The Fantasy Hockey Planner is the essential guide to setting your lineup for the upcoming week. Every week, we provide you with top matchups, the latest news and give you the scoop on injured players.
Teams with four games: Los Angeles, Montreal, Philadelphia, Tampa
Bay, Washington
Teams with three games: Boston, Buffalo,
Carolina, Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Edmonton, Nashville, New
Jersey, N.Y. Islanders, N.Y. Rangers, Ottawa, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, San
Jose, St. Louis, Toronto
Teams with two games: Anaheim,
Atlanta, Calgary, Colorado, Florida, Minnesota, Vancouver
Fantasy Week 6 (Nov. 10-16)
It's hard to believe we have already churned through five weeks of the Fantasy Hockey season, but here we are in mid-November and preparing to set lineups for Week 6. Hopefully you have had a successful first few weeks. If not, there is still plenty of time to make up ground.
It is a pretty balanced schedule Week 6 with six or more games on five days (Tuesday-Saturday). The first game of the week starts at 7 p.m. Monday, so you will have almost a full day to tweak your lineups.
Every teams plays at least two games after Detroit had only one game Week 5 (Nov. 3-9).
Editors Note: Projections are for Nov. 10-16 games and all stats are through Thursday
Anaheim Ducks: Tough guy George Parros has missed a few games while recovering from a scratched cornea due to a high-sticking incident. The good news is that the injury is not considered serious and Parros returned to the lineup Friday against the Stars ... Forward Brad May has also been out a few contests with a knee injury, but he is back up on skates and awaiting his return ... It’s not often a trio of players are named the NHL's First Star of the Week, but three Anaheim players shared the honors for the week ending Nov. 2. Center Ryan Getzlaf and right wingers Corey Perry and Teemu Selanne have been on ridiculous tears lately so the NHL just opted to honor all three teammates with its highest weekly accolade ... Anaheim is up for just two games Week 6, but both are at home where they are averaging 3.50 goals per game. They are also allowing 3.00 goals per game at home ... Rob Niedermayer has come back down to earth after scoring twice in his first three games. He now has just one goal in his last 11 contests ... Anaheim has just five skaters -- Selanne, Travis Moen, Samuel Pahlsson, Todd Marchant and Brendan Morrison -- below even.
Atlanta Thrashers: Thrashers goalie Kari Lehtonen has missed four games with a stiff back and the flu and was supposed to be in net Friday against the Sabres. However, the team chose to start Johan Hedberg since he had just a good record against Buffalo. However, Lehtonen appears ready to play and is a low-risk start Week 6. ... Atlanta is up for a pair of games Week 6 and they get four days to rest before playing Carolina on Nov. 14 ... All Star Ilya Kovalchuk was in a major rut before breaking out for a pair of goals in a Nov. 2 game against Florida. He also had one assist and a plus-2 rating. Coach John Anderson played up the heroics by saying Kovalchuk played through a muscle strain, but Kovalchuk said he was gone for 10 minutes in the first period due to a skate issue. Whatever the case, we just need Kovalchuk to keep it up. He is not injured so keep him active Week 6 ... Todd White is the unlikely point leader with 14 (three goals) in 13 games ... Veteran winger Slava Kozlov had a down season with just 17 goals and 41 points in 2007-08, but Anderson seems to be pushing all the right buttons. The Russian forward leads the team with eight goals and has scored in five of six games.
Boston Bruins: Defenseman Shane Hnidy is dealing with a lower-body injury and his status is day-to-day. He is hardly missed in Fantasy since he is nothing more than a flier in leagues that reward heavily for PIM ... Injured forward Chuck Kobasew is on the verge of returning, but Boston continues to take it very easy with him as he recovers from a broken ankle ... Boston has three games Week 6 and one back-to-back slate. It's hard to say what Claude Julien has in mind as far as his goalie situation since Tim Thomas has been excellent in net lately (winning four of his last five starts). There is a chance Thomas could start all three games or Julien could throw Manny Fernandez a bone so he doesn't lose focus by sitting idle on the bench ... The Bruins are going up three of the best defensive teams in the league Week 6 -- N.Y. Rangers (2.13 GAA), Montreal (2.30) and Chicago (2.58). All three teams rank in the Top 10 for GAA ... Boston hoped a change of scenery would help spark Michael Ryder's offensive game, but the former Canadien has just two goals on 38 shots. He has the lowest conversion rate (5.3 percent) of a Bruin that has scored at least one goal.
Buffalo Sabres: Center Jochen Hecht returned from a thumb injury Friday against the Thrashers that kept him sidelined almost a month and now head coach Lindy Ruff has a lineup quandary on his hands. Clarke Macarthur has been great this season while Buffalo has been dinged up. He has proven to be a valuable top-six forward, but if Macarthur stays put, then Hecht is out of top-six spot. Although, he could slide right back into a second-line role if Tim Connolly can’t shake a sore groin ... Thomas Vanek is the only Buffalo player with 10 or more points in the first 12 games. However, nine players have five or more points. Buffalo is proving to have a balanced attack this season ... Forward Ales Kotalik hasn’t scored in eight games after ripping off a three-game goals streak from Oct. 13-17 ... Right winger Jason Pominville has scored in each of his first two November games after getting just two goals in 10 October contest ... Forward Maxim Afinogenov hasn't managed a goal on 21 shots this season, but does have seven assists.
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Player | % Change | |
1. | Kevin Weekes, G, NJ | 48 |
2. | Brian Boucher, G, SJ | 23 |
3. | Ryane Clowe, RW, SJ | 20 |
4. | Derick Brassard, C, CLB | 18 |
5. | Andrej Sekera, D, BUF | 18 |
6. | Alex Auld, G, OTT | 16 |
7. | Mike Van Ryn, D, TOR | 15 |
8. | Joey MacDonald, G, NYI | 14 |
9. | Tim Thomas, G, BOS | 13 |
10. | Sergei Zubov, D, DAL | 13 |
Calgary Flames: Center Matthew Lombardi has now been out seven games with a shoulder injury and the Flames still don't have a concrete timetable for his return, leaving the door open at day-to-day ... Calgary is one of the seven teams playing two games Week 6. They have a home game against Toronto (3.43 GAA) and a road game against San Jose (2.36 GAA) ... Left winger Todd Bertuzzi might just have one goal in his last six games, but he is still converting at a team-high 25.0 percent for players that have played in four or more games ... Left winger Rene Bourque has been moved to the team's top scoring line with Craig Conroy and Jarome Iginla. He has one goal and one assist in three games since the move and now has nine points (three goals) in 14 games this season.
Carolina Hurricanes: Rookie center Brandon Sutter is still not back up on skates since suffering a concussion Oct. 25 and the Hurricanes still have no timetable for his return ... Teammate Matt Cullen, who is out with a leg injury, has begun to skate and could return to action shortly. Carolina has him listed as day-to-day ... The Hurricanes are up for three games Week 6. They face the Capitals and Thrashers -- two teams that have GAA's higher than 3.00. Their other opponent is the Lightning, who is surprisingly a top 10 GAA team, but Carolina gets them on their home ice where they are averaging 3.5 goals per game ... Ray Whitney is the only player on Carolina with 10 or more points in their first 12 games ... After opening with three points and scoring in each of his first two games, center Rod Brind'Amour has just five points (two goals) in his last 11 games ... Thanks to an overhaul on defense and injuries to Joni Pitkanen and Frantisek Kaberle, Dennis Seidenberg and Niclas Wallin lead the defensemen with seven points a piece.
Chicago Blackhawks: The Blackhawks have three home games Week 6. If Cristobal Huet is in net as expected Sunday against the Flames, then we will likely see Nikolai Khabibulin in net for two games next scoring period in Chicago's alternating goalie rotation ... Chicago is the second-highest scoring team in the NHL at home, averaging 4.14 goals per game. You will likely want to start your Chicago skaters Week 6 ... Patrick Sharp has a team-high nine goals and has three scores in his last two games. He has really been the Blackhawks' MVP of the early season ... After his five-game point streak came to an end Oct. 27, Kris Versteeg has managed to tally in just one of the following four games ... Defenseman Brian Campbell has an assist in five straight games and seven total in 12 contests Former first-round pick Cam Barker was recalled in late October to add depth along the blue line and has gotten off to a solid start with two goals and one assist in four games.
Colorado Avalanche: Colorado made a couple of roster moves Thursday, bringing defenseman Kyle Cumiskey and forward T.J. Hensick up from Lake Erie (AHL) as Scott Hannan (flu) and Daniel Tjarnqvist (foot) were unavailable to face Minnesota. David Jones was sent to Lake Erie to accommodate the 23-man roster ... Veteran Joe Sakic also missed his first game of the season Thursday with a back injury. The ailment is not considered as bad as the hernia Sakic suffered in 2007-08 that forced him to miss almost half the season. He is merely day-to-day and will be evaluated before Saturday's game against Nashville. Check his status before setting lineups Week 6 ... The Avalanche are on the road for a pair of games Week 6 against Vancouver and Edmonton. Colorado is allowing 4.0 goals per game on the road, so it might not be an ideal time to start Peter Budaj, who has lost four straight starts ... Milan Hejduk scored in his first two November games after not scoring in his previous four games. It was also the second straight month Hejduk scored in the team's first two games ... Ryan Smyth is without a goal in seven straight games ... Wojtek Wolski is in an even bigger slump having been denied a goal in 12 straight games since scoring in the opener ... Colorado has 14 players below even, including their top nine point leaders.
Columbus Blue Jackets: Coach Ken Hitchcock is excited about pairing Michael Peca, Raffi Torres and Fredrik Modin together. Modin and Torres are both just returning from injury, but Hitchcock compares the trio to the Oilers' line of Erik Cole-Fernando Pisani-Ethan Moreau ... Rookie goalie Steve Mason won in his debut Wednesday against the Oilers after Fredrik Norrena was scratched with a groin injury. With Pascal Leclaire (ankle) still on IR and Norrena struggling, Mason could get a few more starts before Columbus has to make a roster decision ... Left winger Jason Chimera left Wednesday's game against Oilers after taking a hard shot to the chest, but it was reported after the game he was unharmed and he is not expected to miss much, if any time ... Defenseman Rostislav Klesla continues to recover from a wrist injury and remains day-to-day ... Columbus has three games Week 6 against three teams that rank in the top 15 for GAA -- Buffalo (1.92), Minnesota (2.17) and Phoenix (2.64) ... Rookie Derick Brassard has a team-high 12 points and it was an easy decision for the NHL to name him the top rookie for October. Brassard missed a game Monday with the flu, but returned Wednesday to score in a 5-4 win against Edmonton.
Dallas Stars: The Stars bolstered their forward depth by signing free agent Mark Parrish, who was let go by Minnesota in a salary cap move this summer. Parrish had 16 goals and 14 assists in 66 games with Minnesota last season. He no longer is a 60-point threat, but is another valuable goal scorer for Dallas and should also help out the power play ... Parrish's signing could also mean that Jere Lehtinen is still not ready to return from a groin injury. He has yet to play this season ... The Stars are glad to have Sergei Zubov back in the fold after he missed the first month and a half following hip surgery. Dallas is hoping his presence will help improve the NHL's worst defense (4.17 GAA) ... With three games and no back-to-backs Week 6, as long as Marty Turco doesn't struggle, he could start all three contests. However, they are being played in a span of five days, so there is also the chance Tobias Stephan gets in net for one start ... Rookie Fabian Brunnstrom has just two goals in his last nine games after scoring three times in his debut ... Dallas has no player with more than five goals.
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Team | Schedule | |
1. | Blackhawks | BOS, STL, SJ |
2. | Kings | DAL, @DAL, NSH, @ANA |
3. | Flyers | @NYI, @PIT, @MON, ATL |
4. | Lightning | @WAS, @FLA, DET, @CAR |
5. | Coyotes | @CLB, @MIN, DAL |
Detroit Red Wings: After just one game Week 5 (Nov. 3-9), the Red Wings should be well rested for three games Week 6. They do have two games against top 10 defenses -- Pittsburgh (2.46 GAA) and Tampa Bay (2.58 GAA) -- but you be hard pressed to bench the Red Wings skaters ... With one back-to-back slate, don't be surprised if Ty Conklin gets in net during a two-game road trip Nov. 13-14 ... Defenseman Brian Rafalski has scored in his last two games and two of his three scores this season have come on the power play ... As we expected, Tomas Holmstrom has cooled off considerably after scoring six goals in his first six games. He now has no goal in his last six outings ... A demotion to the third line has sparked Jiri Hudler's game. After getting just one point in his first six games, he now has one goal and seven assists in his last six contests.
Edmonton Oilers: Defenseman Denis Grebeshkov has been placed on IR after suffering a concussion Nov. 1. He has been placed on retroactively and can come off IR at any time, but he is still an injury-risk start Week 6 at this juncture ... Ladislav Smid is also dealing with a concussion suffered Wednesday against Columbus, so Theo Peckham was recalled from Springfield (AHL) ... The Oilers are in bit of a goalie quandary at this time. Regular starter Mathieu Garon has struggled mightily after a solid start and Dwayne Roloson has had the hot hand. Coach Craig MacTavish has played Roloson a bit more as of late and that trend could continue into Week 6 with three games on the docket ... Two of the Oilers' three opponents in the upcoming scoring period rank in the bottom 10 for GAA -- Colorado (3.46) and Toronto (3.43) ... Ales Hemsky has scored in three straight games and has nine points in his last eight games ... Ethan Moreau is tied with Shawn Horcoff, Sheldon Souray and Hemsky for the team lead with four goals and is a surprising third with nine points... Defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky has not scored in 10 games after opening with two goals in his first three.
Florida Panthers: Cory Stillman was unable to join Florida on a three-game road trip Week 5 due to a concussion, but might be back in uniform Nov. 12 against Tampa Bay as Florida opens a two-game homestand Week 6. Still, the Panthers leading scorer is bit of an injury-risk option ... Defenseman Bryan McCabe was finally ready to rejoin his teammates Thursday against the Kings after missing 10 games with a bad back. He logged 22 minutes of ice time and it appears safe to get him back in lineups Week 6 ... As we mentioned before, Florida is home for two games Week 6, but the Panthers rank just 25th in home GFA (2.40) ... Defenseman Keith Ballard is the only skater to break 10 points in 12 games ... Nathan Horton has two points -- both goals -- in his last five games after getting six in his first seven.
Los Angeles Kings: Los Angeles has two home and two away games Week 6. They have a home/home series with Dallas, who owns the worst GAA in the NHL (4.17). They also face Nashville and Anaheim -- both teams have GAA's 3.0 or higher. Consider starting your Kings' skaters Week 6 ... As far as the goalie situation, Jason LaBarbera has gotten off to another poor showing and Erik Ersberg is seeing a few extra starts thrown his way. First-year coach Terry Murray might go with the hot hand if Ersberg continues to provide solid results, but the Kings' goalie situation is a mess right now and neither player is trustworthy in Fantasy ... No Kings player has managed 10 points in their first 12 games ... Los Angeles opted to keep Oscar Moller on the roster and not send him back to his junior team. He is tied with three other players with four goals and has a team-high three power-play scores ... Center Michal Handzus has no goals in his last eight games after scoring twice Oct. 17 and has just one point in his last seven games after getting five in his first five.
Minnesota Wild: Defenseman Brent Burns might as well just make himself a bed in the infirmary because he has had a hard time staying healthy in 2008-09. He is back out of action until Nov. 13 vs. Phoenix and this time it's with an undisclosed upper body injury. He remains an injury-risk start Week 6 ... Still no word on the injury front with temperamental forward Marian Gaborik (lower body), and he is again too risky of a start Week 6 ... Minnesota put Owen Nolan (lower body) on injured reserve so they could bring up a player from the minors, but he is also an injury-risk start Week 6 ... Minnesota has a pair of home games Week 6 against Phoenix and Columbus. The Xcel Energy Center has not been overly nice to Minnesota this season as the Wild has scored just 13 goals in five games there (2.6 GFA).
Montreal Canadiens: With Guillaume Latendresse mired in a slump (two assists and no goals in five games), coach Guy Carbonneau has replaced him on the second line with Christopher Higgins, who missed several weeks with a groin injury to begin the season ... Montreal has a pair of home and away games Week 6. They face two teams that rank in the top 10 for GAA -- Ottawa (2.46) and Boston (2.31) -- and two teams that rank in the bottom 10 -- Philadelphia (3.67) and St. Louis (3.25) ... Montreal has one back-to-back slate, so expect Jaroslav Halak to steal a start from Carey Price ... Center Robert Lang scored three times in his first five games, but has failed to score in his last five contests ... The Kostitsyn brothers -- Andrei and Sergei -- have combined for just seven points in 18 games. Sergei doesn’t have a point in seven games while Andrei has just an assist in his last five contests.
Nashville Predators: Nashville takes to the road for three games Week 6. They are averaging 2.86 goals per game on the road this season ... Nashville continues to get horrid play from their goalies Dan Ellis and Pekka Rinne. They have combined for a 3.62 GAA and .867 save percentage. Ellis recently returned from a back injury and will likely remain the team's No. 1 goalie despite a slow start ... Defenseman Shea Weber has scored in three of his last four games and has four total in that span. He has seven goals on the season which gives him the league lead among defensemen. There are five players tied with four scores. Weber has done an admirable job filling the void created by the trade of Marek Zidlicky ... Martin Erat is tied with Weber for the team-lead in goals and he has now scored in six of his last 10 games ... Rookie forward Patric Hornqvist, who is seeing top-six minutes, has one goal and four assists in his last six games after getting just one goal and no assists in his first six NHL games.
New Jersey Devils: This is old news by now, but starting goalie Martin Brodeur is not expected back until February following elbow surgery. He had successful surgery Thursday morning to repair the distal bicep in his left elbow and the timetable still remains 3-4 months. Kevin Weekes should see the majority of starts barring a trade to bring in a veteran netminder ... Defenseman Paul Martin is trying to shake an upper-body injury, but his prognosis is a little better than Brodeur's as he is just day-to-day ... Brian Rolston has begun skating and is making progress as he recovers from a sprained ankle, but the Devils still have no timetable for his return ... Zach Parise has not scored in his last two games after scoring in six straight. However, he is still the only New Jersey played with 10 or more points ... Center Dainius Zubrus has picked up the slack lately with two goals and five assists in six games. He had no goals and one assist in his first six.
New York Islanders: Forward Sean Bergenheim has missed a few games due to an undisclosed illness, but he is expected back shortly ... New York plays three games Week 6 and two of them are against the Senators. Ottawa ranks eighth in GAA (2.46) ... The Islanders have three games in five days Week 6, so coach Scott Gordon could be inclined to throw Yann Danis a start to not wear down Joey MacDonald ... Trent Hunter, Doug Weight and Mark Streit are all tied for the team-lead with 11 points ... Long-time veteran Richard Park is off to a nice start with seven points (two goals) in his first 13 games ... Defenseman Chris Campoli had a pair of goals, including the overtime winner Monday against the Blue Jackets, but he failed to score in the following two games.
New York Rangers: New York is up for three games Week 6 and with no back-to-backs. Henrik Lundqvist, who has won five of six starts, is looking good to start all three games ... Two of the Rangers' games next week are against top 10 defenses -- Boston (2.31 GAA) and New Jersey (2.31) ... Defenseman Dmitri Kalinin has a team-low minus-6 rating ... New York has five players tied for a team-high five goals -- Aaron Voros, Ryan Callahan, Nikolai Zherdev. Chris Drury and Markus Naslund ... Drury had his second career hat trick Thursday against Tampa Bay and all five of his goals have come in the last five games ... Center Scott Gomez has taken a team-high 60 shots, but has connected just three times for an ugly 5.0 percent conversion.
Ottawa Senators: Ottawa is up for three games Week 6 and two of them are against the Islanders -- a team that is allowing 3.46 goals per game ... Martin Gerber has overcome his leg injury, but hasn’t played in seven straight games as Alex Auld has been in net for Ottawa. He has the hot hand winning four of his last five games and appears to have nudged ahead in the goalie race for the time being. If you are looking to start one Ottawa goalie Week 6, make it Auld... Dany Heatley has already started his early scoring spree has he has scored in five straight games ... Defenseman Filip Kuba has as many assists (14) as he does shots taken (15) ... Somebody finally woke Mike Fisher up as he now has four points in his last two games after not getting any in his first nine.
Philadelphia Flyers: Top-line center Daniel Briere has made an early return from abdomen surgery and missed only six games following an Oct. 25 surgery. Briere will return to a line with Simon Gagne and Mike Knuble. Make sure to get him active for Week 6 since he is a must-start Fantasy option when healthy ... Philadelphia gets Briere back in time to play four games Week 6. They are on the road for three of those contests. Philadelphia is averaging 3.67 goals per game away from home, which ranks second in the NHL... Martin Biron appears to have solidified his role again as the team's top netminder, but Antero Niittymaki should be in net at least once Week 6 since Philadelphia does have a back-to-back slate ... Mike Richards has at least one assist in five of six games and nine total ... Gagne has three multi-point games in his last four outings and eight points (three goals) total ... So much for a slow start for Knuble. After getting just three assists and no goals in his first six games, he now has five goals and two assists in his last six. He is fourth on the team with 11 points.
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Team | Schedule | |
1. | Bruins | @CHI, MON, @NYR |
2. | Blue Jackets | PHO, @BUF, @MIN |
3. | Panthers | TB, DET |
4. | Islanders | PHI, @OTT, OTT |
5. | Blues | @BUF, @CHI, MON |
Phoenix Coyotes: Phoenix has three games on the docket Week 6 and two of them are against teams with weak goaltending situations -- Columbus (3.38 GAA) and Dallas (4.17) ... The Coyotes do have one back-to-back slate, but it's unsure if Wayne Gretzky will turn to Mikael Tellqvist for a start because he usually makes his goalie decisions based on a hunch. It's probably best to just start Ilya Bryzgalov Week 6 ... Shane Doan and Olli Jokinen are the only two players to have more than 10 points in Phoenix's first 11 games ... Gretzky is sending rookie center Kyle Turris a message. Gretzky made Turris a healthy scratch for two straight games, including Thursday against the Canucks despite having around 100 family and friends in attendance to watch him play. Turris doesn't have a point in his last six games after getting four in his first three.
Pittsburgh Penguins: Top-line center Sidney Crosby continues to be bothered by an undisclosed injury and his status for Saturday's game against the Islanders is questionable. If Crosby isn’t able to play Saturday, then he is an injury-risk start Week 6. The All-Star has been able to play through pain for the last week, but if this injury ever gets too much, Pittsburgh might have to think about sitting down Crosby for a long period ... The Penguins have three games in five days Week 6, but as long as Marc-Andre Fleury is playing well, there is no reason why he can't be in net for all three games. Pittsburgh plays Detroit, Philadelphia and Buffalo -- all three Stanley Cup contending teams. Pittsburgh will need their ace goalie ... At this point in the season, Evgeni Malkin might be the front runner for the Hart Trophy (MVP). He has a league-high 21 points and has 18 of those points during a nine-game points streak ... Miroslav Satan, a key offseason addition, has scored in three straight games (four goals) and has a team-high eight tallies.
San Jose Sharks: Goalie Evgeni Nabokov gave everyone a scare Thursday after he had to be helped off the ice following a shootout win against the Blues. Nabokov wasn't able to put any pressure on his left leg. Friday the team diagnosed it as a lower-body injury and said the ailment was minor. He is being listed as day-to-day. San Jose has two games over the weekend, but if Nabokov isn't in net by Sunday, then he remains an injury-risk start Week 6. Brian Boucher should see most of the starts in his absence ... San Jose has three games Week 6 with two on their home ice. The Sharks rank third in home GFA by averaging 3.75 goals per game ... Patrick Marleau is on a four-game points streak (1 G, 4 A) and has a team-high 14 points. He is surprisingly tied with linemate Devin Setoguchi (seven goals) ... Ryane Clowe has been one of the Sharks' hottest players. He has a goal in seven of eight games and eight total. He had two goals Thursday against the Blues and even had the shootout winner.
St. Louis Blues: Goalie Manny Legace might return from a hip injury Saturday against the Kings and it couldn't come at a better time since St. Louis has lost six of seven games ... St. Louis has three games Week 6 and all against top 10 defenses -- Blackhawks (2.58 GAA), Canadiens (2.30) and Sabres (1.92) ... Left winger Paul Kariya left the team on the road trip to fly home to get further evaluated following a lower-body injury suffered Wednesday against the Ducks. The Blues are still awaiting the results and Kariya is a risky start at this time for Week 6 ... Rookie T.J. Oshie has joined the walking wounded with an ankle injury and is not with the team on their road trip either ... Andy McDonald has scored in two straight games, while Keith Tkachuk has just two goals in his last six games after getting seven in his first six.
Tampa Bay Lightning: Tampa Bay plays three of their four games Week 6 on the road. They have averaged a respectable 2.8 goals per game away from home. They are facing four teams -- Washington, Florida, Detroit, Carolina -- in the upcoming scoring period with GAA's of 2.92 or higher, so Week 6 might be the time to start your fringe Lightning skaters ... Mike Smith is still the goalie of choice for coach Barry Melrose, but with one back-to-back on the schedule, expect Olaf Kolzig in net for one game ... Vincent Lecavalier is the only player to have broken 10 points in the first 12 games ... Martin St. Louis has scored twice in his last two games after getting one score in his first 10 ... Defenseman Janne Niskala has been waived and has opted to return to Europe. He was unhappy with his playing time and his wife is also pregnant. He has three points in six games.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Nik Antropov (foot) and John Mitchell (shoulder) both got nicked up Thursday against the Bruins. Right now, both players are day-to-day, but Mitchell fears he might have dislocated his shoulder ... Antropov is tied for a team-high with 10 points, but surprisingly free-agent addition Niklas Hagman is keeping pace with Antropov as he also has four goals and six assists in 14 games. Hagman has three goals and six assists in his last eight games ... Matt Stajan has also been playing well over his last eight games with three goals and six assists ... The Maple Leafs have only one player converting at better than 20 percent -- Mikhail Grabovski. He has a team-high six goals on 27 shots ... Toronto is on the road for three games Week 6. They are averaging 2.71 goals per game away from home.
Vancouver Canucks: It seems putting the captain patch on goalie Roberto Luongo's jersey has really sparked his game in 2008-09. He has a NHL best four shutouts and three of them have come in his last five outings. He had all of six shutouts last season and didn't get his fourth until late November ... Vancouver is up for two home games Week 6. Luongo should start both contests, and he is 4-2-0 with three shutouts and a 1.18 GAA in six home games this season ... Vancouver has outscored opponents 19-7 at home this season ... Defenseman Kevin Bieksa appears over a knee injury that kept him out three games earlier this season. He has two goals and four assists in his last five games and is averaging more than 24 minutes of ice time ... Kyle Wellwood leads Vancouver in goals (six), power-play scores (4) and game winners (2). Not bad for a guy that was sent down to the minors after one game.
Washington Capitals: If Evgeni Malkin is the early frontrunner for the NHL MVP, then Alexander Semin might be a close second. He trails only Thomas Vanek in goals scored as Semin scored twice Thursday to boost his season total to 10. He also has a plus-10 rating, which is second to Nikolai Zherdev's plus-11 mark ... Coach Bruce Boudreau has reunited the Russian Line, putting Semin back with Alex Ovechkin and Sergei Fedorov. Boudreau desperately needs to get Ovechkin on track and it seemed to work Thursday as the reigning MVP had three assists ... Washington has four games on the schedule Week 6. Two are against the Devils, but luckily they don't have to face Martin Brodeur. The other two games are against Tampa Bay and Carolina and all three teams have GAA's lower than 3.0 ... Brent Johnson has started the last two games in net for Washington as Jose Theodore struggles to adapt to Boudreau's forechecking style of play that relies on the goalie to make many saves. Johnson isn't expected to be the long-term solution as Washington is paying Theodore too much money, but Theodore is a low-end No. 2 Fantasy option Week 6.
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