We are on the move a bit this week but Fantasy Hockey ONE is here nonetheless. Daniel Dobish of Rotoexperts brings the heat again with his weekly column and we will add a bit more like we always do.
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Let’s just get right to it. Monday night marked the return of Pittsburgh Penguins C Sidney Crosby (concussion). He exploded for two goals, two assists, a plus-3 rating and eight shots on goal despite only 15:54 of TOI. It’s great news for Pens fans, Fantasy owners who have been waiting patiently, and the value of Ws James Neal, Steve Sullivan and D Kris Letang, who will be on the power play unit with Sid the Kid. Heck, even C Evgeni Malkin might see a slight bump in his already solid Fantasy appeal. Head coach Dan Bylsma said over the weekend that he plans to have Crosby center a line with Ws Pascal Dupuis and Chris Kunitz. However temporary that combination is, Dupuis certainly sees a bump in his value.
However, the biggest loser in the return of Crosby appears to be Kunitz. While he’ll have Crosby on his line, at least for a while, he’ll be dropped from the high-octane top power play unit, which certainly puts a dent in his Fantasy appeal.
In Washington, there are rumors that W Alexander Semin was a healthy scratch Monday night. That’s how far the mighty have fallen in such a short time. It wasn’t long ago that Semin was considered a Fantasy stud. He had 34 goals and 79 points in 2008-09, and topped that with 40 markers and 84 points with a plus-36 rating in 2009-10. However, he tailed off last season with 28 goals and 54 points, and now has just four goals, nine points and a minus-3 rating through 18 games.
For Fantasy owners of opposing teams, it is time to make a move to get Semin on your team at bargain basement prices. If you currently own Semin, do yourself a favor and don’t drop him yet. Nothing is worse than compounding a slow start on your team, only to see a player of Semin’s talent flourish for one of your competitors. The best thing to do is patiently wait, reserve him, and hope he can at least re-gain 60-point form. If so, those points are going to start coming in bunches.
INJURIES
If you normally depend on Buffalo Sabres D Tyler Myers for anything, you’ll need to make alternate plans. He suffered a broken wrist in Saturday’s loss against the Phoenix Coyotes, and he’ll be sidelined for four to six weeks. He has managed two goals and six points through 19 games, but his real value to Fantasy owners comes in formats which score hits and blocked shots. Myers has racked up 24 hits and 31 blocked shots with 10 PIM through 19 games. If you’re looking for an alternative, consider his teammate D Robyn Regehr. Again, Regehr isn’t an offensive specialist. In fact, he hasn’t gotten one point in 20 games. However, he has 17 PIM, 52 hits and 33 blocked shots. He is extremely helpful in rotisserie formats. Winnipeg Jets D Mark Stuart might also be a nice addition, as he has logged 47 hits and 48 blocks. Also consider New York Rangers D Dan Girardi, who has three goals, eight points and a solid plus-6 rating. He has logged 41 hits and 45 blocks through just 17 games.
Washington Capitals D Mike Green (groin) hopes to resume skating soon, according to The Washington Post. He has been dealing with a groin issue for the past 10 days, and he hasn’t been able to get on the ice since. The good news is that off-ice exercises haven’t caused him to have a setback, but his return date remains uncertain. The team just wants to have him back on the ice this week. Keep him reserved in all leagues.
THINGS TO WATCH
Football. On Thursday, there are no scheduled NHL games, so enjoy that other sport with the oblong brown ball while spending time with your family, if you live in the States. … Friday features a nationally-televised game between the Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins in the afternoon. That’s definitely something to look forward to. Even if you don’t watch the game, just turn your TV on and help out the ratings. … The Flyers and Rangers will hook up at Madison Square Garden Saturday afternoon in what could be a matinee with a lot of fireworks. When these two teams get together, it is always entertaining. … Crosby and the Pens travel to Montreal Saturday evening for a date with the Habs. It’s always special seeing Crosby skate, but especially so when it is on Canadian ice in one of that country’s hockey hotbeds.
SLAP SHOTS
Ottawa Senators D Sergei Gonchar has been on top of his game lately, as his Fantasy value continues to yo-yo. He has two goals, three helpers and a plus-4 rating over his past five games, once again in favor with Fantasy owners. … Philadelphia Flyers D Chris Pronger has five helpers over his past three games, although his owners would like to see more help in the plus/minus category. He is even during the stretch. He missed Monday’s loss against Carolina due to an illness. … All is not awful in Columbus, as Blue Jackets LW Vaclav Prospal has a goal and four points with a plus-2 rating over his past five games. Given how poor CBJ has been this season, a plus-2 rating during any stretch is a miracle. … The inexplicable play of Calgary Flames RW Jarome Iginla continues. He has just one goal, no assists and a deplorable minus-9 rating over his past six games through Monday. If you depend on him for Fantasy purposes, don’t drop him, but keep him on the bench indefinitely. He hasn’t shown any sort of consistency yet this season.
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It was indeed a crazy night in the NHL on Monday with seven games but tonight does calm down with only three. Here were our three guys that brought the beast mode to your fantasy team.
BEAST MODE THREE:
1. Tim Thomas (Boston) — Goaltender stopped 33 shots in 1-0 shutout at Montreal.
2. Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh) — 2 goals, 2 assists in a 5-0 win against the Islanders.
3. Stephen Weiss (Florida) — 1 goal, 2 assists in 4-3 comeback win over New Jersey.
So why did we elevate Thomas and his performance over Crosby’s? Yes in the grand scheme of things, four points is impressive no matter who Crosby was going to do it against. However, it will be interesting to see how opposing teams play him considering the Islanders let it all go wrong. Add in a fourth string netminder which does not help either. The level of competition will go up from here and that is why the Thomas shutout (33 stops including 15 in the 3rd period) ranked just a hair ahead of the #2 performance. Please note the Weiss night included a game tying shorthanded goal that was probably the only reason why Florida got two points instead of zero. Kris Versteeg had two goals and an assist but that tying goal from Weiss is why he is on here and Versteeg is not. Jeff Carter had two goals in a big 4-1 Columbus win as well but he barely missed the cut also.
SCHEDULE TIME:
Tuesday, November 22, 2011 |
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| Teams | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto | at | Tampa Bay | 7:30 PM | Gameday | ||
| Los Angeles | at | St. Louis | 7:30 PM | Gameday | ||
| Edmonton | at | Nashville | 8:00 PM | Gameday | ||
It is a very light schedule indeed setting up for Wednesday’s huge slate of games. Simply there is not much to say other than it will be fun to see Tampa and Toronto play a bit more wide open. Edmonton and Nashville may be a conservative snorefest for offense and then again maybe not. As for the Blues and Kings, well that may be the most likely “under” for the night. The goaltenders should do well in that one based on their systems and that fact that LA got schooled by Detroit over the weekend.
So you may want to take a look at Jaroslav Halak and Jonathan Quick for example. They are goalies who have been inconsistent where Halak has played better of late, Quick has actually been more down than up. Also, the Steven Stamkos Vs. Phil Kessel fantasy matchup will be interesting to say the least. Kessel has the chance to hit 30 points already tonight and Stamkos is really trying to string some solid games together. As for Nashville, Pekka Rinne and Nikolai Khabibulin are expected to duel but do not discount Craig Smith and Ryan Smyth. Add in the “kid line” from Edmonton as well as Shea Weber and Ryan Suter, well you never know.
At any rate, it should be a nice easy night of hockey that ends early and gets everyone warmed up for a huge Wednesday. Good luck everyone and the Weekly Slapshot will be on at 9:30pm ET tonight to talk rapid fire fantasy hockey. As always you can follow us via @TheProgramBTR on twitter. Thanks again and keep it rolling!
