Posted by John Pereira, special to ESPN.com
The Battle of Ontario was renewed Saturday night, but many of the familiar faces were missing in action. The
Toronto Maple Leafs were missing
Bryan McCabe,
Nik Antropov,
Alexander Steen,
Alexei Ponikarovsky,
Chad Kilger,
Mark Bell and
Johnny Pohl, while the Senators were without big guns
Daniel Alfredsson and
Dany Heatley. In their stead, players like
Dominic Moore,
Jiri Tlusty and
Carlo Colaiacovo scored to lead the Leafs to the 4-2 win. With the Leafs attempting to go with a younger roster, I would keep my eye on prospect Robbie Earl, who has great speed and offensive flair. He picked up his first NHL point, an assist, on the Colaiacovo goal.
The Detroit Red Wings treated the Bruins just like they've treated about all their opponents this season. Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk each scored a goal and added an assist to lead Detroit to the 3-1 win. Brian Rafalski also picked up a goal on the power play, giving him 10 goals and 45 points on the season. Chris Osgood looked good on the night, stopping 22 of 23 shots. Osgood has been outstanding this season, and for better or worse, it looks like the Red Wings will continue to shuffle between Dominik Hasek and himself. At this point, the Wings are so good, both goalies will remain valuable for the rest of the season.
Does anyone else think the NHL should do away with the current format they use for the standings within each specific conference? Right now the Carolina Hurricanes, as the Southeast Division leaders, sit in third place in the Eastern Conference with 56 points. The Montreal Canadiens, meanwhile, sit in fourth despite having 65 points. Speaking of the Canadiens, they won again, this time beating the Islanders, 4-1. Mark Streit and Alexei Kovalev each had two points for the Canadiens in the game. Don't be surprised to see this team making headlines in the next couple weeks. I've heard the name Olli Jokinen mentioned as a potential trade target at the deadline.
In a matchup between two teams that have no shortage of superstar forwards, it was an oft-forgotten goalie who stole the show. Kari Lehtonen stopped all 36 shots he faced to shut out Alexander Ovechkin and the Capitals, 2-0. It was Lehtonen's second impressive performance in a row, but I'm still not willing to trust him yet. He's far too inconsistent for me and is just as apt to allow six goals in any given night as he is to allow just one goal.
It's not a break-neck pace, but Jonathan Cheechoo is slowing finding his offensive flair. He scored his 11th goal of the season in the Sharks' 3-2 shootout win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night. Cheechoo scored the goal on the power play on an assist by Joe Thornton, given him eight points in his last 10 games. He's still on pace for only 28 points this season, but he'll get help improving that pace while playing on a good Sharks team.
The Devils-Kings box score will bring a smile to your face if you have a New Jersey player or two on your roster. Twelve different Devils had at least a point in their 6-3 win. Most notably, though, Travis Zajac had a goal and an assist in the game, giving him 13 points in his last 14 games. His numbers would be a lot better (and he would be owned in more ESPN leagues) if not for that terrible month of December, in which he tallied just two points. He's worth an add now, though, if you have the roster space. Also, keep an eye on defenseman Johnny Oduya. He has seven points in his last six games.
The usual suspects did the damage in Columbus on Saturday night. Marian Gaborik scored twice, and Pavol Demitra added two assists as the Wild beat Columbus, 4-1. Niklas Backstrom stopped 33 shots in the win. I'd be weary of putting him in your lineup on Tuesday against the Red Wings, but over the past couple weeks, he has allowed just six goals in four games. At the other end of the ice, keeper leaguers should take note that Derick Brassard scored his first career NHL goal. The sixth overall pick in the 2006 draft is a talented player worth tracking; he had 217 points in 141 games in the QMJHL.
If you were like me and took a chance on Mike Knuble in the mid to late rounds of your draft, you're certainly happy with what you are getting back in return for your investment. Knuble did all the scoring Saturday, as he had a hat trick in the Philadelphia Flyers' 3-0 win over the Anaheim Ducks. He's on pace for 31 goals this year and is still somehow available in about 25 percent of ESPN leagues. Netminder Martin Biron looked good as well, stopping 27 shots for the shutout. It's Biron's third impressive game in a row, showing that he's not ready to let Antero Niittymaki take the starter's job.
We've talked about it here before and it's hard to believe, but Evgeni Malkin's value has actually increased since Sidney Crosby went down to injury. Malkin scored once and added two assists as the Penguins edged Carolina, 4-1. Malkin has 20 points in his last 14 games to prove he's doing perfectly fine playing the lead role in the Steel City. Malkin's linemate, Petr Sykora, has seen the benefits of this upturn in play by the young Russian. Sykora had two points Saturday, giving him seven points in his last six games.
The Battle of Ontario wasn't the only regional rivalry on display as Tampa Bay and Florida met up in what I like to call the "Battle of ... " oh, no one cares. Tomas Vokoun was able to keep the Panthers in the game, and Richard Zednik scored the winning goal with a minute left in the third period to boost Florida to the 3-2 win. Jokinen scored the game-tying goal and is playing well lately, potentially showing off his skills for potential trade suitors.
As the saying goes, sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. Fortunately for Alexander Radulov, he's both. Radulov scored on a deflection off of his shoulder in overtime to give the Predators the 3-2 win over the Phoenix Coyotes on Saturday night. The goal was his 20th of the season, and he has been on a tear of late. He has scored a goal in six consecutive games, breaking a franchise record previously held by teammate Steve Sullivan. The young star's ownership is quickly on the rise in ESPN leagues but remains available in about 10 percent. If that low percentage includes your league, grab him immediately.
No Sakic, no Smyth, no Stastny, no problem for the Colorado Avalanche. Missing three offensive pieces didn't slow down the Colorado offense Saturday as they beat the Blues 6-4. Ben Guite and T.J. Hensick both scored twice in the win, while Wojtek Wolski added two assists. Jose Theodore owners should keep an eye on his status as well. He missed the game with back spasms.
Marty Turco stole the win for the Dallas Stars in Calgary. The Stars were outshot and generally outplayed, but Turco kept them in the game, stopping 31 shots in the 2-1 win. It was a rare low-scoring game for the Stars as both Brenden Morrow and Mike Ribeiro were kept fairly quiet. They continue to be the keys to this team's offense, though. Morrow had a goal for his ninth point in his last eight games, and Ribeiro had an assist, giving him 10 points in his last eight games.
John Pereira is a fantasy hockey analyst for ESPN.com.
