Posted by Tristan H. Cockcroft, ESPN.com
He has endured a dreadful season to date, but perhaps Bryan McCabe is on the verge of a hot streak, having scored a goal and adding three assists on Thursday. The goal and two of the assists came on the power play and he was a plus-2, this after managing two assists and a plus-1 Saturday. For the season, McCabe is on pace for a mere 26 points in 54 contests, but those who owned him in either of the past two years since the lockout know he's capable of better. During those two seasons, he averaged three goals (two on the power play) and eight assists (5 PP) per 13 games played, which is the number his Maple Leafs have left on the schedule. Those numbers are within reach.
With a goal on Thursday, Mats Sundin reached the 30-goal plateau for the 13th time in his 17-year NHL career, a remarkable level of consistency, don't you think? He also added two assists, bringing him to four goals, seven assists and a plus-5 in five games since the trade deadline, four of those on the road. It appears Sundin is settling down and getting back his early-season level of dominance now that there's no longer any need to discuss his waiving his no-trade clause. Keep riding the hot streak he's on.
Tim Thomas is in the midst of a terrible cold spell, coming off back-to-back losses, the latest a five-goal meltdown on 23 shots in 31 minutes on Thursday. That followed a 36-minute effort in which he allowed seven goals on 24 shots on Monday, and it brought his numbers to a 12-7-1 record, 2.87 goals-against average and .908 save percentage in 21 starts since Jan. 1. Thomas still has second-tier fantasy goalie potential, but with him slumping, feel free to be a bit pickier about how you use him looking forward.
It's the kind of game fantasy owners love to see: Erik Cole added 19 penalty minutes to his game-winning, power-play goal on Thursday. Most importantly, he has been more than up to the task of leading the Hurricanes offense since they lost Rod Brind'Amour to season-ending knee surgery and Cory Stillman in a trade with the Senators; he has seven goals, four assists and a plus-2 in 10 games since both players departed the lineup. Don't expect PIM contributions like this from Cole every night -- only two other times all year did he have more than two in a game, topping out at five -- but count on solid scoring totals.
Cam Ward won his third consecutive start on Thursday, stopping 26-of-28 shots, and is in the midst of a semi-hot streak right now. He's 6-1-0 with a 2.45 GAA and .910 save percentage in his past seven starts, though it's important to note that it's coincided with a fantasy-friendly schedule. Now Ward gets the Sabres twice and Senators once in his next four contests, so expect a slight fall back toward earth since he's hardly an elite contributor in GAA and save percentage, though there remain some useful matchups in which to exploit him in the final month. The Hurricanes have two games each with the Thrashers, Panthers and Lightning, so be prepared to play those matchups.
With his 26 saves on 27 shots Thursday, Henrik Lundqvist notched his 30th win for the third consecutive season to begin his NHL career. However, in a troubling note, he has seen his GAA and save percentage climb in each season since his rookie year of 2005-06. Not that his 2007-08 numbers -- 2.35 GAA and .908 save percentage -- are terrible rates. The GAA ranks him 10th in the league, not a bad standing, and he's 8-3-2 in 14 starts since the All-Star break, finally getting some much-needed W's. Lundqvist's Rangers, in case they put you to sleep several weeks back with their low-scoring ways, have 11 wins in their past 16 contests and have totaled 56 goals during that span (3.5 per game), a performance much closer to the preseason expectations. With a lot of New Jersey (three games) and a lot of Pittsburgh (two) left on the schedule, the Rangers don't possess the easiest road ahead, but expect a respectable finish at least from Lundqvist and his mates.
Sean Avery scored two goals on Thursday, the second time in the past month he has done that. But admit it, you didn't draft him for his goal-scoring touch, you grabbed him because of his penalty-minutes contribution. Well, while Avery's night in PIMs wasn't impressive -- he had two -- he's actually doing a fine job of filling the points and PIM categories since the All-Star break. During that span, he has nine goals, four assists, a plus-9 and 60 PIMs in 17 games, an awfully balanced stat line, wouldn't you say? With the Rangers now playing up to expectations, he's well worth using every game.
In one of the more surprising developments of the night, Daniel Briere returned from his strained right shoulder and scored a goal Thursday, after sitting out Tuesday's game. He's in the midst of a three-game point streak and while he's languishing at a horrible minus-22, he's doing enough in the points (58) and power-play points (32) departments to be worth getting back into your active lineup. Ride this potential hot streak.
Jeff Carter scored two goals on Thursday, the second time in the past week he has done that. He has six goals, three assists and a plus-3 in his past seven games, and has fired 37 shots during that span. Carter is seeing increased ice time since Mike Richards was sidelined with a torn left hamstring, skating better than 20 minutes these days after getting in the high teens most of the earlier stages of the season. Expect his hot streak to continue for at least another week while Richards heals.
Clearly it's hurting Vincent Lecavalier that he's no longer getting to team up with either Vaclav Prospal (now in Philadelphia) or Brad Richards (now in Dallas); the defending Rocket Richard Trophy winner was held scoreless for a third consecutive game on Thursday. He has a mere two assists and a minus-6 in four games since the trade deadline and has taken only 13 shots during that span, demonstrating the drop-off the Lightning offense has experienced in light of their dealings. Lecavalier should pick up the pace eventually, but if you're looking at opposing goalies, treat the Lightning like you would one of the game's weakest opponents, and temper your expectations for him as well.
As expected, red-hot Craig Anderson got yet another start for the Panthers on Thursday, and he was up to the challenge again, though this time he didn't notch a shutout. He defeated the Penguins, stopping 25-of-27 shots, a remarkable performance nonetheless accounting for the scoring strength of the opponent. Anderson now has four straight wins with a 0.75 GAA and .981 save percentage during that span, though he might get a night off on Saturday to rest. Still, he has done enough to make this a bona fide goaltending controversy, and with nothing but fantasy-friendly matchups ahead for him, he's worth a pickup if you're desperate for goalie help. Just pay close attention to the Panthers' goalie assignments.
I keep looking at Jose Theodore's recent hot streak and thinking back to his 2001-02 season, when he burst upon the fantasy scene with one of the most remarkable second halves in recent memory. He's been performing a lot like that, shutting out the Ducks on 27 shots on Thursday, which brings him to 14-9-1 with a 2.02 GAA and .927 save percentage in 24 starts since Jan. 1. That compares awfully favorably to his 12-9-4 record, 1.99 GAA and .938 save percentage in 26 second-half games in 2001-02, wouldn't you say? More impressive: Theodore's numbers back then came in a more defensive-oriented era, so what he's been doing lately is incredible. He's a must-start, top-tier goalie right now and like he did with the Canadiens six years ago, he's helping lead his Avalanche on a playoff charge at the right time of the season to do it. Keep enjoying the dominant numbers.
You've gotta love the coach who pulls the old "vote of confidence" move, giving his goalie the start in the very next game after he endured a horrific meltdown. Such was the case with Carey Price, who got the call in Phoenix Thursday despite a six-goal disaster at San Jose three nights earlier. The rookie was up to the challenge this time, stopping 37 of 39 shots to notch his 16th win of the season. That brings him to 3-1-0 with a 2.76 GAA and .923 save percentage in four games since the trade of Cristobal Huet, and the GAA is mainly high only because of that one bad night. With not too many tricky matchups in his future, Price is a solid second-tier fantasy goalie, and one with top-tier potential at that.
Rookie Erik Ersberg notched his first career shutout on Thursday and it was an impressive one at that, stopping 40 shots to defeat the Senators. It wasn't his first solid effort at the NHL level, though; he actually has starts in each of the Kings' past three games and has a 1.66 GAA and .953 save percentage in those contests. This might not be only a short-term role for Ersberg, either, not with Jason LaBarbera out for the season following hernia surgery. The Kings certainly will ride the hot streak with their rookie, especially as the mediocre Dan Cloutier is their only alternative, and their schedule at least does have a couple of fantasy-friendly matchups (two games against the Ducks stand out). At this stage of the season when goalie production is getting tougher to come by, Ersberg is worth a speculative pickup in deeper leagues; keep an eye on him the next few games.
Tristan H. Cockcroft covers fantasy sports for ESPN.com. You can e-mail him here.
