November 25, 2014

Steve Mason is doing better than last year, Strome impressing in limited minutes, Koivu's struggles and more…

 

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Get on over to DobberProspects and check out Brendan Ross’ ramblings from today. They are chalked full of prospect information including McDavid and Eichel updates, details on David Pastrnak’s first career NHL game and the emergence of Dallas defenseman John Klingberg…plus much, much more!

 

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Wow, a couple of awesome games to kick off the night. Well, I assume that the Islanders-Flyers game was awesome. I only watched overtime. But judging by the way the Islanders ran roughshod on the Flyers during that overtime and the massive tilt towards the Islanders in terms of shots (46-21!) I'd say this game was probably good, simply because it's always great watching a team playing so dominantly but getting stymied by a hot goaltender.

 

That hot goaltender was surprisingly, Steve Mason, who damn near stole a win for the Flyers. He still gets credit for a 46-save shutout though, his first of the season, which will go a long way for fantasy owners. Actually, I have to admit it, Mason's numbers this season have been damn good. He's rocking a 0.923 save percentage, which is even higher than it was in his bounce back last season.

 

Mason's GAA is on the high end at 2.61 but that's simply because the Flyers defense is so porous that they are allowing so many shots. Mason can stop a high percentage of them and still suffer on the fantasy side because of the team in front of him.

 

Mason has had a .900 save percentage or higher in eight of his last nine starts, which is consistency that I simply wouldn't have suspected. Would I count on it continuing? No but credit where it's due. Mason has been good so far.

 

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As mentioned, the Islanders had their way with the Flyers in four-on-four overtime. I mean, my goodness. It looked like they were on the power play the way they were cycling it on offense. Whether that speaks more to the Flyers' poor play or the Islanders' good play can certainly be debated but I won't do so here. Good show.

 

Ryan Strome was awarded the prized spot of skating with John Tavares in overtime and did not disappoint. The two looked very creative out there in the extra space. Strome still skates on the second/third line with Brock Nelson and Anders Lee as well as on the second power play unit, so we can only expect so much from him.

 

Strome has gone scoreless in a couple in a row after scoring seven points in five games. These are the ups and downs that all players go through, especially young ones still not seeing primary offensive minutes. He has looked good in the minutes he has received that I've seen.

 

Strome is on pace for 59 points but if I had to wager he ends up with less than that. One reason he probably slows down is some regression in the shooting of his linemates. Heading into last night's game Strome ranked 21^st in the league in five-on-five on-ice shooting percentage at 12.59%. That total is bound to come down closer to 8.0%

 

Kyle Okposo was a puck-flinging machine last night, landing eight SOG. You think he realizes he hasn't punched the twine since November 5^th, a goal-less drought that has now reached nine games?

 

I’m impressed by the performance the Islanders put on without a couple of their better defenders in Calvin de Haan and Thomas Hickey. They both missed the game sick.

 

Jaroslav Halak is on a roll. It helps that the Islanders are playing so well in front of him but Halak has now won seven in a row, with three shutouts in that streak. He hasn't had a save percentage below .900 all month of November.

 

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The game I did watch last night was the impressive contest between the Penguins and Bruins, which also went to overtime.

 

The Penguins shuffled their lines a bit with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin swapping wingers. That meant Crosby was back together with Patric Hornqvist, which got Crosby going for a three-point night.

 

Hornqvist wasn't official given any points, but I think he gets credit for an assist on Crosby's opening score as he made a savvy play to kick a rebound behind his back to Crosby. Watch for that stat correction to come with an assist taken away from Kris Letang, who was credited with three last night.

 

Malkin scored a couple of goals last night, including the overtime winner, as he was paired with Crosby for four-on-four. I love when the Penguins give that pairing a go.

 

Tough break for the Penguins as Beau Bennett went down with an apparent knee injury. He did return for one shift in the third period but figured out rather quickly that he wouldn't be able to continue. Not surprising though. Bennett is as big of a Band-Aid Boy as there is. Still, he had been playing really well on the third line and may have been trending towards a promotion. Yet another opportunity lost.

 

Look for the Penguins to make some moves in a hurry here as they are running out of options. We will have to wait and see the ultimate prognosis on Bennett before getting too far ahead of ourselves but knowing his star-crossed history this probably isn't a minor injury.

 

Marc-Andre Fleury had another mini-meltdown last night, similar to the one against the Islanders last weekend but once again he rebounded to keep his team in the game and get them to overtime. You have to credit the incredible push the Bruins made during the second period with creating the chance for the meltdown. The first Bruin goal was just a thing of beauty but the second one, just 29 seconds later was one he'd surely like to have back and it's where you'd think the wheels might start to come off again. I've been incredibly impressed with Fleury's composure this season. He has not allowed many games to get away from him this season.

 

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I mentioned the Bruins' first goal was a good one, check out the sweet passing: