A LOOK BACK:
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Patrick Sharp sent them home happy after Andrew Brunette tied it for Chicago in a 3-2 OT win over the San Jose Sharks. Ray Emery made 35 saves but only four after the second intermission as the Sharks tired out from a tough 1-0 loss in St. Louis Saturday Night. The first two lines for San Jose did generate quite a few scoring chances but nothing hit the back of the net. Chicago did not have that many chances until the third period but it was the unlikely Brunette tip-in off a shot by Marian Hossa that send it to overtime. That set up the Sharp heroics. Add in that Corey Crawford did not start and literally there were enough fantasy hockey GM’s grumbling from the East Coast to the West Coast (myself included).
Then the New York Rangers completed the night by torching the Florida Panthers 6-1. Jose Theodore did not have it last night and the Rangers pounced on a goalie that normally fares pretty well against them career wise. Derek Stepan was your player of the night with two goals and one assist. The entire “GAS Line” looked solid. Brad Richards scored a goal in the game as well while Henrik Lundqvist stopped 20 of 21 shots. Florida fought gamely but the road had taken a clear toll on them. The fact that Michael Del Zotto and Steve Eminger were one of the most productive duos of the fantasy week should tell you what kind of week this was in the NHL (HINT: Full Moon).
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SCHEDULE TIME:
Monday, December 12, 2011 |
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| Teams | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | at | Tampa Bay | 7:00 PM | Gameday | ||
Nights like these really do not require much as far as projections but since it is the only game of the night, we will bite at least a little here.
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KEEP AN EYE ON:
New Jersey has a weird schedule this week. Quick Florida road trip then another back to back Friday and Saturday. This could weigh heavily on them. Johan Hedberg will get at least two starts and maybe three as a result. With Anton Volchenkov and Andy Greene out, New Jersey will rely more heavily on youngsters Matt Taormina and Alexander Urbom on the back end. Something tells me these two players are better than people think and right now better than what they are replacing. As far as fantasy impact, expect the two to make a progressing impact because of the busy and emotional Devils week (Scott Niedermayer night Friday Vs. Dallas).
The offense for Jersey has to find secondary scoring but the Devils top six has to get it done in the third period. Zach Parise, Ilya Kovalchuk, and Patrik Elias have all had really top notch chances in droves late in games and not have been able to cash in. It is definitely a problem.
Tampa is a struggling team who should come out fighting hard tonight. With no Martin St. Louis (facial/nasal fractures), Vincent Lecavlier and Steven Stamkos are having a tougher time holding the fort because honestly St. Louis was the fantasy glue that keeps these guys productive. However, they are still dangerous and for a team like New Jersey, who is looking for revenge on Panthers (a 3-0 blown lead), looking past any team is just grounds for a loss and fantasy success for Tampa Bay. I would not be surprised if Mathieu Garon is in net tonight but Dwayne Roloson could play I suppose. The key is simple. The team that gets secondary scoring will likely win tonight, its that easy.
Spotlights: Zach Parise (NJ), Dainius Zubrus (NJ), Steven Stamkos (TB), Teddy Purcell (TB)
Good luck on the start of Week 10 fantasy owners and we will be on Twitter all night answering any and all questions. Bring it hard and thanks again!
