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.
After such a forgettable summer across professional hockey circles around the globe off the ice, it brings me much pleasure to get back to on-ice action. Last year, I finished with a year-ending winning percentage of 63%, finishing particularly strong , going 17-7 over my final 3 entries of the 2010-11 season. Here’s to picking up where I left off!
He strikes quicker than a cobra. With an outstretched blocker, he stabs at pucks clearly headed for the top corners. Even if he’s totally down and out, Semyon Varlamov has the speed, the quickness and the sheer flexibility to take space away before you can even process what has happened.
Welcome back to An Expert’s Audit. Every month we’ll take a look at a reader’s keeper league team in the hopes of helping him toward a championship. If you’re interested in getting an audit for your own keeper team you can begin the process by emailing Dobber about it.
The Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks will play each other twice over the next week in what I assume will be a couple of the best hockey games we will see this early in the season. I am mildly annoyed that more has not been made about the Ducks-Sharks rivalry. I mean, these are two teams that have largely been competitive in the past few seasons, and are both division and state rivals. If the California coast was somehow located in Canada then this rivalry would be a bigger deal than Ron Burgundy. Sadly that is not the case.
This month, I take a look at Kessel's improved play, a forgotten Jet, Edmonton's goalie of the future, and more.
The start of the 2011-2012 NHL season is well and truly underway. There have been a few pleasant surprises, as well as few “red alert” moments involving key injuries. The main thing that you need to keep in mind is that the season is still young and there’s still seven months of quality hockey remaining. Similar to last season, I’ll provide you with weekly updates so that you have access to the latest news that’s been happening from the Western Conference front.
Each year the top players (Ovechkin, Malkin, Crosby, etc.) will score their fair share of points regardless of who they skate with. Then there are the players who will score above their averages simply by forming chemistry with their linemates. The symphony displayed from three forwards who are all on the same page is truly amazing. From the Legion of Doom to Sedin-Sedin-Burrows to Perry-Getzlaf-Ryan and more, chemistry is absolutely huge in hockey. While it’s only two games into the season, Buffalo’s line of Thomas Vanek, Luke Adam, and Jason Pominville already has combined for 13 points, with all three players finding their names in the top 10 of NHL scoring.
Ed. Note: This is the second instalment in a series in which we’ll look at different aspects of the NHL game and how to value them appropriately in your fantasy league scoring, with the objective of creating scoring systems that reflect real life value as closely as possible. Click here for Part 1: The Power Game.
Preseason success isn't always a good indicator of regular season success, however, for prospects it's one of the few times to make a significant impression. This week we look at four more prospects that have had outstanding training camps/preseasons. Two have likely earned themselves a permanent NHL roster spot. Three of the four prospects last week were well known prospects. This week's players are more obscure and in some cases have come out of nowhere.
