A little talent goes a long way in the NHL. We do try to respect that talent and on a day like Valentine’s Day, maybe show a little more appreciation of the abilities of NHL players in the fantasy realm. It is always fun to take a look at fantasy hockey this way.
Now if you are up for something a little different in the fantasy realm. We have a daily contest for you. Please check out Daily Joust and their excellent daily fantasy contests. Our King Arthur NHL Freeroll is tonight and is very easy to enter.
With the PSA out of the way, let’s see who was the Fantasy POTN last night.
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FANTASY POTN:
Joe Pavelski, C, San Jose Sharks — It seemed not too long ago last year that Pavelski was having another very nice fantasy season for the Sharks. Now it is unfair to pan a guy in such a way but last night’s two goal, two assist outburst was more of what we expected from Pavelski this year. The pivot is now up to 44 points in 54 games but not nearly on pace for the 66 points in 74 games last season. What is the big reason? Pavelski’s power play points are down overall. He has 12 on the year while he had 28 the year before. In an odd twist, Joe Pavelski is on pace for 30 goals however with a much better 12.5% shot percentage. Last night was the Pavelski of old and maybe this is the spark needed for a big push.
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A LOOK BACK:
Thomas Greiss, G, San Jose Sharks — Greiss had to be strong when it counts and all the backup seems to do is win. His 39 saves on 42 shots including withstanding a third period onslaught was the reason why San Jose held on. The Capitals really brought it hard in the last 15 minutes in particular but with ten saves, it was the chances he stopped not the amount of shots. Greiss is 8-4-1 on the year with a 2.06 GAA and .926 save percentage. That is some quality numbers and why Antero Niittymaki was expendable.
Eric Staal, C, Carolina Hurricanes — Honestly it sometimes what you do in the end that saves your team’s bacon but that was the case with Captain Staal last night as he had all three of his points in the third period in a big 5-3 win at Montreal. The SH goal that tied it was clutch as he abused Tomas Kaberle in ways Kaberle never thought. Then he assisted on the PP game winner and tallied via the empty netter to put an exclamation on the win. The captain has 44 points in 57 games and is now only -18. He is on a streak reminiscent of Ilya Kovalchuk last year. Take notes fantasy owners.
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SCHEDULE TIME:
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 |
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| Teams | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NY Rangers | at | Boston | 7:00 PM | Gameday | ||
| New Jersey | at | Buffalo | 7:00 PM | Gameday | ||
| St. Louis | at | Columbus | 7:00 PM | Gameday | ||
| Ottawa | at | Tampa Bay | 7:00 PM | Gameday | ||
| Dallas | at | Detroit | 7:30 PM | Gameday | ||
| Anaheim | at | Minnesota | 7:30 PM | Gameday | ||
| Chicago | at | Nashville | 8:00 PM | Gameday | ||
| NY Islanders | at | Winnipeg | 8:30 PM | Gameday | ||
| Toronto | at | Calgary | 9:00 PM | Gameday | ||
This nine game schedule looks a bit weird, doesn’t it? As we get you ready for the usual Tuesday Night in your fantasy leagues. Again keep in mind the free Center Ice preview. That should help you in your fantasy number crunching this week. Now we bring you Ian Gooding of Kuklas Korner with his Pick Six for tonight.
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PICK SIX:
If you have to take a pass on watching hockey on Tuesday because of dinner reservations with the significant other, then I’m here to fill you in on what you’re about to miss. Valentine’s Day features nine NHL games, with two in particular that stand out: the top two teams in the Eastern Conference face off, and a perennial Western Conference powerhouse attempts to make history in front of its home fans. Two players that I have chosen for the Pick Six have been plucked from these matchups.
Here are the confirmed starting goalies for Tuesday, according to Left Wing Lock: Martin Brodeur, NJ; Jaroslav Halak, STL; Kari Lehtonen, DAL; Joey MacDonald, DET; Craig Anderson, OTT; Ray Emery, CHI.
Ryan Callahan, RW, NYR – start
Captain Callahan has been the strongest Ranger recently with five goals in his last three games. Included in that total was a hat trick against the Flyers on Saturday. In a matchup of the two top teams in the Eastern Conference, Callahan will attempt to extend his goal streak to four games. You know what to do.
Olli Jokinen, C, CGY – start
The Flames fancy themselves to be a Stanley Cup contender, which means that they will need a continued bounceback season from Jokinen. Centering the all-important Jarome Iginla line, Roli Poli Olli had a five-game point streak snapped against the Canucks on Saturday. With 46 points in 56 games this season, Jokinen is back to the point where he should be starting in fantasy lineups once again.
John Tavares, C, NYI – start
The Islanders’ leading scorer has cooled off considerably recently with no goals, one assist, and a (-4) in the last six games. Tavares is a good bet to bump the slump on Tuesday in a matchup against the Jets, who will no doubt be checking for holes in the goalie gear after allowing eight goals to Pittsburgh on Saturday. In spite of his recent struggles, Tavares is still a point-per-game scorer this season (54 points in 55 games).
Andy McDonald, C, STL – add/start
Andy Mac returned to the Blues’ lineup on Sunday after missing 51 games with a concussion. He paid immediate dividends for those fantasy owners who added him immediately, recording an assist against San Jose. The top-5 ranked Blues have a date with the last-place Blue Jackets on Tuesday, which makes the onetime point-per-game scorer an intriguing possibility as a Tuesday waiver-wire add.
Joey MacDonald, G, DET – add/start
The Red Wings will attempt to secure their place in the record book with a 21st consecutive home victory against Dallas on Tuesday. With Jimmy Howard secure as the Wings’ starting goalie for years to come, the third-string MacDonald seemed to be an unlikely candidate to be a part of any kind of record anytime soon. But there he is: the potential winner of what could be a special game for the Wings (MLive). Add or start Joey Mac with confidence, as he attempts to record his personal fourth consecutive win. However, MacDonald owners should keep in mind that Howard could return as early as Friday.
Ray Emery, G, CHI – bench
If you took a poll amongst the Blackhawks fans that you know, Emery would probably be the preferred choice in net over Corey Crawford at this very moment. That’s not saying a whole lot, given that the Hawks have now lost eight games in a row and Emery has lost three in a row of his own. The Blackhawks and their sinking 26th-ranked goaltending will be in tough against the Predators in Nashville on Tuesday, so it is difficult to feel confident in any Hawks goalie right now (Tim Sassone). In fact, MacDonald should be the preferred option over Emery on Tuesday. Are the Blackhawks desperate enough to reacquire Nikolai Khabibulin? What about firing Joel Quenneville?
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Sorry for the shortness but we wish everyone good luck tonight as on the Weekly Slapshot, we will go over a little of daily and season fantasy hockey news for everyone starting at 9:30pm ET. Thanks again for reading.
