z-Archives (other articles)

Did you see the thread I started last Sunday in the School of Block forums about Roberto Luongo and the main issues surrounding his slow start? If you didn’t, I highly suggest reading it, because over the last week, it has been proven that crease crashing and traffic in front of the net - and subsequently a goalie’s depth in the crease - is a major factor in fantasy goaltending so far this season.

Although it may not directly impact your goalie’s value in every game, the dynamics of overall net presence and depth in the net must be understood in order to make even better fantasy goaltending decisions. Do your goalies challenge shooters effectively? Do they get run into more than once or twice a game? Are they complacent, or do they have a fierce side to them? And how strong are the defensive efforts in front of said goalie?

Although the AHL season is not even 10 games deep yet, it is never too early to take a look at some of the scoring leaders down on the farm. You made the right move by coming to this site to get a leg up on your pool competition – but the work never stops! Want to find out about the next Rich Peverley? How about an update on a blue-chip prospect? Many of the top AHL scorers are veterans and career minor leaguers (like Jason Krog), but there are also some intriguing players (like 28 year-old Alexandre Giroux, who has scored 65 goals over his past 75 regular season AHL games), as well as promising youngsters being groomed for NHL stardom (like Kyle Turris).

As reported in the Toronto Star recently, Ken Holland circles the American Thanksgiving on his calendar every year in red ink. By then, he says, a team has established its true winning percentage.

Not everyone takes so long a view of things as the Red Wings GM, but even on teams where an October overhaul is needed, many NHL GMs and coaches still often say they like to wait ten or twelve games to get a feel for their players.

Every couple of weeks during the 2009-10 season I will roll out my High Five/Low Five. The list is open to teams, players, coaches, and fans – basically anything hockey-related qualifies. The High Five are five things that have impressed me (with an emphasis on recent games), and the Low Five are five things that have me shaking my head.

Nothing is constant, nothing is pure, nothing comes easy and nothing is for sure. In almost every game so far this season, goalies have been prone to more bad bounces, heavy collisions, puck mishandlings or lop-sided shot totals than I care to remember. Whether it was Craig Anderson battling with Patric Hornqvist in Nashville, Mike Smith being nearly decapitated by Jamie Langenbrunner’s knee, the “Khabi-boo-boo” mishap against Calgary or Carey Price punching a hole in the wall after a 7-1 loss in Vancouver, I’ve learned it’s time once again to expect the unexpected.

Welcome once again to “An Expert’s Audit”. This audit will be posted here as well as on my fantasy hockey blog at www.fantasyhockey.hockeyanalysis.com . I also do weekly reviews of teams for people who email in to me for a look-see. These audits will continue to appear here monthly and if you’re interested in having your keeper team “worked over” then you can begin by emailing Dobber (contact link at bottom of website) about it. But send it in by the 15th, as I will be starting on my next one at that point.