Posted by Sean Allen, special to ESPN.com
So... a change of scenery looks like a good thing for Mark Recchi. Go out and get him now. Buried by the depth of young talent in Pittsburgh, the veteran winger hasn't done much this season. That is, until Wednesday night, his first game after being waived by Pittsburgh and picked up by the Atlanta Thrashers. Coach Don Waddell had Recchi out on the first power-play unit with Ilya Kovalchuk, Todd White, Marian Hossa and Tobias Enstrom and skating even-strength with Vyacheslav Kozlov and Eric Perrin. It worked. Recchi scored two goals -- one on the power play and one even strength -- and was one the ice for Kovalchuk's power-play tally. Beyond the fact that he is skating with one of the more potent power-play units in the league, Recchi is bound to get a better even-strength assignment if this kind of chemistry continues with the man advantage. By the way, that would be the third straight win for Alex Auld, as Boston stormed backed past Recchi's two goals and won 5-3. Auld best be on your radar regardless of your feelings about Tim Thomas.
This is the second straight Box Score Blog for me where Mike Green impressed. The offensive defenseman who seems to be new coach Bruce Boudreau's go-to guy, had two assists and the winning overtime goal in Washington's 5-4 over the Rangers. So let's make this the second straight Box Score Blog where I say that Green is the defenseman to own in Washington.
Ales Kotalik is up to 17 points on the season after a goal and assist in Buffalo's 5-3 win over the Islanders. Kotalik may not be scoring enough to warrant a roster spot in shallow leagues, but with 14 of his 17 points coming on the power play, Kotalik is actually in the top 25 for power-play points; just five behind league-leader Sidney Crosby. He makes a great specialist for that category, even in shallow leagues.
I always enjoy it when I get a bonus goal from my goons. Thank you for goal No. 3 on the season, Jared Boll. Overall, a lame game between Colorado and Columbus with just 32 shots on goal. Jose Theodore may have given up the slight advantage he had in net over Peter Budaj after allowing three goals on just 15 shots. It's been three steps forward, two steps back as Theodore fights to be the main man in net for the Avalanche. I still expect him to get there, so take this loss in stride and remain patient if you own him.
That's probably the easiest win of the season you'll get from Ray Emery. After just over five minutes and one shot he turned aside, Emery was pulled because his hip was acting up. The Senators had already scored two goals at that point, and never looked back in crushing Carolina 6-0. That makes Emery the goalie of record despite the fact that Martin Gerber had to come in and turn aside 31 shots in the combined shutout. This does make the Sens goaltending picture a bit fuzzy again, after it looked like Emery almost had his job wrestled back. Let's wait and see how his hip is before we get too frustrated. Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley did their usual thing with three points a piece, but better news for deep-league fantasy players would be Mike Fisher's third straight game with a goal. Fisher looked awfully feisty racking up seven penalty minutes to go with the goal. Fisher's value is usually only enjoyed by deeper leagues, as a No. 3 center, but he can be more relevant as long as he stays hot. It comes in waves with Fisher so make sure he is in the lineup in the near future. By the way, a message to Scott Walker: There is no head-butting in hockey!
Martin Havlat, Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Sharp each had a pair of points as Chicago won its first game in December, 5-3 over Los Angeles. We've come to expect such outbursts from all four players this season, and yes, I am including Sharp in that. As the final complement to the Toews-Kane line, Sharp will be just fine this season and should continue his march towards the 70-point barrier. Before you ask, yes Dustin Byfuglien skated opposite Havlat all night and yes, Byfuglien had an assist. To think, you can slot Havlat's linemate in on defense. I love it.
Jason Jaffray and Mason Raymond each assisted on the other's first NHL goal as Vancouver held on to beat Anaheim 3-2. For Jaffray, it was his first NHL game; for Raymond his 10th. We could probably write both off as nothing to worry about for now, but I do think Raymond is a future fantasy spark plug. He was a big preseason sleeper around here, but couldn't gel with the Sedin twins. I don't think a month and a half with the Manitoba Moose changes that, or his fortune. Curtis Sanford stopped 33 of 35 for the win, and makes a decent short-term pickup for Roberto Luongo owners to acrue some goalie stats. While Luongo nurses his ribs, Sanford gets the less-than-elite offenses of San Jose, Edmonton and New Jersey.
With news that Marc-Andre Fleury is down and out for up to two months with an ankle injury, Dany Sabourin becomes an immediate add. In serious, deep leagues -- where he has the most value -- Sabourin is probably already gone based on the way he has played this season. I do think his current level is unsustainable and given the lengthy timetable on Fleury's ailment, I think Ty Conklin is also a good pickup in deep leagues. Despite my doubts that Sabourin can carry the load for a team in the high-scoring Eastern Conference, I still think he is a must-pickup everywhere. He is currently available in 65 percent of ESPN leagues.
One of the biggest disappointments this season for me has been Montreal's Andrei Kostitsyn. I really, really bought into him after watching him develop over the years as one of the best puck-handlers I've seen; comparable to teammate Alexei Kovalev. I just thought all the ducks were in a row that he would have a 60-point breakout this season. Currently on pace for a 35-point season, clearly I missed the mark on that one. But hold on. Maybe there was a duck missing. Andrei's brother Sergei has been called up from the AHL's Hamilton Bulldogs and will join the Canadiens for Thursday's game against Philadelphia. We've seen how brotherly love can work in the NHL, notably with the Sedin twins in Vancouver. Maybe this is just the kind of boost that Andrei (and the Habs, for that matter) need. Sergei has skills to boot as well. After spending last season on a line with Patrick Kane and Sam Gagner (you heard me), Sergei is currently third amongst AHL rookies with six goals and 16 assists in 22 games. That also leads the Hamilton Bulldogs. I am very, very curious as to whether coach Guy Carbonneau decides to put the Kostitsyn Brothers on a line together, and just how much ice time they get if he does. The potential is there for big things to happen.
Sean Allen is a fantasy baseball and hockey analyst for ESPN.com. You can e-mail him here.
