The NHL Season is a couple weeks in, so how about some Fantasy Hockey News and Notes?
Remember the Sharks fast start last year?
The Sharks did this last season, remember? They bursted out of the gates and beat up on everyone. There were a lot of explanations for why they were able to dominate and then cooled off.
This season things will be a little different.
Logan Couture is for real, Joe Pavelski is a solid two-way, go to player, Brent Burns brings a rugged skill set and now rookie Tomas Hertl is on the scene. Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau are complimentary players now, really good complimentary players and excellent Fantasy Hockey players.
The Sharks won’t regress this season. There are too many weapons up front, with an underrated lunch pail defense and solid goaltending. They’re fast, tough and Logan Couture is a budding superstar.
Defense anyone?
The Edmonton Oilers are a mess. Their top players aren’t scoring goals and are boasting pathetic plus minuses. Jordan Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins each have a pair, Taylor Hall has a single goal and Nail Yakupov can’t even crack the lineup.
Mark Arcobello has been their best Fantasy Hockey player, with David Perron making a case, too. How much does the loss of Sam Gagner hurt them? It is a good question, but ultimately, their goaltending is awful.
The team will score, but if they cannot keep the puck out of their own net and are plagued with horrible plus minuses all season, it is a Fantasy killer. This ship is sinking and I wouldn’t consider any Oiler in buy-low territory.
How is life in the East?
Many projected an easier schedule and better performance in the Eastern Conference for Detroit. The Wings are sitting at 5-2, after winning three straight and Henrik Zetterberg is on one of those rips where he looks as good as anyone in the NHL.
Pavel Datsyuk and Niklas Kronwall are almost keeping pace with Zetterberg and their veteran presence should easily keep them among the top teams in the Eastern Conference. Once Jimmy Howard gets healthy, things will look even better in Hockey Town.
However, the Red Wings have only scored 18 goals through seven games and are seriously lacking secondary scoring. Their lines are in a constant flux thus far, so before reaching for Justin Abdelkader or Todd Bertuzzi on your Waiver Wire make sure you know who they’re likely playing with.
Is the Big Apple Rotten?
Speaking of moving East, it hasn’t been as easy for Alain Vigneault. The Rangers have scored just nine goals through five games and recorded a single win. Rick Nash is suffering from a concussion, which is bad news for the Rangers and anyone who has Fantasy shares. It is a huge loss.
However, Derek Stepan‘s holdout hangover and Ryan Callahan‘s quick return from injury likely aren’t helping matters either. It is nice to see Brad Richards rebounding from last season with 4 goals on the campaign already, but how about that top four defense and their combined negative 25?
The Rangers only have four games between October 16th and the 28th, which could be a blessing, or a curse. Regardless, this has been a difficult start for all Rangers in Fantasy Hockey Land and it might not get better. It wasn’t like they were an offensive juggernaut last season.
Can Lightning Strike Twice?
Tampa Bay can score, but can they rely on Ben Bishop to carry them between the pipes? Bishop is currently posting a 1.77 Goals Against Average and .939 Save Percentage to support his four wins. The Bolts are averaging just under four goals a game and Martin St. Louis already has 10 points on the season.
This is a lethal offense and in addition to Steven Stamkos and St. Louis, they boast five other players who already have at least four points on the season. Alex Killorn, Ryan Malone, Sami Salo, Matthew Carle, Valtteri Filppula and maybe even Ondrej Palat should be on your Fantasy radar.
Ben Bishop is Tampa Bay’s Goalie going forward and has the potential to win a lot of games. The Lightning are never out of a game, because of their offensive talent. Go get Bishop, or if you have him, you might have one of the best values of the season on your hands.
What to do with Philadelphia?
The Philadelphia Flyers aren’t scoring any goals. Their Captain, Claude Giroux has just two assists through seven games and their leading goal scorer is Tye McGinn, with three in just two games since being recalled. Jakub Voracek hasn’t scored a goal yet and Kimmo Timonen is pointless. It has been a horrible start.
In 2011-12, the Flyers were the third highest scoring team in the league, last year, the Flyers finished ninth in goals per game. Thus far, in 2013-14, the Flyers are second to last. Veterans Scott Hartnell and Vincent Lecavalier are hurt, but there is enough depth on the Philadelphia roster for them to still produce.
The team plays against the Penguins October 17 and not again until October 24 against the Rangers. They need the break, but it will also be an excellent time to target Flyers in trades and on the Waiver Wire as they have 15 games in November.
