The AnaCondra
I was going to title this article Flight of the Condra as we might be witnessing Erik Condra's career starting to take off, but when I heard that some are calling him AnaCondra, well that's golden.
Home Run Thinking
There are a few players in the league who are dominant no matter where they are playing. Jarome Iginla is a good example. He has 66 points in 68 games this season and of those, 33 have been recorded both at home and on the road. Another example is Rick Nash, who has 29 points at home and on the road, but not every player is wired this way. Many perform either better on the road or better at home and in this two part series, I'll look at both.
Changing Your Fantasy Fate
We’re turning the final corner of the fantasy season and depending on your league settings you could be heading down a few different paths. Let’s look at those who are gunning for a money spot in Roto leagues, or those entering the playoffs in H2H leagues. If you are in a tight league where every little stat matters, making the smart adds/drops could determine whether you are the league champion or just another one of the 10 or 12 disappointed losers. At this point of the season it’s not about what your players have done for you all season long, it’s all about what your player will do for you in the next four weeks that will determine your fantasy fate.
Early-Bird Specials
Regardless of age, experience, or skill level, an NHL goaltender must always prove themselves on a nightly basis. Failure to do so results in an open door or an extra start for their counterpart. From there, the potential for a goalie to collect rust or lose their rhythm and confidence grows. Such is the life of a goaltender, where every minute matters.
Watch Out For That Re-Coyle
Like the kickback on a gun, Charlie Coyle has gone and smacked the hockey world right in its face. Coyle didn't receive much hype leading up to last summer's draft coming out of the relatively unknown EJHL but he showed enough promise for the San Jose Sharks to pick him up in the first round (28th overall).
Top 10 Keeper League Forward Prospects
The first edition of this list was put together last August, and it is something I am going to update at least once each season. I have a few general rules when it comes to building a team in a fantasy hockey keeper league. One of the more important ones is to not plan beyond a two or three year window. You are not building a real NHL club, and too often I see poolies place too much of an emphasis on youth and prospects instead of trying to add players who could help them win now. Using this rule, take a look at your team(s). Can you realistically say you will have a shot at winning the league at some point within the next two or three seasons? If not, time to scrap the rebuild and start adding proven NHL talent.
Saturday’s Picks – March 5th
I’d like to give props to Anthony for picking four winners last week, including the BUF/DET shootout game. The week before that I struggled to come away with two victories while my own dog beat me with three winners. Another strong performance like that and I foresee a visit to the pound in the near future. It’s time to bounce back in the face of adversity (have more wobbly pops?), or something like that. Anyways let’s get to the action as we have a real mixed bag, with some great match-ups for teams looking to squeeze into the big dance, and some meaningless bottom dwelling games as well.
Looking Ahead – Week 22
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.
Post Deadline Fallout
This week I was going to take a look at Eastern Conference teams player acquisitions and losses via the trade route and analyze some of the fantasy fallout, but that's been done to death. Instead I'll present my ramblings on a six pack of teams and a shot.
Nail Breaking Through
Being a star in Sarnia has its ups and downs, but the hockey world is starting to notice a Nail Yakupov, an electrifying star from Nizhnekamsk, Russia. TSN.ca published an article last week after Yakupov had another spectacular game.