It is hard to believe but the first round is over. Los Angeles, New York, and Minnesota have advanced to the second round. Out of the three games, two were one goal contests and one went to overtime (Minnesota). There were plenty of tough decisions to be made as far as fantasy hockey best of the best.
The usual criteria was applied once again. Please keep in mind that a Game 7 means a bit more so goals and sometimes saves carry a bit more weight than all of the statistics and numbers.
Fantasy Hockey Three Stars
Third Star — Steve Mason — G — Philadelphia Flyers
This is a bit controversial but if not for Steve Mason, the Flyers get absolutely hammered last night. It was unfortunate that throughout the first 40 minutes, Mason was one of the few players who actually showed up for Philadelphia. His 26 saves on 28 shots in that time probably would have been enough on most times to let his team back in. Philadelphia would score once but never really sniffed too close for that elusive second goal. Mason actually outplayed Henrik Lundqvist from the time he came into the series. It was a shame he had a concussion. One has to wonder how the series might have gone if Steve Mason had played from the beginning.
Second Star — Jonathan Quick — Los Angeles Kings
Everyone is going to talk about that Patrick Marleau save but Jonathan Quick made 38 other stops in the 5-1 win. The first two periods were strange because scoring chances were relatively even and yet Quick saw around 30 shots in the first 40 minutes. The great thing is Quick was never flustered even when Los Angeles went down three games to none. In the end, that may have meant more than anything else. The save percentage went up and stayed pretty level — most importantly in good form. Quick was the main reason, to me, why Los Angeles advanced. They will play the Anaheim Ducks in the next round and Quick will need to be the best.
First Star — Nino Niederreiter — Minnesota Wild
“El Nino” as he was called on Long Island played his best hockey when it went the most. His two goals and an assist were just enough as Minnesota won 5-4 in overtime to advance on to the next round. His linemates also had three points (Kyle Brodziak and Dany Heatley). However, Nino Niederreiter scored the game winner in overtime to win the series. Like I said, those clutch goals carry a little more weight when it comes to criteria. Maybe the only problem is that fans and fantasy hockey owners alike are going to expect this type of performance more often. Minnesota faces Chicago in the second round (they bowed out in five last year to them). It will be an uphill fight but the Wild could give them some problems early. Niederreiter will be one of those players that might drive Chicago batty.
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Round 1 is at last over. Just like that, Round 2 begins Thursday night as Montreal and Boston face off in what is expected to be a heck of a series. Thanks again for reading.
