|
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
October 26, 2003
Story by: Eric Theis
There are several epochs in every hockey season
that hold special attention for me: opening night,
when every team is still in the race (except Washington,
who despite winning their opener, had already
been mathematically eliminated from post season
play), the last month of the season (when scoreboard
watching runs rampant amongst contenders), and
the post season itself. But special mention has
to go to that wonderful opening run, when interesting
story lines begin to appear, and teams have played
enough games to illustrate what they may or may
not be capable of. As of the start of this week,
Tampa, Atlanta, and Boston are 1,2,3 for points
in the NHL: Tampa is undefeated, Atlanta has lost
only once - in overtime, and Boston has found
resurgence behind Andrew Raycroft and his 21 games
of prior NHL experience. In the same breath, some
intriguing fantasy stories are developing, some
expected, some from out of nowhere. As always,
"The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly" colludes
every week to uncover and chronicle these developments
for you, the reading public. Enjoy, and good luck
this week.
The Good:
Peter Forsberg 4 GP, 4 G (including a hat trick
against Edmonton), 3 A, 3 PPP, 2 GWG, +3
Does Peter Forsberg simply wait every year until
a marquee player is injured to elevate his already
superb play? Last year, the Avalanche centre carried
his team's offense for most of the year, including
a twenty-two game period in which Colorado had
to play without Joe Sakic. In that span, the Avs
went 18-2-2-2 (largely as a result of Forsberg's
play), and climbed back into the playoff hunt,
never looking back the rest of the regular season.
History seems destine to repeat in Centennial
State: in the three games since Paul Kariya exited
the line up with a sprained wrist, Forsberg has
been on fire. Kariya is expected to only miss
a few games, but it's unlikely many Forsberg owners
want him to rush back.
Jarome Iginla 3 GP, 2G, 3 A, 2 PPP, 7 PIM, +3
The speculation was cast last year as to whether
the real Jarome Iginla was the 56 goal, 96 point,
+27 version seen in 01-02, or last year's 35 goal,
67 point, -10 version? For the first two weeks
of the 03-04 campaign, patrons of the later seemed
to have it right, as Iginla had been held to no
points in four games to start the season. Since
then, Iginla has been all but impossible to keep
off the scoresheet. Considering that Iginla was
drafted in the top 25 overall by most fantasy
league managers, his production could not come
soon enough.
Patrick Lalime 2 GP, 2 W, 1.50 GAA, .930 SV%
Lalime welcomed in a new week by posting consecutive
wins against Washington and Montreal, allowing
3 goals in 120 minutes of play. He has not lost
a game in regulation time this year, his sole
loss coming in a 3-2 overtime defeat to Detroit
in the second game of the season. Those wishing
to better understand why Ottawa was picked in
almost every preseason poll as one of the top
contenders this year, need only look between the
pipes for the Sens to find their answer.
Ilya Kovalchuk 3 GP, 5 G, 2 A, 2 PPP, 1 GWG,
2 PIM, +2
Making the first return to the friendly confines
of "the GBU" is Thrashers forward Ilya
Kovalchuk. The Thrashers, behind the standout
play of Kovalchuk, have posted a record of 4-2-1-1,
a franchise record for the month of October, 5th
best in any month. Certainly any fantasy team
would drool over the young Russian's offensive
production so far, but one telling stat with significant
fantasy implication (which does not receive nearly
the attention) is his +/-, a +2 this week, +2
overall. The Thrashers, including Kovalchuk, are
playing a much more disciplined game overall thus
far: a team GAA of just 1.95, good enough for
6th best in the league. The benefit? Kovalchuk
has shown that goal scoring and defensive responsibility
do not have to be a mutually exclusive pair.
Honourable Mention:
Kevin Weekes 2 GP, 1 W, 0 L, 1 T, 0.48 GAA, .976
SV%
Even on a bad team, Weekes arrives every night
ready to play, and has kept Carolina in every
game. His fantasy value will skyrocket if the
Hurricanes start to find the back of the net.
Ed Belfour 3 GP, 2 W, 1 L, 2.52 GAA, .908 SV%
Ok, his start against the Islanders at the start
of the week ranked as the worst game Eddie has
played since coming to the Leafs (as even future
Hall of Fame-bound players can get shelled). Removed
from that outing, in both of his team's wins,
Belfour proved yet again that he is the most valuable
member of the Maple Leafs night by night - especially
when the team goes into periodic scoring droughts.
Steve Sullivan 3 GP, 1 G, 3 A, 2 PPP, 2 PIM,
+2
On a team that is collectively a - 9 for the
season, and fired their GM after just 8 games,
Sullivan has contributed with sound offense and
defense.
The Bad:
Sergi Zubov 3 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 PIM, -5
That Dallas finds itself at the top of the Pacific
Division has less to do with how well the Stars
have played, and everything to do with how bad
the rest of the division is in comparison. Dallas
was outscored 9 - 4 by the opposition last week,
including a 4-0 skunking at the hands of Detroit.
In a post Derian Hatcher, post Darryl Sydor world,
veterans like Zubov will be the ones charged with
providing the bulwark on defence, as well as providing
points on offense. Already benched once this season
due to his inconsistent play, Zubov needs to step
up his game on a retooled Dallas blue line, and
play more like the 55 point, + 26 player of last
year. The Stars face Calgary, and Nashville twice
this week, so expect Zubov and the Stars to rebound.
Joe Sakic 4 GP, 0 G, 0 A (5 shots on goal), 0
PIM, -4
It is this kind of weekly line score that drives
fantasy owners crazy. Clearly you cannot bench
a high-calibre player like Sakic, as he is capable
of big numbers every game. But he was a large
fantasy liability last week, costing more than
one owner a point in +/-, while providing no offense
as a peace offering. Not to worry though. Sakic
suffered through 4 game pointless streaks in both
00-01, and 01-02, and still managed197 points
combined in those two years.
The Ugly:
Tommy Salo 3 GP (2 GS), 0 W, 2 L, 5.82 GAA, .787
SV%
Some goaltenders are asked to win games for their
team, others simply to just not lose them. Salo
accomplished neither task last week, allowing
5, 4 and 4 goals in successive games. In a 6-4
loss to St Louis, Salo could not maintain a three
goal lead built up by the Oilers in the first
period, eventually being lifted for backup Ty
Conklin. Salo is a funny customer; there are days
when he is unbeatable, and can steal wins for
Edmonton with his play alone. He also goes through
streaks like this, although that usually happens
in the later months of the season due to overwork
and fatigue. That might be a warning sign to fantasy
owners to watch and see how Salo performs over
the next few games, perhaps keeping him on the
bench until he gets back on track - he will likely
get all of the Oilers next few starts, as Conklin
is out with a groin injury until at least next
week.
|
