A mile high worth of injuries – The physical toll of a grinding hockey schedule takes down many skilled players every year. Five teams have five or more players currently on injured reserve. The Avalanche, Islanders, Flames and Wild each have five. The Devils have six. While Zach Parise is obviously the biggest named of the IR bunch, I would have to say the Avalanche are the most hit of all the teams. Most improved goalie of last year Craig Anderson was on injured reserve for a few weeks and then was finally brought back up, only to be injured again in his 2^nd game back. Anderson is currently on injured reserve again for his groin, though his duration this time should be less than last time. Of course the biggest name of the Avs injured reserve list would be Peter Mueller. Mueller (no relation ) has yet to play a regular season game so far because of his lingering symptoms from his concussion. Mueller was figured to play an integral part on the Avalanche’s top line this season. T.J Galiardi occupied Mueller’s top spot on the line only to wind up on injured reserve himself. On the opposite side of the top line Chris Stewart, who is having a breakout year so far, recently broke his hand while fighting. While he is not on injured reserve yet, he doesn’t look to be coming back anytime soon. The Avs have had to rely on career journeyman Greg Mauldin to for spots on the top line and have moved up David Jones. Both have filled in admirably though and more on Mauldin further down the column. Further proving that the LW position is cursed, David Van der Gulik is also on injured reserve. The blueline is not spared by the injury bug. Defenseman Kyle Cumisky is on injured reserve and veteran defenseman Adam Foote is day to day with his leg injury.

The Avalanche are currently right around the final playoff spot. While it’s way to early to be discussing playoff spots, it’s not a bad position for a team that is not even close to 100% to be in. When the Avalanche get everyone back and healthy, they could make make a major push up the standings after the all star break as they hope to build upon last year’s playoff exit.

Goalie Spotlight

Ondrej Pavelec – Atlanta Thrashers

Ondrej Pavelec is a native of Kladno in the Czech Republic. Kladno is actually the birthplace of many famous NHL stars such as Jaromir Jagr and Tomas Plekanec. Pavelec led the Czech Republic under 17 team to a 2^nd place finish in the 2004 Junior World Cup. He was part of the 2010 IIHF World Championship gold medal team but Tomáš Vokoun was the starting goalie. He was also on the 2010 Olympic team.

Pavelec was drafted in the 2^nd round by the Thrashers in 2005. He then played for the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles of the QMJHL. Both seasons he was a first team All-Star and won the Jacques Plante Memorial Trophy for best goals-against average. He was only the fourth player ever to repeat as a winner and the first one to do so in 20 years. He also won the rookie of the year award and the top defensive rookie of the year award. When the Thrashers signed Pavelec they sent him to the Chicago Wolves in the AHL. In 2007-08 he help lead the Wolves to the Calder Cup.

In 2007-08 he also played in seven games for the Thrashers and then twelve games in 2008-09. It wasn’t until 2009-10 that he stayed on Thrashers for the while season. He split time with Johan Hedberg that season. Posting a 3.29 GAA, .906 SV% and two shutouts. This season he is the number one goalie for the Thrashers. He did have a well documented scare when he collapsed on the ice on October 8^th. The doctors determined the cause of his collapse was neurocardiogenic syncope, a type of fainting spell. He received a concussion and lost consciousness after his head hit the ice. So far this season Pavelec is off to a tremendous start. In just twelve games started he has two shutouts, a 1.62 GAA and a .949 SV%. He is currently in 2^nd place for SV% behind only Tim Thomas. The much improved Thrashers are hoping to make the playoffs for the first time in four seasons. Pavelec will play an integral part in that quest and he will also try to solidify his spot as the number one goalie in Atlanta for the next decade.

Fights of the Week

Special thanks to hockeyfights.com for making this section a little easier to do.

Matt Hunwick vs. Evander Kane

Decent scrap between these two, with the advantage going to Kane.

Shawn Thornton vs. Eric Boulton

This fight had its slow moments but was pretty good overall.

Cam Janssen vs. John Scott

Not many times will you see Cam Janssen outsized by this much. I particularly liked him telling Scott to bring some more halfway through the fight.

Goats of the Week

Andy Sutton – Anaheim Ducks

Sutton tries to pass that puck up and out of Anaheim’s end but ends up just passing it right to Patrick Sharp who scores the eventual game winning goal.

Erik Johnson – St. Louis Blues

Johnson was looking to pass or possibly shoot again on the power play but instead did neither, as Jamie Benn picked his pocket and went down the ice for a shorthanded goal that tied the game.

Things I like

1. Dustin Byfuglien is having a career year so far. I figured he would have a breakout year, if given an increased role and playing time. Not only is leading the Thrashers in goals and points, he is leading the NHL with five game winning goals. If the Thrashers actually make the playoffs, I think he should be in the running for the Hart trophy. Of course even if they did make the playoffs, he would never get nominated. Either way it’s the best trade the Thrashers have ever made and a great job by the Blackhawks for finding him in the 8^th round.

2. Antti Niemi hasn’t had the best off-season or season so far but beating his former team surely brought some satisfaction to him. It was one of his best performances of the season. Unfortunately he was unable to follow that up with a strong performance against the Canucks. But the Canucks just outplayed the Sharks, who were also shorthanded on the forward position.

3. The Penguins are red hot winners of seven straight. Sidney Crosby has a 13 game point scoring streak and Marc-Andre Fleury has considerably picked up his game from the start of the season. Fleury during the streak has won six games with one shutout and a .953 SV%. This was the team that was envisioned when the Penguins bolstered their defense this past off-season. Watch out once Evgeni Malkin gets into a groove and Jordan Staal gets back.

4. Corey Crawford currently has a five game winning streak going. Before the season is over, he may just win the stating job from Marty Turco. Not including the five goals he gave up to the Blues last night, which were mostly redirects, Crawford’s numbers during the streak have been impressive. He had a 1.21 GAA and a .951 GAA.

Things I don’t

1. If the Tampa Bay Lightning are to show they are serious about being a playoff team and contending for the Southeast division title, they will need to play way better against the top dog Washington Capitals. So far they have been outscored 12-3 in two games against the Capitals, including the latest 6-0 blowout. A goal right off the face-off three minutes into the game does not help to set a good tone for the game. It was already 5-0 halfway through the game. You can’t give the Capitals breakaways or 5 on 3 power plays, those are automatic goals. Here’s hoping the Lightning have a better effort when they get the Capitals at home later.

2. After crowning the Central Division the best this year, St. Louis has faltered and it looks to be the Red Wings division, again, after beating the Blue Jackets in back to back games. I’d like to see somebody give Detroit a run for its money. Skate blade related injuries are always the worst and it looks like Mike Modano will be out for at least two months after being cut by R.J Umberger’s skate. Here’s hoping for a speedy recovery for the 40 year old. Perhaps they can design a skate blade that retracts once it’s off the ice. I’m sure they can find a way to do it. At any rate it seems like the Blackhawks are starting to gel, so we might get a race for the division crown after all.

3. I briefly mentioned the struggles of the West Coast teams here last week. The good news for the Los Angeles Kings is they have mostly been competitive in their last eight games. The bad new is they aren’t winning any of their games. They obviously miss Alexei Ponikarovsky and Willie Mitchell, both on IR, but they also miss secondary scoring. Jarrett Stoll was my choice for the Kings team MVP in the beginning of the year but lately he hasn’t done much. Stoll had an eight point scoring streak at one point and a nine point hit streak. He hasn’t been as physical lately and he has only one point, a goal, in his last six games. The blueline needs to pick it up as well. Drew Doughty received a penalty call in the 2^nd against the Ducks and promptly eight seconds after he got out of the box he received another bad tripping call, this time the Ducks scored on it. You just can’t do stuff like that.

Stat Line of the Week

11/27/10 Colorado 7 vs. Minnesota 4

Since being drafted in 2002 by the Blue Jackets, Greg Mauldin had only played in 15 career NHL games in seven seasons. He has mostly played in the minors and in Europe. But with all the Avalanche injuries lately, Mauldin was able to step up and contribute in the win in Minnesota. He had two goals, career goals two and three, to go along with two assists. Mauldin should continue to see increased playing time.

Did You Know?

That Claude Lemieux is the only player to score a goal five different ways in a game. He scored an even strength, power play, short handed, penalty shot and empty net goal against the New Jersey Devils on December 31^st 1988. Sidney Crosby came real close against the Flames recently. Had he made his penalty shot, he would have scored the five different ways with only four goals because of his empty net shorthanded goal.

Numbers, Numbers

10,000^th – Flames franchise goal scored by Curtis Glencross against Philadelphia

448 – Consecutive games played by Jay Bouwmeester, the longest active streak in the NHL

4 – The number of games Crosby doesn’t have a point in so far this season

3 – Alexander Semin hat tricks this season

3.48 – Goals a game scored by the Avalanche, tops in the NHL

171 – PIM by the Panthers, the lowest in the NHL by far

7 – Straight games with a point for Avs rookie defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk

Quotes of the Week

“It was time. We weren’t able to smile there for a good month.”

- Goalie Rick DiPietro after the Islanders ended a 14-game winless streak (0-11-3) with a 2-0 win Friday against New Jersey.

“It’s frustrating, I’ve never seen anything like it where you get shut out so many times. It’s pretty tough to take.”

- Luke Schenn said after a 3-0 loss to the Ottawa Senators. The Leafs are now averaging barely two goals a game, scored just once on the weekend and have eight goals in an 0-7-1 road losing streak.

“Considering nobody on the team bought me anything, it was nice to get a goal.”

- D Keith Ballard, who celebrated his 28th birthday by recording his first point as a Canuck with 3:22 left in a 6-1 win over San Jose.

This Week in Hockey History

Special thanks to the Hockey Hall of Fame site for making this section a little easier to do.

November 25, 2001 Nikolai Khabibulin stopped 41 shots to record his second consecutive shutout (the 25th of his career) and Pavel Kubina and Tim Taylor scored shorthanded goals 57 seconds apart in the 1st period as Tampa Bay won 4-0 over the Hurricanes in Carolina.

November 26, 1999 Detroit’s Larry Murphy became the fourth player (and first defenseman) in NHL history to appear in 1,500 career NHL games. The milestone came in a 4-2 win over the visiting Edmonton Oilers. Murphy picked up two assists in the game.

November 27, 1965 Detroit’s Gordie Howe scored his 600th NHL goal. It came in a 6-2 Red Wings loss to Montreal. Howe also got a major penalty that night for elbowing J.C. Tremblay. Howe became the first NHL player to get 600 career goals.

November 28, 1954 Boston’s Leo Labine scored three goals (in a span of 4:22) and added three assists in a 6-2 win over Detroit, at Boston Garden. Labine picked up five points in the second period to tie an NHL record.

November 29, 1962 Rangers’ Andy Bathgate scored his 229th career NHL goal to become New York’s all-time leading scorer, breaking Bill Cook’s record for Rangers’ goals (228) in a 5-0 win at Detroit. Gump Worsley got his 23rd career shutout.

November 30, 1996 Mario Lemieux had a goal and three assists for his 1,400th career point and Ron Francis added a goal and two assists for his 900th career assist in the Penguins’ 6-2 win over Boston. Lemiuex became the 9th NHL player to score 1,400 points.

Rankings

The rankings are based on how the teams are currently playing.

Top 5

1. Pittsburgh

2. Detroit

3. Atlanta

4. Phoenix

5. Chicago

Bottom 5

30. N.Y Islanders

29. Los Angeles

28. Toronto

27. Ottawa

26. St. Louis

Is the Central Division the best division? – For awhile most people thought the Atlantic was the best division in the NHL. For three consecutive seasons they had four teams who made the playoffs, the only division recently to accomplish that. They just missed out on sending four again last season. They have also sent the Eastern Conference Stanley Cup representative three seasons in a row. However the Central Division has also sent the Western Conference Stanley Cup representative the past three seasons as well. (Whenever you feel like playing hockey other divisions, let us know.) This season the Central Division is outperforming the Atlantic by far. If the playoffs started today, the Atlantic would only send in two teams while the Central would send in four teams. No team in the Central Division has a losing record while the Atlantic boasts two teams (the Islanders and Devils) that seem to be falling off the cliff. It’s been so competitive that the Blue Jackets, who are off to their best start in franchise history at 8-4 were only in 3^rd place.

Of course the biggest rise in the Central division is none other than the St. Louis Blues. The Blues rather quietly have the NHL’s best record. They have also allowed the fewest goals in the league. This can mostly be attributed to one thing, Jaroslav Halak. Halak was a relative steal, though who knows how how Ian Schultz or Lars Eller will tun out, for the Blues who were looking to upgrade over goalie Steve Mason. Halak already has three shutouts and is tied with Tim Thomas for the league lead. But Halak’s success isn’t really that much of a surprise, given his playoff heroics last season. The Blues have been stockpiling young talent over the past few seasons. The Blues are the 3^rd youngest team in the league and they only have four players with over five years of NHL experience. Former 1^st rounders T.J Oshie and David Perron are starting to break out and lead the Blues. Veteran guys such as Matt D’Agostini and Alex Steen are on pace for career years. Defensively former 1^st overall 2006 pick Erik Johnson and Barrett Jackman are a force to be reckon with. Before he was injured, Jackman was averaging three blocked shots a game. The Blues have been hovering around 90 points the past two seasons and the continued development of their younger players coupled with the acquisition of Halak have made them into legit contenders.

Goalie Spotlight

Mathieu Garon – Columbus Blue Jackets

Perusing the goalie statistical league leaders you will find such familiar names as Tim Thomas and Jaroslav Halak. You will also find somebody by the name of Mathieu Garon sandwiched between them. Not that well known of a player, I figured I’d try and find out a little about him.

In 1996 The Montreal Canadiens drafted Garon 44^th overall with a chance of maybe stepping in for the newly traded Patrick Roy. That never really came to pass as Garon didn’t even suit up for the Canadiens until the 2000-01 season. Before that season he spent the majority of his time playing in the AHL for the Fredericton Canadiens, Quebec Citadelles, Hamilton Bulldogs, and Manchester Monarchs. The Fredericton Canadiens and Quebec Citadelles are now defunct. He played in 43 games for the Canadiens over a four year period. His beast season was in 2002-03 but he only played in eight games. He was then traded to the Kings with a 3^rd round pick for Radek Bonk and Cristobal Huet. He actually became the starter in Los Angeles for the first time. He posted a 3.22 GAA, a .894 SV% and 4 shutouts. The next season he split time mostly with Sean Burke and Dan Cloutier.

Garon then left for the Edmonton Oilers as a free agent. He became the starter over Dwayne Roloson but then injured his ankle late in the 2007-08 season. He was however the top shutout goalie in the league with a perfect 10-0 record. The following season Garon did not play as much and his numbers slipped from the previous season. Garon was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in early 2009. Garon only played in four games for the Penguins and one playoff game, which was Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals when the Penguins were blown out 5-0 by the Red Wings. He then signed a two year deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets in the summer of 2009. Last season he mostly backed up Steve Mason. This season with Mason struggling Garon has been able to see equal time. He is so far 4-1 with 2 shutouts and a 1.28 GAA and .952 SV%. He is second in the league in shutouts, GAA and SV%.

Garon is part of the reason why the Blue Jackets were off to their best start in franchise history. If Mason continues to struggle, Garon will be called upon more to try and help lead the Blue Jackets to only their second playoff berth ever. Who knows, maybe the soon to be free agent Garon may have finally found a home in Columbus.

Fights of the Week

Special thanks to hockeyfights.com for making this section a little easier to do.

Brandon Prust vs. Daniel Carcillo

This one starts off kind of slow but it gets better.

George Parros vs. Frazer McLaren

Somewhat decent fight. It’s the first fight from Parros since he shaved his mustache for charity. Though the mustache is about 1/3 of way back now.

Goat of the Week

Bobby Ryan – Anaheim Ducks

Ryan attempted to clear the Anaheim zone but instead passed it right to Patrick Hornqvist who threaded to Steve Sullivan for the 2^nd Predators goal. Ryan said afterward about the play “I was just trying to find a place to hide on the bench at that point.” That sounds about right Bobby.

Things I like

1. After producing only one assist in his first seven games, Mike Green has been on fire. He currently has a six game point streak and he had a four game goal streak. Better yet is that he only has a negative +/- in one of those games.

2. For a guy who is 40 years old and has been contemplating retiring for the last several seasons Teemu Selanne can just flat out play. He is currently tied for 4^th in the league in scoring and tied for 2^nd in power play goals with four. Selanne has showed that not only he can still produce at his age but he can still produce at an elite level. Here’s hoping he plays another year or two.

3. Speaking of streaks and older players, Nicklas Lidstrom and Pavel Datsuyk each have a nine game point streak currently. The Red Wings are also 7-2 in that span. Lidstrom the nineteen year veteran, who is in the 40 year old club with Selanne, has shown that he can also still perform at a high level. He is the top scoring defenseman in the league and tied for 2^nd overall in assists.

4. Steven Stamkos (I don’t need to write anything else)

Things I don’t

1. This week I had the chance to watch my first Pittsburgh Penguins game with their home announcers on FSN. All I can say is egad. Obviously announcers are bias when doing their home team telecasts but Paul Steigerwald and Bob Errey go above and beyond the normal bias. Also half the time it’s like they are watching a completely different game. I guess many people have disliked them for some time. I can’t say that I blame them.

2. The Toronto Maple Leafs started out on fire and off to one of their best starts in some time. Now they just seem lost and confused. Worse it seems like they couldn’t score a goal if their life depended on it. In the past six games the Leafs have been shut out three times. After producing seven goals in eight games, Phil Kessel has produced no points in the past six games. Coincidence? I think not.

3. When the Bruins faced the Blues this week, I was really hoping it would pit the two hottest goalies in the league of Tim Thomas and Jaroslav Halak against each other. Unfortunately it was not to be as Rask started. While I realize that Thomas was pulled against the Caps in the last game, it was the Caps after all. It was still a good game regardless but these two teams won’t face each other again this season unless it’s in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Stat Line of the Week

11/06/10 Chicago 5 vs. Atlanta 4

It’s been a strange year so far for the Blackhawks but on this night the dynamic duo of Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane combined for all of the Blackhawks goals to lead the hawks to a win over a few of their former teammates. Toews also had one of the two shootout goals for the Hawks with a nifty little move.

Did You Know?

The most games a team has been consecutively been shutout is eight set by the Chicago Blackhawks in 1929. The Maple Leafs have quite a few games to go if they hope to reach that dubious distinction. That same Blackhawks team was also shutout the most for one season. They were shutout a total of 20 times in the 1928-29 season.

Numbers, Numbers

50 – Goals scored by the defending champion Blackhawks so far

51 – Goals scored against the Blackhawks so far

6 – Number of home wins for both the Blues and the Kings with no loses

0 – Home wins for New Jersey

7 – Conservative wins by the Blues

7 – Consecutive loses by the Islanders

700 – Career points for Saku Koivu

76 – Steven Stamkos current goal pace

Quotes of the Week

“I don’t dislike them, I think they’re entertaining. I just wish I was better at them.”

- Goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who is 1-3 in shootouts as a Leaf.

“We went into their building (in Philadelphia last Saturday), they beat us 6-1 and we got embarrassed. It’s been a downfall since then.”

- Isles defenseman James Wisniewski, before the Isles losing streak was extended to seven games with a 2-1 loss Saturday against the Flyers.

Though the Islanders downfall started before that game because they had already lost three games in a row prior to that Flyers loss.

Zenon Konopka had his own take own the Flyers rivalry.

“There’s no good blood between us, that’s for sure,” Konopka told Newsday. “There won’t be Christmas cards exchanged on that end of the hallway.”

This Week in Hockey History

Special thanks to the Hockey Hall of Fame site for making this section a little easier to do.

November 04, 1956 Jacques Plante of the Canadiens completed a perfect weekend, with his second straight shutout over Chicago, a 1-0 win (following a 6-0 victory the day before). It was Plante’s 21st career shutout.

November 05, 2000 Doug Weight tied a career high with four assists as the Oilers picked up their 800 victory in franchise history, with a 4-2 win against the Blue Jackets at Columbus.

November 06, 1988 Wayne Gretzky became the third player in NHL history to score 1,700 points. He got two goals and an assist in career game #711 as the Kings won 5-3 over the Blackhawks at Chicago. Mark Fitzpatrick started and won his first NHL game.

November 07, 1968 St. Louis Blues Red Berenson scored six goals (for his first career hat trick) & an assist in an 8-0 win over the visiting Flyers. It was the NHL’s first six goal game since Detroit’s Syd Howe did it in 1944. Jacques Plante recorded the shutout.

November 08, 1989 Calgary’s Al MacInnis became the Flames all time leader in assists when he recorded #337 in a 5-4 win at Los Angeles. MacInnis replaced Guy Chouinard (336) and Paul Reinhart (335). MacInnis had three assists in the game.

November 09, 2000 Joe Sakic tied the Avalanche franchise mark for career assists, when he picked up his 668th with the team in a 3-3 tie against the St. Louis Blues. Sakic tied the record set by Peter Stastny (when the team was in Quebec City).

Rankings

The rankings are based on how the teams are currently playing.

Top 5

1. St. Louis

2. Los Angeles

3. Washington

4. Philadelphia

5. Boston

Bottom 5

30. N.Y Islanders

29. Toronto

28. Buffalo

27. Edmonton

26. New Jersey

Do not let fantasy studs pass you by holding onto players that are not producing.  This week we look at some players that need a big weekend or should hit the waiver wire soon. So let’s break down the Weekend Warriors of could be fantasy studs to watch out for.

Teams with 2 games this weekend: Thrashers, Sabres, Flames, Blackhawks, Blue Jackets, Predators, Devils, Rangers, Senators, Blues, Sharks, Lightning

Forwards to watch:

Tim Connolly, Sabres C: The talented but often injured Connolly is coming off a year that saw him play 73 games and become a fantasy start with 17 goals and 65 points.  This season the 29-year-old has only three points in the first seven games and it is not because he is not getting the ice time playing 16:19 minutes a game with 3:35 of that coming on the power play.  The veteran is owned in 97% of leagues and was benched last week, with two games against the Senators and Devils this weekend if he doesn’t produce should be benched by your fantasy team.

Jamie Langenbrunner, Devils W: The Devils captain has continued his late season slump last season into this season.  The 35-year-old is a -4 and has only four assists in the first seven games, which is one goal in his last 19 games played.  Langenbrunner is playing on a line with Patrik Elias and Jason Arnott, with those line mates he should be producing as both of those players have nine points combined on a team that is struggling to score.  The veteran is owned in 95% of leagues and has games against the Sabres and Rangers, two tough goalies this weekend and needs to start producing or he will start being released.

Simon Gagne, Lightning W: The big off-season acquisition for the Lightning has yet to score a point and is a -8 in his first six games in Tampa.  The former 40-goal scorer stock is dropping with the recent injury that has slowed line mates Vincent Lecavalier.  With two games against the Thrashers and Predators this weekend, if the scoreless draught continues so will the decline 94% ownership of this talented forward.

Defenseman To Watch:

Jay Bouwmeester, Flames: How is this guy owned in 100% of leagues?  I am guessing the answer is because he use to be a fantasy stud in Florida but has a dud in Calgary.  In 82 games last season the 27-year-old had only 29 points and was a -4 this season he has no points in six games.  The kid plays over 26 minutes a game, which is way too much ice time to not be producing.  The Flames face the Blue Jackets and Sharks this weekend and as the slide continues for the team so should the ownership of Bouwmeester.

Erik Karlsson, Senators: The former first round pick burst onto the scene with 26 points in 60 games last season and big things were expected with the addition of Sergei Gonchar.  So far the 20-year-old has struggled one point in the first six games and worst off a -4.  The 15^th overall pick of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft is still seeing time on the second power play unit and has back-to-back games against division rivals Buffalo and Montreal.  Karlsson needs to start producing or his ownership will continue to fall like it has the last couple of weeks from almost 50% to 28%.

Erik Johnson, Blues: The former first overall pick had a career year last season with 10 goals and 39 points but so far has yet to see any production with one assist in the first five games.  This is one player who should not worry fantasy owners yet, but with two games against the red hot Blackhawks and Penguins this weekend the scoring draught could continue.  The 22-year-old has now been moved to the second power play unit as Carlo Colaiacovo has taken over his top spot and this hurts his fantasy value.

Goalies To Watch:

Antti Niemi, Sharks: With all the controversy this off-season that this Stanley Cup goalie caused it was important for the goalie to come out sharp with his new team.  That has not been the case as in his first three starts with the Sharks the 27-year-old has giving up 11 goals and a .879 save percentage.  The team has back-to-back games this weekend so expect Niemi to get into a game this weekend and needs to prove his worth as he is owned in 95% of leagues.

Antero Niittymaki, Sharks: The other end of the Sharks tandem has been playing like the number one goalie he was paid to be before Niemi became available.  The 30-year-old won in his second start by stopping 29 of 31 shots against Colorado, a good offensive team.  The Finnish goalie is only owned in 27% of leagues and again with back-to-back games this weekend against the offensive challenged Oilers and Flames expect Niittymaki’s ownership to sky rocket by next week.

Cory Schneider, Canucks: With the much publicized struggles of Roberto Luongo has brought Cory Schneider name to attention to fantasy owners.  The former first round pick and AHL goaltender of the year has a win in his only start this year.  With a game against the Wild this weekend, a team that has given Luongo fits, shown in his six goals against last start in Minnesota, expect Schneider to get the nod.  Luongo is a top notch fantasy goalie and will be fine this season but keep an eye on Schneider for the team will look to start Bobby Lou less this season and give this capable backup some fantasy value.

I hate that Marc-Andre Fluery and Jonathon Quick won medals even though they did absolutely nothing. Same can be said for Tim Thomas but at least he stepped onto the ice, even if it was in garbage time.

Russia was hugely disappointing but then again they did lose to a talented Canadian team in the tournament. BTW I did mention how Russia wouldn’t win because they were the favorites in my last column.

I feel bad for the USA in some respects as they went in to the goal medal game undefeated. But it is hard to beat any team twice in a tournament like this especially twice on the road, hats off to their accomplishments.

As for NHL thoughts, seriously watch out for Colorado and Chicago, though the Blackhawks do have that goalie problem. Both will be really tough outs come playoff time. San Jose is all smoke and mirrors they will find a way to bounce early again. Not sure what to make of the Los Angeles Kings yet. They have a lot of talent, but they have almost no playoff experience on the roster. Also one night they look like world beaters, the next night they don’t show up. I’m iffy about Vancouver still. The beasts of the East are Pittsburgh and Washington. Washington has the same problem as Chicago though, goaltending. New Jersey has all the talent necessary but they haven’t been able to pull it all together, they may be running out of time.

Goalie Spotlight

Brian Elliott – Ottawa Senators

One of the surprises this year has been the Ottawa Senators. Nobody expected them to do much of anything this year especially after they traded Dany Heatley. But here they are fighting Buffalo for the division crown. Consistency in net has not been Ottawa’s strong point over the years. Ray Emery had started the majority of the games in the 06-07 season, only to make way for Martin Gerber the next year, who gave way to Alex Auld next and finally this year it seems to be Brian Elliott.

Elliott was drafted in the 9^th round by Ottawa in the 2003 draft as the 291^st pick overall, or the next to last pick of the draft. Because of his extremely low drafting, not much was expected of him. He ended up playing for the University of Wisconsin-Madison after being drafted for four years. The first two years he was not the starter. In the 05-06 season Elliott became the starter and took full advantage of his opportunity. He was a finalist of the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, awarded to the men’s top collegiate hockey player, posting a 1.55GAA and eight shutouts. He also led the Badgers to the NCAA National Championship that year. After his stellar collegiate career, Elliott was signed by the Binghamton Senators of the AHL and played the end of their 06-07 season.

He was invited to the Ottawa Senators training camp but was reassigned to Binghamton. He was recalled by the Senators for one game only, which he won against the Thrashers. He played the whole season at Binghamton and the following 08-09 season. That would be his last season at Binghamton and he went out with a bang like in college. He was named AHL goalie of the month for December and he started in the AHL All-Star game. He finished up the 08-09 season in Ottawa starting 30 games. This season he has split time with Pascal Leclaire. However, Elliott has started more games than Leclaire and has posted better numbers. He also had a nine game undefeated streak in January and February.

Looking to make a playoff run, the Senators hope that Elliott continues to improve his game. They also hope that Elliott is the answer to their goalie of the future problem. At just 24 years old, Elliott could bring much needed stability to an always changing position for the Senators.

Fights of the Week

Special thanks to hockeyfights.com for making this section a little easier to do.

Erik Johnson vs. Jamie Benn

Johnson was holding his own until Benn just decks him.

Jared Boll vs. Brad Staubitz

Starts off slow but a pretty decent fight, Staubitz had the better punches.

Goats of the Week

Jonathon Quick – Los Angeles Kings

Silver medal winning Quick goes out to play a puck behind the boards and well I have no idea what he was trying to do. He weakly stops it with his badly positioned stick then it takes a funny bounce and J.P. Dumont scores an easy goal as the puck bounced to him.

Michael Ryder – Boston Bruins

In the final minute of overtime Ryder tries to get back on defense and slides to block the pass which he does, unfortunately he keeps sliding and takes out Tim Thomas leading to a wide open net and giving the Maple Leafs an easy win.

Things I like

1. Ryan Miller’s huge ovation in Pittsburgh, even bigger than Sidney Crosby’s. It’s nice when fans acknowledge accomplishments even when it wasn’t from someone on their team or in this case since it was for Team USA it kind of was.

2. The Phoenix Coyotes will to live and surprise everyone. Despite no one coming to games and not having an owner, the Coyotes will continue their quest for the cup. For the first time in forever the Coyotes were buyers at the trade deadline. They made seven deals at the deadline including picking up Wojtek Wolski for Peter Mueller (no relation) and Kevin Porter.

3. Speaking of Peter Mueller, he has so far flourished in his new home in Colorado, picking up four points in three games thus far. Sometimes a change of scenery does a player good and I definitely thought that would be the case in this situation. Colorado has an abundance of young talent, including top tier talent at the center position. Mueller makes for a better fit in Colorado than in Phoenix where he will also get more time to develop. So far he has flourished picking up 6 points in 4 games for the Avs.

4. The Florida Panther’s David Booth making his comeback with a Gordie Howe hat trick. Booth took on the man who knocked him out Mike Richards in a fight that was, well not much of a fight. Kudos to Booth for wanting a measure of revenge, as long as he has now moved on from it.

5. Sean Avery, of all people, mocking Maxine Talbot’s retaliation fighting. Was quite funny, if you haven’t seen it yet, and it even made Talbot laugh.

Things I don’t

1. After riding the pine during his Gold medal win Marc-Andre Fleury is what you might call rusty. He was supposed to start against the Sabres but showed up late to practice, hard to imagine, so his punishment was not starting. He did start the next game against the Rangers and gave up 4 goals on 12 shots, yikes. It will take awhile for Fleury to get back into the groove.

2. The Ducks losing their first 4 games back in true Ducks fashion. You can read about it in the last section if you like.

3. Marc Savard’s concussion by Matt Cooke’s elbow. Hits to the head are never good and while you’d like to ban them, accidents will still happen. The NHL should look into better helmets like the NFL is doing.

Stat Line of the Week

03/06/10 Colorado 7 vs. St. Louis 3

Former 1^st round pick in the 2006 draft, Chris Stewart is having a break out year. The game against St. Louis could be considered his break out game as he notched his first career hat trick. His final goal came on a penalty shot that he was awarded when Erik Johnson tripped him. He also added a helper on T.J. Galiardi’s goal. Watch out for this young and deep Avalanche team.

Did You Know?

The latest a Stanley Cup Finals has gone is till June 24^th in 1995. Of course that was the owners’ lockout year that cut the season short. The latest for a non-lockout threatened season would be June 19^th in 1999 and again in 2006. I for one, hope it never gets any later, as Hockey in July is quite absurd. June is already bad enough as it is.

Numbers, Numbers

1786 – Shots by the Avalanche last in the league

2211 – Shots by the Blackhawks first in the league

10.7 – Shooting percentage by the Avalanche, tied for 2^nd in the league

7.5 – Shooting percentage of the Bruins, last in the league

This Week in Hockey History

Special thanks to the Hockey Hall of Fame site for making this section a little easier to do.

March 04, 1991 Pittsburgh Penguins acquired Ron Francis, Grant Jennings and Ulf Samuelsson from the Hartford Whalers in trade for John Cullen, Jeff Parker and Zarley Zalapski.

March 05, 1953 Gordie Howe scored twice and added three assists to lead the Red Wings to a 7-1 win against the Rangers, at the Olympia. With the five points Howe broke his own NHL record for most points for a single season (86).

March 06, 1993 Playing in his final NHL game, Jets’ veteran defenseman Randy Carlyle scored the only goal of his 17th NHL season to get his 500th career point. It came in a 4-2 Winnipeg loss at Toronto, where Carlyle’s career had begun in 1976.

March 07, 2002 Teemu Selanne scored his 400th career NHL goal in the Sharks 5-2 win against the visiting Ottawa Senators. It was also San Jose’s 300th victory in franchise history.

March 08, 1997 Mario Lemieux picked up an assist to become the first player to get 100 points in the 1996-97 season, as the Penguins won 3-2 in overtime over the visiting Philadelphia Flyers. It was the 10th 100-point season of Lemieux’s NHL career.

March 09, 1990 NHL President John A. Ziegler Jr. terminated the suspension of Detroit Red Wings player Bob Probert after Probert served one year without pay of his combined expulsion and suspension.

Rankings

The rankings are based on how the teams are currently playing.

Top 5

1. Carolina, yes really
2. Vancouver
3. Philadelphia
4. Pittsburgh
5. Washington

Bottom 5

30. Edmonton
29. NY Islanders
28. Florida
27. New Jersey
26. Buffalo

Anaheim Ducks Watch

So the Ducks traded Ryan Whitney to the Oilers for Lubomir Visnovsky. This is funny because I remembered when Whitney was acquired and how it was a huge deal that they got a young defenseman of the future to eventually replace Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger. They also gave up Chris Kunitz who is a fairly decent goal scorer, let’s not forget. One season worth of games later and Whitney is history. The timing is even more hilarious because Whitney just won a Silver medal. All in all not a bad move by the Ducks because Whitney didn’t really pan out like they had hoped and Visnovsky is a decent player. I’m glad they didn’t trade Wisniewski and I hope the resign the Wiz when the season is out. Backup goalie Justin Pogge was also dealt. You might remember Pogge best for being called up and sent back every time Giguere was injured and right after he was traded. He basically sat on the bench and never played, you will be missed Pogge. In other news I am so happy they got rid of Nokelainen. A 6^th round pick was probably the best they could do.

So you’d think that a team boasting 7 Olympic medal winning players, 6 now without Whitney though if this was last year they would have had 8 with Pronger, could win some games and make the playoffs. Of course if you’re the Ducks that’s a huge challenge. The Ducks first opponent back from the break was Colorado. The Ducks also had an eleven game winning streak at home going, but not anymore as they fell 4-3. Jason Blake had a nice powerplay goal to give the Ducks a 1-0 lead. Selanne made it 2-0 with goal number 598. This goal was special because Selanne was about a mile offsides, with someone else I think it was Koivu, but the linesman said everyone was fine, umm okay. Then came the case of the stupids. Bad penalties and bad defense gave the Avalanche the opportunity to tie up the game and then take a 4-2 lead. The Ducks crept with in one on a four minute powerplay. Right before the third goal and afterwards they had numerous chances to get another goal. Ryan had a nifty move that missed somehow, Getzlaf had a wide open net that he some how missed and then he later fumbled a pass when he was wide open in front of the net. Truly they are Olympic heroes… not. I think some others also botched some chances. Either way tough loss to swallow considering that A) they were hot going into the break B) they had a 2-0 lead C) you’d figure they have some Olympic momentum with all those medals D) there home streak was snapped and E) everyone else that needed to lose did and they could have been just one point shy of the 8^th and final playoff spot. Seriously Anaheim wake up! Kudos though to the recently recalled Dan Sexton who was everywhere on the ice and he should be on the Ducks for good now.

Next up was Phoenix who the Ducks seem to have a problem with, I have no idea why. The Ducks lost 4-0 in a game I couldn’t watch and therefore didn’t. Just as well, as I think I would have hurled. I have nothing else to add to that game.

Next up was Montreal and I got to watch the game online in French, Oui oui! The Ducks clearly listened to my tweet as they jumped out to a 3-0 lead. Hiller had a stretch of awesome saves in the 3^rd. The Canadiens got within one goal, or but, and Bobby Ryan had a chance to ice the game with an empty-netter but he misses by about six inches. He should have made it because A) he was past the blue line B) no one was on him and C) wouldn’t you know it the Canadiens manage to tie it up a few seconds later, ugh. Corey Perry, in true Perry fashion, punches a celebrating Markov right in the face, funny but also dumb. Luckily it didn’t end up a powerplay for the Canadiens. I think the last 30 seconds of the game sums up the Ducks season quite well. But wait Duck fans, it only gets better from here! With a 1-0 lead in the shutout in the third round all Hiller needs to do is stop Montreal and they win. He stops the shot but of course he doesn’t know where the puck is and he starts sliding back and moves his arm and the pucks falls off from his arm, or wherever it was, into the net, prompting a big you have got to be kidding me. The Ducks promptly lose in the next round. I really don’t know what to make of these last three games; I’m at a loss for words. I’m also starting to lose hope that they will make the playoffs, if there ever was hope to begin with.

Next up was Columbus and I just can’t bring myself to recap it. The Ducks lost 5-2, they suck and that’s all there is to it. No I will recap it a little the Ducks found themselves down 3-0, Hiller was pulled and things looked bleak. I still watched and the Ducks cut it to a 3-2 lead and I was into it again. A couple of dumb penalties by the Ducks, what else, late in the game sealed the victory for Columbus. Even though they lost 5-2 it wasn’t as thought Columbus played that much better. The Ducks out shot the Blue Jackets 38 to 20 and had way better scoring chances. Mathieu Garon was just on for the Blue Jackets with some amazing saves.

More than anything, October is the month of change.  For hockey players, it’s the month of fresh beginnings, new energy, good health and the belief that it is once again possible to have your name etched onto the Stanley Cup.

Most importantly, it allows players to change their reputations or improve their performance.  In some cases, it could mean reaching the game’s elite or simply holding onto an NHL career.

In 2009-10, the following players will be under such an intense spotlight they might leave an extra puddle of sweat behind when they hop over the boards:

10) Dion Phaneuf—D—Calgary Flames

After setting career highs in assists, penalty minutes and plus/minus in the 2007-08 season the Edmonton native was ready to join the league’s elite crop of defensemen.  Things were going so well, the new “Neon Dion” was starting to appeal to the mainstream with his relationship to Hollywood diva Elisha Cuthbert.  

But the 2008-09 campaign saw a dip in Phaneuf’s numbers across the board—most importantly in plus/minus where he had by far his worst season (-11).  Phaneuf still brings a hard shot and is a lock for a monster hit that becomes a weekly youtube sensation, but the Flames need him to get back in the plus where he spent the first three seasons of his career.

Luckily for Phaneuf, fellow defenseman Robyn Regehr will make up for plenty of his mistakes and free agent acquisition Jay Bouwmeester should take over any pressure from running the point on the power play.

9) Daniel Briere—RW—Philadelphia Flyers

An injury plagued 08-09 campaign was maddening for Briere and Flyers fans.  In just 29 games, the speedy winger recorded 11 goals and 14 assists.

Entering the third year of his 8-year, $52 million contract this becomes a critical time for his career and the Flyers organization.  A healthy Briere could push the team into a great race with the Capitals, Bruins and Penguins for the eastern conference title.  However, another injury will only add frustration in a city that doesn’t react kindly to disappointment.

With 3 goals in his first 4 games, Briere is off to the start both he and the team need.

Andrei & Sergei Kostitsyn—forwards—Montreal Canadiens

The comparisons to the Sedin twins following the 07-08 season may have been wishful thinking in Montreal.  Andrei’s play was down a bit last season, while Sergei has never taken off.  As a matter of fact, Sergei is now down—at the AHL level—and would like a trade out of Montreal altogether, which may not be a bad idea.

The brothers link to local mafia created a soap opera for a franchise looking to once again become one of the league’s elite.  Not only do the brothers need to start producing consistently on the ice for the team to succeed, they better start creating positive news for their careers on and off the ice.

Pretty soon, it may just be in the Canadiens best interest to trade the duo, this is a situation of addition by subtraction if the Kostitsyn’s don’t start making life difficult on play-by-play announcers.

7) Shane Doan—RW—Phoenix Coyotes

Since the turn of the century there hasn’t been a more consistent player than the soon-to-be 33-year-old.  A solid two-way player seemingly getting better with age (averaging 75 points the last two seasons), his pressure is completely selfish.

Doan has been in the desert since the franchise relocated from Winnipeg in 1996 and with the franchise in financial turmoil the Cup must look like a giant mirage.  If Doan can continue to perform at a high level he could finally get a ticket out of town as contending teams will be lining up to add him by the trade deadline.  Any team that lands this all-star could become a top contender for the Cup.

Any relocation for Doan would be a rare win.

6) Erik Johnson—D—St. Louis Blues

The number one overall pick in the 2006 draft, Johnson struggled a bit as a rookie before a torn ACL and MCL wiped out his entire sophomore season.

It will be interesting to see how the youngster adjusts this year after the injury—it could very well be a second rookie-type season.  If Johnson picks up where he left off, the Blues could quickly compete with the Blackhawks and Red Wings in the division.

However, if he struggles, it could seriously hurt the progress of the franchise in a city starving for winning hockey once again.  Johnson is still viewed as a cornerstone piece, but it would be bad if a fluke injury suffered on the golf course put a two-year dent into his career.

5) Edmonton Oilers young forwards

A trio of talented young players must begin to perform up to potential for their careers and the team’s success.

First and foremost, right wing Ales Hemsky must get to the next level.  A playmaker with talent pouring off him, Hemsky disappointed last year and still hasn’t cracked either the 25-goal or 60-assist mark.  Hemsky can be extremely frustrating, as you never know which player will show up.  On certain nights he establishes himself as a force while others he just disappears.  If Hemsky can’t come close to 100 points (he only had 66 last year) the Oilers won’t be going anywhere.

Andrew Cogliano—another first round pick—also took a step backward last season and has yet to crack the 20-goal plateau.  But it’s center Sam Gagner–the most recent first rounder–with the most pressure to succeed.  Gagner also slid in his second season and coach Pat Quinn demoted him to the fourth line recently.

The move might have worked—Gagner already has 2 goals in the Oilers first 3 games.

4) Jason Spezza—center—Ottawa Senators

It’s hard to say a 26-year-old averaging 33 goals per season over the last three must do more, but that’s the overwhelming thought in Canada.

With Dany Heatley gone and the franchise in apparent free fall, Spezza now needs to take his game to another level.  Down 19 points last season from 07-08, Spezza needs to approach the 40-goal/100-point marks or people will be calling for his head at the end of the season when the Senators miss the playoffs for the second straight year after qualifying for 11 straight.

3) Roberto Luongo—G—Vancouver Canucks

Maybe the biggest shock on the list, how can the goalie many regard as the games best be under pressure to perform better?

A 12-year, $64 million contract extension signed over the summer is a big reason.  After spending big bucks to re-sign both of the Sedins, Vancouver now has very little payroll flexibility for the next five years.

Already scoring challenged, Luongo must be the player to lead the way to the Cup.  While his career playoff numbers are fine, Luongo had a disastrous run last season—especially in the second round against the Blackhawks.  His .914 save percentage and 2.52 goals against average won’t get Vancouver to the promise land anytime soon.  His struggles have continued early this season where he’s started 1-3 with a .865 save percentage and 3.52 goals against average.

Luongo has the ability and talent to be the next Martin Brodeur, now it’s time to show why he was worth all the cash.

2) Vincent Lecavalier—C—Tampa Bay Lightning

Just two years removed from a 52-goal and 108-point season, Lecavalier’s 08-09 (29 goals, 67 points) was his worst since 02-03 and there is no doubt he needs a return to MVP form for the Lightning to once again make the playoffs.

With talent up front like Steven Stamkos and Martin St. Louis, Tampa needs Lecavalier to find the scoring that put him among the elite centers in the league.

With the team’s defensive deficiencies, their success rests more on Lecavalier’s shoulders than maybe any other superstar in the NHL.

His new 11-year contract extension should ease much of the pressure he felt last season, but if the numbers don’t improve the Lightning might start to wonder if roughly 850 games played by season’s end are starting to show their wear and tear.

1) Cristobal Huet—G—Chicago Blackhawks

Everything is bright for a once dark and depressed franchise.  The young forwards—Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane– are talented and exciting.  The defense is solid– if not spectacular– and the addition of Marian Hossa could put the Hawks over the top.

But one large problem remains between the pipes. Goalie Cristobal Huet is a BIG question mark and could single-handedly determine whether the Hawks hoist the cup for the first time since 1961.

The Hawks gave Huet a huge contract before last season and he never took full control of the starting job.  With Nikolai Khabibulin departing as a free agent, Huet is firmly in the spotlight and needs to respond.

Some games he looks capable of challenging for the Vezina Trophy while other nights you wonder how he’s an NHL goaltender and hope he moves back to France soon.

If he plays close to his career averages (.917 save percentage, 2.45 goals against average) then it’s going to be a struggle all season.  Huet has to get these numbers down—his 2.53 goals against average last season won’t cut it.

If he seriously falters, look for 26-year-old Finland native Antti Niemi to step up.

Looking into the crystal ball and nothing good is in sight if these players don’t shine once again—or in some cases, like never before.