Feature Articles

Taking a break from all the Brett Hull celebration here in St. Louis, let’s take a look at the Atlantic. The typically streaky Devils won their fourth in a row Friday to take a two-point lead in the division, and have been riding the hot goaltending of star Martin Brodeur… The division’s been playing a little more like we expected it to in the past week, with the Rangers leaping past the Islanders into second…. Though the Isles remain in third place, they’ve lost two straight against the Northeast, and will now have to face the suddenly red hot Panthers, who have won two straight (including a 3-1 win over Buffalo Thursday)…. The Pens still look like they just need another year or two before they’re in serious contention, while the Flyers remain locked in the cellar, and will have an incredibly difficult time overcoming their early-season struggles.

New Jersey Devils

Hot: Patrik Elias (3 G, 5 A, 5 PPP in Last Five), Brian Gionta (3 G, 1 A, 4 PPP in Last Five), Scott Gomez (6 A, 4 PPP in Last Five), Brian Rafalski (6 A, +2, 4 PPP in Last Five), Colin White (1 A, +5 in Last Four), Martin Brodeur (4-0-1, 1.52 GAA, .936 Sv. % in Last Five)

Cold: Travis Zajac (Scoreless in Last Three), Paul Martin (0 G, 1 A in Last Ten),

Injuries: Richard Matvichuk (1-2 Weeks – Back)

The Devils received both some good and bad news earlier this week when they learned that defenseman Richard Matvichuk may be about to return from the injured list. The return of Matvichuk, who the club received a temporary exemption on the salary cap for, would require the Devils to purge $1.3 million in payroll to be activated. The big rumor is that they would probably look to move defenseman Brad Lukowich to get Matvichuk in the fold.

On the ice, the Devils are rolling again, primarily behind the strong play of goaltender Martin Brodeur. Brodeur is looking like the first ballot Hall of Famer that the fans in Jersey are used to, and has allowed just eight goals in his past five games, each of which the Devils received at least one point in. Marty’s seeing the puck well right now, and the defense is keeping the shots against down as well. Brodeur has faced 28 shots or less in each of his past six starts.

The return to normalcy on the first line is becoming evident, as Scotty Gomez is doing what he always does… finding his linemates. Gomez had another assist in Friday’s 2-0 win over the Flyers, and now has six in his past five games. When Gomez is rolling, so are Brian Gionta and Patrik Elias. Gionta, who struggled badly in Gomez’ absence for much of November, has started putting the pieces together again, with goals in three of the past five games. Elias has been especially dominant in the past two weeks, with three goals and five assists in his past five, including a phenomenal game-winner with just seconds to go in overtime Wednesday night against the Habs. Elias took a faceoff that wasn’t won cleanly, tapped it back to Rafalski, and then jetted over to the slot, where Brian Rafalski found him to bury a one-timer with just eight seconds before the game went to a shootout.

The Devils’ improved play at even strength with the top line has meant an improvement across the board to a team that’s loaded with players producing poorly in the +/- department. While the Devils have been outscored 67-66 on the year, they’ve been overly dependent on the Power Play, and they’re a -77 as a team so far this season. Things are starting to pick up a bit, particularly with the defensive minded players, such as Colin White and John Madden. White is a +5 in the last few games, and as that’s only one of two areas where he can help you fantasy-wise (his PIM this season are way down), his handful of owners need him to be a plus player.

The young guns aren’t showing a whole lot of hope for the future in the past couple of weeks, though they were bound to slow down at some point. While second-year center Zach Parise continues to look like one of the Devils’ best players, rookie Travis Zajac has cooled off a bit, and hasn’t scored in the past three. Defenseman Paul Martin, who was expected to start taking a little more Power Play time away from Brian Rafalski, hasn’t been hitting the scoresheet much himself, and has netted just one assist in his past eleven games.

Next Five: at Boston, vs. Buffalo, at Boston, vs. Detroit, at NY Rangers

While the Devils have won four straight, this looks to be a tough stretch for them. The Bruins, who they’ll play twice, have won seven of ten, and are starting to improve on both ends of the ice. The Sabres have hit the skids a bit in recent weeks, but are still the best team in the East, and the most exciting offense in hockey. Their home game against Detroit figures to be a 1-0 yawnfest (for some…. I love that stuff!) before they have to gear up for a game with their bitter rivals, the Rangers. Brodeur is unbenchable, even against Buffalo. You may consider sitting Zajac (or even Parise) a couple of times during this stretch, particularly against the Wings. Gionta, Gomez, Elias, and Rafalski must be played every night.

New York Rangers

Hot: Jaromir Jagr (8 G, 6 A, +9, 5 PPP in Last Eleven), Michael Nylander (3 G, 7 A in Last Eight), Martin Straka (6 G, 8 A, +7, 7 PPP in Last Eight), Brendan Shanahan (4 G, 1 A, 3 PPP, 1 SHP in Last Three), Michael Roszival (1 G, 3 A, +4 in Last Six), Marek Malik (5 A, +6 in Last Seven)

Cold: Matt Cullen (0 G, 2 A, -6 in Last Five), Petr Prucha (0 G, 2 A, -4 in Last Ten),

Injuries: Jed Ortmeyer (Indefinitely – Pulmonary Embolism)

The Rangers made a pretty big roster move this past week themselves, calling up rookie Jarkko Immonen from Hartford. Immonen, not highly regarded when he first came to North America, impressed last season, with thirty goals and forty assists in 74 AHL games. He also did well in a trial with the big club, scoring twice in just six starts. Immonen doesn’t deserve immediate fantasy attention, but you should keep your eye on him to see if the Finn starts getting some time as a top six forward.

As the Czechs go, so go the Rangers. They’ve been hot as of late, with Jagr producing fourteen points in his last eleven games and Martin Straka catching some major fire with fourteen points during his current eight game point streak. Even if Michael Nylander wasn’t a pretty darned good scorer in his own right, he would have little trouble finding his name on the scoresheet often because of his linemates. Canadian Brendan Shanahan also continues to wow us despite his age, and has five points in his last three games thanks to a hat trick against the Islanders on Sunday.

Beyond those four, though, the Rangers simply don’t have a whole lot of scoring. Matt Cullen, Petr Prucha, and Michael Roszival (two more Czechs) are tied for fifth on the team with just thirteen points through the team’s first 28 games. Cullen is a consistent 40-50 point a year guy, which he should challenge again this season. Roszival is a solid offensive defenseman, but is losing a lot of time on the Power Play with Straka playing the point. Prucha, a thirty-goal getter as a rookie last season, is the wildcard, but he’s been an icicle of late.

All of the preseason overhyping of Marek Malik meant that it was nearly impossible to get him on draft day unless you drastically overpaid. However, after he had just three points, a +7 rating and PIM numbers that were far from overwhelming, he may have been dropped in many of your leagues. Malik isn’t a defenseman who’s going to win you your league, but he’s an adequate pickup as a third or fourth defenseman who should produce slightly above-average assist numbers, keep a strong +/- on a probable playoff team, and rack up 120 PIM or so. If he’s out there, he’s worth your time.

Henrik Lundqvist has been up and down a bit lately. After allowing just two goals in a three-game stretch against the Lightning, Panthers, and Pens (three pretty darned good offensive clubs), Lundqvist has struggled a bit in the past week. He put forth a solid effort in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Sabres, but then allowed five in a loss to Atlanta. His follow-up? Not so good. Lundqvist was pulled after allowing four goals in just one period of action in Sunday’s 7-4 loss to the Islanders. He did, at least, rebound with a strong game in a 3-2 shootout win over the Pens Thursday.

Next Five: at Ottawa, vs. Florida, at Philadelphia, at Dallas, at Toronto

In the Sens and Panthers, the Rangers will face a pair of teams that suddenly find themselves on a bit of a roll. The Flyers remain in the cellar, and though they’ve played better lately, I’m not sure I’d qualify their play as being good. The Stars may keep the scoring down a touch, but you can’t bench any of the Rangers’ top four forwards without needing a lobotomy. Consider benching Lundqvist against the Sens, but feel confident playing out the rest of the stretch with all your Rangers in the lineup.

New York Islanders

Hot: Viktor Kozlov (6 G, 3 A, +5, 2 GWG in Last Six), Jason Blake (6 G, 7 A, +5 in Last Eleven), Mike Sillinger (3 G, 3 A in Last Four), Chris Simon (2 G, 2 A in Last Five), Richard Park (2 G, 3 A, +4 in Last Seven), Sean Hill (1 G, 5 A, +9, 20 PIM in Last Ten), Alexei Zhitnik (4 A, +7, 10 PIM in Last Ten), Brendan Witt (3 A, +6 in Last Eight), Radek Martinek (4 A in Last Four), Andy Hilbert (1 G, 4 A, +4 in Last Four)

Cold: Tom Poti (0 G, 4 A in Seventeen Games Since November 1), Mike York (Scoreless in Last Eleven)

Injuries: Alexei Yashin (2-4 Weeks – Sprained Knee), Trent Hunter (2-4 Weeks – Sprained Knee), Rick DiPietro (D2D – Lower Body)

Life without Alexei Yashin hasn’t been as difficult as we thought it would be for the Islanders, largely due to the fact that Viktor Kozlov is coming off a career week. Kozlov, who has had more than fifty points in just three of ten NHL seasons, stepped into the vacancy left by Yashin on the top line and immediately started to suddenly look like a superstar. Since Yashin has been out of the lineup, Kozlov has a point in five of six games, including a two-game stretch that saw him score six goals and add an assist. Kozlov scored the first four-goal game of the season as he carried the Isles past the Rangers last Sunday just a night after scoring twice in a 5-3 win over the Penguins.

Should we expect this hot play out of Kozlov to continue? Absolutely not! Is he going to be a solid second-line center when Yashin returns. You bet! Kozlov has tremendous size and fantastic skills as a two-way center, but it’s never added up to much production at the NHL level. Though he’s on the wrong side of thirty at this point, the talent is there for Kozlov to post a sixty point season with the improving talent around him.

Part of the reason for Kozlov’s sudden jump in production has been his opportunity to play with Jason Blake, who has gone a long way in proving that Yashin isn’t completely responsible for his early-season success. Blake is skating well right now, and continues to showcase his terrific shot with some fine playmaking ability. He’s going to be just fine without Yashin, and should get even better when Yashin returns (likely in early January).

The defensemen on Long Island continue to flourish, as the Isles have been one of the better five on five teams in the league. To show the contrast, the division-leading Devils (who have two more wins in one less game) are a -77 as a team, while the Islanders are a +82. The stay-at-home types (Zhitnik, Witt, and Hill) are all terrific plays right now as third or fourth defensemen who will help you out with their PIM and +/- even if they’re not helping you elsewhere. However, the mediocre play on the Power Play has rendered offensive defenseman Tom Poti pretty much moot.

Rick DiPietro, who was slated for a day off anyway, didn’t dress in Tuesday’s loss to the Senators. There wasn’t much disclosed about his injury, though it was described as a lower body injury (he missed time with a groin injury earlier this season… those can tend to linger). He was back between the pipes in Thursday’s 4-2 loss to the Habs, but may see a little more rest in the next few weeks as he tries to put this injury behind him.

Next Five: vs. Florida, at Pittsburgh, vs. Atlanta, at NY Rangers, at Carolina

Though they’ll begin the stretch with the low-scoring Panthers, the Isles are going to need DiPietro healthy in the next couple of weeks. The Pens, Thrashers, Rangers, and ‘Canes are all capable of giving goalies whiplash. The skaters have to stay in the lineup, though, as they won’t face a single dominant defense coming up.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Hot: Sidney Crosby (6 G, 9 A, +6, 5 PPP in Last Nine), Colby Armstrong (3 G, 1 A, 2 PPP in Last Five), Erik Christensen (3 G, 1 A, 3 PPP in Last Six)

Cold: Ryan Whitney (0 G, 2 A, -3 in Last Seven), Nils Ekman (1 G, 1 A, -3 in Last Ten), Jordan Staal (1 G, 1 A in Last Ten), Dominic Moore (Scoreless in Last Eight), Marc-Andre Fleury (0-2-1, 4.28 GAA, .831 Sv. % in December)

Injuries: Eric Cairns (Indefinite – Knee), Mark Eaton (Indefinite – Wrist Surgery)

The John LeClair era seems to have come to an end in the past couple of weeks, as he was sent down on November 25. LeClair, who had a terrific career in Philadelphia and Montreal, seems to have just been a big money pit in Pittsburgh. Rumors had the Stars interested in the 37-year-old power forward, but those seem to have died down a bit in the past week. LeClair had 24 goals, 34 assists, and a -26 rating in 94 games with the Penguins in the post-lockout era.

On the positive side, they’ve gotten a couple of the kids going up front, starting with Sid the Kid. Crosby hasn’t really been down at any point this season, but his fifteen points in the past nine games is the most dominant stretch that he’s had in 2006-07. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that Colby Armstrong is seeing time more regularly on his line, and the fact that Armstrong has finally decided to show up this season. Armstrong, a big sleeper at RW in the preseason, had just seven points through the first twenty games, and failed to find the net until his twenty-third game of the year. However, he’s scored his first three goals of the season in the past two weeks playing alongside Crosby, and is suddenly a lot more active agitating up front as well. There’s a good chance he was dropped in your league, and he’s worth the gamble if you’re looking for help on the right side.

Second-year center Erik Christensen got the call right before LeClair was sent down, and he’s made the most of his opportunities so far. He has a powerful shot for a pivot, and is seeing plenty of time on special teams considering his age and inexperience. Christensen scored in three straight games from December 1 through December 5, and is worth a look in deep or keeper leagues.

As Marc-Andre Fleury’s game has faded a bit, so has the team’s performance. Fleury, who was one of the hotter goalies in the league in October and early November, has been lit up in two of his past three, and has lost five of six. That’s fine if you have a capable backup, which the Pens thought they had when they retained Jocelyn Thibault. However, Thibault has yet to win in five starts, and is the owner of a mediocre 3.38 GAA and .898 Save Percentage.

Next Five: at Atlanta, at Washington, vs. Philadelphia, vs. NY Islanders, at Montreal

Everyone’s excited about the prospects of Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby matching up next Monday, which is what all the buzz in the league will be about over the weekend. As for the schedule, Atlanta should be troublesome for a team that’s having trouble keeping the puck out of the net lately. The Caps have also picked up the pace, despite Friday’s 6-1 thrashing at the hands of the league’s best team. They’ve beaten both Ottawa and Buffalo in the last ten, and are starting to showcase a heck of a young offense around Ovechkin. The Isles and Habs generally don’t beat you with a dominant offense, though the skaters may have a little more trouble finding the net than usual. The Flyers continue to look more like a real live NHL team, particularly defensively. Consider benching Fleury in each of the Pens’ next two, but let him go in the last three.

Philadelphia Flyers

Hot: Simon Gagne (5 G, 4 A, 3 PPP, 2 SHP in Last Ten), Mike Knuble (5 G, 1 A, 2 PPP, 1 GWG in Last Seven), Randy Robitaille (4 G, 7 A, 5 PPP in Fourteen Since November 1), Joni Pitkanen (5 A in Last Six), Antero Niittymaki (3-2-1, 2.31 GAA, .930 Sv. % in Last Six)

Cold: Mike Richards (Scoreless in Last Five), Peter Nedved (Scoreless, -5 in Last Six), Kyle Calder (Scoreless, -5 in Last Nine)

Injuries: Peter Forsberg (D2D – Flu), Robert Esche (2-4 Weeks – Abductor Muscle), Denis Gauthier (8-10 Weeks – Shoulder Surgery), Jeff Carter (2 Weeks – Fractured Tibia)

While the goaltending has been better in Philadelphia lately (it may have something to do with Esche’s trip to the IR), the scoring is still pretty pitiful. A major reason for this has to be the inability of Peter Forsberg to stay on the ice. Forsberg, who hasn’t played in more than sixty games since 2002-03, has missed the last two games with the flu, and has missed five games already this season. Considering that the Flyers are built to pretty much be a one-line team (until Jeff Carter returns to hopefully aid Mike Richards and Geoff Sanderson on the second line), missing your number one center and biggest superstar is going to mean you have a serious lack of scoring punch.

Simon Gagne has been doing his part to help the Flyers get by without Forsberg, and has nine points in his past ten games even without one of the game’s top centers at his side. He and Mike Knuble are trying to carry this team to more than a handful of wins, but when they can’t get going (as they couldn’t in Friday’s 2-0 loss to the rival Devils), there’s very little to back them up.

On the positive side, Randy Robitaille (a checking line center on a contender) is still having a career year, with sixteen points in just twenty-two games. Without much scoring power up front, he’s being called upon to play on the second line quite a bit, and is even seeing some time playing with Gagne and Knuble. He’s nothing more than a quick-fix in fantasy terms, and should be watched if you considered picking him up while he’s hot. When he cools off, we should be looking at a pretty hard fall in his point-per-game production.

Joni Pitkanen is really the only defenseman the Flyers carry worthy of fantasy consideration. Unfortunately, his -17 rating and the fact that he hasn’t scored a goal in 26 games this season have plundered much of his value. He’s still spending his fair share of time in the box (28 PIM) and has sixteen assists on the year, though, making him a valuable second or third defenseman. Pitkanen is still the real deal, and he’ll start finding the net soon. His +/- is a reflection of the team’s overall play, and he’s actually shown a little improvement in his past ten games (-3… we’re not talking miracles here!).

Niittymaki has been one of very few bright spots for the Flyers, and is looking like a capable number one lately. He hasn’t allowed more than three goals in his last seven starts, and is actually threatening the .500 mark in his past ten starts.

Next Five: vs. Washington, vs. NY Rangers, at Pittsburgh, at Washington, vs. Carolina

Ordinarily, seeing the Caps twice in the next five would be something that you’d be looking forward to. However, they’ve won four of five to push themselves over the .500 mark. On the positive side, when they square off tonight, the Caps may be down a bit, after losing 6-1 to the Ducks on Friday. Apart from the Pens (who have some terrific young talent of their own), every team the Flyers will face in this stretch is in the top ten offensively. In other words, despite Niittymaki’s hot streak, you may want to consider other options if you have them. The offense will go as far as Gagne and Knuble will carry them while Forsberg’s out, but they do have the return of Jeff Carter in the next two weeks to look forward to.