It has been an interesting week in fantasy hockey and Week 4 is underway. What do we have this week? Daniel Dobish brings the heat from Rotoexperts this week…….
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Highlights: Daniel Alfredsson is the latest player diagnosed with a concussion. Should you play the Swedish forward this week?
If you’re looking for a real sleeper, either in cumulative leagues or daily Fantasy formats, Buffalo Sabres W Ville Leino might be your guy. Bench boss Lindsey Ruff plans on scooting Leino up on to a line with Fs Jason Pominville and Thomas Vanek.
If Leino continues skating alongside that high-scoring tandem, he might be an extremely cheap addition. Leino has just one goal, one assist and a minus-4 rating through 10 games. Also, if you’re in a league which rewarded penalty minutes, you might want to look elsewhere, as he has zero visits to the sin bin. However, if he can see time on the power play, and is encouraged to shoot more (he has just five SOG), he might really be a find for owners in certain formats. Expect to see his ownership rise dramatically if he finds newfound success.
Another more heralded forward, Edmonton Oilers W Ryan Smyth, is being plucked off the waiver wire at a furious pace. He has managed three goals, six points and a plus-2 rating over his past four contests. Oddly enough, his ice time has been curtailed slightly, but the extra rest seems to be working for head coach Tom Renney. Less is more for Smyth, and Fantasy owners are taking notice.
If you’re looking for goaltending help, I wish I could help you this week, but there just isn’t a whole lot out there. No one has stepped to the forefront to grab the attention of Fantasy owners, as that position has been dead for the past seven to 10 days. The only situations to monitor closely are those in New Jersey and Vancouver.
The Canucks continue to get subpar play from G Roberto Luongo, while G Cory Schneider dominates when given the chance. Schneider has just two wins in five appearances, but he also sports a 1.97 Goals-Against Average (GAA), which puts Louie and his 3.54 to shame. In New Jersey, G Johan Hedberg has been strong, winning four games with one shutout and a 2.28 GAA in eight appearances.
Hedberg is getting a chance with G Martin Brodeur (shoulder) dealing with a shoulder issue, and Moose has at least played his way into a 60-40 split once Brodeur is 100 percent. Brodeur was activated from the Injured Reserve list, and G Keith Kinkaid was shipped back to Albany of the AHL. Still, Brodeur isn’t sure whether he’ll start or serve as the backup Wednesday. Expect a little rust, and don’t plug him into the active Fantasy lineup just yet. Daily leaguers will want to see how he does in his first appearance, whenever that might be, then monitor the news closely. Hedberg is almost certain to start the game right after Brodeur’s initial appearance off IR.
INJURIES
Ottawa Senators W Daniel Alfredsson (head) is dealing with concussion-like symptoms, and head coach Paul MacLean even went a step further and confirmed Alfie has a concussion. Normally you don’t see that type of full disclosure from NHL teams.
Daily leaguers and weekly owners will want Alfredsson reserved for Tuesday’s game, as he will not play. In fact, keep him on reserve for the week, as there are no guarantees he’ll be back this week. Concussions are a tricky thing, and teams are being extra careful with players dealing with such injuries. A trip to the Injured Reserve list is not out of the question if he can’t get better soon.
Philadelphia Flyers C Daniel Briere (upper body) is dealing with what general manager Paul Holmgren will simply call an “upper body” ailment. Briere is no certainty for Wednesday’s game in Buffalo. If he misses that game, the team has a quick turnaround to play Thursday at home against New Jersey. It’s a high risk to use Briere due to his uncertainty, and he might very well end up playing one game or even none this week.
THINGS TO WATCH
The Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers meet for the third time in 13 games when they square off in Sunrise Sunday afternoon. Familiarity breeds contempt, and we’re likely to see a lot of fireworks between these two Sunshine State rivals which do not care much for each other. … The Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs also do not care for one another, and they’ll meet at Air Canada Center Saturday night for Hockey Night in Canada. The Leafs are still smarting from a 6-2 shellacking in Massachusetts back on Oct. 20. If the Leafs get into a hole early on, look for the fists to start flying, trying to light a fire under the flagging offense. … It’s rivalry time this week, as the Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals square off. Sure, this isn’t an Original Six battle, but don’t be fooled. There is very little love lost between these two franchises. RBC Center will be rocking Friday night, and G Cam Ward is on a roll lately. He is 1-0-1 with a 0.96 GAA and .966 save percentage in his past two starts, and he has a 2.34 GAA overall in eight contests. That will be put to the test when Alexander Ovechkin and friends invade Raleigh.
SLAP SHOTS
Fantasy owners of Ottawa Senators C Jason Spezza and W Milan Michalek might have noticed a change in some leagues. The NHL reviewed the second goal of the game from Saturday’s contest, and changed the scoring. Michalek gets credit for the goal, while Spezza was changed to an assist. In some matchups the difference might be inconsequential, but it might very well have changed the result of head-to-head matchups in games decided by two or less points. … Philadelphia Flyers RW Jaromir Jagr has been red hot lately, potting five goals with two helpers and a plus-4 rating over his past four games. … Ottawa Senators D Sergei Gonchar has re-emerged as a valuable member of a Fantasy team, posting seven assists with a plus-1 rating over his past five games. … Speaking of blasts from the past, how about the play of Anaheim Ducks RW Teemu Selanne? He has three goals and nine points over his past seven appearances. … On the flip side, Ducks C Saku Koivu has been disappointing, posting just one assist with a minus-4 rating over his past six. … Florida Panthers veteran D Ed Jovanovski has been equally amiss on offense lately, going scoreless with a minus-3 rating over his past five games.
Want to drop the verbal gloves … or just wanna talk some pucks? Email me at danieledobish@rotoexperts.com or follow me at http://twitter.com/danieledobish.
