It’s difficult to knock a guy for having 18 points in 19 games, but there have been plenty of people criticizing the play of Vincent Lecavalier. When you’re looked upon to pop in 50 goals each season, having just three at the quarter pole isn’t exactly going to justify a bazillion dollar contract. Still, Lecavalier’s Fantasy owners should take some solace in the fact that three of his last four goals came in the last two weeks (okay, that’s still a stretch). However, Tampa’s scoring is starting to spread around — it’s not just the Steven Stamkos show anymore. With more scoring depth coming through, that can only make things better for Lecavalier. Yes, you can put your first-round pick back in the lineup.

As for teammate Alex Tanguay, he was dead and buried not too long ago. Maybe he thought the season started in November because he’s a point-per-game so far this month. Hey, that’s kind of how he used to be all those years in Colorado, right? Since the Fantasy hockey world has pretty much forgotten Tanguay, he’s worth a gamble as he’s out of Rick Tocchet’s doghouse and back in top-six and power-play duty.

Let’s move even further south with a quick look at the Panthers. While Steven Reinprecht is leading Florida (3-2-1 in its last five) in scoring, he’s not the reason why the Panthers are putting up strong goal totals. Even with David Booth on the shelf, the Panthers are putting the puck in the net. The big catalyst for that? Check out old man Cory Stillman, who has 10 points in his last eight games. Oh, and he’s only got 13 points total — that’s a hot run.

Kristian Huselius missed about two weeks due to injury, but he’s come back strong. In three games since his return, he’s got three goals and three assists — and he’s pushed the Blue Jackets to wins in all of those games. Perhaps more importantly, Columbus tallied three or more goals in each of those, something the Jackets struggled mightily to do last year.

The Buffalo Sabres are one of the surprise stories early on this season, and Tim Connolly is a big reason why. The crafty centre has played all 18 games and is averaging close to a point-per-game. You may think that this means it’s safe to hold onto him for the long term, but the savvy thing to do is to move him while his value is at an all-time high. He’s the perfect support player for a major trade.

Sticking in Buffalo, maybe Thomas Vanek finally woke up. The $7-million man was beyond awful in October (just five points, or about $1.4 million per point) but has kicked things up in the past week, putting up five points in the past four games. Unfortunately, only one of those were goals, but any tally on the score sheet is better than none.

Speaking of hot weeks, it looks like ex-Sabre Maxim Afinogenov decided he was happy in Atlanta. Since last Friday’s tilt against Los Angeles, the man named after a men’s magazine has put up seven points in just three games. Toss in the game prior to the LA matchup, and Maxim’s riding a four-game goal streak.

Didn’t we tell you that Ryane Clowe was incredibly streaky? In October, Clowe put up four total points. So far in November, he’s had eight points in nine games. Not to get all mathematical on you, but Clowe’s had a history of performing like a sine wave — equal parts up and down. Look for him to hit one of his usual cold streaks soon, but you can move him while his value is up.

Looking to get points by osmosis? Phil Kessel’s had a successful start to his Maple Leaf career. Matt Stajan, he of the career-high 55 points last year, has been in on more than half of Kessel’s goals or assists. Gotta love it when a pure goal scorer elevates a career checker, huh?

No one’s really scoring much in Phoenix, but if you’re looking at riding a hot hand, streaky Radim Vrbata’s got four points in his past four games. That’s a lot for Phoenix’s standards. Vrbata’s one of the few Coyote forwards that offers some Fantasy value, but not in the way you might think. While the entire Phoenix team is struggling to put up goals, at least Vrbata’s trying as he’s in the top 20 in shots on goal.

News & Notes

For all those people who drafted Booth, you’re gonna have to wait a little longer as his concussion issues have forced him to stop exercising for the moment. Marc Savard is close to coming back to the lineup, and Atlanta sleeper pick Bryan Little returned this week. Who’s out? Brian Gionta, Ryan Smyth, Alex Goligoski, and Alexander Semin.

An old wise man once told me that your Fantasy hockey team and real hockey team for that matter are only as good as your netminders. Laugh as you will, but this is something that is very true. October and November are often very nasty months when you think about it. This year is no exception. Add injuries and swine flu to the mix and one may have to dodge more minefields than they can handle in their quest to find good goaltending. Thankfully we have The Matrix in Craig Anderson. Obviously Neo is no relation, but Anderson best typifies the moves needed to play the net in this year’s NHL. Goals are going to go in. It is not your neutral zone trap early ’90s NHL anymore. Shots and goals are up by about 8 to 10 per cent this season. Sure, it is early, but expect this trend to continue to a point.

What I have listed below is not necessarily the best goalies in the league, but the ones that are going to make some saves that they not only have no business making but make them often enough in games to have a high save percentage. Here are their stories.

Craig Anderson, Colorado Avalanche: Imagine going from Florida to Colorado and realizing you are the starter on a team that absolutely stunk last year. Add in a few prospects and some aging players with no Joe Sakic and you have the recipe for disaster…right? Wrong! Now the 10 wins are great and the 2.11 GAA is nice too, but it is the .936 save percentage that jumps out. Even better is that Anderson has a .940 save percentage in the third period and beyond, and that figure leads the NHL. The OMG factor is the fact that Anderson faces about 35 shots a game in Colorado — about four less than he did in Florida. He had good practice and obviously has benefited well from the extraordinary high amount of activity.

Ryan Miller, Buffalo Sabres: The second best on this slightly unconventional list is where Miller ranks (now, that is if you really want to call this a ranking). When it’s Miller Time in Buffalo, opposing teams are really in trouble. Though slight in stature at about 173-to-175 pounds soaking wet if you will, Miller has an amazing ability to be flexible without looking flexible. I watched the game he had against the Devils last week pretty closely. He makes saves look quite easy, so it’s no wonder he has given up two goals or less against New Jersey in nine of his last 10 starts. Be aware that Miller has a tendency to get injured at times, but there are few better at his position when he is “on.”

Now for two more that could be on their way to this list…

Ilya Bryzgalov, Phoenix Coyotes: There is no question that he is a good goalie with quick reflexes, but sometimes that is what gets him in trouble. The “moody Russian” as he was called many times in Anaheim has gotten a second lease of life in Phoenix this year. He has three shutouts already and a sparkling .927 save percentage to go along with the 1.88 GAA. Bryzgalov may think a bit too much, but his moves are almost as fast as his thoughts. The key will be how Coach Dave Tippett’s system helps him in the second half, which is when he tired last year under “The Great One.” Obviously a coaching upgrade in Phoenix will aid Bryzgalov and his body (plus an Olympic break). Now, that is a blessing for Phoenix fans.

Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh Penguins: Yes, he has won a Stanley Cup so stop gushing, Penguin fans. Fleury is quietly putting together a nice early portion of the season. He has always had the acumen to play brilliant between the pipes, but this year he is showing the consistency with the amazing saves. The new focus is not unnoticed on me. Sure Fleury only has a .916 save percentage right now, but expect that to go up when Pittsburgh is fully healthy. The scary thing is he has 10 wins already and has made two or three “Save of the Year” type stops. Keep Fleury in mind when again looking for save percentage along with the spectacular.

Mike Chen, currently caring for his beloved dog, should be back for the next edition of Ice Chips. In the meantime, this is Chris Wassel escaping before he gets the swine flu. Aloha.

There seems to be some media buzz about the slow starts some superstar players are having. Sure, Pavel Datsyuk may only have a handful of points, but to suggest that he’s over the hill is kind of silly. Similarly, to think that Vincent Lecavalier isn’t going to start putting the puck in the net at some point is absurd. Datsyuk, Lecavalier, Ryan Getlaf, and others have all earned enough Fantasy cred to remain on your roster.

Benching them is fine, but I’d really only advise doing that if you’ve got a full slate of guys to play and need to make choices about your evening’s roster. If you’re just looking to conserve games, you might as well gamble on these guys putting up the eventual monster game that gets them back in the groove. Remember, coaches are relying on these guys to shoulder the bulk of the load, so they’ll often do whatever they can to get them going.

On the other hand, Fantasy leagues are often won or lost in the trenches — second-tier players that put up equal value as big-name guys. For a bunch of these guys, the early part of the season hasn’t been kind. Should you keep them or drop them? Let’s take a look.

Ryane Clowe: Clowe just got himself a nice fat contract during the offseason, though it looks like all it did was weigh down his hockey pants because he can’t get anything going. You could point to the loss of his usual centre Joe Pavelski, but that’s not really changing things too much as San Jose’s top six forwards have all played together in some form or another. Clowe is notoriously streaky, but starting out on a bad streak can only kill confidence. Drop him for now, though keep an eye open when Pavelski comes back.

David Booth: No one’s really scoring in Florida, but the Panthers are hanging their hat on Booth being their go-to guy. Other scorers have come back from worse, and what gives me faith in Booth returning to a 30-goal projection after an awful start is that the Panthers don’t really have many other choices. That ice time has to go somewhere, and Booth’s shown enough in his young career that he can score even in adverse situations. Hold on to him for now, but have him ride the pine for a while.

Alex Tanguay: Looking for a career revival, Tanguay seemed to put him in the best position to succeed by signing in Tampa. He looked like the ideal sleeper pick, but someone forgot to tell Tanguay to show up to the party. This top-heavy crew could surely get Tanguay going again, right? Well, that’s a big fat wrong, and there’s no point in waiting for him to come around as he’s going to be spending time on the third line for a while. Drop him and don’t look back.

Saku Koivu: Going to Anaheim made sense for Koivu; the Ducks needed secondary scoring and he wanted to play with fellow countryman Teemu Selanne. After Koivu had a pretty good season in Montreal (50 points in 65 games), you’d have hoped that the transition would be easy — he likes to pass the puck, Selanne likes to shoot it. It ain’t happening so far, even though Selanne has scored a handful of goals. Koivu’s upside was originally about 60 points, but a defensive system and a poor start are lowering those expectations. Feel free to drop him.

Sergei Samsonov: It’s not too often that you have everything go wrong at once, but that seems to be happening in Carolina right now. While you can feel safe that Eric Staal will return to form, mid-level forwards like Samsonov aren’t providing the secondary scoring that the ‘Canes need. Samsonov’s career has been maddeningly inconsistent to the point that any sort of slump should prompt you to drop him quickly.

Jonathan Cheechoo: For those of you hoping that Cheechoo would find new life in Ottawa, it’s simply not happening. While Senator fans seem to be pleased with the grit and hustle that he’s shown, that doesn’t help your Fantasy team. One good indicator with Cheechoo is his shots on goal — in his two good years, he averaged well over three shots per game. His shots have diminished each year and right now, he’s barely getting two per game. The one caveat about Cheechoo is that he’s notoriously streaky. If you bothered to pick him up, drop him now, but watch for him to score that first goal. When that happens, he might provide value for about a week or so.

News & Notes

The first rash of bad injuries have hit the NHL. In Boston, Marc Savard’s injury is going to put more pressure on Michael Ryder to produce. In Pittsburgh, no Sergei Gonchar means more power play time for Alex Goligoski and Kris Letang. Christian Ehrhoff is picking up the slack for Sami Salo out in Vancouver. For short-term issues, watch to see if Jonathan Toews misses any time from that nasty hit he took the other night and remember that there’s no exact timetable for Alexander Semin to return from his mysterious “illness/injury.” For Semin, though, remember that he likes to take his time in returning.

Ah, nothing like early season success to make everyone get all delusional about who’s going to have a dynamite season, right? Here’s a hint — while Alexander Ovechkin will have a great year, he’s not going to keep up his pace for 200+ points. This season’s seen its share of fast starts, and here’s a handful of guys that might still be available in your Fantasy league:

Brandon Dubinsky: I’m guessing Glen Sather’s happy he got Dubinsky signed in time for the season (with an assist to John Tortorella for insisting that the deal gets done). While off the radar for most “top-line centre” lists, Dubinsky’s shown immediate dynamite chemistry with Marian Gaborik and has provided a much-needed reliable scoring spark to the Rangers. How long will it last? Well that depends on…

Marian Gaborik: Okay, so every Fantasy guide on the planet mocked Gaborik for basically being as durable as a paper doll. I guess, then, we owe him some props for performing beyond expectations while healthy. Sure, go ahead and insert your own joke about the ticking injury time bomb. Many Fantasy owners have stayed away from Gaborik and, depending on the size of your league, he may be available. If so, get him, let him play out a few games, then stick him on the trade market — I still don’t trust him.

Radim Vrbata: Vrbata’s upside is 25 goals, but, as a streaky scorer, you might as well ride him while the Coyotes are playing well. He’s getting plenty of ice time for new coach Dave Tippett (17-19 minutes) and the guy loves to shoot the puck. If his head and heart are in the game, then Vrbata might be a sneaky depth player.

Keith Tkachuk/Paul Kariya: Check the calendar to make sure it’s not 1998 as Kariya and Tkachuk are pretending that the last decade didn’t happen. On a line together with Brad Boyes, these veteran wingers are showing that they still have it. Kariya is recovering from double hip surgery, but appears to be suffering no ill effects, while Tkachuk is playing with a chip on his shoulder (that’s a good thing). Will they keep it up for the whole season? It’s hard to say at their age, though Tkachuk’s rough-and-tumble game seems like it’ll take a harder toll on him.

Steven Stamkos: Wow, so Barry Melrose thought this guy needed a few years to be NHL ready? If you’ve caught any Lightning games so far, you can tell that Stamkos is playing as well — if not better — than All-Star teammates Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis. Part of it is speed and skill, but a big part of it is confidence — Stamkos knows he can compete at an elite level now. Because he only played well in the second half of last season, he fell in the rankings and he might still be available for centre depth.

Matt Carle: On his third team in just over a year, Carle’s getting plenty of power play minutes in Philadelphia. Is it his natural skill that’s shining through early in the season or is it a little boost coming from playing next to Chris Pronger? Who knows, though it’s difficult to tell whether or not Carle will sustain this for the long haul (hint: trade him when his value peaks).

Craig Anderson: The Avalanche goaltender might be battling a slight groin injury, but he’s already got overzealous fans in Denver calling him MVP. Let’s not go that far yet. His gaudy early-season numbers (1.00 GAA) will certainly raise eyebrows and it’ll also keep Peter Budaj (and his awesome Ned Flanders helmet) on the bench for a long, long time (son of a diddly!). At least, that is, until Anderson’s groin injury gets serious. Still, here’s betting the Avs come back down to earth, and with them, so will Anderson’s wins (his save percentage should be high, though).

Ilya Bryzgalov: Break up the Coyotes (no, not bankrupt the Coyotes), they’re off to a solid start. GM Don Maloney’s talked about how his team’s success needs to start in net, and Bryzgalov’s erratic season last year essentially torpedoed what was a squad battling for home ice at the All-Star break (really, they were — look it up if you don’t believe me). Two good games doesn’t qualify as a bounce-back season, but you’d rather have a good start than a bad one.

And now some injury notes:

Montreal loses its best defenseman in Andrei Markov, then signs Marc-Andre Bergeron in hopes of replacing Markov’s offense. We’ll give you an A for effort on that one, but somehow signing an in-limbo guy to replace the second-leading blueliner from last season seems to be a bit much. If you need someone who’s going to get a shot at power play time, Bergeron’s not a bad depth pick up. Someone has to fill those minutes up.

After getting Dany Heatley, San Jose locked in its second line with perennial All-Star Patrick Marleau playing next to emerging stars Joe Pavelski and Ryane Clowe. Pavelski suffered an undisclosed lower-body injury blocking a shot in the season opener against Colorado and had surgery a few days later. He’s out for a few weeks, which means it’s up to Marleau to carry the line by himself as Clowe hasn’t done anything yet.

On-again, off-again winger Erik Cole started the season the worst way possible — with a long-term injury. It’s not that much of a Fantasy hit, though, as Cole hasn’t put up the same numbers since coming back from his scary neck injury in 2006, so don’t fret this one too much if you have guys like Eric Staal on your team.

If you’ve been in an NHL coma since the Penguins hoisted the Stanley Cup, well, you’ve got a few things to catch up on — a few things as in $300+ million spent on free agents within the first few days of free agency. Who changed hands? Uh…well, a lot of guys. However, here are the critical ones:

• I’ve totally got Marian Hossa figured out now. He uses the playoffs as a bit of window shopping to see what team he wants to go to next (or perhaps what city has the best strip clubs to visit). First as a Penguin, he left for Detroit, now from Detroit he signs a ridiculous 12-year deal with Chicago. The Fantasy aspect of this? While Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane become free agents next year, one has to look at how Dale Tallon will balance his cap hit. Guys like Dustin Byfuglin may suddenly be available as the season rolls around. In the meantime, look for Hossa to take Martin Havlat’s place in the Hawk lineup — that means playing on different lines as things change up.
• Speaking of Havlat, the Minnesota Wild decided it wanted to stop paying one injury-prone guy with the first initial of M. to pay another injury-prone guy with the first initial of M. While Marian Gaborik may have fled (see below), the Wild signed up Havlat as its new go-to guy. Havlat doesn’t have the same skill as Gaborik and is probably more fragile. While he will get all the chances in the world to be Minny’s top dog, it really comes down to two things: how healthy can he stay and what will new coach Todd Richards’ system be like?
• Oh, and that Gaborik guy? Instead of Jacques Lemaire bitching about how he doesn’t play defense, he’ll have John Tortorella on Broadway screaming about why he’s soft. The difference, though, is Tortorella will let Gaborik go at top speed. Of course, the Rangers have been the black hole of offence for other talented players lately, so why will this be any different? For one, Gaborik can make offence out of nothing — something guys like Scott Gomez and Chris Drury couldn’t do.
• The Montreal Canadiens have remade themselves…sort of. Remember that notion that the Habs were undersized but talented? Um, well…Chris Higgins takes flight in exchange for Gomez, then the Habs sign Mike Cammalleri and Brian Gionta. All skilled guys, all kinda smaller, so, yeah, not a lot’s changed in Montreal.
• Other things that haven’t really changed: Steve Sullivan resumes his comeback in Nashville, David Booth stays as Florida’s main offensive threat, the Sedin twins continue to confuse people in Vancouver, Scott Niedermayer stays within driving distance of Disneyland for at least one more year, and Erik Cole and Chad LaRose remain with Carolina.
• At the draft, Florida and Calgary swapped Jay Bouwmeester for Jordan Leopold. Come free agency, both guys stayed in their new spots. Florida obviously got the shorter end of the stick while Calgary’s offense will come seemingly come from the back end, with Bouwmeester joining Dion Phaneuf for a formidable power play combination.
• Goaltenders on the move: Colorado’s ugly netminding situation gets interesting, as backup Craig Anderson gets a shot at the starting role with the Avs. Nikolai Khabibulin takes the reins in Edmonton (obviously, he must have seen something interesting in Edmonton that Chris Pronger and Dany Heatley didn’t). How hurt is Rick DiPietro on Long Island? Hurt enough that the Islanders signed a guy who could start his share of games in Dwayne Roloson.
• Toronto is trying to get tougher, signing punch-put artist Colton Orr and adding reliable defenceman Mike Komisarek. Komisarek is a great stay-at-home defender capable of playing in-your-face hockey by dishing out some serious thuds.

Home teams sure are doing well in the playoffs.

Detroit won the first two games in Detroit while Pittsburgh has taken the last two in Pittsburgh.

Evgeni Malkin has been a dynamo, as he’s been for long stretches of the postseason. Sidney Crosby scored his first goal of the series in Game Four. And Detroit’s Pavel Datsyuk, famous for disappearing in the postseason, has literally not been a factor, scratched due to a foot injury.

Home has been such a huge storyline in the playoffs because of matchups. In Detroit, where the home team had the last change, the Wings were able to get Henrik Zetterberg’s line out against Crosby. In Pittsburgh, where the Penguins have the last change, it’s been easier for Crosby to avoid Zetterberg. Penguins coach Dan Bylsma has helped things by mixing and matching Crosby with various wingers — none too tremendous success. Luckily, Crosby-friendly officiating hasn’t made the Finals too taxing for him. In fact, sources have told Ice Chips that Crosby is about to sign an endorsement deal with bubble wrap.

Still, the Penguins were down 2-0 and now the series is tied. Those flightless, waddling birds must be doing something right.

NHL Notes

There’s been some speculation that the Tampa Bay Lightning would entertain the possibility of dealing the No. 2 overall pick in the upcoming draft, and everyone knows that the Leafs covet that pick, as they desperately want John Tavares (who, of course, may very well go first overall to the Islanders). But the Lightning recently brought the top three prospects — Tavares, Victor Hedman and Matt Duchene — to town for private workouts. This suggests that Tampa Bay plans to use its pick, or at least, that it’s going to take a king’s ransom to pry it from them. Conventional wisdom indicates that the Lightning will wind up with Hedman, a smooth-skating 6′6″ defenceman who could anchor the team’s defence corps for years to come. With the draft coming in just three weeks, we’ll try to get a primer out in the next little while.

Conventional wisdom says teams get more defensive as they move deeper into the playoffs. But someone forgot to tell the Penguins and Hurricanes in Thursday’s Game Two. The two teams combined for 11 goals, with three coming from the recently unstoppable Evgeni Malkin.

Perhaps most miraculously, Penguin Chris Kunitz, without a goal in the playoffs, finally lit the lamp.

Obviously, it was a tough night for goalies Cam Ward and Marc-Andre Fleury, but one that kind of felt a long-time coming.

This was a pretty big loss for Carolina, so it’ll be interesting to see how/if it bounces back from the smack down.

Over in the Western Conference Finals, the big story is Pavel Datsyuk, who’s pretty much disappeared from the playoffs amid rumours that his alleged sore foot is actually a more serious injury. He’s no guarantee for Game Three Friday night, but Detroit has been handling Chicago pretty well, dominating through puck possession and team speed. Also helping things is Blackhawk defenseman Brian Campbell’s inability to keep the puck on his stick in overtime situations.

And still, despite two teams leading the Conference Finals two games to none, it’s still been great hockey. Unless you’re from North Carolina or Chicago. Then, it’s got to hurt.

NHL Notes

Erik Johnson has yet to live up to his draft status as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2006 draft, and missing the entire 2008-09 season thanks to a golf cart injury did not help matters. The good news is he’s very close to being cleared and will soon be back on the ice fully healthy. We consider the Blues a serious team of the future, but toss a healthy Johnson and his puck moving ability into the mix, and St. Louis becomes a squad that must be watched very closely next season.

The second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs has been great. One of the nice things about it is that players have been living up to their hype. The best example of this is Sidney Crosby versus Alex Ovechkin in the Penguins-Capitals series.

Crosby has four goals in the first three games while Ovechkin has five. Evgeni Malkin, who slumped badly in the series, came back big time in Game Three with a goal and numerous scoring chances in just under 30 minutes of ice time. Perhaps the only person in the entire series who hasn’t lived up to expectations (other than exiled Washington goalie Jose Theodore) is Capital defenseman Mike Green, who has just a goal and six assists in the playoffs. Teams are definitely playing him tightly, but he hasn’t found a way to get the space he needs and perhaps even more importantly, he hasn’t had the confidence to cheat on defense as he did during much of the regular season.

The Chicago-Vancouver series has also been great to watch. Basically, Chicago has continuously tried to bait Vancouver into a wide-open, run-and-gun game, and the Canucks have tried to resist, with occasional lapses. Game One was a microcosm of the series, with Vancouver taking the lead, only to let Chicago trick them into opening things wide up in the third. The Canucks came back and held the lead. With a goaltender as good as Roberto Luongo, Vancouver just needs to be disciplined, resisting the contagious, youthful joie de vivre of the Chicago Blackhawks. (Yes, I just used the term ‘joie de vivre’ in a hockey article; so sue me.)

Finally, are there two teams more completely devoid of post-season personality than the Bruins and the Hurricanes? They’re good, solid teams, but there is just no magic on the ice. Even watching Carolina’s Sergei Samsonov, long thought to be dead, burning his old team in overtime by setting up the game-winning goal, lacked a certain urgency. You don’t see anyone on the ice who would take an actual risk to win a game. It’s two teams of safe players playing good hockey, but not risky hockey. And risk is what makes the game exciting. Just ask the Blackhawks.

NHL Notes

The President’s Trophy-winning San Jose Sharks may have experienced another early demise from the NHL playoffs, but their Sharklings play on in the AHL playoffs. Worchester currently trails the Providence Bruins 2-0 in the Atlantic Division Finals, but it’s got to be great for San Jose to see the development of yet another young star in centre Logan Couture. The ninth overall pick in 2007 signed a deal with Worchester near the end of the season, and has been gaining valuable pro experience. Wednesday, he logged his first assist of the playoffs to go along with a pair of goals and a +3 ranking through eight games. This 20-year-old kid is a great two-way player who has drawn comparisons to Steve Yzerman. There’s a possibility he could make the parent club next fall as a couple of forward slots will likely open up.

The first round of the playoffs is usually more about who’s not around than who’s actually playing. Like a lot of people, I take a perverse pleasure in first-round eliminations.

For instance, what can you say about Montreal getting swept by the Bruins? The Habs managed just six goals, admittedly due to decimation-by-injury. The Bruins went to town, piling up 17 goals and 29 points in the series, with Michael Ryder and Phil Kessel each scoring four times.

The St. Louis Blues didn’t fare much better, getting swept by the Canucks. Vancouver had a very efficient 11 goals and 19 assists to the Blues’ anemic five goals and nine assists. Granted, St. Louis was a young team, also suffering injuries, and running on fumes after an exciting push into the playoffs. The most interesting statistic of the series, though, is the goaltending numbers. St. Louis’ Chris Mason put up a 2.34 goals against and .916 save percentage, which almost sounds like winning-team line. Of course Roberto Luongo put up a ridiculous 1.16 goals against and .962 save percentage. But Montreal’s Carey Price would have killed for Mason’s numbers. Price often looked like he couldn’t have stopped a beach ball with a bulldozer. Patrick Roy was glad he was alive, so he wouldn’t be turning in his grave.

Speaking of goaltending and Montreal ghosts, you have to be knocked out by the poise of Washington’s Simeon Varlamov, who’s posted a 1.01 goals against and .962 save percentage after one-time Canadien hero Jose Theodore imploded in Game One. Of course, you do have to factor in that Varlamov is playing against New York’s non-existent offense. The Rangers have seven goals, four assists, and a 3-1 series lead. Helping things for the Rangers is the fact that Alexander Ovechkin has just one goal in the series. And it took him until Game Four to score it.

The Wings had a fairly easy time sweeping the Blue Jackets. Columbus scored just two goals in their first three games — bothl by R.J. Umberger. Columbus goalie Steve Mason, so hot during the season, just could not handle all of that Detroit traffic in front of him. The Blue Jackets came to play in Game Four, erupting for five goals, but Detroit held on to win it with six.

Finally, many expected Philadelphia to succumb to Pittsburgh Thursday (except for diehard Flyer fan RotoRob, of course), but the Flyers found some life and managed to win Game Five dramatically with a shutout. Tough guy Arron Asham scored for the Flyers, telling you where their offense is right now. As for the Penguins, they need to follow the Flyers’ example and play with a bit more desperation, or else they may find themselves staring at a Game Seven real soon. It’s been 34 years since Pittsburgh last blew a 3-1 series lead, and I doubt it’s feeling nostalgic about that kind of disaster. Sidney Crosby got plenty of ice time in Game Five, but the Flyers made a point of targeting him with big hits all night long, and they succeeded in not only shutting him out for the first time in the series, but they hung a -2 collar on him and obviously Sid the Kid was getting seriously frustrated, taking a pair of penalties.

Parity — it’s great for competition, great for keeping teams in the hunt, great for entertaining and meaningful games. But it’s not so great for fantasy.

If you’re doing a fantasy league for the Stanley Cup playoffs, there’s no easy way to go about it. Every series has reasonable arguments for which team will win. Yes, even that Detroit-Columbus matchup offers plenty of reasons why the first-year post-season team can win, and why it wouldn’t necessarily be an upset.

All in all, the closest thing to an easy series is the high-flying Boston Bruins taking on the Montreal Canadiens. The Habs struggled for long stretches this season and it’s a minor miracle they pulled things together. However, if you caught the final game between the Habs and the Bruins, you know the long rivalry between these two could definitely amp things up. In most cases, if you looked strictly at record, injuries, and players, this would be the only cakewalk series to predict. With decades of history to motivate, it won’t be so easy.

Thus, the big question remains: how the hell do you pick a fantasy playoff roster when a seven and eight seeds aren’t necessarily underdogs?

There are two schools of thought with playoff picks. You can either spread your drafting equally around and try to amass all your points in the first two rounds or you can load up on two teams you think will go far. I’m typically in favour of the latter — take a few big names from around the league, then stack the underside of your team with the team you think is going furthest. After all, those role players are what wind up winning fantasy leagues and games played becomes a valuable commodity.

That being said, here are some tips to approaching what will be the tightest first round in recent memory.

1. Take reliable playoff performers: Everyone’s due for an off year now and then, but it’s better to get the guy who had a good regular season with a solid playoff history over the spectacular regular season with an awful playoff history. Consistency is key here.

2. Watch for miracle comebacks: A lot of people might have missed the news that came out of Columbus about rookie Derrick Brassard, who might be available for the Blue Jackets early in their series against Detroit. Ditto Paul Kariya, though no one out of St. Louis is saying a thing. These types of guys are great late-round fantasy picks as most people have written them off.

3. Avoid goaltending controversies: Anaheim won’t say if it’s starting Jonas Hiller or Jean-Sebastian Giguere. Either way, whoever is in the net will have a short leash. If there’s no clear-cut number one, stay away — you need every game-played you can get.

4. Remember playing styles: Playoff defense becomes notoriously tougher, and NHL refs seem to forget their whistles at home come April. That means lower scoring games and less power plays. Take that into account when picking teams to draw players from; for example, the freewheeling Washington Capitals might not be as run-and-gun against the defense-first New York Rangers.

5. Look for heroes: Remember last year’s playoffs when R.J. Umberger woke up to be one of the best players on the Philly roster? Those second-line talents can rise to the occasion when defenses focus on top-line players. Most of the time, the guys who become playoff heroes are the ones with a reasonable amount of skill and a whole lot of work ethic.

6. Go with your gut: This year’s playoff field is as wide open as ever. There isn’t necessarily a right way or wrong way to do it; if you have a hunch about something and find the stats to back it up, go for it.

Welcome to the 2009 version of the RotoRob waiver wire, The Wire Troll. Over the course of the next six months we’ll try to examine some of those potential hidden gems that can be difference makers to your fantasy squad.

Each and every year the early stages of the season always lead to some great opportunities as teams set their rotations and lineups. Cliff Lee, Ervin Santana, Edinson Volquez, Alexei Ramirez, and Ricky Nolasco all provided huge value as early season waiver wire acquisitions in 2008.

Our focus this week is on several areas that fantasy owners are constantly looking to upgrade. The middle-infield, starting pitching, and closers are three positions that are either traditionally weaker, or in a state of turmoil so let’s examine these positions this week. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some early season opportunities.

Aaron Hill, Toronto Blue Jays, 2B: It looks like Aaron Hill has put those concussion woes behind him. Hitting in the two slot, he has gotten off to a great start in 2009 with two homers, eight RBI and a very solid .308 BA. That 20-homer potential, derailed in 2008 by a collision with beefy David Eckstein, looks to be resurfacing early in 2009.

Emilio Bonifacio, Florida Marlins, 3B: Heading into Spring Training, Bonifacio was not much more than an afterthought with Gaby Sanchez, Dallas McPherson, and Jorge Cantu thought to be vying for the two open slots in the Marlins infield. Sanchez has been demoted, McPherson released, and thanks to his strong spring, Bonifacio is now starting at third base for the Marlins. The 23-year-old has gotten off to an amazing start, batting .583 with nine runs and four thefts. If you feel the need for speed, he is definitely your man!

Marco Scutaro, Toronto Blue Jays, SS: Scutaro has gotten off to a very hot start, like most of the other Jay hitters. Forced into the lead-off slot, he has amassed nine runs and an amazing .435 BA, not to mention the two homers. The strong play from Hill, Alex Rios and Vernon Wells batting behind him is making Scutaro a very solid early-season pickup.

Mike Fontenot, Chicago Cubs, 2B: Now here’s a guy that garnered absolutely no respect coming out of drafts this spring. Now that he’s won the job over Aaron Miles and Lou Piniella is showing confidence in Fontenot by having him bat against southpaws, he is a solid addition. Fontenot posted nine homers, 40 RBI, and a solid .305 BA in only 243 AB in 2008. What is his ceiling in 2009 with 450 AB?

David Purcey, Toronto Blue Jays, SP: In his 2009 debut, Purcey pitched seven very strong innings, allowing only two earned runs with five strikeouts against the Yankees. Consistency could be a problem as demonstrated in his call-up last fall, but even with the occasion bump in the road, Purcey should provide decent value in deeper leagues in 2009.

Anibal Sanchez, Florida Marlins, SP: Those memories of that great rookie campaign and no-hitter have stuck in my mind and were reinforced when Sanchez opened up the 2009 season with a solid performance against the Mets. He allowed five hits and no earned runs over five innings, striking out five in a no-decision. With the Tommy John surgery now almost two years behind him, this will be the year that probably defines Sanchez and his potential moving forward in his career.

Edwin Jackson, Detroit Tigers, SP: Doesn’t it seem that the 25-year-old Jackson has been around forever? Now plying his trade for the Tigers, he got off to a solid start by allowing just two hits and striking out four in his debut. Jackson pitched solidly for 7 2/3 IP and left with a 4-2 lead before watching Brandon Lyon implode and cost him the victory. Jackson is a solid grab in both AL-only and deeper mixed formats.

Kyle Davies, Kansas City Royals, SP: A strong season by Davies will be crucial if the Royals hope to become a .500 team this season. He pitched seven solid innings, allowing only three hits with eight strikeouts against the Chicago White Sox to open the 2009 campaign. The strikeout rates were a bit off the charts and above what we can anticipate, but the former Atlanta hurler is a fine acquisition early in the 2009 season.

For those of us that like to play the game of find the potential closer, the following players should all be on the radar. This season seems to be even more chaotic than most, with closers and potential closers emerging on a day-to-day basis.

Scott Downs, Toronto Blue Jays, RP: There is something amiss in the Jay pen as B.J. Ryan continues to struggle. On Saturday, Ryan very quickly turned a 5-1 lead into a one-run game before being replaced with two outs in the ninth. Is a trip to the DL upcoming for Ryan? Downs would be the next in line and should therefore be rostered in all formats.

Ryan Perry, Detroit Tigers, RP: As mentioned above, Lyon has been terrible and has been replaced by Fernando Rodney. Is Rodney the answer for the Tigers? Probably not, so keep the name Ryan Perry in mind. The 22-year-old rookie surprised a few people by making the roster and was effective in his first three appearances. The flamethrower has the potential to be racking up saves for the Tigers before the year is out.

Scot Shields, Los Angeles Angels, RP: Every season, Shields just goes out and does his thing, posting a great ERA and WHIP with a sprinkling of saves. Is there any reason to think that 2009 will be any different? Shields picked up his first save last week as Brian Fuentes has struggled early on. Shields will continue to be an asset in 2009.

Octavio Dotel, Chicago White Sox, RP: I just don’t have a lot of confidence in Bobby Jenks. In 2008, his strikeouts were way down and he already has one rough outing in 2009. Dotel has now struck out the side in back-to-back outings and has proven he can get the job done, definitely making him worthy of a roster spot in both deep leagues and leagues that use holds.

Santiago Casilla, Oakland Athletics, RP: Joey Devine is on the 60-day DL and off to visit Dr. Andrews, leaving the closer job in Oakland to Brad Ziegler and moving Casilla into the set-up role. Ziegler, with that assortment of breaking stuff, is certainly not the prototypical closer type and does have very limited experience so don’t be surprised to see Casilla get opportunities down the road.

Carlos Villanueva, Milwaukee Brewers, RP: The strained oblique suffered by Trevor Hoffman in Spring Training has opened the door for Villanueva to start the 2009 campaign as the Brewer closer. Hoffman was originally schedule to return in mid-April but has now been pushed back to early May. Let’s face it, 41-year-old closers just don’t heal all that quick, so grab Villanueva and enjoy those early bonus saves.

Let’s be honest. If your fantasy team isn’t working, it’s too late. The playoffs start next week. The season is pretty much over. But don’t despair. There’s still plenty to obsess over.

The Columbus Blue Jackets pretty much shocked the world by clinching a playoff spot. There are a couple of reasons. Literally, a couple. Forward Rick Nash, who put up 38 goals and the same number of assists, and rookie goalie Steve Mason, who was brilliant with a .918 save percentage, a 2.22 goals against average and 10 shutouts. Coach Ken Hitchcock’s defense-oriented system certainly helped things, but you can’t pick up coaches in fantasy leagues. Yet.

Columbus will face off against Calgary, who has five losses in its last eight games. Calgary’s leading goal scorer is Michael Cammalleri with 36. Worth noting, though, is that he has none in his last eight. He hasn’t scored since March 23. Cammalleri has picked a pretty bad time to go stone cold.

The Boston Bruins are back in the playoffs with the best record in the Eastern Conference. Interestingly, their leading scorer, Phil Kessel, barely made it past 30 goals, which is something to file away. Winning teams don’t necessarily have crazy fantasy numbers. Although you have to love Marc Savard’s 58 assists and the 50 helpers posted by David Krejci.

The Detroit Red Wings, the number two seed in the Western Conference, is the winning team that proves the exception to the Boston Bruin rule. The Wings have four players with at least 30 goals: Marian Hossa, Johan Franzen, Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg. Of course, despite winning the Stanley Cup last year, I still think of Detroit as a team that has trouble making it out of the first round of the playoffs. So we’ll see how that sick amount of talent up front can compensate for the Wings’ frequently erratic (and under-performing) goaltending. However, if it ends up drawing Anaheim for the playoffs, Detroit should be fine — Anaheim hasn’t beat Detroit in regulation this season.

The New York Rangers squeaked their way into the playoffs, managing to go an entire season without an offensive star emerging. Right now, the closest thing the Rangers have to a pure goal-scorer is Ryan Callahan, who has thrived under new coach John Tortorella. Callahan has three goals and four assists in his last six games. Shockingly, no one on the Rangers has even 25 goals. Their two leading goal-scorers (Nikolai Zherdev and Markus Naslund) have just 23 goals apiece. Watching the Rangers play the Bruins in the playoffs could be the cure for insomnia we’ve been looking for.

For the sixth straight season, the Phoenix Coyotes will be left howling on the sidelines as the postseason party kicks off. But that doesn’t mean the ‘Yotes can’t play some small part in determining how the playoffs shake out. Phoenix’s 4-1 win in San Jose Thursday night prohibited the Sharks from clinching the President’s Trophy for the NHL’s best overall record and the right to home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs. You can thank rookie goalie Al Montoya for leading the way, as he made 40 saves to slam the door on San Jose. This kid has been splendid, and has proven to be a fine late-season pickup. In keeper leagues, Montoya is showing that he’s ready for prime time play and that’s great news for Phoenix next season as it looks to end the long playoff drought in the desert.

The playoffs start next week. Enjoy!

We’re in the home stretch of the NHL season, and that means that if you’re in a close race for your fantasy team, now’s the time to pull out some magic sleepers. Who’s been under-the-radar hot in the past few weeks? Let’s take a look:

• Chris Mason, G, St. Louis Blues: All the talk going around the league is about some guy named Steve Mason, but former Nashville netminder Chris Mason is a big reason why the Blues have barged into the playoff race. Mason is surprisingly still available in a number of fantasy leagues. If you’re from St. Louis and believe in jinxes, you might want to avoid picking him up to prevent any bad mojo from flowing into the St. Louis locker room. However, if you need a little goaltending push to ride out the season, Mason should be your top priority.
• David Backes, RW, St. Louis Blues: Sticking in St. Louis, Backes wasn’t worth an afterthought for the first few months in the season. In fact, he only had three goals at the start of December. Since then, he’s managed to rocket up to the 30-goal mark. Because the Blues aren’t a sexy team, Backes has been overlooked by the mainstream press and also a lot of fantasy owners. His recent four-goal night shows that he’s hungry for more, and with the Blues starting to scare bubble playoff teams, now’s the time to grab him before more people notice.
• Tuomo Ruutu, RW, Carolina Hurricanes: Much has been made about Erik Cole’s return to form upon donning his familiar Carolina No. 26 jersey. Another big part of the recent Hurricane surge is Ruutu. The former first rounder, known more for being overhyped and injury plagued, has quietly put up a solid season and formed good chemistry with Eric Staal and Cole. While Ruutu has cooled down from his torrid early March pace, there’s a good chance he’s available for pick up and there doesn’t seem to be anything slowing the Canes down right now.
• Kyle Okposo, RW, New York Islanders: Quick, name the Islanders’ leading goal scorer. Quick, name any forward on the Islanders. Okposo, the most recent so-called saviour on Long Island, appears to be the real deal, even though no one’s noticing (except us, a couple of weeks ago). The former first rounder has taken the reins and shown his talent; unfortunately, he missed the last game against Montreal with a groin injury. If he suits up for the last few games, he’s a great sleeper pick up to pop in a few extra points.
• Steve Sullivan, RW, Nashville Predators: Because Sullivan’s playing in Nashville, his miraculous comeback from a two-year back injury isn’t getting the press that it deserves. After an understandably slow start, Sullivan has rounded into regular form, showing his speed and hands around the net. He’s become a critical part of the Predators’ attack — something that’s survived despite the loss of captain Jason Arnott. Sullivan might be the ultimate trade-deadline pickup because he cost the Preds absolutely nothing other than workout space and rehab time.

Also, it’s important to note the ultimate bad-assness when it comes to fantasy play. When your buddy is an NHL All-Star, it’s okay to ask him for some fantasy team help, especially if it’s Mike Green. Apparently, one of Green’s buddies told him that he had his childhood friend on his fantasy team. Green’s friend also mentioned that he’d like a few goals to help him catch up in the standings. Green jokingly promised two power play goals — then proceeded to pop in two power play goals that night.

That, my friends, is the definition of “awesome.”

The Week Ahead

It’s all about key matchups now, isn’t it?

• The Anaheim Ducks have refused to give up, but they’ve got their work cut out for them with back-to-back nights against San Jose (Saturday and Sunday). With regulation wins, the Sharks can pretty much sew up the President’s Trophy and stomp (er, chomp) their cross-state rivals out of the playoff picture.
• Tuesday is critical in the battle for eighth in the east — Florida takes on Philadelphia while the Rangers and Canadiens duke it out. No one involved wants any game to go to overtime. Speaking of the Flyers, they’ve gone into the tank at the wrong time, winning just one of their past four (and even that lone victory took a shootout to accomplish). They looked awful on Wednesday night in Toronto, letting a team that had been eliminated from playoff contention outwork them most of the game. Kimmo Timonen continues to have forgotten his offensive game since leaving Nashville. He’s gone four straight games without a point, and while he’s enjoying a much better season in the plus/minus department than his first campaign in Philly, Timonen’s point total will likely decline for a second straight season. He was barely noticeable on Wednesday night.
• And in the ultimate “No one cares” game, the Lightning and Islanders play on Saturday. If Martin St. Louis hits the post and and no one’s around, does it make a sound?

The playoffs are within our sight. They’re not in the sight of a lot of NHL teams, but that’s not really our problem.

The next week or so represents our last chance to save our fantasy seasons. It’s our last chance to break out into the league lead. And for some, I’m told, it’s the last chance to avoid the humiliation of finishing last.

Make no mistakes about it — this is a huge time of year for many of us.

For instance, a lot of people desperate for goaltending went after Toronto’s Martin Gerber, who many predicted would end the NHL season playing in Europe. But Gerber has been decent in Toronto, with a 2.89 goals against average and a .910 save percentage. Gerber was a nice pick-up. Until he shoved a goalie and earned himself a three-game suspension, that is. So now, in the twilight of our season, Gerber isn’t available.

One goalie who is flying a bit under the radar that could help you now, however, is Brian Elliot of the Senators. While his club rookie record eight-game winning streak came to an end Wednesday, Elliot still looked extremely sharp in that game, saving 28 of 30 shots directed at him. In a season that has been an unmitigated disaster in Ottawa, Elliot’s emergence has been a bright spot.

This time of year is like the final 15 minutes before last call. You’re going to grab what’s available and not ask too many questions. That’s why I suspect a lot of people who despise Sean Avery have claimed him for their teams. In 11 games for the Rangers, Avery’s put up four goals and four assists. He’s even a +1 for New York. They’re decent numbers. Decent enough that you can’t really afford to take a moral stand. Sloppy seconds it is!

And truthfully, I’m always surprised to see who’s available in certain leagues. Alex Tanguay is still on the wire in a lot of leagues. And he’s been hot lately, with three goals and five assists in his last four games. And really, isn’t it nice to see something going well in Montreal? Because this time next week, the Habs might not even be in the playoffs.

And how is Kris Versteeg still available anywhere? He’s in an awful five-game pointless streak, but he still has 49 points on the season. And the longer he goes pointless, the more you have to figure he’s due.

If you’re really desperate, I kind of like Tuomo Ruutu. He’s got 50 points on the season and while his reputation is more grit than finesse, he still manages to put up some numbers. And the numbers might be better than existing forwards on your roster.

The Week Ahead

• Saturday, Buffalo takes on Montreal. While a Buffalo win isn’t enough to propel the Sabres into the playoffs, it would certainly help their last-second push.
• Sunday, Vancouver plays Chicago. The winner of that game will probably still end up playing the loser in the first round of the playoffs. There’s a certain serenity to being the four/five seed.
• Monday, the Sharks play the Flames. It’s just a tune-up for the playoffs where I’m guessing both teams will go deep.

What a week for Martin Brodeur. First he breaks Patrick Roy’s all-time wins record, then he gets stuck with a $500,000 annual alimony payment for the next 20 years (lesson of the day: when you make millions of dollars as a pro athlete and you opt to run off with your wife’s sister, save your money). When asked how much longer he was going to play, Brodeur mentioned that he’d like to break the all-time games-played record. If he lives up to that, then he’s good for another two or three years, so there’s no need to let him go from your keeper team just yet. Besides, he’ll need that extra cash to make those alimony payments.

By the way, for future notice — should your fantasy goalie happen to break the all-time wins record, learn your lesson from Brodeur. He’ll sit out the next game and his team will play said game with an amazing amount of apathy. Jot that down for whenever someone tries to break Brodeur’s record about 30 years from now; you’ll thank me then for the fantasy tip.

Remember Steven Stamkos? Yeah, the kid that got all the hype and was a big flop at the beginning of the season? Well, apparently the right way to develop a player is to have your coach be an illegal gambler rather than a mulleted loudmouth, as Rick Tocchet’s turned Stamkos into a gamer. It’s flown under the radar since the Lightning has been out of the playoff hunt, but Stamkos has been putting up close to a point-per-game pace for a few weeks now. Mark him as a sleeper pick for next year’s draft as he has the work ethic and positive attitude necessary to really take his talent to the next level.

Since he’s been in the league, Sidney Crosby hasn’t found a regular winger to play with. While Bill Guerin may be near the end of his career, grinder Chris Kunitz seems to have found his meal ticket. Kunitz, who was more of an energy player capable of potting 15 to 20 goals, is damn near unstoppable with Crosby (12 points in 10 games). The best part? Kunitz is signed for the next few seasons, so he’ll be riding shotgun with Crosby for a while. He’s a great mid-round pick and if his chemistry stays strong with Crosby, he should be able to hit 30+ goals next year.

For anyone that cares: Marian Gaborik plans on returning soon. Oh, and if you want to know what kind of character guy Gaborik is, he apparently doesn’t watch his team while he’s rehabbing, nor does he want to play through pain. Now, I’ll give him a pass on not wanting to watch the Wild (the Jacques Lemaire automatons don’t play the most thrilling brand of hockey), but I don’t know how he could be accepted back into that locker room when they’re scratching and clawing for a playoff spot and he’s refusing to play through pain. Someone should sit him down and force him to watch Slap Shot and Miracle non-stop in a Clockwork Orange-style torture chair until he realizes what a hockey player’s sacrifice for the team should be.

Ryane Clowe is the latest San Jose Shark to go down with injury. He’ll be out about a week, but that’s okay — he hasn’t popped in a power play goal in 20-some games.

One of the best trade deadline pickups has been Antoine Vermette for the Blue Jackets. Sure, he does things like kill penalties and win faceoffs, but his fantasy value has skyrocketed since getting out of Ottawa. Playing on a second line with R.J. Umberger, Vermette’s been good for just about a point per game, including clutch goals, as the BJs look to get into the playoffs for the first time.

Those wacky Atlanta Thrashers just won’t go away. Even though they’re out of the playoff race, they’re still playing with pride for first-year coach John Anderson. Part of the reason? Kari Lehtonen is playing like we all expected him to when he was drafted No. 2 overall. Lehtonen’s available in more fantasy leagues than he should be and will be a good boost for anyone needing to finish out the number of goalie games in their league. However, it still doesn’t excuse those hideous Atlanta third jerseys.

For a while it looked like Chris Drury was waking up from his season-long slumber, but he recently endured three straight scoreless games, going -3 in the process. Yes, he’s managed an assist in back-to-back games since then, and he got the go-ahead goal in the shootout Tuesday (not that it helped you at all), but remember that this was a dude who scored 37 goals in his final season as a Sabre. Last year, he dropped to 25 in his first campaign as a Blueshirt, and this season, Drury will be hard-pressed to reach 20 goals.

And even though this has no fantasy implications, it’s still awesome. Admit it, how many of you have wished that Jordin Tootoo got the living crap beat out of him? Brad Staubitz fulfills your wish — ouch!

The Week Ahead

• Just when we were ready to strike the LA Kings from the playoff race, they go and beat the Boston Bruins to sneak back into things. They’ll have a chance to do more damage against the free-falling Chicago Blackhawks (Sunday) and their close competitor St. Louis (Tuesday). Don’t count Anze Kopitar and company out yet!
• Who would have thought that a Florida-Columbus (Saturday) match up in March would be interesting? The Panthers have stumbled mildly, but are only a point out of the playoffs while the Blue Jackets have a grip on sixth place in the West. The cool thing about this game? Since it’s a cross-conference game, expect both teams to go balls out, especially if it goes to OT as neither team’s respective playoff race concerns their opponent.
• Your marquee match ups of the week: New Jersey at Boston (Sunday) for Supreme Overlord Of The East and Detroit at Calgary (Tuesday) for Best Really-Good-But-Strangely-Inconsistent Team.

How tight are the Western and Eastern playoff races? It seems like the standings change nightly, and that much pressure forces players to perform.

The Rangers spent this week in and out of the playoff bubble, but new coach John Tortorella finally has the team’s big guns going. Scott Gomez, pretty much a fantasy dud all season, has four goals and four assists in his last five games. Chris Drury, also a fantasy disappointment, has two goals and three assists in his last five games. Obviously, these aren’t sick numbers, but at this point in your fantasy season, it’s a sprint, not a marathon.

Meanwhile, Pittsburgh has stormed its way back into the playoff picture and Bill Guerin, last seen languishing on the bench in Long Island, is finding out that playing on a line with Sidney Crosby does amazing things for your numbers. Guerin has a goal and five assists in his last five games. Compare that to all of January, when Guerin had two goals and three assists. Of course, this raises the issue of whether just about anyone can put up numbers on a line with Crosby. Like, could an enforcer put up these numbers? Could your grandmother? What about a toaster?

If you’re looking for a little more out of your defense, I’m going to suggest Edmonton’s Denis Grebeshkov, who has been quietly and steadily putting up decent numbers, including five assists in his last six games. With Edmonton barely holding onto its playoff position, Grebeshkov, who leads the Oilers with a +10 rating, might find himself taking more chances to help the Oilers put up some goals. Of course, that could end up killing his +/-. But for now, I’m really enjoying the cut of his jib. And slow and steady production is better than nothing at all.

Finally, a lot of Flyer-watchers have been bummed about the dramatic slowdown in the Jeff Carter-Joffrey Lupul-Scott Hartnell line. Things might be clicking again, though, as Hartnell put up two goals and two assists Tuesday night against Buffalo. Lupul had two assists and Carter had two goals. That’s pretty hot. You’re not going to find Carter available in any league, but you might be able to grab Hartnell. And odds are, you can have Lupul if you really believe in him.

The Week Ahead

• Saturday, the Flames take on the Leafs, a sweet reminder that the Canadian balance of hockey power has truly shifted to the west. Now, if we could just get the west in a better time zone…
• Sunday, the Islanders take on the Blackhawks, a noteworthy game only in that the AHL-stocked Isles play a shockingly uptempo, aggressive game. It’s not effective, but it’ll be great to watch against a slightly older Blackhawks team. But before we totally dismiss the Isles, it’s worth mentioning that youngster Kyle Okposo has potted goals in four straight games. Need some offense down the stretch? This rook is starting to light the lamp with greater frequency and he’s more than likely available in your league.
• Monday, Nashville plays LA, as the Predators try to hold onto and/or grab that last playoff spot and the Kings try to orchestrate a push into the playoffs. Non-traditional hockey markets represent!

Oh, the life of Daniel “Danny” Briere – it’s just one injury after another these days, isn’t it? If you’re a fantasy manager, you were stoked to see Briere finally back, then pissed to see him get hurt yet again. If you’re Flyer GM Paul Holmgren, you’re probably slapping your forehead after just clearing a whole buttload of cap space at the trade deadline. But wait, it’s not as bad as we thought. It’s just a lot grosser than we thought. From Canadian Press:

“Briere was examined Friday morning, and his surgeon told him the adhesions broke from his last groin surgery and there was some internal bleeding. Briere said his surgeon told him that was common and Briere could possibly play Tuesday against Buffalo.”

Common? I hope my groin adhesions never break. In any case, don’t shut down Briere from your lineup just yet.

As for that whole trade deadline issue, the big fantasy winner is Olli Jokinen, but you knew that, right? Jokinen popped in a pair of goals in his first game skating alongside Jarome Iginla (guess which guy got to wear No. 12?) and everything’s sunshine and rainbows in Calgary, or as sunshine and rainbows as Darryl “Bitter Beer Face” Sutter can be. However, the knock on Jokinen has constantly been great start, poor finish. Will this happen up in Calgary? One would hope that having the playoffs around the corner would actually motivate the dude, but when you have someone who occasionally wears a porn star ’stache during the regular season, you don’t know what to expect.

The New York Rangers revamped their lineup to go along with their revamped coaching staff. Derek Morris becomes the de facto power play point man on Broadway despite having just a handful of points. He’ll certainly get his opportunities, so if you need some help on defense, it’s worth a gamble.

Hey, remember Martin Gerber? He’s back in the NHL thanks to the wacky folks over in Toronto. No, he’s not just there to serve Brian Burke pizza; Gerber’s actually got a hold of the starting position because Vesa Toskala’s been shut down for the year. You need starts to finish out your fantasy season? Gerber’s your man. Just don’t expect a ton of wins.

Erik Cole returns to the scene of the crime in Carolina. If you’ll recall, Cole was on the cusp of being one of the league’s best power forwards when a broken neck — yes, a broken neck — got in the way. Since then, he hasn’t put up goals at the same pace, but now he’s reunited with regular linemate/BFF Eric Staal. We’ll see if there’s any magic left over from 2005.

The other component of the Cole deal finds oft-injured Justin Williams in Los Angeles and underachieving Patrick O’Sullivan in Edmonton. For O’Sullivan, the key will be how much ice time he gets skating with talented Ales Hemsky.

Sidney Crosby’s linemates in his first game back from injury: Chris Kunitz and Bill Guerin. It’s like Crosby woke up from a bad dream where he was surrounded by soft over-the-hill wingers (Miroslav Satan, say hello to the AHL). While Guerin’s numbers haven’t been anything to write home about this season, he still does love to shoot the puck and his aggressive style will work well with Crosby’s playmaking skills.

Brendan Morrison’s long strange journey across the NHL continues. Remember, at one point, this guy was a point-per-game player. Claimed off waivers by Dallas, he’ll be given every opportunity to thrive as the Stars remain depleted up front due to injury. Morrison probably won’t break up Mike Ribiero/Loui Eriksson, which means that he won’t have much scoring talent to work with. In other words, don’t look for a return to form from Morrison.

Antoine Vermette’s move to Columbus means that Ken Hitchcock has a few more offensive options, especially with Fredrick Modin coming back from injury soon. However, the combination of Rick Nash/Manny Malhotra/Kristian Huselius has found a pretty good groove, so don’t look for Hitch to tinker with things too much until it appears necessary. The Blue Jackets are filled with second liners like Vermette and R.J. Umberger that show first-line potential…whether they get there or not can make or break their playoff hopes.

And while this wasn’t a trade deadline move, the return of Martin Brodeur has provided the Devils an even bigger kick than making a big deal would. We sure hope you took our advice and picked him up if he was available, because good old Marty is 4-0 since returning from a 50-game absence and you can pretty well guarantee that he’s no longer on anyone’s wire. Brodeur is about to make history, currently sitting a mere four wins shy of passing Patrick Roy and becoming the NHL all-time leader in wins.

The Week Ahead

• How much can Jokinen ignite the Flame offense? We’ll find out as Calgary hits the road against Carolina (Friday), Atlanta (Sunday), New Jersey (Tuesday), and Detroit (Thursday).
• While a lot of Western teams are taking road trips out east, there are still key head-to-head match-ups for the playoff race: Minnesota at LA (Saturday), Minnesota at Anaheim (Sunday), Vancouver at LA (Monday), and Vancouver at Anaheim (Wednesday).
• Alexander Ovechkin is suffering from a bruised foot, but he should be in the lineup for the big game against Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday. Don’t forget that the last time these rivals clashed sparked a war of words between the stars, and now even Don Cherry’s weighing in. All eyes will be on Crosby and his new linemates Kunitz and Guerin.

The trade deadline (it’s Wednesday, so mark your calendar) can be great for fantasy teams, since sometimes a player just needs a change of scenery or a different situation to blossom. Sadly, trades often turn solid players into total duds. It seems that for every Joe Thornton to San Jose there’s a Sergei Samsonov to Edmonton. That’s just the way it is.

The first big deadline deal was Penguin defenseman Ryan Whitney to Anaheim for forwards Chris Kunitz and Eric Tangradi (a minor leaguer). Whitney missed the start of the season and never really found a rhythm. After putting up almost 100 points in the last two seasons, he has just two goals and 11 assists so far this year. A less prominent role in Anaheim might actually open up his game, although I’m not sure I would necessarily dump a successful player for Whitney. At least not yet. Kunitz has basically been a 20-goal scorer his entire career, but he already had accumulated 16 goals and 19 assists for the Ducks this season. If he winds up on a line with Sidney Crosby, which is expected, he could presumably end the season with 30 goals. He’s definitely worth a look if he’s available.

Of course, trades aren’t the only agent of change in the NHL. There are a lot of factors. For instance, the return of goalie Martin Brodeur to the Devils sent shockwaves through the fantasy world, as Scott Clemmensen, who filled in ably for Brodeur and as a fantasy goalie (2.39 goals against, .917 save percentage) was unceremoniously sent down to the AHL, ruining not just Clemmensen’s day, but also many rosters. Brodeur put up a shutout his first game back, so if he’s still available, you might want to mirror real life and use him to replace Clemmensen.

A new coach can also be a huge change. For instance, earlier this week the New York Rangers fired coach Tom Renney and hired coach John Tortorella. If you have any Rangers on your roster, you know they’re not scoring, which was a symptom of Renney’s hyperdefensive style. Now, with Tortorella, you can expect a much more aggressive, uptempo style with important players getting major minutes. Fantasy duds like Scott Gomez, Chris Drury, and Nikolai Zherdev might actually start performing. It won’t be instantaneous, but it’s worth keeping an eye on these guys to see how they do under Tortorella. And while you’re doing that, keep an eye on goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who should see a lot more action now that the guys in front of him won’t be playing five men back the entire game. His numbers might suffer because of it.

According to ESPN, Boston’s David Krejci, the NHL’s +/- leader, isn’t universally owned across leagues, so if he’s available, you need to grab him and his 20 goals and 39 assists.

Another guy that might not be owned is Jason Arnott, who, after potting two goals and an assist in the last two games, is on pace for his first 30-goal season as a Predator. He ripped home the game-winner Thursday as Nashville improved its playoff chances with a third straight win. The Preds are in 11th place in the West, but are just one point behind the Minnesota/Dallas/Edmonton/Anaheim logjam who are all tied with 65 points.

The Week Ahead

• Saturday, Anaheim plays Dallas, as the two teams fight to remain in the playoff picture. Anaheim is hoping Whitney will help, but it might need to make a few other moves to firm up a playoff position.
• Monday, the Avs play the Islanders. It just doesn’t seem fair that those teams have to play each other. It’s like making two sick chickens fight each other.
• Thursday, Pittsburgh plays Florida. The Eastern Conference playoff picture is so crowded, games like this — between teams that are so close together in the standings — are huge. So if you want to keep Crosby out of the playoffs, tune in and wish hard.

If Detroit has any designs on winning its fifth straight Western Conference regular season title, then it better find a way to earn a win against the San Jose Sharks Wednesday night at Joe Louis Arena.

The Wings have pulled away in the Central Division and have made slight gains on the Sharks, yet remain five points back with two more games played than San Jose heading into action Wednesday. With this being the final meeting between the two teams, it’s obvious that this is as close to a must-win game that Detroit will face until the postseason.

It’s not as if the Wings have slacked off at any time this season. Their worst month was January (and really that was limited to a late slump), and I doubt the 7-4-2 mark last month sent any of their fans into therapy. In fact, Detroit, one of the model organizations of the league, is on its way to bettering its record for the second straight season. Yet, San Jose is showing no cracks in its game, making it next to impossible for Detroit to gain any traction in the standings. Are the Wings locked into the No. 2 seed in the West? We’ll have a much clearer idea after this battle.

There are a couple of factors working against Detroit here: it’s dropped two of the last three vs. San Jose; and the Wings aren’t exactly soaring right now. Sure, they had rhymed off six straight wins earlier this month, but have been uncharacteristically middling over the past five games (2-2-1) after getting dumped by 5-2 in Minnesota on Saturday.

Some things to watch for in this game:

• Claude Lemieux will not get a standing ovation in his return to Motor City after a five-year retirement. The 43-year-old super pest is among the most hated men in Detroit history. Something tells me the half decade Lemieux spent in his rocking chair hasn’t changed that.
• Detroit’s goaltending situation is in a bit of a mess right now. Prospect Jimmy Howard was brought up from Grand Rapids to take the place of the slumping Chris Osgood, who has been given a “mental breather.” Howard, who is enjoying an excellent season, didn’t fare well in his season debut on Saturday as he got rocked early, but he is someone to keep an eye on for the future. With the aging Osgood suffering through his worst NHL season, Ty Conklin has proved to be a real saviour for the Wings this season, and he’s definitely someone you want to consider adding if you need a goalie. In our pre-season rankings, we expressed concern over Osgood’s ability to handle a huge workload, but certainly didn’t see this collapse coming. Osgood’s 10-day break will end Friday night when he goes back in net against the Kings. If Detroit has any hope of making a move on San Jose, it will need Osgood to return to his form from last season, or at least something resembling that. Conklin, meanwhile, will be looking to extend his 11-game home winning streak – a run that has matched the third best in Red Wing history. Overall, he’s a perfect five-for-five when he starts in February. Like I said, Conklin has been an absolutely lifesaver for the Wings.
• This is a battle pitting the top two power plays in the NHL against each other. However, Detroit didn’t exactly look like the best power play team in the league Saturday, going 0-for-5 with the man advantage, but had gone 9-for-17 in the three games before that loss. And therein lies the difference between these two teams: while San Jose – with the fourth best penalty killing unit in the league – is capable of shutting down Detroit’s power play, the same can’t be said for the Wings, who are one of the worst penalty killing teams in the NHL. Advantage San Jose.
• Dan Cleary, who just keeps getting better since he arrived in Motown, is heating up with three goals and two assists in his past four games. Need a forward? He could be available, and while he isn’t racking up the +/- numbers he did last season, Cleary is headed for his first 45-point season, a total he should easily eclipse now that he’s been moved to the top line in Detroit. Now, if he can just learn to stay healthy, he could turn into a serious difference maker. A jaw injury cost him a good chunk of 2007-08, and this season it was an eye injury.
• Don’t look for the Wings to get shut down very often like Saturday, when the Wild held them to a pair of goals. Detroit definitely had its struggles when it limped out of January on a season-worst five-game losing skid, but since then, the Wings have turned it own, scoring 48 goals in 11 games while going 8-2-1. Having said that, this week is a tough test for Detroit’s NHL-leading offense, as it had to deal with Minnesota, and its second-best GAA in the NHL, and now San Jose, almost as good with the third best GAA.
• As great as he was last season in his debut with the Wings, Brian Rafalski has been even better this season as he puts together a career year, at least offensively, at the age of 35. He’s recorded assists in four straight games (six helpers in total), and going back even further, he has 12 points in his last eight games and has managed two or more points in half of those contests. He made the top 10 in our pre-season rankings, and although his +/- isn’t as high as we’d like, Rafalski certainly has been all that on offense.

It’s been a rough spell for Daniel Alfredsson, as first photos of him wearing a pink dress in Las Vegas find their way onto the inter-tubes, then his jaw goes boom. However, his Sens are still kicking since sending Craig Hartsburg into the abyss. Part of the reason for their semi-success? Antoine Vermette remembered he’s a pretty skilled hockey player and popped in seven points in his last five games.

In case you haven’t heard the latest news: Brad Richards = hurt (broken wrist, out up to two months), Mike Richards = awesome (five points against the Sabres on Thursday night), and Atlanta Thrashers = confused (scoring boatloads of goals when nothing matters…hell, even RotoRob noticed that one). Just wanted to get that out of the way.

The Pittsburgh Penguins got a shot in the arm (the return of Sergei Gonchar) and a kick in the ass (new coach Dan Bylsma), though they haven’t somehow reversed time to turn back into the 2007-08 world beaters they were last season. Gonchar’s return is significant though, as it should improve the woeful Pittsburgh power play and cause a trickle-down effect on the rest of the Penguin blueliners. As for Bylsma? He’s employing a more aggressive system than the ever-cautious Michel Therrien. We’ll see how long that sticks depending on performance, but right now that’s good news for whoever plays with Sidney what’s-his-name and Evgeni something-or-other. You know, those two franchise players that are supposed to make Pittsburgh the best team in the history of time.

In fantasy news that doesn’t really matter, Claude Lemieux — he of the glorious China-and-back return — scored his first point of the season. And it only took him 10 games. It’s a little different from Mario Lemieux’s return in 2000, ain’t it?

Vesa Toskala has transformed from starting goalie to walking sieve, so young Justin Pogge’s being given a chance (look for that Toskala robot in the new Transformers movie). Since nothing’s working in Toronto, it’s time to hand over the reins to the kids. Not that that’s always a good idea, but hey, you can’t live in the shadow of Mats Sundin forever, right?

Speaking of Mats, he teased us with thoughts of “He’s not just a poker player!” when the big Swede put up sevens points in three games. Since then? Two points in five games. Seven…three…two…five…hey, if he gets six points in his next four games, Sundin will have a straight! Of course, Mats endorses poker sites for entertainment purposes only, so he wouldn’t win any money.

Do you believe in the Florida Panthers? They just keep winning and winning despite not having a single guy over the 50-point plateau. The closest guy they have in this scoring-by-committee bunch is Stephen Weiss, but of his 41 points, only 10 are goals. That’s an acceptable ratio if you’re, say, Joe Thornton, but for the purposes of fantasy games that don’t involve Daniel Alfredsson in a pink dress, that’s thumbs down for a team leader. Want to ride the surge of the Panthers? Stick with the defense or Tomas Vokoun (according to Yahoo!, Vokoun’s still available in 22 per cent of its fantasy leagues).

The Week Ahead

• On Saturday afternoon, the struggling Habs (who are so desperate these days that they’ve sent Alexei Kovalev home to get his shit together) look to snap a three-game losing skid at home against Ottawa, which is making a bit of a push to try to get back in the race. On Thursday, Carey Price was again awful for Montreal, which is now free falling in the Eastern standings. Sacrebleu!
• Saturday night, the Bruins travel to Florida where they will eat dinner at 4 p.m. and then take on the surging Panthers in what could be a possible first round preview. As good as Florida has been at home this season (16-8-5), Boston is even better than that on the road (21-6-5). That’s pretty damn impressive.
• Speaking of afternoon hockey, on Sunday (on national TV, no less), we get the revitalized Penguins in Washington to take on the still red-hot Capitals. Pittsburgh is desperately trying to work its way back into the Eastern Conference playoff race, while Washington continues to chip away at Boston’s conference lead.