Feature Articles

It was another glorious night for the future of hockey Friday, as Sidney Crosby built on his phenomenal showing in Tuesday’s win over Philadelphia and Alexander the Great made an appearance of his own.

 

The Pittsburgh Penguins stormed to yet another huge divisional victory, and have now scored fifteen goals in their last two games thanks in no small part to Sid “The Kid” Crosby. Crosby, who had a goal and five assists for his first six point night in Tuesday’s 8-4 win over the Philadelphia Flyers, didn’t see quite the overwhelming point production Friday. He certainly wasn’t invisible either, though. Crosby answered a Miroslav Satan goal just eleven seconds later midway through the first period to put the Pens up for good, 2-1. He wasn’t done yet, though. Crosby helped one of his linemates, Ryan Malone, to a hat-trick in the 7-4 victory, setting up all three of Malone’s goals. He also finished the evening +4, and now has ten points in his last two games. As a side note, the maturing Pens have now won four straight. Lebron who?????????

 

As for Ovechkin, his feat was perhaps even more dominant on Friday. As the Caps try and prove that they’re for real, they’re going to have to start beating some of the better teams in the East, particularly in what figures to be a pretty deep Southeast Division. They did so on Friday, taking down the division-leading Thrashers 3-2 in Atlanta Friday. Ovechkin opened the scoring nine minutes in, blasting a laser by Kari Lehtonen on the Power Play to give Washington a 1-0 lead. However, the Thrashers slowed things down, let the game come to them, and eventually found themselves with a 2-1 lead late when J.P. Vigier scored late in the third. Moments like this, however, were made for the young Russian star.

 

With just thirty seconds to play, Ovechkin buried a one-timer off of a feed from Dainius Zubrus to knot the game at two and snatch victory away from the Thrashers. He carried the momentum immediately over to his next shift, as he grabbed a loose puck off the opening faceoff of overtime and blasted it right over the glove of a helpless Lehtonen to give the Caps the 3-2 win. Ovechkin carried the Caps on his back to a huge win Friday. Coupled with Carolina’s loss, the surprising Caps find themselves all alone in second place in the Southeast.

 

Team	Wins	Losses	OTL	Points	GF	GA	Last 10
Nashville	20	8	3	43	105	82	6-3-1
Detroit	18	8	4	40	84	68	6-3-1
Chicago	12	13	5	29	76	89	5-2-3
Columbus	11	16	3	25	76	83	6-3-1
St. Louis	7	19	4	18	68	107	1-8-1

 

Nashville Predators

 

Hot: Steve Sullivan (Hat-Trick Thursday), J.P. Dumont (5 A in Last Two), Paul Kariya (4 A in Last Two), Alexander Radulov (8 G, 3 A, +6, 3 GWG in Last Eleven), Martin Erat (6 A, +3, 4 PPP in Last Four), Scott Hartnell (8 G, 4 A, +5, 5 PPP in Last Eleven)

 

Cold: Marek Zidlicky (0 G, 2 A in Last Nine), Ryan Suter (Scoreless in Last Nine), Dan Hamhuis (Scoreless in Last Eight)

 

Injuries: Tomas Vokoun (2-3 Weeks – Torn Ligament in Thumb), Scottie Upshall (Indefinite – Strained Groin)

 

The Preds have run a little hot and cold lately, and actually lost four of five to begin the month. Three of their four losses came on the dreaded West Coast swing, which included losses to the top two teams in the West, Anaheim and San Jose. The other loss was to the up-and-coming Blackhawks, who just seem to have the Preds’ number so far this season (Chicago has outscored Nashville 15-10 in winning the first three matchups this season). However, they seem to have righted the ship a bit this week, with a hard fought 3-2 win over fellow division leader Edmonton and a 6-0 blowout over the (usually) high-powered Ottawa Senators Thursday.

 

Part of the turnaround has to do with the returns of some injured stars. Steve Sullivan missed a couple of games with a strained groin he suffered in San Jose. However, he returned in Thursday night’s game against the Sens and looked none the worse for wear. Sullivan notched a natural hat trick in the second period, extending the Preds’ lead from 3-0 to 6-0 and effectively putting the game away. Sullivan wasn’t the only Predator who looked strong in his return, though.

 

Jason Arnott played his first game Thursday since undergoing knee surgery in late November. Arnott, who figured to be a key addition to a team that was already young and deep, gives the team a strong second-line center who is coming off a 76 point effort with the defensive-minded Dallas Stars last season. He also has a wealth of playoff experience (something the Preds desperately need if they’re to finally advance beyond the first round) from his days in New Jersey and Dallas, including a Cup-winning Overtime goal back from his days with the Devils.

 

Fantasy owners across the continent got exciting news when they heard that Alexander Radulov was, indeed, up to stay. The rookie Russian winger continues to earn the trust of both Barry Trotz and all of his owners. He’s catching wind of a little more ice-time (despite the returns of Arnott and Sullivan) and continues to rack up points at a phenomenal rate. After scoring in four of his past six games, Radulov now has ten goals and three assists in just eighteen games this season. If he’s available in your league as of right now, make sure he isn’t tomorrow.

 

There’s still more good news on the horizon in Nashville, however, though it may not be so welcome to a lot of fantasy owners. Tomas Vokoun is getting very close to a return between the pipes, and has actually resumed skating with the team. The expectation is that the star netminder should be back shortly after Christmas, so get ready to activate him as soon as he’s ready to return. As for Chris Mason, he’s still been pretty strong in Vokoun’s absence, going 8-3-1 in the past two months with a 2.55 GAA, a .923 Save Percentage, and a pair of shutouts. He remains a solid temporary option, and should still make for a good fantasy number three upon Vokoun’s return.

 

Next Five: vs. St. Louis, at St. Louis, at Chicago, vs. Buffalo, vs. Los Angeles

 

Needless to say, you’re starting your Nashville skaters in all five of these games, regardless of who they are. The Blues have lost nine of ten, and the Preds start their upcoming stretch with a home-and-home against the league’s worst team. We’ve mentioned Nashville’s problems with the Blackhawks so far this season, but they’ve still managed ten goals in three games against them. The Sabres have an overpowering offense, but despite a strong goaltender, they still find themselves fourteenth in goals against per game. If you’re looking for a reason to start anyone against the Kings, I have two words for you: Dan Cloutier. Mason makes for a strong start against everyone except for the Sabres. Speaking of that Sabres matchup, it should be one of the ten best games of the regular season, so if you have Center Ice, mark it down on your calendar next Thursday!

 

Detroit Red Wings

 

Hot: Henrik Zetterberg (4 G, 2 A, 4 PPP in Last Six), Mathieu Schneider (2 G, 9 A, 9 PPP, SHP, GWG During Eight Game Point Streak), Mikael Samuelsson (5 G, 2 A, +5 in Seven December Games), Nicklas Lidstrom (2 G, 5 A, 5 PPP in Seven December Games), Robert Lang (3 G, 10 A, +6 in Last Eleven), Pavel Datsyuk (3 G, 6 A, 5 PPP, 2 GWG in Seven December Games), Daniel Cleary (5 G, 4 A, +3, 3 PPP in Seven December Games), Dominik Hasek (6-1-0, 1.56 GAA, .932 Sv. %, 1 SHO in Last Seven)

 

Cold: Tomas Holmstrom (0 G, 2 A, -2 in Last Ten), Kris Draper (Scoreless, -3 in December)

 

Injuries: Danny Markov (3-4 Weeks – Broken Hand), Chris Osgood (1-2 Weeks – Hand), Jiri Fischer (Indefinite – Heart Irregularities)

 

Unlike their counterparts atop the division (and the Wings of the late-nineties and early part of this decade), the Wings have been known for their phenomenal defensive play in front of the Dominator rather than the high-flying offense we’re used to. Since the beginning of December, however, it appears that coach Mike Babcock has loosened the reins on some of his offensive stars. After averaging about 2.5 goals a game through the season’s first two months, the Wings are averaging 3.5 goals a game so far this month.

 

It’s no coincidence that the Red Wings suddenly re-found their offense when winger Henrik Zetterberg finally got something going. Zetterberg, who emerged as a star with 39 goals and 85 points in 2005-06, found himself sitting on a woeful 8 goals and 5 assists through the team’s first 23 games. However, he’s starting to settle in and find his goal-scoring touch this month. Supremely skilled, Zetterberg is using his speed to find some gaps and isn’t nearly as timid letting loose when he has the puck in the past two weeks, and it’s led to a point a game in his past six.

 

The rest of the cards will fall around Zetterberg (and fellow youngster Pavel Datsyuk, who notched game-winners in back to back games earlier this month). Robert Lang is starting to relax a little more with the puck, which has gotten him going with thirteen points in his last eleven. Journeyman winger Daniel Cleary, who has never finished with more than 35 points in seven NHL seasons, helped carry this team through much of the first couple of months, but looked tired in late November. Since Zetterberg has gotten going, however, Cleary has responded with points in each of his past seven games, five of which were goals.

 

Regardless of how dominant the offense can be when they’re allowed to press a bit more, they’re only going to go as far as Dominik Hasek can take them. We’ve seen in the past that a healthy Hasek can be as imposing a figure as there is in the NHL, and he’s showing that yet again this season. Hasek leads the league with a 1.90 GAA so far this season. You have to wonder how long he can hold up, but I can guarantee that nobody will want to play this team come April if he’s still between the pipes.

 

The defensemen continue to carry the Wings as well, led by All-Star lock Nicklas Lidstrom (the league’s +/- leader at +21) and veteran two-way defenseman Mathieu Schneider. Though Lidstrom finds himself (remarkably) even in the +/- department so far this month, part of the problem might be that it seems like every time he’s involved in a goal in December, it’s coming on the Power Play. In just seven December games, Lidstrom has racked up five PPP. Schneider has been even more dominant of late, though, notching nine PPP in his last eight games, each of which has resulted in at least one point for him.

 

Next Five: at New Jersey, at Columbus, vs. Columbus, vs. Minnesota, at Minnesota

 

Two weeks ago, I would have put a handful of 2-1 games in this stretch under lock and key. However, the Wings are finding the net lately. Still, they’ll have some tough defensive teams to square off against in their next five. The Devils rank sixth in the league, while the Wings will also have to play back to back games against a suddenly red hot Columbus team (which is adapting well to the defensive-minded style Ken Hitchcock preaches) and perhaps the greatest defensive genius the game has ever seen in Jacques Lemaire’s Wild. Your top skaters need to stay in the lineup, but don’t go overboard with the Drapers and Holmstroms of the world. Hasek should enjoy another nice five-game run in net, as they won’t face a single team that’s in the top half of the league in scoring.

 

Chicago Blackhawks

 

Hot: James Wisniewski (3 A in Last Four), Jim Vandermeer (2 A, +4 in Last Three), Bryan Smolinski (2 G, 6 A, +5, 2 SHP in Eight December Games), Patrick Sharp (5 A, +6 in Eight December Games), Tuomo Ruutu (3 G, 2 A, +3, 10 PIM in Eight December Games), Duncan Keith (4 A, +9, 2 PPP in Eight December Games), Jeff Hamilton (6 G, 2 A, +6, 2 GWG in Eight December Games), Martin Havlat (3 G, 2 A, +4 in Four Games Since Return), Nikolai Khabibulin (4-1-2, 1.96 GAA, .929 Sv. % in December)

 

Cold: Radim Vrbata (1 G, 3 A in Last Ten), Martin Lapointe (1 G, 1 A in Last Twelve)

 

Injuries: Michal Handzus (Season – Torn ACL), Patrick Lalime (2-3 Weeks – Back Surgery)

 

Speaking of teams getting players back (or adding them)….. Marty Havlat finally returned from his ankle injury last week, and immediately infused the club with some extra life by scoring three goals and adding two assists in his first two games back. Havlat, the unquestioned star that Chicago’s banking on, also saw the club go out and get a little outside help when they signed ageless sniper Peter Bondra last week, and the club also got a bit of a boost when youngster Rene Bourque returned to the fold on Thursday.

 

We talked a bit about minor league journeyman Jeff Hamilton after his hat-trick two weeks ago in our report, and I’m pleased to let you know that he’s still lighting it up. Though Hamilton went scoreless in his next two games after the hat-trick, he’s responded with a goal in three of the past four, and looks like he may fill a legitimate need on a scoring line with the ‘Hawks. Youngster Patrick Sharp, who showed some flashes as a rookie last year, has been one of the beneficiaries of Hamilton’s strong play, and now finds himself with five assists and a terrific +6 rating playing alongside the 29-year-old rookie.

 

We know all about Havlat, Bondra, Smolinski, and even Tuomo Ruutu. They’re all guys who we’ve either seen have brilliant years in the past, or they’re guys that everyone was uber-high on for the past few years. However, the Blackhawks do have some talented young guys on the blue-line that you might not be so familiar with. Everyone was talking about Brent Seabrook, who has turned in a fine year so far despite not lighting up the scoresheet, but did anyone know about any of these other kids?

 

Duncan Keith limped in at #55 in our preseason defenseman rankings, so we knew that he definitely had a little fantasy value in the tank. Still, if you’d told me that Keith, who led all Blackhawks defensemen last season with nine goals, would be without his first goal at this point in the season and still have some semblance of fantasy value, I’d have asked what you were smoking. Still, he’s finding ways to contribute. He has potential as a Power Play QB down the line, and is starting to take a little command of the role this season in Chicago, which has led to eleven assists (four in his past eight games). He’s also used the Blackhawks’ recent surge to help turn a solid two-way game into a +/- that no longer makes you cringe. After finishing -11 last season and posting a -5 rating through the season’s first two months, Keith is a +9 so far this December and a +4 overall.

 

Another young potential Power Play option (whose only mention in the draft kit came in Keith’s profile) is James Wisniewski, who didn’t start the year with the club, but has been instrumental in their recent run. Wisniewski showed a glimpse of what we might see out of him in the future last season when he had seven points in just nineteen games as a rookie, and he’s giving us even more hope after notching an assist in three of his past four games. He’s likely up to stay, and should start making a little more of an impact on the offensive end.

 

Next Five: at Columbus, vs. Colorado, vs. Nashville, vs. Toronto, at Colorado

 

At the very least, this should be an interesting stretch. Their matchup with the Jackets will pit arguably the Central’s two hottest teams against one another, even if they’re in third and fourth place. The Hawks have (strangely) owned Nashville this season, and figure to have a good shot at improving to 4-0 against them playing them at home next week. Colorado has suddenly won three straight, and they’re getting the best goaltending they’ve seen all year now that Coach Q is giving Budaj more of a shot as the number one. The Leafs can fill up the net, so that should be a high-scoring affair. Keep the skaters in there for all five, but consider benching the Bulin Wall against the Preds.

 

Columbus Blue Jackets

 

Hot: David Vyborny (2 G, 4 A, +5, 2 PPP in Last Four), Rick Nash (3 G, 4 A, +4, 3 PPP, SHP in Last Four), Rostislav Klesla (+5, 10 PIM in December), Aaron Johnson (+5, 10 PIM in December), Ron Hainsey (2 G, 5 A, +8, 5 PPP in December), Dan Fritsche (4 G, 5 A, +8, 3 PPP, 2 GWG in December), Sergei Fedorov (3 G, 2 A, +3, 2 PPP, SHP, GWG in Last Four), Anders Eriksson (6 A, +3, 3 PPP, SHP in December), Jason Chimera (2 G, 3 A, +7, GWG in December), Anson Carter (3 G, 6 A, +8 During Six Game Point Streak), Fredrik Norrena (4-0-1, 1.46 GAA, .950 Sv. %, 2 SHO in December)

 

Cold: Nikolai Zherdev (Scoreless in Last Four), Alexander Svitov (Scoreless in Last Five), Pascal Leclaire (Lost Starting Goaltending Job)

 

Injuries: Pascal Leclaire (D2D – Lower Body), Adam Foote (D2D – Lower Body), Duvie Westcott (3-5 Weeks – Broken Finger), Bryan Berard (4-6 Weeks – Back Surgery)

 

As soon as Ken Hitchcock took this team over, you could see the guys starting to drink the Kool-Aid. When Hitchcock took over, this team had lost six straight, and couldn’t find the back of the net if you drew them a map. Shortly after Hitchcock instilled his system on the team, however, they ripped off a fantastic five-game win streak. The Jackets lost their most recent game in overtime to Phoenix, but find themselves transformed from the worst team in the league to a team that’s suddenly 6-3-2 under their new coach. All five (counting the OT losses) of those losses have been by just one goal.

 

The offense has found new life under a coach that’s primarily known for his defensive style. Veterans David Vyborny, Sergei Fedorov, and Anson Carter seem a little more comfortable taking chances in the offensive zone when they know that the rest of the guys will have their back. The big change, however, has come from the youngsters. Everyone knew Rick Nash would go on a tear, but who was expecting Dan Fritsche to suddenly become a potential fantasy fixture.

 

That’s exactly what Fritsche has become lately, though. The 21-year-old center has gone nuts with the improved coaching, resulting in nine points (including back-to-back game winning goals) in his past six games. Fritsche, the Jackets’ second-round pick in 2003, has already matched his total point production from his first two seasons (combined 78 games) through just a third of the season, and he’s even starting to show some improvement in what was expected to be his strength out of Juniors… his fine two-way ability. Fritsche, who was a -19 in his first two seasons with the Jackets, currently finds himself sporting a +5 rating. He has great quickness, good speed, and loves to battle in the corners. Whether he’s busting out for good right now remains to be seen, but he’s worth a look in most deep leagues. Jason Chimera, who has always excelled on the wrong side (in fantasy terms) of special teams, has picked up some scoring slack as well in recent weeks.

 

The blue-liners may be the most improved unit in the NHL. Rostislav Klesla never really developed the offensive presence that so many were looking for out of him in the past few years. However, he’s become a monster in his own zone who loves to hit, marks his men well, and spends plenty of time in the box. While Klesla never developed offensively, though, the Jackets’ new crop is starting to show plenty of life in that area.

 

Ron Hainsey received plenty of accolades from us in the sleeper section of the draft kit earlier this season after producing 17 points and posting a +13 rating on one of the worst teams in the league last season. After a couple of months, it was starting to look like those accolades were all for naught. However, he’s taking off as the Jackets start to function better as a unit around him. Hitchcock has given him an opportunity as the team’s top Power Play QB, and he’s responded with 5 PPP midway through December. He’s also picking up the slack on both ends of the ice at even strength, and leads the club with a +8 rating so far this month while adding two tallies 5-on-5. Veteran Anders Eriksson is also helping the defensemen get on the scoresheet up front, while 23-year-old Aaron Johnson (who posted a +9 rating in 29 games last season), who figures as an offensive force down the line, has done some great work improving his defensive game.

 

Next Five: vs. Chicago, vs. Detroit, at Detroit, vs. Vancouver, at NY Islanders

 

Again, I’m really intrigued by Saturday’s matchup with the Blackhawks, between two up-and-coming teams in a division that’s been top-heavy for too long. This has the makings of a terrific matchup. The Wings and Canucks tend to keep the scoring low, but are known for having offenses that can run dry for long stretches. Feel safe starting your skaters the way the Jackets are playing right now, and feel comfortable with Norrena as he won’t face a single great offense in the next couple of weeks.

 

St. Louis Blues

 

Hot: Martin Rucinsky (4 A in Last Six), Jamal Mayers (3 G, 3 A, 9 PIM in Last Ten), Bill Guerin (4 G, 2 A, 12 PIM, 3 PPP in Last Seven)

 

Cold: Whole Offense (Ten Goals in Six December Games), Dennis Wideman (0 G, 1 A Since November 1 [17 Games]), Lee Stempniak (0 G, 1 A, -8 in Last Ten), Jay McKee (Scoreless, -9 in December), Radek Dvorak (0 G, 1 A, -7 in Last Ten), Eric Brewer (1 G, 1 A, -8, 9 PIM in Last Ten)

 

Injuries: Curtis Sanford (5-7 Weeks – Pulled Groin), Manny Legace (Indefinite – Head), Vladimir Orszagh (Indefinitely – Knee Surgery)

 

Those of you who have been reading at FIC for a while know that I call St. Louis home. All I can say is that I’m thankful that I’m not a Blues fan. I love writing these hockey columns four times a week, and I’ve even gotten excited (get this!) writing up the Rangers and Flyers once or twice despite being a Devils fan since the early-eighties. The Blues are probably the only team in the league all season that I’ve had a tough time trying to say anything good about.

 

They’ve made some moves in the right direction, possibly including the firing of coach Mike Kitchen earlier this week. While on a personal level it’s my feeling that Kitchen simply did the best he could with what little talent he’s had, the team clearly wasn’t responding to him. After watching what two teams in their own division have had happen since making a change behind the bench, it’s hardly difficult to blame John Davidson (and Larry Pleau, who coincidentally would get my vote for the worst GM in all of professional sports) for pulling the plug. New coach Andy Murray will have his work cut out for him.

 

Only Marty Rucinsky and Billy Guerin really seem to be getting a whole lot going in December so far. Jamal “Stonehands” Mayers had a pretty nice goal for his first point of the month in Wednesday’s 4-1 loss to Colorado, but he’s really in there more for his work in the defensive zone anyway. He’s a borderline fantasy option because he’s shown the capability to net fifteen goals in the past and he tends to spend plenty of time in the box. Moreover, he’s (one of the few) a fan favorite in St. Louis who simply grinds and infuses energy to the entire team every time he steps on the ice. Guerin and Rucinsky? They’re supposed to be scoring at or around the level they have for the past few weeks.

 

Some notes for the future from the Note. Rookie Marek Schwarz made his debut in Tuesday’s 3-2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks. One of the top prospects in the system and top ten goaltending prospects in hockey, Schwarz looked strong in his first look at the NHL, stopping 21 of the 24 shots he faced. With co-number one goaltenders Manny Legace and Curtis Sanford both on the shelf, Schwarz should get another start or two as he backs up Jason Bacashihua for the time being…. Defenseman Eric Brewer’s name is coming up repeatedly in trade rumors, and he’s almost certain to be gone before the deadline. Brewer was placed in a nearly impossible situation last season when he was the primary acquisition in the Chris Pronger deal with Edmonton. He hasn’t done much to endear himself to St. Louis hockey fans since coming over, though. He finished with just nine points and a -17 rating in 32 games last season, and is a -11 with just six points in 30 games so far this year. Brewer is, perhaps, one of the prime examples of just how poor Larry Pleau’s tenure in St. Louis has been… Pleau received a middling #3 or #4 defenseman (Brewer) and two potential top six defensemen for Pronger. When the Oilers turned him around seven months later, they got three first-round picks, a second-round pick, and two former first-round prospects….

 

Next Five: at Nashville, vs. Nashville, at Pittsburgh, vs. Los Angeles, vs. Buffalo

 

I’ll be going to the Buffalo game next week, where there will probably be more people pulling for the Sabres than the Blues (despite the fact Buffalo isn’t too close). An ugly situation is probably about to get much worse in St. Louis. The Sabres and Preds rank first and third respectively in terms of goals per game, and they’ll be facing the Blues’ 28^th ranked scoring defense in three of St. Louis’ next five. The Penguins are on fire, having won four in a row and scored fifteen in their last two. The Kings provide the only real winnable matchup in the next couple of weeks for St. Louis, though they can at least claim they’re on the upswing. Don’t be too surprised if their current nine-game losing streak hits at least fourteen. If you’re considering starting anyone other than Keith Tkachuk, Bill Guerin, or (maybe) Doug Weight, please go see your doctor.