May 5, 2014

Dobber Sports

2014-05-05

Good to see Kris Letang back on the score sheet. His three points last night represented just his second multi-point game in his last 28 dating back to the end of November. It also gives him a more respectable four points in the playoffs and eight in his last 11 overall. These are more Letang-like numbers. I still believe in him as a near-point- per-game defenseman, I just wonder how many games he plays next year. But he’s still very much protectable in limited keeper leagues as a Top 20 defenseman simply for the upside.

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I love how the Pittsburgh fans are overly cheering for Marc-Andre Fleury, chanting his name and showing him tremendous support even though he’s not really doing anything. He’s keeping screw-ups to a minimum but he’s not committing any robberies by any stretch. But the fans are giving him confidence and I believe that will pay off with a key save or two when it matters. Leaf fans should take note, as I’m sure April Reimer will agree.

Jussi Jokinen has points in seven of the eight playoff games so far. He has 78 points in 107 games for the Penguins. Has he earned another contract with them? I think he can get more elsewhere – and I don’t think he can get 55-plus points elsewhere these days, so his value will take a small hit.

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New York beatwriter Andrew Gross reports that Chris Kreider is still not taking contact in practice, so you can probably assume that he won’t be ready for Game 3. But I get the sense that if they really need him for Game 4 he’ll be there. Just a hunch.

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Here we go again Bryan Bickell. I guess this is Bickell 2.0? With three points yesterday and two goals in Game 1 of the series, Bickell has points in each of his last five. He has eight in eight games after managing just 15 in 59 regular season games. He’s 6-4, 233 pounds and Coach Joel Quenneville is using that size in the crash-and-bang, gritty NHL playoffs. In the regular season? Bah, what’s the point. Coach Q could care less. So when Bickell flounders for a few games to start the campaign, he’s scratched or demoted to the fourth line. He flounders for a couple of playoff games and Coach Q sticks with him. Dating back to last year, he has 25 points in 31 playoff games.

This beauty of shot makes Bickell look more like Stamkos:

 

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Brandon Saad, who is clicking on a line with Bickell and Marian Hossa, has seven points in these playoffs – one more than he had all of last year in 23 postseason games. Here were Chicago’s line combinations Sunday, “free” via Frozen Pool:

 

23.68%

EV

88 KANE,PATRICK – 10 SHARP,PATRICK – 28 SMITH,BEN

19.74%

EV

16 KRUGER,MARCUS – 42 NORDSTROM,JOAKIM – 20 SAAD,BRANDON

16.67%

EV

29 BICKELL,BRYAN – 81 HOSSA,MARIAN – 19 TOEWS,JONATHAN

8.33%

EV

26 HANDZUS,MICHAL – 11 MORIN,JEREMY – 23 VERSTEEG,KRIS

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Andrew Shaw missed Sunday’s contest with an injury to his right leg. The Hawks also scratched Brandon Bollig. This allowed Kris Versteeg back into the lineup – and Jeremy Morin made his NHL playoff debut. Here’s the Shaw injury:

 

Great experience for Morin, but just 5:42 of it was on the ice. He was minus-1 with one shot. He played with Versteeg and Handzus as you see above.

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I really like how Erik Haula is producing for the Wild despite modest ice time. I get the sense that he isn’t exactly put on a pedestal in that organization – he’s a Rodney Boy if there ever was one. Drafted 182nd overall in 2009, you know he’s not going to get a first-line opportunity on a silver platter. But around March 31 he started seeing 13 or 14 minutes a game instead of nine or 10 – and since that time he has picked up 11 points in 16 regular season and playoff games. You can read more on Haula’s fantasy upside here.

Ilya Bryzgalov was 7-1-3 with the Wild in the season, pretty much earning himself another contract for next year. But going 1-4-1 in the playoffs could very well ruin that. He hasn’t been terrible…but he hasn’t stolen any games either. And his single win was a one-save performance in Game 7 against Colorado. One save and he gets the win. You ever heard of that before?

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Yes, I’m critical of Rick Nash in these playoffs, but he does lead all players in shots on goal in the postseason. Here are the Top 12 (again via Frozen Pool):

 

1

NASH, RICK

L

NYR

9

37

2

PARISE, ZACH

L

MIN

9

36

3

RICHARDS, BRAD

C

NYR

9

35

3

HOSSA, MARIAN

R

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CHI

8

35

4

BURNS, BRENT

R

S.J

7

33

4

NEAL, JAMES

R

PIT

8

33

5

KUNITZ, CHRIS

L

PIT

8

31

6

CROSBY, SIDNEY

C

PIT

8

28

7

SUTER, RYAN

D

MIN

9

27

7

PAVELSKI, JOE

C

S.J

7

27

7

MALKIN, EVGENI

C

PIT

8

27

7

SHARP, PATRICK

L

CHI

8

27

 

Another “goal-less” superstar appears you’ll notice – Crosby. So Crosby, Stills and Nash have 65 shots between them and na-da in the goal department.

(I can add Stephen Stills to that list because he doesn’t have any goals either, so technically it’s true and it just sounded neat)

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UPCOMING GAMES

Mar 28 - 19:03 OTT vs CHI
Mar 28 - 19:03 TOR vs WSH
Mar 28 - 19:03 MTL vs PHI
Mar 28 - 19:03 PIT vs CBJ
Mar 28 - 19:03 FLA vs NYI
Mar 28 - 19:03 CAR vs DET
Mar 28 - 20:03 MIN vs S.J
Mar 28 - 20:03 STL vs CGY
Mar 28 - 20:03 WPG vs VGK
Mar 28 - 21:03 EDM vs L.A
Mar 28 - 21:03 COL vs NYR
Mar 28 - 22:03 SEA vs ANA
Mar 28 - 22:03 VAN vs DAL
Mar 28 - 22:03 ARI vs NSH

Starting Goalies

Top Skater Views

  Players Team
TAGE THOMPSON BUF
JJ PETERKA BUF
ANTHONY DUCLAIR T.B
JORDAN GREENWAY BUF
JURAJ SLAFKOVSKY MTL

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  Players Team
ALEKSEI KOLOSOV PHI
JOONAS KORPISALO OTT
KAREL VEJMELKA ARI
UKKO-PEKKA LUUKKONEN BUF
JUSTUS ANNUNEN COL

LINE COMBOS

  Frequency ARI Players
22.6 NICK SCHMALTZ CLAYTON KELLER NICK BJUGSTAD
20.7 JACK MCBAIN MATIAS MACCELLI JOSH DOAN
19.7 DYLAN GUENTHER LAWSON CROUSE LOGAN COOLEY

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