ANGRY SAL (ERR PIERRE) SACKS MARTIN
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If it is Saturday, then it is time for Fantasy Hockey ONE. There was this calm feeling to Saturday morning and then Jacques Martin was fired. The fantasy impact from his firing will be felt by many. Maybe the Coach and GM both should have been dismissed but the playing style of this team was beyond vanilla. In this NHL, players need to be able to take advantage of their talents. Montreal clearly look stifled and frustrated and it was time to make a change. This will benefit owners of Montreal players slightly at the very least.
Michael Cammalleri and P.K. Subban are the two most likely targets to see a bit of a bump up in production but I look at a guy like David Desharnais, who is a real nice talent that just needs a consistant line to play on. Whenever a young player made a mistake, it seemed Jacques Martin banished him while a vet got a pass. Let’s see if interim coach Randy Cunneyworth preaches something different. I think he will and that will be good for your Montreal players and help Carey Price get a few more wins.
FANTASY HOCKEY POTN
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Last night’s award winner, in a tough night for voting, went to Thomas Vanek of the Buffalo Sabres. There were two other players who had four point nights last night (Jason Spezza and Zach Parise). However, Vanek scored a clutch and what would prove to be GWG for Buffalo late in the third period. His two goals and two assists were crucial in the team’s success and Vanek (along with Jason Pominville) always seem to play well against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Like we said, some nights are just full of scoring and last night did not disappoint. There were 38 goals in the five games last night which breaks down to 7.6 goals per contest. It is funnier that we had Spezza, Vanek, Pominville, and Parise all at three points or more and they all hit. Sometimes you can see this all coming and sometimes you do not.
SCOTT NIEDERMAYER AND THE WACKY 2ND PERIODS
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What seemed like a bizarre blip on the radar really was not as there were wild second periods all over the place in the NHL last night. There were three games last night that had four or more combined goals in the second twenty (NJ-DAL 4, BUF-TOR 6, PIT-OTT 8). This surrounded the splendor that was Scott Niedermayer night and on a night that honored the slick skating defensemen. There were a few guys playing last night that almost made you feel like a torch had been passed of sorts.
One has to like the growth of Adam Larsson in New Jersey. His first month offensively was well an exercise in futility but he has started to put a good part of his game together. The only weakness is his work on the power play but his 5 on 5 playmaking has improved. If he goes back to work more with Larry Robinson during the mini Christmas break, I think he will start to see some power play time gradually by January.
The other defenseman of course is Erik Karlsson. The talented defensive playmaker for the Senators has a ton of assists like a Tomas Kaberle but is playing a much better two way game this season despite being on a team that has questionable team defense to say the least. His 27 assists, 29 points, and only a -4 is very encouraging. Something that does need work is his shot on net. When you only have two goals on 109 shots, there is a little bit amiss. What is it? Simple. Karlsson does still get caught in a tendency of trying to set up shots as opposed to just gripping and ripping. If he lets the shot fly a bit more (its a 95+ mph heater), he will get more results on the goals side of the ledger.
SCHEDULE TIME:
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Saturday, December 17, 2011 |
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| Teams | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | at | Philadelphia | 1:00 PM | Gameday | ||
| Vancouver | at | Toronto | 7:00 PM | Gameday | ||
| New Jersey | at | Montreal | 7:00 PM | Gameday | ||
| Buffalo | at | Pittsburgh | 7:00 PM | Gameday | ||
| Anaheim | at | Winnipeg | 7:00 PM | Gameday | ||
| Los Angeles | at | Detroit | 7:00 PM | Gameday | ||
| Tampa Bay | at | Columbus | 7:00 PM | Gameday | ||
| St. Louis | at | Nashville | 8:00 PM | Gameday | ||
| NY Islanders | at | Minnesota | 8:00 PM | Gameday | ||
| NY Rangers | at | Phoenix | 8:00 PM | Gameday | ||
| Washington | at | Colorado | 9:00 PM | Gameday | ||
| Edmonton | at | San Jose | 10:00 PM | Gameday | ||
We have another dirty dozen of games tonight and we let Ian Gooding take a look at some best bets with his Pick Six.
PICK SIX BY IAN GOODING
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Hopefully you didn’t spend a high fantasy draft pick on Chris Pronger this season.
Over the last 14 months, Pronger has missed time with injuries to his knee, foot, hand, and eye, in addition to the concussion that will end his season and may end his career.
When will this concussion problem end? So far we have Pronger, Claude Giroux, Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang, Milan Michalek, Jeff Skinner, Joni Pitkanen, Mike Richards, and Marc Staal – among others – sidelined with concussions. Who will it be on Saturday? I don’t mean to joke about the situation, but this is getting laughable.
More extreme measures perhaps need to be taken, such as a European-sized rink or the return of the two-line pass. You’re probably groaning, but I’d take a more boring game over one without many of its brightest stars. Players have gotten bigger and faster over the years, meaning that they are capable of doing more damage – something that the experts who have played the game need to recognize.
Anyway, this is a fantasy column, so my job is to focus on the fantasy implications here. So we’ll start the Pick Six for Saturday with two defensemen who you’ll be seeing a lot of in Pronger’s absence.
Kimmo Timonen/Matt Carle, D, PHI – start
With no Pronger, expect Timonen and Carle to log a minimum of 25 minutes of icetime per night. Don’t expect Flyers GM Paul Holmgren to acquire another defenseman until after Christmas, meaning that Timonen and Carle will earn points just by showing up to the rink. Timonen has an amazingly unbalanced no goals and 20 assists this season, while Carle trails him by only two points but has four more goals. I knew you enjoy math.
Jordin Tootoo, RW, NSH – add/start
Tootoo might be up there with Pronger as far as likeability is concerned, but those searching the waiver wire should notice that he has put up ten points in his last ten games. His irritating style of play will always earn him the penalty minutes, but the recent point production could officially earn him a spot on deeper league rosters.
Taylor Hall, LW, EDM – start
I couldn’t believe my luck in one league in which I was able to add Hall from the waiver wire when he was injured. Hall scored two power-play goals upon his return to the lineup on Thursday from a shoulder injury. It’s anyone’s guess where the Oilers will finish in the standings, but Hall and the young Oilers should score a lot of goals this season regardless.
Radim Vrbata, RW, PHX – start
Vrbata has quietly been one of fantasy hockey’s top surprises this season, leading the Coyotes with 15 goals. He has been remarkably consistent recently, scoring 14 goals in his last 22 games. His career high is 27 goals, a mark that he could well eclipse this season. There’s no reason to bench him right now.
Michal Neuvirth, G, WAS – add/start
Following a shutout against Winnipeg on Thursday, Neuvirth is expected to Saturday against Colorado (Washington Post). Since Neuvirth is owned in only 16 percent of Yahoo leagues, he is a distinct possibility if you need a goaltending start in a pinch. Monitor his production closely for further starts, as his season numbers are mediocre (4-5-1, 3.38 GAA, .885 SV%).
Justin Williams, RW, LA – bench
Dustin Penner seems to be the scapegoat of choice for the Kings, but there is an overall lack of depth on the wing. Williams is a perfect example, with just four goals this season and only one goal since October 29 – a span of 22 games. Don’t blame the situation, as Williams has spent much of his time on the top line. His 13 assists makes things somewhat respectable, but we’ve seen more from Williams in the past.
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Well that takes care of FANTASY HOCKEY ONE for today. We will be live tweeting tonight with our observations as always on a very busy Saturday in the NHL. Good luck and thanks again!
