So there were some fine goaltending performances last night, including Semyon Varlamov’s 31 save performance against the Los Angeles Kings or Henrik Lundqvist’s 34 save performance that helped the New York Rangers climb out of a 2-0 hole and turn it into a 3-2 win in yesterday’s Winter Classic. The strangest thing is every road team but one nabbed two points and the one that did not still tallied one point on the night. Sure there were only five games but they were all nailbiters right down to the end. Let’s take a quick look back first.
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LOOKING BACK:
Hit Parade — One of the weirdest things I saw come out of the Winter Classic yesterday was the hit counter. If you owned Scott Hartnell, Ryan Callahan, or Brandon Dubinsky, you had a seriously happy time on Monday watching the hits rack up. Each one had ten or more hits and Hartnell had a season high 13. That is not a misprint. Hits in this game (and we checked this out in a few places) were a mind boggling 50-41 for the New York Rangers. Even Marian Gaborik had three hits in this game. Maybe something was in the air but whatever it was, it was very good for fantasy owners out there.
Henrik Lundqvist, G, New York Rangers — Lundqvist was the reason the Rangers almost lost it but ultimately the reason why the Rangers won the WC yesterday. There were times, particularly in the second period, where Lundqvist was not picking up the sight lines. That all changed in the third period where Lundqvist made several clutch saves including a Dany Briere penalty shot very late in regulation. I think Lundqvist may have known Briere’s move before Briere even made it because Lundqvist made that save with too much ease. In the end, his 34 saves were the difference as he put his name down for one of the best goalies in the game period.
The Injuries — This seems to always happen, doesn’t it? Just when you think the injuries are slowing down a bit, they crank right back up to torment hockey fans and fantasy owners alike. Jaromir Jagr (leg) only played ten shifts and 7:07 of ice time before ultimately realizing his leg had swelled too much. There may or may not be a slight groin tweak as well. Also, Calder Trophy candidate Ryan Nugent-Hopkins went down in last night’s 4-3 win over Chicago with a shoulder or upper body injury. Tom Gilbert went out with a lower body injury in the same game and Sam Gagner had a scare as well. Even Jose Theodore reinjured a lower body injury yesterday and will be out at least a start or two. It was one of those days.
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SCHEDULE TIME:
Tuesday, January 3, 2012 |
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| Teams | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edmonton | at | Buffalo | 7:00 PM | Gameday | ||
| Tampa Bay | at | Toronto | 7:00 PM | Gameday | ||
| Calgary | at | Washington | 7:00 PM | Gameday | ||
| NY Islanders | at | Carolina | 7:00 PM | Gameday | ||
| Phoenix | at | St. Louis | 8:00 PM | Gameday | ||
| Detroit | at | Dallas | 8:00 PM | Gameday | ||
Tonight is a six pack of games with nothing west of the Central Time Zone. Buffalo has a perfect opportunity to beat a dead tired Edmonton team and Calgary continues its crazy road trip to Washington where the Capitals have to be at least licking their chops a bit. Tampa Bay and Toronto almost set up for a goal explosion while Phoenix and St. Louis may turn the clock back to 1996. Detroit and Dallas is expected to be a nice little battle while the Isles and Hurricanes duke it out in Raleigh.
Without even really looking, here is a fast look at what we have are eye on tonight.
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KEEP AN EYE ON:
Goalie Duel In Big D — Kari Lehtonen and Jimmy Howard square off in Dallas tonight as the Stars face the Red Wings. Howard has been excellent all year while maintaining a sub 2.00 GAA and .930+ save percentage while Kari Lehtonen is one of the main reasons why Dallas is where they are in the standings (15 W’s in 23 GS). Both goalies can light up a boxscore and a highlight reel all at the same time. The offenses will be ready but in the end it will be the goalies that ultimately decide this tilt deep in the heart of Texas.
Who plays with Kessel and Lupul? — It is a very simple fantasy question with Tyler Bozak out due to injury. The best bet with this is just to see who Ron Wilson rolls with more than anything else. Kessel and Lupul are double shifted a decent amount anyway so it may be a committee approach especially against Tampa who will be desperate to clamp down on this pair. It will be fun to see how Wilson counteracts Tampa Coach Guy Boucher tonight. Will it be top line versus top line? Now that could mean fantasy fun for everyone.
What Ovechkin do we see this week? — Can Alex Ovechkin continue what he did in Week 12 of your fantasy leagues? That may be the biggest fantasy question going forward because with four goals in his last two games, Ovechkin is the hottest he has been all season. It has been very disappointing hearing numerous stories of pain amongst Ovechkin owners. The Week 13 schedule begins with Calgary tonight and the prospects of a good week appear to be heading upward. Start him and his linemates with reckless abandon. After all, that is how they have to play.
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Good luck tonight everyone in your fantasy leagues and the “Weekly Slapshot” will be on at 9:30pm ET to take on some of the toughest fantasy questions out there. Thanks again.
