Posted by Tim Kavanagh
Thursday's box scores were bolstered by some players who haven't been lighting the world on fire with their scoring this season. Whether the onslaught will continue for each is known only by a clairvoyant at this point, but history can give us at least a clue as to the answer.
Before the game against the Lightning, the Rangers had one of the worst power plays in the league -- converting just 10 of 74 chances -- and their captain Chris Drury was off to a putrid start, with just five points in 15 games. Both got a nice bump with Mike Smith and the Lightning in town, as the host Blueshirts scored three power-play goals on eight chances, two of which came off the stick of Drury. Drury's offensive output -- which also included a shorthanded goal -- going forward is indissolubly linked to the success of New York's power play, as his production with the man advantage has accounted for about 50 percent of his production for the past three seasons. If Thursday's game is any indication, he should be in for big things. See if Drury's owner is fed up with the slow start, and then enjoy at least 20 more goals and 30 more assists on your roster.
Blake Wheeler is big and fast. His speed helped out on his most famous goal during his time at the University of Minnesota, which you can watch here, and his 6-foot-4 frame has given Boston coach Claude Julien a reason to stick Wheeler on the power play from time to time. It was a combination of these two traits, as well as the smarts to be in the right place at the right time, that allowed Wheeler to record his first NHL hat trick against the Maple Leafs. The first goal was a deflection on the power play, the second off a nice pass from Marco Sturm after a defensive-zone giveaway by the Leafs, and the third an empty-netter. Wheeler being just a rookie, he -- and his fantasy owners -- will suffer from inconsistent production; however, Wheeler did tie for the goal-scoring lead for the Golden Gophers last season, and at 22, he possesses more maturity than some of the baby-faced 18-year-olds we've hyped in the past. Hold off for now if you're in a standard-sized league, but be ready to pounce if the production shows any sign of sustenance.
During the 2006-07 campaign, Ryane Clowe was moved to the top line with Joe Thornton, and responded -- as Thornton's linemates tend to do -- with a breakout campaign. Last season, however, Clowe was on injured reserve with torn knee ligaments for the vast majority of the Sharks' games, returning in the playoffs to produce the second-most points for the team. This season started off slowly, with no goals and just two assists in the team's first six games. Last night, Clowe notched two goals, extending an eight-game stretch where he has scored eight. The fantasy world has begun to take notice, as Clowe's ownership has grown by 16 percentage points in the past two weeks and is now at 36.8. Clowe will continue to score, albeit at a slower pace, but he also provides a little more than one penalty minute per game and his gritty play will land you hits as well certainly enough for a No. 3 left-winger slot.
Ice Chips
Jeff Vinnick/NHLI/Getty Images
Roberto Luongo stopped all 28 shots fired his way on Thursday.
With 59 shots on goal combined, someone had to score. Unfortunately for Ilya Bryzgalov, he was the one to relent, and was bested 1-0 by Roberto Luongo, who recorded his second straight shutout. Kevin Bieksa had the winner for Vancouver and in spite of not "producing" in the penalty-minute department, is well ahead of scoring projections, on pace for a 50-point season. If the thuggery picks up, he'll be a top-5 defenseman, so now might be the time to buy in. … Last season's Iron Man goalie, Evgeni Nabokov, grabbed a shootout victory over St. Louis, but appeared to have tweaked his left leg somehow and was helped off the ice. Grab Brian Boucher even if you don't own Nabokov. His two starts this season have both been shutouts, and it's not like the team in front of him can't score. … Jarome Iginla had two goals and two assists, but as we often say, "Look to the linemates." Todd Bertuzzi has expanded his role on the team to include some power-play duty, and he had two power-play assists in addition to one at even strength, and both power-play helpers came with Iginla involved in the play. … While Iginla is universally owned, and Bertuzzi is getting there thanks to a hot start, Martin Erat is an overlooked gem. Erat had a power-play goal and two assists Thursday, giving him 13 points in the same number of games. It seems that his 31.9 percent ownership is a bit low, yes? … Another under-owned gem -- in spite of our near-daily hyping of him on this blog -- is Alex Auld. After another one-goal-against game, he has now let up just seven goals in the past five outings. There's still time to climb aboard the Auld Express, too: he's currently held in just 47.8 percent of ESPN leagues. … There's value even on the league's worst teams. Enter Slava Kozlov, whose eight goals have provided some punch while Ilya Kovalchuk tries to flag down someone to jump-start his stalled engine. Kovalchuk was taken late in the first or early in the second round of fantasy drafts, while Kozlov is still largely unowned. If you need a stone-cold sniper that won't bolster your other categories, take a chance on Slava. … Could Petr Sykora finally be getting over a laggard start? Two goals Thursday, including one on the power play, give him just three on the season, much to the chagrin of fantasy owners everywhere, who were expecting another 20-something goal campaign, and many of whom likely had benched the veteran. Keep him on your team, but also keep him on your bench until he can prove this game was truly the first step on the path back to fantasy relevance. … Martin St. Louis notched his third goal of the season against the Rangers, and he should be off to the races from here on out. Make one last offer with some overachievers to his owner, because he'll soon be untouchable.
