Posted by Tim Kavanagh
Eleven days ago, the lead item in this fantasy blog concerned the Blackhawks and their reliance on a balanced scoring attack coming from both of the top scoring lines to achieve success. One key component of that success has been the fantastic start by Kris Versteeg. Although he was not a household name before the season started, he should be front and center on the radar -- even though he plays right wing -- of any fantasy owner in need of a scoring boost. His three points against Dallas on Thursday led the barrage as Chicago won 6-3, and his goal within the closing 30 seconds of the second period is one for the highlight reel.
Since we've reached the "quarter pole" for some teams in the 82-game season, it's a good checkpoint to evaluate which players have been performing higher than their assumed value and vice versa. For Versteeg, a recent surge has catapulted him back into a tie with Derick Brassard for the lead in the rookie scoring race; with 19 points apiece, they are tied with some nice company in the overall scoring standings -- Dany Heatley, Mike Richards, Thomas Vanek and Teemu Selanne. In other words, both youngsters are performing better than expectations.
While Brassard has finally been moved to the pivot next to Rick Nash in Columbus, Versteeg may have even more fantasy value in Chicago on the top line with Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. By looking at just the individual stats, it's almost a dead heat; both players have a decent plus-minus, with very little contribution from either in the penalty minute or hits department. However, Chicago's power-play unit ranks eighth in the league, scoring at better than a 20 percent clip with the extra man, whereas Columbus sits at a league-worst 12.1 percent. Therefore, the slight edge for expected fantasy value going forward has to go to Versteeg, who benefits from better playmakers at the point. And for those leagues that count shorthanded points, Versteeg is also an asset there, with a goal and two assists while killing penalties.
You can't go wrong with a pickup of Versteeg or Brassard at this point, but considering their relative ownership percentages, you've got a better chance of finding the former amongst the free agents in your league right now.
Ice Chips
Scott Clemmensen got his fourth start in the Devils' past five games, holding the Panthers to one goal to earn his second win of the season. Within those four starts, he's had only one atrocious game, a five-goals-against outing against Washington where the Devils' offense bailed him out, as unbelievable as that sounds. On the other hand, it does seem that this current situation is just a stopgap before a trade can be fully negotiated for a Martin Brodeur replacement. The two names being thrown around the most are Nikolai Khabibulin and Dwayne Roloson; while Khabibulin has been getting many more starts in his role and is owned in over half of ESPN leagues, either veteran would become a must-have fantasy asset if a trade happens. If you've got space, Roloson is a good pickup on the chance that he ends up as the new starter for the Devils. … Brooks Laich had a third-period goal for the Capitals, but he had one of the greatest fantasy-irrelevant sequences of the season during a 5-on-3 penalty kill against the Kings. After a Washington defenseman broke his stick, Laich gave him his intact one, then proceeded to block two shots -- one a glove save, and a beauty -- to hold off the barrage. You can check out the replay here. … Erik Ersberg continues to put in workmanlike, solid performances; in fact, in the past eight Kings' games, he's been the starting 'tender and has given up just 16 goals. While the team in front of him scores at just a 2.56 goals-per-game clip, you've gotta like those chances. He's way under-owned at just 7.7 percent right now. … Drew Doughty scored on a "wicked hahd slap shawt," adding some scoring punch to his ice time and plus-minus fantasy contributions. … After six unsuccessful shots on goal, Petr Sykora's power-play deflection of a Sidney Crosby shot was the game-winner as Pittsburgh held off Atlanta. Crosby led the scoring with a goal and two assists but still trails Evgeni Malkin by six for the league lead. … While those remaining few who start Marty Turco were beset by another poor outing, owners of Miikka Kiprusoff had another nice surprise last night. After giving up 28 goals in seven November starts, Kipper has let in just one in his past two starts combined, both against the Avalanche. I suppose it says more about Colorado's offense than Kiprusoff's goaltending, and that hypothesis will be tested tomorrow night against the Red Wings. … Speaking of Detroit, Jiri Hudler continues a solid scoring streak in spite of low fantasy ownership. Although his ownership percentage saw an increase of just 0.3 percent this past week -- putting him at 11.9 percent overall -- Hudler scored two goals as the Wings held off the Oilers 4-3, his second two-point effort in as many games. Listen, we knew before the season that the Red Wings would be a dangerous team offensively, and at this point, Hudler is one of the only players you can get for free off of waivers. Make the move. … For someone who was drafted so high and has such a great record -- 8-1-3 -- Chris Osgood has been killing his fantasy owners with his ratios. Detroit continues their tour of Western Canada with stops in Calgary and Vancouver before hosting Montreal next week. Out of those three, only the Canucks are in the top 10 for team scoring, so this is a chance for Osgood to get back on track. … It took a shootout to decide the tilt between the Senators and Canadiens, as Alex Auld and Carey Price both let up just two goals apiece. Meanwhile, is Sergei Kostitsyn this season's Andrei Kostitsyn? The elder Belarusian did not hit his stride until December last season, but he was a valuable lower-end winger from then on out, and Sergei's two assists against Ottawa could be a good sign of things to come. … Pavol Demitra had a goal and an assist against his former team, and he's a must-start as long as he retains his slot on the line with the Sedin brothers. … It's just one game, but Cal Clutterbuck is an animal, finishing Thursday's game with eight registered hits. With such a low average ice time, however, he's not a recommended pickup unless you're developing the "Best NHL Names" team.
