z-Archives (other articles)

It seems now more than ever there are multiple goaltending controversies around the league. With more teams carrying two capable (and often equally skilled) netminders instead of the more typical starter and backup,  unwanted frustration has been placed upon us poolies. With goalies at such a premium in basically every fantasy hockey format, it is essential to have at least two capable starters. Chances are you were rewarded if you took a late round flier on Pekka Rinne or Jonas Hiller last year. How will the goalie controversies facing several NHL clubs play out in 2009-10? Who will win out?

In just three frenzied days of action, five goalies have walked away with two-game winning streaks, including Craig Anderson, Miikka Kiprusoff, Ray Emery, Marc-Andre Fleury and Carey Price. And unless you watched all 23 games so far, you probably resorted to box scores and recaps to see how your goalies fared. But since they don’t tell the whole story on a goalie’s performance, you might be wondering where to go from here.

In lieu of a lengthy analysis this week, I chose to post up a few thoughts (quick hits, if you will) of mine on the day that the puck FINALLY drops on the 2009-10 season!

It’s probably fitting that Marion Gaborik was born on February 14^th.

Like St. Valentine’s Day, he is a player that many love, but many others only love to hate him. Talented but fragile, Gaborik is a frustrating fantasy player, but as a collective, we poolies can’t ever seem to breakup with him permanently – even if the relationship is obviously unhealthy.

Thanks to some great pre-season coverage by the NHL Network over the last week, I was able decipher a handful of goalies that are already heating up for a red-hot start to the regular season. Although these exhibition games were meaningless in the standings and filled with prospects and rusty veterans, things like positioning, body movement and rebound control still reveal a lot when it comes to how a goalie might start the regular season.

Since the shootout debuted back in 2005, there has been much more parity among NHL clubs (due to the arrival of the three-point game). Although some will argue that this parity is artificial, it has increased the competition for playoff spots in both conferences. The Florida Panthers missed the playoffs last season, even though they had an identical record to eighth-seeded Montreal (41 wins and 93 points). Buffalo was only two points back of Florida, and they had 41 wins as well. In the West, Anaheim finished in eighth with 91 points, two up on Minnesota, and three up on Nashville. As the above situations illustrate, there is not a whole lot of difference between making and missing the playoffs in today’s NHL. Montreal was buoyed by late-season acquisition Mathieu Schneider and Anaheim rode the hot goaltending of Jonas Hiller. Who will be the difference maker(s) for the bubble teams in 2009-10?

With only ten days left before the regular season begins, you should have a solid grasp on which two goalies will act as the foundation for your fantasy teams (or have already drafted them). And even though there’s really no such thing as an “easy” pick these days, it’s fairly straightforward as to which goalies will be taken through the first ten rounds.

Most of us look for an edge in our hockey pools by actively seeking out experts’ advice. We read their articles and we ponder their recommended draft lists (side note: Yahoo has now released their ranking of the 100 top players for the 2009-10 season).

But no matter how many lists you agonize over and bring to your draft, it’s likely that at some point events will overtake your careful planning and you’ll be forced to make some decisions on your own.  And often, it’s the stickiest of situations where all we are left with is what our gut is telling us.