So apparantly Matt Cooke decided to put his head-hunting career on hold and try his hand at goal scoring. And even though 1 of the Goals was on the Power Play, I can’t see him staying on the 2nd PP unit all year. He’s a typical 3rd/4th line guy who is valuable on the Penalty Kill, not the man advantage. If for some reason you picked him up for today’s light schedule, feel free to drop him. You don’t have a reliable #3 LW newbies… As far as the rest of the night, pretty uneventful. The other 4 teams combined for just 5 Goals so if you own Bryzgalov or James Reimer you should be feelin’ pretty good right now…
Jaromir Jagr – RW (Phi): I’m already not liking this guy (all over again). His first NHL game in over 3 years and he hits a milestone? What a glory hog. Your team won the game Jagr! It’s not about individual accomplishments! Seriously though congrats on 1,600 Points. I put the over/under on some random Lower Body Injury at 1,620 points though.
Ilya Bryzgalov – G (Phi): Looked really good in the 3rd Period as the Flyer’s nursed a 1 Goal lead, but wasn’t challenged at all in the first 2 periods. I’d chalk it up to a slow start by Boston after fans (and media) spent a good hour lathering and washing their balls before the game… Still if you own Bryzgalov this is the kind of start you are looking for.
James Reimer – G (Tor): Got a Shutout against Montreal. I saw the beginning of this game and he stopped a mini-barrage and kept the game scoreless in the 1st period. Now I’m not worried, but this game at least made me think twice about my (almost) complete dismissal of him as a useful fantasy Goalie this year.
Dion Phaneuf – D (Tor): The neanderthal had a Goal and an Assist while playing a team high 23:57. I don’t mind being wrong about a player, but please God just don’t let it be Phaneuf. If he has a big year I don’t think I’ll be able to handle it.
Brad Marchand – C (Bos): Scored the lone Goal and was a big part of the Boston offense tonight (including on the Power Play). If you’re in a shallow league he might be on the Waiver Wire – go pick him up now.
Claude Giroux – C/RW (Phi): Scored an absolutely sick Goal and was all over the ice I’m thinking I may not have hyped him enough over the last 6 Weeks. He was #28 in my preseason rankings and as long as he stays healthy the sky’s the limit..
Tyler Seguin – C (Bos): Had a Power Play Assist and more importantly it looks like the B’s are gonna stop treating him with kid gloves. He had over 4 1/2 minutes on the Power Play and with his talent there is very little keeping Seguin from becomming the main offensive weapon in Boston.
Kris Letang – D (Pit): Pooty-Tang had 2 Assists and played a ridonkulous 27 minutes. Now just hope Crosby can play 60+ games and Letang doesn’t wear down in the 2nd half like he did last year.
Steve Sullivan – LW (Pit): He didn’t get on the scoresheet tonight, but if (and I’m talking an IF the size of Texas) Sully can stay healthy I like him as a #3 LW in 12+ team leagues.
Danrik Sedin – C/LW (Van): And the regular season twins are off to the races again. 2 points each and they looked great as usual.
Mikael Samuelsson – RW (Van): I don’t think I’ve talked about Samuelsson at all yet so lets do that now. He’s good when he’s healthy and will see time with the Twins more often than not. That makes him useful and when Kesler is injured he gets the added bonus of top Power Play minutes.
Evgeni Malkin – C (Pit): Had an Assist and my opinion of him is unchanged: He’s gonna rebound big time this year.
Ahhhhhhhh. Now lets all take a deep breath. We’ve got hockey for the next 8 months!
