Week 6 Fantasy Hockey Planner

Week 6 (Nov. 9-15)

Teams playing four games: Chicago, Los Angeles, Minnesota, San Jose
Teams playing three games: Anaheim, Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Calgary, Carolina, Detroit, Edmonton, Montreal, Nashville, New Jersey. N.Y. Islanders, Ottawa, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Toronto, Vancouver, Washington
Teams playing two games: Colorado, Columbus, Dallas, Florida, N.Y. Rangers, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Tampa Bay

Atlantic Division

Devils center Travis Zajac has been one of the team's top performers a month into the season. He is averaging a point-per-game and is showing his breakout campaign of 2008-09 as no fluke. It's not surprising Zajac is playing so well since top-line centers in Jacques Lemaire's system usually have great success at both ends of the ice ... Keep tabs on 2005 first-round pick Niclas Bergfors. In his first full season with New Jersey, he already has eight points (four goals) in 13 games. Bergfors has been a key contributor on the power play as well and could finally be living up to his potential ... The emergence of left wingers Matt Moulson and Jeff Tambellini is not helping Sean Bergenheim, who had a career-high 15 goals last season. Bergenheim has yet to score in 15 games this season and has been bumped down to the third line ... Rangers forward Christopher Higgins might finally be breaking out of his scoring slump. He has scored in two straight games after failing to do so in the first 14 ... David Laliberte became the first Flyers rookie to score in his first two games in the NHL since Eric Lindros did it in 1992. While Laliberte is off to a nice start and playing on the team's top line, he very well could be back in the minors as soon as Philly needs a roster spot ... James van Riemsdyk, however, is a rookie Fantasy owners need to start trusting more. He has 13 points in his first 10 games and has become a viable Fantasy start in the process.
Injury report: Devils forward Patrik Elias made his season debut on Friday against the Islanders after missing the first month recovering from lower-body surgery. Much like Florida did with Bryan Allen, who was also coming off major surgery, Elias might not play back-to-back games immediately. But now is the time to start adding him in Fantasy ... Devils defenseman Johnny Oduya has been placed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury. Keep him reserved for Week 6 ... Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro (knee) has returned to practice, but is only on the ice every other day. Coach Scott Gordon won't give a timetable for DiPietro's return, but it is looking like early December ... There is no major news available yet on Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who missed Thursday's game against the Oilers with a stiff right thigh. No news is probably good news, so keep Lundqvist active for Week 6 until further notice ... Word came down that Flyers forward Simon Gagne will be out until at least until mid-December while he recovers from groin surgery ... Flyers forward Danny Briere is still day to day with a groin injury of his own and could be an injury-risk start for Week 6, if he is not back over the weekend ... Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (shoulder) has yet to resume skating, but head coach Dan Bylsma said his star forward is "progressing." Unfortunately, we don't recommend starting Malkin in Week 6 ... Penguins forward Tyler Kennedy is back on the day-to-day watch with an undisclosed lower-body injury. He had missed three games recently with another undisclosed injury.
Favorable matchup: N.Y. Islanders (@WAS, @CAR, @FLA). We know the Islanders have had trouble scoring on the road in 2009 (2.14 GFA in seven games), but perhaps they will be ready to break that slump in Week 6. All three of their opponents are in the bottom eight for defense, allowing 3.07 or more goals per game.
Unfavorable matchup: Pittsburgh (@BOS, NJ, BOS). It's hard to go against a top 10 offense, but since both of Pittsburgh's opponents are in the top 10 for defense it could be a trying week. New Jersey is fourth in GAA (2.31) and Boston is eighth (2.47). Pittsburgh also scored only one goal in their previous matchup with New Jersey.

Northeast Division

Bruins goalie Tim Thomas appears to be rounding into form. It's just too bad he isn't getting any offensive support. Thomas is 0-3-1 in his last four starts despite allowing a total of six goals in that span. The problem -- Boston has scored just two goals in Thomas' last four starts. Treat Thomas as a low-end No. 1/high-end No. 2 Fantasy goalie until Boston snaps out of their offensive funk ... Bruins forward Michael Ryder has failed to benefit from the absence of Phil Kessel. He hasn't scored in seven games and has one goal in his last 10 ... The Sabres have called up goalie prospect Jhonas Enroth while backup Patrick Lalime recovers from a groin injury. Enroth might make an appearance or two while with Buffalo, but since Ryan Miller is still healthy, Enroth is assuredly headed back to the minors once Lalime is ready to go. It's no benefit to Enroth's development for him to sit on the bench in Buffalo ... Sabres center Tim Connolly leads the Sabres with 11 points in 12 games. He deserves to be started in more than 61 percent of Fantasy leagues, especially if teammate Derek Roy is being started in 73 percent. Connolly is a pretty good Fantasy option as long as he is healthy ... Canadiens third-line center Glen Metropolit has opened the season with nine points in his first 10 games. However, for a player that has never managed more than 33 points in a season, it's hard to get excited for Fantasy purposes ... The decline of Jonathan Cheechoo's career has continued. The once 50-goal scorer has been dropped to the fourth line in Ottawa and still has not scored in 13 games ... Veteran forward Daniel Alfredsson is having no issues putting points on the board. He has failed to record a point in just one of 13 games this season, totaling six goals and 17 points in the process. The soon-to-be 37-year-old Swede is playing as good as ever ... Maple Leafs forward Niklas Hagman has burst out of the gate with six goals and 10 points in his first 12 games. He has been a 20-goal scorer the last two seasons, but if he keeps up this pace, he will break 30 goals for the first time in his career.
Injury report: Bruins center David Krejci has been diagnosed with the swine flu and has been told to stay away from the team for a few days. He is likely to return during Fantasy Week 6, but is still an injury-risk play because he could be a little sluggish ... Canadiens goalie Jaroslav Halak dressed as Carey Price's backup on Thursday against the Bruins despite not being 100 percent. Halak's injury could allow Price the opportunity to steal back his full-time starting gig. He did well on Thursday by making 42 saves in a shootout win ... Canadiens defenseman Hal Gill is not expected to be back until late November with a leg injury ... Senators center Jason Spezza returned to the lineup on Thursday against the Lightning and arguably had his best game. He finally scored his first goal and added two assists. It appears safe to put Spezza back into Fantasy lineups ... Toronto forward Phil Kessel finally made his season debut on Tuesday against the Lightning after missing the first month recovering from shoulder surgery. It appears safe to insert Kessel, who is playing on the top line, into active Fantasy lineups.
Favorable matchup: Buffalo (EDM, CGY, @PHI). Buffalo doesn't face one opponent ranked in the top 10 for defense and all three teams are allowing 2.75 or more goals per contest. They also play twice on home ice where Buffalo is averaging 3.29 goals per game.
Unfavorable matchup: Boston (PIT, FLA, @PIT). We have already documented Boston's early-season offensive struggles (2.13 GFA) and they might not break out of it in Week 6, especially if they have to face Marc-Andre Fleury twice.

Southeast Division

Even with players like Zach Bogosian, Pavel Kubina and Ron Hainsey on the Thrashers' blue line, it is Tobias Enstrom that leads all blueliners with nine points. He has really developed into a solid two-way defenseman ... With Ilya Kovalchuk (foot) sidelined, Rich Peverley has thrust to the top of the Thrashers' scoring list with 16 points in 12 games. He had a career-best eight-game point streak snapped on Thursday against Columbus. Get Peverley into Fantasy lineups while he is a point-per-game threat ... Watch out Fantasy owners -- Nathan Horton seems to have regained his scoring touch. He has one goal and six assists in his last four games to give him 10 points in 13 outings this season. Horton is back on the wing after struggling at center in 2008-09 and is clicking with linemates Steve Reinprecht and Cory Stillman ... Lightning forward Alex Tanguay is starting to pay dividends for his new team. He has two goals and three assists in his last five games. It all started when he was bumped to the second line.
Injury report: It seems if the Thrashers can find someone willing enough to take Kari Lehtonen off their hands, they will be willing to deal the oft-injured goalie. Already sidelined, Lehtonen had more surgery on his wonky back and won't be back until late December at the earliest. Ondrej Pavelec's Fantasy value is climbing by the week ... The Hurricanes are expected to be without top-line center Eric Staal for at least 2-4 weeks due to an upper-body injury. Keep the All-Star center reserved in Fantasy until further notice ... Panthers forward David Booth is making slow progress in his recovery from a concussion, so keep the 30-goal threat reserved in Fantasy until further notice ... Lightning rookie defenseman Victor Hedman is day to day after getting knocked out of Thursday's game by a vicious hit from Chris Neil. Hedman has no points in his last nine games after having four assists in his first five NHL games ... There are conflicting reports with Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin (upper body). Some say he is day to day; others list him as week to week. The only clear thing is that after missing a weekend set with Florida, Ovechkin remains an injury-risk start for Week 6.
Favorable matchup: Carolina (LA, NYI, MIN). The Hurricanes have gotten off to a very poor start and offense has been a huge issue (1.93 GFA). But they are home for three games in Week 6 and don't have to face a top 10 defense. All three of their opponents are allowing 2.81 or more goals per game. Perhaps this will be the time Carolina hits their stride.
Unfavorable matchup: Florida (@BOS, NYI). Both of the Panthers opponents are allowing 2.87 or fewer goals per game. That doesn't help a team that is averaging 2.54 goals per contest.

Central Division

You can definitely tell Raffi Torres is in the final year of his contract. After scoring twice against Atlanta on Thursday -- his second multi-goal game in three outings -- Torres has eight goals in 15 games. His career high was 27 back in 2005-06 with the Oilers. Despite the nice stretch, Torres is still a low-end Fantasy forward. Although, it is nice to see him producing after two injury-plagued seasons ... Detroit would like to see Daniel Cleary pick up his offensive production, especially with Johan Franzen and Valtteri Filppula sidelined. Cleary has gone 12 games without a goal, and he is also minus-6 in 14 games this season. This coming after Cleary posted nine goals, 15 points and a plus-17 rating in last season's playoffs. Cleary, who was hampered by a groin injury in the preseason, admits he is having a hard time getting to the net for garbage goals ... Henrik Zetterberg is finally emerging from his scoring slump with three goals in his last four games. He is doing a better job of controlling the puck in the offensive zone and firing it on net ... Blues' 2007 first-round pick Lars Eller made his NHL debut on Thursday against the Flames and became the 12th player in franchise history to score in his debut. Eller is only up on an emergency basis, but he has 11 points in his first 11 games in the AHL and is making a smooth transition to North American hockey. If he keeps up this fast progression, St. Louis might be forced to keep Eller on the roster.
Injury report: Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews continues to be day to day with a concussion. He remains an injury-risk start for Week 6 ... The Blue Jackets have a long list of injured players, but most of it is just day to day stuff, including Mike Commodore (charley horse) and Derek Dorsett (upper body). Keep tabs on their status leading up to Week 6. However, Kristian Huselius has been placed on injured reserve with a left arm injury and should be kept reserved for the upcoming scoring period ... Predators defenseman Shea Weber has landed on injured reserve with a foot injury. Keep him out of lineups for Week 6. Forwards J.P. Dumont (upper body) and Martin Erat (lower body) are day to day, so keep tabs on their progress over the weekend before setting lineups. Jason Arnott (arm) did return from a six-game absence on Thursday and it is safe to activate him in Fantasy ... The Blues got lucky when forward Andy McDonald dodged a serious injury after crashing into the boards last Saturday against Philadelphia. He is day to day and is an injury-risk start for Week 6, if he is not back over the weekend ... Blues forward T.J. Oshie returned to the lineup on Thursday after missing four games as he recovered from an appendectomy.
Favorable matchup: Chicago (LA, COL, TOR, SJ). The schedule does look daunting since Chicago will be playing some of the premier defenses in the NHL. However, they get all four games on home ice, where Chicago is averaging 3.22 goals per game (13th).
Unfavorable matchup: St. Louis (VAN, NSH, SJ). The Blues are also on home ice for all of their games in Week 6, but unlike Chicago, playing at home isn't so friendly. St. Louis is 29th in home GFA (1.63) and face two top 10 defenses in Vancouver and San Jose.

Northwest Division

Flames right wing Jarome Iginla has broken out of his scoring slump. After scoring twice in his first eight games, Iginla has five goals in his last six outings. He also has four assists in that span ... Flames left wing Curtis Glencross has been dropped from the first line after recording no goals and one point in his last five games ... Avalanche center Paul Stastny is doing a lot better on home ice in 2009-10 than on the road. In five home games, he has four goals and seven assists, as opposed to no goals and five assists in 11 road games ... Oilers forward Robert Nilsson has been put on notice. He was benched in the third period of Thursday's game against New York because of poor play and has a team-worst minus-10 rating. Nilsson has no points in his last seven games after opening with three in his first four. If he doesn't improve his play, Edmonton could be forced to make a roster move ... Usually a sound defender, Wild center Mikko Koivu has a minus-12 rating in 15 games. Luckily, he also has 12 points and is somewhat keeping his Fantasy value level ... With Vancouver dealing with so many injuries, they were forced to play defenseman Kevin Bieksa on the team's top line Thursday against the Wild. He skated alongside Henrik Sedin and Alexandre Burrows. Unfortunately, Fantasy owners shouldn't get used to the idea of Bieksa being a forward. Vancouver needs him on their blue line and he will undoubtedly be back there as soon as the Canucks get back some injured forwards ... The heat is on Canucks forward Alexandre Burrows after signing a four-year extension following his career-best 28-goal campaign in 2008-09. He scored his first goal in 12 games -- an empty netter -- on Thursday against Minnesota. Burrows is struggling since Daniel Sedin went out of the lineup with a foot injury ... Canucks forward Mason Raymond has five goals in his last seven games after recording just three in previous 45 outings dating back to last season. Raymond got off to a fast start in 2008-09 as well before fading in the second half. He is hoping to avoid a repeat performance.
Injury report: Colorado sent defenseman Tom Preissing on a conditioning stint to Lake Erie of the AHL, meaning he is getting closer to returning from knee surgery that has kept him out all season ... Avalanche rookie center Matt Duchene is OK after sitting out practice Thursday with a sore shoulder ... Oilers defenseman Sheldon Souray (concussion) is starting to feel well enough to begin light skating and exercise, but he still has no timetable for his return to game action ... Oilers center Shawn Horcoff could return from a shoulder injury during Week 6, but he is not worth the risk of starting in Fantasy ... Wild center Eric Belanger left Thursday's game against Vancouver with an upper-body injury and there is no word yet on the severity of it. If he is not back by the weekend, then Belanger shouldn't be started in Week 6 ... Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo has targeted Tuesday against the Blues as his return date from a rib injury. Luongo has been taking controlled shots in prepping for his return to the ice. The injury will take six weeks to heal; however, doctors told him he could play within two weeks as long as the pain was manageable. Fantasy owners can start Luongo in Week 6, but there is some risk involved since he won't be 100 percent ... The Canucks have lost promising rookie Michael Grabner for a few weeks after he rolled his ankle ... Vancouver forward Daniel Sedin had the cast removed from his fractured left foot, but he isn't expected to play before a Nov. 20 home game against Colorado. Keep him reserved for at least one more week.
Favorable matchup: Minnesota (@TOR, @TB, @WAS, @CAR). The Wild haven't exactly scored a ton of goals on the road in 2009-10 (15 in nine games), but they could up their road GFA in Week 6 as Minnesota faces some of the worst defenses in the NHL. All four of their opponents are allowing 3.00 or more goals per game.
Unfavorable matchup: Colorado (@CHI, VAN). Colorado has a tough slate ahead in Week 6. They face two top 10 defenses in Chicago (2.36 GAA) and Vancouver (2.59 GAA). Colorado has already been blanked once by Vancouver this season and lost to Chicago in a shootout on Oct. 10.

Pacific Division

The Ducks' top stars are shining bright. Corey Perry is riding a career-tying seven-game point streak. He has six goals and 11 points in that span. Ryan Getzlaf is also on a seven-game point streak with one goal and 11 points. It's really good to see Getzalf back up to speed after he missed most of the preseason recovering from hernia surgery ... Saku Koivu is starting to settle into his new surroundings with the Ducks. He has one goal and five assists in his last six games after getting just two points in his first eight outings with Anaheim ... Kings forward Dustin Brown is hitting his stride. After totaling no goals and three assists in his first six games, he has five goals and seven assists in his last 10 games ... Kings center Anze Kopitar has three multi-goal games in his last seven appearances ... The Coyotes have been pleased with Martin Hanzal's presence in the faceoff circle and on defense, but have wanted more offense from the 2005 first-round pick. They might finally be getting it. Hanzal has three goals in his last six games.
Injury report: Ducks goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere is expected to be out at least one more week recovering from a groin injury, so keep him reserved for the upcoming scoring period. Jonas Hiller should be started as a No. 2 Fantasy goalie for Week 6 ... Stars forward James Neal is day to day with a groin injury and an injury-risk start for Week 6. It's a real shame too since Neal is riding a career-high seven-game point streak (six goals, four assists) ... The Coyotes have listed defenseman Ed Jovanovski as day to day after suffering a lower-body ailment on Thursday against the Blackhawks. If he is not back over the weekend, consider him an injury-risk start for Week 6 ... The Sharks, already down a bevy of forwards, lost defenseman Rob Blake to an upper-body injury. He has been placed on injured reserve and will miss a few games. As for San Jose's walking wounded, Joe Pavelski (foot) is the first player expected back and might be available for Fantasy play in Week 6. As for Devin Setoguchi and Ryan Vesce, who are both battling leg injuries, their status is more uncertain. They have both been out way longer than expected.
Favorable matchup: Los Angeles (@CHI, @CAR, @ATL, @TB). The Kings don't play a home game in Week 6, but they are 15th in road GFA (2.67). It does help that three of their opponents are allowing 3.00 or more goals per contest. Only Chicago is a top 10 defense.
Unfavorable matchup: Dallas (@SJ, @PHO). Dallas is second in road GFA (3.75), but they will really be tested in Week 6. They face two of the NHL's top defenses. Phoenix is third (2.19 GAA) and San Jose is fifth (2.35).

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