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Fantasy Hockey Friday

Jan 20

Posted by Chris in Fantasy | No Comments

Two weeks ago, we brought you an in depth breakdown of team stats around the NHL that could help give a better indication on how your goalie may fare on any given night against any given opponent. This week we turn the tables a bit to analyze more team stats, but this time focus on the impact of these stats for forwards and defenseman.

A good Fantasy Hockey league setup has roster positions and bench positions so that on some nights, when most everyone on your team is playing, you have to make the tough decisions regarding who to bench and who to play. So as a Manager, how do you decide which players to play and which to sit?

Sometimes it comes down to a “hunch” or intuition. Obviously your star players will likely get spots because they are more likely to put points on the board. Players on hot streaks may also get the nod over someone that is slumping. Or you may choose to go by which team any given player is playing against that night.

For instance, if you’re trying to decide between two players, and one is playing against the New York Rangers while the other is playing against the Tampa Bay Lightning, you may want to consider playing your guy against Tampa Bay. Why? Because Tampa Bay averages 3.47 goals against per game while the Rangers average 1.98 goals against per game, meaning there is a greater probability that your player will score against Tampa Bay.

Here is a breakdown of the top five teams in the league with the lowest goals against averages per game:

New York Rangers (1.98)

St. Louis Blues (1.98)

Boston Bruins (2.02)

Los Angeles Kings (2.13)

San Jose Sharks (2.28)

Similarly, here are the worst five teams in the NHL with the highest goals against averages per game:

Tampa Bay Lightning (3.47)

Columbus Blue Jackets (3.22)

Carolina Hurricanes (3.17)

Ottawa Senators (3.08)

Toronto Maple Leafs (3.07)

The Anaheim Ducks, Buffalo Sabres and New York Islanders also have averages of 3.00 goals against per game or better as well.

You can also get a good idea of how your players will fare by looking at which goalie he will face that night. And these numbers don’t always correlate with the team average.

Boston has a low enough team goals against per game average, but backup netminder Tuukka Rask actually has a lower goals against average than starter Tim Thomas. This means that your player is more likely to score on Thomas than on Rask, but the likelihood that he will score against Boston at all is slim.

Consider the Colorado Avalanche as well. As a whole, the team averages 2.85 goals allowed per game. However, goaltenders Semyon Varlamov and J.S. Giguere have basically split time, but Varlamov’s goals against average is much higher at 3.00 goals against per game than Giguere’s 2.12 goals against per game. So if Varlamov gets the start, play against him with confidence.

The Philadelphia Flyers have a similar issue with Ilya Bryzgalov (3.00) and Sergei Bobrovsky (2.42). Thankfully for Fantasy Managers, Bryzgalov gets the majority of the starts with 30 this season compared to Bobrovsky’s 14.

It doesn’t happen often when you have a full slate of games and have to make the tough choices as a manager on whom to bench and whom to play, but knowing the odds can help you make the right decision in the future. It’s not fool-proof by any means, but it’s a step in the right direction.

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Detroit Red Wings should host 2013 NHL Winter Classic

Jan 4

Posted by Chris in Soap Box | 3 Comments

This year’s Winter Classic event matched up two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference and again raised the expectations of this annual event. The game featured strong play on both fronts, a come-from-behind victory by the New York Rangers and a nail-biting penalty shot save in the waning seconds of the game by Rangers goalie Henrik Lundquist to preserve the victory. It had all of the makings of a successful Winter Classic. So where does the NHL go from here?

To Detroit.

In five Winter Classic games, the Western Conference has only hosted one. That came in 2009 when the Detroit Red Wings bested the Chicago Blackhawks 6-4 at Wrigley Field. The other four games have all been intra-conference matchups with Eastern Conference teams. Logically, the NHL and NBC should go back West. And Detroit would be the perfect spot to do it.

Cold, gray, and one of the most successful NHL franchises of the past two decades, Detroit would be the perfect setting for the next NHL Winter Classic. Plus, the NHL would have their pick of venues for the annual contest. If they wanted to stay within the confines of the city, Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers, would be a perfect place to set up shop. However, if the NHL really wanted to go big and continue to raise the stakes, they would move west just down the freeway and take the game to Michigan Stadium where they could cram in more than 100,000 spectators while playing the game on one of the most storied football fields in college football history.

So now you have the Detroit Red Wings involved, one of the most popular NHL franchises in recent history, along with one of the biggest venues in the nation. So who does the NHL choose to bring in as an opponent for this event? While the NHL certainly has their pick of the litter, two teams immediately come to mind: San Jose and Toronto.

The Sharks have been a thorn in the side of the Red Wings for several seasons now. The teams have met in the playoffs in each of the past two seasons and both times the Sharks defeated the Wings. Both teams are highly skilled, puck-possession teams with big name talent on their rosters. Plus, finally bringing in a West-coast team could garner the game more attention from West coast fans that have thus far had no reason to really tune into the game.

The other opponent could be the Toronto Maple Leafs and, all things considered, this is the most likely. Not only would a Toronto-Detroit matchup bring together two Original Six teams for one of the biggest NHL events of the year, but it would also finally get a Canadian team involved in the matchup. Plus, Toronto is a four-hour drive to Detroit and tons of fans would be willing to make the trek. The arena would easily be just as many Maple Leafs fans as Red Wings fans.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman refuses to tip his hand as to whom the next host city and opponent could be, but what he has said might indicate that Detroit could be in the running for the game.

“My guess is it will be played in a place we have not been before,” Bettman said. “So, therefore, in the U.S., you’ve eliminated five locations. You can play with the other 25, play with geography and understand that temperature is a factor…You can eliminate some of the warmer climates. We are not probably going to go back to where we have been.”

That statement also leaves Minnesota, Winnipeg, Toronto, Columbus, New Jersey and several other cities in the running for the game as well. But none of those teams would be as big of a draw as the Red Wings, and none of those host cities could offer a location like The Big House where they could cram in more than 100,000 spectators – something that even Leafs forward Nazem Kadri wants to be a part of.

I think at the Michigan stadium — what does it hold, like 100,000-plus?” said Kadri. “That would be a ridiculous game to be a part of. It would be a dream come true.”

What do you think? Which matchups do you most want to see for next year’s NHL Winter Classic?

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Evgeni Nabokov Activated from Injured Reserve

Dec 13

Posted by EB in Fantasy, News, Rumors | No Comments

The 14th placed New York Islanders have activated goaltender Evgeni Nabokov off injured reserve. With very little fantasy owners owning him, he may be worth looking into for some depth.

The 36 year-old Nabokov began the season with a horrible 1-5-0 record in 8 games started. Of the time played, Nabokov has a rather high 2.83 goals against average and a .910 save percentage. So why in the world would any fantasy owner be interested in him?

Nabokov’s career has been played with the San Jose Sharks where he won the Calder Memorial Trophy for rookie of the year in 2000-2001. Since then, his stats have not been Patrick Roy like, but still a solid number one net-minder. In his 571 games played he has a winning record of 294-183-29-51 with a 2.39 goals against average and a .912 save percentage. Furthermore, his playoff stats have been 2 games over .500 with 40 wins and a 2.29 goals against average with a .913 save percentage.

OK, the stats have been pumped but why is Nabokov a potential steal in fantasy pools? Nabokov is a solid net-minder despite lacking a team in front of him with the New york Islanders. He may not get as many wins as some other goalies but he will definitely get a decent save percentage by facing an average of 31.1 shots per game (21st in the NHL). The Islanders are still young and developing, they can only get better as a team. The real possibility however comes in the possibility of a trade.

Last year Nabokov made headlines by being signed as a free agent by the Detroit Red Wings. However, due to his play oversees, Nabokov needed to clear waivers before re-entering the NHL. This is where the New York Islanders came to pick him up and tried to work out a trade. Nabokov on the other hand refused to play, eventually was suspended and sat out the remainder of the year. Well he is back, the Islanders still need a goaltender and the Red Wings may be willing to trade. Backup Ty Conklin has only seen 4 starts, a 1-3-0 record with a 3.26 goals against average. Ouch!

Conklin may not be a trade interest for the Islanders, however, the Red Wings do have 22 year-old Thomas McCollum. McCollum is young, currently playing in the ECHL with the Toledo Walleye. His stats are not quite there but the Red Wings have belief in his potential. Not needing a goalie for quite some time with 27 year-old Jimmy Howard, on top of possibly willing to trade winger Dan Cleary, the Red Wings may be interested in Nabokov once again.

Nabokov is not going anywhere for a while, not until he starts posting a few wins. Be on the lookout for buzz about a possible trade. Once that starts to hit the headlines Nabokov might be of interest.

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Michal Handzus, Sharks mourn the loss of Lokomotiv players and friends

Nov 16

Posted by Chris in News | No Comments

Nearly 10 weeks have passed since the devastating plane crash that killed 36 members of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hockey team and took the lives of 44 people total. Despite the passage of time, San Jose Sharks forward Michal Handzus still holds a heavy heart for the loss of his former teammate and good friend Pavol Demitra.

The last time that Handzus saw Demitra was at a charity event to raise money for wheelchair-confined children.

“He was always doing stuff like that,” Handzus said, “That’s why everybody loved him.”

Handzus first learned of the crash that claimed the life of his friend while at his home in Slovakia. His wife called to tell him there had been a crash, but details were still sketchy at the time. Handzus remained calm, believing his friend hadn’t been on board.

“But then I learned that they were going to their first game, and that was when I realized,” he said. “I knew.”

Handzus and Demitra grew up in different cities in Slovakia and didn’t know one another growing up. But that changed when Handzus became a member of the St. Louis Blues in 1998 and Demitra took his fellow countryman under his wing.

“I was a young guy who didn’t know what to expect,” said Handzus. “I was by myself. But he watched out for me and was such a big help. Those were some of the best years I’ve ever had in the NHL. He was a huge part of my career.”

Handzus and Demitra played together for three seasons with the Blues, as well as on several national teams for Slovakia. Handzus was the best man at Demitra’s wedding and Demitra was present when Handzus got married this past summer.

The close bond that the two shared makes the tragic loss of Demitra and the rest of the members of the Lokomotiv team even more personal for Handzus.

“Nothing has changed,” he added. “I play hockey and forget what happened for a little bit, and then suddenly it hits you again. You just don’t believe it’s true.”

Handzus received special permission from the Sharks to attend Demitra’s funeral and be there to support his family.

“It was important to me because I needed to be there to honor him,” he said.

Handzus continues to honor the memory of his friend and the Lokomotiv hockey team by wearing a red “Love for Lokomotiv” wrist band on his right wrist. Those same red wrist bands will be sold this Thursday on the HP Pavilion’s main concourse when the San Jose Sharks host the Detroit Red Wings, who also lost several members of their extended family in the crash, including former assistant coach Brad McCrimmon. The wrist bands will be sold by the Sharks’ wives and girlfriends with proceeds of the bands, which cost $10 apiece, going toward the families of the victims. Donations can also be made at www.loveforlokomotiv.com

HWB is participating in “Movember” to raise funds for Pancreatic Cancer Research. Make a difference, make a donation.

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Tortorella Responds to Thornton Comments

Nov 2

Posted by Chris in News | No Comments

John TortorellaNew York Rangers head coach John Tortorella doesn’t have any issues sharing what’s on his mind in a candid fashion, and his response to negative comments made by San Jose Sharks captain Joe Thornton about the New York Rangers were certainly no exception.

Thornton instigated the issue Monday night after a 5-2 loss to the Rangers when he called the Rangers a “soft” team.

“We played some good teams, and I think we probably should have beat these guys, to be honest with you,” Thornton said after the loss. He also stated that the Rangers are, “probably the softest team we played against.”

While Tortorella didn’t immediately respond to Thornton’s comments after the loss, according to the New York Daily News, he was full of harsh words toward Thornton on Tuesday when he finally responded to the issue in typical Tortorella fashion.

“It caught me off-guard when it was brought up after the game,” Tortorella said. “It surprised me, and I’ve never heard a player say that. Joe’s a heck of a player, but here’s a player popping off about our team, and Joe hasn’t won a G—— thing in this league.”

While normally soft-spoken, Thornton has often been criticized as a playoff underachiever who seems to disappear when the pressure is on. Thornton began to shed some of that image last spring when he posted 17 points in 18 playoff games for the Sharks. However, after another very successful regular season, the Sharks again failed to advance past the Western Conference Finals where they were beaten by the Vancouver Canucks.

“He could go down as a player, being one of the better players in our league never to win anything,”
Tortorella stated. “So what he should do is just shut up. It was uncalled for, it was classless, and I’ve never had it happen like that before.”

Monday night’s game was the only meeting of the regular season between the Rangers and Sharks. Thornton had one assists and was a minus-1 in 20:01 minutes of ice time.

HWB is participating in “Movember” to raise funds for Pancreatic Cancer Research. Make a difference, make a donation.

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2011-12 NHL Season Preview: San Jose Sharks

Sep 20

Posted by Chris in Season Previews | No Comments

Key Offseason Additions: Jim Vandermeer, Brent Burns & Martin Havlat (both traded from Minnesota), Michal Handzus, Colin White, Andrew Murray, Thomas Greiss, Ben Guite, Sean Sullivan and Matt Pelech.

Key Offseason Losses: Devin Setoguchi, Ben Eager, Ian White, Niclas Wallin, Kent Huskins, Scott Nichol, Jamal Mayers, Charlie Coyle and Dany Heatley

Last Season Ranking: 2nd in the West

Offense: After two consecutive Western Conference Finals losses, the San Jose Sharks made some major roster changes this offseason. The question is whether these changes will be enough to finally get San Jose over the hump and make them Stanley Cup contenders?

One of the biggest trades of the summer involved the Sharks sending Dany Heatley to Minnesota in exchange for Martin Havlat in basically a tit-for-tat trade. While Havlat always carries injury concerns, he is capable of roughly the same point production as Heatley. The major reason the Sharks pulled the trigger on Havlat, however, is his ability to score in the playoffs, an area that Heatley seemed to struggle in his two years in San Jose.

Havlat will join Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau as the big offensive guns on the team this season, but San Jose sports great secondary scoring in Joe Pavelski, Ryane Clowe and Logan Couture, who is coming into his second season in the NHL and will look to prove that his 32-goal rookie outburst wasn’t a fluke. With players of this caliber rounding out your top two lines, San Jose remains one of the deepest offensive teams in the league and should have no trouble putting goals in the net.

Defense: The other big trade of the summer also involved San Jose and Minnesota. The Sharks sent forward Devon Setoguchi to the Wild just days after he signed a contract extension in exchange for defenseman Brent Burns. Burns is young, mobile and capable of providing offense while maintaining solid defensive pressure. He will help alleviate some of the burden from Dan Boyle and should pay immediate dividends for the Sharks on the blue line. A 50+ point season may not be out of the question for Burns, who posted 46 with the Wild last season.

While the Sharks lost three defenseman in Niclas Wallin, Kent Huskins and Ian White, the team still has Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Jason Demers and Douglas Murray to help round out their blue line. It’s likely that Jim Vandermeer, Colin White and perhaps Justin Braun will all fight for the remaining spot on the ice.

The Sharks finished 10th in the league in goals against per game last season with an average of 2.54. Expect more of the same from the Sharks this season.

Goaltending: After a rough start last season, Antti Niemi emerged as the number one in San Jose and ultimately became the playoff starter as well. He posted solid stats in the second half of the season and was rewarded with a contract extension and pay increase. The number one job is Niemi’s to lose this year.

Behind Niemi is 31-year-old Antero Niittymaki, who had a decent season last year with a 2.72 goals against average and a .896 save percentage. The Sharks would probably like to see a better save percentage this season, but Niittymaki is a capable backup who should start 20-30 games and win 12-18 of those.

HWB Playoff Prediction: The Sharks are playoff bound no doubt. But will their offseason moves make them Stanley Cup bound?

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Free Agency Recap: Independence Day

Jul 4

Posted by Eddie in News | 3 Comments

Sunday was a quiet day on the free agency front, the transactions of note was defenseman Derrick Meech going from Detroit to Winnipeg. Meech was a regular in the lineup during the franchises appearances in the Stanley Cup Finals in 2008 and 2009, but has spent most of his time with the AHL affiliate in Grand Rapids since then. Another notable transaction was forward Niclas Bergfors switching conferences as he goes from Florida to Nashville.

The big bomb was dropped late Sunday night when San Jose traded star forward Dany Heatley to Minnesota for Martin Havlat. The trade was one of the biggest transactions of the early transfer period. The two were actually teammates with the Ottawa Senators the first seasons after the 2005 lockout. The trade will give Minnesota a franchise player, something they have not had since Marian Gaborik left in 2009. San Jose hopes to get someone with the playoff drive and experience that could help push them over the top as they have lost in the conference finals each of the last two seasons. Havlat has played in the postseasons twice since the lockout; in 2006 when Ottawa was upset in the second round by Buffalo and 2009 when Chicago lost in the conference finals to Detroit. Last season he played 78 games, scored 22 goals and recorded 40 assists. Heatley wasn’t as productive in 2010-11 as he was in 2009-10, but only two seasons in San Jose. Last season he scored 26 goals in 80 games but was largely absent during the postseason when he scored three goals in 18 games. During the 2010 playoffs he was even more absent when he lit the lamp 39 times in 82 games but scored twice in 14 playoff games.

Heatley also ranked first in the NHL in power-play goals (128) and game-winning goals (58), third in goals (325) and fifth in points (689) since he entered the League in 2001. Minnesota scored just 206 goals last season, the fifth-lowest total in the League.
Today on July 4, there were a few free agent transactions of note. Goalie Curtis McElinney signed with Phoenix. It will be his fourth-team in the span of his five seasons. The 6-foot-2, 197-pound goalie has made 67 NHL appearances in that time, posting a 18-26-4 record with a 3.13 goals against average (GAA) and a .898 save percentage. The free-agency pool for goalies is even smaller as several teams are looking for help in net.

In addition, Fan-attacking forward Rick Rypien is staying in Canada but is changing teams as he signed a deal with Winnipeg. He is 27 years old and played in 119 career games in the NHL with the Canucks from 2005 to 2011 where he has scored 16 points and 226 penalty minutes.

The Jets were pretty busy in the first few days of free agency, as they signed six players over the holiday weekend.

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Ehrhoff Carousel Stops at Buffalo

Jul 1

Posted by Eddie in News | No Comments

July 1 is the Black Friday of the hockey world, where teams line up in a frenzy to sign the newest crop of available free agents. This year’s pool isn’t as deep as it has been in previous years, where a lot of the Restricted Free Agents have signed tender offers with their current teams and will not be hitting the open market. One player whose rights have been traded multiple times this week before hitting the open market was defenseman Christian Ehrhoff.

His 10-year, $40 million deal is heavily front-loaded as Bob McKenzie from TSN reported Ehrhoff will receive a $2 million salary and $8 million signing bonus in Year 1; $3 million salary, $5 million signing bonus in Year 2; $4 million in Years 3, 4, 5, and 6; $3 million in Year 7; $1 million in Years 8, 9 and 10. The deal also features a modified no-trade clause.

Ehrhoff played this season for Vancouver, and was traded twice this week. First he was traded to New York Islanders Tuesday for a fourth-round pick in 2012. The following day, his rights was traded to Buffalo in exchange for a fourth-round pick. He was originally drafted by San Jose in 2001, and is a week away from turning 29. His career stats include 53 goals, 226 points, a plus-74 rating and 338 penalty minutes in 500 NHL games with the Sharks and Canucks. He also has 7 goals and 34 points in 73 postseason games, including 2 goals and 12 points this season with Vancouver.

He was ranked third by the Sporting News in their Top 25 Free Agents. The list of blue liners is thin to begin with, so it could benefit players such as Ed Jovanoski, Jonathan Ericsson, and Tomas Kaberle as teams will enter a bidding war with other clubs and could risk over-paying for someone.

Check the site later this evening for more news and happenings as NHL free agency begins.

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NHL Stanley Cup Finals facts and other fun trivia

Jun 1

Posted by Chris in News, Soap Box | No Comments

The Stanley Cup playoffs are a long, exhausting grind. The process takes nearly two months to complete with teams playing every other night in hard-fought, physical battles where players are tested to the extreme both mentally and physically. It’s no wonder that some say the Stanley Cup is the toughest trophy to win in professional sports. With the Stanley Cup Finals set to begin tonight in Vancouver, here are some interesting facts about past Stanley Cup winners and losers – including some history about this year’s combatants.

  •  The Boston Bruins, one of the Original Six teams, have one of the worst Stanley Cup track records with a dismal .294 winning percentage. In 17 previous appearances in the Stanley Cup Finals, the Bruins have won five times with their last victory coming in 1972. This will be the team’s sixth Stanley Cup Finals appearance since their last victory.  
  • The Vancouver Canucks have never won the Stanley Cup. The team made two previous appearances in the Stanley Cup Finals since joining the NHL in 1970 – once in 1982 and the second time in 1994.
  • Only two teams currently in the NHL have never lost in the Stanley Cup Finals. The Colorado Avalanche made two appearances, winning the Stanley Cup in both 1996 and 2001, while the Tampa Bay Lightning won their only appearance in the Finals in 2004. 
  • Six teams have never made an appearance in the Finals: the Columbus Blue Jackets (nine seasons), Minnesota Wild (nine seasons), Atlanta Thrashers (10 seasons), Nashville Predators (11 seasons), San Jose Sharks (18 seasons) and Phoenix Coyotes (13 seasons, and 17 seasons as the Winnipeg Jets).
  • In addition to those teams, another seven teams have appeared in the Finals but never won the Stanley Cup: the Vancouver Canucks (two appearances), St. Louis Blues (three appearances), Buffalo Sabres (two appearances), Florida Panthers (one appearance), Los Angeles Kings (one appearance), Ottawa Senators (one appearance) and the Washington Capitals (one appearance).
  • The Montreal Canadiens are the most decorated team in the NHL with an incredible 24 Stanley Cup championships in 34 appearances. The last time the team won the Stanley Cup was in 1993, which was also their last appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals as well.
  • Henri “The Rocket” Richard has won the most Stanley Cups as a player with 11.
  • Mark Messier is the only player to captain two different teams to a Stanley Cup championship. He captained both the Edmonton Oilers and the New York Rangers to championships.  

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Conference Finals – Day 10

May 25

Posted by Matt in News | No Comments

Vancouver CanucksVancouver vs. San Jose – Thanks to a fortunate bounce for the Vancouver Canucks, they are headed to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1994. Kevin Bieksa scored the game winning goal for the Canucks in double overtime after the puck took an odd bounce off the glass. Sharks players had no idea where the puck was at, as it bounced straight to Bieksa. He fired a shot from the point which easily beat a clueless Antti Niemi, and the celebrations in Vancouver began.

Alexandre Burrows started the scoring for Vancouver midway through the first period. That goal was his seventh of the post-season, and was assisted by Henrik and Daniel Sedin. Patrick Marleau evened things up midway through the second on a power-play goal. Despite not showing up until game seven of the Detroit series, Marleau tallied points in each game against Vancouver, including five goals.

Just twenty-four seconds into the third period, Devin Setoguchi scored his first goal of the conference finals to give the Sharks a 2-1 lead. Vancouver waited until the last minute, but managed to tie the game with fourteen seconds left when Ryan Kesler redirected a point shot past Niemi. The goal was Kesler’s seventh of the post-season, and now gives him goals in back-to-back games and 18 post-season points.

The overtime periods were controlled mostly by the Sharks, and they outshot Vancouver 16-9 in that time. However, Vancouver got the one that counted as the Bieksa winner came at 10:18 of the double overtime period.

Roberto Luongo played out of his mind in net, and had one of his best games of the post-season making 54 saves. Both Sedins continued to shine in this series, Henrik had two assists in the final game and Daniel had one assist. Henrik Sedin now leads all playoff scorers with 21 points (2 goals and 19 assists).

Vancouver will now go on to face the winner of the Boston/Tampa Bay series, which Boston currently leads 3-2. Regardless of who advances, you have to like Vancouver’s chances in the finals. The Sedin twins will be hard to stop, and if you manage to, Ryan Kesler will be there to make you pay. After a rough start against Chicago, this team has really found their stride.

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