Just Fantasy Hockey: Week 9 Forecaster

Nov 23rd-29th

We enter week 9 slowly approaching the halfway point in most fantasy leagues. This week is the busiest week of the NHL schedule with more teams playing 4 games then 3. Moreover, most of the action occurs Monday through Saturday which means most of your guys will be playing on the same night. So playing your match ups this week is the key to success.

Let’s check out the week ahead.

4 Game Week: Anaheim, Boston, Calgary, Carolina, Colorado, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Edmonton, Florida, Nashville, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Ottawa, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, St. Louis.

3 Game Week: Atlanta, Buffalo, Chicago, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Montreal, New Jersey, San Jose, Tampa Bay, Toronto, Vancouver, Washington.

Teams to Watch:

Anaheim: Calgary, Carolina, Chicago, Phoenix

The Ducks are the only team playing all 4 games at home. While that is a good thing for the Ducks offense it is quite the opposite for their defence. Anaheim sits dead last in GAA at home with a GAA of 3.50

Fantasy Spin: Hiller is struggling and will be pressed on home ice. There are better fantasy options in net this week. Getzlaf, Perry and Ryan are solid plays in any fantasy format.

Colorado: Philadelphia, Nashville, @Minnesota, Minnesota

Daily leagues are all about maximizing your match ups and here is your best chance. Great week for your Avs as Philadelphia is in the midst of a 5 game road trip, Nashville has the worst offence in the NHL, and they finish off the week with a home and home series against the League's 5^th worst offence.

Fantasy Spin: Anderson should get 3 of the four starts and is a must play this week.

New York Islanders: @Toronto, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, @ New Jersey

The Islanders surprisingly have a favourable match up defensively and could offer some solid numbers this week. The Isle’s enter the week as the 4^th best defensive team at home allowing just over 2 goals against in their 9 games so far this season. With two homes games against Toronto and New Jersey, who are both in the bottom half of league scoring, the Islanders could put up strong numbers.

Fantasy Spin: Look for Roloson and Biron to split the starts in the upcoming week.

Pittsburgh: @Florida, Montreal, @New York Islanders, New York Rangers.

Be careful playing your Penguins this week because they are facing some pretty hot teams. In addition, the Penguins surprisingly have the 13^th ranked offense and have been struggling of late. Finally, the Pittsburgh blue line is banged up right now with Letang and Goligoski out, while Orpik and Gonchar just got back into the line up.

Fantasy Spin: Fleury has just 2 wins in his last 6 starts with a GAA and SV% of 3.32 and .885 respectively. There are better options in a busy week. Crosby and Malkin are good but not as strong plays when looking at the choices owners have in the up coming week.

Brian

Just Fantasy Hockey - Week 5 Goalie Report

HOT

Craig Anderson – Colorado
Leading the league in wins, Anderson is proving all doubters wrong. With 10 wins in 13 games, Anderson is posting a GAA of 1.97 and a save percentage of .940%. Fantasy owners should no longer be hesitant to start the budding star. If your league rewards GAA and Save % he is a high reward goalie at the moment.

Jose Theodore – Washington
Looking to rise above adversity, Theodore is proving he can still be a number one netminder in the NHL, and playing for the highly offensive Capitals doesn’t hurt either. Posting 3 wins in 8 games, Theo is also sporting a 2.47 GAA and a .922 save %. Even though is tandeming with Varlamov at the moment, he is still a must start in weekly leagues.

Ilya Bryzgalov – Phoenix
One of the biggest surprises of the year has been the play of the Phoenix Coyotes. Not one of the flashiest teams on the ice, their defense first way of playing is winning them games. Posting a league high 3 shutouts, Bryzgalov is one of the hottest goalies in the league. Owners should jump on him on the waiver wire if he is still available and ride him while he is hot.

Cold

Chris Osgood & Jimmy Howard – Detroit
The Red Wings have struggled early this season and their goaltending isn’t helping their cause. Allowing weak goals in the early minutes of games, both Osgood and Howard do not look like they are good enough to be number one goalies in the league. Until Detroit can start to shake the rust off and stop allowing early goals, keep the tandem on your bench and look elsewhere for goaltending help.

Roberto Luongo – Vancouver
The injury riddled Canucks can now add their all-star goalie to the injured list. Dealing with a hairline fracture to his ribs, Luongo is estimated out for a mere week. Even though he is a top flight goalie, Luongo has struggled this season posting 6 wins in 12 games and has a GAA 2.79 and a save % of .902. Look for Luongo to be on the shelf for more than a week and bypass Andrew Raycroft as a fantasy option.

Cam Ward – Carolina
After leading the charge to the Eastern Confernce finals last season, Ward has struggled early on this season. With 2 wins in 11 games, and posting a 2.83 GAA, fantasy owners are looking for other options. When on his game, Ward is a top goaltender in the league and should be played in all formats. Keep him in your line-up as he is bound to turn things around.

Mark

Just Fantasy Hockey - Week 5 Forecaster

Week 5 is one of the busier weeks in fantasy hockey this year. So many games owners have lots of good choices in players to play on their rosters.

4 Game week
Islanders, Rangers, Canadiens, Maple Leafs, Capitals, Avalanche, Wild, Canucks and Coyotes.

3 Game week
Devils, Penguins, Bruins, Sabres, Senators, Hurricanes, Panthers, Blackhawks, Blue Jackets, Red Wings, Predators, Blues, Oilers, Ducks, Stars and Sharks.

2 Game week
Flyers, Thrashers, Lightning, Flames and Kings.

Washington: Philadelphia, @ Atlanta, New York Islanders, Columbus.
Look for a great offensive week from Ovechkin and company this week. It should be a high scoring affair against Philly to start off the week followed by three weaker opponents in the Thrashers, Isles and Jackets.
Fantasy spin: Theodore will likely see at least one game this week as the Capitals have no need to rush him back. Varlamov should be benched against Philly since they have shown they could hit the twine against any team. Play all your offensive Caps with confidence.

Toronto: @Anaheim, @ Dallas, @ Buffalo, @Montreal.
The forecast does not look good for the Maple Leafs. Maybe some time away from the pressure pot at the ACC and some time to gel as a team is what the doctor ordered for the struggling Leafs.
Fantasy spin: Owners should choose quality over quantity for leagues having weekly roster changes. With so many teams playing 4 games there are better options.

NY Rangers: Phoenix, @New York Islanders, @Minnesota, Boston.
Surprisingly, the Rangers rank 3rd overall in goals per game and should have no trouble continuing their hot start. The week starts off hard against the number 1 defense in the league but ends with games with teams in the bottom third of Goals Against. Although the offence should have a very solid week, it is Lundqvist who might be the biggest play of the week. With all four teams the Rangers face having difficulty finding the net the Ranger net minder is set for a huge fantasy week.
Fantasy spin: Look for Gaborik and Prospal to continue scoring and Lundqvist to have a very solid week.

Montreal: New York Islanders, @Pittsburgh, @Chicago, Toronto
The most impactful fantasy story coming out of Montreal this week will be the goaltending situation. No question with Price’s poor play of late that Halak is the primary goaltender for now. The question is whether Price can play his way back into the net with Halak playing so well.
Fantasy spin: With two easy games at home and two tough ones away from the Bell Centre, look for the goaltending saga to continue after this week. Halak and Price should split time in net with the better of the two holding the edge on who will start the following week.

Colorado: @Edmonton, @Calgary, @San Jose, @Vancouver.
Not a favourable forecast for the up and coming Av’s, with four difficult games against conference rivals on the road. Anderson has played extremely well for Colorado, but this week should be a good indication on whether if he can take the next step.
Fantasy spin: Currently Edmonton, Calgary and San Jose sit first, second, or eighth in Goals per game respectively, so no one will blame you for sitting Anderson this week.

Nashville: @Minnesota, Chicago, Dallas
Not much going on for the Predators offensively as they sit dead last in goals scored, but the goaltending scenario seems to be finding its way here. Look for Ellis to start against Minnesota and Dallas and Rinne, who played just horrid against the Senators last week, to start against the offensive Blackhawks.
Fantasy spin: Ellis has a chance to distance himself against Rinne. If Ellis has a strong week, he definitely has the upper hand.

Brian

NHL New aand Notes - October 3

Now that the Stanley Cup banner has been raised and Canadian icon Joe Sakic has his number retired in the Pepsi Center in Colorado, we can concentrate on what has already transpired in the first 2 days of hockey.

Andrei Markov (D) – MON – A lacerated tendon has sidelined the All-star defenceman for 3-4 months. Markov came into contact with Carey Price’s skate and immediately limped off the ice. This is a devastating injury for the Canadiens and will be in tough to replace the leadership and points from Markov. Look for Spacek and Hamrlik to get added powerplay time. The Habs have also called up young offensive d-man Yannick Weber. Put a claim in on him as he will get plenty of PP time.

Craig Anderson (G) – COL – The new number one in Colorado came up big on Joe Sakic night. Stopping 38 out of 40 shots, Anderson looked unstoppable as the game wore on. If Anderson is available in your league take a long look at him. He will get a lot of shots each night and will have to be at the top of his game to get wins on the young Avalanche team.

Brooks Laich (C) – WAS – Scoring 2 points and 1 assist and lining up with the top gunners (AO and Backstrom) on the powerplay, Laich seized his opportunity. If he is available in you league, snatch him up on the waiver wire. He may not always play on the top line, but he will provide enough offense to garner a spot on your bench as a depth player.

Tomas Vokoun (G) – FLA – The veteran goalie was the catalyst for the Panthers as he saw 55 shots on goal and stopped 52 of them. A talented goaltender, Vokoun is the undeniable number one guy in Florida. He will see a lot of shots this season and will either be the hero or the goat. See if there are other goaltending options in your league as Vokoun should lose more than he wins.

Ray Emery (G) – PHI – His first full season game back in the league since he bolted for Russia. In what appeared to be an easy game for the Flyers, Emery stopped all 27 shots. The Flyers are hoping for Emery to be a stable and consistent goaltender this year and their success rests on it.

Brandon Dubinsky (C) – NYR – The newly re-signed centerman has some veteran wingers to help elevate his game. Lining up with Gaborik and Prospal, Dubinsky is the top center in New York and should get points playing with Gabby. If he is available in your league grab him on the waiver wire and hold onto hi until Gaborik gets hurt.

Mark

Training Camp Notes: September 29

With training camps winding down and final cuts just around the corner there have been a few surprises so far and more to come in the upcoming days leading into opening night.

Matt Duchene (C) – COL – The 3rd overall selection has made the opening day roster and looks to be on the 2nd line. On a weakened Avalanche team, owners must keep in mind that he is a long term prospect and not to expect too much from him this season. Being sent down is not out of the question.

Cody Hodgson (C) – VAN – The young center has not impressed the Canucks management thus far. Still recovering from a back injury, Hodgson now sits on the bubble to make the team. Owners should probably expect to see him sent back to his junior team with the hopes of cracking the roster next season. He remains an excellent prospect in keeper pools.

Cory Schneider (G) – VAN – After Roberto Luongo signed his new contract in the off-season the future of Schneider with the Canucks looks bleak. A blue chip goaltending prospect, Schneider was returned to Manitoba after losing the back-up battle to Andrew Raycroft. He will now get a chance to dominate the AHL once again. Look for Schneider to be called up at some point when the Canucks realize that Andrew Raycroft cannot play at the pro level any longer. The demand from other teams will continue to grow at that point, and he should be traded for a hefty ransom. Draft Schneider and wait it out if you can as he should be a starter in years to come.

Peter Regin (C) – OTT – The 6 foot, 200 lbs Centre appears as if he has made enough of an impact to secure a spot on the opening night roster. Regin had a taste of the NHL last year appearing in 11 games and scoring 2 points. During pre-season action, Regin lined up as the second line center, displacing Fisher to the wing. The transition worked well as Fisher netted 4 points that game. Consider picking up Regin in deeper leagues and keep an eye on his ice time and line-mates. If he becomes the second line center, grab him on your waiver wire in deeper leagues.

Danny Syvret (D) – PHI – Securing a spot on one of the top Eastern Conference teams is no small feat, but the 24 year old will start the season as the Flyers number 6 d-man. With a successful season in the AHL last year, 57 points and 44 PIMs in 76 games, Syvret should make a smooth transition to the NHL. With Randy Jones being placed on waivers, Syvret will gain valuable experience learning from veterans like Pronger and Timonen. Syvret offers very little value at this time but may turn into an option in deeper leagues in the future, keep an eye on him.

Mark

Training Camp Notes: September 19

Atlanta – Zach Bogosian (D) – This sophomore is coming off a strong second half last season after he broke his leg earlier on in the season. An important piece of Atlanta’s future, Bogosian logged an enormous 31:16 minutes seeing time on the powerplay and in short-handed situations. This kid will be a monster this year.

Tampa – Victor Hedman (D) – The second overall draft pick skated in his second pre-season game. In his first 2 games in the NHL Hedman has averaged 27 minutes of ice-time and has played in all situations. He has not tallied a point yet, but that will come in time.

Detroit – Ville Leino (LW) – The talented Finn should be a lock this year with Detroit. The only question is which line will he play on? Leino had 2 assists last night in 15:56 minutes of ice-time and will only gain confidence the more he plays.

Colorado - Matt Duchene (C) – Hitting the score sheet last night, Duchene was arguably the best player on the Avalanche. Duchene scored 1 goal and assisted on another and played 3:11 on the powerplay. He is a bright spot on a rather dim Avalache team.

St. Louis – Erik Johnson (D) – His recovery has seemed to come full circle as Johnson played in his first game last night. With 1 assist, Johnson logged 20:06 minutes of ice-time, had 3 shots and was +2. Look for his minutes to increase once the season starts.

Edmonton – Mike Comrie (C) – What a home coming for Comrie. Feared that he would be booed once he stepped on the ice, fans were chanting Comrie’s name after his 4 assist night. His totals will come down to earth once the season starts but keep an eye on the waiver wire for him.

Anaheim – Luca Sbisa (D) – The young d-man was a part of the Pronger trade at the draft and is fighting for a spot with the Ducks. In 23:54 minutes of ice-time, Sbisa scored a goal, an assist, +2, 2 PIMs, and 2 shots on goal. He also played 4:51 minutes on the powerplay.

Vancounver – Henrik Sedin (C), Daniel Sedin (LW), Cody Hodgson (C), Sergei Shirokov (RW) – The Sedins continued their scoring by beating up the Sharks. Henrik had 2 goals and 2 assists in the game, while Daniel scored 1 goal and had 2 helpers. Hodgson also scored a goal and had 12 PIMs in only 7:22 minutes of ice-time. Shirokov played wing with the Sedins and helped his cause to stay with the Canucks by getting two assists. Keep an eye on him, if he makes the club he will be a sleeper in all drafts.

Mark

Training Camp Notes: September 18th

Training camp is in full swing, and here at Just Fantasy Hockey we're going to break down what you need to know. Every morning, we'll post a blog that highlights performances from intriguing fantasy players and any other relevant training camp news.

What a moment for Theo Fleury last night in Calgary. The dimunitive winger scored the shootout winner in front of the home crowd. It was an amazing moment for Fleury but it may be the peak of his comeback. Fleury looked a step behind and will struggle to make an impact this pre-season. He will likely get a ticket to Abbotsford and, like Claude Lemieux last year, will need to impress there to get a mid-season call-up. Stay away fantasy players.

The big news of the night was the impressive debut of former Boston College standout Colin Wilson. The Nashville centre had a goal and two assists in only 11:26 of ice-time. Wilson may break camp as the Predator's #2 centre and should challenge Cody Hodgson, John Tavares and Nikita Filatov for the rookie scoring title. Only thing holding him back is head coach Barry Trotz's tendency to slowly break in rookies. Draft early in keeper leagues and keep an eye on his progress and ice-time early on.

Maple Leafs fans are starting to get a taste of the future. Nazem Kadri scored his first pre-season goal last night and has not looked out of place in two games. That said, I still can't see Kadri making this team. Tyler Bozak has been one of the most dangerous players on the ice in both pre-season games and looks to be a lock on the roster. Former Vermont winger Viktor Stalberg has also been impressive with his unique blend of size and top-speed. The Leafs are crowded up-front with bottom 6 forwards so it's tough to see where these impressive rookies could fit in. Grab Bozak in the late rounds though, he could be a steal...a very smart player that reminds me of David Krejci. He should be able to match Krejci's rookie season of 27 points in 56 games.

Colorado rookie Matt Duchene played in his first pre-season game last night and went pointless in 12:38 of ice-time. He did receive a team high 2:38 on the powerplay though, showing you that the Avalanche are going to give him every opportunity to make this team. I expect Duchene will make the Avs and have a decent rookie year. Think 35-40 points. Keeper leagues, draft early.

Buyer beware on Kyle Okposo. The promising young Isles winger got absolutely drilled by Dion Phaneuf in last night's game. Phaneuf hasn't thrown a hit like that in a year and a half. Okposo was carried off in a stretcher and has suffered a "mild" concussion. He could be out for a while so keep tabs on his recovery and hope for the best if you already drafted him. Okposo was set for a breakout season.

Chris

Northwest Division Sleepers

Calgary – Rene Bourque (LW) – Injuries hampered the speedy winger last season and held him to 58 games. With Cammalleri and Bertuzzi off to other teams, Bourque should now be the default winger on the top line. If Bourque can stay healthy and stays on the top line he will definitely surpass his 40 points from last year.

FEARLESS FORECAST – 70 GP – 26 G – 26 A – 52 PTS

Colorado – Kyle Quincey (D) – Another rookie that made an impact last year was Quincey. He was made expendable in Los Angeles this off-season because of their exceptional depth on defence. By moving to Colorado, Quincey will anchor the Avalanche powerplay and repeat his numbers in his sophomore season.

FEARLESS FORECAST – 75 GP – 6 G – 29 A – 35 PTS

Edmonton – Denis Grebeshkov (D) – The big Russian is another weapon on the Oilers already offensive blueline. A top four defenseman, Grebeshkov also helps out on the second powerplay unit as well. With 39 points in 72 games a repeat of his performance from last year is not out of the question.

FEARLESS FORCAST – 75 GP – 8 G – 34 A – 42 PTS

Minnesota – Marek Zidlicky (D) – Minnesota is stepping away from its defensive style of play and going offensive for the first time since coming into the league. Zidlicky is one player that will benefit from the changeover. Scoring 42 points in 76 games last season, a repeat in totals should be expected from the unknown defender.

FEARLESS FORECAST – 78 GP – 12 G – 31 A – 43 PTS

Vancouver – Alex Burrows (LW) – This hard-nosed and gritty winger not only can score goals but fights as well. He is the perfect compliment for the Sedins and their lack of physicality. Burrows scored 51 points last year and added 150 PIMs, a feat he will surely repeat this season.

FEARLESS FORECAST – 82 GP – 27 G – 26 A – 53 PTS

Mark

From Snowny Mounains to Sunny Beaches

The Colorado Avalanche have traded Ryan Smyth to the Los Angeles Kings for puck-moving defenceman Kyle Quincey, blueliner Tom Preissing and a fifth-round pick.

Fantasy Outlook: Smyth offers grit and leadership to a young Kings team. At 33 years old, Smyth still has the abilty to play in all situations and be a factor as a top 6 forward. With 59 points in 77 games he should be looked at as a depth forward that can also offer penalty minutes. Draft him in late rounds as there should be younger options available to you to fill your roster.

Kyle Quincy had a successful rookie campainge with 38 points in 72 last season. Quincy will now have the opportunity to star in Colorado as the teams powerplay quarterback and will learn from experienced defenceman Adam Foote. Quincy should be able to upgrade on his point totals from last season, draft him with confidence.

Mark