Feature Articles

The Central continues to look like what we expected it might (save the horrific showing by Columbus to this point). It’s a tale of two divisions. The top two (Detroit and Nashville) are amongst the best teams in the west. However, they have ample opportunity to fatten up on three of the worst teams in the conference. The Blues (13) and Blue Jackets (11) currently rank 27^th and 30^th in the league in points, while the Blackhawks aren’t much better with just 18 points themselves.

Detroit Red Wings

Hot: Nicklas Lidstrom (Five Game Point Streak, +8 in November), Henrik Zetterberg (4 G, 1 A in Last Six), Daniel Cleary (5 G, 2 A, +6 in Last Five), Dominik Hasek (7-1-0, 1.63 GAA, .918 Sv. %, 2 SHO in Last Eight)

Cold: Robert Lang (3 G, 1 A in Last Ten), Nicklas Kronwall (Five Game Scoreless Streak, 0 G, 3 A in 16 games this season)

Injuries: Jason Williams (D2D – Concussion), Nicklas Kronwall (D2D – Groin), Chris Osgood (D2D – Hand), Tomas Holmstrom (D2D – Groin), Jiri Fischer (Indefinitely – Heart Irregularity)

No Stevie Y? No Shanahan? No problem! Though the Red Wings style is markedly different from what most of us have come to expect out of them over the past decade, they’re still tearing up the league, and had won nine in a row prior to Friday’s 4-1 loss in Calgary. Rather than the typical high-flying offensive hockey that we’ve seen from Detroit since the mid-nineties, they’re winning with defense… and they may just have the best goaltender in the past two decades leading the way.

I still remember hearing Red Wings’ fans let out a collective groan when the Wings went out and signed the Dominator this offseason. Don’t get too excited yet if you’re an owner (or a fan). The reason for the complaints was that he is/was a groin injury waiting to happen. That complaint should still have plenty of validity, but you just have to admit that he’s still absolutely brilliant when he’s healthy. Hasek carried the Wings over the past few weeks, allowing more than two goals just once during his seven game win streak while notching a pair of shutouts along the way. To prove just how important it’s been to have a healthy Hasek instead of journeyman Chris Osgood between the pipes, Hasek saw more than three goals of support in just two of those seven victories. There are better goaltenders in terms of moving the puck up ice. There are better goaltenders in terms of using their defense wisely to help them contain the puck. However, there is nobody more capable of stealing a game in the NHL than Dominik Hasek.

Of course, the defense in front of Hasek has been equally as brilliant, limiting the Wings’ opponents to 25 shots or less in each of his past nine starts. While there are many defensemen who are better checkers than Nicklas Lidstrom, he’s as technically sound in his own zone as it gets, and he’s heating up in the offensive zone as well. Lidstrom leads the Wings with sixteen points so far this season, and he has a handful of better checking defensemen around him in Mathieu Schneider, Chris Chelios, and Brett Lebda.

Detroit’s problem, however, has been that the young European guns on the top lines can’t seem to get going. After an 87 point season last year, Russian center Pavel Datsyuk has started slow, and has just 12 points through his first 18 games this season. Perhaps the bigger disappointment, however, is Henrik Zetterberg, who netted 39 goals and finished with 85 points a year ago, but has just 8 points through 18 games in 2006-07. Zetterberg has picked up the pace a bit in November, and has five points (four goals) in his past six games. The window to buy low on Zetterberg may be starting to close, so make one last push if you need a bigtime left winger.

Lang’s struggles are a symptom of the offense as a whole. They simply don’t seem nearly as creative as they have been in year’s past, and they don’t have the experience around Lang to take the defensive pressure off of him when he’s on the ice. He got a chance to play alongside the red hot Daniel Cleary in Friday’s loss, which could very well continue as Cleary mustered the only Red Wings’ goal in Calgary. Cleary has always had the potential to develop into a solid scorer, and we can hope that this isn’t just a brief hot streak for him.

Next Five: at Edmonton, vs. Vancouver, vs. St. Louis, at Nashville, vs. Dallas

For a team that’s struggling to score, you can’t like seeing three of the top ten (including #1 Dallas) defensive teams in the league coming up on the schedule. However, they do also have a home contest coming up against a soft defensive team in the Blues. On the positive side, Hasek should continue to keep the puck out of the net, as they’ll face the 28^th (Vancouver) and 29^th (St. Louis) best offenses in the NHL as well. The hope is that Zetterberg and Datsyuk can find ways to start getting the rest of their linemates to heat up during this stretch. More importantly, they’ll look forward to the returns of Williams and Holmstrom in the coming week.

Nashville Predators

Hot: Steve Sullivan (4 G, 9 A in Last Ten), David Legwand (3 G, 1 A in Last Two), J.P. Dumont (3 G, 6 A in Last Ten), Kimmo Timonen (2 G, 3 A in Last Six), Tomas Vokoun (8-1-1, 2.18 GAA, .931 Sv. %, 1 SHO in Last Ten)

Cold: Scott Hartnell (0 G, 1 A in Last Eight), Jordin Tootoo (0 G, 0 A in 17 games this season)

Injuries: Shea Weber (D2D – Nose)

What makes the top of the Central Division so fun isn’t that every game they play against each other will have a dramatic impact on who wins the division… it’s the contrast in styles. While the Red Wings currently rank second in the league defensively and 23^rd offensively, the Preds are seventeenth defensively and fourth in the league in goals per game. They’re deep, fast, and exciting to watch, but their young defense has had a little too much trouble keeping the puck off of goaltender Tomas Vokoun at times this season.

Vokoun has settled down, however. After getting roughed up for thirteen goals in his first two games this season after returning from a blood clot that cut short his 2005-06 season, Vokoun has allowed just 22 goals in his past ten starts, eight of which were victories. To show the contrast in their defenses, though, while Detroit has allowed 25 shots or less in each of Hasek’s past nine starts, Vokoun has faced 25 or more shots in nine of his past ten starts (including 30+ in five of them). He’s been fantastic, though, and it’s safe to say that any rust that he may have been feeling has been completely shaken off.

Though the Preds scored just one goal combined in games on back to back nights against the Red Wings and Avalanche last week, though, the offense is carrying them. They’ve scored an average of 3.47 goals per game (compared to 2.67 for Detroit) this season, including five outbursts of four goals or more during their past ten. Speedy winger Steve Sullivan has been at the forefront of their recent run, notching thirteen points in his last ten games, while Paul Kariya provides another constant scoring presence from night to night.

The rest of the Predators are extremely talented, but they tend to run hot and cold in spurts. Right now, David Legwand, who still has the potential to develop into a number one center in the future, is starting to heat up, with nine points in his last nine games. Martin Erat has built a bit on his strong October with three assists in the first six games in November. J.P. Dumont, signed after the Sabres declined his arbitration ruling, took a little while to find his legs in Nashville, but he seems to be finding them now, and has nine points in his last ten games.

The defensemen are, for the most part, still a bit green in their own zone. However, the whole crew is starting to pick up the pace at the offensive end of the rink. Kimmo Timonen is starting to find the zone as the top Power Play QB, while young gun Ryan Suter has found the net three times in his past seven games. Shea Weber, expected to be one of the better defensive defensemen on the Predators, is becoming a two-way force. Even Dan Hamhuis has started putting it together a bit in the past few weeks, and has three points in his last seven starts. Regardless, Timonen and Marek Zidlicky are the only absolute constant scoring presences on the blue line… for now.

Scotty Hartnell has been a major disappointment so far this season, and has just eight points on the year. The emerging power forward made some nice strides last season, scoring 25 goals for the first time in his career. However, he just can’t seem to get it going right now, despite his team’s success on the offensive end of the rink. Jordin Tootoo looked like someone who had solid potential as a third-line winger, but he’s yet to find the scoresheet in seventeen games this season.

Next Five: at Columbus, at Dallas, vs. Vancouver, vs. Detroit, at Philadelphia

We’re excluding Saturday’s home contest (which they currently lead 4-0) against the Jackets and heading straight to the second of their home and home against Columbus. Either way, the first game against Columbus and the other piece of bread on the five-game sandwich (Philadelphia) present some nice matchups both offensively and defensively for the Predators. Dallas, Vancouver, and Detroit have all been anemic offensively, which means that you should expect to see strong showings from Vokoun in those games. However, Vancouver is in the top ten defensively, while the Stars and Red Wings rank 1-2 in goals against per game, so the goals may be a little tougher to come by for Nashville.

Chicago Blackhawks

Hot: Radim Vrbata (2 G, 3 A in Last Six), Martin Lapointe (Goal in Two Straight), Bryan Smolinski (Four Game Point Streak), Brian Boucher (1-1-2, 1.20 GAA, .955 Sv. % in November),

Cold: Brent Seabrook (0 G, 1 A in Last Ten)

Injuries: Michal Handzus (Season – Torn ACL), Martin Havlat (1-2 Weeks – Sprained Ankle), Rene Bourque (4-6 Weeks – Neck Surgery), Patrick Lalime (2-3 Months – Back Surgery)

The Hawks have been incredibly streaky, and while the scoring doesn’t suggest it, they’re rolling right now. They began the year by indicating that they may be significantly improved from last season, but suffered a seven game losing streak after a decent start. Since the seven game losing streak ended, however, they’ve managed at least a point in their past five games, three of them wins.

The defense (and goaltending) has looked particularly strong lately after some shoddy play to start the year. Brian Boucher has been brilliant in his past four starts, though he’s won just one of them. He’s allowed just five goals on 111 shots so far this month, and it’s safe to say that he’ll remain as the primary backup to Nikolai Khabibulin now that the Wall has returned. As for the Wall, Khabibulin looked strong in his return from a broken finger Friday, and allowed just three goals in a 4-3 shootout win over a legitimate Cup contender in Anaheim. Even third-stringer Sebastian Caron looked terrific in his only start while Khabibulin was on the IR.

Assuming that the Blackhawks can keep this strong defensive effort going, they could certainly be a force to be reckoned with when Martin Havlat (13 points in 7 games) returns from the IR in early December. The offense simply hasn’t looked nearly as dominant as it did early in the season when he was healthy, but they do have enough quality role players (Tuomo Ruutu, Bryan Smolinski) even without Rene Bourque or Michal Handzus in the lineup that they could rise in the standings when their superstar returns.

While the defense has looked much stronger in their own zone over the past few weeks than we’ve seen them look in years, nobody along the blue-line is making much of a contribution offensively. Brent Seabrook has the potential to develop into a number two fantasy defenseman with the proper talent around him as a Power Play QB, but he has just four points on the year. Duncan Keith (5 points) also has a chance to become a fantasy force some day, but his time isn’t here yet. Lasse Kukkonen had a strong start, but has cooled off considerably in the past few weeks.

Next Five: at Vancouver, at Calgary, at Edmonton, vs. Dallas, vs. St. Louis

They’re struggling to score, and it’s going to continue. The next four teams on the ‘Hawks schedule are all in the top ten defensively. Expect the goaltending to stay strong, but expect their little hot streak to come to an end during their trip through Canada. When Havlat returns, if the ‘Hawks can still sniff .500, don’t be surprised if they become a darkhorse playoff contender.

St. Louis Blues

Hot: Keith Tkachuk (4 G, 7 A, 25 PIM in Last Ten), Martin Rucinsky (2 G, 5 A in Last Ten),

Cold: Dennis Wideman (Scoreless, -3 in Last Nine), Christian Backman (0 G, 1 A in Last Nine), Jay McClement (1 G, 0 A in Last Nine), Manny Legace (Pulled in Last Two Starts)

Injuries: Petr Cajanek (D2D – Hip), Curtis Sanford (1-2 Weeks – Groin Strain), Dan Hinote (D2D – Neck), Matt Walker (D2D – Groin Strain)

Are they better than last year? Sure. Are they really any good? Nah. It’s going to take some time for the Blues to catch up with the new system, and it’s probably going to have to come with the infusion of some strong drafting to go along with a few more crafty free agent signings in the years to come.

Keith Tkachuk is still the same dominant force that he’s always been, and he’s showcasing his fantastic shot, his good vision, and his mean streak a lot lately. Unfortunately, he’s going to need a lot more help in order to make this team even adequate offensively. Marty Rucinsky, Petr Cajanek (injured), Doug Weight, Lee Stempniak, and Bill Guerin are all capable of helping him, but none of them have been able to produce in anything more than just spurts so far this season.

The defense received a boost with the return of Barrett Jackman last week, but it hasn’t shown on the scoresheet. While Jackman has only one use as a fantasy defenseman (and he’s not making the most of it, with just 6 PIM this season), he’s both St. Louis’ top checker and best marker defensively. Though he rarely finds his name on the scoresheet, he’s good for a solid +/- despite playing for a pretty shaky team, and is at least off to a decent +1 start in that department. Dennis Wideman and Christian Backman, who are asked from offensive contributions from the blue line, haven’t done much offensively for weeks, which would certainly explain the 2-7-1 record in their last ten.

To mildly understate things, Legace has been horrible this season for St. Louis, and even lost the job as the primary starter (after winning it in camp) before Curtis Sanford was injured last week. He hasn’t done much to try and win back his job so far, as he was pulled after allowing four goals in just 21 minutes in Edmonton on Thursday.

Next Five: at Columbus, at Detroit, vs. Phoenix, vs. San Jose, vs. Nashville

The Blues have two very winnable games in their next five, as well as a contest against the rival Red Wings, who they always seem to be able to amp up their performance against. Feel safe starting your skaters in every game except for the fourth one against the Sharks, and consider picking up Legace or backup Jason Bacashihua for their game in Columbus (shut out a league high five times this season) and Phoenix. Just make sure it’s only for a spot start, though.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Hot: Rick Nash (3 G, 4 A in Last Eight),

Cold: Nikolai Zherdev (Scoreless in Last Six), Manny Malhotra (0 G, 1 A in Last Ten), Anson Carter (1 G, 0 A in Last Ten), Adam Foote (1 A, -6 in Last Ten), Gilbert Brule (Scoreless in Last Eight), Pascal LeClaire (Allowed Four Goals or More in Five of Last Six Starts)

Injuries: Duvie Westcott (5-7 Weeks – Broken Finger), Jody Shelley (D2D – Finger), Bryan Berard (2-3 Months – Back Surgery)

The Jackets, who finished like a house afire last season, figured to be a contender for a playoff berth in the preseason. However, the offense just hasn’t gotten much of anything going so far this season, and has only two players (Rick Nash and David Vyborny) who are contributing much of anything on a consistent basis. This has led to a league-worst five shutouts against them and the worst record in the league to this point.

Nash and Vyborny remain solid additions to any fantasy team, while winger Nikolai Zherdev and center Sergei Fedorov are likely to pick up the pace. However, apart from them, not many Jackets look like they’re going to be of much use at all this season. In a league that’s designed itself so that rookies can succeed right away, two-way center prospect Gilbert Brule has been awful in thirteen games this season, notching just one goal and no assists so far. A handful of other promising youngsters, such as Alexander Svitov and Dan Fritsche, have all scored less than five points through eighteen games this season, and aren’t adjusting to the NHL level as well as the Jackets would have hoped.

Pascal LeClaire started the season strong, but hasn’t looked the same since the beginning of November, as he’s watched his GAA rise from 2.66 in the season’s first month to 4.23 so far in November. Considering that he’s facing less shots per game so far this month, he’s definitely becoming an issue between the pipes for Columbus. They currently rank 19^th in goals against per game and a distant 30^th in goals for per game, as they’ve scored just 2.18 goals a game this season.

Next Five: vs. St. Louis, at Philadelphia, vs. Minnesota, at Vancouver, at Calgary

If there is such a thing, the Jackets have a couple of games that look almost favorable to start their upcoming stretch, as the Blues and Flyers are both just a couple of points better than the Blue Jackets so far. Neither is particularly strong offensively or defensively, though the Flyers certainly showed some signs of life on their recent west coast trip. Facing three of the Northwest’s defensive stalwarts afterwards could lead to a lot of trouble for the league’s worst scoring team.