Posted by Tristan H. Cockcroft, ESPN.com
What a day for the
Pittsburgh Penguins.
First, they made a big splash at the trade deadline, landing Marian Hossa from the Thrashers in the final minutes. (Speaking of which, be sure to check out Sean Allen's spins on the deadline deals.) Then, a few hours later, down a couple roster spots as a result of the deal, they eked out a 4-2 road win, despite being outshot, 52-20.
Not a bad day's work, eh?
Ty Conklin was the Penguins' star Tuesday night, stopping a remarkable 50 of those 52 shots faced, continuing what has been a breakout campaign for the journeyman. Despite a slight fall back to earth from his nine consecutive wins as a starter to begin his season, Conklin has still slotted in nicely as a No. 2 fantasy goalie providing top-tier numbers since. He's 7-2-3 with a 2.44 goals-against average and .923 save percentage in 12 starts since the All-Star break (out of 15 games for his team), and those aren't bad stats at all. Now-healthy Marc-Andre Fleury remains a threat to cut into Conklin's playing time, but he shouldn't. The Penguins, a legitimate Cup contender, should stick with the hot hand.
Evgeni Malkin, meanwhile, was one of the game's offensive stars, scoring a goal and adding an assist. Not that you didn't already know he was a fantasy stud, but consider this: What might a Malkin-Hossa line accomplish, beginning on Thursday? Perhaps more interestingly: What might a Malkin-Hossa-Sidney Crosby line do, once the latter returns? Boy, I know I can't wait for the Penguins' final 18 regular-season games.
Turning to the Thrashers for a second, Hossa's departure certainly didn't seem to bother Ilya Kovalchuk. He was Atlanta's offense Tuesday, scoring his 41st goal. It probably won't be the final time this year that'll happen, not that you should downgrade Kovalchuk. Hossa was in the midst of a disappointing year and it's not like Colby Armstrong, potentially Kovalchuk's new line mate, is a terrible offensive player.
The Capitals were another Eastern team that bulked up on Tuesday, but interestingly enough, it was the man whose job security was most threatened by the deadline deals who stepped up in the night's contest. Olaf Kolzig, rumored on the block himself, stopped 34 of 35 shots to earn his 11th win in his past 18th starts. That was in spite of the distraction of the team having acquired goalie Cristobal Huet earlier in the day. With Huet now on board, the Capitals possess three viable goalies on the roster, with Brent Johnson having been getting the occasional start of late. In other words, this isn't good news at all for Kolzig, or for Huet, for that matter, though it's absolutely great news for...
Carey Price, perhaps the biggest benefactor of all of Tuesday's deals. There had been some rumblings of late that he was being groomed as the Canadiens' No. 1 goalie for the playoffs, but now it's official. In his first start as the team's clear-cut starter, Price stopped 26 of 27 shots to defeat the aforementioned Thrashers. No, it's not what I'd call a "statement" win, beating an elite opponent to establish himself as a force to be reckoned with, it's more winning the games he's expected to win, another important a trait of a goalie. I admit, Price did have me a bit troubled a week ago when he melted down facing the Rangers, a lackluster offense, but this is a nice first step for him in his new, expanded role. The added confidence of being the unquestioned starter should help, so look for a strong finish, at least No. 2-goalie value. By the way, he's available in roughly 50 percent of ESPN leagues!
Speaking of players helped by deadline deals, Marty Turco now has a stronghold on the starting goaltending role in Dallas, with Mike Smith Tampa Bay-bound. Turco stopped 27 of 28 shots Tuesday, and in 11 starts since the All-Star break, he's 9-2-0 with a 1.81 GAA and .930 save percentage. He's a historic hot finisher, with a 1.94/.919 post All-Star break rates for his career, and now he's awfully secure in his starting role.
Sergei Samsonov scored two goals on Tuesday, his first multigoal effort since Dec. 12, 2006, against a pretty stout goaltender in Martin Brodeur. That brings his Hurricanes totals to nine goals, 18 points and a plus-10 in 22 games, yet amazingly, he's owned in a mere one percent of ESPN leagues. Man, what does it take to get some fantasy attention?
Tuomo Ruutu, one of the few players swapped Tuesday who made it to his new team in time for that night's game, had an assist in his Hurricanes debut. He was reunited with former teammate Samsonov, whose first goal he assisted on; interestingly, the two hadn't hooked up on a goal in 21 games working together in Chicago. Ruutu will need to show more than one game's production to warrant a pickup in most formats, but if Samsonov revived his career in Carolina, who's to say Ruutu can't, either?
Brooks Laich -- who?! -- scored two goals and had a career-high four points on Tuesday, despite Kolzig stealing the spotlight. Before you race to pick him up, though, consider two things: One, those numbers included, he has 28 goals and 63 points in 215 career games; and two, he might have been bumped up to the second line, but when your line mates are Tomas Fleischmann and Eric Fehr, you can't count on regular scoring chances. I need to see a couple more great games from Laich before adding him.
Another two-goal standout Tuesday: Loui Eriksson, who accomplished the feat in back-to-back games. He has five goals and a plus-8 in his past three games combined, and got a good share of first-line time on Tuesday, stepping in for the traded Jussi Jokinen. If you're seeking post-trade deadline sleepers in deeper leagues, take a look at Eriksson.
Tristan H. Cockcroft covers fantasy sports for ESPN.com. You can e-mail him here.
