Can Stars keep the fire going against the Flames?
by jamestobrien on Feb 3, 2009 11:00 AM PST
21 comments
For the second game in a row, the Stars will play another team on a hot streak. The Calgary Flames come into town tonight.
It's pretty stunning how good the Stars have been lately. They're not resorting to nailbiters lately, either: each game in their current four game winning streak has been decided by at least 2 goals and they've outscored their opponents 17-4 during that stretch. That includes the 7-3 shellacking the Stars gave Steve "mono" Mason and the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday.
This might be the biggest test yet, as the Calgary Flames are starting to create a buzz and are even making the Detroit Red Wings slightly worried about losing the second seed.
Who to watch
The Flames are, on some levels, still dependent on their big names although their depth has improved considerably since last season. Obviously, Jarome Iginla is still the team's best player (team leading 56 points with a +4 rating) and Dion Phaneuf is a guy you always have to worry about.
(Maybe the Stars and Phaneuf can share a chuckle at Sean Avery's fate. For a second.)
Still, the biggest difference maker might be former LA King Michael Cammalleri, who leads the Flames with 25 goals. The BoC reunion doesn't stop there, as the Flames are the current employer of the infamous Todd Bertuzzi. Big Bert's been a minor steal for the Flames, producing a respectable 33 points for a small cap hit.
(He's still an ultra douche, though.)
A few fantasy tidbits
Steve Ott might be an interesting short term fantasy hockey pickup for those of you in deeper leagues (of course, PIM needs to be a category for Otter to make sense). He's currently on a four game point streak that includes three goals, 6 points and 8 PIM. Not too shabby.
Both Marty Turco and Miikka Kiprusoff are listed as "probable" starters on Goaliepost.com, which by the way, is a godsend for deciding who to start in your fantasy leagues.
Worthy reads
Defending Big D has an interview with Mark Stepneski of Andrew's Stars page.
ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun breaks down the Stars bounce back post-Avery. Should the Stars worry that they're not under the radar anymore?
Puck Daddy has an extremely amusing fake card contest going on, and not surprisingly, the sloppy seconds fiasco made it.
Shameless plug
Feel free to weigh in on Cycle like the Sedins All-Decade coach discussion. Former Ducks coach Mike Babcock and former San Jose Sharks coach Ron Wilson are going to get strong consideration, but was it an oversight to relegate Randy Carlyle and Dave Tippett to honorable mentions?
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but was it an oversight to relegate Randy Carlyle and Dave Tippett to honorable mentions?
I think maybe Tippett was more of an oversight than Carlyle — he at least has been an NHL coach for longer and has ridden on the backs of fewer Norris Trophy winners. Plus his philosophy on whether his team should spend the entire game penalty killing probably is more in line with an All Decade Team.
For the Ducks’ playoff odds, I’m supposed to root for a Calgary regulation win tonight, but I don’t know if I want to feel that filthy.
http://www.battleofcali.com/
Yeah, I think the main reason I left Tippett off the main list was because he has some things in common with Babcock, only Babcock won a Cup and got to the finals. Even if Babcock rode Giguere and had the Red Wings roster, it’s still hard to make a legitimate argument for Tippett > Babcock.
At least, it is for me.
More intelligent/knowledgeable people will have their say, too.
Voting
Oh, by the way guys, it looks like Dustin Brown pulled away ever so slightly from Vlasic. It’s kind of surprising that Getzlaf wasn’t a little bit closer.
People seemingly can’t decide what the bigger issue is: on-ice production or hair loss.
I’m starting to come around to the Vlasic side of things, a bit — one thing I didn’t take into consideration (and I’m not sure if it’s fair) is to think about when each contract was signed, as seemingly each year has shifted the salary landscape to some extent. Brown’s on a sick deal, no doubt, but it was also signed at a time when I think it was easier for GM to pull off. Vlasic signed his extension against a backdrop of talented defensemen earning huge money.
I don’t really know if that should come into play, but I think it does make Vlasic’s deal look more impressive, in a sense.
http://www.battleofcali.com/
Thanks for the Goaliepost link! I hadn’t heard of that site before and had to scour the web for individual starters instead. Will make my occasional sports-gambling easier :) The link seems a bit off, though. Simple enough to find the URL, though.
Sometimes knowing starters can be a two-edged sword, though. Such as yesterday, when I found out that Ryan Miller wasn’t going to start, I decided to play Manny Legace instead.
3 goals on 8 shots and a 2nd-period-goalie-switch later, that proved a mistake.
http://www.battleofcali.com/
No no no, you guys it’s simple. Just play in a league where you start 2 goalies.
People who save up for a rainy day are like milk. And milk goes good with cookies, so you should have those people over for cookies.
Yup. Forgot to mention that I started Jonas Hiller also. So instead of Hiller and Miller (which makes me smile every time I say it) I went with Hiller and Legace.
Should have stuck with my rhyming pattern.
http://www.battleofcali.com/
Cool, did you know that I have Hiller and Miller too?
My biggest fantasy regret is drafting Eric Perrin – man that guy racks up minuses. Then he always has great games when I bench him.
People who save up for a rainy day are like milk. And milk goes good with cookies, so you should have those people over for cookies.
Oh and the reason it’s a regret is because I drafted him really early, for some reason. Even above his far-more-efficient teammate Todd White.
But as I’m 14 – 2 in my league, I guess I can’t complain.
People who save up for a rainy day are like milk. And milk goes good with cookies, so you should have those people over for cookies.
My main regret (in the 18-team Mirtle League) was sneakily drafting Loui Eriksson in a very late round, then dropping him some 5-6 games into the season for being scoreless and minus (to pick up someone useless like Jordan Leopold, who’s since been dropped).
Then painfully watching as he started his team-leading goal tear. That guy would have been a powerful force in a deep league, if I had the sense to hold onto him.
http://www.battleofcali.com/
Oh, but I shouldn’t complain too much either. Right now I’m ranking 4 of 18 in that league, though I’ve certainly benefited from the last two ASG-shortened weeks.
http://www.battleofcali.com/
I’m in a league with a few semi-competent people and a legion of idiots. I picked up these guys on the waiver wire:
Steve Mason, Nicklas Backstrom, Anze Kopitar, Shea Weber, Ryan Whitney, Bobby Ryan, Ty Conklin, Statsny and probably someone else I’m forgetting.
I think I’d be caught off guard in a league full of semi-intelligent people.
This is my first time ever playing Fantasy Anything, and right now I’ve been the #1 team in 6 out of 17 weeks and 3 out of 4 months. And yet only three individual player awards through that whole time (1 Goalie of the week, 1 Forward of the week, 1 Goalie of the month). It’s all about depth.
Yes, I do like to gloat sometimes.
People who save up for a rainy day are like milk. And milk goes good with cookies, so you should have those people over for cookies.
Earl, your welcome for Hiller, and Clowe.
Didn’t goaliepost.com used to be a blog? I can’t remember the name, but the guy used to track his predictions of which goaltender would start and he had an incredible record over the season. Awesome site.
Hmmm I don’t know, PJ. I think I stumbled on it from Mirtle’s recommendation. It’s insanely accurate. Every day that I forget to set my roster a part of me dies.
by jamestobrien on Feb 3, 2009 10:35 PM PST up reply actions
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Pacific Standings
| GP | W | L | OTL | PT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
San Jose
|
82 | 51 | 20 | 11 | 113 |
|
Phoenix
|
82 | 50 | 25 | 7 | 107 |
|
Los Angeles
|
82 | 46 | 27 | 9 | 101 |
|
Anaheim
|
82 | 39 | 32 | 11 | 89 |
|
Dallas
|
82 | 37 | 31 | 14 | 88 |
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