By Pat Andrzejewski
John Tavares: The most coveted player coming out of this past draft class is also the most expected to make an instant impact at the NHL level. John Tavares’ junior career was spectacular. He set new scoring records in the OHL and led the Canadian Juniors to 2 straight gold medals. The Islanders will expect immediate results from the young phenom as they will most likely plug him in their first line. Unfortunately for Tavares, he plays on a very young, unproven squad on the Island, but his pure talent alone is enough to take him seriously in early Calder talk. How long will it be until Tavares carries this team on his back?
Semyon Varlamov: Semyon Varlamov took the world by surprise when he led the Washington Capitals to the 2nd round of the playoffs last summer and made highlight reel saves night-after-night to get them there - all this with just 6 NHL regular season games played under his belt. Coach Bruce Boudreau would not commit to naming a starting goaltender in the pre-season, but Varlamov will battle Jose Theodore from day one, and don’t be surprised if Theodore’s reign as starting goalie is short-lived. Playing for the offensive powerhouse Capitals also adds to his value, as he will be able to accumulate quite a few victories.
Victor Hedman: Victor Hedman was Tavares’ biggest rival in the rankings of this past draft. He is expected to be a franchise defender, due to his great skill set, his size (6’6’ and still growing), and his knowledge of the game. At the age of 16, Hedman was playing in the Senior Modo Team for the SEL. The new Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman is consistently compared to Chris Pronger, because of his overpowering size and offensive aspect of the game. Hedman was logging over 20 minutes a game in the pre-season, so expect him to start the season off with a bang.
Nikita Filatov: Probably one of the most individually skilled players out of all Calder candidates is the small sized, hard working Nikita Filatov. Filatov has enough talent to make scoring chances alone while making his surrounding players superior. In his 8 regular season games last year for the Columbus Blue Jackets in the regular season, he managed to score a hat trick against a defense first Minnesota team, but was then sent down to the AHL to familiarize with the North American style of hockey. With explosive speed combined with quick hands, this offensive force is not one to be ignored and could be primed for a big rookie campaign.
Jonas Gustavsson: Jonas Gustavsson is a late bloomer that led his Farjestad team in the SEL to a championship last season. Brian Burke flew out to Sweden in an effort to bring him to the Toronto Maple Leafs and succeeded. “The Monster” earned his appropriate nickname by his 6’3” stature and his ability to cover the whole net. He also has an aggressive perspective on the game so he can limit shooting angles. Expect him to push Vesa Toskala for the starting goaltender role once he finds his NHL stride and with the improved defensive corps, it’ll be fun to watch.
Michael Del Zotto: As the 20th overall pick in 2008 by the New York Rangers, Michael Del Zotto was drafted for his offensive output on the blue line. After roughly averaging a point-per-game in the OHL, this 19-year-old wasn’t expected to make the Rangers this year. After an impressive pre-season, he has opened the eyes of coach John Tortorella and has made the team and is now quarterbacking the 1st PP unit. For now, Tortorella prefers Del Zotto to highly priced Wade Redden and Michal Roszival and if he continues his strong play, there is no doubt that the London Knights, his junior team, will have to look for his replacement immediately.
Matt Duchene: Often compared to Steve Yzerman for his speed, hockey sense, and great hands, Matt Duchene is one of the most complete players to come out of the 2009 draft class. Duchene played on a team with a plethora of future NHL talent, the Brampton Batallion, and amassed 79 points in 57 games. One of the many bright sides to his game is his 2-way sense of hockey and his ability to throw his weight around even though he isn’t the size of a typical power forward (5’11”, 200 lbs). Duchene pumped his fists as Victor Hedman was drafted the Tampa Bay Lightning, which allowed his childhood favorite team to select him at 3rd overall. With Colorado in rebuilding mode, Duchene will be counted on as the 2nd line center and he has the potential to be an impact player in this young Avalanche lineup.
Jamie Benn: Jamie Benn who was drafted in the 5th round in 2007 by the Dallas Stars has progressed admirably in his final year on the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL by scoring 46 goals in 56 games. He is a natural goal scorer who always manages to get to loose pucks before his opponents do. He’s going to get a chance to prove his NHL talent as he has made the Dallas Stars’ opening roster and will play on the second line with Mike Ribeiro and Brenden Morrow. He will need to adjust his defensive skill and start using his 6’2” frame more if he wants to be as successful as he was in the WHL, but with his raw offensive talent, he has more than enough to become a successful NHLer.
Ville Leino: When Ville Leino was called up to the Detroit Red Wings at the beginning of February last season, he made a huge impact fast. He accumulated 9 pts in 13 games including his first NHL goal in his first NHL game. This year is a different story for the 26-year-old rookie hailing from Finland. In the off-season, the Red Wings lost over 80 goals to free agency this off-season and another 34 goals in the season-threatening injury to Johan Franzen. He will be heavily relied upon to make up for those lost goals and being on a team which is a perennial cup contender and being used as a top 6 forward, Leino has a big opportunity to make a strong case for the Calder Trophy.
Colin Wilson: When Colin Wilson was drafted 7th overall in 2008 by the Nashville Predators, they knew they had drafted a player that will be the foundation of their hockey team for years to come. An offensively gifted Wilson, who is the son of Carey Wilson who played over 500 games in the NHL, has great size, remarkable offensive capabilities, and incredible hockey sense. He led Boston University to a NCAA national championship last season and put up impressive point totals in his 2 years on the team. With plenty of open roster spots on the Predators this year, Wilson is poised to have a big season if he can translate his junior success into his NHL form.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
Players of the Week - 10/5/09 through 10/11/09
By Dara Heaps
1. Dany Heatley, San Jose Sharks. Heatley made quite a debut at home for the Sharks, netting a hat trick, an assist and was an astonishing +6 on the night. This week, Heatley exploded for 5 goals, 4 assists and finished a +5. The Sharks top line of Heatley, Joe Thornton and Devin Setoguchi are starting to click with great results.
2. Mike Richards, Philadelphia Flyers. Somewhere in Canada, Pierre McGuire is estatic. Richards upstaged Alex Ovechkin, scoring three goals in an overtime win against the Capitals. He went on to add two assists against their bitter rival Penguins and scored a goal in a shootout loss to the Anaheim Ducks. Philly is loaded up front, but it all starts with Richards.
3. Ryan Malone, Tampa Bay Lightning. Malone powered the Lightning to their first victory of the season Saturday night with a hat trick versus Carolina. He also had a goal in a shootout loss to the Canes on Tuesday. He, Marty St. Louis and Steven Stamkos have great chemistry.
Honorable Mentions: San Jose’s Joe Thornton had 8 assists in 3 games. … Jordan Staal was one of the bright spots in Pittsburgh’s loss to the Phoenix Coyotes, winning 12 of 13 faceoffs. He also scored 2 goals this week. … The Finnish Flash scored 2 goals against Boston, then Teemu Selanne repeated the feat, scoring another 2 against Philadelphia. … Marian Gaborik, Michael Del Zotto and Vaclav Prosopal all had a great week for the Rangers, combining for 12 points in 3 games. … Jonas Hiller won both of his starts for Anaheim, allowing only 3 goals on 69 shots. … Sidney Crosby netted 2 goals for Pittsburgh against Toronto. He also was 21-3 on faceoffs in Philadelphia. … Henrik Sedin scored 3 goals this week and 7 assists. Bad news for his brother, Daniel, who will be out 4-6 weeks with a broken foot. … Mathieu Garon spoiled the Coyotes sold-out home opener by posting a shutout, stopping 36 shots. … In a battle of goaltenders, Ryan Miller topped all 25 shots against the Predators for his first shutout of the year. In the opposite net, Pekka Rinne only allowed 1 goal on 42 shots. … Stephen Valiquette made his first start for the Rangers and stopped all 18 shots the Ducks threw at him.
Thumbs down to… Tim Thomas. The reigning Vezina winner has looked awful for Boston this year. He’s been out of position and failing to make saves to keep his team in the game. Its early in the year, but for Boston to finish top in the conference again, Thomas needs to find his form.Also thumbs down to Los Angeles’ penalty kill. LA finally looks poised to make the playoffs, but no way they’re going to if they allow San Jose 4 power play goals. If LA does make the playoffs, there’s a good chance they’ll be seeing San Jose in the first round. Special teams are extremely important in this league and the Kings need to improve their penalty killing.
1. Dany Heatley, San Jose Sharks. Heatley made quite a debut at home for the Sharks, netting a hat trick, an assist and was an astonishing +6 on the night. This week, Heatley exploded for 5 goals, 4 assists and finished a +5. The Sharks top line of Heatley, Joe Thornton and Devin Setoguchi are starting to click with great results.
2. Mike Richards, Philadelphia Flyers. Somewhere in Canada, Pierre McGuire is estatic. Richards upstaged Alex Ovechkin, scoring three goals in an overtime win against the Capitals. He went on to add two assists against their bitter rival Penguins and scored a goal in a shootout loss to the Anaheim Ducks. Philly is loaded up front, but it all starts with Richards.
3. Ryan Malone, Tampa Bay Lightning. Malone powered the Lightning to their first victory of the season Saturday night with a hat trick versus Carolina. He also had a goal in a shootout loss to the Canes on Tuesday. He, Marty St. Louis and Steven Stamkos have great chemistry.
Honorable Mentions: San Jose’s Joe Thornton had 8 assists in 3 games. … Jordan Staal was one of the bright spots in Pittsburgh’s loss to the Phoenix Coyotes, winning 12 of 13 faceoffs. He also scored 2 goals this week. … The Finnish Flash scored 2 goals against Boston, then Teemu Selanne repeated the feat, scoring another 2 against Philadelphia. … Marian Gaborik, Michael Del Zotto and Vaclav Prosopal all had a great week for the Rangers, combining for 12 points in 3 games. … Jonas Hiller won both of his starts for Anaheim, allowing only 3 goals on 69 shots. … Sidney Crosby netted 2 goals for Pittsburgh against Toronto. He also was 21-3 on faceoffs in Philadelphia. … Henrik Sedin scored 3 goals this week and 7 assists. Bad news for his brother, Daniel, who will be out 4-6 weeks with a broken foot. … Mathieu Garon spoiled the Coyotes sold-out home opener by posting a shutout, stopping 36 shots. … In a battle of goaltenders, Ryan Miller topped all 25 shots against the Predators for his first shutout of the year. In the opposite net, Pekka Rinne only allowed 1 goal on 42 shots. … Stephen Valiquette made his first start for the Rangers and stopped all 18 shots the Ducks threw at him.
Thumbs down to… Tim Thomas. The reigning Vezina winner has looked awful for Boston this year. He’s been out of position and failing to make saves to keep his team in the game. Its early in the year, but for Boston to finish top in the conference again, Thomas needs to find his form.Also thumbs down to Los Angeles’ penalty kill. LA finally looks poised to make the playoffs, but no way they’re going to if they allow San Jose 4 power play goals. If LA does make the playoffs, there’s a good chance they’ll be seeing San Jose in the first round. Special teams are extremely important in this league and the Kings need to improve their penalty killing.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Saturday Roundup: 10/10/09
By Tim Daily
All but 4 teams were in action last night. Here are some of the things I noticed on the second hockey Saturday of this NHL season:
- John Tavares is the real deal. The passing and shooting skills have been obvious since we first started watching him in the OHL, but really what impresses me most is the way he moves his feet. He is an efficient skater that gets to where he's got to be and does it before anybody else. Tavares detractors would always point to his skating ability as the one thing he needs to improve, but trust me - he has a burst, and uses it when he needs to.
- The Kings are a solid club and will contend for a playoff spot this season. There are a plethora of top 9 forwards on this club and really a legitimate group of top 6 guys as well. The Ryan Smyth and Justin Williams additions really opened up things perfectly for Anze Kopitar who has proven to be a skilled skater, passer and scorer. Add in the blue line contribution Drew Doughty and you get a team that can make you pay
- Kyle Quincey and John-Michael Liles is one hell of a power play quarterback tandem for Colorado. Both guys can move the puck extremely well and are also a threat to score. The Avalanche will fight to stay in a playoff bubble scenario but on a game to game basis, you better stay out of the box if you want to beat them.
- The Penguins are looking like defending champions. Outside of their 3-0 loss to the Coyotes, Pittsburgh has demonstrated the ability to stay in and control games by using their entire lineup. Malkin and Crosby are a killer one-two punch, but last night we were reminded of just how deadly Sergei Gonchar can be on the power play point. Matt Cooke scored on a beautiful shot and played a physical, pestering game. The addition of Mike Rupp was key because it allows the 4th line to get a little more space in the shooting and passing lanes, which means more chances for a player like Pascal Dupuis - who skates and forechecks very well and could benefit from additional quick scoring opportunities.
- The Sharks have some issues and most of them lie in their own zone. Last season, San Jose's fantastic regular season was the result of a phenomenal power play, a balanced scoring attack and a quick breakout that rarely allowed opposing teams any second-chance opportunities. This season, the defensive zone pursuit has not been as consistent as it was a year ago. Luckily for Sharks fans, it seems like they will provide more than enough offense to make up for any defensive lapse.
- If we keep seeing Columbus get fantastic goaltending from both Steve Mason and Mathieu Garon, the Blue Jackets are going to be tough to beat. The team has bought into Hitchcock's defensive game and can still spring forwards up for scoring chances...and if there was any doubt, eliminate it now: Rick Nash is a superstar.
It was a busy night in hockey and I'm sure there was more to be noticed, but that's all for today. Stay tuned throughout the week for some of our regular spots (players of the week, fantasy hockey Friday) as well as additional pieces on the NHL and hockey in general!
Friday, October 9, 2009
Fantasy Hockey Friday - Goalies: A Never-Ending Saga
By John Cullen
Hey folks, this will be the first of my weekly column, Fantasy Hockey Friday. I’m currently in 5 fantasy pools and having been an avid hockey fan and statistics follower for the last 20 years of my life, I’ll look forward to bringing my unique brand of advice to you each Friday.
Each week I’ll focus on a different topic in relation to fantasy hockey to help you best with managing your team. 4 of the 5 pools I’m in are pools with daily roster updates, so my advice will sometimes focus on pools with day-to-day rosters and each column will end with a small sit/start section for the Saturday slate of games. My hope is that you’ll find the advice useful, regardless of the format you pool in. This column will never be a “recommended pick-ups” column, but will instead focus on long-term advice that will serve to help you this year and in the future.
With the slow starts of elite fantasy goaltenders Roberto Luongo, Evgeni Nabokov, Martin Brodeur, and a few others, many have been left sitting at their laptops shaking their head. “Why did I ever draft a goalie in the first round?” is extremely common to see on message boards and Facebook statuses across the web, and really, you shouldn’t have. But that’s another conversation for another time. Goalies are the bane of every daily roster update poolie. Goalie stats normally account for half (sometimes more) of a poolie’s entire statistical output, and an injury or a slump for a key ‘tender can sometimes be the difference between winning a pool and finishing completely out of the money. So what can you do to avoid the massive amount of frustration that comes about every time you’re forced to make a sit/start decision, an add/drop decision, or simply when you are forced to sit idly by and watch your goalie get blown up? Sometimes, not much. Over the next two weeks we’ll be examining 5 tips for keeping your goalies straight. Here’s the first two:
2 Tips For Managing Your Goalies
I. DON’T play match-ups. What? Yeah, that’s right, I said it, DON’T play match-ups. Or what I should say is don’t play match-ups EXCLUSIVELY. Far too many poolies look at the team their goalie is playing and make the decision on whether or not to play their goalie based entirely on the team their goalie is playing, which is faulty logic at best. Would you sit or start a skater because he might receive a minus playing a great team? Probably not, so why would you do the same for a goalie? There are a lot of factors that go into sit/start decisions and while the straight-up matchup is not a bad way to go for the casual poolie, there are a few questions you should probably ask yourself first:
1. What is your goalie’s team record in the last 5 games? To me, this is the most important question you need to ask yourself. Playing net at the NHL level is a very fragile position, and you need to constantly be aware of how your goalie and his team is playing. If the team is playing hot and the goalie’s playing hot, the match-up shouldn’t matter, run the hot hand over the other every time. The opposite holds true if the goalie is playing cold. Another key thing to remember is the sheer difficulty of an 82-game NHL schedule and long-term winning streaks are a thing of the past. More often than not if my goalie has won his last 4 or 5 starts, I may bench him for another goalie because the streak is bound to end sometime, and the same goes for a goalie who has lost a few. You always need to exercise SOME caution, but food for thought nonetheless.
2. Back-to-back? Given the sheer volume of B2B games this season because of the Olympics, this is something you need to have on your mind all the time. Goalies will very rarely get a win in a B2B start, regardless of whether or not they played both games. It definitely depends on the overall trend of the team(see #1), but generally speaking, a team will split a B2B situation so take a look at how they performed in the first game.
3. Is your goalie streaking? This is similar to #1, but an individual goaltending streak can be just as important as a team streak. Pay attention to your goaltender’s individual numbers over the last 5 games and ride the hot hand. Wins are much harder to guarantee as they're more reflective of the team than the goalie, but individual goalie statistics come in bunches so if your goalie's running GREAT(sub-2.00 GAA or over a .920 sv. % over his last 3-5 starts) then throw the match-ups out and start that goalie.
II. Handcuff, Handcuff, Handcuff. If you’re new to fantasy, “handcuff” might not be a term you’re familiar with, but it’s one you should get to know right away. If you own an elite goalie, you need to own their backup, because if they go down and you DON’T own the backup, you’re basically telling the rest of your pool they can pick them up first. Unless you’re prepared to be the absolute fastest to the internet when your goalie goes down, you may as well give yourself some ease of mind and keep that goalie on the bench. The only excuse for not handcuffing your goalie is that if you have one of the few elite goalies whose backup is so bad that if your goalie ever got injured his team would trade for a goalie straightaway(a great example being Curtis McIlhenney in Calgary: if Kipper ever goes down, they’re buzzing Anaheim, Minnesota, Washington, or the Islanders immediately to enlist some help). Most backup goalies in the current NHL will get 15-20 starts anyway, and if your backup plays on a good team, a lot of those starts will be wins, so they’re certainly worth your investment over a bench skater who might only pay a minimum of dividends. So look up the number of Brent Johnson, Mathieu Garon, Ty Conklin, Josh Harding, et. al. and keep yourself on the happy side of goalie heart attacks.
The remaining 3 tips will come in via FantasyMail next week. I always want to err on the side of low blood pressure, and since goalies are such a difficult position to fill on a nightly basis, the best thing to do is to ease your own pain.
Now let’s take a look at some one-sentence goalie/team sit/starts for the upcoming weekend, October 10, 2009.
Team Forward/Defense
Start:
Los Angeles Kings: Ryan Smyth is finding the Captain Canada magic with Kopitar and against a still-jetlagged Blues team, Kings forwards are an easy play.
Columbus Blue Jackets: The team should be due a big game after mid-week let down at San Jose; Phoenix can’t play this well forever and should be the perfect medicine for the Jackets.
Sit:
Minnesota Wild: The team still hasn’t found its happy place yet and until they find some offence it’s hard to find a lot to like fantasy-wise outside Koivu and Havlat.
Toronto Maple Leafs: While it’s unlikely you have too much vested interest in the Buds, they’re at home to Pittsburgh who they’ve had minimal success against and it’s best to leave any Leafs you’ve got on the pine.
Goaltenders
Start:
Cristobal Huet @ Colorado: Huet needs to start winning some games to keep rookie Antti Niemi on the bench, so look for him to assert himself against an Avalanche team devoid of real shooters.
Ryan Miller @ Nashville: Miller’s off to his usual excellent start and Nashville looks to have another year of scoring 2-3 goals a game on their hands.
Sit:
Tim Thomas @ New York Islanders: I know what you’re thinking, but Boston’s been embarrassed twice already this year, Thomas hasn’t looked great, and this plucky Islanders team has shown a real willingness to go to the net so far this season.
Ilya Bryzgalov @ Columbus: Breezy can’t carry this team forever and a letdown needs to happen somewhere: the hands of Rick Nash, perhaps?
There goes the first FHF. Swing by next week for the remainder of my goalie tips list. Thanks for reading and may your bench players never score a point and your goalies never let in a goal.
Hey folks, this will be the first of my weekly column, Fantasy Hockey Friday. I’m currently in 5 fantasy pools and having been an avid hockey fan and statistics follower for the last 20 years of my life, I’ll look forward to bringing my unique brand of advice to you each Friday.
Each week I’ll focus on a different topic in relation to fantasy hockey to help you best with managing your team. 4 of the 5 pools I’m in are pools with daily roster updates, so my advice will sometimes focus on pools with day-to-day rosters and each column will end with a small sit/start section for the Saturday slate of games. My hope is that you’ll find the advice useful, regardless of the format you pool in. This column will never be a “recommended pick-ups” column, but will instead focus on long-term advice that will serve to help you this year and in the future.
With the slow starts of elite fantasy goaltenders Roberto Luongo, Evgeni Nabokov, Martin Brodeur, and a few others, many have been left sitting at their laptops shaking their head. “Why did I ever draft a goalie in the first round?” is extremely common to see on message boards and Facebook statuses across the web, and really, you shouldn’t have. But that’s another conversation for another time. Goalies are the bane of every daily roster update poolie. Goalie stats normally account for half (sometimes more) of a poolie’s entire statistical output, and an injury or a slump for a key ‘tender can sometimes be the difference between winning a pool and finishing completely out of the money. So what can you do to avoid the massive amount of frustration that comes about every time you’re forced to make a sit/start decision, an add/drop decision, or simply when you are forced to sit idly by and watch your goalie get blown up? Sometimes, not much. Over the next two weeks we’ll be examining 5 tips for keeping your goalies straight. Here’s the first two:
2 Tips For Managing Your Goalies
I. DON’T play match-ups. What? Yeah, that’s right, I said it, DON’T play match-ups. Or what I should say is don’t play match-ups EXCLUSIVELY. Far too many poolies look at the team their goalie is playing and make the decision on whether or not to play their goalie based entirely on the team their goalie is playing, which is faulty logic at best. Would you sit or start a skater because he might receive a minus playing a great team? Probably not, so why would you do the same for a goalie? There are a lot of factors that go into sit/start decisions and while the straight-up matchup is not a bad way to go for the casual poolie, there are a few questions you should probably ask yourself first:
1. What is your goalie’s team record in the last 5 games? To me, this is the most important question you need to ask yourself. Playing net at the NHL level is a very fragile position, and you need to constantly be aware of how your goalie and his team is playing. If the team is playing hot and the goalie’s playing hot, the match-up shouldn’t matter, run the hot hand over the other every time. The opposite holds true if the goalie is playing cold. Another key thing to remember is the sheer difficulty of an 82-game NHL schedule and long-term winning streaks are a thing of the past. More often than not if my goalie has won his last 4 or 5 starts, I may bench him for another goalie because the streak is bound to end sometime, and the same goes for a goalie who has lost a few. You always need to exercise SOME caution, but food for thought nonetheless.
2. Back-to-back? Given the sheer volume of B2B games this season because of the Olympics, this is something you need to have on your mind all the time. Goalies will very rarely get a win in a B2B start, regardless of whether or not they played both games. It definitely depends on the overall trend of the team(see #1), but generally speaking, a team will split a B2B situation so take a look at how they performed in the first game.
3. Is your goalie streaking? This is similar to #1, but an individual goaltending streak can be just as important as a team streak. Pay attention to your goaltender’s individual numbers over the last 5 games and ride the hot hand. Wins are much harder to guarantee as they're more reflective of the team than the goalie, but individual goalie statistics come in bunches so if your goalie's running GREAT(sub-2.00 GAA or over a .920 sv. % over his last 3-5 starts) then throw the match-ups out and start that goalie.
II. Handcuff, Handcuff, Handcuff. If you’re new to fantasy, “handcuff” might not be a term you’re familiar with, but it’s one you should get to know right away. If you own an elite goalie, you need to own their backup, because if they go down and you DON’T own the backup, you’re basically telling the rest of your pool they can pick them up first. Unless you’re prepared to be the absolute fastest to the internet when your goalie goes down, you may as well give yourself some ease of mind and keep that goalie on the bench. The only excuse for not handcuffing your goalie is that if you have one of the few elite goalies whose backup is so bad that if your goalie ever got injured his team would trade for a goalie straightaway(a great example being Curtis McIlhenney in Calgary: if Kipper ever goes down, they’re buzzing Anaheim, Minnesota, Washington, or the Islanders immediately to enlist some help). Most backup goalies in the current NHL will get 15-20 starts anyway, and if your backup plays on a good team, a lot of those starts will be wins, so they’re certainly worth your investment over a bench skater who might only pay a minimum of dividends. So look up the number of Brent Johnson, Mathieu Garon, Ty Conklin, Josh Harding, et. al. and keep yourself on the happy side of goalie heart attacks.
The remaining 3 tips will come in via FantasyMail next week. I always want to err on the side of low blood pressure, and since goalies are such a difficult position to fill on a nightly basis, the best thing to do is to ease your own pain.
Now let’s take a look at some one-sentence goalie/team sit/starts for the upcoming weekend, October 10, 2009.
Team Forward/Defense
Start:
Los Angeles Kings: Ryan Smyth is finding the Captain Canada magic with Kopitar and against a still-jetlagged Blues team, Kings forwards are an easy play.
Columbus Blue Jackets: The team should be due a big game after mid-week let down at San Jose; Phoenix can’t play this well forever and should be the perfect medicine for the Jackets.
Sit:
Minnesota Wild: The team still hasn’t found its happy place yet and until they find some offence it’s hard to find a lot to like fantasy-wise outside Koivu and Havlat.
Toronto Maple Leafs: While it’s unlikely you have too much vested interest in the Buds, they’re at home to Pittsburgh who they’ve had minimal success against and it’s best to leave any Leafs you’ve got on the pine.
Goaltenders
Start:
Cristobal Huet @ Colorado: Huet needs to start winning some games to keep rookie Antti Niemi on the bench, so look for him to assert himself against an Avalanche team devoid of real shooters.
Ryan Miller @ Nashville: Miller’s off to his usual excellent start and Nashville looks to have another year of scoring 2-3 goals a game on their hands.
Sit:
Tim Thomas @ New York Islanders: I know what you’re thinking, but Boston’s been embarrassed twice already this year, Thomas hasn’t looked great, and this plucky Islanders team has shown a real willingness to go to the net so far this season.
Ilya Bryzgalov @ Columbus: Breezy can’t carry this team forever and a letdown needs to happen somewhere: the hands of Rick Nash, perhaps?
There goes the first FHF. Swing by next week for the remainder of my goalie tips list. Thanks for reading and may your bench players never score a point and your goalies never let in a goal.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Directv: National TV? NHL loses, again
By Tim Daily
Monday night was supposed to be perfect. I was headed to the bar to watch my Rangers play the Devils for the first time this season, catch some Monday Night Football and celebrate a friend's birthday with beer and other unflattering forms of alcohol.
I got there at 6:55 to make sure I could get at least one television focused on hockey, as 90% of the bar's patrons would be focused on Brett Favre and the Vikings playing the Packers. When the channel flipped to Versus, I got the following message:
'Unfortunately, Versus is no longer available on DIRECTV. Comcast, the largest cable company in the U.S. and our largest competitor, owns the channel and has forced us to pull it down.' For more information go to www.directv.com/versus .
Upon further reading I found that Directv asserted Comcast was forcing Directv to pay more than its competitors to air Versus. Directv even used the 'difficult economic times' phrase to help bolster its argument. Great.
I could keep going and outline the highlights of both arguments, but honestly that would be a waste of time. Who cares about another television channel dispute? I've been begging for the NFL network for years, but the Cablevision logo on my cable box reassures me that I will never get it.
What I care about is the fact that anybody with Directv (including all of the bars that get the service for NFL Sunday ticket or the baseball package) could not watch a NATIONALLY TELEVISED GAME. It is the National Hockey League's responsibility to make sure its entire customer base has access to a game shown in every television market and boy has it failed here. We're talking about a major sports league that is still struggling to regain credibility after a devastating 2004-05 lockout season. Showing your games is step one in that process!
Look, I'm aware of the reality that is high-level contract disputes. These things do not often get resolved quickly. What I want to see is the NHL step up and use its leverage as a billion dollar industry to get its high profile weekly matchups shown to ALL potential viewers. Until the economic downturn, this was a growing business that is still more than afloat. Let's see the league use some of its resources wisely and get the Versus situation right.
Monday night was supposed to be perfect. I was headed to the bar to watch my Rangers play the Devils for the first time this season, catch some Monday Night Football and celebrate a friend's birthday with beer and other unflattering forms of alcohol.
I got there at 6:55 to make sure I could get at least one television focused on hockey, as 90% of the bar's patrons would be focused on Brett Favre and the Vikings playing the Packers. When the channel flipped to Versus, I got the following message:
'Unfortunately, Versus is no longer available on DIRECTV. Comcast, the largest cable company in the U.S. and our largest competitor, owns the channel and has forced us to pull it down.' For more information go to www.directv.com/versus .
Upon further reading I found that Directv asserted Comcast was forcing Directv to pay more than its competitors to air Versus. Directv even used the 'difficult economic times' phrase to help bolster its argument. Great.
I could keep going and outline the highlights of both arguments, but honestly that would be a waste of time. Who cares about another television channel dispute? I've been begging for the NFL network for years, but the Cablevision logo on my cable box reassures me that I will never get it.
What I care about is the fact that anybody with Directv (including all of the bars that get the service for NFL Sunday ticket or the baseball package) could not watch a NATIONALLY TELEVISED GAME. It is the National Hockey League's responsibility to make sure its entire customer base has access to a game shown in every television market and boy has it failed here. We're talking about a major sports league that is still struggling to regain credibility after a devastating 2004-05 lockout season. Showing your games is step one in that process!
Look, I'm aware of the reality that is high-level contract disputes. These things do not often get resolved quickly. What I want to see is the NHL step up and use its leverage as a billion dollar industry to get its high profile weekly matchups shown to ALL potential viewers. Until the economic downturn, this was a growing business that is still more than afloat. Let's see the league use some of its resources wisely and get the Versus situation right.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Players of the Week - 10/5/09
By Dara Heaps
1. Alexander Oveckin, Washington Captials. With 6 points in 3 games (3 goals, 3 assists), Ovechkin is leaving no doubt in anyone's mind that he wants to three-peat MVP.
2. Craig Anderson, Colorado Avalanche. Anderson stood tall, knocking off two teams expected to finish top in their divisions (San Jose and Vancouver). With Anderson in net, the Avs will have a chance to win.
3. NHL Rookies. John Tavares (NYI), Victor Hedman (TB), Evander Kane (ATL), Matt Duchene (COL), Michael Del Zotto (NYR), Benn Ferriero (SJS), Jason Demers (SJS) and Frazer McLaren (SJS) all scored their first NHL point this week.
Honorable Mentions: Chicago netminder Antti Niemi earned his first shutout on home soil, besting the Florida Panthers 4-0 in Helsinki, Finland. ... Ray Emery showed he's still a capable number one goalie, winning back-to-back games. ... Keith Tkachuk lead his team past the Red Wings in Sweden, scoring 2 goals. ... Alexander Semin had 2 goals and an assist against Toronto. ... Sidney Crosby scored the opening goal in a 4-3 win against the Islanders and he ended it in a shootout. He also opened the scoring in a 3-2 win over the New York Rangers.
What's up with... Martin Brodeur and Roberto Luongo? Brodeur looked downright awful in the Devils home opener against the Philadelphia Flyers. Its early into the season, but hopefully this is just rust and not a sign of old age and declining skill. Luongo was also uncharacteristically bad in the Canucks first two games, allowing 7 goals on 50 shots in 2 games.
1. Alexander Oveckin, Washington Captials. With 6 points in 3 games (3 goals, 3 assists), Ovechkin is leaving no doubt in anyone's mind that he wants to three-peat MVP.
2. Craig Anderson, Colorado Avalanche. Anderson stood tall, knocking off two teams expected to finish top in their divisions (San Jose and Vancouver). With Anderson in net, the Avs will have a chance to win.
3. NHL Rookies. John Tavares (NYI), Victor Hedman (TB), Evander Kane (ATL), Matt Duchene (COL), Michael Del Zotto (NYR), Benn Ferriero (SJS), Jason Demers (SJS) and Frazer McLaren (SJS) all scored their first NHL point this week.
Honorable Mentions: Chicago netminder Antti Niemi earned his first shutout on home soil, besting the Florida Panthers 4-0 in Helsinki, Finland. ... Ray Emery showed he's still a capable number one goalie, winning back-to-back games. ... Keith Tkachuk lead his team past the Red Wings in Sweden, scoring 2 goals. ... Alexander Semin had 2 goals and an assist against Toronto. ... Sidney Crosby scored the opening goal in a 4-3 win against the Islanders and he ended it in a shootout. He also opened the scoring in a 3-2 win over the New York Rangers.
What's up with... Martin Brodeur and Roberto Luongo? Brodeur looked downright awful in the Devils home opener against the Philadelphia Flyers. Its early into the season, but hopefully this is just rust and not a sign of old age and declining skill. Luongo was also uncharacteristically bad in the Canucks first two games, allowing 7 goals on 50 shots in 2 games.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
College Hockey Preseason Top 10
By Nate Wells
1. Miami University - The RedHawks, who came within a minute of a national title last season before collapsing, are in prime position to take the next step and win their first national championship. Although only two teams in the last fifteen years have won the Frozen Four after finishing second the year before, Miami returns almost everyone from last year's squad; including both goalies and five of their top-six defensemen. There are a couple questions for the RedHawks, namely whether or not they can recover from such a devastating loss, but a well-balanced team returning most of their scoring and defense makes Miami the best team on paper.
2. University of Denver - Another well-balanced team which keeps most of their scoring [losing only Tyler Bozak's PPG average over the past two seasons to the Toronto Maple Leafs] and goaltending, the Pioneers can be considered a 1A to the team that ended their season last year. With forwards Joe Colborne, Rhett Rakhshani Tyler Regsegger and defenseman Patrick Wiercoch looking to replicate their scoring touch from last season, the pre-season WCHA favorites' biggest test will be on the blue line. While Freshmen William Wrenn and Matt Donovan come in to replace seniors and long-time staples J.P Testwuide and Patrick Mullen, goalie Marc Cheverle has shown that he is capable of stealing a game or two on his own if needed.
3. Boston University - The 2008-2009 champs are still a talented-laden squad despite heavy losses. With Hobey Baker winner Matt Gilroy, Colin Wilson, Brandon Yip and Chris Higgins now in the pro ranks, the Terriers will be depending on their blue line more than last year. Fortunately for Boston University, they return four of their top six defensemen from last season, including Kevin Shattenkirk, David Warsofsky and Colby Cohen, plus sophomore goaltender Kieran Millan. Even without the offensive explosiveness that Wison, Yip and Higgins brought (forty-plus points a piece), this is a dangerous Terrier team.
4. University of Michigan - After losing to Air Force in one of the greatest upsets in tournament history [tied with Minnesota losing to Holy Cross in 2006 and only outdone by CCHA rival Notre Dame losing to Bemidji State the same night], the Wolverines look to bounce back and challenge Miami and Notre Dame for the CCHA crown. Although Michigan lost sophomore Aaron Palushaj's fifty points to the pro ranks, the Wolverines return all other key components from a 29-12-0 team and are ready to reload behind junior Louis Caporusso and sophomore David Wohlberg up front and junior Bryan Hogan between the pipes.
5. University of North Dakota - Although last season was Dave Hakstol's first season not reaching the Frozen Four in his tenure as the Fighting Sioux's head coach, North Dakota continues to be one of the more consistent teams in college hockey. With a large senior class, including former Hobey Baker winner Ryan Duncan and Brad Miller graduating, the Sioux look ready to reload with new leadership from seniors Chris VandeVelde, Chay Genoway, Darcy Zajac and sophomore Jason Gregoire. North Dakota also adds a large and talented freshman class, with heralded forwards Danny Kristo, Michael Cichy and Corbin Knight; their play will dictate how brief the Sioux's Frozen Four hiatus will be.
6. Notre Dame - In what has become a recurring theme for the top CCHA teams, all eyes will be on the Fighting Irish as they bounce back from being the first team to lose to the #16 seed. Coach Jeff Jackson has some holes to fill with the loss of seniors Erik Condra, Christian Hanson and 2010 top-five draft pick Cam Fowler before he ever suited up in South Bend, but Notre Dame has enough talent to make a Frozen Four run. The Irish return their top four defensemen, led by junior Ian Cole and have plenty of depth up front with Calle Ridderwall, Kevin Deeth and Billy Maday each scoring thirty points last season. The biggest question mark is between the pipes, as goaltender Jordan Pearce graduated and Notre Dame will be depending on an untested Brad Phillips.
7. University of Massachusetts Lowell - The stakes are high this year for the River Hawks. With eleven seniors this season and a 12-5-2 second-half finish that brought them within a game of the NCAA tournament [losing to Boston University in the Hockey East championship], U-Mass Lowell is a trendy pick to win Hockey East and make their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1996. While pegging the River Hawks, who finished fifth in Hockey East last season, to win a conference with two of the final four teams is a stretch, they will be a good team with junior Scott Campbell up front and goalies Nevin Hamilton and Carter Hutton stopping pucks.
8. University of Minnesota - After struggling down the stretch and losing to Minnesota-Duluth in the WCHA Final Five play-in game, the Golden Gophers found themselves in an unusual spot of watching the NCAA tournament instead of participating. Instead of wallowing in their sorrows, the Yankees of college hockey have reloaded by bringing in a stellar recruiting class and expect to finish near the top of the WCHA and take advantage of a hometown regional; however there are still too many questions about the Gophers to anoint them to that status. While Minnesota needs to have a player step up to replace Ryan Stoa's forty-six points last season, the two big question marks for them are defense and goaltending. If the Gophers can toughen up their offensively-talented blue line (a problem over the second half) and have goaltender Alex Kangas play closer to his freshman form, than Minnesota will be a dangerous team.
9. Cornell University - The Big Red return most of their core from last year's squad, including outstanding goaltender Ben Scrivens and Riley Nash, and look to be on top of a competitive ECAC come March. Cornell is known for their defense as they gave up on seventy-four goals in thirty six games last season; this year should be no different. The key for the Big Red this year will be offense, while they do return their top three scorers from 2008-2009, Cornell is going to need a boost from their upperclassmen and seconday scoring if they want to win an ECAC title and return to the NCAA Tournament.
10. University of Vermont - The Catamounts return from their trip to the Frozen Four last year with some major holes to fill, but still should be able to battle for the Hockey East crown. While Vermont lost their top two scorers in Viktor Stalberg and Peter Lenes to the NHL and graduation, respectively, they do have the players to step up in Brian Roloff and Justin Milo. It also helps that they return their bread and butter in goalie Rob Madore, and the entire blue line, but until it is seen if the offense can step up, it's hard to place the Catamounts any higher.
Honorable Mention: University of Wisconsin, University of New Hampshire, Yale University, Princeton University, Boston College and St. Cloud State University
1. Miami University - The RedHawks, who came within a minute of a national title last season before collapsing, are in prime position to take the next step and win their first national championship. Although only two teams in the last fifteen years have won the Frozen Four after finishing second the year before, Miami returns almost everyone from last year's squad; including both goalies and five of their top-six defensemen. There are a couple questions for the RedHawks, namely whether or not they can recover from such a devastating loss, but a well-balanced team returning most of their scoring and defense makes Miami the best team on paper.
2. University of Denver - Another well-balanced team which keeps most of their scoring [losing only Tyler Bozak's PPG average over the past two seasons to the Toronto Maple Leafs] and goaltending, the Pioneers can be considered a 1A to the team that ended their season last year. With forwards Joe Colborne, Rhett Rakhshani Tyler Regsegger and defenseman Patrick Wiercoch looking to replicate their scoring touch from last season, the pre-season WCHA favorites' biggest test will be on the blue line. While Freshmen William Wrenn and Matt Donovan come in to replace seniors and long-time staples J.P Testwuide and Patrick Mullen, goalie Marc Cheverle has shown that he is capable of stealing a game or two on his own if needed.
3. Boston University - The 2008-2009 champs are still a talented-laden squad despite heavy losses. With Hobey Baker winner Matt Gilroy, Colin Wilson, Brandon Yip and Chris Higgins now in the pro ranks, the Terriers will be depending on their blue line more than last year. Fortunately for Boston University, they return four of their top six defensemen from last season, including Kevin Shattenkirk, David Warsofsky and Colby Cohen, plus sophomore goaltender Kieran Millan. Even without the offensive explosiveness that Wison, Yip and Higgins brought (forty-plus points a piece), this is a dangerous Terrier team.
4. University of Michigan - After losing to Air Force in one of the greatest upsets in tournament history [tied with Minnesota losing to Holy Cross in 2006 and only outdone by CCHA rival Notre Dame losing to Bemidji State the same night], the Wolverines look to bounce back and challenge Miami and Notre Dame for the CCHA crown. Although Michigan lost sophomore Aaron Palushaj's fifty points to the pro ranks, the Wolverines return all other key components from a 29-12-0 team and are ready to reload behind junior Louis Caporusso and sophomore David Wohlberg up front and junior Bryan Hogan between the pipes.
5. University of North Dakota - Although last season was Dave Hakstol's first season not reaching the Frozen Four in his tenure as the Fighting Sioux's head coach, North Dakota continues to be one of the more consistent teams in college hockey. With a large senior class, including former Hobey Baker winner Ryan Duncan and Brad Miller graduating, the Sioux look ready to reload with new leadership from seniors Chris VandeVelde, Chay Genoway, Darcy Zajac and sophomore Jason Gregoire. North Dakota also adds a large and talented freshman class, with heralded forwards Danny Kristo, Michael Cichy and Corbin Knight; their play will dictate how brief the Sioux's Frozen Four hiatus will be.
6. Notre Dame - In what has become a recurring theme for the top CCHA teams, all eyes will be on the Fighting Irish as they bounce back from being the first team to lose to the #16 seed. Coach Jeff Jackson has some holes to fill with the loss of seniors Erik Condra, Christian Hanson and 2010 top-five draft pick Cam Fowler before he ever suited up in South Bend, but Notre Dame has enough talent to make a Frozen Four run. The Irish return their top four defensemen, led by junior Ian Cole and have plenty of depth up front with Calle Ridderwall, Kevin Deeth and Billy Maday each scoring thirty points last season. The biggest question mark is between the pipes, as goaltender Jordan Pearce graduated and Notre Dame will be depending on an untested Brad Phillips.
7. University of Massachusetts Lowell - The stakes are high this year for the River Hawks. With eleven seniors this season and a 12-5-2 second-half finish that brought them within a game of the NCAA tournament [losing to Boston University in the Hockey East championship], U-Mass Lowell is a trendy pick to win Hockey East and make their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1996. While pegging the River Hawks, who finished fifth in Hockey East last season, to win a conference with two of the final four teams is a stretch, they will be a good team with junior Scott Campbell up front and goalies Nevin Hamilton and Carter Hutton stopping pucks.
8. University of Minnesota - After struggling down the stretch and losing to Minnesota-Duluth in the WCHA Final Five play-in game, the Golden Gophers found themselves in an unusual spot of watching the NCAA tournament instead of participating. Instead of wallowing in their sorrows, the Yankees of college hockey have reloaded by bringing in a stellar recruiting class and expect to finish near the top of the WCHA and take advantage of a hometown regional; however there are still too many questions about the Gophers to anoint them to that status. While Minnesota needs to have a player step up to replace Ryan Stoa's forty-six points last season, the two big question marks for them are defense and goaltending. If the Gophers can toughen up their offensively-talented blue line (a problem over the second half) and have goaltender Alex Kangas play closer to his freshman form, than Minnesota will be a dangerous team.
9. Cornell University - The Big Red return most of their core from last year's squad, including outstanding goaltender Ben Scrivens and Riley Nash, and look to be on top of a competitive ECAC come March. Cornell is known for their defense as they gave up on seventy-four goals in thirty six games last season; this year should be no different. The key for the Big Red this year will be offense, while they do return their top three scorers from 2008-2009, Cornell is going to need a boost from their upperclassmen and seconday scoring if they want to win an ECAC title and return to the NCAA Tournament.
10. University of Vermont - The Catamounts return from their trip to the Frozen Four last year with some major holes to fill, but still should be able to battle for the Hockey East crown. While Vermont lost their top two scorers in Viktor Stalberg and Peter Lenes to the NHL and graduation, respectively, they do have the players to step up in Brian Roloff and Justin Milo. It also helps that they return their bread and butter in goalie Rob Madore, and the entire blue line, but until it is seen if the offense can step up, it's hard to place the Catamounts any higher.
Honorable Mention: University of Wisconsin, University of New Hampshire, Yale University, Princeton University, Boston College and St. Cloud State University
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