Week 3 (Oct. 19-25)
Teams playing four games: Columbus, Dallas, Edmonton, Los
Angeles, San Jose, Vancouver
Teams playing three games:
Atlanta, Boston, Carolina, Colorado, Florida, Minnesota, Montreal,
Nashville, N.Y. Islanders, N.Y. Rangers, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, St.
Louis
Teams playing two games: Anaheim, Buffalo, Calgary,
Chicago, Detroit, New Jersey, Ottawa, Phoenix, Tampa Bay, Washington
Teams
playing one game: Toronto
Atlantic Division
Devils forward Brian Rolston is once
again responding to the coaching of Jacques Lemaire, who coached Rolston
previously with the Devils and Wild. Rolston has four points (two goals)
in his first five games ... Devils right wing David Clarkson is off to a surprising start as well, totaling two
goals and five points in his first five games ... While Matt Moulson and John Tavares have
stolen the limelight on the Islanders' top line, third-year forward Kyle Okposo has one goal and three assists during a four-game point
streak ... Rangers forward Marian Gaborik
has been clutch for his new team through the first few weeks. All six of
his goals have come in the third period ... Rangers defenseman Wade Redden was pretty much a bust in his first year with New York
in 2008-09, however, he has shown marked improvement at the beginning of
the 2009-10 campaign. Redden has three points (one goal) and a plus-5
rating in seven games. Coach John Tortorella attributes the success to
Redden being aggressive in Tortorella's up-tempo style ... Speaking of
Tortorella, he seems to have rejuvenated the career of Vaclav Prospal, who has three goals and 10 points during a six-game
point streak. This is no shock since Prospal was thrived playing for
Tortorella in Tampa Bay ... Flyers forward Scott Hartnell will not serve a suspension for allegedly biting the
finger of Penguins defenseman Kris Letang.
It's safe to keep Hartnell active in Fantasy ... Even though Chris Kunitz has one goal in his last 17 regular-season games dating
back to 2008-09, Penguins coach Dan Blysma is reluctant to take him off Sidney Crosby's line. Kunitz is still providing a good checking
presence as protection for Crosby and even took five shots Wednesday
against the Hurricanes.
Injury report: Devils left wing Patrik Elias (groin) has skated every day since starting his routine
Tuesday and is still on track to return Oct. 29. Keep him reserved for
at least one more Fantasy week ... Islanders veteran forward Doug Weight missed two of the first three games this season with a
nagging groin injury. He says the ailment has gotten better, but also
hinted that he is not yet 100 percent. Consider Weight an injury-risk
Fantasy flier ... Rangers enforcer Donald Brashear
is day to day with general soreness ... Flyers left wing James vanRiemsdyk (concussion) returned to the lineup Friday against
the Panthers. It's safe to insert the rookie sleeper back into lineups
... Penguins defenseman Sergei Gonchar
says he is finally back to 100 percent after a nasty cold bothered him
toward the end of training camp and into the early regular-season
schedule. Gonchar could have fooled us with one goal and four assists in
his first seven games. Keep him active in all Fantasy formats.
Favorable
matchup: Philadelphia (BOS, FLA, SJ). The Flyers are home for
three games in the upcoming scoring period. They will enjoy that as
Philadelphia is averaging 4.00 goals per game at the Wachovia Center.
Also, all three of their opponents are allowing 3.00 or more goals per
game, and Boston and Florida are currently 28th and 29th in defense
respectively.
Unfavorable matchup: New Jersey (@NYR, @PIT).
The Devils are set to face two of the best defenses in the NHL in Week
3. New York is third in GAA (2.00) and Pittsburgh is seventh (2.43).
Both games are on the road where New Jersey is averaging just 2.67 goals
per contest.
|
||
Player | % Change | |
1. | Daniel Girardi, D, N.Y. Rangers | 40 |
2. | Dustin Penner, LW, Edmonton | 28 |
3. | Tyler Kennedy, C, Pittsburgh | 26 |
4. | Matt Moulson, LW, N.Y. Islanders | 23 |
5. | James Neal, LW, Dallas | 21 |
6. | Michael Del Zotto, D, N.Y. Rangers | 18 |
7. | Antti Niemi, G, Chicago | 16 |
8. | Vaclav Prospal, C, N.Y. Rangers | 15 |
9. | Kyle Quincey, D, Colorado | 15 |
10. | Stephane Robidas, D, Dallas | 15 |
Northeast Division
Boston head coach Claude Julien recently snarled at the notion that he
has to give an explanation on why he chooses to start a goalie after Tuukka Rask got back-to-back starts over Tim Thomas. It is worth mentioning after Boston locked Thomas up
with a four-year extension last season, however, Fantasy owners
shouldn't panic. Thomas should see the bulk of starts this season ...
The Canadiens opted for size over skill when they returned defenseman Yannick Weber to Hamilton (AHL) and called up defenseman Shawn Belle, who is 6-2, 240 pounds. Marc-Andre Bergeron continues to bide his time at Hamilton as he is still
trying to get into game shape ... Canadiens forward Andrei Kostitsyn responded to his benching by tallying two helpers
Thursday against Colorado and playing his best game of the season.
Perhaps there is still hope for the 24-year-old forward ... Canadiens
defenseman Roman Hamrlik has been a
pleasant surprise on the blue line since Andrei Markov went down with a leg injury. Hamrlik has scored in two
straight games and has three points in five games ... Watch out for
Senators forward Milan Michalek. After
going without a point in his first four games with the Senators,
Michalek has four goals in his last two contests, including his first
career hat trick Thursday against Tampa Bay. Michalek has replaced Dany Heatley on the team's top line at left wing and is starting to
gel with center Jason Spezza, who is
also making Michalek skate better ... Toronto coach Ron Wilson decided
to send a message to his struggling team by sending Matt Stajan, the team's leading scorer, and Niklas Hagman to the press box for Tuesday's game against Colorado.
Wilson is pretty much saying no one's job is safe and maximum effort is
expected every night.
Injury report: Bruins defenseman Dennis Wideman (shoulder) is not with the team through a weekend road
trip to Dallas and Phoenix. The Bruins list him as day to day, but he is
clearly an injury-risk start for Week 3 ... The Sabres received some
good news after Thomas Vanek went down
with an upper-body injury Tuesday against the Red Wings. Thought to be
out several weeks, Vanek might only miss a few games before returning to
the lineup. He was not in the lineup Friday against New York and insists
he is not injured. Even if Vanek does not play this weekend, he might be
a low-risk start for Week 3 ... Senators defenseman Filip Kuba is targeting a Thursday return from a lower-body injury,
but he still remains an injury-risk start Week 3. Center Peter Regin (upper body) is making progress and might be back by the
weekend ... The injury woes continue for Maple Leafs defenseman Mike Van Ryn, who has not been at 100 percent since the 2006-07
season. Van Ryn is expected to miss the season after undergoing
reconstructive knee surgery. He had yet to make his season debut ... The
news also isn't good for Maple Leafs goalie Vesa Toskala, who went on injured reserve earlier this week with a
knee injury. Toskala could miss up to two weeks. Joey MacDonald will start in net until Jonas Gustavsson (groin) is ready. Gustavsson skated with no
equipment Friday, but is still a risky start for Week 3 ... On a
positive note for Toronto, Phil Kessel
(offseason shoulder surgery) is practicing. However, he will be out of
the lineup for a little longer. Keep him reserved through Week 3.
Favorable
matchup: Ottawa (NSH, BOS). The Senators might only have a
pair of games in Week 3, but they still could do some serious damage
against Nashville and Boston. The Bruins are allowing 3.80 goals per
game and the Predators are also in the bottom 10 for defense with a 3.33
GAA. Both games are on home ice for Ottawa, who is averaging 3.75 goals
per game at the Scotiabank Place.
Unfavorable matchup: TOR (@VAN).
It's pretty self explanatory. Toronto has just one game, it's on the
road and likely face Roberto Luongo, who
has won his last two starts.
Southeast Division
|
||
Player | Start % | |
1. | Ed Jovanovski, D, Phoenix | 63 |
2. | Craig Anderson, G, Colorado | 54 |
3. | Kristian Huselius, LW, Columbus | 40 |
4. | Alex Goligoski, D, Pittsburgh | 65 |
5. | Ryane Clowe, RW, San Jose | 35 |
6. | Marty Turco, G, Dallas | 61 |
7. | Danny Briere, C, Philadelphia | 59 |
8. | Tomas Plekanec, C, Montreal | 29 |
9. | Milan Michalek, LW, Ottawa | 49 |
10. | Tom Poti, D, Washington | 6 |
Thrashers forward Slava Kozlov has done
well in a mentoring role getting fellow veteran forward Maxim Afinogenov up to speed in his first year with Atlanta. However,
Kozlov might need to spend some time working on his own game since he
has no points and is minus-2 in his first three games ... Panthers
center Dominic Moore, who signed a
one-year contract in early October, has finally cleared up his visa
issues and has joined the team. Moore, who says he is recovered from a
broken wrist that plagued him down the stretch in 2008-09, has started
on a line with Kamil Kreps and Ville Koistinen. To clear a roster spot, Florida sent prospect Shawn Matthias to the AHL ... The Panthers are leaning toward keeping
rookie defenseman Dmitry Kulikov since
he has played well in his first few games. However, if he starts to
regress before playing in his 10th game, then Florida might consider
sending him back to his junior club to save a year on his entry-level
contract. Kulikov's play has temporarily turned Koistinen into a
fourth-line forward ... Panthers right wing Radek Dvorak set the franchise record for most short-handed goals
(13) when he scored in the first period Monday against the Lightning.
Dvorak is clearly a viable flier in leagues that reward heavily for
short-handed stats ... Although the Lightning stand behind Mike Smith as their starting goalie, they can't deny the fact Antero Niittymaki has opened the season with a 2-0-0 record, 2.00 GAA
and .932 save percentage. Smith is 0-2-2 with a 4.08 GAA and .864 save
percentage and was pelted for seven goals Thursday against Ottawa.
Fantasy owners might want to start adding Niittymaki as a nice sleeper
option ... Lightning forward Ryan Malone
continues his torrid start to the season with his sixth goal Thursday
against Ottawa. Malone has scored in three straight games and four of
five ... Washington coach Bruce Boudreau has tweaked his scoring lines.
He has Brendan Morrison centering Alex Ovechkin and Mike Knuble, while Nicklas Backstrom is on a line with Brooks Laich
and Alexander Semin.
Injury report:
Hurricanes defenseman Joni Pitkanen is
still battling some knee soreness and remains an injury-risk start until
he is back at 100 percent and productive ... Lightning defenseman Kurtis Foster returned to the lineup Thursday against Ottawa after
missing four games with a lower-body injury. Foster has enough offensive
talent to be a viable Fantasy option, but he always seems to be out of
action due to some ailment ... Washington goalie Jose Theodore left Thursday's game against the San Jose with a back
injury. He did not practice Friday and is out through the weekend. Braden Holtby was recalled from the ECHL to backup Seymon Varlamov.
Theodore is hoping to be back in the lineup by next Thursday's game in
Atlanta. He said this is a similar injury to what he had in Colorado two
seasons ago, when he missed just two games. However, Theodore is still
an injury-risk start for Week 3.
Favorable matchup: Washington (@NYI,
@ATL). Washington hits the road for two games in Week 3. It's not as
bad as it sounds since Washington is averaging 3.67 goals per game on
the road (fourth) and both New York and Atlanta are allowing 2.75 or
more goals per contest.
Unfavorable matchup: Carolina (@NYI,
@COL, @MIN). Carolina is on the road for three games next week, but
unlike Washington, they can't score away from home. Carolina is
averaging just 2.00 goals per game on the road (t-22nd). It doesn't help
that they face only one team -- Minnesota -- that has a GAA higher than
2.75.
Central Division
Even though Antti Niemi is 3-0, the
Blackhawks have no goalie controversy. Chicago still considers Cristobal Huet their starter and hope he will be able to stay in that
role all season ... Blue Jackets forward Nikita Filatov was a healthy scratch Tuesday against the Flames. It
came after his playing time was reduced in each of the first four
appearances. Filatov, the sixth overall pick in the 2008 draft, is a
great young talent, but Columbus is finding it difficult to slot the
Russian winger into a permanent spot on the ice ... Red Wings defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom became the eighth defenseman in NHL history to record
1,000 points when he had two assists Thursday against the Kings ...
After Red Wings forward Henrik Zetterberg
scored his first goal of the season Thursday against Los Angeles, head
coach Mike Babcock said his All-Star forward is finally rounding into
form after missing most of the preseason with a groin injury ... Kirk Maltby has been a welcomed boost of offense for Detroit in the
early season. He has two goals and four points in four games and skated
on a like with Tomas Holmstrom and Kris Draper on Thursday ... The Predators have been busy the last
few days with transactions. On Thursday, they sent training camp
standout Mike Santorelli to Milwaukee
of the AHL and recalled Cal O'Reilly.
Then on Friday, Nashville recalled blueliner Cody Franson. Franson is a player to watch in Fantasy since he is a
good two-way player and has promising offensive skills.
Injury
report: Blackhawks right wing Marian Hossa,
who has yet to play as he recovers from July shoulder surgery, skated
for the first time on Friday. However, he is not close to returning and
is still on track for a late November return ... Blue Jackets defenseman
Jan Hejda has been placed on injured reserve with a knee injury. He is
expected to miss 4-6 weeks ... Columbus enforcer Jared Boll is back in the lineup after missing two games with a head
injury ... Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk
is currently out of action with an upper-body ailment. He is merely day
to day, but there is no certain timetable for his return, so consider
him an injury-risk start for Week 3 ... Red Wings forward Johan Franzen had successful surgery Friday to fix a torn ACL in his
left knee. Franzen is still expected to miss at least four months. Justin Abdelkader has been called up from the AHL to take Franzen's
roster spot ... Predators forward J.P. Dumont
(head) came off injured reserve Thursday and returned to the lineup
against Chicago. It seems safe to get him back into active Fantasy
lineups ... Predators rookie center Colin Wilson
made his NHL debut Monday after spending the first few games of the
season in injured reserve with a groin injury. The former Boston
University standout is a rookie sleeper ... Blues center Alexander Steen went on injured reserve Friday with a wrist injury. He is
expected to miss 6-8 weeks.
Favorable matchup: Columbus (@CGY,
@EDM, @ANA, @LA). It looks like a daunting task for Columbus as they
hit the road for four games. But it might not be that bad. Columbus is
sixth in road GFA (3.33) and face three teams -- Calgary, Edmonton and
Los Angeles -- that are allowing 3.00 or more goals per contest.
Unfavorable
matchup: Nashville (@BOS, @OTT, @CHI). Nashville's road trip
is as difficult as it appears. The Predators have scored just two goals
in two away games this season and are tied for dead last in road GFA
(1.00). They also face two teams in the top 10 for defense -- Ottawa
(2.50) and Chicago (2.57).
Northwest Division
Flames coach Brent Sutter decided to shake up his lines for Friday's
game against Vancouver. The biggest change was the top line as Craig Conroy and Curtis Glencross
joined Jarome Iginla. That meant Olli Jokinen was dropped to the third line with Fredrik Sjostrom and Eric Nystrom.
Ouch. Jokinen has fallen a long way since being a 90-point threat with
Florida, but we still feel he will hit his stride since Jokinen is
playing for his next contract ... Avalanche rookie center Ryan O'Reilly has a goal and four assists in seven games. O'Reilly
scored his first NHL goal Thursday against the Canadiens. The 2009
second-round pick (33rd overall) has been centering the third line,
mostly with left wing Cody McLeod and
right wing David Jones. O'Reilly has
made a strong enough impression that he might not have to go back to his
junior club ... In the wake of a slew of injuries, Wild head coach Todd
Richards singled out forwards James Sheppard
and Benoit Pouliot as players with
opportunities to step up.
Injury report: Flames forward David Moss is day to day with an upper body injury ... Avalanche
defenseman John-Michael Liles is
expected to miss two weeks with a bruised shoulder. Keep him reserved
for Week 3. Kyle Cumiskey has stepped
into the lineup in Liles' absence ... Oilers defenseman Sheldon Souray has been placed on injured reserve with a concussion. He
wasn't on the team's current road trip and is still not feeling better,
so keep Souray reserved in Fantasy until further notice ... Oilers
forward Ales Hemsky missed Friday's game
against the Wild with the flu, but he is not a serious injury risk for
Week 3 ... Wild enforcer Derek Boogaard
returned from a concussion Friday against Edmonton, but forwards Petr Sykora and Martin Havlat were
out with a groin injuries. Both players remain day to day. That's not
the case for Pierre-Marc Bouchard
(concussion), who is out indefinitely after being placed on injured
reserve Friday ... Canucks forward Daniel Sedin
will miss 4-6 weeks with a broken foot, although he is hoping to be back
in three weeks. His absence has opened up a chance for rookie Michael Grabner, who is expected to play on the team's top line with Henrik Sedin and Alexandre Burrows
after his recall from Manitoba (AHL) ... The Fragile Finn, Sami Salo, has made another trip to injured reserve. This time the
veteran forward will miss a few weeks with a sprained MCL.
Favorable
matchup: Colorado (@MIN, CAR, DET). The Avalanche is still in
the top 10 for scoring in the NHL, averaging 3.43 goals per game
(t-8th). They might stay there thanks to their Week 3 schedule.
Minnesota, Detroit and Carolina all rank in the bottom 12 for defense
and are allowing 3.17 or more goals per contest.
Unfavorable
matchup: Minnesota (COL, @STL, CAR). The Wild were supposed
to be a high-powered offense after Todd Richards replaced Jacques
Lemaire, but Minnesota is actually tied with New Jersey -- Lemaire's new
team -- in offense (2.40 GFA). Amid all their injury concerns, Minnesota
faces only one team -- Carolina -- in Week 3 allowing more than 3.00
goals per game.
Pacific Division
Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller is trying his
best to separate himself from Jean-Sebastien Giguere. Hiller has won his last three starts, while stopping
98 of 103 shots for a .951 save percentage and a 1.63 goals-against
average in that span. Hiller is probably the more favorable start in
Fantasy over Giguere, if you had to choose a Ducks goalie ... Stars left
wing James Neal continued his hot start
with three assists Wednesday against Nashville. He has three goals and
seven points in five games ... Stars defenseman Niklas Grossman is at plus-10 through five games ... Los Angeles has
been disappointed with their production from the second line of Dustin Brown, Jarret Stoll and Teddy Purcell. The trio have combined for just three goals in seven
games ... Kings forward Justin Williams
appears to be having a career rebirth in 2009-10 now that he is healthy
after two injury-plagued seasons. Williams has seven points (two goals)
in his first seven games and is clicking with Anze Kopitar and Ryan Smyth ... The Coyotes sent 2008 first-round
pick Mikkel Boedker to San Antonio of
the AHL on Wednesday and then recalled 2008 Hobey Baker Award winner
(best college player) Kevin Porter from
the Rampage on Friday ... Sharks center Joe Thornton has failed to stat in two straight games, which is a
rarity since he has the second-most points (431) among active players
since the end of the lockout in 2004-05. Alex Ovechkin is tops with 434 points.
Injury report: Ducks
defenseman James Wisniewski (shoulder)
is hoping to be in the lineup by Wednesday against the Stars. Still, he
is a risky start for Week 3 ... Stars forward Steve Ott was placed on injured reserve Friday with an oblique
injury. However, the move was retroactive to Oct. 11, so Ott could
return next week. Still, he is not a recommended start while he is
banged up ... Stars forward Jere Lehtinen
is also out with an upper-body issue. He is day to day, but there always
seems to be something bothering the oft-injured winger ... Coyotes
center Matthew Lombardi was back in the
lineup Thursday against St. Louis after missing one game with a
lower-body injury. It's safe to keep him active for Week 3.
Favorable
matchup: Phoenix (DET, LA). It might be a short week for the
Coyotes, but at least they get two matchups where they could put some
goals on the board. Los Angeles is 22nd in GAA (3.43) and Detroit is
23rd (3.50).
Unfavorable matchup: Los Angeles (@DAL, DAL,
@PHO, CLB). The Kings might be one of the highest-scoring teams to
open the season, but they will get tested in Week 3. Dallas (2.20 GAA),
Phoenix (1.50) and Columbus (2.20) all rank in the top five for defense.
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