The Cage Match Tournament keeps on rolling. To keep up with demand, we are picking up the pace and releasing two articles per week. That means the polls are closing faster but it also means speedier results. This is good news for those of you following along.
Editor’s Note: This is the fourth and final instalment in a series on running a salary cap fantasy league. See the pros and cons of cap leagues, an examination of different types of caps and also on determining your cap limit.
Lots of great playoff races in both the Eastern and Western conference this weekend. The West looks to be the tougher conference as even 11th place Calgary would be tied for the 8th and final playoff spot in the East right now. Plenty of games that playoff ramifications sell let’s get right to the action.
A tough decision can be made easier with these charts showing you the best five and worst five schedules for upcoming seven-day periods. Some of you used them last year but for the benefit of new readers here is a refresher. The number next to the team indicates the 'multiplier' to use on a player's point-per-game pace to give you an idea how many points to expect for that week.
Now that March Madness is in full swing, poolies everywhere are right in the middle of the playoff push. Desperation mode consumes our minds, we consume more coffee than ever before, we stay up later to watch games in the Western Conference, and we keep a website tab locked on the NHL standings page until the regular season ends.
There is a significant amount of disagreement regarding the value of certain statistical metrics in the game of hockey today. Some fans and analysts hold these metrics in very high esteem, using them as the basis for their arguments about teams and individual players. Others suggest stats like Corsi and Fenwick are less telling, are manipulated to help support flawed arguments and are generally overrated.
Injury updates: The injuries mount as Jagr, Duchene, Letang, JVR, Howard join the list. Updates on Crosby, Toews, Lecavalier, Markov and more…
Welcome to the third week of the Cage Match Tournament! In case you missed them, here are the previous week’s editions:
Week 1 – Introducing the Bracket
Week 2 – Howe Bracket: Round One
Week 3 – Richard Bracket: Round One
Once again the Phoenix Coyotes find themselves firmly entrenched in a playoff spot in the Western Conference despite having an average roster. Much of that credit can be attributed to the strong play of goalie Mike Smith. A career backup, Smith has found a home in Phoenix and is putting together an incredible season. There must be something in the water over there, or could it be someone behind the bench?
If ice-time and SOG are any indicators of fantasy success, this week’s column will be a good compliment in terms of identifying a few trends moving forward. We’ll examine several advancers and decliners out West, to help you get through that mid-season lull.
