Fantasy Hockey: 5 players to watch on the wire this week
Fantasy hockey was kind this week to owners of top players around the league. The Islanders have been scoring, and winning on the road - looking for their seventh straight win on enemy territory for the first time in 33 years vs. the Stars Sunday.
Leading the charge has been captain John Tavares, who has three goals and five assists this week. His week started with a five-point night against the Stars, so not a bad way to start things off. The week has also seen the Rangers' Rick Nash return to his old form, with three goals, and Avalanche rookie Nathan MacKinnon continued his quest for the Calder Trophy, with three markers as well.
Owners of Ducks forwards Corey Perry (three goals, three assists), and Ryan Getzlaf (three goals, three assists) *although he was injured Saturday night, Penguins forwards James Neal (three goals, two assists) and Evgeni Malkin (three goals, two assists) were happy with the production, as were owners of Blue Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, who returned this week, recording two wins, that came with a shutout vs. the Hurricanes.
The league's leading scorer, Penguins forward Sidney Crosby, didn't disappoint either, notching two goals, and two assists this week. Crosby shocked the Canucks with a game-tying goal late in the third, and eventually scored the shootout winner (if you're league accounts for that sort of thing.
Here are the leader scorers as of Sunday
| Player | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Sidney Crosby | Penguins | 67 |
| Patrick Kane | Blackhawks | 54 |
| John Tavares | Islanders | 54 |
| Ryan Getzlaf | Ducks | 53 |
| Joe Thornton | Sharks | 50 |
| Corey Perry | Ducks | 49 |
| Chris Kunitz | Penguins | 49 |
| Patrick Sharp | Blackhawks | 48 |
| Nicklas Backstrom | Capitals | 48 |
| Alex Ovechkin | Capitals | 48 |
Five players to watch this week
Wild F Justin Fontaine: 11 goals, 4 assists, +8, 50 SOG
Owned in 1 percent of Yahoo Leagues
No Zach Parise, No Mikko Koivu, no problem for the Wild thanks in part to Justin Fontaine. Over his last seven games, the undrafted rookie has five goals, including a hat trick vs. the Coyotes January 9 - the first Wild rookie ever to record one in their history. Fontaine is playing on a line with Matt Cooke and Kyle Brodziak, who netted two points on Jan. 9, and looks to be showing his offensive talents that were displayed in his time with the Houston Aeros. Last season, Fontaine was the leading scorer for the Aeros, while recording 111 points in over two seasons.
Blues C Vladimir Sobotka: 7 goals, 17 assists, +14, 66 SOG
Owned in 10 percent of Yahoo Leagues
Sobotka, who was named to the Czech Republic Olympic team this week, has seen a boost in his offensive production since December 12. In his last nine games, he has recorded two goals, and nine assists. Coming into the season, he had recorded a career high seven goals and 22 assists in the 2010-11 season.
Lightning D Matthew Carle: 1 goal, 21 assists, +16, 69 SOG
Owned in 43 percent of Yahoo Leagues:
If you need help with assists, and plus/minus, Carle is your man. The former second round pick in 2003 recorded a +6 rating Saturday vs. the Flyers, making him one of the more notable names being picked up off the wire.
#TBLightning Matt Carle finished with a career-high plus-six rating highest in NHL since Sam Gagner on Feb. 2, 2012 (had 8 pts that game)
— Matt Sitkoff (@msitkoffNHL) January 12, 2014
Carle isn't known for his offensive talent (38 goals in 564 games) but his career +72 rating is impressive, especially with the assists pouring in again.
Hurricanes F Jordan Staal: 10 goals, 14 assists, +5, 95 SOG
Owned in 44 percent of Yahoo Leagues
Staal has been an offensive disappointment this season, but displayed his talents in one game this week vs. the Maple Leafs. With brother Eric out of the lineup, Jordan stepped up and recorded a goal and three assists vs. Toronto. Staal hasn't been the offensive spark the Hurricanes thought they were getting after a 25 goal, 25 assist year in Pittsburgh in 2011-12, but games like the one against Toronto make him a plyer not worth sitting on the wire.
Lightning forward Ondrej Palat: 9 goals, 13 assists, +14, 82 SOG
Owned in 8 percent of Yahoo Leagues
The little known Ondrej Palat is worth a watch this week. His eight-game point streak came to an end Saturday vs. the Flyers, but that shouldn't stop you from monitoring his production the rest of the season. Playing on a line with Martin St. Louis and earning time on the second power-play until have all contributed to his success as of late.
Top adds in Yahoo
Lightning D Matthew Carle
Ducks F Dustin Penner
Bruins F Loui Eriksson
Lightning F Valtteri Filppula
Ducks F Matt Beleskey