2/16/12 - Studs & Duds

[bondon]

Gee, I thought with a lighter schedule my job would be easier this week...No dice.... Here are your Thursday Studs and Duds!!

(Note: This does not cover the CGY/DAL or PHX/LAK games, will add those in the AM).

Studs

3) Blackhawks end the skid - With their last win coming almost a month ago (January 20), the Blackhawks finally ended their losing streak at nine. The Hawks jumped out to an early 4-0 lead as their captain scored on a penalty shot just over a minute into the game. Leddy, Hossa, and Sharp would then add goals in a nine-minute span. Corey Crawford also won his first game since January 18, stopping 22/24 shots. This was a big win for the Blackhawks who had been sliding further and further down the standings.

2) Stammer brings the hammer - One night after Jason Spezza took sole possession of second place in the NHL scoring race, Stamkos roared back and scored his 38th and 39th goals of the season, and added two assists. Stamkos now has 66 points in 57 games, putting him in third place right behind...

1) The O-G-ROOOOOOO - Claude Giroux leaped into second place with 67 points after posting a ridiculous five assist night against the Sabres. Four of them were secondary assists, but they all count on the stat sheet and in fantasy pools. Giroux also added an impressive 11 faceoff wins.

Honourable Mentions

Guess it was all in his head...man. - Big night for Victor Hedman who has been on fire since returning from his concussion. Hedman had a terrific roto night, as he tallied three assists, four penalty minutes, two shots, two blocks, two hits, and was a plus-three. Hedman now has one goal and six assists in nine games since returning.

<3nell - Scott Hartnell came close to matching Claude Giroux tonight, as he scored a goal and added three assists. Hartnell added two penalty minutes, five shots on goal, a hit and a blocked shot. He now has an incredible 54 points in 57 games, and has easily been one of the most valuable if not the most valuable fantasy own in multi-cat leagues this year.

Alexander the Great - Step aside rock star, there's a new sheriff in town. Pietrangelo registered three assists tonight, and has been on a tear in 2012. In 19 games played this calendar year, Pietrangelo has scored five goals and 16 assists, giving a big F U to all the doubters. Forget 'going to be a stud', he already is one.

Evander Kane - After scoring only three points in his past 14 games, Evander Kane looked more like the early season version of himself, as he scored two goals and added an assist. Kane was plus-two on the night, taking seven shots on goal and adding a couple of hits. Kane would also score the shootout winner.

The Gooch - Devin Setoguchi has been one of the lone bright spots on the Wild's poor offense over the past couple of weeks. Setoguchi scored two goals and added an assist, and now has four goals and two assists in his last four games.

Duds

3) Antti Niemi - Six goals allowed on 25 shots... Niemi dropped a huge deuce on anyone who played him tonight, posting a terrible .760 SV%. Colin White was a team-worst minus-three on the night.

2) The Other Marty B - Last week he was one of my dishonourable mentions for allowing three goals on 17 shots, but still managing to get the W. This time he allowed four goals in under 10 minutes to start the game, getting rid of any hope for a comeback very early. Granted, it wasn't all his fault as the Rangers gave Toews a penalty shot, and a breakaway to Marian Hossa. With two rough starts in a row one has to wonder if Tortorella is going to reconsider how many starts Biron gets down the stretch.

1) Dull Blades - EMBARASSING performance by the Buffalo Sabres tonight. After jumping out to a quick 2-0 lead against Bryzgalov and the Flyers, they then proceeded to give up SEVEN unanswered goals. Jhonas Enroth was given the hook in the second period after allowing three goals on 18 shots, and Miller fared no better as he gave up four on 17. The Sabres have now lost three in a row.

Dishonourable Mentions

The Islanders - Drop another big game allowing five goals in the first two periods. Rough night for Al Montoya who posted a .808 SV%.

Any goalie not named Bryzgalov, Crawford, or Elliott - And to a lesser extent, Roloson who faced a whopping 50 shots, stopping 45 of them for the win.


Quick Hits

Blues keep rolling - The Blues bounced back in a big way tonight after losing to the Blue Jackets on Tuesday. TJ Oshie scored a goal and added two assists. David Perron extended his point streak to six games and has seven goals and two assists in that span. Finally Brian Elliott was solid once again stopping 26/27 for the win.

Bryzgalov comes back to earth - In his first game after a bout with the flu, Bryzgalov allowed two quick goals but shut the door just as quickly, saving 27/29 for the win.

Mighty Mite - Scored two goals tonight, including the game-winner in OT. St.Louis had hit a bit of a wall lately, going point-less and minus-two in his previous three games.

Logan Couture - Future stud in the making, Logan Couture scored a goal and added an assist, and now has six goals and 10 assists in his past 11 games.

[Shift Disturber]

Nicely done. Niemi's been killing me lately and I'm thinking of dumping him for Elliott as I'm making a run at first. I traded for Thomas and so far he's not helping. Makes Newt look a little saner though...

[metaldude26]

Mike Ribeiro. That is all.

[ericdaoust]

Mike Ribeiro. That is all.

Jeremy Lin taught him that stick move around the back.

[bondon]

Late Games

Studs:

Red hot Flames - One of the hottest lines in the NHL right now, the trio of Tanguay, Jokinen, and Iginla have scored a combined 29 points in their past nine games. Unfortunately the Flames would lose the game.

Mike Ribeiro - Sweet move by Mike Ribeiro on the game-winner last night, if you didn't catch it you can check it out here.

Real clip can be found here

The Hottest goalie in the NHL - Nope, not talking about Henrik Lundqvist. Mike Smith posted his second consecutive shutout last night against the Kings, and even engaged in a bit of the rough stuff with Anze Kopitar. Smith is now 24-14-7 with a .927 sv%, 2.28 GAA and four shutouts.

Duds

LA Kings - Congratulations to the Kings, who have the honour of being the team with the fewest goals scored per game! The Kings now sit dead last in the NHL averaging 2.07 goals, giving their netminder no support at all despite his Vezina quality numbers.

[TwoPuckCanuck]

Great stuff b0ndon, as per usual!

Love the Kings quirp there, god they could use a great goal-scoring player for the playoff push... hey, has anyone thought of Rick Nash yet?!