Feature Articles

Team	Wins	Losses	OTL	Points	GF	GA	Last 10
Atlanta	8	3	3	19	49	40	5-3-2
Carolina	6	5	2	14	45	47	6-3-1
Florida	5	7	2	12	37	47	3-6-1
Washington	4	3	4	12	35	38	4-2-4
Tampa Bay	5	7	0	10	35	35	4-6-0

 

Atlanta Thrashers

 

Hot: Ilya Kovalchuk (15 points in last eight games. 8 game point streak stopped Wed. including six straight with at least one goal), Scott Mellanby (6 G, 5 A, 2 GWG)

 

Cold: Niko Kapanen (1 G, 0 A), Kari Lehtonen (1-2-0, 4.50 GAA, .831 Sv. % last three starts)

 

Injuries: None

 

The Thrash stormed out of the gate, riding the blazing guns of Marian Hossa (10 goals, 8 assists) for the first couple of weeks before Ilya Kovalchuk just went absolutely nuts this past week. The team is heavily dependent upon production from their two star wingers, so when either of them is hot, the Thrashers should be clicking. What has been unexpected is the production from captain Scott Mellanby, who has had just 65 points in 140 games the past two seasons, but has 11 points already in just 13 games this year.

 

Why is Mellanby heating up a bit? The Thrashers have separated their two big guns, and he’s seen some time on the second line with Hossa. While Kovalchuk is going to score in bunches on the first unit, Hossa is a significantly better playmaker who gets his linemates more involved. Mellanby is also taking some time on the point on the Power Play without an elite offensive defenseman on the squad. While Steve McCarthy continues to come along, they’re still better off with a forward on the point, provided that he has some skill defensively. A checking line winger for much of the tail-end of his career, Mellanby provides just that.

 

Niko Kapanen has to be one of the more disappointing third tier centers in fantasy play so far this season. The expectation was that he would probably be able to outduel Bobby Holik and Steve Rucchin (solid, experienced two-way centers) to earn a lot of time with the top two units. While he’s still seeing some time on the second line, he hasn’t really done a whole lot of anything to prove that he’s a more capable option in the offensive zone than his competition. Since what Atlanta has up front has been working, expect them to stick with it.

 

Lehtonen started the year red hot, allowing just three goals in his first two games. He’s clearly showcasing the potential that has many a fantasy owner salivating in keeper leagues. However, he’s cooled off a touch, and is 1-2-1 in his last four starts with 17 goals against. While he’s going to be fine, it might not be a bad idea to leave him on your bench for his next couple of starts if you have a good third goaltender.

 

Next Five: at Washington, at NY Islanders, vs. Boston, vs. Ottawa, vs. NY Rangers

 

With Lehtonen playing poorly, benching him against Washington (3.18 GF/G) might not be a bad idea. Hopefully he can turn it around quickly, though, since he’ll have the Islanders (19^th in GF/G) and Bruins (29^th in GF/G) coming up right after the Caps. Even if he’s starting to heat up again after that stretch, leaving him on the pine against the Sens (a sleeping giant) and Rangers (9^th in GF/G) might not be that bad an idea. As for your skaters, keep them in for the whole stretch. Only Ottawa ranks better than 19^th in GA per game.

 

Carolina Hurricanes

 

Hot: Eric Staal (7 G, 8 A Last 9 Games), Rod Brind’amour (4 G, 13 A Last 9 Games), Scott Walker (7 Goals Last 8 Games)

 

Cold: Cam Ward (3-2-0, 4.06 GAA, .874 Sv. % Last 5 Games), Glen Wesley (0 Points, -5)

 

Injuries: Corey Stillman (2-3 Months – Shoulder Surgery), Frantisek Kaberle (4 Months – Shoulder Surgery), Eric Staal (D2D - Shoulder), David Tanabe (1-2 Weeks – Upper Body), Niclas Wallin (D2D – Groin)

 

We all knew the ‘Canes were going to get over their early-season funk, but they’re still going to have to make up some ground to challenge the Thrashers for the top spot in the division. Wednesday’s 5-2 win in Atlanta might be the start of their run at them, though Staal injured his shoulder in the second period and could miss a few games.

 

Regardless, the second line has shown that they’re more than capable of picking up the slack when Staal, Ray Whitney, and Erik Cole aren’t at their best. Rod Brind’amour looks rejuvenated after finally sipping from Lord Stanley’s Cup last season, and is tearing the league apart in the season’s first month with eighteen points in thirteen games. You have to think that Brind’amour (who hasn’t maintained a point a game pace since 1995-96, is going to cool off soon, but you have to ride the hot hand for now. Brind’amour had two goals and two assists in Wednesday’s win over Atlanta!

 

Walker, acquired in the offseason for underachieving center Josef Vasicek, seems to be reviving his career after missing much of last season with the Predators. He’s always been a quality power forward with a nice shot and strong hands. However, he’s never had the opportunity to play with a bunch of other veteran leaders around him. Playing with Brind’amour really seems to be taking the pressure off of the former Preds’ captain, and he’s responding.

 

The goaltending hasn’t been what you would hope for early, though Cam Ward certainly hasn’t been horrible by any stretch. He just looks streaky (imagine that!). He has spurts where he looks fantastic (i.e., Wednesday’s win, where he stopped 40 of 42 shots) and others where he just looks absolutely flat. If you drafted him, you should have expected this. He’s young and coming off of the high of winning the Conn Smythe as a rookie. It would seem that there’s nowhere to go but down for him, though he’ll likely still develop into a very good goalie in the future. Unfortunately, the bar is set to “great” right now.

 

Next Five: vs. Montreal, at Ottawa, at New Jersey, vs. Washington, vs. Pittsburgh

 

I’ll be honest. I don’t like Ward in any of these games. The Habs and Penguins both rank in the top ten in GF/G, while Ottawa ranks twelfth (and should improve upon that the rest of the way). The Caps are predominantly a one line team, which means that if the Canes can defend Alexander Semin and Alexander Ovechkin, Ward should be just fine. However, Richard Zednik and Dainius Zubrus showed some signs of life behind them this week. The Devils are another team that really just boasts one dominant line, but hasn’t shown a whole lot in the way of depth. If you have to start Ward, take him against the Devils and Caps, but don’t even think about him against the Sens or Pens. Ottawa and New Jersey are both capable of limiting the goals against them, but the skaters should have little trouble scoring in the other three games.

 

Florida Panthers

 

Hot: None

 

Cold: Alexander Auld (0-5-0, 4.15 GAA, .848 Sv. % Last Five), Whole Offense (4 Goals Last Three Games)

 

Injuries: Todd Bertuzzi (Undisclosed – Hernia), Joe Nieuwendyk (1-2 Weeks - Back Spasms)

 

Auld and the Panthers stared the season strong, but they’ve lost seven of nine to drop back to their usual also-ran status. Both conferences figure to be wide open for the last few playoff spots, though, so an early-season slump isn’t anything that’s necessarily going to kill them. The irony seems to be just how much this club seems to be missing Bertuzzi (who is contemplating surgery) since he hit the IR on October 18.

 

With Bertuzzi, the Panthers were a quality offensive team, scoring 21 goals in 7 games. Since he got hurt, they’ve scored just 16 in their past 7. Bertuzzi clears out a lot of space, which would certainly account for the skill players on the top line with him having better chances when he’s in the lineup. However, with all of the bad press that Bertuzzi has received since the Steve Moore incident a few years ago, it’s often difficult to remember just how big a difference-maker he can be on the ice.

 

Auld (aka, the other key player they received in the Luongo deal) was absolutely magnificent to start the year, going 3-0-1 in his first four starts (with the loss being a 2-1 shootout loss in which he stopped 47 of 48 shots!). However, he’s been nearly as bad in his past five starts as he was good in his first few. Though he can’t be faulted for his last two losses (2-0 and 2-1 against the Devils and Sharks, respectively) because he could have won with a little support, he was pulled twice in the three starts leading up to them. He needs to find some consistency and some support if he’s to have any value as a fantasy goaltender. At 40, Eddie Belfour has been outplaying Auld since mid-October.

 

Next Five: vs. Toronto, vs. NY Rangers, at Buffalo, at New Jersey, vs. Washington

 

It’s not about to get any easier for the Panthers. Three of the next five they’ll face made the playoffs last year (and are expected to this year) while the Leafs have been as big an early-season surprise as there is in the NHL right now. Avoid their goaltending situation until Auld settles down (he’s showing signs of life), particularly considering that Buffalo (which currently leads the NHL in GF/G by more than a goal!) is on the schedule. The skaters are going to continue to have a rough go of it as well, so unless we’re talking about someone elite (i.e, Olli Jokinen), use your other options.

 

Washington Capitals

 

Hot: Dainius Zubrus (7 G, 3 A last 9 games), Richard Zednik (signs of life… 2 G, 1 A last time out), Olaf Kolzig (2-1-0, 2.27 GAA, .947 Sv. % Last Three Games)

 

Cold: Alexander Semin (Three Games Pointless Streak)

 

Injuries: None

 

Admittedly, the reason that only Semin appears in the cold box is that nobody expects much out of the Caps offensively out of a handful of players. Semin’s return from Russia gives them someone to at least complement Alexander Ovechkin as another quality scorer.

 

Zubrus is coming off a career year, and he’s showing signs that he may actually build on it in the early going. As long as he continues to play with Ovechkin, he’s a more than adequate fantasy play who could very well earn center eligibility to give him some flexibility in the lineup in the near future. For now, he’s just eligible on the right wing, but he finds his way to contribute just enough across the board to be a lower-tier second option depending upon your league size.

 

Zednik was brought back (there are probably very few of us who remember when he was traded to Montreal a few years ago) to give them some additional scoring punch on the second line. He was struggling hardcore until the other night, when he was shifted down to the fourth line. Zednik responded with a pair of goals and a Power Play assist on Zubrus’ first goal of the evening.

 

I have to see a little more out of Chris Clark (3 G, 7 A) before recommending him as a legitimate fantasy option, but he’s off to a nice start. Don’t go rushing out to grab him, though. He’s a third-line (aka, checking) winger on most teams, but gets to see a little more ice-time with the scoring lines because Washington doesn’t have a whole lot of depth. He’s coming off a career best season, with 20 goals and 19 assists in 2005-06, but he’s been around for a while and didn’t suddenly turn into a point a game player.

 

Ollie the Goalie has looked strong lately, and has always been the kind of guy who runs hot and cold in stretches. If he’s sitting on your waiver wire, you could do worse for the time being. Just be sure you sit him (or drop him) when he cools off.

 

Next Five: vs. Atlanta, at Philadelphia, vs. Ottawa, at Carolina, vs. NY Rangers

 

This is certainly an unfavorable schedule for both skaters and goaltenders. The only weak opponent they’ll be facing in the stretch is the Flyers, and that’s one of their two road games. The Thrashers, Rangers, and Hurricanes all rank in the top ten in GF/G, while the Sens are just outside of it. On the positive side, starting Kolzig against the Flyers (last in GF/G) could allow for some relief. Choose your matchups wisely. Ottawa and Atlanta are both strong at keeping the puck out of their own net, so unless you have Ovechkin, consider benching your skaters in these games.

 

Tampa Bay Lightning

 

Hot: Vincent Lecavalier (5 game point streak, 4 game goal-scoring streak), Martin St. Louis (5 game point streak, 4 game goal-scoring streak [6 G, 2 A])

 

Cold: None

 

Injuries: Ryan Craig (1 Month – Sprained MCL), Rob Dimaio (Indefinitely – Concussion)

 

You saw it in my preview. I don’t have high hopes for the Lightning this season. They’re very talented up front, particularly on the first two lines. They’re even better than they were last season in goal with Marc Denis. However, the defense just doesn’t look strong enough to keep the puck off of him.

 

Denis hasn’t faced an inordinate amount of shots to this point (just under 26 a game), but the defense hasn’t proved that it’s strong enough to move the opposition off the puck in their own zone, which is costing their skill players some valuable time in the attacking zone. This certainly isn’t the only problem for Tampa Bay, but it’s something that’s going to haunt them all season.

 

Beyond Lecavalier, St. Louis, and Brad Richards, they need someone to step up offensively and bury some pucks. St. Louis and Lecavalier are absolutely on fire in the past week, but they’ve also scored over half of the team’s goals in the past four games. They’re going to need some help to carry this team into the playoffs, though.

 

Ryan Craig was looking like he might be the guy who would step up, netting five goals in his first seven games. Unfortunately, he’ll be out for at least a month with a sprained MCL (it’d be nice if Yahoo put him [or Barrett Jackman, who has been on the Blues’ IR for almost a month now, for that matter!] on the IR for those of you who play your fantasy hockey there). Nikita Alexeev is finally stepping into a more prominent role, while Ruslan Fedotenko has stepped up his early-season production a touch as well. If the ‘Ning can get strong contributions from these two until Craig returns, they’ll remain right in the thick of things.

 

Next Five: at Philadelphia, at Boston, at NY Islanders, at Pittsburgh, vs. Atlanta

 

A more favorable four-game road trip has never been seen. The Lightning will start out their trip to the northeast by facing the Flyers (30^th in GF/G, 29^th in GA/G) and Bruins (29^th in GF/G, 27^th in GA/G) and hope to get on a roll. While the Islanders have picked up the pace lately, they rank in the middle of the pack in both Goals For and Against. The Pens are bound to put a couple of biscuits in the basket, but they’ve also had the worst defense in hockey the past two seasons. By the time they get home and have to face Atlanta, they should have fattened up a bit. Both skaters and goaltenders must be started for at least the first three, and figure to still be favorable against the Pens and Thrashers.

 

Speaking of the Pens… How about that Evgeni Malkin kid! He scored twice tonight, including the game-winner in overtime, and is now the first player in the history of the league to score a goal in each of his first six games!