HALAKLUSTER NO MORE?
Monday's Daily Dose revolved around Ken Hitchcock's potential influence on the St. Louis Blues. It's silly to read too much into a 3-0 win in which their division foes just didn't look good, but Jaroslav Halak owners had to rejoice after he reduced the Chicago Blackhawks to a goose egg. Halak is the most obvious possible beneficiary of Hitch's influence, so you wouldn't be crazy to give him a shot if you're in need in net. You can really never have too much good goaltending, really, so think about it – and not just for the Halak puns.
(As far as Chris Stewart scoring a goal, my argument is that he finally got a bounce after puck luck frowned upon him for most of this early season. Still, it cannot hurt that the young Blues might get a swift kick in the rear.)
PANTHERS PAW THEIR WAY TO RESPECTABILITY
The Florida Panthers are just one point behind the Capitals in the Southeast Division right now. Let that fact sink in for a minute.
Chances are that there are a lot of skeptical owners out there, but like I keep saying, the lower ranks of your roster are the perfect place to test out potential one-hit wonders. Every now and then a "hot streak" turns into a genuine breakthrough, so why not tab Kris Versteeg or another guy with a half-decent pedigree?
With Jacob Markstrom safely sequestered in the AHL, it might even be (gasp) really wise to pick up Jose Theodore. He said all the right things about mentoring Markstrom, but surely he was motivated to prove that he's the real deal as he stopped 38 out of 39 shots in Florida's win against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Why not go with Theo until he proves doubters (myself admittedly included) right?
PENNER REDEEMED?
It's been a tough month or so for Dustin Penner – and really his whole stay in Los Angeles hasn't been too rosy – but he notched two assists last night. Once the obligatory "Penner has more points than Goalie X" jokes die down, you might be wise to at least put him on your watch list.
WINNING HIS JOB BACKSTROM
Josh Harding has been lights out but Niklas Backstrom probably shifted a lot of the power back in his direction with a 41-save shutout against the Calgary Flames. It basically gives the Minnesota Wild the delightful issue of choosing between two capable goalies, which might cause some not-so-delightful issues for fantasy owners. Backstrom's hefty salary should create a bit of a "glass ceiling" for Harding, though, so be warned about investing too much on him.
Most people probably don't remember, but the Dallas Stars actually got off to a pretty hot start in 2010-11. They were on top of the Pacific Division for a hearty chunk of time and even held the number one position in the Western Conference before the team fell just short of the playoffs.
With that in mind, it seemed like the team's current four-game road swing would be a big, nasty reality check. While the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings could very well make it just a .500 trip, it's getting increasingly difficult to dismiss the Stars as a team that's just getting lucky bounces after seeing them handle the Washington Capitals with relative ease.
Unfortunately for fantasy owners, the Stars' offense is pretty top-heavy, at least as far as fantasy is concerned. Sure, Brenden Morrow and Mike Ribeiro have their moments (let's not forget the surprising impact of Eric Nystrom, who has four goals), but it's really all about their dual 18-point men Jamie Benn and Loui Eriksson.
So the question is: how can fantasy owners hop on the bandwagon? Well, it brings us to a tough thing in the modern NHL: you have to hope that your guy ends up playing alongside those two under-the-radar elites. At the moment, that means making a choice between Steve Ott and Michael Ryder. Let's take a look at the pros and cons for each guy – both of whom are available in a significant chunk of fantasy leagues as of this writing.
OTT: It's easy to call Ott a pest, but he's among the very rare subset of agitators who can really play.
He scored eight points in 11 games lining up with Benn and Eriksson, but Ott's versatility is what makes him so appealing. If you're lucky enough to be in a league with faceoffs (I've always liked that stat because it tends to be wildly predictable in an often chaotic fantasy world), then Ott is a keeper: he's won 54.7 percent of his draws this season. Oh yeah, there's also that "pest" thing again: he piled up 25 PIM in his 11 contests.
On the negative side, Ott is struggling with a hip pointer that knocked him off the first line. The natural worry revolves around whether Ott will be the Trent Green to Michael Ryder's Kurt Warner, to use a rather ridiculous NFL analogy.
RYDER: If you've been following the Daily Dose, you might be aware of my opinion on Ryder already: he's a hot-and-cold winger who can be a force during those high moments and tepid during his slumps. Unlike his harshest critics, I don't think it's all his fault; snipers tend to go through flourishes and dry spells as "puck luck" comes and goes.
Let there be no doubt that puck luck is going his way right now. Ryder has three goals and seven points in his last three games with a staggering +6 rating. Some of that comes from playing with Dallas' dynamic duo, but Ryder is making plenty of plays on his own.
If you're sly like a fox, the best move might be to ride Ryder's hot streak and then switch him out for Ott once the pesky player is good to go. You never know what a coach will do with his lines – especially since the Stars' top group is hotter than an active volcano right now – but Ott's faceoff abilities and general versatility make me more likely to stick with Benn and Eriksson.
Either way, you should absolutely consider the idea of riding the team's considerable star power. Maybe it's surprising, but it's hard to argue that Benn and Eriksson's magic will go away altogether.
HALAKLUSTER NO MORE?
Monday's Daily Dose revolved around Ken Hitchcock's potential influence on the St. Louis Blues. It's silly to read too much into a 3-0 win in which their division foes just didn't look good, but Jaroslav Halak owners had to rejoice after he reduced the Chicago Blackhawks to a goose egg. Halak is the most obvious possible beneficiary of Hitch's influence, so you wouldn't be crazy to give him a shot if you're in need in net. You can really never have too much good goaltending, really, so think about it – and not just for the Halak puns.
(As far as Chris Stewart scoring a goal, my argument is that he finally got a bounce after puck luck frowned upon him for most of this early season. Still, it cannot hurt that the young Blues might get a swift kick in the rear.)
PANTHERS PAW THEIR WAY TO RESPECTABILITY
The Florida Panthers are just one point behind the Capitals in the Southeast Division right now. Let that fact sink in for a minute.
Chances are that there are a lot of skeptical owners out there, but like I keep saying, the lower ranks of your roster are the perfect place to test out potential one-hit wonders. Every now and then a "hot streak" turns into a genuine breakthrough, so why not tab Kris Versteeg or another guy with a half-decent pedigree?
With Jacob Markstrom safely sequestered in the AHL, it might even be (gasp) really wise to pick up Jose Theodore. He said all the right things about mentoring Markstrom, but surely he was motivated to prove that he's the real deal as he stopped 38 out of 39 shots in Florida's win against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Why not go with Theo until he proves doubters (myself admittedly included) right?
PENNER REDEEMED?
It's been a tough month or so for Dustin Penner – and really his whole stay in Los Angeles hasn't been too rosy – but he notched two assists last night. Once the obligatory "Penner has more points than Goalie X" jokes die down, you might be wise to at least put him on your watch list.
WINNING HIS JOB BACKSTROM
Josh Harding has been lights out but Niklas Backstrom probably shifted a lot of the power back in his direction with a 41-save shutout against the Calgary Flames. It basically gives the Minnesota Wild the delightful issue of choosing between two capable goalies, which might cause some not-so-delightful issues for fantasy owners. Backstrom's hefty salary should create a bit of a "glass ceiling" for Harding, though, so be warned about investing too much on him.
LEAFS ABOUT TO FALL?
Ron Wilson admitted that he has "no idea" when James Reimer might return. That's rough news for a team that allowed 12 goals in his last two games. They can't prop up Jonas Gustavsson and Ben Scrivens every night, after all. Toronto's offense should be taken seriously, but a shaky goalie situation might act as "gravity" for Leafs fans whose heads have been in the clouds.
BULIN WALL REMAINS STRONG
Nikolai Khabibulin is now 7-0-2 on this young season after allowing one goal in his last two games. There's no way he will keep his numbers up this high, but there's nothing wrong with riding this wave for all its worth.
(That being said, if you had a chance to land a franchise goalie on a better team – dare I say a struggling one like Ryan Miller? nahhh – then go for it. Those are the kinds of gutsy moves that can win fantasy championships and anger other owners in the process.)
QUICK HITS
OK, you're not likely to land Miller, but what about Cam Ward? That would be a big risk since Carolina's defense is really bad, but it would certainly be an interesting idea with Ward's value at what is probably an all-time low … Adam Henrique went from goat to hero in the same game, but it's hard to say that he'll have much of a role once Ilya Kovalchuk gets healthy again … Johan Franzen (hat trick) and the Red Wings are back, folks … Speaking of goalies getting hung out to dry, can someone in Colorado play a little defense for Semyon Varlamov? It's not all on him, but the Russian goalie and his fantasy owners are suffering as a result of that porous protection.
INJURY SNIPES
Stick with Rotoworld for updates regarding Chris Pronger; as far-fetched as it seems, there's a chance that he'll play against Tampa Bay tonight … Dare I ask if the Capitals are missing their perennial scapegoat Mike Green? Just saying … Ales Hemsky played on Nov. 8. He's basically the Tim Connolly of wingers, so feel free to give him a shot, but be prepared for the inevitable injury … David Legwand's been a pleasant surprise this season, but he took a big hit from Dustin Brown on Tuesday and he's not expected to play against the Anaheim Ducks. (Click here for the full injury list.)