112580587Dobber checks in every week to force-feed you the latest fantasy hockey trends. The founder of DobberHockey.com and a columnist for The Hockey News website, he long ago immersed himself into this rollercoaster world and is unable to escape.

After trying, last week, to organize some of the mess that is the first round, it's time to delve into the latter rounds. Half of these players are going to be busts and get nowhere near where you were hoping they would get to. But that's why I slapped the header "Dark Horses" above them instead of "Sure Things".

Dark Horses (Rounds 12 to 22)

Start drafting these guys in the second half of your roto league…

Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Minnesota Wild — In most leagues, he won't get past Round 14, but if you can snag him in that 12-14 range, it's a steal. I love multi-position eligibility and he has some real upside too. He had 18 points in the final 23 games last year as he slowly got his timing back after missing a year-plus due to concussion symptoms.

124012613 copyDobber checks in every week to force-feed you the latest fantasy hockey trends. The founder of DobberHockey.com and a columnist for The Hockey News website, he long ago immersed himself into this rollercoaster world and is unable to escape.

This year more than any other, the first round is wide open when it comes to rotisserie hockey. Hell, you're more certain of the Devils' state of finances than you are about the order of your Top 10. Sidney Crosby is doubtful to start the season, Alex Ovechkin is coming off of a terrible year in which the coaching philosophy seems to be reining him in, Evgeni Malkin has had back-to-back injury-plagued campaigns … and that's supposed to be the "usual" Top 3.

I'll spare you another delay my who-to-draft-in-the-late-rounds piece, because I'm getting more emails about who to draft early and when exactly should you roll the dice.

Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins — Not to worry, you can easily narrow down his range of projected games to between zero

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Yesterday we took a look at some solid candidates for Western Conference playoff domination. Today, let's turn our attention east, where even three days before the end of the season, the Rangers, the Hurricanes and the Sabres battle for the two final playoff spots. Ranger fans are tortured on the second weekend of April for the second year in a row…

As obvious as finding Nathan Gerbe on the ice:

(These guys are already great picks, but will find yet another gear)

Daniel Briere, Philadelphia Flyers

On most teams, a healthy season out of Briere would mean 85 points or more. On a deep team like the Flyers, where first-line pivots are moved to the wing just to squeeze them onto the second line, Briere is a 65-point player. Actually, last year he had 53 points — and then led the NHL in playoff scoring. His 30 points in 23 games were nothing new, though. Briere had 54 points in the prior 57 playoff games that he played. He's a gamer and if you like the Flyers to go all the way then he

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Playoff pool time. While the bubbly admin assistant in your office drafts some nice sleeper picks thanks to their cool sounding last name, or your chain-smoking, heavy drinking buddy who only shows up for the beer loads up on Rangers because they're "his team" (yet asks aloud what happened to Jagr) — you can actually arm yourself with some knowledge. And that's where I come in.

Playoff pools are often like throwing darts after a dozen beers, but you can hone your skills enough to at least hit the board a few times. Here are some players in the Western Conference that you should select earlier than even the regular season stats indicate.

As obvious as Sean Avery's hand in front of Martin Brodeur's face

(These guys are already at a high level, but will find another gear)

Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings

If you're going to pick a King, and you know that their two leading scorers are out with an injury, you don't have to look far down the list to see Doughty's name. But make sure he is the

MVPs

(Note: Our friends at Dobber Hockey are back for some fantasy fun. All stats are through Wednesday night's games.)

The yin to the Fantasy Goats' yang, here are the players who single-handedly won more than a few leagues around North America.

The cheesy way of doing this would be to just take a screenshot of the Top 10 NHL scorers and slap it on here. But it's not about the best players — it's about setting an expectation for players and judging them on how much they beat that expectation.

Similar to you, the reader, setting your expectations low with this column. Now judge accordingly.

10. Michael Grabner, New York Islanders

Keeper league owners of Grabner have had a bit of a roller coaster ride. Promising prospect goes to a team with opportunity (Florida Panthers). Then he blows it (waived). Then he's picked up by the Islanders and becomes the most prolific rookie scorer in the league. For roto-league owners, they didn't draft him at all. But damn if he's not the best waiver wire

(Note: Our friends at Dobber Hockey are back for some fantasy fun. All stats are through Wednesday night's games.)

If you lost in a fantasy league this year — and most of you have — then there is a smoldering anger inside you about at least one player. You'd sooner hear Rebecca Black's greatest hits on repeat then draft that particular player again. Ever.

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That's precisely the type of player who makes our Top 10 Fantasy Goats list. The criteria are simple. The expectations were reasonably high for the player in September and that player failed to come through. Scratch that. Fail is too gentle a term. The player pulled a Wade Redden.

Oh, and no major injuries. Of course the unlucky poolies who drafted Evgeni Malkin, Mike Green and Zach Parise in their first round (where they should have been taken, make no mistake) are harbouring some resentment. But that's part of the game.

No, these players had to earn their goat horns.

10. Nik Antropov, Atlanta Thrashers

We weren't aware, in

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(Note: Our friends at Dobber Hockey are back for some fantasy fun. All stats are through Wednesday night's games; this feature will be found on Thursdays here on Puck Daddy.)

With the emergence of Braden Holtby, the Washington Capitals goaltending situation has become even more clouded for the future.

The battle between Michal Neuvirth and Semyon Varlamov has been a seesaw over the past two seasons, with the two young netminders trading places with hot stretches, inconsistent play and injuries. Varlamov proved himself last spring in the NHL postseason, while Neuvirth helped Washington's AHL affiliate in Hershey to consecutive Calder Cup titles in 2008 and 2009. Holtby arrived on the scene this year after an impressive junior career in Saskatoon.

Poolies want to know which goalie is the one to own both long and short-term. For this season/postseason, Holtby is the odd man out because he can be demoted without having to clear waivers. Neuvirth is signed for the next two campaigns at a

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Apparently, we're not that brave.

Studies have shown that people prefer not losing to winning.  So for poolies, this means that because most of us are naturally risk averse we'd rather stay middle-of-the-pack (right, Jack?) instead of risking everything for a chance at a championship.  This sounds like the fantasy version of the old saying that folks would rather be in the box than giving the eulogy at a funeral.

Don't feel too badly though; there are examples of decision-makers in the NHL acting exactly the same way.

For example, two Canadian university professors, David Beaudoin and Tim Swartz, argued that NHL coaches act too conservatively when pulling their goalies.  Inspired by a controversial decision by the head coach of the Quebec Remparts (QMJHL), Patrick Roy, to pull his goalie with 12:22 remaining in the third period, the profs decided to look deeper into the decision.

Conventional wisdom in North America is that a team should pull its goaltender with about a minute to go