Welcome to another week in fantasy hockey but once again the story in St. Louis last night was a myriad of smaller stories adding up to the bigger picture. There was the return of Andy McDonald, who missed all but three games with another concussion. Then there was the Jaroslav Halak shutout which was the fifth in his last ten starts. Finally, there was Alex Pietrangelo, who scored twice and had an assist in the 3-0 win over the San Jose Sharks. We will say this. Alex Pietrangelo is going to be one hell of an offensive defenseman for years to come and yet he was not our Fantasy POTN.
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FANTASY POTN:
Corey Perry, RW, Anaheim Ducks — Perry has been a bit inconsistent fantasy wise to say the least this year but one has to wonder if he is going to heat up like he did last year where he scored half his goals in an eight week span. Could it happen again? It is possible. The bottom line is his hat trick completed a week and a big 5-3 road win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. More importantly he netted the game winner as well. This could be the start of an even bigger Week 18 and beyond. The question is can Perry carry your fantasy team again? Do not give up on him at all.
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A LOOK BACK:
Henrik Zetterberg, C, Detroit Red Wings — Zetterberg is showing signs of life and this is great news for owners of the talented Center. His goal and two assists has to be truly a hope headed into Week 18. Detroit is going to need depth scoring and particularly a motivated Zetterberg if they are going to continue to lead the Central and maybe win the Presidents Trophy. For your fantasy teams, the determination last week was there for the first time in a couple months. Most importantly, Henrik Zetterberg looks 100% healthy and that makes him a difference maker.
Kris Letang, D, Pittsburgh Penguins — Yes Evgeni Malkin scored twice and Chris Kunitz had a goal and two assists but Letang’s goal and two assists trumped all because his goal was the gamewinner in Pittsburgh’s comeback 4-2 win. The return of Letang made a clear impact on fantasy rosters and he is one of the top defensemen period for a reason. He is not riding the coattails of players like Sidney Crosby anymore.
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SCHEDULE TIME:
Monday, February 13, 2012 |
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| Teams | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose | at | Washington | 7:30 PM | Gameday | ||
| Carolina | at | Montreal | 7:30 PM | Gameday | ||
| Phoenix | at | Vancouver | 10:00 PM | Gameday | ||
It is back to a light Monday schedule for the NHL but there are at least some minimal fantasy ramifications for the fanasy owner even on Monday. Can Washington stop the bleeding and beat a San Jose team who was outmuscled last night in St. Louis? Will Montreal get back to .500 by beating Carolina? Who will win the battle between Mike Smith and Roberto Luongo in Vancouver? These are all questions that will get answered tonight.
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KEEP AN EYE ON:
READ OUR LOOKING AHEAD column — This is not self serving. Garrett Rees really works hard folks putting together a great weekly column that gets you completely ready for what is ahead in the fantasy week. Go on the site read it and get the message out. He is one writer who is on the way up and there will be more from him to come on here in the near future.
Luongo Vs. Smith? — If the confirmed matchup pans out, this could be a hell of a matchup between two goalies who have been surprisingly good in different ways. Yes Roberto Luongo has been sheltered a bit again this year but he overcame a very slow start while Mike Smith has just steadily stayed healthy and played very well (exactly to what Ilya Bryzgalov did last year) on a not as good Phoenix team. What will you get tonight? A very interesting and close matchup appears likely. Phoenix should be able to stay in this one and this is the game to watch. 3-2 Vancouver would not surprise me or 3-2 Phoenix. It is that kind of game.
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Good luck tonight with the game and do not forget our Daily Joust freerolls that will be coming up throughout the rest of the season. Get in on the wave while you can. Also, thanks for reading and buona fortuna on your fantasy teams as a new week begins.
