Posted by Tristan H. Cockcroft, ESPN.com
Rick DiPietro tossed his third shutout of the season Thursday, extending his winning streak to six consecutive starts. Hey, at least it's better than his dreadful cold spell heading into that; he lost eight straight starts from Jan. 15-Feb. 9. It'd be nice if DiPietro got more offensive support, but he has a 1.99 goals-against average and .926 save percentage during his six-game hot spell. Unfortunately, his Isles play nine of their final 20 contests against top-10 offenses (four with the Flyers, three with the Penguins and one each with the Canadiens and Lightning), so the chances of him keeping this up aren't great.
DiPietro's counterpart, Karri Ramo, came out on the losing end of the 1-0 defeat despite stopping 27 of 28 shots he faced. Not that it's worth getting too excited about when a goalie handles the Islanders' offense, but it's yet another case of Ramo offering a rare glimpse of his future potential. Here's the problem: Starts for him are so few and far between, and standout performances even more spaced out than that. If you're a Ramo owner -- and this is directed at you keeper-leaguers -- having him is going to require great patience.
It's nice to see Evgeni Nabokov's longest cold spell of the season -- four straight losses -- has come to an end. He stopped 26 of 27 shots on Thursday, while facing a top-five offense (the Flyers). That's a welcome change from his performance in his previous 15 starts, when he managed a 6-8-1 record, 2.88 goals-against average and .879 save percentage. The Sharks' schedule the rest of the season plays heavily in Nabokov's favor; they play five top-10 offenses (one each against the Canadiens, Penguins, Predators, Red Wings and Senators) in their final 21 contests. Expect him to remain a top-tier fantasy option.
Nabokov's counterpart, Martin Biron, is in the midst of a dreadful slump, losing his sixth consecutive start on Thursday. During that span he has a 3.35 GAA and .894 save percentage, dropping his season rates to 2.73 and .916. Fortunately for Biron, backup Antero Niittymaki hasn't been much better, losing three straight games himself. Still, with the Flyers' schedule not getting much easier, Biron shouldn't be trusted as much more than a spot-start type, and mainly in home games against weak offensive teams.
Evgeni Malkin had a goal and two assists on Thursday, bringing his totals in 15 games since Sidney Crosby got hurt to 12 goals and 18 points. That Malkin has been so productive in spite of the absence of his key teammate speaks volumes not only of his talent, but the depth of the Penguins' offense. He extended his NHL scoring lead to 82 points, and is as good a bet as anyone in the top 10 at winning the crown.
Now it doesn't seem like either Canadiens goalie wants the starting role. In the game after he helped rally his team to one of the most improbable comebacks in recent memory, Cristobal Huet allowed five goals on 30 shots in a 5-4 loss. He's now 3-4-1 with a 3.89 GAA and .877 save percentage in his past eight games, so expect the team to continue shuffling him and Carey Price in and out of net until one hits a hot streak.
Cory Stillman scored his first goal for the Senators on Thursday, and skated 21:55, his healthiest ice-time total in his five games for his new team. Not that he has gone invisible for fantasy during that span; he has one goal and three assists. Stillman certainly seems to be fully acclimated to his new surroundings, so expect him to stick close to a point per game with a decent plus/minus rating from this point forward.
As we always say, a player's goals total usually falls in line with his number of shots fired, if you're patient enough. Such seems the case with Ales Kotalik, who lit the lamp twice on Thursday after taking 34 shots on goal in 14 previous games. He's well short of a point-per-game pace, but with him contributing on the power play and the Sabres looking like a fairly potent offense these days, a decent finish could be in order for him. Monitor him closely.
Ryan Miller's torrid hot streak continued on Thursday, as he stopped 34 of 35 shots to defeat the Maple Leafs. He's 10-2-1 with a 2.01 GAA and .931 save percentage in his past 14 starts, and is shaping up as a solid No. 1 fantasy goalie looking forward.
Jaroslav Spacek recorded his second consecutive two-assist game on Thursday, and in his past eight contests, he has one goal and seven points. He's certainly a streaky player, though he does enough with the power-play time he receives to be worth slotting in at the back end of your fantasy lineup. Stick with Spacek while he's red hot.
Speaking of streaky players, Thomas Vanek certainly fits the bill as a red-hot forward right now. He managed a goal and two assists on Thursday, giving him 14 goals and 22 points in his past 17 contests. Vanek has fired 63 shots on goal during that span, and those who owned him a year ago remember he was a 43-goal, 84-point, plus-47 performer. I'd put him a step ahead of the true "streaky" classification; he's a must-start the final two months.
What a game by Roberto Luongo on Thursday night. He faced 51 shots and stopped 49 of them, against a pretty potent Predators offense no less. That marks three consecutive victories for the potential Vezina candidate; he's back to his elite, top-three-goalie status.
Kevin Bieksa returned to action on Thursday after only one game of a conditioning stint in the AHL, skating 15 minutes, 48 seconds and going scoreless. It's going to take time for him to get close to the 42-point, 134-penalty minute form he displayed a year ago, but that's to be expected; he had missed three and a half months with a lacerated calf muscle. Keep an eye on Bieksa, who has sleeper potential, but practice patience only with him on your bench.
Tristan H. Cockcroft covers fantasy sports for ESPN.com. You can e-mail him here.
