Posted by Sean Allen, Special to ESPN.com
Four shutouts were recorded in the NHL on Saturday, but maybe only two of them were helpful to fantasy owners. Of the other two shutouts, one was recorded by a goaltender who might not even
start another game this season, let alone manage another shutout. But that final goose egg is where we might find some value. Read on.
Ryan Miller and Cam Ward both recorded shutouts; Miller's Sabres topped the Coyotes 2-0, and Ward's Hurricanes managed a 2-0 win over the Thrashers. Both likely were started in fantasy leagues, albeit as No. 2 goaltenders. Neither goaltender is known as a shutout guy, but hey, even a broken clock is right twice a day. Take the shutouts, enjoy them and continue to start those guys.
Meanwhile, the Bruins' top prospect, Tuukka Rask, put in a great performance against the Rangers, stopping 35 shots for the 1-0 win. Rask was called up from the AHL to serve as Tim Thomas' backup while Manny Fernandez deals with back issues, but Rask started only because Thomas had been in net for eight straight games. Fernandez is close to returning, though, and Rask should be back in goal for the Providence Bruins sooner rather than later. He does remain a must-have for any long-term keeper league, though.
Scott Rovak/US Presswire
The Blues' Chris Mason is owned in only 2 percent of ESPN.com leagues.
The fourth shutout of the night went to
Chris Mason, as the Blues' backup goaltender made 36 saves to preserve a 4-0 win over Philadelphia. The former Nashville standout has been the lesser of two evils for the Blues this season, with a goals-against average and save percentage that you could argue are as good as Flames goalie
Miikka Kiprusoff's. The problem is that the team has trouble winning in front of Mason compared to
Manny Legace. Look at the numbers: Legace has a 3.12 goals-against average and 13 wins in 28 games, while Mason has a 2.79 GAA with only six wins in 23 games.
That said, Mason now has two shutouts in three starts and hasn't allowed more than three goals in a game since December. Wins are nice, and that very category is the only thing giving Evgeni Nabokov owners some solace, but they aren't everything. Mason had a very rough December, going 0-6 with a 4.32 goals-against average and a .866 save percentage. But remove that month and look at his combined stats: 12 starts, 15 games played, 6-8-1 record, 2.04 goals-against average, .934 save percentage. That makes him look like a pretty darned good fantasy goaltender.
Mason looks to have shaken whatever ailed him in December and could be on the verge of becoming the first Blues goaltender to be worthy of starting in weekly fantasy leagues this season. And he's owned in only 2 percent of ESPN.com leagues.
Ice chips
Players who haven't been garnering the respect they deserve in fantasy leagues scored three of the Blues' goals. David Backes' power-play marker gave him seven goals in 12 games, Patrik Berglund's goal was his 15th of the season and Carlo Colaiacovo finished January with points in seven of 11 games. … We can cut Columbus' Steve Mason some slack for his struggles Saturday. His start against Dallas was his second start in as many nights, and he reportedly is battling mononucleosis. The Stars chased the rookie with three first-period goals on eight shots. I'm not panicking yet, but I'm definitely paying attention to his next start (against St. Louis) to see how much stamina he has. The rigors of an NHL season can be pretty tough for young goaltenders who don't get spelled often enough, not to mention goalies who have mono. … Steve Ott, who was mentioned as a pickup in the Jan. 19 edition of Open Ice, scored for Dallas in its 7-3 win, giving him six points in four games since that column. …
Ville Leino opened the scoring for the Red Wings in their 4-2 loss to
Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals with a beautiful toe-drag, half-spin, highlight-reel goal. I'll be honest; I've been fawning over the kid from Finland all season because of his work with the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins (37 points in 44 games). He is benefiting from
Henrik Zetterberg's injury, but if he sticks around after Zetterberg returns, scoop him up. Leino has more than enough talent to be a top-six forward in the NHL, and he could bump someone down the Red Wings' depth chart. … Both have been back with the team for a few games now, but you might not have noticed
Saku Koivu's or
Christopher Higgins' returns until Saturday. Higgins was the first star, and Koivu had two points in the Habs' 4-3 win over the Kings. Koivu can be activated as a No. 3 center in standard leagues, but Higgins need only be monitored for an increase in his power-play time. …
Jonas Hiller started his third straight game for the Ducks and notched a 4-3 win over Colorado. If you own
Jean-Sebastien Giguere and Hiller is a free agent in your league, don't hesitate to pick him up. Heck, even if you don't own Giguere, you still should pick him up. Hiller is the current No. 1 goalie for the Ducks. …
Jason Blake is the Maple Leaf who's grabbing the most attention lately. He scored the winning goal and added an assist in Toronto's 5-4 win over Pittsburgh to finish January with 16 points in 13 games. His 75 percent ownership in ESPN.com leagues is too low, given that he also finished December with respectable numbers (11 points in 14 games). …
Pierre-Marc Bouchard had three points in the Wild's 4-3 overtime win at Vancouver. That gave him a January total of 14 points in 13 games and marked his third three-point game of the month. Like Blake, Bouchard is underowned, with just 38 percent ownership in ESPN.com leagues. … During a West Coast swing, Chicago's
Nikolai Khabibulin handled Anaheim on Wednesday and then posted a 4-2 win over San Jose on Saturday, while
Cristobal Huet fell 5-2 to the Kings on Thursday. Hmm, wonder which goaltender coach Joel Quenneville prefers at the moment? …
Kris Versteeg added to his rookie-leading point total in his first game back from a hand injury, notching two points. He has slowed down since a hot start but remains worthwhile as a starter. … Fantasy owners will be without the services of
Tomas Kaberle for about a month because of a broken bone in his hand. You'll be hard-pressed to replace his points and power-play totals from the blue line, but your plus/minus might thank you for the break.
Sean Allen is a fantasy baseball and hockey analyst for ESPN.com. You can e-mail him here.
