March 24 2015
Dobber
2015-03-24
Dobber returns from vacation and has 10 days of fantasy hockey gold stored up that he’s dying to share…
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I’m back after dragging the family down to Florida for a Disney vacation – that’s four days of driving and five days there. My two princesses got to see and meet the Disney princesses. But I’m back in the saddle and now you have me for three of the next five days – so buckle up.
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It was Andrej Sekera’s third point in 12 games with Los Angeles when he scored last night, but he’s been logging a ton of power-play time and if the Kings can ever get that going he’ll chip in plenty of secondary assists. But that’s of no help to those of you in the playoffs of your fantasy league – by the time he proves himself to warrant a pickup, you’ll already be in your final week.
Kings’ forward Mike Richards played 11:41 in his NHL return and was minus-1. He was left off of special teams. No surprise though. He’s not the player he was (but this summer a GM will still believe that he is and he will sign elsewhere if he’s bought out).
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Adam Larsson is pointless in four but he’s still being given rope by the coaching staff. This wouldn’t have happened in prior seasons. It would seem that he has finally become an NHL regular. His ice time was second on the team among defensemen ahead of Merrill, Severson, Fraser and Gelinas. But he’s not yet the go-to PP guy, which is the next step I’d like to see.
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Do you ever feel like if you’re not watching over your fantasy team closely, they all collapse? I was first, second (and closing) and fifth (and closing) in my three leagues. I go on vacation and ignore looking at the standings, and the one league where I needed to set my roster I did so in advance. I return and see that I’m second, second (and fading) and fifth (and fading). The first two days I’m back, I start gaining ground again.
The Hamburgler strikes again! Andrew Hammond stopped 29 of 31 and is 14-0-1 in his NHL career. Patrick Lalime, anyone? Hammond led the Senators into the wildcard spot – and the Bruins are currently out.
Mike Hoffman strikes again! Man, he reminds me of Patrick Sharp. Not because of playing style. I haven’t seen enough of the Sens to say. But because of expectation and likely niche, versus how things actually turned out. He has a fairly solid chance at 30 goals and 55 points this season. He’s been on a 60-point pace since November 6.
The youngsters are really rolling for the Sens as well – with J-G Pageau putting up points in six of his last eight and of course Mark Stone, who has 22 points in his last 21 contests.
So does Karlsson win the Norris this year?
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Antti Niemi is 4-8-0 in his last 12. And in his last eight games, Logan Couture has three points and is minus-7. Someone should tell those fellas that it’s too late to get into the McDavid race.
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In his eight games since his big four-point effort, Eric Staal has just two points. So much for my theory that the big night will propel a strong finish, yikes. His slump is also affecting Justin Faulk, who has one in his last seven. But Faulk had nine shots on goal Monday, so it’s not all bad. He’ll work his way out of it and continue his breakout year. I’m more confident in Faulk than I am in Staal right now, go figure.
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Antoine Vermette has just two points in nine games for Chicago.
In his last 26 games, Brad Richards has two goals and five assists.
I don’t like the Blackhawks at all to go deep this year. It just seems like everything is a step below what we’re used to seeing from them, and it’s not just the Kane injury. Besides Anaheim and St. Louis, there are some red-hot teams in the West and Chicago could be in trouble in the first round. And I’m saying this after a 43-save Crawford win.
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Jamie Benn had three points, three hits, three blocked shots and eight shots on goal last night.
His linemate, Patrick Eaves, is still rolling along as well – six points in his last five games. I like Eaves as a sleeper for next year – not. Way too injury prone. Yes, he’ll start next season on that line (because, don’t kid yourself, he’s re-signing with the Stars). And yes, he’ll do well. But yes, he’ll get injured again. Like death and taxes…
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If you need shots on goal, Brian Gionta has wielding a hot stick right now. He has five points in his last five games, but also has 20 shots on goal in that span.
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Drew Stafford has points in six consecutive contests and 10 points in his last eight games. He’s clicking with Wheeler and Scheifele while the team waits for Bryan Little to return. Little won’t play the next game either, but his LBI should/could be healed up by the weekend.
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Karri Ramo is coming into his own this season and is another key reason why the Flames are still in the playoff picture. He’s started 12 of Calgary’s last 18 games and is 7-3-1. Here is one thing he brings: