Of course after I pimp Neuvirth the dirty Cap’s start Tomas Vokoun and he pitches a Shutout. AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!! I’ve decided predicting Goalie performance/playing time is a futile effort. Unless you are the best of the best, elite of the elite, you are no sure thing… And even those guys (ahem…… Ryan Miller……. ahem) can struggle for a season. And the thing with Goalies is, they really are dependent on their team’s defense. (There’s a reason why Tuuka Rask leads the NHL in GAA and Save %). My advice is to just hope that the first Goalie you draft is in the Henrik Lundqvist mold, rather than the Jonas Hiller one. And be diligent on the Waiver Wire when it comes to Goalies. You never know when a Kari Lehtonen (circa last year) will emerge from nowhere and help lead your team to the playoffs. Now onto some more entertaining aspects of fantasy hockey…
Viktor Stalberg – LW (Chi): He kicked off his “Replace Patrick Sharp” campaign in grand fashion (Hat Trick on Tuesday). This is a good add and Kudos to (in)frequent commenter Marqo for pointing out the error of my ways. Viktor should’ve been in yesterday’s roundup…
Evgeni Malkin – C/RW (Pit): I’m pretty sure we’re allowed to officially call this a “slump” for Geno. In his last 5 games he’s a -5 with 2 Goals and no Assists….. On the bright side, he has 20 Shots in those 5 games so it’s not like he’s not trying.
Ilya Kovalchuk – LW/RW (NJ): A short-handed Goal? Alrighty then… Despite that fluke, Kovy is (communist red) hot right now. 5 Goals, 3 Assists and a ridiculous 29 Shots in 4 games proves he is still capable of carrying a fantasy team.
Johan Hedberg – G (NJ): It’s time to cross your fingers and hop aboard the Hendenberg, especially if you’re desperate for Goaltending. Odds are he’s not available in your league, but if he is just pick him up now and ask questions later. Brodeur wouldn’t cut it in the ECHL right now…
Ryan Smyth – LW (Edm): I’ve been an advocate of my boy Ry-Smy prior to this season, unfortunately the wheels have come off the tracks. 6 Points in his last 16 games is less than good, but that’s just one side of the rotted orange. Smyth was actually quite good in the first 2 months of the season, averaging close to a point per game. It wouldn’t be impossible for him to repeat that in February and March…
Montreal Canadians – I’ve been an advocate for the underperforming “stars” in Montreal.. But my tune is starting to change. Cammalleri is starting to run his mouth, Subban is a head-case, Gionta’s arm snapped in half, and their Defensive unit would have a hard time stopping these guys…
Tommy Williams – C (Wsh): If you recognize this name, you’re older than I am (so suck on that!). Let’s just say Tommy Williams was the Frans Nielsen of his day. Only on a worse team…
Ales Hemsky – RW (Edm): I have a wierd thing for this guy that I can’t really explain (thus the reason I point out every time he does something good). Last night Hemsky scored the lone Oiler Goal which gives him 4 points in his last 4 games. At just 19% Yahoo ownership A-les-bo is a borderline must-add… He could give you RW2 value going forward.
Sidney Crosby – Can you please do me a favor Pittsburgh and just let me know the day before Crosby is going to play again? I don’t wanna have to give constant updates like “Crosby skates on actual ice!” or “Crosby travels with Team to Detroit!””””””””” On a blog-related note, this is going to be my last Crosby update for a while. This whole shituation just makes me sick…
