Last week in the NHL, Who's Hot

The recent returns of Mathieu Schneider, Sean Avery and Dominik Hasek have made many a fantasy owner happy in the last two weeks. The double return of Dan Boyle from the IR and back onto the IR probably less so.

One good thing about early season injuries to top players is that you can often get them for nothing off of the waiver wire early in the season. I managed to add Mathieu Schneider, Dan Boyle and Shea Weber to my defence core in one league. Sure, my defence isn't so hot right now with 2 of those guys on the IR, but by the end of the season it will probably be the best in the league. Oh, and did I mention that I drafted Chris Pronger and Wade Redden before picking the other three off of waivers?

Top Players last week:
Center: Vinny Lecavalier leads all centers with 2 goals, 6 assists, +6 and 16 SOG. It would be nice if he took a few penalties and got some power play points too... but how much can you ask for?

Vincent Lecavalier: 2 goals, 6 assists, +6
Steve Reinprecht: 4 goals, 3 assists, +3
Cory Stillman: 4 goals, 3 assists, +0
Peter Mueller: 3 goals, 3 assists, +3
Sidney Crosby: 2 goal, 3 assists, +0

Wingers: Sean Avery's return from the IR has been an unqualified success. He has produced 2 goals, 3 assists, a +1, 16 PIMs and 12 SOG. Not bad for a guy you are counting on for your teams PIM total!

Vaclac Prospal: 2 goals, 6 assists, +6
Jere Lehtinen: 1 goal, 5 assists, +5
Martin St. Louis: 3 goals, 2 assists, +5
Sean Avery: 2 goals, 3 assists, +1
Ray Whitney: 1 goal, 4 assists, +1

Defensemen: Daniel Girardi... really? Don't get too excited, sure he put up 4 assists and a couple PIMs this week to follow up a goal last week but Girardi only managed 6 assists in 40 NHL games last year.

Sergei Zubov: 0 goals, 6 assists, +2
Daniel Girardi: 0 goal, 4 assists, +0
Sergei Gonchar: 2 goal, 2 assists, -1
Ed Jovanovski: 1 goal, 3 assists, -1
Mathieu Schneider: 1 goal, 3 assists, +0

Goaltenders: Martin Gerber is giving the best team in the league the kind of headache they would like to have. His brilliant start to the season hasn't been bothered one bit by the return of Ray Emery. 3 starts, 3 wins, a 0.97 GAA and a .963 save percentage, the only thing the guy didn't do was get us a couple shutouts. In one of my leagues some idiotic owner dropped Gerber in favour of keeping Cristobal Huet and Peter Budaj... Idiot. (Editors note: you're the idiot who made that move)

Martin Gerber: 3 wins, 0.97 GAA, 0.963 SPct
Johan Holmqvist: 3 wins, 1 loss, 2.01 GAA, 0.933 SPct
Rick DiPietro: 2 wins, 1.50 GAA, 0.941 SPct
Patrick Lalime: 2 wins, 1.89 GAA, 0.921 SPct
Roberto Luongo: 2 wins, 1.49 GAA, 0.952 SPct

Players to watch: Sid the kid has woken up and is producing across the board and don't look now but Daniel Briere and Scott Gomez are showing signs of life... now where did Chris Drury end up again?

In case you missed it Sean Avery and Darcy Tucker are both back from the IR, both of these super pests are highly valuable in leagues which reward PIMs. Hell, when they are hot they are useful in any league and Avery is hot right now.

Don't look now but Phoenix is proving to be more difficult than many teams expected this year. Shane Doan and Ed Jovanovski are both contributing and could be worth a look on your team, especially if SOG and PIMs are a consideration in your league.

Roberto Luongo has been playing up to expectations lately and Ondrej Pavelec has taken over from veteran Johan Hedberg in Atlanta and won 2 of 3 with a respectable 2.32 GAA.

NHL Starting Goaltenders Saturday Night

Below is the reported starters for Saturday night:
(Bold is my predicted winner, Italic is an uncertain starter)

Capitals - Brent Johnson vs Devils - Martin Brodeur
Canadiens - Jaroslav Halak - vs Islanders - Rick DiPietro
Hurricanes - Cam Ward vs Thrashers - Kari Lehtonen
Maple Leafs - Andrew Raycroft vs Flyers - Antero Niittymaki
Blue Jackets - Frederik Norenna vs Rangers - Henrik Lundqvist
Sabres - Ryan Miller vs Senators - Ray Emery
Bruins - Hannu Toivonen vs Panthers - Ed Belfour
Red Wings - Chris Osgood vs Predators - Thomas Vokoun
Sharks - Evgeni Nabokov vs Flames - Mikka Kirprusoff
Avalanche - Peter Budaj vs Kings - Sean Burke

If you are hoping for some fireworks in the Ottawa vs Buffalo game don't expect them from the goalies. The Sens gave Emery a little talking to and told him in no uncertain terms to knock it off. On the other hand, Murray did confirm that McGratton will be in the lineup tomorrow night.

Almost lost in the shuffle Chris Drury is out indefinitely with concussion like symptoms. Strangely enough it was Ottawa who knocked Tim Connolly out last year in a similar manner. Connolly has yet to return this season, let's hope Drury is not as badly hurt.

Ray Emery kicks the boogers out of Marty Biron

Yep, you read that right.

Ray Emery beat the living crap out of Martin Biron and then threw down with Anton Volchenkov (I think it was him).

Seriousely. If your league counts PIM as a positive factor then Emery just got you 22 minutes in one go. Too bad he was booted out of the game and lost you a start for 0 points.

As soon as I find some video of this fight I'll put it up against the Potvin vs Hextall fight and see if it compares.

Starting Goalies in the NHL tonight Thursday Feb. 12

Below is a list of reported starting goalies to the best of my knowledge:
(the team in bold is my predicted winner)

Tampa Bay Lightning - Marc Denis vs Atlanta Thrashers - Johan Hedberg
Philadelphia Flyers - Michael Leighton vs Carolina Hurricanes - Cam Ward
Edmonton Oilers - Dwayne Roloson vs Columbus Blue Jackets - Fredrik Norrena
Ottawa Senators - Ray Emery vs Buffalo Sabres - Mathieu Biron
New Jersey Devils - Martin Brodeur vs New York Rangers - Henrik Lundqvist
Toronto Maple Leafs - Andrew Raycroft vs New York Islanders - Rick DiPietro
Pittsburgh Penguins - Jocelyn Thibault vs Florida Panthers - Ed Belfour
Montreal Canadiens - Jaroslav Halak vs Nashville Predators - Tomas Vokoun
San Jose Sharks - Evgeni Nabokov vs Chicago Blackhawks - Patrick Lalime
Minnesota Wild - Niklas Backstrom vs Colorado Avalanche - Peter Budaj
Calgary Flames - Miikka Kiprusoff vs Phoenix Coyotes - Michael Tellqvist
Vancouver Canucks - Roberto Luongo vs Los Angeles Kings - Sean Burke

Why does Ovechkin suck in Fantasy Hockey

In case some of you haven't figured it out yet, I live in Toronto (well Mississauga, but close enough) and we got dumped on this morning.

My morning drive to Guelph usually takes about 35 minutes, including a stop for coffee at Second Cup. Today it took me over an hour just to get that coffee.

As a result my day is a little sluggish, slow and unproductive. Much like Alexander Ovechkin has been of late.

Ovechkin has gone pointless in his last 4 games and only has 2 points in his last 9. He is also a -3 in that stretch with only 4 penalty minutes. Is this a sign of things to come from the Russian wunderkind? Or is this just a blip on the fantasy radar for one of the most exciting players to hit the NHL in recent memory.

Here are some quick facts for you:
In his last 9 games Ovechkin has only two points and 31 shots on goal
In his previous 9 games he had 11 points and 38 shots on goal
In the 9 games previous to that he had 12 points and 50 shots on goal

Ovechkin's point production has certainly suffered over the last month, but more frightening is his shots on goal total. If a player doesn't shoot he can't score. Quite often offensively talented players go through slumps, most pundits will look at the shots on goal category as a gauge of what the problem is. If the shot totals are still up, the points will come back.

Looking at Ovechkin's monthly totals should make any of his fantasy hockey owners shake in their boots.

Month	G	A	Pts	SOG
Feb	2	1	3	34
Jan	7	13	20	61
Dec	6	17	23	76
Nov	12	5	17	66
Oct	6	8	14	65

The drastic drop in Alex's point production looks to be directly correlated with the number of shots he is taking.

I know, I know. February isn't over yet. The Capitals played 12 games in January and have already played 10 in February. Those numbers are close enough that we can predict that his shot (and point) totals will be the lowest of his career.

Last year Oveckin put up 3 goals and 2 assists in February with 43 shots on goal, in only 6 games.

If you own Ovechkin and someone has been banging on your door all season trying to acquire him, right now might be a good time to trade him for a higher producing player.

Unless you are in a keeper fantasy league of course. In a keeper there is a very short list of names that should even make you think about trading him for Crosby's sake! (for example)

If you are going to hold onto him (or you just traded for him like I did) keep an eye on his shot totals. If he is consistently average upwards of 5 shots per game you can expect to see an increase in his point totals around the corner. His February shots per game average is only 3.4, if that doesn't go up consider making a move this season.

More Trade Rumours: Pitkanen, Berard and Brewer oh my!

Today I will be looking at the top defensemen rumored to be on the move this week.

The Philadelphia Flyers have already begun their firesale with the Forsberg trade and the Columbus Blue Jackets have stated that they will be sellers this season. Everyone expected St. Louis to be dumping talent at this point in the year but surprisingly they have put together a decent season all things considered.

There are a number of teams looking for solid help on the blueline this year, among them are the Atlanta Trashers, New York Rangers, Edmonton Oilers, Dallas Stars, San Jose Sharks, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Pittsburgh Penguins.

Just a second here, did I just say that the New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins are looking to ADD players at the trade deadline this year? Hmmm, obviously the hockey universe has gone a little wonky.

Joni Pitkanen: He has put up 5 points in his last 5 games and has posted a decent 32 points for a dreadful Flyers team this year. Despite the okay offensive numbers I would have to say that this year has been a bit of a let down after last season. Last year he posted 13 goals and 33 assists in 58 games, this year he has only 2 goals and 30 assists in 56 games. Hopefully this drop-off is more a factor of the team he is playing for rather than just a lucky year. In either case any trade that moves Pitkanen to a contending team would help his fantasy status quite a bit. Unfortunately for Fantasy owners the team that has shown the most interest in him is the Edmonton Oilers, not exactly the trade I would hope for if I was a Pitkanen owner. Pitkanen is available many shallow leagues and if you have the room on your roster I would pick him up right now, not only is he a good trade candidate, he has picked up his game lately.

Bryan Berard: Berard is still shaking the rust off after surgery this year. He has only 3 points in 9 games so far this season but he has too much offensive upside to ignore. Berard's fantasy value could actually go down if he is traded at the deadline. He has not yet managed to find his rhythm in Columbus and a trade could make that breaking in process take even longer. With Berard's slow return I would advise you to stay away from him at this point, regardless of whether he gets traded at the deadline.

Eric Brewer: The St. Louis Blues are currently trying to finalize a new contract with Eric and a large number of teams are watching anxiously for the outcome. Brewer is apparently being pursued by the Edmonton Oilers (whom he played with for 3 seasons) as a rental player this season. Brewer's offensive numbers have never been stellar but his fantasy value can only take a jump if he is traded to an offensive powerhouse like the Tampa Bay Lightning. Keep an eye on this one and be ready to pick him up quick if he ends up with a contender.

More Trade Rumours: Biron on his way out of Buffalo

Earlier this year Darcy Regier stated emphatically that the Sabres would not be trading Martin Biron. Buffalo was very happy having a solid backup goaltender for a run at the cup this year and the value of a strong backup goaltender was made apparent last year (can anyone say Cam Ward?).

However, the recent spate of injuries that has hit Buffalo is forcing them to change their stance. Biron is making $2.1 million this year and clearing him out of their lineup would give them some badly needed cap room to replace some of their injured forwards core.

Buffalo is currently missing Alex Kotalik, Paul Gaustad, Tim Connolly, Maxim Afinogenov and Jiri Novotny from their forward ranks and will miss defenseman Jarolsav Spacek for a month from the blueline.

If they expect to make an extended run into the playoffs this year they will need to address their issues up front and Biron makes for an enticing piece of trade bait. With only 7 days left before the NHL Trade Deadline you can expect to hear Buffalo making some moves, starting with finally giving Martin Biron the trade he was requesting last year at this time.

If you have an open spot on your roster or a fringe player that you can safely drop you might want to consider picking up Biron for your trade deadline gamble.

After all, what is the point of Fantasy Hockey if we don't take these little gambles once in a while?

Last week in the NHL

Here is the weekly look back at who was hot in fantasy hockey over the past week.

Centers: Mr. Joe Sakic proves that he still has some gas in the tank and he is on an 8 game point streak with 15 points in that span.

Joe Sakic: 2 goals, 6 assists
Vincent Lecavalier: 4 goals, 3 assists
Patrick Elias: 2 goals, 4 assists
Pavol Demitra: 3 goals 2 assists
Brendan Morrison: 2 goals, 3 assists, 1 GWG

Wingers: Milan Hejduk seems to have remembered that he is an offensive talent in the NHL and I advised you to pick him up in the middle of last week. He snapped a 6 game point streak in the Avs 5-4 loss to the Canucks last night, but he is still one of the hottest players in the NHL right now.

Henrik Zetterberg: 4 goals, 4 assists, 2 GWG
Teemu Selanne: 4 goals, 4 assists, 1 GWG
Jarome Iginla: 4 goals, 3 assists, 1 GWG
Andrew Brunette: 4 goals, 3 assists
Milan Hejduk: 4 goals, 2 assists, 2 GWG

Defensemen: Karlis Who? Skrastins put up 4 assists last week but don't jump on the bandwagon just yet, that equals his production from the rest of the season. He has yet to score a goal this season either. Leave him on the waiver wire.

Brian Rafalski: 3 goals, 1 assist, 1 GWG
Karkis Skrastins: 4 assists
Scott Niedermayer: 4 assists
Mathieu Schneider: 1 goal, 3 assists
Sheldon Souray: 2 goals, 1 assist

Goaltenders: With 3 wins and a shutout Manny Legace led all goalies last week and yes, he still is with the St. Louis Blues, for now.

Manny Legace: 3 wins, 1 shutout
Tim Thomas: 2 wins, 1 shutout
Martin Gerber: 2 wins, 1 shutout
Martin Brodeur: 2 wins, 1 shutout
Ed Belfour: 2 wins, 1 shutout

Forsberg traded to Nashville

Hmmm, so much for the Leafs, or the Red Wings.

Peter Forsberg is now a Predator.

I hope you decided to take a 'flyer' on Forsberg before this because his price will likely be too high for you now. With the injury questions that perennially surround Forsberg any trade for him in your fantasy league now would be very risky. His value certainly increases now that he is with the Preds, the second best team in the NHL.

Who's Hot:
Milan Hejduk, he has had a dissapointing season this year, I think I dropped him from my team in week 4. However, he is currently on a 5 game point streak and has 12 points in his last 8 with 3 game winners and only 1 pointless game in that time. Last night he potted a hat trick to propel the Avs to a 7-5 win over the Flames.

Jamie Langenbrunner, still hot with a 7 game point streak (12 points).

Joe Sakic, speaking of the Avs, Sakic had 5 points in the Avs win and he has a 6 games point streak and has also put up points in 7 of 8 games. He has 15 points and 1 game winner in that span.

Henrik Zetterberg, continuing his torrid pace he has points in 8 of his last 9 games. 8 goals, 12 assists and 4 games winners in that span make him the hottest player in the NHL right now. Over the last month he has put up 23 points, 3 more than Sidney Crosby.


Who's Not:
Well Maxim Afinogenov, Cristobal Huet and Alexei Kovalev aren't. Afinogenov is out for at least 6 weeks and Kovalev for three, no one is quite sure how long Huet will be out but he went for tests on his pulled hamstring yesterday. Hamstrings are a tough injury for goalies to come back from so don't expect him back any time soon (cough, Hasek, cough).

Jason Pominville has shown some flashed of brilliance this year with the Sabres but he is currently in a 4 game point drought, his longest of the season.

Alexander Ovechkin. Seriousely, the Russian forward only has 2 points in his last 6 games following a 13 games point streak and I know EXACTLY why this is happening. I just traded for him.

In Blind Sight... play Jagr

So in keeping with the theme of this blog I took my own advice on Saturday.

Jaromir Jagr is one of the most exciting players in the NHL, but over the last few weeks his production had slipped and he was performing at a mere point per game pace. I advised that you sit him on Saturday night and mentioned that I had him planted firmly on my bench for the evening.

Somewhere around 6:30 on Saturday night I realized that I had just predicted that Jagr would have a quiet night on Saturday and that got me to thinking...

So, since every prediction I make tends to backfire I slotted him into the lineup at the last minute and I got to take advantage of his 3 assists.

In case you have forgotten, if I get around to making a firm prediction about a team or a player... ignore me and do the opposite.

Last week in the NHL, Who's Hot

Interesting week in the NHL.

Dominic Hasek finally went down with an injury that every one of his owner's has been fearing this season. The good news is that it is not the dreaded groin injury that would likely take him out for the rest of the season. He was out yesterday and is expected to be out of the lineup again tonight with a swollen wrist. Makes one wonder what he has been doing in his spare time...

Since Chris Osgood is also out with a broken finger Joey MacDonald is expected to start his second game in two nights. On Sunday night MacDonald made 16 saves to earn his first NHL win. The defensively minded Red Wings give any goaltender a chance to win, if you have the option, pick him up and start him in goal tonight as the Wings play the lowly Flyers.

Top Players last week:

Center: Pavol Demitra is really enjoying the return of Marian Gaborik. The return of
Gaborik has woken Demitra who has slowly increased his play of late and now has 41 points in 48 games.

Jordan Staal: 5 goals, 1 GWG
Joe Sakic: 2 goals, 4 assists, 1 GWG
Evgeni Malkin: 2 goals, 4 assists, 1 GWG
Pavol Demitra: 2 goals, 3 assists, 2 GWG
Rod Brind'Amour: 1 goal, 5 assists

Wingers: Henrik Zetterberg has definitely lived up to his promise lately. Z has sparked the Red Wings to 6 wins in their last 7 with 16 points in those 7 games. In fact the Wings one loss in that period happens to coincide with Z's one pointless game (a 1-0 loss to St. Louis, no this is NOT typo).

Henrik Zetterberg: 5 goals, 4 assists, 2 GWG
Ray Whitney: 4 goals, 4 assists, 1 GWG
Martin Havlat: 5 goals, 3 assists
Marian Hossa: 2 goals, 4 assists, 1 GWG
Jaromir Jagr: 2 goals, 4 assists

Defensemen: Michal Rozsival led all defensemen last week with 2 goals, 2 assists and a game winner, for the Rangers. Despite my recent unhappiness with Jagr's play of late the Rangers seem to have woken up in the stretch run and Rozsival has been a huge part of that.

Michal Rozsival: 2 goals, 2 assists, 1 GWG
Sergei Zubov: 1 goal, 3 assists, 1 GWG
Roman Hamrlik: 1 goal, 3 assists
Sergei Gonchar: 4 assists
Phillippe Boucher: 2 goals, 1 assist, 1 GWG

Goaltenders: Mike who? Mike Smith replaced Marty Turco twice last week and both times led the Stars to comeback wins over Minnesota and Colorado. Just to make his week even more remarkable he earned a shutout win against Anaheim on Saturday night.

Mike Smith: 3 wins, 1 shutout
Marc-Andre Fleury: 3 wins
Martin Brodeur: 2 wins, 1 shutout
Henrik Lundqvist: 2 wins, 1 shutout
Ryan Miller: 2 wins

Players to watch:
Although Mike Smith lead all goaltenders last week the odds of him permanently replacing Marty Turco as the starter in Dallas are extremely low, still he might warrant a pickup as your third or fourth goaltender. Dallas plays a lot of Sunday games so if you are behind in goaltender starts Smith may help you as you likely don't have two regular starters to go every Sunday. The Stars play Sunday games for the next six weeks in a row so you can take a flier on Smith getting a few starts/replacements for the rest of this month.

Evgeni Malkin is probably not available in your league, and if he is you might want to find a new league. However, Jordan Staal has been red hot lately with points in 9 of his last 11 games potting 10 goals and two assists in that span. If you are lacking in goal production he would be a great pickup right now. Malkin and Staal have been skating on the same line and they are playing well together, Malkin has garnered 5 goals and 13 assists in that same period.

Saturday Night Special

Fairly full plate tonight with 11 games on the schedule.

As far as I know here are the starting goalies for tonight:

J-S Giguere (ANA) vs Marty Turco (DAL)
David Aebischer (MON), Ray Emery (OTT)
Miika Kiprusoff (CGY), Ryan Miller (BUF)
Henrik Lundqvist (NYR), Olaf Kolzig (WAS)
Curtis Sanford (STL) vs Michael Leighton (PHI)
Marc-Andre Fleury (PIT) vs Andrew Raycroft (TOR)
Rick DiPietro (NYI) vs Tim Thomas (BOS)
Curtis Joseph (PHX) vs Ed Belfour (FLA)
Cam Ward (CAR) vs Niklas Backstrom (MIN)
Mathieu Garon (LA) vs Tomas Vokoun (NSH)
Kari Lehtonen (ATL) vs Roberto Luongo (VAN)

As far as I can tell these will be the starters tonight.

The Rangers dumped all over the Lightning last night 5-0, you might want to adjust your lineup to get some Rangers into it. However, much of the scoring last night was done by 3rd and 4th liners so you likely don't have them on your roster. On a personal note, Jaromir Jagr is still on my bench.

More info on tonight's starting goalies

From a few sources I have read that Nikolai Khabibulin is expected to start tonight for Chicago, but none of the sources were very certain of that fact, mainly because Lalime pitched a shutout in his last game. I would tend to agree with them and I am changing my recommendation from Lalime to the 'Bulin Wall'. After all, it Patrick may have got the win and the shutout, but it was his first game this season.

As for the other game, the Rangers will definitely be starting Lundquist for one game and Weekes for the other this weekend, but nobody seems to agree on which one will be tonight. I'll stick with Lundquist starting tonight and Weekes up tomorrow.

Tampa Bay will have Holmquist in net and Edmonton will play Roloson.

New predictions and tonight's starting goaltenders

Hmmm, so yesterday I explained that any game prediction that I make should be automatically regarded as the opposite of what will really happen. In that explanation I suggested that the Nashville Predators would win a relatively low scoring game against the Leafs and because I was predicting that outcome you could expect a massive Leaf's win.

Looking back it seems that a double prediction makes it more likely that my original prediction comes true. Interesting... but I'm simply too lazy to make multiple predictions on each game in the NHL so let's stick with the idea that you can expect the exact opposite of what I predict for a game.

On to hot players and who to watch.

Jamie Langenbrunner continued his hot streak with the game winner in the Devil's 2-0 win over the Islanders last night. Langenbrunner has posted 3 goals and 6 assists in his last 5 games. If he is available in your league jump on the bandwagon while you still can.

Speaking of bandwagons, Martin Biron has won three straight for the Sabres fueling speculation that a goalie controversy is brewing in Buffalo. Don't believe it, the Sabres are committed to Ryan Miller and look at Martin Biron as the best possible backup goalie in the League. If you are a Biron owner make sure you keep an eye on who Buffalo plans to start and get him in your lineup whenever possible. This late in the season Buffalo will likely start Biron a little more to give Miller some rest and keep Marty sharp for the upcoming playoffs. If you were hoping that Biron would earn a starters job this season, forget it.

Thomas Vanek of the Buffalo Sabres has flown quietly under the fantasy hockey radar most of this season (not mine though, I've had him on my roster since the third week of the season). On Wednesday night he potted two goals, one of which was the game winner (and no, of course I didn't have him in my lineup). Vanek has already surpassed his output from last season and so far this year he has 28 goals, 26 assists, he is + 28, with 3 GWG and 26 PIMs. Not bad for a sophmore season. Buffalo has recently put Vanek back on their third line with Afinogenov and Roy, expect this trio to regain the scoring touch they had earlier in the season.

There are only two games on tap in the NHL tonight, Tampa Bay vs the Rangers, expect Holmqvist to start against his old team and Lundquist to start for New York.

The second game is the Chicago Blackhawks at Edmonton. The starting goaltender for Edmonton is simple, Dwayne Roloson, but the Hawks have three goalies on their roster, Brian Boucher, Nikolai Khabibulin and Patrick Lalime. Lalime got his first shutout in two years in the Hawk's last game but Khabibulin is the outright star. It's anyone's guess who the starter is but at this point I would bet on Lalime. If I hear any different I will update you immediately.

Speaking of which, Boucher backed up Lalime in the Hawk's last game with Khabibulin sitting out the game in the press box. If that happens again tonight I think we can take it as a sign that Chicago is close to inking a deal to send Khabibulin packing. Regardless of where he ends up it will probably increase his fantasy value quite a bit.

Last night in the NHL, still keeping up my end of the bargain

As predicted Vancouver was shut-out last night by the Chicago Blackhawks and Patrick Lalime.

No, don't worry, that isn't a typo. Yes, in yesterday's post I suggested that the Canucks would put up some good numbers against the Hawks. But in case you missed the point of this blog you are supposed to automatically expect the opposite of any game prediction that I make. So if I think that a team will win a tight game, expect a barnburner... and a loss.

I don't make predictions because I expect the opposite to happen, it's just the way my life goes.

For instance, tonight the Nashville Predators host the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Pred's are one of the hottest teams in the NHL this season and the Leafs are on a 5 game win streak and possess one of the hottest goalies in the league right now in Andrew Raycroft. Vokoun has been pretty good of late himself and I would predict that the Predators will win a tight, low scoring game, somewhere in the 3-1 range. If I were you I would sit Raycroft, start Vokoun and every Predator player you have and expect my prediction to backfire and bank on a monumental 8-2ish type Leaf's loss.

Of course, now that I've made a double prediction who knows what will happen. Tomorrow, we can look at it in Blind Sight and see where I went wrong.

I am pretty horrible at predicting the outcome of games, but I am good at spotting hot players, trends and evaluating possible trades. So if you have questions, send them to me at blindsightis2020@hotmail.com

Speaking of which, if you have not picked up Niklas Backstrom yet, get on it.

Thomas Vanek has three goals in his last two games with a game winner and 4 penalty minutes, the Sabres seem to be heating up a little so get him back in your lineup if you've been sitting him while they were slumping.

Miroslav Satan has posted 4 goals, 2 assists, +6 rating, 4 penalty minutes and 17 shots on goal in his last 4 games with the Islanders. With a dissapointing 41 points on the season many leagues may be able to find Satan on their waiver wire. And just to make it un-official, there are rumours that Satan is being pursued by the Devils prior to the deadline.

Ok, so that last bit is not true (as far as I know!), but don't you wish it was true just so you could enjoy all the headlines that trade would produce? Besides, as a Leaf's fan, I've always thought that Satan guy was the devil in disguise. When he was with the Sabres he was a significant part of our Buffalo curse.

Have a good day and remember, In Crosby We Trust.

What Happened... in the NHL last night

The Leafs have won 5 straight and last night it was again Andrew Raycroft who stood up and gave the Leafs a chance to win with a wicked glove save on Bill Guerin early in the third period.

As a Fantasy GM I would suggest you ride the Leaf's and specifically Raycroft as long as they are hot. As a Toronto Maple Leafs fan I want to see them go into a prolonged losing streak that takes them out of the playoff's and forces them to enter a rebuilding period. Ah well, such are the conflicting loyalties of fan and GM.

Most astute GM's have noticed Michael Cammalleri's play of late, but in case you have missed it he has 6 goals and 14 points in his last ten games. If the point production isn't reason enough to pick him up keep in mind that he is putting up those points while playing for the horrible LA Kings. He is available in my league, I would suggest you check your waiver wire right now and grab him if he is available!

Chris Mason didn't do me any favours last night, and I'm sure a lot of Fantasy GM's are groaning about the 4-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Mason and Vokoun have been absolutely stellar on the best team in the NHL over the last month so don't cut bait on him over just one bad game.

Tonight there are 5 games on tap, Ottawa at Buffalo could produce some fireworks tonight and San Jose finishes off a back to back against Anaheim. The Ducks won a 7-4 goal fest last night and I would expect something similar tonight. I expect the Sharks to come out on fire and take it to the Ducks early, I also expect that Anaheim has too much defensive depth for the Sharks and we will see them pull off a win in the third period. Either way, expect a lot of scoring from this game.

Vancouver hosts the Chicago Blackhawks tonight as well, expect the Canucks to put up some decent numbers and adjust your rosters accordingly.

Looking over the waiver wire Bryan Berard may still be available in your league, especially since he hasn't posted a single point in his first two games back from injury. I wouldn't expect that scoreless streak to continue much longer so if he is available in your league take a flyer on him. He could end up as a top 3 defenceman over the remainder of the season.

In Blind Sight... don't listen to me

Wow, here is a little bit of advice. If I predict the outcome of a game you may want to go in exactly the opposite direction.

Three hockey game predictions yesterday, Buffalo over Boston (Correct), Carolina over Tampa Bay and Nashville over Phoenix. Well 1 out of three isn't bad. Actually it is pretty pathetic.

It is in fact even worse than that. In my mind I had also penciled in Atlanta over the Islanders and Colorado over Minnesota. Good thing I didn't write them down.

On the goalie front, Fernandez aggravated his knee injury again on Tuesday and Niklas Backstrom started in net for the Wild in their 5-3 win over Colorado. Don't be surprised if the Wild keep Fernandez out for an extended period to rest his knee. They are currently holding a 6 point lead over Colorado for the last playoff spot in the Western Conference and would likely want to ensure that Fernandez is healthy for the playoffs. Keep an eye on their hold on the last playoff spot. If they hold the lead they will keep Fernandez out. If you own Fernandez right now you might want to grab Backstrom as a backup.

There are only two games tonight, St. Louis at Detroit and Columbus at Calgary.

Many fantasy hockey GMs were expecting Rick Nash to pick up his play after his strong showing at the NHL All Star game. Unfortunately Nash has been just as invisible since the All Star break as he was before it. With just 1 point in 6 games after the break. Sit him, and if you are not in a keeper league, see if you can trade on his name to improve your team.

This Sunday I will begin the first in a weekly series of recaps of the top 3 players at each position for the week and pick out who I think will be hot in the week to come. Hopefully that will go better than my predictions on last nights winners!

Time to sit Jagr?

I know, you are asking yourself if I'm on crack this morning.

Frankly, no. I can't afford crack. I'm lucky if I get caffeine.

Jagr has had a rather pedestrian month with only 10 points in 11 games with only one multi-point game in January. Frankly I expect more than a little under 1 point per game from him. If he is in your lineup you may want to swap him out for a hotter player. But remember this is Jagr we are talking about. Be ready to swap him back in if he and the blue shirts wake up and start scoring in bunches.

What's on tap tonight?

A full slate of games are going tonight but I see two that could generate some high scoring.

Buffalo at Boston: After being blown out 7-1 by the Sabres on Jan. 30th expect the Bruins to come out swinging. Unfortunately with their goaltending issues lately expect them to fall short. I see a 6-2 win for the Sabres tonight. Marty Biron will be starting in net for the Sabres if Lindy Ruff's comment a few days ago can be trusted. Start the usual cast of characters for the Sabres and take note that the B's top line has been reshuffled to include Patrice Bergeron, Glen Murray and Marc Savard.

Carolina at Tampa Bay: Both teams are offensively minded and have been having goalie issues recently. Don't start Ward in net (in fact John Grahame may get the call) but ensure that the top scorers on each team are active in your lineup. Take note that Eric Cole is a game time decision with a lower body contusion.

As for the rest of the games, it is anyone's guess. The Vancouver Edmonton game could produce some fireworks but with Luongo and Roloson both able to steal games I wouldn't bet on it. Nashville should beat up on Phoenix so if you can determine who is starting (Vokoun?) make sure you have him active.

Bears, Buffaloes and other furry beasts

Good afternoon, finally came out of my stupor to look around and read some stuff today.

First off... Jagr, got no points last night... Tim Thomas threw another hanging curve in net and the Rangers smacked it out of the park.

Hannu Toivonen didn't do much better after replacing Thomas and let in 3 goals on 14 shots. Despite the poor showing by Hannu last night his play has picked up of late and you can expect him to get more starts in the future, including tonight against Buffalo.

If you own Thomas and you have room, you might want to pick up Toivonen as backup insurance. Or do what I did, drop his ass and pick up someone better. Budaj was on the waiver wire and my league and I decided that I liked his chances better than Thomas'.

The Buffalo Sabres seem to be generating some goaltender controversy as well lately. Ryan Miller has not been playing very well of late and Lindy Ruff has declared that Martin Biron will get the next two starts to give Miller some quality practice time.

Keep an eye on this situation and if you have Biron make sure you get him in the lineup tonight against the Bruins.

Goaile troubles

Quick note for Monday morning.

Frederik Norrena was injured in the second period of the Blue Jackets win over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night. The Blue Jackets are already playing without injured starter Pacal Leclaire who has been out since December 26th. Third stinger Ty Conklin finished the game with 15 saves. Conklin may be a decent short term pickup if you are in need of goalie wins. Columbus is on a 3 game win streak and have won 4 of their last 5. If Conklin stumbles be ready to drop him quick. Norrena is listed as day to day with the dreaded lower body injury and could be back as soon as Tuesday at Vancouver.

Ryan Miller has been off lately. The Sabres have lost 8 of 13 this month and Miller has been in net for 6 out of 10 losses. In those 10 games Miller has a 3.2 GA average and has let in 5 or more goals in two games. The Sabres will probably continue to go to Miller as Biron has not been much better this month. Biron has two losses in 3 starts and a 3.67 GA average in January. If you have better options you may want to sit Miller until he regains his form.

This is bad news for owners of Biron. With Millers shaky play the likelihood of the Sabres trading Biron at the deadline is pretty low.

On a better note, the Nashville Predators continue to be hot winning 10 of 12 in January. Both Vokoun and Mason are playing well right now. This is a mixed bag if you picked up Mason while Vokoun was on the IR. I wouldn't suggest dropping Mason anytime soon. The play of Mason makes one wonder if the Preds will be moving him at the deadline for some depth up front? That is certainly a nice little rumour to drop in your league if you are trying to trade Mason for depth on your roster.