We are about to enter week 3 of the NHL season and who would have predicted that the Toronto Maple Leafs would be first overall in the league? Phil Kessel looks strong as he has 4 goals and 6 points in 4 games but its been the addition of Clarke MacArthur that has made the biggest difference. MacArthur has 5 goals in 4 games including 2 game winners. MacArthur makes a great sleeper pick so take the gamble on him now. Are the Maple Leafs for real or is this the closest they will get to a playoff spot all season? Time will tell.
Games to be played in Week 3:
- Four Games: Calgary, Chicago, Nashville, Rangers, San Jose and Tampa Bay
Three Games: Anaheim, Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Carolina, Colorado, Columbus, Dallas, Los Angeles, Minnesota, New Jersey, Islanders, Ottawa, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Toronto, Vancouver and Washington
Two Games: Detroit, Edmonton, Florida, Montreal, Philadelphia and Phoenix
When it comes to dressing your players for the upcoming week, especially your goalies, it is important to know which team is on a long road trip and which team is enjoying an extended period at home. Listed below are the teams that play all their games at home or on the road (minimum two games) and their home/road records up to October 16, 2010:
- HOME: Detroit (1-0-1), Edmonton (2-0-0), Florida (0-0-0), Philadelphia (1-1-0) and Phoenix (0-1-0)
- AWAY: Anaheim (0-3-0), Carolina (1-1-0) and Islanders (0-1-1)
If you participate in any type of head-to-head hockey pool then you are likely dressing a lineup for each scoring period, which usually ends on Sunday. As the week comes to an end and you find yourself in a close battle for those wins you want as many players as possible playing for you. Here are the teams that play on Sunday:
- Calgary, Nashville, New Jersey, Rangers, San Jose and Tampa Bay
When you are deciding which goalie to dress you need to look at the NHL schedule to see if your goalie's team will play in a back-to-back game that week. Most coaches will not dress the same goalie in back-to-back games so that is something to consider when you are thinking about which goalie to dress for the week. Here are the teams that play in back-to-back games this week:
- Anaheim, Atlanta, Buffalo, Calgary, Carolina, Chicago, Columbus, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Nashville, New Jersey, Rangers, Ottawa, San Jose, St. Louis, Tampa Bay and Vancouver
Knowing which team is on a hot streak or cold streak will help in making your lineup decisions, for example you definitely want to dress a goalie from teams that are on a hot streak. Here are the top five and bottom five teams up to October 16, 2010:
TOP FIVE: Toronto (4-0-0), Tampa Bay (3-0-0), Nashville (3-0-0), Dallas (3-0-0) and Washington (3-1-0)
BOTTOM FIVE: Florida (1-2-0), Columbus (1-2-0), Calgary (1-2-0), New Jersey (1-3-1) and Buffalo (1-3-1)
Most elite stars are consistent scorers, but there are several players who are very streaky so keep an eye on their stats so that you can dress them while they are on a hot streak. Here are the top five scorers up to October 16, 2010 for the past 7 and 14 days:
PAST 7: Alexander Ovechkin-WAS (4G 2A), Daniel Sedin-VAN (4G 2A), Steven Stamkos-TAM (4G 2A), Blake Comeau-NYI (3G 3A), Marian Hossa-CHI (3G 3A), Ryan Getzlaf-ANA (2G 4A)
PAST 14: Marian Hossa-CHI (4G 4A), Alexander Ovechkin-WAS (4G 3A), Brad Richards-DAL (2G 5A), Clarke MacArthur-TOR (5G 1A) and Derek Roy-BUF (5G 1A)
GOALTENDERS PAST 14: Kari Lehtonen-DAL (3GS 3W), Michal Neuvirth-WAS (4GS 3W), J-S Giguere-TOR (3GS 3W), Jonathan Quick-LOS (3GS 3W) and Brent Johnson-PIT (2GS 2W)
Article by: Fantasy Hockey Coach Brouwer
