Well Canadian Thanksgiving and Columbus Day all rolled into one yesterday and there were seven games on the schedule to boot. There were quite a few top-flight performances and it was tough to narrow down the best of the best but we will try for you on today’s “short” edition of Fantasy Hockey ONE.
INJURY ALERT:
Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh) — Malkin will sit out his second straight game tonight with a lower body injury. So he is out against the Florida Panthers and you may want to just keep an eye out since this is now two missed games.
Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh) — He will meet with doctors sometime later this week but not today. Expect the “possibility” of him resuming practicing with contact to become gradually more likely but a return is still at least several weeks to a month away or more.
A LOOK BACK:
1. Semyon Varlamov, G, Colorado Avalanche — Varlamov has been excellent in his first two games as a member of the Avs. He stopped 36 of 39 in a 3-0 loss to Detroit in his first outing then “pucked” a 30 save shutout that had Boston speechless yesterday afternoon via a 1-0 decision. It was not even the save on Milan Lucic that impressed me, it was the way he played the entire game. Ability is never the question with Varlamov, sadly it is health. Yesterday he flat out stole two points from Boston.
2. Kari Lehtonen, G, Dallas Stars — It is tough to play sometimes when it feels like your defense has deserted you but Lehtonen does it with the best of them. He kept Dallas in that game long enough to give them a chance and sure enough they delivered a 2-1 SO win. All the guy did was make 40 saves and yes this was the same Phoenix team that looked like dog meat against San Jose. Simply when healthy, Lehtonen gives the Stars a pretty good chance of contending for a playoff spot in the West. Now they just have to get some more scoring.
3. Ilya Kovalchuk, F, New Jersey Devils — Yes there were probably better choices (see Zach Parise’s or Jason Chimera’s 2 goals) but with the score tied 2-2 and the chance of going 0-2 to start the season at home, it was Kovalchuk who stepped up like he did much of the second half last season. His game winning goal was yes off his own rebound. His goal and assist were difference makers in a 4-2 victory that leveled the Devils’ record at 1-1. Yes Parise is the Captain but Kovalchuk has to absolutely keep scoring for this team to contend.
SCHEDULE TIME:
Tuesday, October 11, 2011 |
|||||
| Teams | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | at | Pittsburgh | 7:30 PM | Gameday | ||
| Minnesota | at | Ottawa | 7:30 PM | Gameday | ||
Yes it is very light I know but tonight has some intrigue actually. Jose Theodore has 19 career wins against Pittsburgh and yes the Penguins were very sluggish in October last year at home so that is a reason to keep an eye on the Pens home opener. However here are a few other quick things for Tuesday.
KEEP AN EYE ON:
1. Marc Andre-Fleury Vs. Jose Theodore — This should be a fun matchup based on Theodore’s career record and Fleury’s hot early start which clearly Fleury has worked on the last couple seasons. Home was a bit dicey early on for the Penguins but this team just finished a 2-0-1 Western Canadian road trip. Florida came off a surprising 2-0 shutout over the New York Islanders where Theodore looked sharp yet efficient. Florida and Pittsburgh almost always play to a close 3-2 struggle the first couple matchups the past few years so it would not surprise me to see a relatively low scoring affair with both goalies shining.
2. Can Ottawa Stop Anyone? — Ottawa has given up 11 goals in their first two games (both losses) and it is the way they are doing it that would infuriate any coach. However, this may be kind of what Ottawa is to a less dramatic extent. They are going to have to score 4 goals most nights just to win. Yes Daniel Alfredsson looks healthier but their defense is pretty thin after the likes of Erik Karlsson. Plus team defense has not been a strong suit for awhile now there. Add in a ticked off Minnesota team, who came off a 2-1 loss yesterday on Long Island and went 0-7 on the Power Play and you have the recipe for another one of “those games”.
Well that is it for now. See you tonight on the WEEKLY SLAPSHOT at 9:30pm ET only on Blog Talk Radio’s Fantasy Sports Channel.
