This is rare on Fantasy Hockey ONE but first let us pay repsect to a moment err year of true futility. Sure there are many other players who have done this and some streaks are much longer but few players make as much money and do so little. So we start off with Scott Gomez of the Montreal Canadiens.
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Happy Anniversary Scott Gomez:
On this day one year ago, Scott Gomez scored his last goal against the New York Rangers. Who knew that 365 days later, Gomez would have not tallied once since. DidGomezScore.com is a pretty funny site that conveys that message and we swear they are a jilted fantasy hockey fan. Do you blame them?
It has been 51 NHL games since Gomez has tickled the inside of the twine. For some humble pie, even Mark Eaton (who had not scored since 2009) scored the other night for the New York Islanders. We all know Gomez has that big $7+ million salary and his fantasy production had already been tailing off anyway but even this is unexpected and bizarre to say the least. Our message is simple. Do not pick up or draft Scott Gomez. That is all.
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FANTASY POTN:
James Reimer, G, Toronto Maple Leafs — Yes maybe Sam Gagner would have taken it again with two goals, an assist, and a SO goal but Edmonton lost now didn’t they? In a game where it looked like a total Toronto rout, think again. The only reason why Toronto ran away and hid was the play of James Reimer, who made a NHL season high 49 stops. That is back to back shutouts for the netminder and one has to wonder if he has taken the reins on the starting job once again. The bigger question may be can Toronto keep up this pace? The answer is run with it before the party runs out.
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A LOOK BACK:
Sam Gagner, C, Edmonton Oilers — Well for awhile last night it looked like Gagner was going to set the whole world on fire. He had two goals and an assist against the Detroit Red Wings in the first 20 minutes alone. That included a buzzer beater that left Twitter speechless. Sure Gagner did not score for the rest of the game but he was on for every goal for and against last night. Also, he did score in the shootout as well. No one knows how long this will continue but Gagner is fantasy viable if only Tom Renney would figure out where to play him consistently.
Pekka Rinne, G, Nashville Predators — It just seems that Rinne is on his own fantasy planet right now as he made 42 saves last night in a 3-1 win over the St. Louis Blues. The winning binge that Rinne is on makes fantasy owners smile from ear to ear as he had won 20 of his last 23 starts, including 11 straight. Lately playing anyone that owns Rinne in a league is akin to a nightmare that will not go away because even when Rinne is a bit off, the Preds still win. That 42 goals of support in his last 11 starts would make Jonathan Quick owners envious and believe me it does.
Ilya Kovalchuk, LW, New Jersey Devils — Yes it was a strange sort of game played in Philadelphia yesterday but Kovalchuk had a three point afternoon (1 G 2 A) in a wild 6-4 win. However, the three points paled in comparison to the fight he had with Rrayden Schenn. People will say what they want about Kovalchuk but he does stick up for his teammates better than most (maybe to a fault at times). There are only 18 players in the NHL who average over a point a game and Kovalchuk is one of them. Cut him some fantasy slack.
Martin St. Louis, RW, Tampa Bay Lightning — For his 900th NHL game, all St. Louis did was of course score three goals. He has been one of the hottest fantasy players few know about as he has racked up six goals and ten assists in a nine game point scoring streak. It is amazing how some players just age gracefully and their fantasy value never seems to plummet. Marty St. Louis is just one of those truly gifted few.
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SCHEDULE TIME:
Sunday, February 5, 2012 |
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| Teams | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | at | Washington | 12:30 PM | Gameday | ||
| Pittsburgh | at | New Jersey | 1:00 PM | Gameday | ||
| Philadelphia | at | NY Rangers | 1:00 PM | Gameday | ||
| Winnipeg | at | Montreal | 2:00 PM | Gameday | ||
It is a simple four game schedule that is anything but. There are a lot of fantasy fates hanging in the balance on this Sunday afternoon. Minus Winnipeg, it does have an East Coast Easy Feeling for those music fans out there. Either way, it seems the starters are mostly getting the afternoon while only Tuukka Rask starts for Boston verus Washington. Keep this in mind when planning your fantasy roster because 12:30 is going to come awfully fast.
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KEEP A QUICK EYE ON:
Ilya Bryzgalov, G, Philadelphia Flyers — This could really go out to the entire Flyers team who went to sleep for 40 minutes yesterday before launching a fierce comeback that was aided by a tentative Devils team who looked like they never saw a six goal lead before. The Flyers did expend a lot of effort in that third period with 24 shots and 14 scoring chances. It will be interesting if the momentum continues and Bryzgalov plays well or if they fall flat against a Rangers team that likes Sundays at the Garden.
Winnipeg Jets — Will this team start showing up on the road somewhat consistently? This has had a negative fantasy impact all season on their players who are just not quite as good away from the MTS Centre. Today’s game is against Montreal who looks like they have all but given up. However Montreal can be dangerous and capable of putting together performances like they did against Detroit and the Rangers. How the Jets play today has ramifications going forward for those who own their players.
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Good luck fantasy hockey GM’s today and thanks once again for reading. We will be tweeting updates and more as they come in.
