Tim Arnold mancrush Steven Stamkos is making a strong argument at being a first-round pick in next year's drafts.

Twenty-two weeks into this crazy NHL schedule and by this point you should have some good idea as to where you sit in your leagues out there.  Whether you have already locked up a berth in the post-season, are fighting it out for the last spot, or are in dead last with no vital signs at all, every week is still has the same importance.  Even for you GMs out there who are all but dead in your league, the opportunity to play spoiler is still there.  What better way to get back at the team that hammered you 10-1 earlier in the season than to knock him off his pedestal a bit and hurting his playoff chances or seeding?

With the Olympic tourney now a distant memory, especially for those of you south of the 49, the focus now is on these last 15 or 16 games of the regular season and the last couple of weeks before fantasy playoffs kick off.  Most leagues, like the NHL, had their trading deadline come and go this week allowing GMs one final shot at bulking up their roster in hopes of a successful playoff run.  I participate in half a dozen leagues or so and the trade action in my leagues was very much like the NHL in being dead quiet.  There was not even one trade made in any of my leagues this week, let alone any blockbusters.  Again, much like the NHL these days with the salary cap playing such a huge role, pulling off trades is equally as hard in fantasy.  You really have to find that perfect match of a GM who is seeking something you have a surplus of and is willing to give something up that you covet.  It’s not easy.  In all of my leagues, there have only been a handful of trade transactions this season due in large part to GMs not wanting to part with their star players, regardless of how good or bad of a season they have had thus far.

A prime example of this is a GM in one of my leagues who right up until the New Year was having no part of my repeated offers for Blues RW Brad Boyes.  While in hindsight it was good for me to not acquire the struggling former 40-goal man, the process was tedious.  My original offer was Travis Zajac, which was turned down outright.  Later I offered the then red-hot Dustin Penner, again to no avail.  My man crush on Boyes may have got the best of me when I offered the then injured Marian Hossa, but once again, the owner apparently had a bigger crush on Boyes than I did and turned the deal down.  This week, just hours before our league deadline passed, this same owner sent me an offer of Boyes for Lightning RW Steve Downie, who sat on our waiver wire all season long until about four weeks ago when I snatched him up once he landed on the top line in Tampa, and since has become one of the most valuable players in all of fantasy hockey.  This time, I turned the deal down.  Trading isn’t as easy as it sounds.

Once again this week we will see nearly half of the league tap into a four-game schedule.  The Olympic break has really taken its toll on teams who have been forced into stockpiling lots of games in a very short period of time.  Just ask the Vancouver Canucks, who play four more this week, including the final two games of their NHL record 14-game road trip.  The Nucks finally land back in Vancouver to take on Ottawa next Saturday night.  Being a Leafs fan, it’s hard for me to give credit where credit is due when it comes to a rival city like Vancouver, but I give the Canucks their props.  The fact that they have not really hit any major snags in this insane trip is an accomplishment in its own.  Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin, and Alex Burrows are still tearing it up and leading the charge for their offense.  If the return of the injured Pavol Demitra can spark some secondary scoring, this team could be downright scary come playoff time.  A hot goalie in Roberto Luongo and his ever increasing confidence level after bringing home gold for Canada is a huge bonus for Canucks fans.  Now only if they can figure out a way to beat the Chicago Blackhawks.

SCHEDULE

4 games:  ATL, CLM, DAL, LA, MIN, NSH, NYI, PHI, TB, TOR, VAN, WSH

3 games:  ANA, BOS, BUF, CAL, CAR, CHI, COL, DET, EDM, FLA, MON, NJ, NYR, OTT, PHX, PIT, SJ, STL

Despite Alexander Ovechkin struggling (goalless in 6 games) the Washington Capitals continue to plough their way through the Eastern Conference with ease.  They sit a full 16 points ahead of the second place team in the conference and have all but locked up that number one seed.  I don’t know what’s going on with Ovechkin.  Little has been made of it, whether it is an injury or whatever it may be that is keeping him off the board, but if you ask me, he just has not been the same since Canada flat out embarrassed the Russians in the Olympics with a blowout 7-3 win.  I managed to watch two Caps games this week and despite the team still looking incredible, Ovie just hasn’t been his usual self.  Here’s the stupid comment of the week that I can’t help but throw in, but without the Great 8 on the top of his game, I don’t care how good the rest of the team is.  They need him pumpin’ at full steam to have any real shot to continue their dominance.  Maybe now that Sidney Crosby has taken over the NHL goal scoring lead with 44 goals, that will wake up the sleeping monster.

Okay, I can’t go this entire article without mentioning Steven Stamkos.  I have been preaching about Stamkos all season long.  I predicted in the preseason that he would score 40 goals, and I pushed hard for his inclusion on Team Canada, but apparently Steve Yzerman doesn’t read The Week Ahead.  On my Twitter page I have had a countdown of sorts going with every goal that Stamkos scored inching closer to the 40.  Well, two nights ago he accomplished the feat.  Stamkos has hit that 40-goal plateau, has scored points in 16 consecutive games for the Bolts and has a league-leading 16 goals with the man advantage.  He’s a star who I just knew would shine incredibly bright far sooner than anyone ever thought.  Chew on this one… since January of 2009, only one player has scored more goals than Steve Stamkos.  Some guy named Ovechkin.  With 16 games still left to play and Stamkos on the tear that he is on, 50 goals could very well happen. Stamkos will be a top five fantasy pick next year in nearly every draft out there, as he should be.

Can anyone explain to me why the Flyers didn’t try and get a goalie at the deadline?  I think I have said this now for about 12 years running.  They don’t acquire a goalie when Jaroslav Halak, Carey Price, Dwayne Roloson, Martin Biron, Marty Turco, and Peter Budaj were all available.  The very next day they announce that Ray Emery is out for the season and that they will be riding Michael Leighton and Brian Boucher into the playoffs.  So long, Philly.

A couple of names that need to be mentioned this week include Steve Downie of the Lightning and Brian Elliott of the Ottawa Senators.  Both of these guys are must owns.  Downie has been across the board, one of the top five fantasy performers for the past two months.  He is scoring, getting major ice time with the number one line and PP action, and gets into a fight nearly every night because after all, his main role is still to be a pest.  I’ve dropped Brenden Morrow and made Downie my resident go to goon that scores some.

Brian Elliott is without question the number one main in Ottawa going forward.  Don’t be fooled by a spot start here and there for the shaky Pascal Leclaire.  Coach Clouston will be relying on Elliott heavily here in the last 15 or so games.  Elliott is only owned in about 30% of Yahoo! Leagues.  If you need help in the pipes, there may not be a better waiver wire goalie option out there.

Good luck this week!

For fantasyhockey.com, I’m Tim Arnold, the fantasypuckdude.

Steve Mason and the Blue Jackets are the only team with a light schedule this week.

After two incredible weeks of tournament action at the Olympic Games and the NHL schedule break, it’s time for teams to snap back to reality and put down the umbrella drinks they enjoyed during their vacations. 

The NHL is not cutting the Olympians any slack with their schedule making.  Just one night after we all watched arguably the biggest goal in hockey history from Sidney Crosby, NHL teams are back on the ice.  While not bad for the guys who were not at the Olympics, it’s a tough break for a lot of guys to get back and have to play again right away without even having a night or two off.  Team Canada would have loved to party it up after their big win in Vancouver last night, but many of them were off to the airport following the biggest game of their lives.

I’m trying to wrap my mind around how Gary Bettman could ever decide to not let NHL players participate at the 2014 games in Russia.  They will be there.  This tournament was the biggest thing to happen for hockey in a VERY long time. 

Could Crosby’s life get any sweeter at this point?  He shut the mouths of every Crosby hater out there, and sealed his God-like status in Canada for life with one snap of the wrist. 

Let’s take a look at that crazy schedule for this week.  15 teams playing 4 games.

4 games:  ATL, BOS, BUF, CAR, CHI, COL, DET, EDM, MON, NSH, NYR, PHI, PIT, TOR, VAN

3 games:  ANA, CAL, DAL, FLA, LA, MIN, NJ, NYI, OTT, STL, SJ, PHX, TB, WSH

2 games: CLM

In what many teams will view as the most important week on the schedule for the season, the next seven days are make or break for many teams in their hopes for a playoff spot.  Only 20 games remain for most teams, so there is no time to waste, especially with half of the league playing in four games immediately after the Olympic break. 

It will be interesting to see how teams respond following the break.  I think it’s inevitable that we will see at least one good team go completely flat after this layoff.  With four more games on the road this week before returning home next week, the Vancouver Canucks need a strong effort this week to avoid being that team.  One plus for them coming back is that Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin will be rested.  Sweden was nowhere to be seen in the Olympic tourney.  Look for Andrew Raycroft to see at least one start this week as I expect to see the Canucks to not push Roberto Luongo too hard right after winning gold. 

While I do think the Canucks will survive and go on to some playoff success, the New York Rangers are a team faced with a serious challenge in the first week back.  This week the Rangers play four games against Ottawa, Pittsburgh, Washington, and Buffalo.  All four teams are east coast powerhouses right now that will be looking to feed on the vulnerable Rangers.  Marion Gaborik’s health is a question mark coming back.  He was not himself in the Olympics for the Slovaks.  Without him healthy, the Rangers are doomed. 

Two guys that enjoyed incredible Olympic success who may be on your waiver wire are Brendan Morrow, and David Backes.  Both guys have found waiver wires in the recent weeks and shouldn’t be there at all.  Both players enjoyed a great Olympic tournament for their respective countries and put numbers up across the board in fantasy action.  Backes I would be a little less high on because the Blues just don’t score goals.  Morrow looks healthy and ready for a good run with the Stars and Brad Richards passing him the puck.

I can’t believe we have come this far into the article with the NHL trade deadline not even being mentioned!  It is just 48 hours away, and the GMs are working overtime putting together proposals after the trade freeze was lifted last night. 

I am not expecting to see any blockbusters like what we have already seen with Dion Phaneuf and Ilya Kovalchuk, but there are a few good players out there who will be moving teams, and their fantasy value goes with them.  If Ray Whitney winds up in LA alongside Anze Kopitar, what does that do for his value?  If Alexei Ponikarovsky lands on a line with Crosby in Pittsburgh, what does that do for his value?  These are all real possibilities as there are many teams looking to sell.  Toronto and Florida top the list.  Keep a close eye on your wire following the trade deadline.  There will be someone whose value sky rockets due to new opportunity, and at this point of your season, you could use that injection of offense.

Will Carey Price be dealt? 

While I am not expecting any major names to go, stranger things could happen.  There are many NHL teams in financial trouble and always looking to clear space to save money.  This is why I still think Vincent Lecavalier is in play for Tampa Bay.

The Steve Stamkos watch continues.  If you’ve been reading The Week Ahead this season, you know about my love of SS.  I said he would score 40 goals, and that night is coming very soon!  Since January 2009, only one player in the NHL has scored more goals than Stamkos.  Alex Ovechkin. 

I pushed hard for Stamkos on Team Canada, and while he was not there in the Patrice Bergeron spot when he should have been, we all know that if NHL players participate in 2014, Stamkos will be an integral part of Team Canada.  Look for him this spring in the World Hockey Championships if the Lightning don’t make the playoffs.

Enjoy the first week back, enjoy the trade deadline, and try to stay focused after that amazing tournament in which we saw Canada go home with double hockey gold!

For fantasyhockey.com, I’m Tim Arnold, the fantasypuckdude.

The Sedin/Burrows line has combined for one point in its past three games.

The final week of fantasy hockey action before the highly anticipated Olympic competition in Vancouver is here, and now puckheads everywhere are being forced into taking a two-week vacation from their love for the fantasy hockey! 

This is a statement week in your league, regardless of scoring type.  You really want to be able to step it up this week and go into this fantasy vacation on a high note.

This past seven days we have seen much of the same from most of the usual suspects in fantasy puck action, including the two biggest guns of all, Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin.  The NHL’s schedule this week was capped of quite nicely with an incredible come-from-behind win by the Caps on Sunday afternoon vs. Crosby’s Penguins.  To no one’s surprise, A.O. and Sid put on an offensive showcase, making it worth ever cent of the $300 bucks that tickets were selling for outside the arena.  An epic showdown at the 2010 Games is looming for these two combatants.  It all comes to a head in the next two weeks.  Are you still sad about not getting to play fantasy hockey for two weeks? Don’t be – check out ctvolympics.ca for a great weekly pool you can participate in during the Olympic tournament.

Schedule

4 games:  Anaheim, Colorado, Edmonton, Nashville, New Jersey, NY Islanders, Ottawa, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Jose, Tampa Bay, Vancouver

3 games:  Atlanta, Calgary, Carolina, Chicago, Boston, Buffalo, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Florida, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Montreal, NY Rangers, Pittsburgh, Washington

2 games:  Toronto

Keep your eye on the newly acquired Dion Phaneuf and the suddenly decent Toronto Maple Leafs, even though they play in only two games this week.  Both Phaneuf and the back-to-back shutout man himself, J.S. Giguere are loving life in T.O. thus far.  If Giggy managed to slide by on your waiver wire this week without being picked up, he’s a much healthier option at this point than a Chris Osgood/Rick DiPietro/Carey Price type.  He’ll continue to get the bulk of the load after the Olympics when the Leafs try to salvage their disappointing season.  Off the ice is a different story, as it’s always exciting in Leafland with Brian Burke around.

This deal is going to go down in one of two ways over the course of the next few years:  1)  Dion Phaneuf becomes a perennial Norris candidate or 2) He becomes Bryan McCabe. 

If you ask me, I think Brian Burke pulled a fast one over Darryl Sutter and capitalized on Sutter’s desperation.  Phaneuf is an impact player who the Calgary Flames will spend years trying to replace.  Flames fans will be calling for Sutter’s head if this deal does not pay dividends immediately.  Meanwhile, Brian Burke has officially put his stamp on the Toronto Maple Leafs future this season with the acquisitions of Phil Kessel and now Phaneuf.  The future looks bright in Toronto for the first time in a very long time.

The NHL has been downright cruel to teams so far this season in trying to squeeze in more games prior to the Olympic break than usual.  Look at how many teams are playing in four games again this week, which is a prime example of how things have been.  The travel has been horrendous for many teams. 

Just ask the Vancouver Canucks.  Their current 14-game road trip has just kicked off, and already their top line of Alex Burrows and Daniel and Henrik Sedin has gone quiet by only posting one point collectively in the past seven days.  The Canucks desperately need to finish on a strong push going into the break and so does Roberto Luongo, who in seven days time will join Team Canada, where he will certainly see at least some playing time.

I’ll take the Canucks to win two of four this week and we will see if that top line can wake up and continue their all-out assault on NHL goalies.

If you have been following The Week Ahead all season long here on fantasyhockey.com, then you know about my slight man crush on Steve Stamkos.  I predicted in the preseason that he would score 40 goals this season, and he has not let me down one bit.  With 31 goals now, Stamkos is on pace to blow my prediction out of the water and continue proving to everyone that he deserved to be a part of Team Canada.  I love Team Canada’s roster, but how a guy who is has scored like Stamkos has for the past 12 months is left at home is a mistake.  Wayne Gretzky did it in 2006 with Sidney Crosby on the then taxi squad, and now Yzerman has done it with Stamkos, who will undoubtedly be a massive part of Team Canada at the next Olympics if NHLers wind up playing.

ONES TO WATCH

Jason Chimera – The Capitals have not lost since acquiring the gritty winger from Columbus.  He’s owned in less than 20 percent of leagues, but is contributing every night and putting numbers up on the fantasy board consistently.  Chimera gets virtually no power-play time with the Caps, so keep that in mind if power play points are a stat in your league.  If you want that, you need Mike Knuble, who somehow is still available in some leagues.  (Shaking head)

Bobby Ryan – It may not be to the level of my Stamkos man crush, but close.   The finish Bobby Ryan will have to this NHL season is going to help propel him up the superstar ladder.  Ryan is now seeing full-time action with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry giving the Ducks arguably the scariest line in the NHL.  Too bad the other three lines are terrible.

Ilya Kovalchuk – The Kovalchuk trade to New Jersey makes the Devils unlike anything the Devils have ever been during all of their success in the past 15 years, and that’s downright scary offensively.  Kovalchuk and Zach Parise are the poor man’s Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, but it may just work.

John Tavares – Drop him already.  Unless you’re in a keeper league, you need to drop him from you roster.  With so much talent at center available on most wires, better help is widely available.

Phil Kessel – Kessel seems to have been energized since the callup of Tyler Bozak and now even more so by the addition of Phaneuf.  He was red hot this past week, and is still an absolute beast in the shots on goal category.

Ray Whitney – A deal with the LA Kings is reportedly in place for the scoring winger from Carolina.  Whitney, 37, wants a three-year deal worth a reported $10M in order to waive his no-trade clause, which is not what the Kings or anyone else wants to pay.  My guess is he goes to LA, and then back to Carolina this summer via free agency at a much lower cost than his asking price of $10 million for three years.  Whitney’s fantasy value will stay the same no matter where he ends up.

Good luck this week and enjoy the Olympic break!

For fantasyhockey.com, I’m Tim Arnold, the fantasypuckdude

Cam Ward is currently on a four-game winning streak.

Contributed by Tim Arnold

 

As we wind down the pre-Olympic NHL schedule, I am left to wonder what kind of content I am going to provide for the two-week layoff since the whole Week Ahead bit will not be required!  I have a few ideas in mind, but if you have any of your own, feel free to fire them my way here on this page or on my Twitter page. 

Let’s get the ball, or in this case, the puck rolling on another edition of The Week Ahead while it still has some relevancy.

Another big week for the Washington Capitals as they have now extended their season high win streak to nine games.  The last win may have come at a price, as they lost star D man Mike Green for three games following a suspension for his hit on the Panthers Michael Frolik.  Green also left the same game in the third period after receiving a knee-on-knee hit, but coach Bruce Boudreau claims it is just a charley horse.  Rest easy fantasy owners.  The fantasy MVP for defensemen won’t miss any more than his three-game suspension.

Speaking of fantasy MVPs on the blueline, it has been great to see the Red Wings Nicklas Lidstrom finally turn his season around in the past month. Lidstrom was off to an incredibly slow start by his own standards.  I own him in two leagues this year and knew it was only a matter of time before he began to produce once again.  Lidstrom now has six points in his last four games and is up to 32 points (6g-26a) and a stellar +20 rating on the season.  If not for Mike Green’s incredible offensive upside, we may still be thinking of Lidstrom as a fantasy D MVP.  Hopefully you didn’t dump him when he got off to the slow start.

Let’s take a look at this week’s schedule.

4 games:  Boston, Buffalo, Calgary, Carolina, Edmonton, Montreal, Washington

3 games:  Anaheim, Atlanta, Chicago, Colorado, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Florida, LA Kings, Minnesota, Nashville, New Jersey, NY Rangers, Ottawa, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, San Jose, Tampa Bay, Toronto, Vancouver

2 games:  NY Islanders

Mr. Obvious note of the week:  Don’t start any Islander players this week.  In fact, unless you’re in a keeper league, there really is not one Islander on the roster who should even be owned in fantasy hockey this year.  Maybe John Tavares, but even the super rookie has taken a nosedive in the past six weeks of action, along with his team.

FAVORABLE SCHEDULES

This time around I am going to go with a pair of teams who have not had the luxury of many easy weeks for the entire season.  The Carolina Hurricanes and Tampa Bay Lightning.  Let’s start with Carolina.

Carolina Hurricanes

The Canes have been brutal all year; we all know that.  They have been the butt of many jokes and have had Canes fans dreaming of a Taylor Hall/Eric Staal combo for the future.  Well Canes fans, all 14 of you, it’s not going to happen.  The Hurricanes have been playing some inspired hockey of late and are becoming a tough team to play night in and night out.  It’s unfortunate for the few fans that are out there because at the trade deadline following the Olympics on March 3, we could see this team blown apart. 

Ray Whitney is the one name that just will not go away, and despite holding a no-trade clause in his deal, he will almost certainly agree to waive it and be moved to a contender looking for solid secondary scoring.  Other than Ilya Kovalchuk, Whitney is rumored to be one of the deadline’s hottest commodities.  Look for whoever loses out in the Kovalchuk sweepstakes to be hot on the trail of Whitney, whether it be Calgary, Chicago, or some other team looking to stock up for a run.  This week the Canes have games against the struggling Oilers and Flames out west, followed by two games against Eastern Conference weaklings the Islanders and Thrashers.  I’ve got Carolina to win at least two of their four games.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Now we move onto the not so lightning like Bolts.  Tampa Bay has three players in the top 25 of NHL scoring.  Martin St. Louis, Steve Stamkos, and Vincent Lecavalier are all entrenched in that top 25, yet this team is out of a playoff spot (albeit barely in the tight Eastern Conference).  What is wrong in Tampa?  Blaming the ownership group can only go so far.   When you have three guys in the top 25 of league scoring and you’re not in a playoff spot, there are some major problems.  How about starting with some D?  When Kurtis Foster is your main power-play threat, you need some help.

This coming week the Lightning face off against Calgary, Atlanta, and the Islanders.  Look for Stamkos to keep pushing towards his 40-goal season and for Lecavalier to keep producing like he has been in the past month.  The Kovalchuk deal will be the granddaddy of them all come deadline day, but I am hearing many whispers from very valuable sources saying Lecavalier could be on his way out of the state of Florida, too.  Only time will tell.  I have the Bolts taking two of their three games this week riding the hot play of their stars. Don’t forget about goalie Antero Niittymaki, who posted a shutout on Wednesday and has won three of his last four starts.

UNFAVORABLE SCHEDULES

St. Louis Blues

The Blues have, without a doubt, been my biggest bust of the year so far.  I had envisioned the Blues to be the new Blackhawks.  Loaded with young talent, a nice mix of veteran presence, and acceptable goaltending, the Blues looked ready to take the next step.  Man, was I wrong.

This week the Blues will be singing the blues when they hit the ice vs. those Chicago Blackhawks twice and once against powerhouse San Jose.  It’s going to be a very, very long week for David Perron and company.  Perron is a guy I expected to break out this year and easily hit the 30-goal plateau, but no dice.  While still putting up respectable numbers, he is far short of where many of us pictured him being at this point of the 2009-10 season.

Toronto Maple Leafs

I won’t go into great detail because, well, I don’t need to when it comes to my beloved Maple Leafs.  They lost to the Devils Friday night after mounting a great comeback in the third period, and then were embarrassed on home ice Saturday night against the Canucks after holding a 3-0 lead after 20 minutes.  The goaltending has been their major downfall.  Despite saying Jonas Gustavsson will see the majority of starts for the rest of the season, we still have not seen Ron Wilson stick to his word.  This week the Leafs have New Jersey twice and the scorching Senators once.  It will be a long week for those of us who bleed blue.

The Leafs will be deadline movers and shakers come March 3, if not much sooner according to TSN.  Look for Matt Stajan, Alexei Ponikarovsky, Jamal Mayers, and Garnet Exelby all to be shipped out of town.

Ron Wilson’s days as coach are numbered.  Brian Burke cannot fire him now because he is Burke’s coach for the USA Olympic team, and he may not fire him right after the Olympics. Rest assured I highly doubt we will see Ron Wilson behind the bench of the Toronto Maple Leafs next season.

Funny stat of the week:  The three worst teams in NHL standings right now are Edmonton, Carolina, and Toronto.  Both the Canes and Oilers are coached by the Leafs’ previous two coaches.  Ugly.

I have a name or two to throw at you before I turn you loose into another week of fantasy action.  One is Troy Brouwer.  The Blackhawks winger has been seeing first line ice-time along with Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, and he has sure responded.   Brouwer is one of the hottest players in the NHL over the past month, potting eight goals in that time.

Another name to keep in mind is Brian Elliott.  While he may have been scooped up this past week with the Senators’ hot play of late, if he is on your wire and you own a goalie like Carey Price, make the move. I’d be very surprised to see much, if any, of Pascal Leclaire for the imminent future.  Nine straight wins for the Sens is a franchise best.  Elliott isn’t going anywhere for awhile.

Are Daniel and Henrik Sedin and Alex Burrows EVER going to slow down?  Incredible.

Good luck, and we’ll see you next week!

For fantasyhockey.com I’m Tim Arnold, the fantasypuckdude

Jason Spezza returned to the Senators' lineup on Saturday.

Contributed by Tim Arnold

It’s hard to believe that 2010 is nearly one month old already!  What’s not hard to believe is that in less than one month’s time, we will all be glued to our TVs getting ready to cheer on our respective countries hockey teams at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.  With all the rosters named and players aware of their Olympic status (unless you’re from Russia), they are all doing their best to go into the Olympics riding a high and playing at the top of their game.  Injuries have yet to play a very big factor in any major superstar’s status for the games, but that is bound to change with three weeks’ worth of hockey left before the break.  It’s much easier for a county like Canada to call up a suitable reserve than it is for a team like Finland or Slovakia.  Let’s hope we don’t lose any of the major players from teams like the aforementioned Canada, Russia, or the defending gold medalists from Sweden.  Those three teams are looking like the pre-tournament favorites for a good shot at gold.

The starting 5 for Russia:  Alexander Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, Ilya Kovalchuk, Sergei Gonchar, Andrei Markov.

Canada may have a better four-line team on paper, but there is not another team in the tournament who can ice a line with the power that this one has.  This line is a big reason why we see someone like Brent Seabrook on the Canadian roster and not Mike Green. Green can score with the best of them, but he doesn’t stand a chance or trying to hold down Russia’s big boys.  I don’t know if anyone really stands a chance of shutting that unit down, though.

This has been a tough week for goalies in fantasy hockey.  A large portion of some of the top goaltending talent in the NHL has been getting shelled in the past seven days.  Marty Brodeur took a loss to the Islanders, Miikka Kiprusoff got lit up like Las Vegas at night against the Sharks, and Pens starter Marc-Andre Fleury has been bothered by a fractured finger on his catching glove.  Fleury is expected to return to action this weekend for the champs.  If you own any of these players, you have no doubt had a tough week in the goalie points categories.  Better luck next week!

Speaking of next week, let’s break down the schedule.

4 games:  Calgary, Detroit, Los Angeles, New Jersey, NY Islanders, NY Rangers, Phoenix, St. Louis, Washington

3 games:  Anaheim, Atlanta, Buffalo, Carolina, Chicago, Colorado, Columbus, Dallas, Edmonton, Florida, Minnesota, Montreal, Nashville, Ottawa, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, Toronto, Vancouver 

2 games:  Boston, Philadelphia, San Jose 

LOVE:  A couple of teams to watch out for this week on the love side of things.  The Washington Capitals seem to be making more appearances in this category than anyone this season.  This week is no different.  The Caps’ four games have them matched up against the Islanders, Ducks, Panthers, and Lightning. Therefore, there’s a very good chance Washington wins three of those four games. 

A little more love goes out to the Chicago Blackhawks.  The Hawks have probably the easiest schedule in the league during their three-game schedule this week.  Lined up for the Hawks in the next seven days are two of the three worst teams in the league, the Oilers and Hurricanes, and also a stiff test coming in the form of the Sharks.  Look for Antti Niemi to continue seeing his playing time increase and before we know it, he could very well be the undisputed number one guy in the Windy City.  Depending on who you ask, he already is.

HATE:  I picked them here a few weeks ago and they wound up torching my predictions, but the Buffalo Sabres are again going to be my goat team this week.  Three incredibly tough games lie ahead for them vs. the Canucks, Devils, and Bruins.  I am fully expecting to have the Sabres kill me again and likely pull off a three-game winning streak this week, but they’ll have a serious load in front of them to move if they hope to do that.  I just don’t see it happening.  Watch for them to have a tough go round.

The Ottawa Senators, who I will talk more about here soon, despite riding a stellar six-game winning streak, could see a total reversal of fortunes in the next seven days.  Games vs. the Devils, Penguins, and Canadiens await the red-hot Sens, which is not an enviable task to be faced with.  With the goaltending question marks in Ottawa, how long can this strong play go on for?  Not long, and I say it ends this week.

The Senators have pulled off some sort of David Blaine like magic show in the last seven days since the return of their captain, Daniel Alfredsson.  Alfie has scored in all three games since returning and has the Senators now riding a six-game winning streak.  This is even more remarkable considering the cluster of a goalie situation they have on Ottawa right now.  Brian Elliott appears as though he is going to carry the majority of the load for the time being, and why not?  He’s been solid all week after rookie Mike Brodeur stood on his head last week.  Notice how neither one of these guys are named Pascal Leclaire?  With the Sens still needing some secondary scoring, they are certainly missing Antoine Vermette, who went the other way in the deal for Leclaire.  Who’da thunk anyone would ever say they were missing Antoine Vermette?

Also on Saturday, the Senators welcomed back star center Jason Spezza from injury.  Spezza has been sidelined for the past couple of months and has become sort of the forgotten man in the fantasy world this year due to his slow start, then followed by the injury.  He is surprisingly available on quite a few waiver wires, and if you can grab him there, do it now!  I preached the good word a couple of weeks ago giving you the heads up that he would be returning and was the ideal target for a buy-low situation!  Hopefully you listened, found his owner, and were able to pawn off a Stephen Weiss-like player for him.  Look for Spezza and the Sens to make a serious playoff push and for himself personally to have a rebound second half.

Mike Underwood, I mean Mike Fisher… look for him, too.  A lot of owners dropped him after his poor play while Alfredsson was injured.  In the time Alfredsson was out, Fisher was invisible on the ice for the Sens, but since Alfie’s return, Fisher has gone on a tear playing alongside the cap.  He had five points in Alfie’s first two games back.  Yes, one player can make that big of an impact on the rest of his team.

My must-add player of the week this week goes out to the Hawks’ Antti Niemi.  Ant, as his teammates refer to him as, is only owned in 23% of Yahoo! Leagues right now, a number that should be and will be much higher very soon.  If you’re in a league where he is available on the wire and you own Carey Price or Chris Osgood, make the move already!  Niemi’s numbers are amongst the best in the NHL, with or without the required amount of games played for some of the stats to count.  The Hawks clearly are not confident that Cristobal Huet can win them a Cup. Niemi may be the man who is there come playoff time.  Get him now.

My must-drop player of the week:  Nathan Horton of the Florida Panthers.  Fractured tibia is the early prognosis on Horton who went down with the devastating injury Thursday night.  He was leading the Panthers in scoring before the injury, and with him going down, the Panthers’ season may not be far behind it.  He will need six weeks of recovery time, although nearly three weeks of that will be taken up by the Olympic break.  Look for Andy MacDonald as a possible replacement.  He has been putting up some solid numbers and consistent play in the past two weeks.

For fantasyhockey.com, I’m Tim Arnold, the fantasypuckdude

Jarome Iginla

Contributed by Tim Arnold

Another exciting week of fantasy puck has passed us by, and everyone out there should now have a pretty good idea of where they stand headed into the stretch drive. With the season now more than half over, you now know whether or not you’re in a hold em’ mode, a fold em’ mode, or in a middle-of-the-pack mode.  Are you a buyer?  Are you a seller?  Are you standing pat?  So many crucial decisions to be made and a very small window of time to make them before it may be too late.

If you are in a standard 12-team league and right now you’re sitting in, say, eighth place, when the top six make your playoffs, you are the owners I am targeting the most right now.  It is you who has to decide whether or not you are going to attempt making a splash in your league by pulling off a blockbuster or maybe flat out dropping some of your underachievers in exchange for some guys who you think will have second big halves.  Now don’t go too crazy with who you drop, but if you are still owners of someone like Brad Boyes, you really need to consider what to do with him.  He has not helped you much all season long, yet based on name alone you may be able to still attract a buyer in your league to give you something decent in return for him (Patric Hornqvist, for example).  If he has been scooped up off your waiver wire, which he should have been by now in competitive leagues, consider making that move right now if you’re able to sell Boyes like a slightly used car.  Do not let ownership numbers trick you.  Sure, Boyes is owned in nearly 100 percent of leagues out there, but he has let down 100 percent of his owners, too.  Hornqvist is owned in only about 50 percent of leagues, yet in my view has held more value all season and has a better outlook for a strong second half.  It’s moves like this one that will define your season and will be the difference maker in another couple of months when you are either in or out of your league’s playoffs.

The Rangers were shut out twice this week by two different players both named Brodeur.  Mike Brodeur of the Ottawa Senators is now 3-0 in his young career after picking up big wins this week over the Rangers and Canadiens.  Brodeur is possibly worth a look in deeper leagues, or if you’re desperate for short-term help.  Pascal Leclaire reportedly has a concussion, and Brian Elliott has been brutal in the past month.  The return of captain Daniel Alfredsson is a huge boost to a banged-up Sens team.  Alfie responded strongly by posting a three-point night in his first game back last night vs. the Habs.

My picks from last week have worked out decently for me. I picked the Pens to have a bit of an off week during their four games and they did just that, going 2-2.  Marc-Andre Fleury is battling a fractured ring finger on his catching hand and missed Saturday night’s game against Vancouver.  By the end of the night, the Pens had Alexander Pechurski in nets, a 19 year-old member of the Tri-City Americans of the WHL who signed a one-game contract earlier in the day.  The kid played well, only giving up one goal on 13 shots.  The injury to Fleury is said not to be serious, and he should be able to play again this week.

My favorites pick was the Washington Capitals.  The Caps responded HUGE for me this week by posting 15 goals in their first three games, winning two of those with ease.  After dropping a 7-4 decision to the Lightning early in the week, Alexander Ovechkin and Co. turned around and beat Florida in a shootout before completely dismantling the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday night, led by Ovie’s five-point performance.  However, we’re still waiting on Semyon Varlmov to return.  Luckily for the Caps, they score enough goals to fend off opponents most nights, but they will need a healthy Varly if they hope to have any shot at a successful playoff run this spring.

Let’s take a look ahead at this week’s schedule.

SCHEDULE

4 games:  Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Carolina, Columbus, Dallas, Florida, New Jersey, NY Islanders, Ottawa, Philadelphia, San Jose, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Toronto

3 games:  Anaheim, Chicago, Colorado, Detroit, Edmonton, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Montreal, Nashville, NY Rangers, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Vancouver, Washington

2 games:  Calgary

The NHL continues its insane schedule load pre-Olympics with more than half of the league playing in four games this week.  That equals big numbers in fantasy leagues this week.  The only note really to make regarding the schedule this week is one for the Calgary Flames.  Being the only team in the league with two games, it may be a good time to sit down Jarome Iginla and Mikka Kiprusoff in weekly leagues.  Kiprusoff you will be able to get away with keeping in, but Iginla has not scored a point in half a dozen games while continuing to be one of the streakiest players in hockey.  The Flames’ lack of secondary scoring will continue to haunt them until it is addressed, and the pressure on Iginla’s shoulders will continue to be heavy. 

Olli Jokinen has been one of my bigger fantasy letdowns of the year.  Headed into the season, I expected huge things from the Finn while playing with Iginla.  While his season has not been a total write-off, his 30 points in 48 games played, including just 9 goals, has been a real downer.  A perennial scorer throughout his career, Jokinen has found his way to the waiver wire in more than one of my leagues.

FAVORABLE SCHEDULE

New Jersey Devils

Martin Brodeur owners out there can be excited about the week ahead for the Devils and their likely goaltending stats by week’s end.  King Marty and the Devs have it pretty good this week with two games against the Islanders, one vs. Florida, and one vs. Montreal.  I expect to see Brodeur in three of the four games.  The only back to back they have is next Saturday and Sunday.  Sunday’s game is their second against the Islanders, and that’s the game where you should expect to see Marty get a night off.  If somehow the Devils luck out and face Rick DiPietro twice this week, we could be looking at the Devils scoring 15 to 20 goals in the four games.  This means Jamie Langenbrunner, Travis Zajac, and Zach Parise are all must starts.  Langenbrunner is likely not available in your league, but if he is, snatch him up now.  He is a classic better second half performer over his career, and with his recent naming as Team USA’s captain for the 2010 Olympics, his confidence is at an all-time high. Bench Patrik Elias this week, as he’ll miss time after being carried off the ice on a stretcher during Saturday’s game against Colorado.

Another team I like but don’t quite love this week is the Boston Bruins.  The Bruins are still without Marc Savard and Patrice Bergeron, but they do have a good outlook for the next seven days.  The B’s face the Senators twice and the Hurricanes and Blue Jackets once, with the latter two teams among the league’s worst. 

UNFAVORABLE SCHEDULES

New York Islanders

This one is too easy.  With two games this week vs. the powerhouse Devils, it didn’t really matter who the Isles’ other two opponents are (Pittsburgh, Florida), since I was picking them to struggle.  Rick DiPietro picked up his first win of the season vs. the high-flying Sabres on Saturday, but it’s certainly not something I see forming into a pattern.  I see the Isles throwing the towel in a little bit early here because they know they have to test RD going forward to try and get some of their money’s worth out of that ridiculous contract he possesses.

John Tavares found the net during the win over the Sabres for the first time in ten games.  A welcome sight for Isles fans as the chances of this team even winning a few games here and there is slim to none without him on his game.  Forget about the playoffs, it’s just not going to happen.  Have you dropped Matt Moulson yet?  It’s past his time.  Cut him loose.

QUICK NOTES

A few names to keep an eye on this week include one Jimmy Howard of the Detroit Red Wings.  The Wings are getting closer to being healthy, and the rookie has appeared in the last 11 games for the Cup finalists.  Chris Osgood got shelled against the lowly Islanders on Tuesday in what may have been the last time we see Osgood for quite some time.  The Wings have lost all confidence in their former number one, so don’t be surprised if they are looking for help in net at the deadline. 

Tyler Bozak of the Toronto Maple Leafs had a nice start to his call up this week by posting points in back-to-back games playing on a line with the struggling Phil Kessel and Nikolai Kulemin.  If Bozak stays with the big club and avoids being sent back to the AHL, look for his spot on that number one line to stick for a while.  The Leafs have lost confidence in Matt Stajan and his ability to play with Kessel long term.  Stajan is one of many Leafs who could have new homes at the trade deadline.

Are Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin, and Alex Burrows ever going to slow down?  Burrows and teammate Ryan Kesler are two of the most underrated fantasy stars in the game right now.  Both have had career years so far, and their value is through the roof.  Both of them were likely on your waiver wire at some point this season, but they won’t been seen again there for a long, long time.

Stephen Weiss of the Florida Panthers was one of the best pick ups in fantasy hockey in the last two months, but along with the rest of the team, Weiss has slowed down substantially over the last few weeks.  You might think it is time to start looking for more consistent scoring at center.  Don’t do it unless there is someone available who is a serious upgrade.  Weiss will still score points, but in bunches.

Guillaume Latendresse and the Minnesota Wild are no longer the laughing stock of the NHL like they were for the first three months of the season.  Since being traded from Montreal for Benoit Pouliot (who’s also playing very well), Latendresse has been a force in Minnesota.  Nine goals in his last 12 games were capped off by a hat trick against Phoenix on Saturday night.  If he’s out there, he’s nearing must-own territory.  Fans in Montreal are begging this doesn’t turn into a John LeClair situation. Latendresse, like Leclair, was underutilized in a Habs jersey and never really found a role with the team.  Then after being traded away, he became a perennial all-star.

Good luck this week!

For fantashockey.com, I’m Tim Arnold, the fantasypuckdude.

Evgeni Malkin has 41 points (13g-28a) in 38 games this season.

Contributed by Tim Arnold

 

With Team USA celebrating their big win in the World Junior Championships over Canada this past week, people south of the 49th actually took some notice to the game of hockey.  For a short while, USA hockey was one of the top trending topics on Twitter, which I blame on Canadians such as myself for overflowing Twitter over the loss to USA.  Five in a row wasn’t enough for Canadians?

Hopefully the US enjoys basking in the glory for the next month because to think that the Olympic team is going to provide equal excitement for US hockey fans is a huge longshot.  With how stacked the competition is in this year’s tournament, Team USA could consider it a second coming of “Miracle On Ice” if they even manage to win a bronze medal.  Meanwhile, it’s business as usual in Canada, where anything but a gold is simply unacceptable.

Edmonton Oilers fans had a great look at their future during the WJHC.  Jordan Eberle’s big game heroics are something Oilers fans hope he can carry over to an NHL career, and soon!  The Oilers have been the worst team in hockey over the past six weeks and find themselves 29^th out of 30 teams right now in the standings, only five points behind the lowly Carolina Hurricanes.  If the Oilers continue tanking at this pace, we could very well see a future in Edmonton that also contains Eberle’s Team Canada running mate and projected number one overall pick Taylor Hall.  The Oilers still have some work to do to wrangle that pick out of the hands of the Canes, especially if Carolina puts the For Sale sign out on any of their impact players.

Would Rod Brind’Amour just retire already?  He’s now a league worst (-22).  Oh how the mighty have fallen.

With Rod the Bod in mind, this week I put together my top five list of players still playing in the NHL who USED to have serious fantasy impact, but now are considered liabilities to own.  Let’s take a quick look…

5) Rod Brind’Amour – Was one of the best two way forwards in hockey – got old.

4) Keith Tkachuk – He should have retired after the lockout. He got fat and slow.

3) Paul Kariya – Injuries, injuries, and more injuries.  Used to be a Team Canada lock.

2) Mike Modano – Yes, Mike Modano is still playing hockey.

1) Jonathan Cheechoo – Cheechoo doesn’t have the career numbers or accolades that the others have, but it’s a rare feat when you see a guy drop from 56 goals to fourth line oblivion in such a short time.  Cheechoo’s numbers have steadily declined in the years since, and this year is no different.  He is on pace for all of eight goals.

We’ve got a lot of the big boys in four games this week.  Owners in weekly leagues out there are salivating at the chance to have players like Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley, Jarome Iginla, and Miikka Kiprusoff to insert into the lineup for an extended workweek.  Let’s take a look at the upcoming schedule for January 11 to 17.

SCHEDULE

4 games:  Calgary, Detroit, Minnesota, NY Rangers, Pittsburgh, San Jose, Washington

3 games:  Anaheim, Atlanta, Boston, Carolina, Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Edmonton, Florida, Los Angeles, Montreal, Nashville, New Jersey, Ottawa, Philadelphia, Phoenix, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Toronto, Vancouver

2 games:  Buffalo, Colorado, NY Islanders

Quick schedule notes:  Nothing really out of the ordinary this week with all but three teams playing in at least three games.  Do make note, though, of the Buffalo Sabres and their two-game schedule.  Ryan Miller has been arguably the best fantasy goalie in hockey this year, but with just two games on the slate, you may be better served to start someone who will be seeing more action.   If your backup situation is sketchy, keep Miller in, since he’ll win at least one of the two.

If Jimmy Howard is still available in your league, make it so that he is not.  Howard is quickly gaining star status in the Motor City and has started each of the last ten games for the Wings.  His value is enormous, but owners have been hesitant due to Detroit’s inconsistent play this year.  The Wings are going to get healthy, and when they do, I see them putting together a pretty good run at one of the final playoff spots in the west.  Howard will be backbone to any chance they have of making it, as Chris Osgood’s time appears to have passed him by.  I’d expect to see Howard in at least three of the Wings’ four games this week. The potential to play in all four is there as well, as the Wings are not facing any back-to-back games.

FAVORABLE SCHEDULES

Washington Capitals

I hate to keep beating on the same drum all the time, but this week’s pick of the Caps as my favorite to do some heavy damage is a no-brainer when you look at what lies ahead for them.  On the agenda this week for Washington are games against Tampa Bay, Florida, Toronto, and Philadelphia.  Alexander Ovechkin appears to have shaken off any rust he may have had following his injury and is once again scoring at a torrid pace.  He’s the number one ranked player in Yahoo! Fantasy.  Again.

Much like the Penguins could use some more effort out of star forward Evgeni Malkin, the same can be said for Caps sniper Alexander Semin.  While both Semin and Malkin have had respectable seasons, both have underachieved in overall scoring. 

Owners of Mike Knuble are hoping to see some signs of life from the veteran.  Knuble has struggled since returning from injury, scoring just three times in the past 12 games.  On a team that’s known for scoring goals, it’s bad news when you have your goal scorers not named Ovechkin disappear for long periods of time.  With four games this week against some teams who they can really light up, Semin and Knuble need to come up big.

A setback in the return of stud goalie Semyon Varlamov has left them to rely on Michal Neuvirth and Jose Theodore, but look for Varly to return for real this week and be thrown into the mix against some teams who struggle to score goals. 

Along with the Capitals, the Blackhawks are another team who will be dishing out some beatings this week.  The Hawks have Columbus twice and Detroit once.  Steve Mason and Mathieu Garon play for the same team, but they could both play in 70 games this year with how often they each get pulled.

UNFAVORABLE MATCHUPS

Pittsburgh Penguins

It’s a risk here this week because I know it is only a matter of time before the Penguins break out of this New Year’s slump.  Sidney Crosby and Co. have won just once since Christmas.  On the board this week for the Pens is a four-game road trip out west.  While they do have two winnable games against Minnesota and Edmonton, they run into some stiff competition come the weekend when the roll into Calgary and then Vancouver.   Crosby hits Van City, a place he will become quite familiar with in the coming weeks.

No one can complain about how Sid has played.  His goal totals are way up, and he is once again carrying the team on his shoulders, something he has done since he was 18.  Evgeni Malkin, as I mentioned earlier, needs to step it up this week and score more.  A top three pick in virtually every single draft this year, Malkin needs to start owning up.

Owners of Marc-Andre Fleury are going through their first real hit of the season with him in nets.  He’s had a rough stretch since Christmas, but so goes with the rest of the team.  He won’t enjoy a trip into GM Place against the high-flying Canucks.  He too will be in Vancouver for the Olympics, but with Martin Brodeur and Roberto Luongo ahead of him, the chances of him getting in a game for Team Canada are virtually non-existent at this point.

Along with the Pens this week, I am not fond of the schedule facing the Blue Jackets at all.  They face off with powerhouse Chicago twice in three games.

Good luck this week.

For fantasyhockey.com, I’m Tim Arnold, the fantasypuckdude.

Rick Nash has just one goal in his last eight games.

 Contributed by Tim Arnold

Could there be a more exciting time for hockey fans than where we stand right now kicking off 2010?  The last week has been a massive barrage of hockey with the World Junior Hockey Championships in full gear, the heavy NHL schedule, and all of the national teams being named for the upcoming Olympic games.  This includes powerhouse Canada, who like the bobsled competition, should be able to enter more than one team.  

Just for the heck of it, let’s take a look at some names who will be chillin’ on a beach in the Caribbean instead of playing at the Olympics:

Marty Turco 

Cam Ward

Carey Price

Jay Bouwmeester                    

Mike Green                                 

Dion Phaneuf                             

Robyn Regehr

Stephane Robidas

Patrick Sharp

Brad Richards

Vincent Lecavalier

Shane Doan

Jeff Carter

Martin St. Louis

Dustin Penner

Mike Fisher

Steve Stamkos

Ryan Smyth

I know I missed some, so you can fill in the blanks on your own.

As a fan of Canada, I’m not afraid to admit it!  As cheesy as it sounds to say it, THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING! (Editor’s note: Tim is referring to the Olympics, not the World Juniors. Russia was upset by Switzerland at the WJHC on Saturday.)

Let’s look ahead to this week’s schedule.

4 games:  Anaheim, Boston, Calgary, Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, NY Rangers, Ottawa, Toronto

3 games:  Washington, Vancouver, Tampa Bay, St. Louis, San Jose, Pittsburgh, Phoenix, Philadelphia, NY Islanders,  New Jersey, Nashville, Montreal, Minnesota, Los Angeles, Florida, Detroit, Colorado, Carolina, Buffalo, Atlanta

2 games:  Edmonton

Mr. Obvious Moment:  The Oilers have been brutal.  Before finally beating the Leafs the other night, they had dropped seven straight games.  Dustin Penner has finally hit a slump, scoring just once in his last 12 games.  You had to know Dustin Penner wasn’t going to score 100 points.  Penner will bounce back soon enough, but if you’re in a weekly league, you simply can’t have him in your starting lineup this week with the Oil slumping so badly and playing only two games.

FAVORABLE MATCHUPS

Boston Bruins

Coming off an incredibly exciting OT win at the Winter Classic, the Boston Bruins will be moving back indoors this week and have a favorable schedule waiting there for them.  The B’s face off twice this week against the struggling Rangers, and also have games against the banged up Senators, and the red hot Blackhawks. 

The Bruins will be welcoming back Milan Lucic this weekend after missing most of the season with injuries thus far.  There were a lot of owners who were forced to drop Lucic when he went down weeks ago.  With how well the Bruins have been playing of late, Lucic couldn’t be coming back to a better situation.  Lucic is only owned in 38 percent of Yahoo! leagues right now.  Look for that number to skyrocket once he returns and stays healthy for longer than a handful of games.

Tim Thomas and Tuukka Rask: the best 1-2 goalie combo in hockey?  Look for the B’s to have a big second half.

Carolina Hurricanes

It’s a rule now, so Carolina is my “Are you kidding me?” pick of the week.  The Canes have been nothing short of horrendous all season long, yet I think if there is a week where they may be able to put together a small stretch of wins before returning to their losing ways, this is the one!  The Predators, Avalanche, and Senators await the Canes this week.  I think the Canes can win two of those games, and starting Cam Ward may not be as crazy of a thought as it has been all season long.

I still believe that Carolina will go into sell mode, possibly before the NHL trading deadline.  Jim Rutherford is having dreams of a Taylor Hall/Eric Staal combo in Carolina, and someone like Ray Whitney is a likely target to move.  Whitney’s ownership is down this season, as are his stats, but he will be a valuable fantasy should he find a more competitive team to play for, like say….the Calgary Flames?  Just a hunch.

It scares me to think that Rod Brind’ Amour is owned even 5 percent in fantasy leagues this season.  Sad to see a great player like Brind’ Amour just fade away like he has.

UNFAVORABLE MATCHUPS

Toronto Maple Leafs

It destroys me as a life-long Leafs fan to slide them into the “You’re gonna get you’re a$$ handed to you” category, but this week, it’s not looking so good for my beloved Blue and White.  Toronto has four contests this week against the Panthers, Flyers, Sabres, and Penguins.  I’m picking the Leafs to drop at least two of the four.

The goaltending situation in T.O. is still in shambles as coach Ron Wilson keeps flip-flopping back and forth between incumbent starter Jonas Gustavsson, and the shaky Vesa Toskala.  Why Wilson won’t just ride the “Monster” for a half-dozen games to see what he can do is beyond me.  He’s only on a one-year deal, and they’re not making the playoffs, so let the kid play.

Phil Kessel snapped out of a seven-game goalless drought on Wednesday with a late third-period power-play tally against the Oilers.  He needs to get it going in the second half and can’t let the fact that he doesn’t have a superstar center to play with bother him too much.  Good things come to those who wait.  Unfortunately for Leafs fans, it’s been a 43-year wait…and counting.

Ian White, ladies and gentlemen.  How many times do I need to say it?  Go get him off your waiver wire!  White is owned in only 35 percent of Yahoo leagues.

Columbus Blue Jackets

For Columbus, the dreaded western Canadian road trip (VAN, EDM, CAL) stands between them and next Saturday.  Throw in a game against the underrated Dallas Stars on Sunday and that makes for one tough week. 

Superstar left wing and recently named Canadian Olympian Rick Nash has only one goal in his last eight games. When Nash isn’t scoring, it seems no one does in Columbus.  I have openly bashed youngster Steve Mason all season long for his horrible play, but another Jacket who has been a big letdown is Derick Brassard.  I expected to see him shine with Nash and continue on the pace he set for himself last year.  It has not worked well for Brassard, he has just six goals, 14 assists, and an ugly double-digit minus rating.

Evaluate your left wing slot and how many games each of your left wings have this week.  If there was a week to sit down Rick Nash on a four-game schedule, this could be it.  I’d be surprised to see the Jackets win more than one game this week.

Before we wind up the report for another week, here’s a list of players to look for to help you in the next seven days.

Dan Sexton – ANA – Sexton is not slowing down, and the role he has been handed on a silver platter isn’t going anywhere either.  There are four games this week for Sexton and the Ducks.

Milan Lucic – BOS – Lucic is back in time for a four-game work week.  Lucic shouldn’t be on any waiver wire with his contributions across the board in fantasy action.  Many owners dropped him, go get him before he’s gone!

Anze Kopitar – LA – With Ryan Smyth now back in the lineup and contributing some numbers, we are still waiting on the Anze Kopitar of October and November to show back up on the scoreboard.  I said all along sell high on Kopitar, but it might be too late now.

Joe Thornton – SJ – No player since Mario Lemieux in 1988-89 has scored 100 assists in a season .  Big Joe will need to keep this pace up without hitting any slumps, but he could be within reach.  Since Lemieux’s 114-assist season, there have been 71 different 50-goal seasons.  Would be remarkable if Thornton could hit the 100-assist mark.

Good luck this week!

For fantasyhockey.com I’m Tim Arnold, the fantasypuckdude