This is the sort of the fantasy twilight zone. Ryan Miller is on an 8-2-2 run which has catapulted the Buffalo Sabres back into the playoff mix. A lot of people, including some experts, had given up on the goaltender. That is just what happens sometimes in fantasy hockey. It just offers some hope going into the big fantasy weekend. At any rate, looking back on the six game Friday Night, here is our Fantasy POTN.
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FANTASY POTN:
Ryan Miller, G, Buffalo Sabres — Miller stopped 35 of 36 shots tonight in a huge 2-1 SO win over the Boston Bruins. When a goalie gives up one or none goals in eight of his last 12 starts, you have to stand up and take notice. Is this too little too late? Yes a lot of these games are at home but at least for your fantasy bottom line, Miller has been more than helpful. The key may be tonight against the Rangers. A win really may be a springboard going forward.
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FRIDAY NIGHT FURY:
David Jones, RW, Colorado Avalanche — Jones had a really good night in Columbus with two goals and an assist with a really solid effort. The only fantasy issue with David Jones is simply that he has only played around 15:00 a night for the last month. However his numbers are rounding back into form. It does not seem like he will be traded as was previously rumored either. Jones has the nose for around the net and fantasy owners should take notice particularly in March, right around fantasy hockey playoff season.
PA Parenteau, RW, New York Islanders — Parenteau is just one of those players that finds a way to keep scoring and that was the Rangers loss. Playing with John Tavares does help but in a way, Parenteau has actually evolved into a fantasy threat that can generate its own offense at times. The man has 54 points on the season and is on pace for almost 75 points. It just proves that anything is possible in your leagues. Here we go folks. Get ready and ride the wave!
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SCHEDULE TIME:
Saturday, February 25, 2012 |
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| Teams | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay | at | Pittsburgh | 1:00 PM | ||
| St. Louis | at | Winnipeg | 2:00 PM | ||
| Phoenix | at | Edmonton | 4:00 PM | ||
| Boston | at | Ottawa | 7:00 PM | ||
| Washington | at | Toronto | 7:00 PM | ||
| Buffalo | at | NY Rangers | 7:00 PM | ||
| Florida | at | Carolina | 7:00 PM | ||
| Colorado | at | Detroit | 7:00 PM | ||
| Chicago | at | Los Angeles | 8:00 PM | ||
| San Jose | at | Nashville | 8:00 PM | ||
| Philadelphia | at | Calgary | 10:00 PM | ||
The 11 game Saturday schedule offers a lot of fun for everyone but we bring in Ian Gooding and his Pick Six and yes hold the mustard!
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PICK SIX:
Another two days, another two deals with fantasy hockey implications. Saturday’s Pick Six highlights the two recent trades, although Saturday features 22 of the league’s 30 teams in action. Chicago, Florida, Ottawa, Pittsburgh, San Jose, and Tampa Bay all play two games this weekend, while all other teams play one game.
Here are the confirmed starting goalies for Saturday, according to Left Wing Lock: Dwayne Roloson, TB; Jaroslav Halak, STL; Alex Auld, OTT; James Reimer, TOR; Jimmy Howard, DET.
Don’t forget to check back on Monday night, when I will highlight at least six key players who will be moved at Monday’s trade deadline and how the change in addresses will affect fantasy values of those involved.
Jeff Carter, C/RW, LA – start
Carter’s disappointing tenure in Columbus comes to an end with 25 points (15g-10a) and (-11) in 39 games. There is an obvious connection with Mike Richards that I probably don’t need to explain by now, so expect the fantasy value of both soulmates should improve as they likely stay on the same line and become as joined at the hip as Daniel and Henrik Sedin while they swear they will never leave each other. This trade should help Kings with their league-worst offense, so many Kings’ forwards and the struggling Drew Doughty should also benefit from this trade if it plays out as planned. Fantasy owners who were ready to stick a fork in Carter should remember that he was a perennial 30-goal scorer prior to this season. At least he will be happier in Tinseltown than he was in the capital of Ohio.
Jack Johnson, D, CBJ – bench
I can’t help but think that Johnson’s plus/minus will go from bad to worse in Columbus, although that statistic is probably skewed from facing teams’ top shooters. His (-85) is the worst of any player since the 2007-08 season, although he is “only” a (-12) this season. Nonetheless, Johnson should log a ton of icetime with the Blue Jackets and could even help reduce the team’s 29th-ranked 3.17 GAA a little. All in all, this trade will hurt his value as long as the Blue Jackets are an NHL cellar dweller.
Slava Voynov, D, LA – add
Voynov was immediately called up by the Kings following the Johnson trade. The Kings’ second-round pick in 2008 has 11 points (4g-7a), including 4 power-play points, in 33 games this season. He possesses some offensive upside and could even see power-play time with the Kings. A total of 51 points in 76 AHL games last season means that he is ready.
Kurtis Foster, D, MIN – pass
Perhaps Foster will call Minnesota home after being moved from four other teams in the last three seasons following four seasons with the Wild. Foster posted 10 of his 12 points with the Devils while on the power play, which means fantasy owners are getting the most out of his points. The problem is that there just aren’t enough points, combined with healthy scratches and injury woes. Are the Wild known for scoring? All in all, I can’t think of a reason to pick up Foster in spite of this trade.
Marek Zidlicky, D, NJ – add
The writing was on the wall once Zidlicky reportedly mentioned that he wanted to be traded if Wild coach Mike Yeo was going to make him a healthy scratch. So off to Jersey he goes to help a Devils team that yearns for the days of Scott Niedermayer, when scoring was plentiful from the D. Since Zidlicky has just 14 points in 41 games, he is not a significant upgrade from Foster despite the steep price the Devils paid to acquire him. Still, expect him to receive every opportunity to quarterback the Devils’ power play.
Alex Auld, G, OTT – add/start
Because Craig Anderson accidentally cut his hand in a household accident, Auld will start on Saturday against Boston. The Sens had won four games in a row before Anderson’s injury, so even a career backup on a hot team is worth a pickup – even if the opponent is the defending Stanley Cup champion. Keep in mind that if Auldy falters, coach Paul MacLean will quickly turn to prospect Robin Lehner to find out if he is NHL-ready.
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Good luck everyone and yes we are really following this actively as the trade deadline is just a couple days away. Thanks for reading everyone and we will be live tweeting away as always.
