Lundqvist makes a rare save in this Orange Country Register photo.
Will the real Henrik Lundqvist please stand up?
In the fantasy community we’re used to Lundqvist being a reliable and dominant goaltender. He’s one you could build a team around and feel confident with. But that was then and this is now. Last night, Lundqvist gave up six goals on 37 shots and stank again as the Ducks pummeled the Rangers 6-0.
Lundqvist stands at 1-3-0 with a 4.31 GAA and a save percentage of .879. Safe to say he goes on the bench until further notice. It’s also time to consider trying to pry him off the hands of a fed-up owner in a buy-low deal. Someone out there isn’t thrilled with him so far and he can be had from an unhappy owner who wants to be rid of him. Patience is the name of the game in fantasy hockey and right now his owners are running thin on it.
Jonas Hiller made 34 saves on the other end of the ice in the shutout win. Jakub Siflverberg scored twice in the win. Teemu Selanne, Corey Perry and Mathieu Perrault each chipped in two helpers in the win. Rick Nash of the Rangers went back to New York to get his concussion looked at by doctors. His status is unknown.
As for the rest of the night on ice, we’ll recap it quickly since there were 10 games.
Phoenix 4, Detroit 2 Mikkel Boeddker, Derek Morris and Antonine Vermette each posted a goal and an assist in the win. Steven Weiss was a -4 for the Red Wings on the night. Mike Smith (28-30) beat Jimmy Howard (34-37) as both teams are 2-2. Boeddker is worth a look if he’s available in your league.
Colorado 2, Boston 0 Break up the Avs! They’re 4-0 after Jean-Sebastien Giguere turned aside all 39 shots he saw to blank Boston, Tuukka Rask stopped 28 of 30 in the loss. Matt Duchene had a goal and an assist in the win. Going on the road and beating Boston helps legitimize the team’s hot start. Grab some Avs while you can!
Columbus 4, Buffalo 1 Ryan Miller still gets no support. Thomas Vanek scored the only Buffalo goal in the loss but seemingly no one else is hitting the scoresheet enough to get Miller and the Sabres into the win column. He’s o-3-0 with a 2.37 GAA and a .938 save percentage. Keep plugging away with Miller until he gets it done. It’s not his fault he’s 0-3-0. Marian Gaborik had a goal and two assists to fuel Columbus.
Carolina 3, Washington 2 Nathan Gerbe‘s third-period goal won the game and Jeff Skinner had a pair of assists for Carolina in the win. Anton Khudobin (30-32) was a little better than Braden Holtby (33-36) in this game. Alex Ovechkin picked up his fifth goal of the season in the loss.
Toronto 4, Nashville 0 Johnathan Bernier posedt a 36-save shutout as the Leafs improved to 4-1 with this win. Phil Kessel paced Toronto with a goal and two assists while James van Riemsdyk added a goal and an assist in the win. Toronto went 2-of-4 on the power play so it looks like the Leafs have it together on special teams. Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne continues to get little support and he got none tonight. The Preds have six goals in four games. Not the way to start the season. I would consider sitting Rinne against the higher scoring teams in the league since he will get little support and has no chance for wins without it.
Minnesota 2, Winnipeg 1 Matt Cooke had a goal and an assist in the win which is surprising given how much of a pest he is. Josh Harding stopped 14-of-15 shots for the in over Ondrej Pavelec. How do the Jets only manage 15 shots on goal? Makes no sense.
Montreal 4, Edmonton 1 Carey Price got a much-needed night off in net and Peter Budaj got the start and the win for the Habs. Brendan Gallagher continues to shine in the early going with another goal and an assist. Alex Galchenyuk posted the same stat line to fuel Montreal. PK Subban had three assists in this one.
The season continues to get off to a rough start for Edmonton goaltender Devan Dubnyk. The Oilers were hoping to roll on Dubs this season but it looks like he’s gone flat with an 0-3-0 record, 5.27 GAA and .847 save percentage. Leave Dubs on the bench and hope he gets better quickly. The Oilers have young talent and offense to make it work–if Dubs would stop the puck.
San Jose 4, Vancouver 1 Tomas Hertl didn’t have a point but the Sharks found enough offense to knock off Vancouver and go to 4-0-0 this season. Brent Burns paced the Sharks with a goal and an assist while Mike Santorelli scored the lone goal for the Canucks.
Antti Niemi, my #1 rated goaltender in the preseason, rolls on at 4-0 with a sparking 1.25 GAA and a .945 save percentage. NHL.com had Lundqvist as the #1 goalie and 6th overall. Niemi was their 7th best goaltender and 39th overall. Just saying.
Tampa Bay 7, Florida 2 Steven Stamkos exploded with a unique hat trick as the Lightning zapped the Panthers. Stamkos scored at even strength, on the power play and shorthanded as well. Valtteri Filppula added pair of goals for the ‘Ning Dynasty while Matt Carle, Alex Killorn and Sami Salo each had two assists. Teddy Purcell had three of them. This was an overall great night for Tampa Bay and it’s good to see them get on track. Just remember what happened last season when they were putting up fives and eights…and then went right in the drink.
Johnathan Huberdeau lit the lamp in the loss but that was about the only thing that went right. Jacob Markstrom started the game but got yanked after allowing the sixth goal on only 24 shots. Scott Clemmensen allowed a goal in the final 7:50 which completed Stamkos’ hat trick. Tim Thomas (groin) is getting better but is doubtful for Friday’s game against the Penguins.
Box scores for each game can be found here.
Friday’s Six-Pack of Games (all times ET)
Phoenix at Philadelphia 7pm
Los Angeles at Carolina 7pm
Pittsburgh at Florida 730pm
NY Islanders at Chicago 8pm
Dallas at Winnipeg 8pm
New Jersey at Calgary 9pm
