Week Twenty-Three Newsletter

It was a week where I was out of town in Kelowna for some family gatherings, if you were wondering why the standings were not updated very much this week.  With some time spent on Monday, getting all the points in from the middle & end of the week in, we now have some up-to-date standings, heading into Week Twenty-Four's action, which gets started on Monday night.

Scott Charges Allan

Allan finished the week in 1st place again through Week Twenty-Three, but that 22-point lead that he had at the end of Week Twenty-Two has now diminished to only 3 points and now we have a real race for the big money for the last three weeks of the season.  Scott was able to knock down 19 points from that lead with a huge week, which will be elaborated upon later on in the Newsletter.

The Race for Third Worth Mentioning

With Scott opening up a gap between himself and 3rd place, Chris' team, the race for getting your money back will now heat up as its own entity.  Chris holds a 1-point lead over Wilton through Week Twenty-Three, while Dale C. charged up the standings in the week, jumping up to 5th place and only sitting 7 points back.  Stacey M. dropped a bit and is now 16 points back of 3rd, 15 points back of 4th.

Third Segment Racing

The race changed in the third segment, thanks to both Scott and Dale C. seeing big weeks, as Scott now sits atop the race with 199 points, followed by Allan at 194 and now Dale C. at 189.  Wes also had a pretty big week, lifting up to 4th in the race at 184 points and then there is an 11-point gap down to 5th, Mike's team.

With some of the scoring that has been going on in this segment, I don't think we're nearly done here yet either.

I don't know about you, but I kind of think it is a little strange not to see Henrik Lundqvist not occupy this space in the season before the halfway point in the season, let alone with only three weeks left to play. That might just be me, but it does seem right to see him up there now.

The Olympic Silver Medal-winning goalie has lifted his overall totals to some more expected totals.  Lundqvist finished Week Twenty-Three with 9 points, lifting his total to 70 points on the year, good for 13th overall in pool scoring.

Lundqvist started his week in the midst of an Eastern Conference shootout against the Ottawa Senators, but came away with the win in an 8-4 barn burner.  He was able to make 35 saves in the game, despite giving up nearly a handful of goals.  On Saturday, he helped Rick Nash's return to Columbus be a successful one, stopping 25 pucks in a 3-1 win.  Finally, on Sunday, Lundqvist stopped all 21 New Jersey shots for a shutout in a 2-0 win.  In this game, he also finished with an assist, making it a 5-point game in the end.  3 wins, a shutout and an assist make for 9 points in the end.

The big week also pushed his pool team, belonging to Dale B., up the standings a little bit, which is the point in the end.

We've seen this team twice in the Newsletter and for good reasons.  Scott's team is making the two races to finish the regular season into something great to watch in the end.  Scott's team took a grinder to Allan's lead and shaved off a significant amount of points, dropping the lead down to 3 points in the end, thanks to a 39-point week.

This is Scott's second Mover & Shaker nod of the regular season, the first came back after Week Eighteen, when he had 40 points and moved up to 4th.  Since then, he has had one of the hottest teams and Week Twenty-Three, albeit one less point than his best week in the season, was still rather amazing.

Scott's team was blessed with points from all but one player and that one player has been knocked out of the rest of the regular season, due to injury.  Everyone else chipped in, making his team rather consistent, top to bottom, which is helping his cause for the big money at the end of the tunnel.

Tampa goalie Ben Bishop led the way with 6 points, followed closely by Philly forward Scott Hartnell and Tampa forward Ondrej Palat, who each finished with 5 points each.  Also worth noting was Wild forward Mikael Granlund, who had 4 points in the week.  Two players finished with 3 points, while six players each potted a deuce in the points column.

Scott now sits 3 points back of 1st overall and is tops in the third segment standings... if you didn't read above.

In the Basement this week is our actual Basement Dweller in the overall standings, as Doug's team has suffered some losses again and may have shaken his death rattle, as his team is now 23 points back of Leo in 23rd spot.  His 16-point week was a pool-worst, but being one of the better Basement weeks this season, it wasn't going to help his cause.

Remarkably, this is only Doug's second Basement Dweller nod this year, which is surprising given that his team has finished 14 weeks in last place this season.

Doug's team only had four donuts in the week, but his best player, New York's Mats Zuccarello, only had 4 points and there were quite a few singles on his team, which won't make for much support in the totals.

NEWS AND NOTES

The groin injury that has sidelined Washington Capitals forward Brooks Laich has forced him from the line-up for the remainder of the regular season. Laich has been hampered by the injury all season and now it has come to a head, where he'll undergo surgery to repair the damage in the end.

The Detroit Red Wings injury troubles continued this week, as on Tuesday, the team announced that they will be without forward Justin Abdelkader for the next couple weeks, due to a lacerated leg.  Abdelkader suffered the injury the weekend before, the Sunday, so he should only be out for another week by now.

In a midst all the offensive turmoil that the Edmonton Oilers have been going through, they were dealing with the ankle injury of Nail Yakukpov, which kept him out of the line-up for all their games in Week Twenty-Three.  There has been no update on his condition, as of yet, but there is no guarantee that he would make the line-up again, even if he is healthy.

There was also a game missed by Jordan Eberle this week, as he dealt with a knee issue.  Eberle did return on Saturday, as the Oilers got destroyed by the Flames on Hockey Night In Canada.

The Anaheim Ducks are now expecting to be without defenseman Cam Fowler for the remainder of the regular season, possibly further into the playoffs, as he has been diagnosed with a sprained MCL in one of his knees. The Ducks are in the thick of the Pacific Division race and the Western Conference race and now their line-up has taken a big hit.

On another note, the Ducks missed out on a game from forward Nick Bonino, as he missed a mid-week game with a lower-body injury.  Bonino's production had taken a hit over the past few weeks, not being as dangerous as he was in the middle of the year.

Two Columbus Blue Jackets forwards, Cam Atkinson and R.J. Umberger, both returned to the line-up throughout the week after both players were healthy scratches through the week. Atkinson was a scratch late last week and Umberger missed out on a couple of games mid-week.  The Jackets are in the thick of the Eastern Conference race and are looking to keep their line-up fresh.

On Friday, the Chicago Blackhawks placed Patrick Kane on the Long-Term Injury Reserve, as he was hurt earlier in the week, suffering something in the lower-body. The Blackhawks have all but secured their playoff spot in the Western Conference, so resting Kane for a long playoff run may be in their best interest.

Although the Carolina Hurricanes recalled defenseman Ryan Murphy for, what appears to be, the remainder of the regular season, it doesn't appear that they will use him a great deal, as he has been a healthy scratch for the better part of the week, likely looking to remain in the press box as the seventh or eighth defenseman.

Things are not getting much easier for the Vancouver Canucks, as they remain on the outside looking in on the playoffs. Alex Burrows was hurt again, taking a slash from Nashville's Shea Weber earlier in the week and now centre Henrik Sedin left Sunday's game with a leg injury. Both will be on the list as out day-to-day, but more updates are expected soon.

The rotation on the Boston blueline continues in Week Twenty-Three, as Torey Krug found himself back in the press box on the weekend for the Bruins. Krug has joined the likes of Dougie Hamilton and Andrej Meszaros as regulars in this rotation.  With three weeks left, we may still see these names on the list before too long.

On Saturday, the Dallas Stars were without forward Erik Cole, as he is listed as out day-to-day with an upper-body injury. The injury is somewhat mysterious, as he had missed practice, which what was believed to be just a maintenance day, but he had missed a game and now it is unclear as to how many he'll miss going forward.

Habs forward Lars Eller was to be a game-time decision for Monday night's game against the Boston Bruins and as I write this, I can confirm that the young sniper is out for tonight's game, currently day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Eller suffered the injury on Saturday against the Maple Leafs and there is no immediate timetable for his return.

Also on Monday, the Winnipeg Jets are without forward Andrew Ladd for their game against the Dallas Stars. He'll be away for personal reasons, but he is expected to return later on in the week, as their next game is on Thursday in San Jose.

The Nashville Predators will be without prospect star defenseman Seth Jones for the foreseeable future, as the young blueliner has been sidelined with a concussion.  Jones suffered the concussion over the weekend and it doesn't appear that the team will rush Jones back and risk any more damage, before it is absolutely necessary.

Also on Sunday, the Predators were without forward Patric Hornqvist, who was attending to his wife, who was giving birth.  He should be back later this week.

Link to the Injury/News Page

Week Twenty-Two Newsletter

Allan Continues To Pull Away

It may have taken a little bit longer than most years previously, but we now have a runaway leader in the pool, as Allan continues to pull away from the competition.  Allan had another great week in the pool, which has now increased his lead from 12 points to 22 points.  This is the first time this season that the lead went over 20 points and this is the first time that the lead has been in the double-digits for back-to-back weeks.  It now looks like that this is Allan's pool to lose.

A Shuffle Below

Well, the other three teams in the prizing remained the same, but Scott moved up to 2nd place with a good week of his own... or is it because Chris had a bit of a poor week?  Chris dropped down to 3rd place in the shuffle, while Derek Wilton remained in 4th place.  Scott pushed 2 points past Chris and sits 7 points up on Wilton, while Wilton's buffer to outside the prizing is now 8 points.

Third Segment Race

In a somewhat disappointing turn of events, the top two teams in the segment race are the same two teams that are on top of the standings.  I was kind of hoping for a different race altogether here.  I would probably take some suggestions on how to divvy up some prizes next year, outside of the regular races.

Allan's lead on Scott in this race is now 14 points, as Allan has the hottest team in the post-Olympic stretch, picking up 96 points since the return from Sochi.  Benson and Wes are tied for second in that stretch, with 79 points.

For the third time this season, we have had a repeat performer in the Player of the Week nod.  Antti Niemi of the San Jose Sharks, who is running really hot these days, currently on his own personal 5-game winning streak, but we'll just concentrate on the Week Twenty-Two wins, to which there were three of them.

Thanks to Niemi's heroics lately, the Sharks are now running neck-and-neck with the Anaheim Ducks for 1st place in the Pacific Division and they are getting hot at just the right time.

On Tuesday, Niemi started the week with a 19-save win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, allowing a pair of goals in a 6-2 win.  On Friday, he was far busier, making 35 saves, while allowing three, in a 4-3 win over the New York Islanders.  The hard work seemed to have paid off, as he made 41 saves on Sunday against the New York Rangers, shutting out his opponent and earning a 4-point game.  Three games, three wins and a shutout for 8 points, the clear winner of the Player of the Week nod.

These 8 points moved Niemi into a tie for 2nd overall in pool scoring, tied with fellow goalie, Marc-Andre Fleury of the Penguins, with 78 points.  Niemi has taken top goalie honours in a season or two in the hockey pool and now he's getting paced for another top keeper nod, which is fairly impressive, especially with that 41-save shutout against the Rangers.

Unfortunately for Leo, Niemi is about the only player that has really done anything great for his team, which is why his team is mired at the bottom of the standings.  Leo did move right out of the basement in Week Twenty-Two, nearly getting Mover & Shaker mentions, but these small victories aren't going to be enough.

Having two out of the last three Mover & Shaker mentions while your team is in the lead of the hockey pool will mean an increased chance of winning the overall points race.  Yes, Allan's team continues to be on fire, picking up 34 points in Week Twenty-Two and opening up his lead to 22 points, as it was mentioned above.  Heck, I really shouldn't have to tell this to you twice.

Allan's team was led by Colorado Avalanche goalie Semyon Varlamov, who finished the week with 7 points, followed by Ryan O'Reilly of the Avalanche, Mason Raymond of the Leafs and Sergei Bobrovsky of the Jackets, who each had 4 points.

Only one active player, PA Parenteau, was unable to pick up any points, due to injury.  Allan's team will have to contend with more injuries, which may challenge his lead, but for now, everyone else is running hot, so his lead continues to grow.

Allan's goalies have been magnificent this season, as they lead the pool with a scoring rate of 1.4 points per 60 minutes of play.  Between Varlamov and Bobrovsky, he has seen 60 wins, 4 shutouts and 4 assists for 132 points, now tied for the pool lead in the category.  Not bad for his 3rd and 4th round picks.

With only four weeks left to play in the regular season, his 22-point lead seems fairly safe.

I was kind of thinking that this season would be different for Ryan M., as he did his homework this year, came to the draft prepared, but it still wasn't to be, as he has now found the Basement Dweller nod for the first time this season, thanks to a 16-point week.  His team was able to float in 15th place from week to week, but the gap below him has now shrunk, as Derek Wyllie now sits 11 points back in 16th place.

Five of Ryan's players were held pointless in the week and Marian Hossa of the Blackhawks was his best player, scoring 3 points in one game on Sunday.

Ryan's team has not fared well in the third segment, ranking last in points with only 117 since the start of Week Seventeen and is tied for 22nd in points since the Olympic Break ended.  It has been a rough stretch, thanks in part to a couple of injuries, but mostly ice-cold play.

Next year will be better, right?

NEWS AND NOTES

It was the second half of back-to-back games for the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday and we all know what that means. Teemu Selanne was a healthy scratch, which I'll reiterate, has been the norm all season long. With only four weeks to go in the season, I'm sure Chris would like to see Selanne play these games, as his team slips in the prize positions, but he'll have to suffer through these games without one of his better forwards.

On the injury side for the Ducks, defenseman Cam Fowler suffered a lower-body injury on Friday night against the Avalanche, which forced him out of the line-up for Saturday's game against the Kings in Los Angeles. Fowler is listed as out day-to-day with the injury, but there has been no indication as to when he may return to the line-up.

The depth on the Boston blueline continues to be a story on the blog, as newly-acquired Bruins defender Andrej Meszaros found his way back up to the press box on Saturday night, as Torey Krug returned from his one game upstairs.  Unless one player really gets outpaced in the line-up for the Bruins, I would expect the revolving door to spin.  We'll probably see a few names cycle around.

An elbow injury forced Buffalo Sabres defenseman Tyler Myers out of the line-up for the weekend, missing Saturday's game on Long Island and Sunday's game at home to the Montreal Canadiens.  Myers is listed as out day-to-day with the ailment, but there is no word on the extent of the injury, nor when the team expects him back in the line-up.  Rasmus Ristolainen was called up to take his place.

It sounds like there is a nasty bug going around the Los Angeles Kings' dressing room, which cost forward Dustin Brown a game in the line-up, as he missed the inter-divisional contest against the Anaheim Ducks. It was also reported that goalie Jonathan Quick was also felled by the ailment, but he was still able to dress and back-up Martin Jones in the 2-1 loss.  Hard to say whether or not Brown and Quick will be ready for Monday night's game in Phoenix, since a few of these bugs have been quite severe this season.

A lower-body injury in the week forced Pittsburgh Penguins forward Chris Kunitz from this weekend's home and home series against the Philadelphia Flyers.  It sounded like Kunitz was close to playing in the second game on Sunday, but it looks like the team were being cautious with the winger, as they are firmly entrenched in the Metropolitan Division lead, so there likely was no reason to push their luck with the injury.  Look for Kunitz to return at some point this week.

A solid cold streak for Derek Roy of the St. Louis Blues forced the coaching streak to find some offense elsewhere, making Roy a healthy scratch for the first time this season. The reports are saying that Roy has been held pointless in nine games, which is a pretty exceptional streak, given the talent that he plays with on that Blues team.  I couldn't see this lasting too long, however, as roster changes are upcoming.

The crease for the Buffalo Sabres is an unhealthy place to play at the moment, as the team had lost the services of both Michal Neuvirth and Jhonas Enroth over the weekend.  Neuvirth, the only one of the two that are active in the pool, suffered a lower-body injury and was unable to dress on Sunday for the game against Montreal.  The Sabres are hitting the road this week and it will be interesting to see if Neuvirth travels, given that Enroth won't and there will be starts to be had.

After only missing one game with a foot injury, Dallas Stars forward Cody Eakin returned to the line-up on Sunday against the Winnipeg Jets. Eakin was able to register an assist in the game, but was a -3 in the 7-2 loss to their division rivals.  Eakin has been pretty decent for the Stars this season, but couldn't offer much help in the thrashing that they took in the end.

The injuries continue to mount for the Detroit Red Wings, as their season playoff streak teeters on the edge of being broken.  On Sunday, Todd Bertuzzi was not able to dress against the Chicago Blackhawks, thanks to a lower-body injury.  Bertuzzi joined a long list of teammates that are sitting on the shelf with various ailments and he's currently on the list as out day-to-day.  There is no word as to when he'll be able to return.

On Friday, the Edmonton Oilers were without forward Sam Gagner, due to an undisclosed injury.  Gagner only missed the one game, as he was able to return on Sunday, when the Oilers took on the Carolina Hurricanes.  Gagner is currently ranked 211th in pool scoring this season with 31 points in 55 games, which is likely well-below the expectations set upon him going into this season.

It sounds like the groin injury that has been hampering Brooks Laich of the Washington Capitals is getting much worse, before it is getting better.  Laich missed out on Sunday's game, home to the Maple Leafs, and he is now expected to miss out on the next three games, as the Capitals hit the road.  The injury has really hurt Laich's numbers as well, limiting him to only 15 points this year.

The Winnipeg Jets' crease will belong to Al Montoya for at least one more game, as Ondrej Pavelec has been sidelined with a lower-body injury.  Pavelec left the game against the Rangers on Friday night after one period, unable to return.  The team has set their expectations at only missing a couple of games, but there is a chance that Pavelec might not be ready to go after two games away, so Montoya will be the guy that will be tasked with the job of keeping the Jets in the playoff race.

On Sunday night, the Chicago Blackhawks lost the services of forward Brandon Saad early on, unable to return to the game, because of an upper-body injury.  After the game, the coaching staff remarked that he didn't look to be that bad, but he would have to be re-evaluated in the early part of the week, before returning to action.  As far as updates go, that was pretty vague, but we'll keep you posted, if it is anything more than day-to-day.

Another young star left their respective game on Sunday, as the Florida Panthers lost Jonathan Huberdeau in the game against the Vancouver Canucks.  There hasn't been any official word on the injury, but there is an expectation that he won't be making the trip out West, as the Panthers open a trip in San Jose on Tuesday night.  He'll be listed as out day-to-day, until there are further updates.

On Monday morning, the St. Louis Blues announced that they will be without forward Vladimir Tarasenko for upwards of the next six weeks, thanks to a broken hand, which will require surgery to repair.  Tarasenko was hurt on the weekend, not long after scoring a goal against the Nashville Predators on Saturday.

Link to the Injury/News Page