Saturday Clash Between Los Angeles Kings And Washington Capitals
In one of the marquee NHL games of the day, in order to take on the Capitals the Los Angeles Kings travel to Washington D.C on Saturday. The Los Angeles Kings have been a bit of a disappointment this year as they are at present in ninth place, and just out of the playoff picture, in Western Conference. The Kings find themselves on the outside of the playoff picture looking in as with high expectations of this team making a deep playoff run, they have struggled to find consistent play.
Los Angeles has been playing much better as of late recording a 6-3-1 record in their last ten games, while the Kings have not lived up to the expectations placed on them before the season just yet. An improved penalty kill unit that has surrendered just two power play goals against in nineteen chances has been one aspect of their game that has helped propel them to this recent run.
The Washington Capitals have not met their preseason expectations as well their season has sort of mirrored the L.A. Kings. Washington was expected to be one of the best teams in the league for the duration of the season but they are in fifth place in the Eastern Conference. Although two things which will have Washington back on track is a strong finish to the season, and a deep playoff run.
For the win on Saturday you can expect these two teams to fight hard. Between winning the division or finishing second for Washington and not making the playoffs for the Kings are the two points up for grabs in this game could mean the difference.
Closer to game time, check out NHL Betting for this matchup.
Weekend Clash Between Chicago Blackhawks And Detroit Red Wings
This weekend, the Detroit Redwings will battle against the Chicago Blackhawks. They should have a great matchup as these two teams are both near the top of the NHL in several statistical categories.
For this matchup NHL Odds have not yet been posted.
By achieving a record of 28-12-6 to this point in this season, the Redwings have enjoyed an excellent season. It looks like everything is working for them as they have a comfortable lead atop the Central Division.
Even though the Blackhawks are still in 3rd place in the Central Division, they have had a solid season. They are 8 points behind the Red Wings in the standings as well as they are 25-18-4 on the season.
While the Red Wings are averaging 3.4 goals per game and are 2nd in the NHL in that category, both of these teams have great offensive attacks. At 3.1 goals per game, the Blackhawks are 5th in the NHL.
Blackhawks’ power play offense has been the secret to their success. In the NHL they have the best power play percentage. As the Blackhawks know how to capitalize when their opponents are a man down, the Red Wings need to keep all of their players in the game. The Blackhawks are just the 27th best team in the NHL in terms of penalty kill percentage, which is considered t be one of their weakness. In this game the Red Wings may be able to exploit that weakness.
As the Blackhawks would step closer to the Red Wings in the standings with a win, they could really use a victory here. Between two great teams, this should be an excellent battle.
Detroit Red Wings Will Clash With Chicago Blackhawks On Friday
This Friday night the Detroit Red Wings will battle against the Blackhawks in Chicago. Both these teams are the Central Division rivals, and members of the “original six.” Even though the Chicago Blackhawks are creeping back into the picture with 35pts which is just 6 behind the Red Wings, the Red Wings lead the spirited Central Division by 5pts over Nashville at present.
For this matchup NHL Betting Odds are not yet available.
By losing 4 of their last 6, including a 5-0 pasting at the hands of the Los Angeles Kings at home Monday night, the Red Wings have struggled in recent times. As the Wings do not continue to lose ground in the Central Division race they will certainly be looking to right the ship on Friday.
The Chicago Blackhawks are struggling a little bit too much like the Red Wings. The Hawks will try to earn as many valuable division points as possible in this match up as they have dropped 3 of their last 5 games, and 2 in a row. The Blackhawks will have to actually focus to earn the two points that a win would give them in this game as they have already played 3 more games than the Red Wings.
This should be an exciting hockey game as both teams are high scoring and fast skating squads. Even as the Blackhawks sit at 8th place on the whole averaging 3.1 goals per competition, the Red Wings have dropped to 3rd in the league with a 3.3 goals for each game average. This Friday night, with these two balanced offensive attacks the goals should come in bunches.
NHL Season Preview – Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins return youth and firepower that should lead the club to hoisting the Stanley Cup at the end of the year, after last season’s meltdown against the Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference Finals (in which they led three games to zero and game seven 3-0). Online betting experts expect a better show from Boston this season.
Boston has the right blend of experience (Recchi, 42 years old) and youth (Sanguin, 18) to get it done at the next level, despite the loss of Marc Savard due to injury (post-concussion syndrome).
If pedestrian, attack that was 30th last year in goals scored while converting only 7.47% of shot opportunities, the offense is a balanced. Patrice Bergeron moves up to the first line at center to lead a balanced attack that also includes David Krejci and Mark Recchi, with the loss of Savard. With the addition of Nathan Horton at RW from Florida, Bergeron (19 goals, 33 assists, 52 points), Krejci (17,35,52), and Recchi (18,25,43) numbers should go up, listed first line on the current depth chart.
Of the Bruin attack, the defense is the cornerstone and is led by team captain Zdeno Chara. in goals allowed, the unit was second in the league and third in the penalty kill and with Tuukka Rask listed as lead goalie (1.97 GAA and .931 save pct.) defense will again shine for Boston.
“Offense wins games, defense wins championships”. As management has put together a young club that should improve on last year’s playoff surge, Boston appears “loaded for bear”.
Philadelphia Flyers @ Montreal Canadiens Preview
The Montreal Canadiens and Philadelphia Flyers, two Eastern Conference rivals, will meet up this Saturday. With significant playoff implications in the offing both teams are just a few points ahead of being out of playoff contention.
With 61 points in 57 games, the 7th place Flyers sit just 2 points ahead of the 9th place Boston Bruins.
60 games into their season the Canadiens are up one point and just one spot ahead of the Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference.
Currently there are 7 teams within 5 points of one another, and there are only three available playoff spots within a reach. The Montreal Canadiens and Philadelphia Flyers appear to be in for a long playoff race that should be very entertaining for the remainder of the regular season.
Tomas Plekanec, who leads the team with 58 points, 43 assists (43 assists place him 7th in the NHL) and will continue to lead the Canadiens on Saturday. Jeff Carter leads the Flyers with his 23 goals so far this season.
The two teams played last on December 7, where the Canadians beat the Flyers 3 to 1. Friday, the two teams square off in Philadelphia and again on Saturday. 2 games in as many nights, a possible 4 points on the line here in this tight rivalry.
Phoenix Coyotes at Chicago Blackhawks – NHL Hockey Preview
The Chicago Blackhawks look to bounce back from a disappointing loss as they face a Phoenix Coyotes team that is tearing up their opposition.
The Coyotes are in excellent position to claim a playoff spot and are slowly creeping up on the elite teams in the West. They have lost just two of the last ten and are on a five-game win streak.
Goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov is at the top of his game and is helping Phoenix get those wins. Bryz is among the best goalies in the league with a 2.29 GAA and a save percentage of .920.
On the offensive side of the rink, Shane Doan is on a tear. He has 15 points in the last nine games and leads by example at both ends of the ice.
Doan was blanked in their 1-0 shootout victory over Nashville. Adrian Aucoin was the unlikely hero in the 10th round of the shootout.
Phoenix is playing really solid hockey right now and the Nashville win is a perfect illustration of that. It was a boring game to watch, but Phoenix didn’t open it up and were able to keep the crowd out of it and pick up the ugly win.
Against Chicago, Phoenix will likely try the same game-plan, but Chicago has a lot more weapons than Nashville.
Chicago came back from their season-long eight-game road trip with a 5-3 record. They then promptly dropped their first game at home 3-2 to Saint Louis.
Hawks coach Jim Quenneville felt that their turnovers handed the game to the Blues. “A lot of their goals we generated via turnovers,” he said. “A lot of our puck possession game led to their offense.”
The Hawks will come in to this game much more focused than against St Louis and should have a much stronger defensive game.
The Hawks are listed as -225 NHL odds favorites over the Coyotes +195. The over/under is 5.5 which seems a little high given both team’s strong defensive play.
This preview of the Hawks and Coyotes is provided courtesy of NHL hockey preview where you can find daily updates and previews of NHL hockey games.
Don’t Bail on These Guys
The Isles looked to be in trouble. Losers of seven in nine – and they didn’t own a winning record to start with, the team was flailing. John Tavares hit a wall and that brought fantasy-surprise Matt Moulson down as well. The strong play of goaltender Dwayne Roloson was being wasted. But things have changed lately because the focus on offense has shifted from one first round draft pick to another.
Josh Bailey, the ninth overall pick of 2008, has picked up the baton and run away with it. He has 12 points in his last 10 contests and he’s doing it without monster ice time – not once in that span has he played even 16 minutes. He’s a future 75-point player – the perfect second-liner and the perfect complement to Tavares’ star. But it is looking like J.T.’s day is still a year or two away. So while he’s in his little cold streak, Bailey is filling in admirably.
With this recent surge, Bailey is now on pace for 38 points. He’ll most certainly cool off again, but he’ll set a career high with 45 to 50 points regardless.
Isles’ fans can only hope that Tavares will get back into his zone by then. With just one goal and two points in his last 14 games (and every one of them with more ice time than the 20-year-old Bailey), he’s about due to come out of it. The slump has brought his pace down to finish at a projected 51 points, but I still think he’ll get to 60. It would mean 31 points in his last 36 games, but we’ve already seen him produce at that pace.
As for Moulson, even though he has been moved off the Tavares line and has seen a cut in ice time, he has three points in his last four games and showing some positive signs. When he or J.T. start to get hot again, there is a good possibility that they will be reunited. Great buy-low candidates right now.
Meanwhile, Kyle Okposo has been their most consistent player all season. Granted, he has gone four games without a point on two occasions, and five games without a point once – but that’s far better than any other player on this young team. His game is starting to iron out and he’ll top 60 points this year.
Next year, each one of these guys will take a big step forward. And I’ll add a dark horse to the list – Rob Schremp. After exploding out of a string of healthy scratches with three consecutive games with a point, Schremp has been seeing 17 or 17 minutes of ice time. He has six points in his last five games and is really getting comfortable at this level. As his teammates improve around him, I think he will be a great complement to them. His hands are of elite quality and with better passes from and positioning by his teammates, he’ll see his production improve without even trying (not that he won’t, I’m just saying). So if we get the following production in 2010-11 from these guys:
Tavares – 75
Bailey – 65
Okposo – 65
Moulson – 65
Then we should see Schremp in that 65-point range as well.
Peter Mueller’s Day Off
It started out so promising. So how did things go south for Peter Mueller so quickly?
After averaging a point-and-a-half per game in the Western League and putting on WJC show overshadowed only by Jonathan Toews. He made the NHL as a 19 year old and potted 54 points, with the bulk of those coming in the second half. Then the bottom dropped out.
Let’s attribute his slip in Year 2 (2008-09) to a sophomore slump and a concussion problem. So how do you explain four in 21 to start his third year? Let’s take a stab at it.
My first instinct is to check back to last season and see how he did after the concussion versus before. He returned February 14 and finished the season with just six points in 24 games (0.25 points per game). He had 30 in 48 before that (0.625). So in all, 10 points in 45 games since being out with a concussion. He’s playing scared. He’s changed his game. Can he come out of it? With the right coach teaching the right lessons – definitely. And therein lies another possible answer – a new coach. Dave Tippett isn’t quite as lenient or reliant on Mueller as Wayne Gretzky was.
I think he’ll bounce back next season. There are legions of poolies who feel otherwise, but those are the same chumps who figured Jeff Carter would never break out playing behind Daniel Briere and Mike Richards. Young players need at least four seasons before you should consider writing them off for good, and sometimes five or even six. Granted, the signs are weak in the case of Mueller, but give it time.
So what to do with him in the meantime? Definitely write him off for this season. It doesn’t look as though it will change any time soon. But watch carefully for healthy scratches (he’s already had two of them), a trade, or a couple of injuries to key players like Shane Doan and Robert Lang. Any turnaround in 2009-10 will require a catalyst and the ones listed above are the best ones.
To make this season a promising one, he will need 40 points in the next 60 games. That will give him something to build on for next year and in that case you can hope for (expect?) a big break out. If Mueller can’t give us that kind of promise over the next three-quarters of 2009-10, then next year he’ll show that promise – and save the break out for 2011-12.
Meanwhile…
Maybe Sidney Crosby is taking the season off as well, but don’t count on it. His current 0.96 points-per-game average is lower than it has been at any level in any league dating back to his pre-teen years. He’ll turn it around – soon. At least 105 points this year…
Philly’s Matt Carle’s blazing start has settled down. He has just six points in his last 15 games after starting off with eight in five. Meanwhile, another young rearguard has caught up to him (almost) in the scoring race – Anton Stralman of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Right now, give me Stralman in a straight-up points league. I think Carle will finish in that 42- to 48-point range, whereas for Stralman I would guess 44 to 57 points. A slightly wider range since we haven’t seen as much of him as we have of Carle…
David Perron is 15th on the Blues in ice time and second on the team in scoring. Andy Murray will eventually catch onto that. I still think the Blues’ leading scorer this season will have 65 points and that player will be Brad Boyes. But I also believe that there will be a cluster of youth in that 50- to 60-point range. Andy McDonald will be there, but he’ll be joined by Perron, Erik Johnson, T.J. Oshie and even the slumping David Backes. Paul Kariya should be in that neighborhood as well, but there is so much competition for a scoring role on this team that he is being shouldered out by youth. There is still gas in Kariya’s tank, but you probably won’t see it being used in St. Louis. Youth has been served and Perron is leading the way.
The Glendale Gong Show
There is a lot going on in the hockey world down in, er, the desert. With all of these off-ice distractions, how can these promising young players continue to blossom into fantasy studs? Let’s take a look at some of the key components.
It’s a difficult thing to measure or properly gauge – the balance between a player’s natural tendency to let outside influences get to him, with a player’s ability improving with added strength and experience. For the youngsters who haven’t been in the league long enough to really know any different, is the attention off the ice any different then playing in say Toronto or Montreal? For the veterans who are used to relative anonymity, will this new spotlight that has nothing to do with their play affect their numbers?
The Vets
Shane Doan – The captain is a born leader and is coming off of the two most productive seasons of his career. You have to think that distraction will have little impact on his numbers so expect a number between his last two seasons (73 and 78).
Matt Lombardi – He produced at a 68-point pace upon arriving in Phoenix, but that was before the nasty stuff hit the fan. Still, prior to the lockout Calgary wasn’t exactly entrenched as an NHL certainty and he was around for that, albeit briefly. I still think that improving on his Calgary production is in the cards.
Radim Vrbata – Is the Glendale Gong Show any worse than the Laughable Lightning of a year ago? I submit that his environment has actually improved. Although his role with the ‘Yotes won’t be as important as his last tour of duty, he should still produce in that 40-50 range.
Ed Jovanovski – When it comes to microphones in front of his face, he’s been there and done that. Coming off of his lowest points-per-game since before the lockout, there is nowhere to go but up for this guy.
Adrian Aucoin – For the 36-year-old I would be predicting a drop in production regardless, so it’s hard to say whether the bankruptcy situation will have any impact.
Ilya Bryzgalov – Of all the ‘Yotes, the goaltender coming off of a sluggish season is the most worrisome. It will be difficult for him to hide in shell. Although I like Bryzgalov for a comeback season due to his age and talent, I can’t help but be worried. There could be trouble here.
The Kids
Peter Mueller, Kyle Turris, Mikkel Boedker, Martin Hanzal, Viktor Tikhonov, Keith Yandle – All six youngsters have similar experience and have loads of untapped potential. Mueller, Boedker and Turris are being bred for top six roles and ideally would take the next step this season. Mueller has had his sophomore slump and Turris couldn’t possibly have one, given his dreadful rookie campaign. Hanzal is being brought along as a skilled third-line checker, one who uses his size much like Michal Handzus did in his prime while, also like Handzus, also putting up 45 to 55 points. Tikhonov is in a similar situation as Hanzal, although he may not adapt to the checking role as readily. Yandle is hoping to be the quarterback of the future, but of the four I get the feeling – a gut one – that Yandle is the most susceptible to a small step back.
Scott Upshall and Petr Prucha – Two points in 17 playoff games should give you an idea of how well Prucha handles pressure. I don’t like his chances of thriving at all, especially with his hold on a top-six spot so tenuous. Upshall is a competitor, so although he is a tad fragile, I like him for picking up where he left off. He had a 0.68 points-per-game average after joining Phoenix.
Al Montoya, Kevin Porter and Sami Lepisto – It’s hard to quantify these youngsters given their limited NHL experience. Porter will be hard-pressed to make the team this year and he certainly deserves better than “reserve player” status. The AHL would be best for him, at least until a top-six injury strikes. As for Lepisto and Montoya – give them the boom or bust label. They would have that label regardless of the Gong Show, but now it becomes even more so.
Spezza and Heatley
By Darryl Dobbs
It figures. Spezza owners finally get an 82-game season out of him and he posts his worst points-per-game numbers since his first full NHL season. That means that there has never been a better time to acquire the Ottawa pivot then right now and ditto for his superstar linemate Dany Heatley.
After three consecutive campaigns of producing at least 1.21 points per game, Spezza slipped to 0.89. His 73 points was 14 points lower than his 2006-07 season in which he missed 15 games. At the young age of 25 (he turns 26 this coming Saturday), the Mississauga, Ontario native has his best years ahead of him. He is still short of his prime. So while his owner thinks of him as a 75- or 80-point player with a lot of upside, you can capitalize on that. The fact of the matter is, he is a 90-point player with upside and you’ve just witnessed his downside.
All players have a year or two like it and the real stars bounce back nicely. Joe Sakic had a bad run of two years. In 1996-97 and 1997-98, he had injury-plagued seasons of 74 and 63 points with the latter number even falling short of his games played that year (64). It was hard to believe that Sakic would peak at the age of around 28, but some poolies did that very thing. The expectations were lowered to that of a 70- or 75-point player, but in 1998-99 he had 96 points. He also cleared 100 on two occasions after that.
Spezza will be the same way. When you follow a player’s statistics closely, like die-hard poolies do, you are following them day-to-day and week-to-week. To see a player have an entire season go bad, it’s only natural to have your expectations dip. This is where the more casual fantasy owner has an advantage. That owner sees the year-to-year numbers and still sees a player who will get 90 points with potential for more. Sometimes you have to take a step back and look at the big picture. Pretend you didn’t live through Spezza’s ups (he had a couple) and downs (he had a lot) from last campaign and take 2008-09 as the exception and not the rule. If it helps, just think of how he had 33 points in 34 games under the new coach. Still sub-par for him, but much better.
Dany Heatley is in the same boat. The 28-year-old had three straight campaigns with a 1.15 points-per-game average or better before slipping to 0.71. As Spezza goes, so goes Heatley and you need to after him with the same eagerness that you would go after a 100-point player. Don’t overpay, because now is the time to get him at a discount, but put in the effort – give his owner a call and try and make something happen.
That means that if you can get Spezza or Heatley by giving up a player who beat them in scoring this year, then do so. I’m talking about Rick Nash, Alexander Semin, Mike Richards, Martin St.Louis, Marc Savard or even Jeff Carter – Spezza and Heater will top all of them in scoring in three of the next four seasons. The only exceptions would be any player in the Top 9 scoring this season, or Joe Thornton. As far as I’m concerned, any other player in the Top 30 (Spezza finished 31st) should be swapped for one of these guys in keeper leagues that count strictly points, not taking into account positions. It may seem crazy now, but you won’t regret it.
