Starting October 24 the Red Wings play five games in seven nights including two sets of back to back games. Four of those games are on the road but there are some vulnerable opponents in there. If your league has the week set up Friday to Thursday get all those Red Wing in there. Playing five games in a one week time doesn't happen very often - only twelve times during the regular season although it happens to Detroit twice.
Everyone loves to remind others of that gem they found each year in their fantasy pool. It is very rewarding to believe in a guy who flies a bit under the radar and watch him blow up. It happened to me last year with Brent Burns, who went from a largely forgotten young defenseman in Minnesota to a lock for the 2010 Canadian Olympic squad. It happened two years ago with Zach Parise, who showed why being undersized means nothing if you work twice as hard as the guys bigger than you. It looks to be happening this year with Brandon Dubinsky in New York as well. That is enough bragging, though. For every steal and sleeper pick, there are the complete misses. I have had a few of those already in this short season.
Two of this young season's brightest stars are more alike than you think. Separated at birth? Unlikely, if you take a look at their portraits. No, Austria was not an annexation of the USSR in WWII a la Germany. They are distinctly different places. Still, the similarities of two professional hockey citizens from these countries are undeniable.
The second full week of the 2008-09 NHL season has come and gone. Let’s take a look at what has occurred in the Western Conference, plus a little foresight into what could happen down the road.
Teams have hit the five-game mark of the season, so this is a perfect chance to make a good, educated decision on whether or not a goaltender’s value has gone up or down from your pre-season expectations. The season has started with a noticeable scoring blitz, more so in the West, as many goalies still have some inflated numbers and pretty dismal records. As a result, more backups are getting early chances to show their stuff, which has in turn shown me a really interesting and effective trend regarding their development.
Les Stars sont 1-3-1 cette saison, ce qui leur donne le 27ème rang sur 30 équipes. Le temps d’agir est maintenant – mais pas de la façon que vous croyez.
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The Stars are 1-3-1 this season, which is good for 27th in a league with 30 teams. The time to act is now – but not in the way we are seeing.
Hockey is in full swing which means injuries are coming fast and furious as well. Finding injury replacements is a key component to a successful fantasy year. It can be depressing using Todd White to replace Alfredsson but every point you can get out of an injury replacements might make a difference in the end. Although nothing can make waiver wire players into fantasy studs you might be able to squeeze a few more points out of your those borderline second or third liners if you consider the team's schedule.
Is it too early to assess how the the Blueshirts are doing now that the Lone Ranger has ridden off into the sunset (Jaromir Jagr - Kontinental Hockey League) along with his trusty Czech mate Tonto (Martin Straka – Czech Extraliga)?
Welcome once again to “An Expert’s Audit”. This audit will be posted here as well as on my fantasy hockey blog . During the season I do weekly reviews of teams for people who email in to me for a look-see, they’re less indepth but just as much fun. Dobber 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 about it.
