Fantasy Hockey: Team Centercessssssed Set

A couple of days ago over at John's in South River, our Fantasy Hockey Draft was held. The SRFFFHL (South River Flat Fee Fantasy Hockey League) enters another year with eight participants ready to take aim at the trophy. Yes. There actually is a trophy. My name's been engraved twice. Ironically, 10 years apart with my second run to the title in '09-10.

Unfortunately, I sacrificed a plethora amount of picks to edge my brother, Justin and suffered a cruel fate last year. You guessed it. From first to worst. With a better draft, can I recover and go all the way? It's sure to be competitive. This year's defending champ John, who also won it all in '08-09, had a similar downfall before turning it around. That's the price you pay to win. Early contenders could come from league commish Harry, Jim/AJ and perhaps newcomer Marc, who is the only Devil fan in a Ranger-esque league. Though there always is the entertaining Big One, my best friend Brian, who seems to have taken this Terry Pegula thing $eriously as evidenced by the four Sabres (Tyler Myers, Ville Leino, Tyler Ennis, Nathan Gerbe) on his roster.

So, how does my roster stack up? For starters, it was nice to have most of my picks, including a couple of Bri's early on which I used to reconstruct one of the worst bluelines. Even though I had the choice of James Wisniewski or Erik Karlsson as part of my five protects, I opted instead to keep Jamie Benn, who should play a pivotal role in Dallas with the departure of Brad Richards. With an emphasis on goaltending, I kept Carey Price and Jimmy Howard while living up to my Centercessssssed mantra by retaining centers Henrik Sedin and John Tavares along with Big Benn, who is shifting to center. If only he qualified. :P

In past years, I put together an extensive list. However, this time I did it differently by doing a round by round look filled with players on my radar. For the most part, I actually stuck to the script. My main objective was to go heavy on D and scoring wings. However, when Brian kept Cam Ward over Ryan Getzlaf, he was too good to pass up with the first overall pick. Being that I had a second pick, I was hopeful Bobby Ryan would still be there but Patrick scooped him up. Instead, I went for Jarome Iginla, who had a huge second half last year, nearly pushing Calgary into the postseason. Hopefully, the Flames' all-time franchise scoring leader can have a repeat of the 43-goal, 86-point season he put together.

After grabbing Iginla, I went D back-to-back with Keith Yandle and Duncan Keith. Joining my improved corps is Chris Pronger and newest Shark Brent Burns. Up front, I did a solid job grabbing Benn's teammates Loui Eriksson and Brenden Morrow while beefing up with Dustin Brown and Centercessssssed fixture Steve Downie. As with Pronger above, I took risks going for Martin Havlat and Jaromir Jagr. Both Czechs are on new rosters and could benefit if things break right. Want youth? Super soph Taylor Hall provides that along with Logan Couture, who joins a strong batch of pivots featuring H. Sedin, Tavares and Getzlaf.

Perhaps the only area I'm concerned with is goalie because I waited till Round 14 to select vet Miikka Kiprusoff. One of the reasons I am skeptical is because in a league that emphasizes GAA and Save Percentage, Kipper isn't the best choice. However, the Finn should win 35-plus and post a few shutouts. The hope is that Calgary is competitive again and Howard takes the next step with powerful Detroit. If that happens, I should be okay. If not, that's why there's 20 Free Agent moves. We'll see.

Here's a complete breakdown of my 2011-12 Centercessssssed roster:

G Carey Price
G Jimmy Howard
G Miikka Kiprusoff

D Keith Yandle
D Duncan Keith
D Chris Pronger
D Brent Burns
D Alex Pietrangelo
D Kevin Bieksa
D Kimmo Timonen

C Henrik Sedin
C John Tavares
C Ryan Getzlaf
C Logan Couture
C Jason Spezza
C Zenon Konopka

W Jamie Benn
W Jarome Iginla
W Loui Eriksson
W Dustin Brown
W Steve Downie
W Martin Havlat
W Brenden Morrow
W Jaromir Jagr
W Taylor Hall
W Jakub Voracek


Starter Breakdown

4 C
8 W
6 D
2 G

6 Bench

Total: 26

Rating The Atlantic's Best

It's never too early to take a look ahead. Especially with a new season around the corner for one of the game's most competitive divisions. Whether you're in a fantasy hockey league or just a passionate pucker, there are always bar debates about who the best players are. Today, we'll be ranking the Atlantic's elite by position.

GOALIES: Let's start from the goal out. Goalie is still an important piece to any team. Even if proven otherwise by the Blackhawks and Flyers, will that trend continue? Or does the cream rise to the top? The Atlantic has three of the best netminders. Legendary Devil Martin Brodeur still is the man but Ranger Henrik Lundqvist is closing fast and Penguin backstop Marc-Andre Fleury has the hardware. It's a shame about career Islander  Rick DiPietro, who seemed on the verge of cracking the top 10. Now, DP remains a huge question mark. Dwayne Roloson will again be counted off the Meadowbrook. It's hard to predict if unlikely Flyer hero Michael Leighton can repeat his performance in the City Of Brotherly Love. If a loaded Philly team is to finally win its first Cup since 1975, they better hope so.

1.Martin Brodeur, Devils
2.Henrik Lundqvist, Rangers
3.Marc-Andre Fleury, Penguins
4.Dwayne Roloson, Islanders
5.Michael Leighton, Flyers


DEFENSEMEN: In today's game, defense is essential for a winner. Just look no further than the '06-07 Ducks, '07-08 Red Wings, '08-09 Pens and rating champ Chicago. All boasted superb bluelines where key players logged big minutes. Would the Oilers or Flyers have gotten there without wrecking ball Chris Pronger? The NHL's most loathed defenseman leads a pack that includes newest Pen Paul Martin, freight train Brooks Orpik and potential breakout player Kris Letang. The Devils hope blocking machine Anton Volchenkov and Henrik Tallinder add plenty of toughness in front of the net. Is Andy Greene legit? Can James Wisniewski aid Mark Streit on the Island? Marc Staal is probably the most important player to the Rangers. Three days to get that new contract done in time for camp. Unfortunately, there's not a place for Wade Redden on our list unless you're an AHL fan.

1.Chris Pronger, Flyers
2.Brooks Orpik, Penguins
3.Kimmo Timonen, Flyers
4.Marc Staal, Rangers
5.Mark Streit, Islanders
6.Anton Volchenkov, Devils
7.Paul Martin, Penguins
8.Kris Letang, Penguins
9.Andy Greene, Devils
10.Henrik Tallinder, Devils
11.Zbynek Michalek, Penguins
12.Dan Girardi, Rangers
13.James Wisniewski, Islanders
14.Braydon Coburn, Flyers
15.Michael Del Zotto, Rangers


CENTERS: Let's face it. If you're not good down the middle, you may as well throw in the towel. Guess nobody told Glen Sather. It starts in the Steel City where the Pens boast arguably the game's best in Sidney Crosby followed by equally all world Evgeni Malkin. On another team, Jordan Staal could be a No.1. Instead, he's in their shadow. One of the biggest reasons the Flyers stunned the East was due to captain Mike Richards and Jeff Carter. Oh. And converted wing Daniel Briere did damage. The Devils are hoping '00 Cup hero Jason Arnott can support do everything No.1 Travis Zajac. For the Islanders, it starts and ends with John Tavares, who should explode in Year Two. The Rangers' best is probably sophomore Artem Anisimov. But is he ready for prime time? If Brandon Dubinsky sees more time on the left side, he better be.

1.Sidney Crosby, Penguins
2.Evgeni Malkin, Penguins
3.Mike Richards, Flyers
4.Jeff Carter, Flyers
5.Travis Zajac, Devils
6.John Tavares, Islanders
7.Jordan Staal, Penguins
8.Jason Arnott, Devils
9.Brandon Dubinsky, Rangers
10.Josh Bailey, Islanders
11.Artem Anisimov, Rangers
12.Frans Nielsen, Islanders
13.Darroll Powe, Flyers
14.Brian Rolston, Devils
15.Chris Drury, Rangers

WINGS: Rather than separate left from right, we're going to combine. So, who are the division's elite wings? Ranger fans won't have much to say but there should be plenty of fun debate with Devil fans over Marian Gaborik and Kool Aid chugger Ilya Kovalchuk. Both are two of the best finishers in the game and breathtaking to watch. Whether it's Gaborik's acceleration and quick release or Kovalchuk's end to end rushes and twisted wristers, there should be plenty to cheer for between the Hudson line. Each could combine for 90 goals. Kovalchuk's teammate Zach Parise isn't far behind. Can the Zach Attack combine with his Russian comrade to hit the century mark? If he stays healthy, Briere should be in the mix. Does Patrik Elias reemerge now that he's reunited with Arnott? The do everything Czech has always been streaky. Perhaps he'll have a revival. The Devil offense looks scary. How much can LA import Alexander Frolov help Gaborik on Broadway? Will Chris Kunitz finish enough? The Pens aren't exactly loaded there but when you possess Sid and Geno plus Staal, we guess they don't have to. Is this the year Kyle Okposo breaks out? Can Matt Moulson prove last year wasn't a fluke?

1.Ilya Kovalchuk, Devils
2.Marian Gaborik, Rangers
3.Zach Parise, Devils
4.Daniel Briere, Flyers
5.Patrik Elias, Devils
6.Matt Moulson, Islanders
7.Alexander Frolov, Rangers
8. Chris Kunitz, Penguins
9.Vinny Prospal, Rangers
10.Nikolai Zherdev, Flyers
11.Claude Giroux, Flyers
12.Jamie Langenbrunner, Devils
13.David Clarkson, Devils
14.Kyle Okposo, Islanders
15.Mike Comrie, Penguins
16.Ryan Callahan, Rangers
17.James Van Riemsdyk, Flyers
18.Matt Cooke, Penguins
19.Pascal Dupuis, Penguins
20.Nino Niederreiter, Islanders

Goals A Plenty

How to describe last night's Blackhawk 6-5 home win over the Flyers in Game One? Unpredictably offensive. Never have I seen so many goals on such a big stage. You had to love it if you were an NBC exec. The exciting, edge of your seat opener earned the best rating in 11 years with the 2.8 turned in bringing back flashbacks of Sabres-Stars (3.7) on Fox. Heck. It was 12 percent higher than last year's Pens-Wings rematch. Sidney who?

The two traditional markets kicked off this year's Stanley Cup Final with a bang, combining for 11 goals and six lead changes with unsung hero Tomas Kopecky getting the last laugh by outwaiting Brian Boucher for the deciding marker with 11:35 left in the contest. The key sub was in for Andrew Ladd and paid huge dividends, giving Chicago its first win in the Final since 1973 when they fell in six to Montreal. Nearly two decades later, they were swept by the Super Mario Pens. Oddly enough, Pitt's Cup clincher to repeat was an identical 6-5 margin. Last night marked the first time that many goals had been scored since. Hopefully, a franchise that hasn't won Lord Stanley in 49 years will net a different result. If you didn't get enough of the goalfest, Puck Daddy's Greg Wyshynski has all 11 broken down.

“A lot of action. Shootout at the OK Corral,” deadpanned Chicago coach Joel Quenneville. “Things settled down as the game progressed. Certainly, I don’t think anybody envisioned 5-5 heading into the third period.”

Queeneville's deep club did it despite getting zilch from the top line of Dustin Byfuglien, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, who went a combined minus-nine with Big Buff losing his first battle against Chris Pronger- who fared better tallying two assists, five shots, four hits, two blocked shots and finished plus-two in over 32 minutes. Despite not playing close to their best, Chicago still showed enough resiliency to pull it out thanks to big performances from Kopecky (G, A), Troy Brouwer (2-1-3), Marian Hossa (2 A) and Dave Bolland (SHG, A), Kris Versteeg (G, A) and Niklas Hjalmarsson (2 A, 4 blocked shots). The Hawks' biggest edge showed up, overcoming a four-point night from Daniel Briere (10th G, 3 A), who was the best player. With 27 seconds left in the first, he followed up his own rebound putting the Flyers ahead 3-2. Late in the second, it was his brilliant cross-ice pass to Arron Asham which tied it at five.

It still wasn't enough. The Blackhawks responded with a much better third, using their puck possession and speed to control the tempo. Eventually, it led to the winner. Thanks to an unreal diving keep by Brent Seabrook, the puck stayed in where Bolland and Versteeg combined to set up a wide open Kopecky, who calmly went around Boucher and hit the net. Great composure shown by the ex-Wing who played a whale of a game with Ladd out, also assisting on Versteeg's tally that made it 4-4 halfway through. From there, Antti Niemi shook off a poor first 40 minutes turning aside all six Flyer shots in the third, including a nice glove save on a long Briere try from 50. With Boucher pulled, a Pronger one-timer went wide as the final seconds ticked off giving an ecstatic United Center of over 22,000 strong victory.

Despite falling, the Flyers did many things well including establishing their physicality (40 hits to 37) while connecting once on four power plays while failing to take a single penalty. Though you'd definitely get some argument from the Hawk faithful. They did miss a couple. And as NBC's Doc Emrick noted, kinda odd that the road team got the only PP's. Don't expect that for Game Two tomorrow. But then again, can we really get a duplicate of the fun chaos that ensued last night? The Blackhawk stars weren't alone with the Flyers getting nothing from Mike Richards, Jeff Carter and Simon Gagne, who were a combined minus-seven. Claude Giroux wasn't any better going minus-two without a shot. Peter Laviolette's club got strong games out of Scott Hartnell (G, 2 A), Wing castaway Ville Leino (G, A), the aforementioned Briere, Pronger and Asham (G, A). Even former Ranger Blair Betts scored his first postseason goal since '06 when he rang one off the post and in from the right circle. Nice to see unless you're John Tortorella.

Not so nice was the performance of Michael Leighton, who was chased from the net after permitting five on 20 shots. Even if the last wasn't his fault, the journeyman's off day forced Laviolette to go to Boucher, who in his return since a Game Four injury versus Boston two rounds prior was solid, making 11 saves. Does the Cup experienced coach stay with him or go back to a shaky Leighton? We're banking on Bouch.
Hartnell is hoping the ice will be better.

“It’s really chippy. A lot of snow accumulates really fast, so after the first couple of minutes you don’t see those nice crisp passes and things like that. It’s hot outside and humid and stuff like that so hopefully they’ll be able to do a better job for Game 2, the ice guys.”

"It’s so hot outside, I don’t know if you could do anything about it,” echoed Versteeg while noting the difference after the first 10 minutes had been played.

“The last 10, it heats up a bit. There’s nothing they can do about it. They’re not going to change the temperature or anything like that. They’re not going to tell the people to stop screaming and opening doors.”

But as Hartnell's experienced 'mate Pronger points out, it's something he's accustomed to.

“I don’t think it’s any worse than it was in Anaheim or Carolina. As you progress in the playoffs, the ice gets a little bit softer.”
Regardless, it's the same for both sides. Let's drop the puck for Game Two!

Cup Preview: Someone Has To Win

Tomorrow night, the Stanley Cup Final finally gets going. It'll be a battle between two Cup starved franchises that haven't sipped from Lord Stanley in quite a while.

On one side, you got the surprising Flyers looking to bring the trophy back to Broad Street for the first time since winning their only two back-to-back in 1974 and 1975. The miraculous comeback from 3-0 down stunning Boston has Peter Laviolette's club looking like a team of destiny. Boosted by the return of Jeff Carter and Ian Laperriere, they finished off Montreal in five. Captain Mike Richards has led the charge with 21 points (6-15-21) playing in every key situation. He's gotten plenty of help from Daniel Briere and Claude Giroux, who've combined for 17 goals. Chris Pronger (4-10-14) has been brilliant anchoring the D while actually making Matt Carle into a viable option.

Without Simon Gagne's amazing return (7 G), Ville Leino's (12 Pts in 13 GP) surprising contributions and the goaltending of tandem Brian Boucher and Michael Leighton, the orange and black aren't here. It all makes for a tremendous story. Something a Ranger blogger and Devil blogger hate to admit. If they pull this off, you have to tip your cap. We're sure the Rangers will be the main source of frustration. Damn Olli Jokinen and silly skill comps. At least Blair Betts is vying for the hardware. Silly Tort.

Standing in their way are the Blackhawks, who are searching for the franchise's first Cup since 1961 when Bobby Hull starred. They've made the Final four times since losing every single one. The last in 1992 to the mighty Pens, who swept them. Nearly two decades later, here are a different batch of Hawks focused on making history. Led by Conn Smythe candidate/captain Jonathan Toews (7-19-26, 3 GW), Joel Queeneville's club has backed up last year's run to the Conference Finals by taking the next step. They'll have home ice and face immense pressure in a city that's still haunted by Steve Bartman. Can a talented squad led by Toews and running mate Patrick Kane (7-13-20) deliver a fourth championship to the Windy City? They'll have to overcome the obstacle of Marian Hossa. The gifted Slovak has made it here three consecutive years losing with Pittsburgh and Detroit the past two years. Is the third time the charm for one of the biggest superstar teases? He'll have to do better than two goals in the first three rounds.

While much of the focus is on him, these Hawks boast incredible depth led by money performer Dustin Byfuglien, who's netted half his eight as deciders including two in sudden death. It should be fun to watch Big Buff battle Pronger in front. Patrick Sharp and Dave Bolland have been instrumental with the latter scoring backbreaking goals on breakaways. Kris Versteeg, Troy Brouwer and Cup proven John Madden should give them an edge. Norris hopeful Duncan Keith (1-9-10) anchors the D along with Brent Seabrook (3-6-9 +8) who'll be severely tested by the Flyer forecheck. Brian Campbell could be a key. Meanwhile, Antti Niemi has silenced critics in net keeping Cristobal Huet as far away from ruining it. Can he ace the final test?

It really shapes up to be a good series. Both these teams boast speed and are very effective on the forecheck. The Flyers looking to control the back boards. The Hawks similar but with more skill. Keep an eye on their pinpoint passing. Both teams are effective on special teams. An area that figures to be a real key to who prevails. Of course, whoever can get to the goalie first should have an edge. Boucher returns if Leighton falters. Huet has only seen three shots the whole Spring. Never discount coaching. Laviolette has been here before guiding Carolina to the Cup in 2006. He usually pushes the right buttons and is a master motivator. Queeneville's a good coach but the edge goes to the Flyer bench.

Two big markets battle for the most prestigious trophy in sports. As long as it isn't onesided, figure the series to fare well. I see it going at least six. My heart says Blackhawks but my gut says Flyers. We'll start getting some answers tomorrow on this Memorial Day weekend.

Flyers-Rangers: The Final Countdown

Only one team hasn't officially been eliminated. While the West is all set following the latest Sutter choke job, the East remains unsettled headed into the weekend. The Rangers are that team attempting to squeak in with the Habs, Bruins and Flyers all in limbo. For our club, simply put. Two wins versus Philly starting tonight in a do-or-die scenario at The Garden and they're in for a fifth straight season.

Boston's 3-1 victory over Buffalo tied them for sixth with Montreal, who blew another chance to clinch in a 5-2 loss to Carolina with Eric Staal lighting them up for a hat trick and two assists. The Canadiens finish with nemesis Toronto tomorrow night. Despite two less wins, the B's are sixth due to one game at hand. They host the Canes tomorrow and visit the Caps Sunday on NBC. With 86 points, the Flyers sit eighth two up on the Rangers with the first tiebreaker.

Unless the Rangers win tonight, none of it will mean anything. The Flyers can eliminate them. They should have top scorer Jeff Carter back. He'll wear a protective boot for his left foot that cost him nine games. It's advisable for the MSG hosts to stay out of the box. Aside from staying disciplined, John Tortorella's club will need a fast start. Getting out of the gate quickly like the other night will keep the crowd into it and that should bode well. In what's been a trying season where they've struggled at home, there's simply too much at stake. Turning us against them is the last thing they want.

The Blueshirts should have a decided edge in net in the home-and-home with Henrik Lundqvist going against Brian Boucher. Our bread and butter has been a huge staple of the team's rebirth. He has never missed the playoffs and doesn't intend to now. Even with a flawed roster, Henke's played well- entering his 71st start with a 34-27-9 record with a 2.40 GAA, .920 save percentage and four shutouts. During a stretch that's seen the team go 6-1-1 to reach this point, Lundqvist has posted a 1.87 GAA, .936 save percentage along with two shutouts. Except for the disappointing loss to Buffalo Tuesday in which he was pulled for Alex Auld, the 28 year-old Swede's been in holding up his end of the bargain. Two more strong games and it should be enough.

If they are to make this a successful weekend, the Rangers must play well in all facets. Especially against a hated rival who'd love nothing better than ending their season. It's unique since it's a double edged sword with a great rivalry renewed. There should be plenty of intensity from both sides. Figure spark plugs Brandon Prust and Aaron Voros to be in the middle of it with antagonists Daniel Carcillo and Scott Hartnell. The fourth line of Prust, Artem Anisimov and Jody Shelley have been a constant during the home stretch. Tortorella's been rolling four lines, using the checking line plenty. However, as he stated the other day, they cannot be their best line. Top scorer Marian Gaborik has four goals and four assists over the past eight but has been blanked three times, including both losses. He must deliver along with linemates Erik Christensen and Brandon Dubinsky. They've also gotten inspired play from Olli Jokinen, who had a goal and helper Wednesday while linemates Vinny Prospal (G, A) and P.A. Parenteau (A) chipped in. Chris Drury's played well scoring a couple of big goals. These are the games you expect him to step up in. Ryan Callahan hasn't looked good since returning. So, anything you get from him is a bonus. Might Sean Avery return? Who knows.

Since being reunited, Marc Staal and Dan Girardi have been superb. They'll see plenty of big minutes when the teams faceoff on MSG-Plus. Speaking of which, what an absolute travesty it is that this game has been relegated to MSG's second station with a meaningless Knick game on MSG. I get the whole Friday Knicks but come on. Jazzy Jim is such a joke. He sure doesn't deserve our money. No wonder we didn't send in for the playoffs with a ridiculous cost ($68) for the first round. In the '07 Conference Semi versus Buffalo when our only good team had a shot, the second round was twenty-three bucks cheaper. Unfortunately, this is what you're dealing with.

Michal Rozsival's had a couple of tough games in a row and must be better. He's logged a lot of vital minutes and played better since January. Despite what's said about him in other spaces, the guy's important to our team because he plays every situation. For as much as a headache as he can be with the muffed pucks and penalties, Rozy has been winning a lot of battles, sacrifices the body and is an underrated passer as his perfect outlet to Jokinen demonstrated the other night. I probably am alone in thinking it would be a mistake to get rid of him. Unlike stilt Wade Redden, who at least has been better since being teamed with Anders Eriksson, Rozsival has something left. If you subtract both vets, what will the blueline look like? Especially when both Staal and Girardi are up. Mike Del Zotto must be strong in his end. He's been contributing offensively. How he and Rozy perform will be significant.

Finally, if they are to get the job done, they'll need to come out on top in special teams. I already echoed that it would be wise to stay out of the box with Carter returning. Plus the Flyers boast Mike Richards, Simon Gagne, Chris Pronger, Kimmo Timonen and Matt Carle. Claude Giroux's effective on the man-advantage too. Both teams have good PK units with familiar face Blair Betts leading the charge for the orange and black. How ironic that they face each other with it all on the line.

The teams have split the season series (2-2) with each having won in the other's building. The Rangers took the last meeting at MSG 3-1 on 3/12. Can they deliver? We'll know soon enough.