Well if you are like me, and are eagerly anticipating all the food and sports that Christmas has to offer…then you will forgive me if I feel a little generous this week. The turkeys are being defrosted and ready to go with a nice surprise at the end….and no it is not that cranberry apple walnut stuffing. That is on the cooking blog…about 3 steps that way. Onward to the turkeys…….
Rick Nash (LW) — Columbus Blue Jackets
No points in the last two weeks….yes this is not a misprint or a joke. But if you are a Nash owner, you are dying beyond belief. Even the 14 shots in the last five games (2.8 SPG) is far off from his 4.2 average for the season. Amazingly he is only a -1 in this span so the defense has been decent. However, I drafted Mr. Nash to score and when he is not scoring…that puts a world of hurt on the rest of my team. Nash rarely goes 5 or 6 straight without scoring so people looking to buy low may be able to get Rick at a very surprisingly low cost.
Paul Ranger (D) — Tampa Bay Lightning
OUCH! Defensively he has not been too good in the last two weeks….an jaw dropper for most fantasy owners as he has been a -8. Taking a deeper look, most of that -8 came in the last week in two brutal losses to the Flames (that -5 will leave a mark) and Thrashers. Ranger has 20 points but only 4 of them are on the power play and that is surprising given the ice time he gets with Dan Boyle out again. This guy has to produce but more importantly has to play better in his own end. He was benched for most of the third period against Atlanta and many fantasy owners are thinking twice about Ranger now….not a good sign.
Cam Ward (G) — Carolina Hurricanes
The 1-4 record over the last two weeks doesn’t seem so so bad…I mean every goalie goes through these rough stretches. However, the 3.63 GAA and .882 save percentage do raise plenty of alarms, and red flag warnings for fantasy owners. Ward’s numbers have been on a pretty steady rise in the bad direction since the Canes hot start. Maybe it isn’t a coincidence that the inconsistent play of the team has a bit of correlation to Ward’s shaky play. The fact that John Grahame is not a serviceable backup may be weighing on him. For whatever the reason, Ward’s game has gone down a few notches and I am noticing some owners outright dropping him in leagues. He has gone from a top 5 stud to dud in just a month really. I still think the Canes are the class of the Southeast and Ward will bounce back so after New Years, it may be time to buy again.
Being in the Christmas spirit, I will not name a Turkey Of The Week…..however if you want to, just comment away. Do enjoy the hockey and the food of course.
