Feature Articles

For the most part, this has been one of the better divisions in hockey for the past couple of weeks. Even dropping down to last place Phoenix, every team in the division has played .500 hockey in their past ten games. While the Stars (particularly Marty Turco, who was rocked on his trip to the Southeast a few weeks ago) have struggled a bit lately near the top of the division, the Sharks and Ducks have each won four of five to create some separation.

Anaheim Ducks

Hot: Teemu Selanne (7 G, 9 A, +6, 8 PPP in Last Nine), Chris Pronger (3 G, 15 A, +11, 10 PPP in November), Todd Marchant (3 G, 2 A, +4 in Last Four), Jean-Sebastian Giguere (4-0-1, 1.95 GAA, .929 Sv. % in Last Five)

Cold: None

Injuries: Ilya Bryzgalov (1-2 Weeks – Lower Body)

Chris Pronger has made his presence felt in Anaheim quite a bit this month. He’s rolling on both ends of the ice, finding seams in passing lanes, and even finishing a little more than usual lately. Most importantly, Pronger, who has been prone to take a lot of stupid penalties in the past, has stayed out of the box for the most part this season. Through 26 games, Pronger has just 14 PIM on the year. While that may not be helping his fantasy value directly, it’s led to bigger numbers in other areas, like his 14 PPP (on pace for a career-best 44) and his massive +17 rating at this point in the year.

Teemu Selanne has gotten the top line clicking again, with sixteen points in his past nine games. This was highlighted by his fantastic five assist performance in a 6-4 win over the Coyotes on November 19, as Selanne, more known for his goal-scoring ability, was able to feed his linemates all night. All told, the Finnish Flash has at least a point in twelve of fourteen games this month, while he’s found the net in five of his last seven games.

Though Chris Kunitz and Ryan Getzlaf haven’t exactly been on fire lately, they’ve still found ways to prove that they’re more than useful in fantasy circles. Kunitz finds himself fourth on the team with 21 points, though he did suffer through a moderate three-game streak without a point last week. He still found some use, though, as he’s a +3 in the past two games. Getzlaf endured some struggles in the middle of the month, and found his name on the scoresheet just once in six games from November 15 through November 24. However, he’s followed it up by scoring in each of the past two games, including the game-winner in overtime Tuesday against Edmonton.

The Ducks, who have been lucky to avoid the injury bug for the most part this season, did suffer injuries to each of their two goaltenders last week, though J.S. Giguere didn’t miss any time at all with his groin injury. His primary backup, Ilya Bryzgalov, has hit the IR with a nagging lower-body injury of his own. Bryzgalov hopes to be back as early as next week. Mike Wall made a solid start, winning 5-3 over the Flames, and has been the only goaltender to play in his stead. The Ducks have also recalled rookie David McKee, who is expected to take over as the temporary backup.

Next Five: at Vancouver, at Los Angeles, vs. Los Angeles, vs. Nashville, at Washington

No matter who the Ducks start in net, they’re a good play for the next three games. The Canucks currently rank 29^th in GF/G, while the Kings are 21^st. With the way that Giguere has played this season, you have to start him against Nashville next Wednesday, but be aware of the fact that he may give up a goal or two more than usual… the Preds rank third in the league in GF/G, and are rolling lately. While the Canucks may keep the scoring down when the Ducks come to visit, start all of your skaters with confidence the rest of the way. The Kings (25^th) and Capitals (28^th) both tend to give up a lot of goals, while the Predators will be starting backup Chris Mason.

San Jose Sharks

Hot: Steve Bernier (4 G, 6 A, +8 in Last Nine), Marc-Edouard Vlasic (1 G, 5 A, +4 in Last Ten), Vesa Toskala (6-1-0, 1.80 GAA, .939 Sv. % in November.. SHO last Time Out),

Cold: Matt Carle (Scoreless in Last Nine), Christian Ehrhoff (Scoreless in Last Eight), Mark Bell (0 G, 1 A in November)

Injuries: Milan Michalek (1-2 Weeks – Arm), Jonathan Cheechoo (1-2 Weeks – Leg)

Despite a 5-0 blowout at the hands of the Ducks last week, the Sharks have been virtually untouchable in November. They’ve won nine of twelve as they’ve jumped to the third best record in the NHL. Unfortunately, they find themselves stuck in a division with the league’s second-best team, which means that they’re going to have to crank it up even more, or deal with the number four seed come playoff time.

Injuries to their top two right wingers (Michalek and Cheechoo) certainly haven’t helped matters offensively, as the Sharks have scored just four goals in their past two games (both 2-0 wins). The fact that last year’s Hart Trophy winner Joe Thornton had been paired up with either (or both) of them at times this season means that San Jose’s best player hasn’t had his opportunity to really heat up with his usual linemates for the past couple of weeks. Thornton has still been more than adequate as a top fantasy center the past couple of weeks, scoring four goals and adding four assists in his past seven games, but that’s not what most of his owners signed on for.

On the positive side, second-year winger Steve Bernier has continued to flourish, and is giving the team a much-needed boost without two of their better goal-scorers. Bernier continues to show a lot of promise as a strong power forward, and is already within just seven points of his season total from last season. He’s got tremendous size (6’2, 230) and loves to go to the net.

The blue-liners are still playing fantastic hockey in their own zone, but have dropped off a bit on the attack. Neither Christian Ehrhoff nor Matt Carle, each of whom had strong offensive showings in the first month, have recorded a point in the past eight games. However, they’re still both on the positive side of the ledger lately, as the Sharks have allowed just twenty goals in their past ten as a team.

This has been largely due to the fine goaltending of Evgeni Nabokov and Vesa Toskala. Both Nabokov and Toskala recorded shutouts in their last starts, while the two have combined to allow just one blowup of more than three goals all month long. Toskala, in particular, has made himself a legitimate fantasy number one despite having to play in a platoon role. The Finn, in his third season with the club, has won twelve of his fourteen starts this season, and boasts a fantastic GAA (1.98) and Save Percentage (.930).

Next Five: at Minnesota, at Detroit, at Dallas, vs. Colorado, vs. Nashville

The Sharks’ offensive mettle is about to be tested. The Wild (8^th), Wings (3^rd), and Stars (1^st) are all among the best defensive teams in the league. On the positive side, none of them are lighting the world on fire offensively, so the Sharks’ fine defensive play should keep their opponents’ scoring down as well. The only really strong offense they’ll face in this upcoming stretch is the final game, hosting Nashville.

Dallas Stars

Hot: Mike Ribeiro (2 G, 3 A in Last Five), Sergei Zubov (2 G, 8 A, 5 PPP in Last Ten), Phillipe Boucher (3 PPG, 2 A in Last Six), Mike Smith (3-1-0, 1.81 GAA, .919 Sv. %, 1 SHO in November)

Cold: Jere Lehtinen (1 G, 1 A in November), Marty Turco (1-3-0, 3.23 GAA, .903 Sv. % in Last Five)

Injuries: Brenden Morrow (D2D – Groin), Trevor Daley (1-2 Weeks – Concussion), Steve Ott (4-6 Weeks – Fractured Ankle)

Though the Stars trademark strong defensive style suffered a bit, beginning with a trip to Atlanta and Carolina, in the past couple of weeks, they seem to be right back on track defensively in their past three. Rookie Mike Smith (5-1-0, 1.53, .937) has started to see a little more action with Marty Turco struggling a bit, but there shouldn’t be anything to worry about for Turco owners. If anything, you can be thankful that the Stars have found someone who can keep Turco fresh.

The offense, on the other hand, still leaves a lot to be desired. Though they exploded for fourteen goals in a three-game stretch two weeks ago, the Stars seem to be right back to normal offensively, having scored just seven goals in their past three games (five of which came in a win over the Kings). The on again/off again presence of captain Brenden Morrow has certainly put a damper on things in Dallas, as he’s played just once since suffering a groin injury November 20 in Colorado.

Mike Ribeiro continues to look like one of the better free agent signings of the offseason. He never really achieved star status in his few years in Montreal, but he did prove to be an effective fifty to sixty point man who was capable of notching twenty goals. In a system much more geared towards strong defensive play, he’s matching those typical career numbers he put up in Montreal, where he had much more freedom on the attack. Playing alongside Eric Lindros on the second line has helped create some space for Ribeiro, and while he’s not taking too many chances, he’s finding his way onto the scoresheet on a regular basis.

Sergei Zubov has stepped up his play offensively, something Dallas will need the rest of the way. Zubov, long considered among the best Power Play QBs in the world, struggled to start the year, with just five points in October. He’s finding his mates up front this month, though, and also adding a bit more of a finishing touch from the point. Zubov has eight points this November, all in the past ten games, and is again looking like a fantasy fixture.

Phillipe Boucher recorded his first career hat trick, notching all three goals on the Power Play in a 5-3 win over the Los Angeles Kings last week. He’s always been slightly above average on the offensive end for a defenseman, and he’s made much better use of his terrific shot from the point in the past two years. After scoring an average of just 4.5 goals per season in his first twelve years in the league, Boucher scored sixteen goals last season, and already has six to his credit in 2006-07. Toss in his 43 PIM to this point and a +75 rating in four years since joining the Stars, and there’s no way he should be available in any league.

Next Five: at Chicago, at Washington, vs. Minnesota, vs. San Jose, vs. Phoenix

All in all, this should end up being a pretty nice stretch for the Stars both offensively and defensively. The Blackhawks are in the bottom ten of the league in scoring and goals allowed, while the Caps are in the middle of the pack offensively and rank 28^th in goals allowed. Minnesota’s numbers are a bit inflated from the beginning of the season, but they’re struggling horribly to find the net of late. The Sharks have the second-ranked defense in the league, but have scored just four goals in their past two games. While Phoenix has surprisingly won five of their last ten, they still rank 25^th offensively and 29^th defensively.

Los Angeles Kings

Hot: Alexander Frolov (10 G, 6 A, 6 PPP, 2 SHP in November), Anze Kopitar (1 G, 5 A, 5 PPP in Last Five), Michael Cammalleri (3 G, 8 A, 5 PPP in Last Ten), Lubomir Visnovsky (4 G, 8 A in November), Dustin Brown (4 G, 3 A, 5 PPP in Last Seven), Rob Blake (1 G, 4 A, 5 PPP in Last Four), Mathieu Garon (2-1-1, 2.14 GAA, .909 Sv. % in Last Five)

Cold: Sean Avery (2 PIM During Four Game Scoreless Streak), Dan Cloutier (Allowed Four Goals or More in Three of Past Five)

Injuries: Brent Sopel (4-6 Weeks – Broken Ankle), Oleg Tverdosky (1-2 Weeks – Groin), Alyn McCauley (Indefinite – Knee Surgery), Jeff Cowan (Indefinite – Chest)

The top line, comprised of three players who are all under 25, continues to come together. Alexander Frolov has taken Anze Kopitar under his wing and helped Mike Cammalleri develop into a more consistent presence on the scoring sheet by carrying this team offensively in the past few weeks. Frolov has been particularly dominant over the past couple of weeks, as he’s had eight goals in his past six games. He has a great nose for the net, good speed, and tremendous creativity. In short, he’s simply doing what’s expected of him. Kopitar and Cammalleri both have great futures as well, and are capable finishers themselves.

Splitting time between the first and second line, Dustin Brown is showing dramatic improvement in his second full season. Brown has recorded five points in his past four games, four of which came with the man advantage. He has great speed, soft hands, and actually plays pretty well in his own zone as well. He should continue to see more time in special teams situations, and is well worth a look if he’s sitting on your waiver wire.

Lubomir Visnovsky and Rob Blake have cranked up the blue line presence in the attacking zone of late. Visnovsky has always had a terrific shot from the point, and also has enough speed to help lead the rush when called upon. Blake, more known for his bone-jarring hits, is taking a bit more of a leadership role along the blue line this season. However, as the kids around him have come together, so has his offensive game. After just eight points in his first 21 games this season, Blake has put things together in the past week, including back to back two-assist games.

Mathieu Garon continues to show that the team probably shouldn’t have bothered grabbing Dan Cloutier this offseason. While Cloutier has been below average all year, Garon has improved on his strong showing in his first chance at being a true number one last season. Garon has been particularly strong lately, allowing just ten goals in his last five appearances, and seems to have worked his way out of the platoon situation that he was stuck in early in the year.

Next Five: at Phoenix, vs. Anaheim, at Anaheim, vs. Nashville, vs. Colorado

On the positive side, three of the next five come at home. On the negative, they’ll face the high-powered Ducks (2^nd in the league in GF/G) and Predators (3^rd) in three of the five. Phoenix has been playing much better of late, winning four of seven, and could present a bit of a challenge. However, the Kings need this stretch to test just how good their young offensive players are. The back to back games against their cross-town rivals should be a nice measuring stick for Kopitar, Cammalleri, Frolov, and Brown up front, even if they aren’t likely to win either of the two.

Phoenix Coyotes

Hot: Ed Jovanovski (1 G, 4 A, 3 PPP in Last Four), Owen Nolan (2 G, 1 A in Last Four), Georges Laraque (2 G, 4 A in Last Seven), Yanic Perreault (7 G, 1 A in Last Eight)

Cold: Ladislav Nagy (0 G in Last Eleven), Shane Doan (Scoreless in Three Games Since Return to the Lineup), Jeremy Roenick (0 G, 2 A in November),

Injuries: Mike Comrie (1-2 Weeks – Foot Surgery), Steve Reinprecht (2-4 Weeks – Fractured Clavicle), Nick Boynton (3-4 Weeks – Fractured Foot)

The ‘Yotes are still amongst the worst teams of hockey, though they’ve won four out of seven and five of their last ten. Part of the difference has to be the bizarre scoring touch that faceoff specialist Yanic Perreault and enforcer George Laraque have shown since the middle of November. Perreault, who busted out with a career high 57 points when surrounded with talent in Nashville last season, seems to be showing that he may have been more responsible for his performance than we thought. He’s never scored more than 28 goals in a season, but has seven in just eleven games to this point. For owners in need of a temporary goal-scoring fix, you could probably do worse.

Laraque, on the other hand, scored six points during a four-game point streak earlier this month. While Perreault’s recent performance has been a bit of a surprise, Laraque’s performance has been absolutely shocking. In seven seasons with Edmonton, Laraque surpassed 100 PIM four times, but never finished with more than 29 points in a season. He’s on a roll right now, which may be partially because he’s had some chances to play alongside the red hot Perreault.

Jovocop is giving Phoenix a lot more from the blue line than he was earlier in the season, but the ‘Yotes still need someone to complement him. That could end up being Zbynek Michalek, since neither Keith Ballard nor Derek Morris have seemed to get anything going offensively to this point. Michalek has a bright future as a fantasy defenseman, but his 9 points in 23 games mean that he shouldn’t even garner a look unless you’re in a really deep or keeper league. The loss of Nick Boynton for the next month or so will hurt fantasy owners who were using him as their primary source of PIM.

Much was made about the fact that Wayne Gretzky called out his superstar, Ladislav Nagy, last week. While Nagy has been able to get his linemates involved a bit more over the past month (9 assists, including four in the past four games), he hasn’t found the net since late October. When you’re playing on a team that isn’t very deep up front, the goal-scorers need to find the net. Maybe he’ll start picking up the pace when Mike Comrie returns in the next couple of weeks.

The ‘Yotes also made some waves when they traded agitator Tyson Nash and a fourth-round pick to Toronto for Mikael Tellqvist, who should now assume the backup role behind Curtis Joseph. While Tellqvist certainly doesn’t solidify the ‘Yotes in net, it’s a step in the right direction. Cujo is a solid enough starter, even at his advanced age, and this should help to allow David Leneveu an opportunity to develop in the minors. They didn’t give up much in Nash, who hadn’t played in a game this season after posting six assists in fifty games last year. Nash loves to agitate, though he’s often mistaken for an enforcer. Enforcers don’t turtle most of the time when a fight comes along, as I remember watching Nash do for most of his career when he was in St. Louis. He does have 673 PIM in 374 career games.

Next Five: vs. Los Angeles, vs. Nashville, at Dallas, at Chicago, vs. Dallas

There are a couple of winnable games (vs. L.A., at Chicago) on the schedule for the ‘Yotes, though they’ll most likely be underdogs in each of the next five. The Kings’ kids are coming together offensively, and they’re a pretty dangerous opponent right now. While the Preds will be without Tomas Vokoun, they’re third in the league in scoring, which doesn’t bode well for the 29^th ranked defense in hockey. The Stars may very well shut Phoenix out twice, while their matchup with Chicago should be an interesting high-scoring affair. Bench/drop Cujo if there’s a better option available, but start your skaters and hope that they can heat up against the Kings, Preds, and Blackhawks.