New Jersey Devils
Hot: Brian Gionta (7 G, 5 A, +1), Scott Gomez (2 G, 8 A, +2), Zach Parise (3 G, 3 A, +1)
Not: Paul Martin (0 G, 2 A, -2), Martin Brodeur (4-3, 3.32 GAA, .895 Sv. %) Injuries: Travis Zajac (D2d - Undisclosed)
The Devils aren't known for getting out of the gates quickly, and this season seems no different. Though they currently lead the Atlantic with nine points in the early going, they've lost three of their last five, including an embarassing 8-1 drubbing by the Senators Saturday night, in which Marty Brodeur was pulled. Needless to say, Marty's owners needn't worry. He gets better as the season wears on. The top line, featuring Gionta, Gomez, and Patrik Elias is the reason that this team is hovering just over the .500 mark early on, as they've combined for 29 points in just 8 games to this point.
Gionta seems to have had little trouble putting his lack of preseason time with the team behind him, and is amongst the league leaders in both goals (7) and points (12). Paul Martin, on the other hand, seems to be having a little trouble getting into the flow. His two points in eight games aren't that big an issue, though we'd like to see a bit of a better showing from him in the +/- department... Rookie Travis Zajac has been fairly impressive when in the lineup, and he's earning himself his fair share of Power Play time with the second unit.... It's nice to see Parise, a rather sizable fantasy flop last season, start strong. He has great hands and a ton of talent, so he's more than capable of keeping this going.
Next Five: at Pittsburgh, vs. Florida, vs. Columbus, vs. NY Islanders, at Montreal
Get your Devils' skaters in the lineup. Three of the next five are at home, and four of the next five come against mediocre defensive squads that missed the playoffs last season!
Pittsburgh Penguins
Hot: Michel Ouellet (4 G, 3 A, 5 PPP), Ryan Whitney (2 G, 4 A, 10 PIM), Evgeni Malkin (3 G, 1 A, +2), Jordan Staal (3 G, 3 SHP), Marc-Andre Fleury (4-3-0, 2.76 GAA, .924 Sv. %, 1 SHO) Not: John LeClair (0 Pts., -3), Ryan Malone (0 G, 1 A, -4), Nils Ekman (1 G, 3 A, -4), Colby Armstrong (0 Pts., 0 PIM in last four games)
Injuries: Ryan Malone (4-6 Weeks, Broken Forearm)
The Pens have had one of the more celebrated starts around the league, as Sidney Crosby (2 G, 8 A) continues to impress, while Russian rookie Evgeni Malkin has scored in each of his three games. That said, their breakout fantasy player of the early-going is clearly Ouellet, who nobody expected much out of this season. Ouellet, who quietly finished with 32 points in 50 games as a rookie last season, is scorching out of the gates, and already has three multi-point games to his credit this season. He's seeing all kinds of Power Play time(which isn't really much of a shock, considering 18 of his 32 points came on the PP last year) and taking major advantage of his chances. He's someone you should ride while he's hot, because it's unlikely to last forever.
Ryan Whitney is building nicely on his strong rookie showing from a year ago, though Sergei Gonchar's own strong start (6 points, all on the Power Play) mean that he'll likely be relegated to the second unit on the Power Play for a while longer. He's doing a little bit of everything, and has racked up 10 PIMS and 3 PPP to go along with his solid 6 points in 7 games.... Ekman hasn't been bad on the offensive end, and has four points in seven games already, but he was brought in because of his talents as a two-way forward. A -4 rating through seven games when your team is winning just isn't getting it done.... Since racking up 17 PIMS in the first three games, Colby Armstrong hasn't done squat... literally. He's a -1 with no PIMS or points over the last four, failing to capitalize on any of his fifteen shots.... Fleury is establishing himself as a legitimate starting NHL goaltender, rather than the lame duck replacement that he looked like for much of last season.
Next Five: at NY Rangers, vs. Carolina, vs. New Jersey, at NY Islanders *, vs. Columbus
If you're riding Marc-Andre Fleury's hot start, these next three games may be a good time to give him a break. Pittsburgh will play two of the top offensive teams in the league in the Rangers and Hurricanes, and the Devils are no slouches offensively themselves.
New York Islanders
Hot: Alexei Yashin (3 G, 8 A, 7 PPP, +2), Miroslav Satan (1 G, 6 A, +2), Jason Blake (4 G, 2 A, 4 PPP), Tom Poti (2 G, 4 A, 5 PPP), Mike Dunham (2-0-2, 2.20 GAA, .939 Sv. %)
Not: Rick DiPietro (1-3, 4.11 GAA, .892 Sv. %), Trent Hunter (1 G, 1 A)
Injuries: Chris Campoli (Early November, Strained Groin)
Somehow it isn't that surprising that the Islanders picked up a little steam when goaltender Rick DiPietro was out with a groin injury for a few games. The team looked more confident in front of Dunham, who simply appeared to give the club a more talented backstop, rather than give them a third defenseman in the zone. Since starting out 0-3-0 on the West Coast, the Isles have managed at least a point in each of their past five games.
Alexei Yashin had a four-assist night in Saturday's 4-3 overtime win over Nashville, and now has seven of his eleven points in New York's past two games. He should continue to score a ton of points centering Miro Satan and Jason Blake, though, particularly on the Power Play.... Speaking of Satan, while it's nice to see seven points early on, he's their best finisher and has just one goal. Expect more results out of him in the near future... Poti is looking like one of the better signings of the offseason to this point, and is giving the Islanders something that they've severely lacked for a couple of years now... a puck moving defenseman who isn't absolutely terrible in his own zone... Brendan Witt isn't going to end up with a ton of points, but you have to love those 28 PIMS so far. He's landed in the box in all but one of the Islanders' games so far.
Next Five: vs. Buffalo, vs. Florida, vs. Chicago, at New Jersey, vs. Atlanta
Whether you have DiPietro or Dunham, don't even think of starting them (or anyone else, for that matter) against the Sabres. Apart from that, the upcoming schedule isn't that grueling. Four of the next five are at home, and the skaters should be able to produce offensively in all five games.
New York Rangers Hot: Brendan Shanahan (8 G, 2 A, 5 PPG), Jaromir Jagr (2 G, 11 A, 6 PPP, 12 PIM), Michael Nylander (3 G, 10 A, +3), Martin Straka (3 G, 6 A)
Not: Karel Rachunek (1 A, -7), Marcel Hossa (0 Points, -4), Peter Prucha (0 G), Henrik Lundqvist (4-3, 3.52 GAA, .883 Sv. %)
Injuries: Marek Malik (D2d, Root Canal)
All in all, not a bad start for one of the bigger surprises in the league last season. The addition of Shanahan has given them someone capable of lighting the lamp early and often, and his addition on the Jagr line should certainly keep it rolling all year. Michael Nylander continues to show the effect that having a couple of elite linemates can have on a player, even if he's not really the most talented player in the league.Lundqvist is still winning hockey games, but that save percentage is awfully troublesome for a number two fantasy goaltender, much less someone who is expected to be a top ten overall goalie.
Though Hossa still has legitimate prospect status, he's going a long way to prove the theory that good bloodlines (aka, being Marian Hossa's brother) don't necessarily mean results. He's currently looking like the Billy Ripken or Ozzie Canseco of the NHL. He's not strong in his own zone, and he's yet to get on the board... Though he has five points, Peter Prucha is off to somewhat of a disappointing start. A thirty goal scorer as a rookie a year ago, Prucha certainly had a ton of upside as a finisher coming into the season, but has yet to find the net once to this point.... Young Russian defenseman Fedor Tyutin has been working his way into some more important ice time in the early going, and now has at least a point in four of his past five games. He's seeing some time on the second unit of the Power Play, and could eventually get a chance to play the point on the top unit. While Michael Rozsival is coming off a career year, he's simply not much of an obstacle.
Next Five: vs. Florida, at Phoenix, at Los Angeles, at Anaheim, at San Jose
The next three are all very winnable games, and Lundqvist should certainly be started without question. While the Rangers will begin a brutal west coast swing that ends against the powerful Ducks and Sharks, the skaters should be very productive at home against Florida, and Phoenix and the Kings haven't really shown that they can stop anyone defensively to this point. Benching some skaters for the last two, against Anaheim (5th in GAA) and San Jose (7th) might not be a bad idea.
Philadelphia Flyers
Hot: None
Cold: Mike Richards (0 Points, -3), Robert Esche (0-2, 6.51 GAA, .776 Sv. %), Derian Hatcher (0 Points, -10), Kyle Calder (0 Points, -4), Jeff Carter (1 G, 1 A, -3)
Injuries: Peter Forsberg (1-2 Weeks, Sprained Wrist)
OK. I have to admit, as a diehard Devils fan, it warms my heart to see the Flyers as the worst team in hockey. However, as a hockey fan in general, it's horrible to see what's become of them. The team still hasn't really adjusted to the rules changes, and generally runs one of the slowest teams in the league out there on a nightly basis. When your personnel doesn't fit the league, changes are a near guarantee, which led to three players being released this past week and eventually saw GM Bobby Clarke resign and Coach Ken Hitchcock fired Sunday.
After he scored twice in Philly's last game, I considered putting Simon Gagne as their only player who was hot... until I realized that he had a four-game pointless streak heading into that game. Gagne is a must play on a nightly basis. The same goes for a healthy Forsberg, Mike Knuble, and Joni Pitkanen. Apart from those four players, you're simply not seeing much out of Philadelphia right now. Geoff Sanderson's off to a decent start, with five points in eight games, but he's incredibly streaky. Jeff Carter is going to heat up at some point, and he's more than worth your time when he does. If you have a deep bench, grab him. Esche's vomit-inducing start has assuredly set Antero Niittymaki, who has been solid (2.99 GAA, .896 Sv. %) despite the team's horrible start, up as the starter for the foreseeable future. He's still not a great fantasy play by any stretch of the imagination.
The Flyers problems are much bigger than Ken Hitchcock, who may actually be a Hall of Fame coach. For now, they have about four or five guys that look like they should be in the NHL now that the new system is in place. Until they get some more players around them who are fast enough to play in this league, this team isn't going to get much better.
Next Five: vs. Atlanta, vs. Pittsburgh, vs. Chicago, vs. Tampa Bay, vs. Washington
This is a huge stretch for the Flyers, as they'll play a five-game homestand against four non-playoff teams from a year ago. Their competent fantasy players (Gagne, Forsberg [when he's back], Knuble, Pitkanen) up front are must plays, and will be responsible for turning the fortunes of the franchise if they're to make any kind of run this year. If they can't go 4-1 on this homestand, it's time for Philadelphia to start blowing it up and re-tool for the future. Niittymaki is a safe play against Chicago and Washington, though all five of their opponents are more than capable of going off.
James Meyerriecks has been actively involved at FIC since its inception in 2001, and has been writing The Hook throughout the MLB season since 2002. This season, he'll be tackling a weekly hockey column, The Blue Line, as well as a semi-weekly blog called Neutral Zone Trap. He's also represented FIC in a handful of Experts Leagues over the past three seasons and is a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association.
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