Posted by John Pereira, special to ESPN.com
What a difference a year can make. After finishing the 2006-07 campaign in the Atlantic Division basement, the Flyers now sit in first place in the division through 16 games.
Kimmo Timonen led them to another win Saturday night over in-state rival Pittsburgh, 5-2. Timonen was impressive, scoring a goal and adding three assists, with two points coming on the power play and one shorthanded.
Daniel Briere chipped in with a goal and an assist, while
Martin Biron stopped 29 of 31 shots in the win. With that effort, Biron pushed up his save percentage to .936 while dropping his goals-against average to 2.25. While I do expect Biron to cool somewhat as the season progresses, his numbers shouldn't drop significantly. He'll probably slide back to the respectable 2.50/.915 area that he posted as the Sabres' starting net-minder in 2002-03 and 2003-04. Also of note in the game,
Mike Richards' three assists,
Ryan Whitney's two assists and
Evgeni Malkin's two-point game.
This has to be sweet redemption for Martin Gerber. After a 2006-07 season in which we heard his name only in trade rumors, the Senators' starting goalie has been a top-three goaltender this season. He managed to stop all but one shot as the Senators dropped the Canadiens 3-1. Daniel Alfredsson provided all the offense the Sens would need with a two-goal performance, and Chris Neil scored another for the first-place club. Andrei Markov scored the lone goal for Montreal on the night, making it his fifth goal in 17 games this year, just one short of last year's total through 77 games. Again I say Markov is for real this year. Get him on your team while you can; he's still likely undervalued in most leagues.
It took them seven tries and a shootout Saturday, but the New York Rangers finally have won a road game. Marcel Hossa buried the winner past Vesa Toskala in the shootout to give the Rangers a 3-2 win over the hapless Toronto Maple Leafs. Sean Avery provided the spark for New York, as he perfectly played the role of agitator, luring Darcy Tucker into an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, then minutes later into a fight. Avery didn't stop there, though. He set up a Brendan Shanahan goal, then scored one of his own on a rebound to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead in the second period. Alexei Ponikarovsky answered for the Leafs with his fifth and six goals of the season to tie the game and send it to the shootout. Fantasy's No. 1 goalie this season, Henrik Lundqvist, was given the night off while backup Stephen Valiquette played well in his first game of the year.
Tampa Bay Lightning coach John Tortorella must have said something that sparked his troops during the second intermission, as the Lightning scored four third-period goals to beat the Washington Capitals, 5-2, on Saturday. The game was tied at a goal apiece heading into the third when the floodgates opened and Tampa's top line took advantage, with two quick goals only 58 seconds apart. Martin St. Louis, Vaclav Prospal and Vincent Lecavalier combined for seven points and a plus-four on the night. For fantasy purposes, that's where most interest in this team ends. Although Brad Richards is having a good season, his minus-10 rating so far has been tough to stomach. One must feel bad for Alexander Ovechkin. Once again, he was stuck trying to create offense alone Saturday. Ovechkin scored again to bump his yearly total to 19 points, but aside from Michael Nylander's 16 points, there's very little to write home about in Washington.
Tim Thomas' "deal with the devil" continues. He stopped 45 shots while Chuck Kobasew scored the winner midway though the third period as the Boston Bruins took down the Buffalo Sabres, 2-1. The goal was Kobasew's seventh on the year to go along with 12 penalty minutes, making him worth some consideration in midsize or deeper leagues. With a 1.65 goals-against average and .950 save percentage, Thomas sits near the top in most relevant goaltender categories this season yet, surprisingly, is not universally owned in ESPN leagues. Even though I don't personally believe in him, he's worth a roster spot in every league format. Meanwhile, the Sabres' offense continues to struggle; Buffalo has scored three goals or more only once in six games in November.
I'm beginning to wonder if New Jersey Devils coach Brent Sutter ever regrets making the move to the NHL. After leading successful international and junior teams, his jump to the "big leagues" has left him in charge of a struggling team in search of an identity. The Devils lost again on Saturday night, 2-1, to the New York Islanders, leaving them in last place in the Atlantic Division. The Devils are ranked 26th in the NHL in goals per game (2.31), which is bad news for fantasy owners. The only offensive highlight really from either team was the play of Islanders defenseman Chris Campoli. His two assists bumped him up to 11 points in 13 games this season, setting him well on pace to break his career-best 34-point season in 2005-06.
Marian Hossa, are you for real? That's what Victoria Matiash and I wondered in our Oct. 31 Are You For Real? column. We both came to the conclusion that despite a slow start, the Thrashers star winger would turn it around. Well, guess what? Since the beginning of November, Hossa has collected seven points in five games. While I would like to say he read our column and was inspired, I'd bet his turnaround is just part of a larger theme for the Atlanta Thrashers. The bad news for the Thrashers, though, is that Hossa's two goals Saturday weren't enough, as the Hurricanes won the game by a score of 5-3. Rod Brind'Amour continued his hot play to start the season, scoring two goals and taking home "first star" honors. Eric Staal, Ray Whitney, Cory Stillman and Justin Williams also had two-point nights.
Despite my dislike of him (and, might I say, I have taken some heat for my position), Chris Mason had a good night in net for the Predators, who beat the Columbus Blue Jackets. Mason stopped 36 of 39 shots and held the Blue Jackets without a goal in the shootout for the win. I do think Mason will improve on his poor numbers a bit as the season progresses, but I stand firm that this is not a goalie you want to own this season in any fantasy format. Nikolai Zherdev looks as if he is finding the game that made him such a highly touted prospect in Russia before making the jump to North America. Zherdev has four points in five games in November and is owned in only 21 percent of ESPN leagues. That number needs to rise.
Of all players, it was Mathieu Garon who stole the show in the battle of Alberta. Garon made 37 saves in only his fifth game of the season as the Oilers took down the Flames, 4-2. The game was a telling tale for the Edmonton Oilers, who won on the backs of their young players. Sam Gagner scored a goal, Andrew Cogliano picked up two assists, and Robert Nilsson had two points in the win. If management learns anything from the game, they'll begin playing their youngsters more and resting Dwayne Roloson more often. At the other end of the ice, there was very little to be excited about for the Flames, Jarome Iginla was kept off the scoresheet, and Miikka Kiprusoff continued to look less than super-human, allowing four goals.
It was a night to be remembered for Jeremy Roenick. He scored career goal No. 500 against his former team as the San Jose Sharks dumped the Coyotes, 4-1. Roenick, who has five goals and five assists for the Sharks this year, has been a nice surprise for fantasy owners after he likely went undrafted in most leagues. Now that he has hit his historic milestone, his point-scoring pace likely will slow down a bit, but he should still be worth a roster spot in most mid-size leagues. Also of note: Devin Setoguchi scored again, giving him three goals in just six games this season. I suppose that happens when you see ice time with Joe Thornton.
It was a high-scoring game in Dallas, as the Los Angeles Kings were able to best the Stars in overtime, 6-5. Anze Kopitar scored the winner, his second on the night, to push his total to seven goals and 16 points on the year. While Alexander Frolov isn't on pace to meet his 35-goal mark from last year, he is still having a good season, with 15 points, including another two points Saturday. He might be someone you want to target in a trade from an owner who was hoping for a bit more production. Meanwhile, the Stars had five players notch multiple points. Among the ones I have to be most excited about is Brenden Morrow, who is rewarding owners who took him in the middle rounds in this year's draft. The left winger has been a perfect example of someone who can fill a boxscore, with 16 points, 15 penalty minutes and is a plus-seven through 17 games this year.
John Pereira is a fantasy hockey analyst for ESPN.com.
