Ian Gooding delivers to you his six to keep an eye on with this busy Saturday where 11 games will be played tonight. It is a pivotal fantasy night as every Saturday is.
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We have another busy Saturday coming up, with 22 of 30 teams in action. Included in this day’s Pick Six are some intriguing names that have made news one way or another recently.
Sidney Crosby, C, PIT – bench
You’re probably already aware that Sid the Kid won’t play on Saturday. However, weekly leaguers have a dilemma on their hands as to whether to activate their star player. My advice: leave him on IR in shallow leagues and take the more sure points from an alternative. Deeper leaguers may not have as many viable alternatives, so he could turn into that x-factor difference maker next week. Hopefully your fantasy team is your league’s version of the Pittsburgh Penguins; in other words, you’re sitting at the top of the league anyway.
Rick Nash, LW, CBJ – start
With the Blue Jackets firmly entrenched in the league’s basement (six points back of 29th place already!), the question of the week has been whether Nash should ask for a trade. For the time being, fantasy owners will have to make do with Nash scoring at his usual pace (13 points in 15 games) while being a plus/minus risk. But if you were thinking about benching him on Saturday, keep in mind that Saturday’s opponent (Winnipeg) has the third-worst goals-against average in the league, which could make this one a high-scoring affair.
James Wisniewski, D, CBJ – bench
The excuse of Wisniewski not being in the lineup can’t wash any longer for the Blue Jackets, now that he has been back for seven games. But I thank my lucky stars that I don’t own Wiz in any of my leagues, as he is (-11) over his last three games. Surprisingly, he was “only” a (-3) in the 9-2 debacle against Philly on Saturday. If the Jackets don’t find their way soon, Wisniewski could be one of fantasy hockey’s top busts this season.
Kris Russell, D, STL – add
We’ll stay with our Blue Jackets theme today by next mentioning a player who recently earned his ticket out of C-Bus. New Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock no doubt had a say in the deal for Russell, made days after Hitchcock’s sudden hire. Russell has some offensive upside, although his career numbers have never reached the 25-point mark in any one season. He isn’t on the blueline because of his size (5’10”, 180 lbs.), so expect Hitch to provide him with a wealth of opportunity with his new team. What this means is that Russell is a possibility for leagues that require 5+ defensemen per team.
Jhonas Enroth, G, BUF – add
Enroth is one of the top backup goalies in the league, clearly giving Ryan Miller a run for his money. Thanks to a 36-save 5-1 win over Ottawa on Friday, Enroth is now 12-0-1 dating back to November 24 of last season. Don’t expect him to start on Saturday against Boston, although it is worth mentioning that he made back-to-back starts last weekend. Miller owners need to handcuff this guy right away, while it wouldn’t hurt for other fantasy teams in need of better ratios to add him as well.
Craig Smith, C, NSH –add/start
Here’s a guy that probably no one had on their draft cheatsheets this season. Then again, that’s part of the fun with rookies. Smith is worthy of a spot on most fantasy teams right now, as he is the NHL’s rookie leader in scoring with a point-per-game pace (14 points in 15 games). The two goal, one assist performance against Nashville on Wednesday was probably the icing on the cake. Ordinary name, yet solid results and available in four-fifths of Yahoo leagues.
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Strangely, it is one of those Saturdays where there is definitely some controversy. Here is the schedule below for everyone.
SCHEDULE TIME:
Saturday, November 12, 2011 |
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| Teams | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo | at | Boston | 7:00 PM | Gameday | ||
| Ottawa | at | Toronto | 7:00 PM | Gameday | ||
| New Jersey | at | Washington | 7:00 PM | Gameday | ||
| Pittsburgh | at | Carolina | 7:00 PM | Gameday | ||
| Dallas | at | Detroit | 7:00 PM | Gameday | ||
| Winnipeg | at | Columbus | 7:00 PM | Gameday | ||
| Montreal | at | Nashville | 7:00 PM | Gameday | ||
| Tampa Bay | at | St. Louis | 8:00 PM | Gameday | ||
| Calgary | at | Colorado | 10:00 PM | Gameday | ||
| Minnesota | at | Los Angeles | 10:30 PM | Gameday | ||
| Phoenix | at | San Jose | 10:30 PM | Gameday | ||
How will Columbus handle it tonight? Will there be more craziness in Columbus especially if they fall behind? Do you even start anyone in Columbus at this point? The answer is other than Rick Nash, that is a no. Stick a maybe on Jeff Carter and Vinny Prospal and there you have it. New Jersey is in the same boat but with a better record. They have severe problems scoring and their power play looks the worst in the league even if the stats do not show it. Start no one from New Jersey tonight. It is rare to say that.
When will PK Subban score a goal finally? Even Brandon Dubinsky and several relatively higher profile fantasy player have tallied but Subban is 0-48 on the season. Montreal travels into Nashville where they face a Nashville team riding the wave of Craig Smith. If you do not know Smith in fantasy circles or hockey fandom, you may want to learn quick. Smith has 7 goals, 7 assists and 3 PPG’s plus 45 shots. Do you feel the Calder winds changing? I certainly do. Our Fantasy Calder winds have as well.
Even Ville Leino scored last night for Buffalo in their 5-1 win over Ottawa but not so quietly the fantasy goalie controversy has hit Buffalo. Jhonas Enroth has putplayed Ryan Miller this year. Miller was off to a really good start but the pressure has gotten to him. Enroth has felt of none of the heat as he has gone 12-0-1 in his last 13 starts with a GAA of around 1.5 and a save percentage of over .950 in that span. Clearly, Buffalo is a team in flux who is still winning. Derek Roy has been heating up again leading to opinions that maybe last year was more an indication of what he may be going forward (a point a game guy). Boston presents a big test tonight as the Bruins are heating up and four straight wins have leveled their record. Tim Thomas Vs. Ryan Miller is the matchup tonight and clearly these goalies have had some ups and downs this year fantasy wise. It could get interesting quickly.
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There will be much craziness tonight and we will keep you updated on injuries, scores, and more @TheProgramBTR. Get ready and enjoy the fantasy carnage!
