Fantasy Hockey As March Begins

With the Olympics coming to an end, the NHL, and subsequently, fantasy hockey, gets back on its feet in March. We'll get you jumpstarted on fantasy hockey with the next installment of our 2-Week forecast.

Forward 1 (7 Games)

- Sidney Crosby, Marion Gaborik, Evgeni Malkin, Alexander Ovechkin, Steven Stamkos

Even sports fans who aren't into hockey have likely at least heard of the name Alexander Ovechkin. With all due apologies to Sidney Crosby, Ovechkin is the popular choice as the best player in the world, and his numbers bear that out. He leads the NHL with 89 points and is tied with Crosby for the league lead in goals with 42 while also claiming the top spot in shots on goal. Stamkos and Gaborik aren't far behind in goals, with each putting 35 in net, while Malkin's 44 assists trail only Ovechkin in this group, and are the eighth-most in hockey.

Forward 2 (6 Games)

- Dany Heatley, Jarome Iginla, Ilya Kovalchuk, Patrick Marleau, Zach Parise

Marleau leads this group, and is third in the NHL, with 38 goals, while Heatley and Kovalchuk also each have more than 30 tallies. Heatley's 34 assists lead this bevy of players, followed closely by Parise, though Parise shoots the puck like an alcoholic shoots whiskey, and holds a rather lengthy lead in putting the puck on net. No player in this particular collection of fantasy hockey stalwarts has fewer than 27 goals, and only Marleau has less than 30 helpers.

Forward 3 (7 Games)

- Patrick Kane, Anze Kopitar, Brad Richards, Martin St. Louis, Henrik Zetterberg

Zetterberg's injury earlier in the season means his overall point total isn't quite at the level of the others in this group, but he makes up for that by leading in shots on goal. St. Louis is sixth in the NHL in points, due in no small part to the fact that his 49 assists are tied for fourth in all of hockey. Coincidentally, the person he is tied with is also among this assortment of skaters, with that person being Dallas center Richards. Kane and Kopitar don't have the assist totals of those two, but they do have the most goals in the group, with 25 and 28, respectively.

Forward 4 (6 Games)

- Shane Doan, Jamie Langenbrunner, Rick Nash, Corey Perry, Bobby Ryan

Nash and Ryan lead this group, and are tied for ninth in hockey, with their 28 goals. Nash got to that mark with four goals in four consecutive contests before the Olympic break. However, neither of them can claim the assist totals of the other three players, each of whom has over 30, led by Langenbrunner and Perry's 37.

Forward 5 (7 Games)

- Mike Cammalleri, Loui Eriksson, Mikko Koivu, Patrick Sharp, Eric Staal

Cammalleri's 26 goals are tops among this aggregation, though Eriksson and Stall each have at least 20. Koivu has the fewest goals among the fantasy hockey options in this group with just 16, and he went into the break with a nine-game goalless streak; still, he's the only player here with 40 assists.

Defenseman 1 (7 Games)

- Zdeno Chara, Niklas Lidstrom, Joni Pitkanen, Mark Streit, Shea Weber

This cluster of defenseman doesn't have point totals that will blow anybody away - in fact they all have between 31 and 35 points - but their shot totals may, as only Pitkanen isn't among the top-10 defenseman in hockey in shots on goal. Weber leads the group with 11 goals, while Pitkanen is first in assists with 31.

Defenseman 2 (6 Games)

- Jay Bouwmeester, Eric Johnson, Filip Kuba, Bryan McCabe, Ryan Whitney

Kuba leads this company of blue-liners with 25 assists, and only McCabe has fewer than 20 helpers, but he has 19. McCabe does lead the group with seven tallies, followed by former No. 1 overall pick Johnson, who has six. Johnson, who has been playing the best hockey of his career lately, leads this posse in shots and is 15th among all defenseman with over 130.

Defenseman 3 (7 Games)

- Brian Campbell, Drew Doughty, Sergei Gonchar, Stephane Robidas, Marek Zidlicky

The third group is where the points are in this particular fantasy hockey contest, as each player here is in the top-16 among defenseman in points. Doughty, Gonchar and Zidlicky are in the top-10 with 45, 37 and 36 points, respectively. Doughty's 11 goals leads this cluster of high-scoring defensemen, and are tied for second in hockey among all d-men, with Robidas right behind him with 10 tallies. That's fitting, because Robidas leads the group in shots, though Gonchar is third despite having played 15 fewer games.

Goalie 1 (6 Games)

- Martin Brodeur, Ilya Bryzgalov, Miikka Kiprusoff, Evgeni Nabokov, Tomas Vokoun

Brodeur leads the NHL in shutouts, but hasn't been his typical self of late. That was true even before he got pulled after allowing several soft goals to Team USA in Canada's loss during the Olympics.. Before the break, Brodeur had won just two of his last seven games, and had allowed at least three goals in seven of his last eight contests, with a save percentage below.900 in six of them. For the season, he's ninth in hockey in GAA, and 15th in save percentage. He's been a fantasy hockey giant in net throughout his career, but that just hasn't been the case lately. Meanwhile, Kiprusoff is second in the league in GAA among goalies who have played at least 30 games, while Vokoun and Nabokov are in the top-three in save percentage. Vokoun has the most overall saves in hockey with nearly 1,600.

Goalie 2 (7 Games)

- Craig Anderson, Marc-Andre Fleury, Henrik Lundqvist, Ryan Miller, Jonathan Quick

Miller may be hockey's breakout star for the Olympics, as his performance against Canada fit perfectly with the hockey cliché of a goalie "standing on his head." He's No. 1 in the NHL in GAA among goalies who have played at least 30 contests, and No. 2 in save percentage. However, Quick leads all NHL goalies in wins, and Anderson is tied for third with six shutouts, and has the second-most overall saves in the league.

Goalie 3 (7 Games)

- Niklas Backstrom, Jimmy Howard, Cristobal Huet, Chris Mason, Marty Turco

Howard's 2.28 GAA is the leading mark in this group, but Huet is just a fraction behind him at 2.29. Huet also is the co-leader here in shutouts with four, a mark that Turco can also lay claim to. Howard, Turco, Mason and Backstrom are Nos. 13-16, respectively, in overall saves, with Huet well behind at 29th in the league.

Team Wins 1 (6 Games)

- Calgary Flames, New Jersey Devils, Ottawa Senators, Phoenix Coyotes, San Jose Sharks

San Jose is second in the entire NHL with 89 points, though New Jersey and Ottawa have point totals that are nothing to scoff at, with 77 and 76, respectively. However, they've gone different directions of late, with the Devils sporting a 3-5-2 record over their last 10 games while the Senators have been blistering hot with an 8-2-0 record over their last 10.

Team Wins 2 (7 Games)

- Buffalo Sabres, Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Los Angeles Kings, Pittsburgh Penguins

Chicago's 87 points are the most in this group, and the third-highest mark in the league. The other four teams in this group are clumped together with between 75 and 78 points. The Kings were the hottest among teams here before the Olympic break, with an 8-1-1 record in their last 10 games, while the Sabres struggled to a 3-5-2 record in their last 10.

Team Wins 3 (7 Games)

- Boston Bruins, Dallas Stars, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, Tampa Bay Lightning

Dallas and Detroit each have 68 points, Boston has 65, Montreal has 64 and Tampa has 63, though they all have one thing in common in that they are each are fighting for a playoff spot in their respective conferences. None of these teams were terribly hot or equally as tepid before the break, with each winning between three and six games over their last 10.

Top 10 events that shaped 2010 Fantasy Hockey

It's not right to end the year without a pointless top 10 list. And since fantasy hockey is what we do here, here is my contribution, as I present the events that had the biggest impact on fantasy hockey in the year 2010:

10. Stempniak to Phoenix

A deal that largely went unnoticed at the time quickly became the most significant fantasy trade of the season. On March 3rd, Lee Stempniak was dealt from Toronto to Phoenix for Matt Jones and a couple picks. At the time, Stempniak was barely cracking the 3rd line in Toronto and was a non-factor in the fantasy world. From there out, he was a point-a-game player and almost a goal-a-game player for a stretch in Phoenix. His hot streak ended with the conclusion of last season, and he may never see that kind of production again.

9. Byfuglien Moved to Defense

Isn't Jeremy Roenick a genius? After Atlanta coach Craig Ramsey announced at the start of the season that newly acquired Dustin Byfuglien would be moved to defense, many in the hockey world openly ridiculed his decision (Roenick being the dumbest). Turns out the former Selke winner knew what he was doing after all, as Byfulglien has been an absolute beast on defense for Atlanta and fantasy owners. The move came right around fantasy draft time, so owners who heard (and believed) the news made out like bandits by drafting him in the middle rounds.

8. Island Injury Bug

The Islanders weren't expected to win many games, but there was hope at the start of the 2010-11 season that several of their players would be decent fantasy options. Many of the young guns were clearly on the rise at the end of last season, prompting hope for the new one. That all ended early on, when the injury news started to strike. First Streit was gone for most of the season, then Okposo separated his shoulder. Other injuries crept in to the point where no player on the Islanders roster has much value. Even John Tavares is going to have to wait for some help before he can be considered a solid fantasy option at this point.

7. Gonchar to Ottawa

For the past decade, Sergei Gonchar has been among the top 5 best fantasy options on defense (when healthy). On July 1st, he was the first big name to show up on the free agent departures, heading north from Pittsburgh to Ottawa. Many expected his prolific production to go with him, and for that to spark some of the Ottawa forwards on to more points, particularly on the power play. The move has been a complete bust. At least in Ottawa that is. While Gonchar is on pace to be a -43 for the season and the Senators remain one of the lowest scoring teams in the league, the move did open the door for a new superstar to emerge in Pittsburgh: Kris Letang. Letang was apparently held back by Gonchar's presence in the past. Now that he has the role of chief puck-mover on the power play, Letang has emerged as a Norris Trophy candidate, and a genuine fantasy stud on defense.

6. Dismantling of Chicago

It was inevitable, and the Hawks tried to downplay the impact, but it cannot be denied that the aftermath of the Cap crunch on the Cup winning Chicago roster has had an impact on fantasy lineups. In Chicago, the most noticeable change is in Norris winner Duncan Keith's numbers. It's impossible to know how much he misses those players and who he misses the most, but something has been off with Keith this season, and that's a good place to lay the blame. Also, fantasy owners are still perplexed as to which goalie to claim in Chicago. Since Chicago had to part with Niemi, there's been an ongoing back and forth with Turco and Crawford. Perhaps we'll even see Huet back before the end of the year? In Atlanta, the Thrashers (and their fantasy owners) have benefitted greatly, particular with Byfuglien (see above) and Andrew Ladd. Ladd never had the opportunity that he now has in Atlanta, and he's producing with a career year in his new setting.

5. Nabokov to (and from?) the KHL

Since the lockout, it seems like the leading candidates for the Vezina Trophy change dramatically from season to season. Each year there are two or three new names that pop up and then fade away. Over that time, only Nabokov has remained relatively consistent, though he was never truly rewarded for it. Fantasy owners could draft him with confidence that he would provide very good to great fantasy production each season. When he bolted for the KHL in the off-season, he left a void on draft lists everywhere. After just two months away from the NHL, Nabokov recently cut ties with his team, leading to speculation that he may return to the NHL at some point his year. Stay tuned, as we could see him on the list for 2011 if he lands with a contender in January.

4. Penguin Hot Streak

After a horrible losing spell around Halloween, the Pens (and their fantasy owners) were scrambling for options. Marc-Andre Fleury was showing up on waiver wires, while Malkin and Crosby were sliding down depth charts. That all changed when the Penguins started to rattle off win after win in November and into December. Suddenly, Fleury is once again a top-end starter option and Crosby is the undisputed #1 fantasy player, in the midst of an incredible scoring streak that just keeps going. Many other depth players on the Penguin lineup have likewise seen their fantasy value increase with the streak. It's amazing what a couple weeks of winning can do.

3. Halak Olympic/Playoff Glory

Heading into the Olympic break, the Canadiens were struggling and they weren't finding the answers they needed in the crease. Price was train wreck and Halak was decent, but hadn't yet emerged. His Olympic performance opened the eyes of the hockey world as he single-handedly led team Slovakia to the bronze-medal game, and in the process, earned him the #1 job (and a ticket out of Montreal). His subsequent run in the playoffs made him a top 5 goalie pick for many fantasy owners this fall. With Halak being moved to St. Louis, the pressure was on Price to shine or leave town. Remarkably, he has more than risen to the occasion. It has been a wild ride for both goaltenders in 2010, but ultimately, Price and Halak have both come out as solid fantasy options heading into 2011.

2. Kovalchuk Saga

On February 4th, the New Jersey Devils shocked the hockey world by diving into the Kovalchuk sweeps and claiming the "prize" a few weeks before the deadline. The summer saga was well documented and has had an obvious impact on the Devils misfortune this season (and likely for many to come), but what about the fantasy impact? Well, for starters, a guy who was a regular top 10 fantasy forward for the past decade has collapsed to the point where he's not worth starting in any format. And while he (and his contract) can't be blamed for the complete lack of production by other Devil players this season, his contract will surely prohibit the team from bolstering the lineup with complementary talent in the years to come. Ultimately, this deal was and will continue to be a disaster for the Devils and their fantasy owners.

1. The Boston Goaltender See-Saw

Also known as "The Rise (and fall) of Tuukka Rask", or perhaps "The fall (and rise) of Tim Thomas". No matter how you want to headline it, the story has been big in the fantasy world. After a subpar end to 2009, Thomas lost his job to the up and coming rookie Rask, who finished the season strong enough to merit Vezina consideration. Many fantasy owners ranked him among the best going into this years draft, and were ultimately disappointed when the tide turned back to Thomas very early on. Thomas put last season behind him completely and is the current favorite to see his name etched again on the Vezina. Owners who were quick to pick him up in the first week of the season have come away with the grand prize.

There were many other events that shaped the world of fantasy hockey in 2010. Chime in and share which ones you think should have placed among the top 10.

Visit us at http://www.landsharkhockey.com for free fantasy hockey tips, tools, and strategies.

Fantasy Hockey - Sharing the Crease

Drafting goalies is a risky proposition. More than any position, this choice can make or break the fate of your fantasy hockey team. One of the biggest factors you need to consider is how often a goalie is going to play. Some netminders can be counted on to get 70+ starts a season, while others will sharing the net with another man. In short, you want to avoid the split crease scenario. As Philly and others demonstrated last season, NHL teams are more likely than ever to go with a goalie system, rather than depending on one star goalie to carry the load. While that may play well in the NHL, it's a nightmare for fantasy hockey managers. So as you finalize your cheat sheets, consider how secure each goalie's starting job will be throughout the season, and make sure you select at least one workhorse for your roster.

Solid Starters

Roughly half the teams in the NHL have an undisputed #1 goalie. Barring injury or complete collapse, these guys should start 60+ games this season, so no need to be concerned here:

Buffalo- Miller
Montreal- Price
New Jersey- Brodeur
Pittsburgh- Fleury
NY Rangers- Lundqvist
Carolina- Ward
Florida- Vokoun
Detroit- Howard
Nashville- Rinne
Vancouver- Luongo
Colorado- Andersson
Calgary- Kiprusoff
Phoenix- Bryzgalov
Anaheim- Hiller
Dallas- Lehtonen

Almost There

There are a handful of goalies that are almost guaranteed starters, but haven't quite locked up the job 100%.

Boston- Rask/Thomas

Rask is a sexy-bold pick for your starting goalie this fall, but don't get overconfident here. Thomas didn't exactly lose his job, as much as Rask earned it. Things could easily go the other way this time around. Thomas is making too much cash to sit idle all season long, and his no-trade says he'll be a Bruin for awhile.

Chicago- Turco / Crawford / Huet?

All signs point to a successful bounce back season for Turco as he assumes the #1 spot for the Cup champs. However, Crawford will push hard for starts, and the Huet situation hasn't technically been resolved yet. I can't see any goalie getting more than 50 games in Chicago this season.

St. Louis- Halak / Conklin

Halak should have the edge as the go-to guy in St. Louis, but the Blues have said there's no clear starter. Conklin has had a very solid career and is capable of being a #1, though he's never earned the role. Like Chicago, 50 games may be the ceiling for either guy, so grab a cowbell and simmer down on that Halak-fever.

Split Creases

Roughly one third of the teams in the league enter the season without a clear-cut number 1 goalie. There are some darn good goalies in this group, so don't write them off entirely. Just be aware that questions remain, and you should consider drafting both options as a safety net.

Ottawa- Elliot / Leclaire

Leclaire was brought in to be the #1 guy, but injuries opened the door for Elliot. Both are capable options, and both will see some net. Safer bet is Elliot, but don't forget they went back to Leclaire in the playoffs. And then there's that "other Brodeur" guy who may make a guest appearance again.

Toronto- Giguere / Gustavsson

Giguere is obviously Burke's favorite, but he's the GM, not the coach. Both men are highly skilled and injury prone. Toronto's defense is stellar and should allow both to put up solid stats, but there's just no way of getting past the playing time questions here.

Washington- Varlamov / Neuvirth

Bottom line is that I just don't see Varlamov as a long-term solution in Washington. Neuvirth will be given the chance to win the job, but don't be surprised if McPhee swings a deal for an outsider at some point this season, if neither of these men seem sufficient to bring the Cup to D.C.

Atlanta- Mason / Pavelec

Pavelec was in a great spot following the Lehtonen trade last season. He's back to singing for his supper, as the Thrashers brought in a capable starter in Chris Mason. I see this one playing out right down the middle, 50/50. And since most of those starts will be losses either way, neither goalie should crack your top 20.

Tampa Bay- Ellis / Smith

(See Atlanta)

Columbus- Mason / Garon

You've got to believe that last season was a fluke for Mason, and that he'll be back on top in 2010 (particularly if you're from Ohio). There's no long-term future in Garon. Mason will be motivated as he plays for his first big pay day. However, until he earns it back, we'll stick Mason in the split-crease heap with the rest.

Minnesota- Backstrom / Harding

The Wild have been grooming Harding for a few years now, and Backstrom's health is always a concern. Backstrom's $6m price tag suggests he'll be favored, but then again, Harding has the UFA carrot dangling out there if he can perform. Should be an interesting battle in the State of Hockey.

San Jose- Niemi / Niittymaki / Greiss?

For years now, the San Jose net was a place of comfort for fantasy owners. Draft Nabokov and have no worries. Now, what to do? 3 adequate goalies on a team that will pile up the wins, regardless of who they dress in net. This is the definition of risk-reward when it comes to goalies. As tempting at each may be, my advice is avoid the heartburn.

Los Angeles- Quick / Bernier / Ersberg?

Sure, Quick piled up 39 wins in72 games last season, so why isn't he in Category 1 you ask? Well, I get the impression he was just keeping the crease warm for Bernier. Don't forget, Quick went a couple months last winter when he couldn't buy a win. It's a good problem to have for Kings fans, but an awful dilemma for us fantasy nuts.

Anybody's Guess

Finally, there are three teams that merit their own special category, as we have no idea how the goaltending will play out over the course of this season. Best advice is to just completely ignore these options at your draft.

Philadelphia- Leighton / Boucher /???

Fantasy football offers the cop-out "Team Defense" category. Teams like the Flyers make you want to push for such an option in our game. If the last 10 years gave us anything to go on, Philly will enter the playoffs with Jose Theodore, Vesa Toskala, or Dominic Hasek as their starting man.

NY Islanders- DiPietro / Roloson

You have a young guy with an old-man's medical chart and an old guy with the stamina of a college student. Anybody's guess how this will play out. Best to steer clear.

Edmonton- Khabibulin / Gerber / Drouin-Deslaurier / Dubnyk / Ranford??? / Fuhr???

No threat of the Jennings trophy making an appearance in Oil country next spring, thanks to this goalie carousel. Just stay away.

Visit us at http://www.landsharkhockey.com for free fantasy hockey tips, tools, and strategies.