Feature Articles

The Northwest is exactly what we expected. All five teams are currently separated by a total of just four points, and all figure to be in the thick of the playoff hunt. It would be less than surprising to see the division get four teams into the Western Conference Playoffs, though the division winner is sure to be the number three seed (or the worst division winner in terms of points) because of how much every team in here will beat up on each other.

In the past few weeks, the Oilers, last year’s Conference Champs, have risen to the lead by winning six of ten. However, they were blown out on home ice tonight 7-3 by the (then) last place Avalanche. The early-season feel good story in Minnesota has lost quite a bit of its luster, as they’ve lost seven of ten (one in OT), including five of their last six. The Flames and Canucks remain a pair of sleeping dogs, capable of riding two of the top five goaltenders in the league to a hot streak that may put them in control of the division.

Edmonton Oilers

Hot: Petr Sykora (3 G, 2 A in Last Four), Ryan Smyth (9 G, 2 A in November), Shawn Horcoff (1 G, 7 A, 5 PPP in Last Eight), Marty Reasoner (3 G, 6 A in November, Three Game Point Streak), Marc-Andre Bergeron (2 G, 2 A, 4 PPP in Last Five),

Cold: Brad Winchester (Six-Game Scoreless Streak), Ladislav Smid (Scoreless, -6, 2 PIM in November)

Injuries: Ales Hemsky (2-4 Weeks – Shoulder), Marc-Andre Bergeron (D2D – Flu), Ethan Moreau (8-10 Weeks – Shoulder Surgery)

Entering play Thursday night, the Oilers were rolling, earning a point in each of their past six games (just a 3-2 OT loss Tuesday to conference-leading Anaheim) and seven of their past eight. One of the major reasons has been the stellar play of goaltender Dwayne Roloson, who had allowed twelve goals in his past six starts. The wheels came off early for Rolo on Thursday, however, as he allowed six goals on just twenty shots against the Avs, eventually getting pulled after the second period. It’s possible that Roloson, one of the elder statesmen of the league, will have some fatigue issues at some point this season, but I’m just going to chalk this up to a bad start unless he struggles again his next time out. Start him with confidence.

Petr Sykora continues to roll, and remains on a point a game pace. Though the Oilers initial intentions were to use him on his off-wing and occasionally get some use out of him as a third-line center, the veteran has looked like he’s re-found the touch that made him a dominant force on one of the best lines in hockey back in his Jersey days. It’s not like he hasn’t proven he can score in the past, but he’s done so at this level just once (2001 with the TAS [or A] line in New Jersey). Don’t bank on the point a game continuing, but expect him to finish the year in the seventy point range, which would make him an adequate starter in most leagues.

Ryan Smyth has always been a goal-scorer first, but his 9:2 goal to assist ratio in November has been much more dramatic than usual. He has plenty of other finishers on his team, so it’s a bit confusing that he can’t seem to find anyone else to bury a shot here and there. Still, you have to love the grit that he’s been showing in front of the net, and most successful power forwards will have a high goal to assist ratio. As goals are the rarer statistic, I doubt many fantasy owners are complaining.

It’s great to see Horcoff, who was a colossal bust for the first month and a half, picking up the pace. Though he still seems to be having trouble finding the net, he’s working the puck to his linemates (read: Smyth, Ryan) and at least finding his name on the scoresheet. After struggling to just five points in his first sixteen games, Horcoff is settling into a groove, with a goal and seven assists in his past eight.

Marc-Andre Bergeron was just starting to find his groove on the Power Play, netting four Power Play points in five games. However, he was out of the lineup Thursday with flu-like symptoms. Bergeron fought through similar symptoms Tuesday, though he logged just six minutes of ice-time in the 3-2 OT loss.

With Bergeron under the weather, potential star of the future Ladislav Smid tried to play the part of the man he was traded for… Chris Pronger. Facing the Ducks, who traded Smid (along with Joffrey Lupul and a handful of first and second round picks) to the Oilers for Chris Pronger this offseason, Smid logged a season-high thirty minutes in ice-time. He still projects as a strong player in his own end who should develop offensively over time. However, Smid has just two points (both assists) in 24 games this season, and was scoreless in November.

Next Five: vs. Columbus, at Vancouver, vs. Carolina, at Dallas, at Chicago

If ever there were a get-well present for a team coming off back-to-back losses, it’s the 2006-07 Columbus Blue Jackets. The Jackets are currently 29^th in scoring and 20^th in goals against, and own the league’s worst record. The Canucks, Stars, and Blackhawks certainly don’t light the world on fire offensively, so Roloson makes for a very strong start for the next couple of weeks. Vancouver and Dallas are each in the top six defensively, and goals may be hard to come by in those two road contests.

Minnesota Wild

Hot: Todd White (4 A in Last Three), Stephane Veilleux (3 G, 2 A, 8 PIM in Last Seven), Pascal Dupuis (5 G, +2, 8 PIM in Last Seven), Nicklas Backstrom (3-2-1, 1.79 GAA, .945 Sv. %, 1 SHO in November)

Cold: Manny Fernandez (0-4-0, 4.52 GAA, .865 Sv. % in Last Five)

Injuries: Marian Gaborik (Indefinitely – Strained Groin), Pavol Demitra (1-2 Weeks – Concussion), Kurtis Foster (D2D – Neck), Wes Walz (1-2 Weeks – Hip), Derek Boogaard (Indefinitely – Leg), Jason Morgan (Indefinitely – Thigh Surgery)

While the Wild certainly can’t blame anyone (save Manny Fernandez) for playing well below their level of expectation lately, their trainer’s room seems to be overflowing lately. It should be less than surprising to see their two best players missing time. Gaborik has played in just 65 games in each of the last two seasons, though some of the time he missed in 2005-06 was due to a holdout. Their big offseason acquisition, center Pavol Demitra, has missed 38 games of his own in the past two seasons due to injury, and has had concussion problems at times throughout his career. Still, though you can’t absolutely fault a team for missing games from their better players due to injury, you have to question a management team that would put so much faith in two players that have proven to be pretty fragile in their careers.

Speaking of fragile, that’s about what Manny Fernandez’ ego has to be right now. He’s lost four in a row for the Wild, while 28-year-old rookie Nicklas Backstrom has started to eat up a lot of his playing time with a fantastic month. Fernandez is clearly the guy to place your bet on to hold onto the number one job, as he’s coming off of a spectacular season. However, all those years in a platoon with Dwayne Roloson lead to one big question about Fernandez: While he clearly has the skill to handle a number one job, does he have the stamina to handle the workload?

It’s been nice to see Pascal Dupuis finding the net lately. Dupuis, who had a couple of solid seasons leading up to the lockout (including a 20 goal performance playing within the most defensive-minded system in hockey in 2002-03), failed to build on his prior success last season. However, he’s come on strong after missing most of October with a sprained knee. Though he’s likely never going to develop into a point-a-game guy, Dupuis is much more than just a checking forward, and he’s taking advantage of his opportunity to see time on the first two lines with Gaborik and Demitra injured.

Next Five: vs. Detroit, at Dallas, vs. Chicago, vs. Calgary, vs. Chicago

One of the league’s streakier offenses isn’t likely to get much rolling in the next few weeks, even if Demitra and Gaborik somehow come back ahead of schedule. The Red Wings, Stars, and Flames rank two, three, and four respectively in goals against per game. On the positive side, Manny could get well here, as the highest ranked offense they’ll face is that of the Stars (18^th).

Colorado Avalanche

Hot: Wojtek Wolski (2 G, 3 A, 2 PPP in Last Three), Paul Stastny (5 G, 5 A in November.. 3 G, 3 A in Last Three), Marek Svatos (4 G, 1 A in Last Five), John-Michael Liles (2 G, 4 A, 4 PPP in Last Five), Tyler Arnason (2 G, 1 A Thursday), Brett Clark (1 G, 3 A in Last Five),

Cold: Brad Richardson (2 G, 1 A in November)

Injuries: Jordan Leopold (D2D – Hernia), Pierre Turgeon (1-2 Weeks – Shoulder), Brad May (3-5 Months – Shoulder Surgery)

The Avs continue to be a bit up and down, though their offense seems to be coming together lately as they’ve won five out of seven, including a 7-3 whitewashing of division-leading Edmonton on the road Thursday night. Though they certainly don’t have a ton of veteran firepower outside of Joe Sakic and Milan Hejduk, the kids have come together in the past couple of weeks, showing that the Avalanche may indeed have a bright future.

Paul Stastny has keyed the hot streak, scoring in each of the past three games to jump into second on the team in scoring. He’s also having little trouble finding his linemates, Wojtek Wolski and Hejduk, for scoring chances, and is finding his name in the assist column on a regular basis. The son of Peter Stastny, he seems to have been on a tear ever since the Avalanche worked a deal with John Michael Liles (who, in turn, worked a deal with former Avs d-man Rob Blake) to wear his father’s number. Simply put, watching his dad’s success, Stastny picked up a lot of hockey smarts along the way, and is a fantastic two-way center. Just 20, he should only continue to get better.

When Marek Svatos (24, second NHL season) and Tyler Arnason (27, fifth) comprise almost half of your veteran presence up front, you would expect to be in trouble. However, the two have been rolling lately, and are both knocking on the twenty point barrier just two months in. Andrew Brunette has also played a big part in keeping the offense rolling this season, scoring about .75 points a game.

The goaltending of Jose Theodore and Peter Budaj continues to run hot and cold, as it probably will all season. Budaj continues to push a little harder for a platoon, though it’s doubtful that he’ll continue to see a whole lot of playing time if Theo heats up, as he’s been known to do in the past. Each goaltender went .500 in November, though Budaj’s season ratios (2.39 GAA, .917 Sv. %) are considerably better than Theodore’s (3.06, .902).

Next Five: at Vancouver, vs. Columbus, at San Jose, at Los Angeles, vs. Carolina

The ‘Lanche were a .500 team for the better part of November, and that doesn’t figure to change in early December. The Canucks and Sharks are both top ten defensive teams, which should present a nice test for some of the young guns Colorado has. However, they’ll then get to relax a bit more and shouldn’t have too much trouble finding the net against the Blue Jackets and Kings. Only the Sharks and Hurricanes border on the elite offensively, so both Theodore and Budaj make for good plays for the next couple of weeks.

Vancouver Canucks

Hot: Markus Naslund (5 G, 2 A, 2 GWG in Last Eight)

Cold: Taylor Pyatt (Eight Game Scoreless Streak), Brendan Morrison (3 G, 1 A, -8 in November), Jan Bulis (1 G, 0 A, -3 in November.. Eleven Game Scoreless Streak), Matt Cooke (0 G, 3 A, -9, 10 PIM in November), Lukas Krajicek (0 G, 1 A, -7 in November)

Injuries: None

With half the offense cold and just one offensive player scoring at an above average clip lately, you would expect the Canucks to be falling apart. However, they’ve performed modestly, winning four of their last ten. The Sedin Twins and Markus Naslund continue to be consistent offensive forces, though there’s very little behind them in Vancouver.

The Canucks’ offense was particularly hideous this past month, when they scratched together more than two goals just twice in thirteen contests. The solid goaltending of Roberto Luongo helped them scrape by with a 5-8 record in the month in spite of their offensive woes. However, Luongo was supposed to make the jump from being a great goalie on a bad team to being a great goalie on a good team this season. The offense in front of him has been no better than what he’s had in Florida the past couple of seasons.

With the lack of firepower up front, the Canucks are bound to have more than their fair share of minus players on their roster, and November was no exception. Brendan Morrison, Matt Cooke, and Lukas Krajicek were all -7 or worse in the month, and none of the three are using their other fantasy-worthy skills enough to warrant a roster spot.

Morrison has probably had as big a dropoff from the pre-lockout years to the post-lockout years, and has dropped from being an elite fantasy center to waiver wire material in just two years. After three consecutive 60+ point campaigns in which he compiled a +52 rating, Morrison finished a bit shy with 56 points last season, and is currently on pace for just over 40 points in 2006-07. All of this is fine if he’s giving you huge PIM numbers (at 20 so far this season, he’s not doing so) and/or a monster +/- (-1 last season, and -6 this season after his -8 in November). With so many players threatening a point a game since the lockout, he shouldn’t be anywhere near a fantasy roster.

Matt Cooke has never been a big scorer, but he’s usually a guy who you can look at as an occasional filler when you’re looking for PIM or a solid +/- rating. With just 5 points and 18 PIM this season, he’s not doing much of either. His -9 rating in November was also a killer for any head to head leaguer looking for spot starts.

Lukas Krajicek has the skills to develop into a nice Power Play QB, and even showcased them a little last season in Florida, when nine of his sixteen points came on the Power Play. However, he hasn’t seen an inkling of time on the Power Play in Vancouver, which is particularly perplexing because they don’t have anyone else who has shown much aptitude for playing the point in their career among their blueliners. On the positive side, the former first-rounder is seeing more ice time than he ever did in Florida, so maybe this will help his development down the road. However, it’s killing him right now, as he’s bearing the brunt of the minus ratings for the defense, and needs a lot of work on his play in his own end.

Next Five: vs. Colorado, vs. Edmonton, vs. Carolina, at Calgary, vs. Phoenix

They’ll face just one elite offense (Carolina) in this stretch, which should bode well for Roberto Luongo keeping that stellar GAA and Save Percentage in tact. The defenses they’re facing aren’t overwhelming either, with the exception of the Flames. Expect the offense to get back on track a little during this stretch, hopefully giving Luongo more than two goals to work with. As great as he can be at times, this isn’t a league that favors teams that play for 2-1 wins anymore.

Calgary Flames

Hot: Jarome Iginla (4 G, 8 A, +5 in Last Ten), Alex Tanguay (2 G, 11 A, +5, 4 PPP in Last Ten), Daymond Langkow (4 G, 5 A, +5 in Last Ten), Matthew Lombardi (4 G, 3 A, 10 PIM, +5 in Last Ten), Dion Phaneuf (1 G, 3 A in Last Two), Kristian Huselius (7 G, 4 A, +6 in Last Ten), Miikka Kiprusoff (8-3-0, 1.55 GAA, .947 Sv. %, 2 SHO in November)

Cold: Jeff Friesen (Scoreless, -1 in November), Andrei Zyuzin (Scoreless in November)

Injuries: Stephane Yelle (Indefinite – Fractured Lower Leg)

Every time I think I’m out, they pull me back in! The Flames continue to push themselves up in the standings, but the depth and balance in the division keeps dropping them back to last place, largely because they’ve played less games than anyone in the division. Still, the Flames have been scorching, winning seven of their last ten because of an improved offense and the best goaltender in hockey.

Miikka Kiprusoff had a down October, but he certainly made up for it this past month. Kipper allowed three goals or less in each of his eleven November starts, and allowed two goals or less in nine of them. Kiprusoff has used his fine November to push his season ratios right in line with last year, and won eight starts along the way, pushing his season record to 11-9-0.

The offense has looked significantly better in the past few weeks, as Alex Tanguay and Jarome Iginla have definitely found some chemistry on the top line. Center Daymond Langkow continues to be the beneficiary of playing with two of the more dominant offensive players in the league, and has reaped the rewards with nine points in his last ten games. As for Tanguay and Iginla, they’re going to score no matter who is centering them, and they’re doing so at over a point a game clip in the last month.

Matthew Lombardi, who many figured would get his shot to reap those rewards that Langkow is at the start of the season, has developed a good rapport on the second line with Kristian Huselius and Chuck Kobasew. Huselius, in particular, who is known for his streakiness, is rolling right now, with seven goals in his last ten games. The trio is young and skilled enough to put things together and stick as a solid second line, and all three are worthy of consideration in deep leagues. Huselius shouldn’t be out there on anyone’s waiver wire at this point!

Jeff Friesen continues to be one of the more disappointing offseason pickups around the league, and can’t seem to get anything going in the post-lockout era. With just eleven points in 51 games last season, I guess we shouldn’t have been expecting much, but the thought of a healthy Friesen, who used to consistently put up 55-60 points a year, challenging Kobasew or Huselius for time on the second line had some people excited entering the year. Alas, through two months, he has just one point (an assist), and that came in just his second game of the year.

Next Five: vs. Columbus, vs. Carolina, at Minnesota, vs. Vancouver, vs. Minnesota

This should be a favorable schedule, to say the least, though there’s only one cupcake coming up. The Jackets have been shut out a league-leading five times this season, and don’t boast an incredibly strong defense either. The Hurricanes have one of the better offenses in the league, but Kipper should be able to keep them in check. The defense has been up and down in front of Cam Ward for Carolina. Minnesota, who the Flames will play twice in their next five, is slumping horribly without their top two offensive threats. Vancouver’s offense has been pitiful, even if this does figure to be a very low-scoring game with two top goaltenders dueling it out.