24 games thus far. In the event of a starting goalie not playing the game, I will assume their backup’s stats.

Last week: Sorry to those who starting Craig Anderson on my advice. Vancouver picks the one time all year to spark it up(on the ROAD no less) and Andy takes the brunt of it. I was 3 for 4 otherwise, making smart decisions on Varlamov and Hiller(5 and 7 GAA, respectively) and Ryan Miller was his usual brick-wall self against Philly.

START

Henrik Lundqvist v. Florida: The Rangers have gone 4-6 in their last 10, but 7 of those games have come on the road and both Lundqvist and the Rangers have had bursts of their old self in their last two games against Ottawa and Washington. A home date after a few days off against one of the most anemic offenses in the NHL seems like a recipe for a solid performance from the King.

Antero Niittymaki @ Carolina: It seems too easy to keep picking on the ‘Canes but this speaks more to Niitty’s great play than it does Carolina’s poor play. The Tampa netminder has turned his back-up position into at least a 1-B situation with his stellar play of late and I don’t see that changing against a team that has struggled to score this season and is without Eric Staal indefinitely, who was added to the team’s IR this week.



SIT

Gustavsson/Toskala v. Washington: This is pretty obvious, isn’t it? Washington is averaging nearly 4 GPG(3.75, to be exact) and the Leafs are hemorrhaging goals at the same clip. Gustavsson has been a sexy pick in pools as of late, picked up by a lot of teams and he posted some decent numbers during the Leafs’ points-in-seven streak of a few weeks back. Washington always plays well against the Leafs and the games are almost always high-scoring. Bench the Buds.

Marc-Andre Fleury @ Atlanta: There’s always a certain amount of pressure involved when you recommend that poolies sit one of the top goalies in fantasy. That said, Atlanta’s been lighting the lamp on a regular basis this season, averaging 3.75 goals-per-game(up there with league-leaders Washington and San Jose) and have scored 15 goals in their last 3 games, including torching the usually solid L.A. defense and Jon Quick for 7 last Saturday. This one should be a high-scoring affair and even if the Pens win, I like Atlanta to find twine multiple times against the Pens’ defense which is currently missing between 4-6 regulars on a nightly basis.

NHL Players of the Week: 11/8 through 11/14

By Dara Heaps

1. Ryan Miller, Buffalo Sabres. Miller has been nothing short of fantastic for the Sabres this year. He’s 12-2-1 this season and leading the league with 12 wins (tied with San Jose netminder Evgeni Nabokov and Devils goalie Martin Brodeur), 1.77 GAA and .939 save percentage. Miller ended the week with 3 wins and a .954 save percentage. He’s been leading the Sabres to the top of their division and locking up the starting position for the United States Olympic team.

2. Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit Red Wings. The Wings got off to a bad start but have turned things around, thanks in part to Zetterberg. Zetterberg had two assists in a 9-1 thrashing of the Columbus Blue Jackets, a goal and assist against the Vancouver Canucks and topped that off with a hat trick and two assists against the Anaheim Ducks. Zetterberg ended the week with two game winning goals, a plus-6 and 12 shots on goal.

3. Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf, Anaheim Ducks. Perry and Getzlaf have been doing the heavy lifting for the Ducks. They each have an 11 game point streak going and Getzlaf has a franchise-record assist streak with 17 assist in 10 consecutive games. Despite losing 7-4 to the Red Wings Saturday night, Perry had a goal and assist and Getzlaf also had a goal and three assists. They’ve been a dominate force in every game they’ve played in.

Honorable Mentions

St. Louis routed the Vancouver Canucks Tuesday 6-1, their first six goal game since January 2006. Brad Boyes had a goal and three assists, David Perron scored his first career hat trick and Andy MacDonald had a goal and two assists. … After starting the season 10-1-2, Colorado is 2-4-1 in their last 7, including their first home loss to the Edmonton Oilers allowing 4 power play goals. … After a rocky start, Miikka Kiprusoff has been stellar for the Calgary Flames. He stopped all 25 of Montreal’s shots for his first shutout of the year. Kiprusoff ends the week with a .969 save percentage and 2-0-1 road trip. … Zach Parise has been solid all season long for the Devils. He has scored in 4 consecutive games, had 5 points in 3 games and ended the week a plus-7. … Mike Modano scored two goals and added two assists in two games this week for the Stars. … Ilya Kovalchuk returned from a broken foot on Thursday and scored a goal and two assists. Kovalchuk added another 4 points (2+2) in a 7-0 thrashing of the visiting Los Angeles Kings. Ondrej Pavelecmade 38 saves. … The San Jose Sharks have points in 11 straight games after winning 3-1 in St. Louis. … Jonathan Toews scored a goal in his first game back after sustaining a concussion Oct 21st against Vancouver. … Mikko Koivu had a goal and two assists to lead the Wild past the Maple Leafs 5-2 Tuesday night. … Carey Price was outstanding for the Canadiens in a 2-0 loss Saturday night, stopping 53 of 55 shots the Nashville Predators threw at him. The goaltender at the other end of the ice, Pekka Rinne, earned his second shutout in 5 games. … Tim Thomas started the week out well with a shutout (27 saves) against a slumping Penguins team, but ended the week by playing the puck badly and Penguins forward Pascal Dupuis got his second goal of the night by putting the puck into an empty net. … The Carolina Hurricanes continued their slide last week (0-10-4) but did earn a point in an overtime loss against the New York Islanders. Wednesday marked the first game goaltender Cam Ward and center Eric Staal have been out simultaneously since March 19, 2004. … Anze Kopitar has points in 17 of 21 games this season. … Detroit thumped the Blue Jackets 9-1 Wednesday night, handing them their worst home loss in franchise history. Nick Kronwall had a goal and two assists and every Detroit skater was a plus. … The Oilers are 1-7 when they don’t score first this season. … Danny Briere had 2 goals in his first game back from having the flu and a groin injury in a 5-1 win against Ottawa. Jeff Carter, Kimmo Timonen and Chris Pronger all had two assists each. … Ruslan Fedotenko scored for the Pens at 11:32 in the first period to end Pittsburgh’s goal drought at 160:41. … Tomas Vokoun made 40 saves for his 3rd shutout in 4 games against the Boston Bruins Thursday night. The Bruins have been shutout in 3 of their past 7 games. … Tomas Plekanec continued to be one of the Habs best players by assisting on 3 of Montreal’s 4 goals against Phoenix Thursday night. … Kristian Huselius had a goal and an assist in his first game back from injury as the Blue Jackets beat the Ducks 3-2 in the shootout. Rick Nash won the game for the Jackets with a sick one-skated shootout goal. … John Tavares notched 2 goals for his first multi-goal game in the NHL in a 4-3 OT win against the Canes. … Evgeni Malkinreturned after missing 7 games with a shoulder strain and assisted on 3 goals. He also got his 200th career assist. Bill Guerin scored the tying goal against Boston with 0.4 seconds remaining on the clock. … It took 667 games but Henrik Sedin scored his first career hat trick in an 8-2 rout of the Avalanche. 11 different Canucks had assists and Roberto Luongo made 32 saves.

Notes:

The New Jersey Devils started the season 3-3. Now they’re riding a 8 game win streak, aiming for 10 consecutive wins on the road and they’re boasting a top-4 penalty kill (84.8%). Despite having their top defensemen out (Paul Martin, Johnny Oduya) the Devils winning. The Devils have the lowest goals allowed average at 2.06. Their best players have been their best players. Zach Parise is riding a 4-game goal streak. Rookie Niclas Bergfors has 6 points in his past 4 games (including a goal and two assist against Pittsburgh). David Clarkson is adding in offensively to go with his physical style. The Devils are getting the best from all of their players. Martin Brodeur is tied for 1st in wins and chasing Terry Sawchuk’s shutout record. All of this play can come down to the return of head coach Jacques Lemaire. He’s getting the best of out his players which is what a coach is supposed to do. Before allowing Tomas Fleischmann’s power play goal on Saturday night, the Devils killed 20 consecutive penalties. The Devils are aiming for their 10th road win tonight against the Flyers to tie the NHL record set in 2006 by the Buffalo Sabres. With the way they have been playing, there’s no reason why they won’t get it.

Milestones:

-Mark Recchi got his 900th career assist on Daniel Paille’s goal Tuesday night.
-Niklas Backstrom got his 100th career win Tuesday night against Toronto.
-Columbus head coach Ken Hitchcock coached his 1,000th NHL game Wednesday. Unfortunately his team lost 9-1.
-Don Brashear played his 1,000th career game Thursday.
- Paul Bisonette scored his first career goal Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens.
-Scott Niedermayer played his 1,200th game of his career Friday night against the Blue Jackets.
-Ben Lovejoy got his first career point assisting on Pascal Dupuis’ first goal Saturday night.
-Tyler Ennis scored his first career goal Saturday.
-Pascal Dupuis scored his 100th career goal in overtime against the Bruins.
-The Devils won their 1,000th game since moving to New Jersey (1,000-852-248).

Injury Report:

-Brooks Oprik (PIT) 2 weeks, lower body.
-Mike Komisarek (TOR) 3 weeks, quadriceps tear.
-Dave Bolland (CHI) 3-4 months, back surgery.
-Ed Jovanoski (PHX) unknown, lower body.
-Brandon Dubinsky (NYR) 3-4 weeks, broken hand.
-Chris Drury (NYR) indefinitely, concussion.
-Mike Knuble (WSH) 3-4 weeks, broken finger.
-Petr Sykora (MIN) indefinitely, concussion.
-Saku Koivu (ANA) day-to-day, groin strain.

Devin Setoguchi (SJS), Shea Weber (NSH), Radek Dvorak (FLA), Domenic Moore (FLA), Kamil Kreps (FLA), Henrik Lundqvist (NYR), Roberto Luongo (VAN), Victor Hedman (TB), Milan Hejduk (COL), Evgeni Malkin (PIT) and Boyd Gordon (WSH) all returned from injury or illness.

Fantasy Hockey Friday: Everyone Into Position

By John Cullen

Very few pools pay no regard to position. Even my mortal enemy, the “select ‘em and forget ‘em” pool will often divide its players into their respective defensive and offensive roles. So it’s a wonder that position often doesn’t get discussed when we look at fantasy hockey. Everyone seems to have a different idea of what works and what doesn’t, and I’m not sure there’s any one right way, but there are some general things you should keep in mind when considering positional players’ roles on your fantasy squad. This column is going to look at a few different ways you can get the most effectiveness out of your squad in a number of different positional formats, both working with the team you have and how to play the wire effectively.

1. If your pool employs a bench, keep an even number of players from each forward position. I think this should mostly go without saying, but unless your pool has a maximum games played for each position, you shouldn’t keep more than one extra at any given position on your bench. So for example, if you have a bench of 3-5 players, you shouldn’t have 2 of those 3-5 be left wingers. The best way to accrue points is to maximize the number of games played by team, and you simply can’t afford to leave that many man-games on your bench at the expense of an extra position. The only position I allow for two bench spots to be taken by(in the case of 5 bench spots) is goalie, which brings me to...

2. If your league has 4 or more bench spots, seriously consider benching two goalies. I know that quality goaltenders can be few and far between especially now that teams are putting up 4-6 goals a game pretty regularly. That said, if you aren’t benching two goalies, someone else will. And so will someone else. And probably a few other guys. While keeping three very good goalies might allow you to solidify a place among the statistical categories(GAA/save percentage) leaders, you will have a very small chance of placing in the top half of both wins and shutouts, and that’s to say nothing of injuries. If you have a key goalie go down and only one on your bench, I can guarantee you won’t find much on your wire if the pools I’m in are any indication, and again, we’re talking about the difference between a winner and a loser.

3. If your pool starts 3 or more defensemen, don’t bench any. Defensemen are a common argument in fantasy: some guys swear their victories come from a strong defensive core, others will wait until the 10th round before they even consider drafting a rearguard. My personal belief is you can’t win a pool without an elite d-man**, but after one main one, the need for any more is suspect. That said, some guys will go so far as to put defensemen on their bench, and unless your pool only starts 1 or 2 d-men, statistics show this isn’t justified. Typically you can’t expect a D3/D4 to get you more than 25-30 points and either a decent collection of PIMs or a solid plus-minus, particularly if there are 10 teams or more in your league. Right now on your waiver wire, I guarantee you can find a winger that can offer you at least 40-45 points and some solid auxiliary statistics as well. I think guys feel like they can’t have a bench without putting every position on it, but you’re wasting time switching d-men in and out of your line-up. And if you have a d-man you feel is worth benching and that will score 40-45 points, then I feel bad for the rest of your team because you drafted wrong my friend. Way wrong.

4. Really utilize your utility position by drafting/picking up an extra winger. For the last 4 or 5 years, centre has been the deepest position in fantasy, and the prevailing thinking has been that if there’s a utility position available, it allows you to draft an extra centreman, since there are often quality centres left late in drafts. I’d like to see that mode of thinking shift, and here’s why. Left wing has been the shallowest of any fantasy position in recent years but with the emergence of some elite LW(Ovechkin, Morrow, Kovalchuk, Parise, etc.) I think both LW/RW are equally tough spots to fill. Why not, if you have a utility position, draft a winger who might score 5-10 points less than that solid centreman left for some security? If you have a LW or RW that goes down with injury or is slumping, you could end up in some real trouble trying to scour the wire for an available player at either of those positions. Quality centremen are available almost year-round, even in deeper pools. It also allows you more flexibility when it comes to making trades. Generally speaking, most poolies are happy with their centre group, and it’s hard not to be when there are so many very good centremen in the NHL right now. Most won’t feel they need to upgrade there and you very rarely see centre-for-centre trades in fantasy. To make deals, you need to be flexible at the wing positions, so some smart drafting or free agent pick-ups will allow you to maximize your utility position in case of injury, or to make that key trade later in the season.

5. Always check position eligibility changes. Most people I know pool at Yahoo!, but no matter where you pool, there will be somewhere that updates position eligibility, for example, if a guy regularly plays both wings, or plays centre and a wing, he will gain the ability to be plugged in at either spot. Find out where this list is, and check it religiously. To have someone on your team you can swing at more than one position is a huge asset to your team and your ability to maximize your number of games played, which as we know is extremely important.

**--a couple shocking statistics about elite defenseman:
1. Each year, Yahoo! tracks which players are most common to winning teams. These MVPs are available to look at under the “Research” tab. Last year, Shea Weber was most common to winning teams, belonging to a whopping 37% of winning teams. This year, you’ll find three defensemen in the top 10, Dan Boyle at #6(owned by 21.4% of top teams), Drew Doughty at #9 and Chris Pronger at #10(both with 17.2% ownership). The number of forwards in the top 10? Also 3. You’ll find 5 more D in the top 25. Think an elite d-man isn’t important?

2. Last year, Alex Ovechkin was the #1-ranked fantasy player with his absurd goal and shot totals. The leader the year before? Dion Phaneuf. That’s right, of every player in the NHL, Dion Phaneuf’s 60 points, 182 PIMs, and +12 rating(along with a ridiculous 263 shots on goal from the point) made him the most valuable player in all of fantasy(using the standard categories of G/A/plus-minus/PIM/SOG/PPP). So think twice before you wait til the 10th round to draft that first d-man.

The Saturday Slate

Your weekly guide to goalie sits and starts. If my “start” goalies record a win and a peripheral statistic of either 2.00 GAA or less, or .920 save % or higher, I take one point. If they record one of the two, I take a half-point. If my “sit” goalies take a loss and post either a 3.00 GAA or higher or a .900 save % or less, I take one point. If they take either one of the two, I take a half. For the year, I have 13.5 of a possible 20 points, recording at least a half-point in 17 of 20 games thus far. In the event of a starting goalie not playing the game, I will assume their backup’s stats.

START

Craig Anderson v. Vancouver: While Anderson’s been having a few struggles, the match-up for him on Saturday looks all in his favor as Vancouver has been struggling--both on the scoreboard and in the standings. Vancouver’s earned its reputation as a team that will struggle to score over the last few seasons and averaging just over 2.5 goals/game should bode well for the NHL’s leading goaltender.

Ryan Miller @ Philadelphia: Earlier in the year I wrote about playing streaks, and that sometimes playing the end of a streak is just as important as playing the middle of one. The Flyers are on a 5-game winning streak, but playing their 5th game in 8 days has to catch up eventually. Ray Emery will experience a letdown after hosting his old team the Sens and facing one of the best goalies in the NHL right now could be a recipe for disaster for the Flyers.

SIT

Varlamov/Theodore @ New Jersey: Washington’s piled together a series of very inconsistent results in the wake of Ovechkin’s absence, and with Ovie looking like he’s out for another Saturday Slate, neither goalie can be considered a great play here. New Jersey is on a torrid pace right now behind some excellent play from their stars and even if Washington ekes out a win, it will be at the expense of some bad goalie numbers from their struggling goalie tandem.

J-S Giguere @ Detroit: With Anaheim playing back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday, it’s likely Giguere will see his first action of the year Saturday, and his first coming after comments made this week where he said he would rather retire than serve as incumbent Jonas Hiller's back-up. I can’t say a start at Joe Louis Arena with all that self-made pressure put on Giguere would be the dream for the goalie or the struggling Ducks. Detroit’s beginning to find their scoring touch, particularly when it comes to scoring at key times, and I'd leave Giguere on the bench until his play starts doing the talking, rather than his mouth.

Discussion: Media Outlets - Should Players/Agents/Management Use the Media to Get Points Across?

John Cullen: This comes during a week where both a player agent and a player have used the media to insult or criticize the play of their team(or their players' team). Are the effects harmful?

Pat Andrzejewski: I'm for it. Walsh was just trying to do his job, and in this new age to media, what better to get the word across then to use a very popular media outlet while making a shot at the hockey world's most sensitive fan base. Guaranteed it'll get your name and client out there.

Tim Daily: Walsh was trying to do his job, yes, but his number one responsibility is to his client. The goaltending situation in Montreal is precarious and under constant pressure from media outlets. Confidence is a major part of succeeding between the pipes and Halak will have to prove that he can carry the Habs in the face of these personal distractions.

Eric Kveton: I think suspension is excessive, unless you pull a Larry Johnson and make your message obscene or offensive. At times it proves to be a major motivation. But it makes a lot more sense for a coach or agent to do it, simply because calling out your teammates in the media is a great way to lose teammates' respect. Take care of that business in the locker room.

Nate Wells: It depends a lot on the situation and who is doing it. For example, it's in the agent's best interest to get their client out into the limelight any way possible as long as it's done in a way that the negative hit is on the agent and the player ends up coming out smelling like roses. There are also times when it's much better for a player to use the media in order to get a message across to management [i.e. trade demands] or fans [using Twitter and social networking sites], but for the most part it's a last resort due to the hit they'll take in reputation and by the team.

Management on the other hand is better off taking a cynical view of the media. Unless you are making a point that needs to be made, commenting on something that doesn't involve your team [also known as the Brian Burke special] or debunking a rumor [which is more damage control], it's best to keep your cards close to the vest.

As far as suspension/fines, I agree with Eric.

Dan Husko: Players' and even recently agents' actions through social media outlets show how naive they are in understanding how much of an impact the new age media has these days. Walsh's recent example in Montreal shows how much an impact a message less than 140 characters can make. It is one thing for an agent speak glowingly of his client. It is quite another to speak about your client at the expense of one of his teammates. Actions like this aren't going to win many friends in front offices around the league, nor will it gain popularity amongst potential clients for Walsh as it smacks of unprofressionalism.

One of the major components lost in this argument is how present agents are these days around the internet. People would be surprised how many agents, from all sports, are now routinely frequenting message boards and using outlets such as Twitter to communicate to mass audiences. With this developing trend comes a new form of etiquette that must be followed and upheld.

Nate: Very true, although this is a problem throughout the business world and not just limited to professional sports.

Dan: Yea. I think one of the most interesting things I'm learning through a lot of these stories is how unprofessional people who pull in big money can be. Trying to justify acts to anonymous masses on the internet just seems like a lost cause, yet many engage in it.

Not that it should come as a surprise that a lot of the business is built on lies and put downs, but we hear so much more of it now with how many outlets there are.

Mike Rogers: I don't have a problem with it. Agents don't have any friends in the front office, that just comes with people who are always going to be arguing opposite sides of the player because of their jobs. These comments don't really even put a dent in the relationship at all when agents in other sports (like baseball) have taken the offer sheet from a team and shown it to a more desirable team to get a better deal -- and those agents still have jobs and are representing clients. That sort of seedy "negotiations" are much more damaging. I think the media and fans make more of this type of situation than actual front offices or players do.

Dan: Most of the time the agents don't need friends in front offices. They just need someone to negotiate. But, to go to a cross sport reference here, the Red Sox won't even deal with Rob Plummer, an agent who represents many top Latin American talent. His clients are continually losing out on a top money team in bidding.

Obviously thats an extreme case and much different circumstances. If a team is truly interested in a marquee free agent, it will do business with the agent regardless. However, there is a chance that a player will lose money due to the mistrust of his representative. Its hard to fully grasp since everyone has a different story about how negotiations played out (on the rare occasion that stories do come out).

Mike: In a league where Andrew Raycroft is getting starts, Halak won't be missing out on money.

Dan: It might not affect Halak, but I doubt Carey Price will put Walsh on his speed dial. And really if I'm a fringe goalie looking to make more money, the last thing I would want is an agent mouthing off creating more potential distractions and potentially decreasing my value a little.

Chris Mitchell: I just don't see how Walsh's comments could have benefited Halak in any way. Surely he couldn't be naive enough to think that someone within the Canadiens would agree with him and say "Hey, this douche bag agent is right, maybe we should be starting Jaroslav Halak every night instead of Carey Price."

Tim: Yeah, I agree. The only people I can see benefiting from this are the fans that have been calling for Price's head, because now their favorite advocacy is being brought to the forefront of Habs' discussion.

Nate: Easy. We're talking about it, the media's talking about it, if there wasn't a goalie controversy before this fuels the flames and makes Halak out to be the better goalie even if he doesn't play as much as Price. Walsh doesn't need the Canadiens to agree with him [and in fact it's better if they don't], he just needs the masses to have it in the back of their mind when Halak's playing well or Price is playing poor.

Mike: But it doesn't hurt Halak either. The Habs aren't going to make Carey Price a Luongo the rest of the way and start 65 straight games to punish Halak for his agents statements.

Any pub is good pub (save for run-in's with the law or something of that nature), so if you're a marginal goalie getting your name out there will help getting you noticed. I just don't believe things like this really affect a player's financial gains moving forward.

And if Carey Price doesn't want to hang out with Halak because of what his agent said, that speaks volumes more about Carey Price, his mindset and personality, than it does anything else. To me at least. That would really make me question if Price is the guy to shoulder being the starting goalie in a place like Montreal.

Pat: I agree with Mike 100%. This comment is just a way an agent can get his client's name out there, and whether it throw gas in the fire for the goalie controversy or whether it's a way to get other people interested in Halak, via trade.

If Carey Price is affected by comments like this, especially while being the "goalie of the franchise" in one of the harshest hockey cities, he doesn't and shouldn't deserve to be there.

Andrew Harvey: I just hate the way of thinking that instead of pushing your own clients attributes and abilities instead you put down a teammate. Because Price has poor numbers does that automatically mean Halak is good? Halaks save percentage is as bad as Price's.

Usually when you know your own product is inferior you go this route because clearly making a twitter post about how good Halak has been isnt really feasable.

John: I agree, it's the mentality that a lot of Canucks fans have because they don't know hockey as well out here. If the Canucks are playing poorly or I make a comment about something they're doing I don't like, the common comeback is, "well, what are the Leafs doing?" which is just about the worst argument ever because the Leafs have nothing to do with the discussion.

How Carey Price is playing should have very little to do with Halak--Halak will get the starts when he gets them and his play should be allowed to do the talking. Winning a job should be the result of on-ice performance, not comparative statistics and internet back-talk.

And again, I hate to keep beating a dead horse here, but wins are a TERRIBLE goalie stat. A lot of Price's losses came at the end of last season when the Habs were absolutely awful, were swept by rival Boston in the first round after dragging their rusty carcass into the playoffs, and not only was Price rushed back from injury(largely because Halak wasn't playing great either) but the team defense was downright deplorable. It would be an interesting stat to track, determining just how many losses are actually a goalie's fault. Without knowing how to calculate that stat, I would say 9 out of every 10 losses are a team loss, not a goalie loss, and yet goalies take the credit. It's such a bad stat I'm sick of talking about it.

Corey Sznajder: Yeah, aside from wins and GAA, Halak and Price's stats don't differentiate that much. They have roughly the same save percentage and Halak's GAA isn't terribly impressive. Like a lot have already said, Walsh was probably just trying to get Halak's name out there with that Twitter comment, and it's working.

Andrew: Though its a complete bitch to figure out after the fact even strength GAA is something thats used to measure junior goalies performances.

Power play goals are thrown out the window as are shorthanded because they are usually caused by a defensive lapse.

Mike: I know most advanced analysts on goalie numbers like even strength save % because save% is usually a better number to look at that GAA, even.

Dara Heaps: I don't think public comments should be suspendable unless they're truly obscene. Sean Avery shouldn't have been suspended for as long as he was after the sloppy seconds comment but that's the NHL for you. Walsh is doing what he can to get his player's name out there but I'm personally not a fan of him putting down Halak's teammate to do it. Like Mike said, if Price is going to quit being friends with Halak because of it, it speaks volumes about Price not Halak.

Chris: I guess I'm just in the camp that if Halak's agent is looking to get Jaro some more money, then let his on-ice performance show that he's worth it. If Halak is playing well, teams will take notice. GM's don't need to have an agent remind them (moreso through the media) that their client is playing well.

These comments may get Halak the fans' support, but that won't factor into the team's decision on when he gets to start.

NHL Players of the Week: 11/1 through 11/7

1. Evgeni Nabokov, San Jose Sharks. Nabokov was simply phenomenal this week for the Sharks, winning 3 games and losing another in a shootout. Nabby faves 117 shots this week, stopping 113 of them and earning a shutout against the defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Pittsburgh Penguins.

2. Jonas Gustavsson, Toronto Maple Leafs. Last week, Tomas Kaberle was the Leafs best player. This week, its been “The Monster.” Gustavsson won 2 of 3 games this week, the only loss coming in overtime to Tampa Bay. Gustavsson stopped 99 shots of 104 in 3 games, good for a .951 save percentage. Thanks to Gustavsson, Kaberle and the debut of Phil Kessel (who scored his first goal as a Leaf Saturday night in a 5-1 blowout of the Red Wings), the Leafs have points in 7 straight games.

3. Andrew Raycroft, Vancouver Canucks. Raycroft has shined in the absence of starting netminder Roberto Luongo. Raycroft started 3 games and won all 3, including a shutout against one of the hottest teams in the league, the Colorado Avalanche.

Honorable Mentions:
Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist earned his 150th career victory against the Boston Bruins Sunday in a 1-0 shutout win. … Raffi Torres scored 4 goals this week for the Blue Jackets. … Mike Richards and Jeff Carter each scored 2 goals and an assist against Tampa Bay on Monday. … Chris Osgood earned his 50th career shutout against the Boston Bruins stopping 29 shots. … Rich Peverley continues to shine for the Atlanta Thrashers. Peverley notched a goal and 2 assists in a 5-4 win against the Montreal Canadiens. … Sidney Crosby made a fantastic save against Scott Niedermayer, stacking the pads late in the game to help the Pens to a 4-3 victory. … Tomas Vokoun and Ryan Miller each earned shutouts Wednesday night, stopping 32 and 24 shots respectively. … Nicklas Bergfors scored 2 power play goals and Travis Zajac had 2 assists for the New Jersey Devils Wednesday. The Devils improved their road record to 8-0-0 this week. … Milan Hejduk (2+1), Paul Stastny (0+3) and Peter Budaj (playing his first game after having the H1N1 virus) helped the Colorado Avalanche to a 4-1 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes. The Avs are undefeated at home this season. … Patrice Bergeron scored with 18 seconds left against Montreal to break their 192 minutes and 6 seconds goal drought Thursday night. Carey Price made 42 saves in regulation and overtime then went on to stop all 3 shots in the shootout for the Habs. … Jonas Hiller made 40 saves against Nashville for his first shutout of the season. … Logan Couture (SJS) scored his first NHL goal against the Red Wings Thursday night. … Anze Kopitar added to his point total by scoring 3 goals and 3 assists this week. He leads the league with 27 points. … Jason Spezza returned from injury to score his first goal of the season in overtime to help his Senators beat the Lightning. He also had 2 assists. … Cory Schnieder made 45 saves against the Dallas Stars Friday night in his first start of the season. … Ryan O’Reilly scored 2 goals against the Blackhawks but the game needed 8 rounds in a shootout to decide a winner. The Avs came out on top. … Mike Knuble scored 2 goals and had 2 helpers and Tomas Fleischmann had a pair to lead the Ovechkin-less Caps to a 7-4 victory over the Florida Panthers. Dmitry Kulikov (FLA) scored his first NHL goal in the loss. … Columbus scored 3 goals in 2:41 Saturday night to extend the Hurricanes winless streak to 12 games. The Canes lost Eric Staal to injury Sunday night and then lost starting netminder Cam Ward Saturday night when Rick Nash cut Ward’s leg. … Antero Niittymaki has been solid for the Lightning this week after coming in relief of Mike Smith against Philadelphia. Niittymaki has 2 wins and an OTL in 3 games with a .951 save percentage. … Dan Boyle (1+1), Manny Malhotra (1+1) and Joe Pavelski (1+1) helped the Sharks beat the Pens 5-0 Saturday night. Pavelski made his return to the lineup after missing 5 weeks with a broken foot.

Notes:

The Carolina Hurricans haven’t won in 12 games. Their luck seems to be getting worse, not better. Number one center Eric Staal went down with an upper body injury Sunday and saw his 349 consecutive games streak come to an end. To make an awful situation even worse, starting netminder and 2006 Conn Smythe winner Cam Ward had his leg sliced open by Rick Nash’s skate Sunday night. For the Canes, it seems they can do no right. They’ve been shut out 3 times this season and they’ve lost by 3 or more goals 6 times. Things don’t look like they’re going to get better anytime soon with their top-2 players out for an unknown amount of time. After a spectacular run to the Eastern Conference finals last spring, Canes fans expected big things this season. Unfortunately, they’re digging themselves into one very large hole.

Injury Report:
Alex Ovechkin (WSH), upper-body, week-to-week.
Eric Staal (CAR), upper-body, will miss “some time” according to GM Jim Rutherford.
Kris Letang (PIT), upper-body.
Cam Ward (CAR), leg laceration, 3-4 weeks minimum.
Radek Martinek (NYI), torn ligament in his right leg, out for the season.
Jason Williams (DET), fractured right fibula, out 6-8 weeks unless surgery is required.
David Krejci, diagnosed with H1N1 virus, out until fever and symptom free for 24 hours.

Patrick Elias (NJD), Jason Spezza (OTT), Phil Kessel (TOR) and Joe Pavelski (SJS) all returned from injury this week.

Fantasy Hockey Start/Sit

Fantasy Hockey Friday took a break this week. Sometimes real-life gets in the way of fantasy, and this week was absolutely that week for me. I sincerely apologize, but sometimes when you’re not being paid to do something, other things have to take precedence.

Look forward to next week when I’ll be discussing positions and roster depth. I’m looking forward to it, so should you! And of course I can’t leave my faithful readership in the dark, so I still present.......

The Saturday Slate

Your weekly guide to goalie sits and starts. If my “start” goalies record a win and a peripheral statistic of either 2.00 GAA or less, or .920 save % or higher, I take one point. If they record one of the two, I take a half-point. If my “sit” goalies take a loss and post either a 3.00 GAA or higher or a .900 save % or less, I take one point. If they take either one of the two, I take a half. For the year, I have 11.5 of a possible 16 points, recording at least a half-point in 14 of 16 games thus far. In the event of a starting goalie not playing the game, I will assume their backup’s stats.

START

Jon Quick v. Nashville: Nashville was having trouble scoring anyway, and then subtract their leading goal-scorer and overall best player Shea Weber from that equation and you end up with even less. While they managed to pepper Jonas Hiller with 40 shots, Hiller stopped all of them for the shutout, and with Nashville having no one outside Weber having scored more than 3 times this season in 14 games, you can’t see the hot-handed Quick having too much trouble here, can you?

Semyon Varlamov v. Florida: Washington to Florida overnight is no short trip for a back-to-back set and with the anemic Panthers struggling to score(2.7 goals/game), you can’t imagine they’d do too much better after a long flight against one of the NHL’s best teams. Varlamov has looked much better in his last 2 starts and still has lots to prove to earn the #1 chair in Washington, so I love this play.

SIT

Cam Ward @ Columbus: Carolina sucks. Ward’s great but has been let down time and again by his porous defense, and Columbus has started to find their scoring touch, which is never good for the opposition. Not only that, but Ward may not start here in a B2B situation. Rick Nash seems poised to have the season of his life in the run-up to the 2010 Olympics and Derick Brassard is finally coming around, which leaves this an easy decision.

Tim Thomas v. Buffalo: Boston and Buffalo are playing opposite right now, with Buffalo playing really hot and Boston playing really......not. Derek Roy got his first goal of the season this week and Thomas Vanek is finally playing with some consistency, and man-of-glass Tim Connolly is leading the team with some great performances. I know Boston is an easy target, but it’s hard to vote against the Sabres right now.