Dissecting Brodeur's Blues 'W'

About twelve straight hours of hockey Saturday, with 12 games in total, starting at 1 p.m. ET. Lots of great performances and a milestone to celebrate. Let’s get right to the recaps.

BLUES 6, ISLANDERS 4

— My prediction that the Islanders would make the playoffs this year is off to a good start, and after Saturday's loss they are still 8-2-0 in their last 10 games. However, there is absolutely no way you can blow a three-goal lead. New York led 3-0 after the first period, at home no less. They were introduced to a team that figures to be a Stanley Cup contender this season.

— Where should the Islanders point some blame? How about a penalty kill that went just 2 for 5 and allowed 12 shots on goal. Jaroslav Halak's 11-game win streak came to an end after he gave up six on 40 shots. Every goalie will have a few games like this. Halak had given up a total of six goals over his last six games and had allowed more than two just once during the streak.

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— On the other side, how about Martin Brodeur coming up huge in relief? The future Hall of Famer replaced Jake Allen after the first period, then made 14 saves on 15 shots for his first win with the Blues. And his first win away from the Devils. That is a weird sentence to type. He gave up the only goal to John Tavares on an Islanders power play. Allen is the starter here, but I can't help but wonder if Brodeur poaches a few extra starts now. I'm not a fan of a goalie with this much cache backing up someone with such little experience, especially when Brodeur didn't go quietly out of New Jersey when he was clearly the worst option. At any rate, Brodeur showing he has something left in the tank will go a long way to helping the Blues -- on the ice now and once Brian Elliott comes back, with a possible trade.

— Paul Stastny scored two times for the Blues. He has just five goals and 10 points in 19 games. I think he's a guy you want moving forward. Stastny is a very good player.

— T.J. Oshie also had a two-point game with a goal and a helper. With three goals and five assists on the season, Oshie has struggled this year. His 6.8 percent scoring rate shows there's room for growth here. And so does the fact he has 18 shots (of his 44) in his last five games.

— Kevin Shattenkirk (goal, two assists) and Joakim Lindstrom (three points) enjoyed three-point efforts. The former, who also had eight shots on net, is certainly worth owning as he's off to a tremendous start with 22 points.

— Ryan Strome (goal) is going to be an excellent player. He now has six goals and 19 points. Strome is 21 years old and has a very, very bright future. This is a former fifth-overall pick who posted 34 goals and 94 points in 53 games in his last season in the OHL.

PENGUINS 3, SENATORS 2

— With the amount of injuries the Penguins are facing on their top six, they will need their world-class centers to carry them. Evgeni Malkin potted two, had four shots on goal and got two penalty minutes. Malkin hasn't had a close-to healthy season since 2011-12 when he played 75 games and he hasn't played a full season since 2008-09. One wonders, with 14 goals, 18 assists and 32 points, what his year could be like if he can stay on the ice.

— Christian Ehrhoff scored the game-winner with 1:50 left in the third period. Notably, he also had seven shots on goal. Ehrhoff has too rich a resume to continue to be a no-show from an offensive standpoint like he's been for much of the season.

— The Senators have lost five in a row and are looking like one of the worst teams in the league right now. Craig Anderson (30 saves) hasn't won since Nov. 13, a span of six games. When you possess the puck at such a low level (around 47 percent), you're going to need your goalie to be flawless.

— Remember when Alex Chiasson started off his career two years ago on a goal-scoring blitz (six goals in seven games?). While he only had 13 last year, at least he had 144 shots on goal. This season he has just six goals and 29 shots. He's not worth owning, but he did compile 17 penalty minutes. The 24-year-old has three shots over his last six tilts.

FLYERS 2, KINGS 1

— Not the result I expected here, but a strong showing from Steve Mason (37 saves) was essentially the difference. The Flyers got a total of 16 shots on goal, being outshot 31-9 over the last two frames. They also escaped despite two late penalties. Mason has been OK this season, with a .918 save percentage. I still wouldn't want to own any Flyers goalie in fantasy leagues.

— Wayne Simmonds scored what's considered the game-winner, on the power play. When you own him, you live and die with the scoring streaks, and traditionally he's overcome that by filling up the stat sheet in other ways (shots on goal, penalty minutes). He also had two penalty minutes Saturday. Eleven goals, 18 points, 71 shots on goal are solid enough. The 23 penalty minutes are a bit low for him.

— Claude Giroux scored the other goal for Philadelphia. Eight goals are not what you expect, but he does have 21 assists and 29 points (sixth in the league).

— Jonathan Quick (14 saves) has been up and down lately, though he still sports a .931 save percentage. Over his last five starts: .875 SV%, 1.00, .875, .783, .926.

RED WINGS 3, RANGERS 2

— Mike Babcock achieved his 500th career win as the Red Wings came back from trailing 2-0 in the first period. The Red Wings bench boss ranks 18th all-time, and he’s sixth among active coaches. Scotty Bowman holds the record with 1,244 wins during 30 years of coaching. Babcock is in his 12th season.

— I have no problems acknowledging when I’m wrong. It looks like I underestimated the Red Wings. Detroit is 16-6-5, has proven to be a strong possession team and has the ability to roll four lines. It got goals from Riley Sheahan, Luke Glendening and Darren Helm on Saturday. Sheahan has 15 points, but doesn’t really appear to have big upside offensively.

— Jimmy Howard remains one of the most underrated goalies in the league. He entered with a strong .923 save percentage at even strength, though he gave up two goals there Saturday. Howard has five wins over his last six games.

— Rick Nash is putting together his finest season to date. Sure, it’s still early, but after another goal, he has points in seven straight games. While he’ll likely cool off somewhat, he’s on pace for over 50 goals and around 90 points.

— The Rangers’ power play went 0-for-7, with nothing on two late 5-on-3 opportunities. It seems like decades since this team last had a power play that opponents feared.

MAPLE LEAFS 5, CANUCKS 2

— Don’t look now but the Maple Leafs are sixth in the Eastern Conference with 31 points. They should give all the credit to Jonathan Bernier after he made 44 saves … when they only generated 27 against Canucks netminders. Bernier has wins in three of his last four games.

— Joffrey Lupul, David Clarkson and Peter Holland each scored and assisted. Lupul is on a four-game point streak, with seven over that span. He’s a solid player, but he has had trouble staying healthy in his career, so proceed with caution if you own him.

— The Canucks are on the hook for three seasons at $18 million for Ryan Miller. After a decent first month, Miller has been pretty lousy, with just a .904 save percentage overall. He gave up four on 14 shots in Saturday’s loss. Eddie Lack (13 for 13) could start to see more time in net.

— Both Daniel (goal) and Henrik Sedin (assist) have 25 points this season. It’s amazing how a coaching style and deployment can affect a player’s performance.

BLUE JACKETS 3, LIGHTNING 1

— The Blue Jackets have swept their “Florida Series,” with two wins over the Panthers and the latest against the Lightning. Obviously, this one is the most impressive. However, it’s all hinged on Sergei Bobrovsky, who played out of his mind again with 32 saves. He has three wins in a row, too.

— Boone Jenner has goals in three straight games. Sure, he has just four goals and nine points on the season, but the 21-year-old holds a lot untapped offensive potential. He could be a sneaky add in fantasy leagues; he’s gotten over 21 minutes of ice time over the last two games.

— Ben Bishop saw his personal five-game winning streak come to a halt, as he made just 17 saves. It was his worst performance since Nov. 20. His rates will probably be above average when the season ends, but the reason you want him is for the wins upside.

PANTHERS 3, SABRES 2

— When the season started, many expected the Panthers to be in the running for one of the top picks in the draft. Aaron Ekblad’s seamless transition to the NHL as an 18-year-old is a big reason why the Panthers have been competitive. He’s averaging close to 22 minutes of ice time, and after three assists Saturday, he has 17 points on the year. The kid’s going to be a good one. I definitely misspoke last week when I said the rookie of the year race would be between two.

— I mentioned Nick Bjugstad a few weeks ago as someone to consider picking up, and Saturday he netted the game winner. He has 11 goals and 17 points, with three goals and five points over the last two games. He’s got the size (6-foot-6, 218 pounds), speed and skill to be very good in this league.

— Roberto Luongo (26 saves) is another guy I discounted entering the season. His .925 save percentage is eighth in the NHL.

— Remember when Drew Stafford appeared to be an up-and-coming star, when he scored 20 in 2008-09, then 31 in 2010-11 as a 25-year-old? Not sure what happened to him … over the past three seasons he has a combined 65 points. He has five goals this year.

CAPITALS 4, DEVILS 1

— Jay Beagle has already reached his career high in goals with four this season. He has potted one in two straight. Nice for him, but there’s no reason to own him in any league.

— Brooks Laich had a goal and an assist. He has four points in 11 games after battling more injuries this season. A few years ago, Laich was a solid source of secondary scoring and worth owning. Now, it’s a win if you can see him on the ice for a month straight.

— Braden Holtby might be starting one of his hot streaks. He made 33 saves Saturday and has given up just a goal in two straight wins. Holtby was a sleeper to reach closer to the top tier of netminders this season, but he’s again struggled with consistency.

— Where in the world has Patrik Elias’ game gone? Maybe Father Time is finally catching up to him. Elias has just three goals and 12 points this season. Worst of all, that comes with 32 shots on goal, so he’s not generating chances nearly enough, either. The Devils’ lack of playmakers has certainly contributed.

BLACKHAWKS 3, PREDATORS 1

— With Corey Crawford out with a foot injury, if you have extra room, both Scott Darling and Antti Raanta are worth owning. Darling made 32 saves against Nashville. He’s the backup, but I liken him to streaming a pitcher because he’s on such a good team.

— Marian Hossa scored twice, one on the empty net. At this point, with five goals and 19 points on the year, he’ll take anything he can get. I’m an adamant supporter of his; I think there’s a goal-scoring outburst to come. Eighty-four shots and a six percent scoring rate? C’mon.

— Colin Wilson has half of his six goals over his last four games. The 25-year-old has never been worth looking at in fantasy leagues, but he could be not he fringes now. He’s taken a nice step with the shots on goal this year (54 in 24 games).

STARS 4, CANADIENS 1

— Man, is Tyler Seguin a good player. You have to include him in the conversation as one of the league’s most potent offensive players. He scored twice and assisted once against the Habs. He now leads the league with 21 goals and 35 points. Can’t help but think …. what the heck were the Bruins thinking?

— Good sign for Dallas in this one was that they controlled the pace of play, and didn’t get stuck in their own zone too often. Kari Lehtonen had to make just 16 saves. He has not been very good this year — .904 save percentage, which goes hand-in-hand with how his teammates have been in front of him.

— Carey Price made 25 saves in his third straight loss. Despite a strong start to the season, there have been red flags surrounding this team. Price is not one of them, but their middle-of-the-pack possession numbers illustrate one.

— Sven Andrighetto made his NHL debut with Lars Eller placed on the injured reserve, and he scored on his only shot. Andrighetto is another undersized player on the Canadiens at 5-foot-9, but he does come with some offensive flair. Too early to consider him for your roster, though.

BRUINS 5, COYOTES 2

— I’m pretty certain that Devan Dubnyk was ticketed for a run of starts. Then he went out and pulled a "Mike Smith" and got yanked in the second period after giving up four goals on 18 shots. Smith came in and made eight of nine saves in 25:13. I think Smith will be back in net Thursday against the Predators.

— Brad Marchand had an effective game, scoring twice, with two penalty minutes, four shots on goal and five hits. He’s shown some life lately with five points over his last four games.

— Kevan Miller scored his first goal of the season (13 games) Saturday.

— Dougie Hamilton is continuing to evolve as a player, even with Zdeno Chara sidelined. He assisted twice in 22:12 and got two penalty minutes. He has 17 points on the season and could break his career high of 25 by the end of the month.

— This is a reminder that it pays to have a long memory in fantasy leagues when it comes to players with a sustained (and successful) resume. Tuukka Rask gave up two goals on 26 shots. His .912 save percentage is far from his career average. There is no reason to sell him at any discount.

SHARKS 3, FLAMES 2

— I know why there’s some panic when it comes to the 14-10-4 Sharks, but there is still so much to like about this team. That they are top-10 in the league in possession (Corsi) speaks to that. There is such little wiggle room in the West that every point seems double more valuable than games between East teams.

— Amid the constant criticism of this team, Patrick Marleau continues to produce. His goal extended his point streak to four. He has 24 points on the season.

— Johnny Gaudreau scored and had five shots on goal. The rookie has points in four straight games, with 21 on the season. Don’t think anyone thought he’d be this good this fast, especially as he adjusted to the size of NHL players.

— Mark Giordano scored his seventh, to give him a team-leading 27 points on the season. He also has points in four straight.

— Will Jonas Hiller finally get a start? Karri Ramo’s personal six-game winning streak was snapped as he gave up three goals on 30 shots. This is an example of a team that was going with the hot hand instead of the paycheck. Ramo had started five games in a row.