Posted by John Pereira, special to ESPN.com
Is there any doubt right now that Chris Pronger is the best defenseman in the world? He scored a goal and added an assist as he took home first-star honors in the Ducks' 5-2 win over the San Jose Sharks on Saturday night. Jean-Sebastien Giguere made 27 saves in the game for the win. Of note during the game was the goal by Todd Bertuzzi. Big Bert has scored three goals in his past six games and is playing well alongside Doug Weight. I'd consider Bertuzzi if I was looking for a winger in a midsized league. He's owned in only 41 percent of ESPN leagues.
Making his first appearance in Boston since he was traded, Brad Boyes hurt his old team. He scored his 21st goal of the season in the St Louis Blues 4-1 win over the Bruins. Keith Tkachuk also had a good night scoring once and adding two assists for the surprising Blues squad. After several years of ineptitude, they're sitting in second place in their division and are providing a ton of fantasy fun with the likes of Paul Kariya and Manny Legace.
Speaking of surprising, talk about a shocker in Ottawa. Patrick Sharp scored the game-tying goal early in the third and Jonathan Toews scored in overtime to give the Blackhawks a 4-3 win over the Senators. It was Martin Havlat's first game back in Ottawa since being traded, but he didn't show up on the ice; zero points and only three shots on net. Dany Heatley was the big star in the losing effort for the Sens. He scored twice to bump his season total to 45 points.
The two Alexanders (Semin and Ovechkin) each scored for Washington and Olaf Kolzig played well in net but it wasn't enough for the Capitals as they fell to the Islanders 3-2. Semin has finally returned to form after struggling with injuries for most of the season. He has scored in each of his past three games.
The Toronto Maple Leafs finally showed the killer instinct that they have been missing this season. Of all players, Pavel Kubina scored in overtime to lift the Leafs past the Florida Panthers 2-1. It was some sweet redemption for Vesa Toskala. He's been fantastic in net for Toronto for the past month, but has often been left without the win due to the team's inability to finish out a game.
He's ba-ack. Kari Lehtonen I mean. Lehtonen made 37 saves as the Thrashers beat Montreal 3-2 in a shootout. Lehtonen has looked good in his last three games and his recent play may finally mean he has found his pre-injury form. The Finnish goaltender is still available in about 20 percent of ESPN leagues and would be a great addition to nearly any fantasy squad. The Thrashers will never be confused with a great defensive team though, so temper your overall expectations.
A couple of old names were back playing a familiar team on Saturday night. Martin Biron and Daniel Briere had to face the Sabres as the Flyers hosted Buffalo on Saturday night. Mike Richards and Jeff Carter each scored twice in regulation, but Ales Kotalik scored the lone goal in the shootout as the Sabres eked out the 6-5 win. So, we've spoken to no end about the jump that Richards has made this season, as he leads his club in scoring with 42 points. But what about Carter? He was just as highly touted a prospect Richards, if not more so, but has yet to jump to the next level. He's owned in just about 37 percent of ESPN leagues, but could be a good add in deeper leagues. He's shown an ability to notch some offensive numbers while pick up the penalty minutes as well this year.
In a game between recent Stanley Cup Champions, with superstar players on each roster, it was Ray Whitney that was the main offensive cog in the game. Whitney had two goals and an assist as the Hurricanes beat Tampa Bay 4-1. Sean Allen and I both have liked him for a while now, but once again I'll throw out the name Andrew Ladd. He scored once on the night making that consecutive games where the young winger has scored. He has a nose for the net and a great pedigree as a junior prospect and despite the unimpressive numbers this year, I'll recommend him for a deep league. He's available in 99 percent of ESPN leagues.
Normally, the Minnesota Wild have no problem concentrating on the defensive side of the game. Saturday night was a different story. Despite the fact the Detroit Red Wings were missing Henrik Zetterberg and Tomas Holmstrom they still managed to get 51 shots on net in the 4-1 win. Niklas Backstrom showed us how good he really is, stopping 47 shots in all to somehow keep the game from becoming a blowout. Statistically, Backstrom has had a couple of less-than-impressive games, so if ever there was a time to trade for him, this would be it.
If you were to sum up the Vancouver Canucks in a nutshell what would you say? They have the Sedin twins and Roberto Luongo? Well on Saturday night that description would have fit the bill. Daniel Sedin scored a goal assisted on by Henrik and Luongo stopped 27 shots as the Canucks beat the Coyotes 2-1 in a shootout.
Is Jason Arnott suddenly wearing a Dallas Stars jersey again? Because at first glace, this box score would lead you to believe we've all traveled back in time. Arnott scored three times and added an assist as Nashville took down Los Angeles 4-3. Dan Ellis started in net for the third consecutive game and made 34 saves. I think it is finally safe to say this team doesn't belong to Chris Mason anymore. Ellis is owned in only 16 percent of ESPN leagues and would be a very smart add at this point.
John Pereira is a fantasy hockey analyst for ESPN.com.
