Posted by John Pereira, special to ESPN.com
The
Ottawa Senators were up to the task against the NHL's best team in a possible preview of the Stanley Cup finals.
Daniel Alfredsson scored twice to lead the offense and
Ray Emery stood his ground in net against the
Detroit Red Wings in a 3-2 victory.
Mike Fisher scored the other goal for the Senators, his 16th of the season. He's hot now, with 14 points in his nine-game scoring streak. His impressive season should continue; he's playing a ton of minutes and getting time on the power play.
A collective sigh of relief could be heard from Henrik Lundqvist owners Saturday night. Lundqvist finally was able to get himself back on track in a 4-1 Rangers win over the Habs after a month of bad goaltending. The super Swede stopped 18 of the 19 shots he faced and had a shutout going until partway through the third period. Lundqvist's recent slide likely cost him a spot on the All-Star team, but here's your chance to buy low on one of the better goalies in the NHL.
Antero Niittymaki played three periods of solid hockey, but his mistake in overtime cost the Philadelphia Flyers the win. Niittymaki came way out of his crease to stop a breakaway and played the puck right onto Aaron Ward's stick. Ward put the puck into an open net to give the Boston Bruins the 4-3 win. It was an odd mistake for a goalie who has been among the hottest in the NHL in January. Meanwhile, it's safe to say Martin Biron is no longer the No. 1 in Philadelphia, and Niittymaki (who is owned in less than 60 percent of ESPN leagues, by the way) is a good guy to have right now.
Patrick O'Sullivan scored the deciding goal in the shootout to lead the lowly Los Angeles Kings to their second win in a row, this time against a pretty good team, the Dallas Stars. Alexander Frolov, Derek Armstrong and Anze Kopitar all scored in regulation for the Kings, but it is Frolov who interests me the most. He has 11 points in his past six games and seems to be off to a quick start in 2008. I would use this hot streak as an excuse to sell high on the left winger; he's known for being a hot first-half player and a terrible second-half player.
Chris Mason and Pascal Leclaire battled for three periods and needed a shootout to decide their matchup. Both goalies allowed just one goal through regulation time and overtime, but Leclaire was better in the shootout as the Blue Jackets beat the Predators 2-1. Nikolai Zherdev paced Columbus' offense, scoring the only goal on the shootout and picking up an assist on Rostislav Klesla's goal in the third period.
Two of the league's premier players faced off Saturday night as Ilya Kovalchuk led the Atlanta Thrashers into Pittsburgh to take on Sidney Crosby and the Penguins. Crosby won the matchup, scoring two goals to Kovalchuk's one, as the Penguins beat the Thrashers 3-2 in a shootout. It was another good game from Ty Conklin, who stopped 36 shots for the win. We've been talking about him so much here at ESPN that his fantasy ownership is now up where it should be. If you don't have him, you probably missed your chance to get him.
Finally, a high-scoring game on a night when defense reigned supreme. The Colorado Avalanche -- sans Joe Sakic and Ryan Smyth -- were still able to muster enough offense to earn a 5-4 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. Marek Svatos scored twice for the Avalanche in the win, and Paul Stastny added another couple of points. Stastny, somehow, seems to be flying under the radar this season despite looking as though he could break the 90-point plateau for the first time in his career. His scoring pace has slowed significantly over the past month, so it might finally be a good time to buy low on the future superstar.
Even on a night on which Martin Brodeur wasn't playing his best, he still gave New Jersey a chance to win Saturday. After allowing two weak goals in the first period, he went on to stop the next 20 shots, plus two more in the shootout, in the Devils' 3-2 win over the Sabres. Daniel Paille scored both Buffalo goals on the night and is proving to be an intriguing option for those in keeper leagues. He has 19 points this season and is on pace for nearly 40 points. Definitely someone to keep in mind.
Two forwards, one well-known and the other obscure, had impressive nights for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Brad Richards and Nick Tarnasky each scored twice for Tampa in its 5-3 win over Florida. The pride of Port Hope, Ontario, Shane O'Brien picked up an assist for his 17th point this year. Somehow, he's still available in about 30 percent of ESPN leagues. That's amazing, considering he is a defenseman on pace for a 30-plus-point, 160-penalty-minute season.
Toronto fans knew the collapse was inevitable as soon as San Jose's Patrick Marleau scored a minute into the third period. Until that point, the dreadful Maple Leafs had controlled the game and were leading 2-0. But the Leafs allowed three third-period goals as the Sharks stole the 3-2 win. Goalie Vesa Toskala did all he could against his old team, stopping 32 shots and even picking up an assist on Pavel Kubina's goal in the second period. Don't be surprised to see heads roll in Toronto after the team's disastrous western road trip.
John Pereira is a fantasy hockey analyst for ESPN.com.
