Jhonas is a Bonus
Our Roundtable on Monday looked at fantasy players on bad teams who were worth taking in pools. When the talk got around to goaltenders, there was something I noticed that may have not been noticed by too many people.
You can certainly get lucky when a poor team goes on a roll and no one in your pool deems them fantasy worthy. Jhonas Enroth went on a 6-1-1 tear recently and is currently 7-2 in his last nine games, giving up 17 goals on 305 shots. That's a 1.93 GAA and a .944 save percentage since November 18.
If you look at his overall stats, he is 8-10-1 with a 2.91 GAA and a .919 save percentage, a third goalie in deep pools at best but he becomes a number one in his last three-and-a-half weeks.
It's not the best way to play fantasy hockey, but sometimes you can get lucky.
Don’t forget, for everything NHL, check out Rotoworld's Player News, and follow @Rotoworld_ HK and @mfinewaxhockey on Twitter.
Now to The Week Ahead.
WEEK OF DECEMBER 15-21
4 Games – Boston, Buffalo, Carolina, New Jersey, Ottawa, Philadelphia
3 Games- Anaheim, Calgary, Chicago, Colorado, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Edmonton, Florida, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Montreal, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Toronto, Washington, Winnipeg
2 Games– Arizona, Nashville, San Jose, Vancouver
Tampa Bay plays all four games away from home.
Anaheim, Boston, Colorado, Dallas, Ottawa and Washington play three games on the road.
Detroit, Montreal, New Jersey, Pittsburgh and Winnipeg play three games at home.
Don't forget to join a Yahoo Hockey pool. It’s not too late.
INJURIES
Jonathan Toews is day-to-day with an upper body injury suffered on Thursday. (Click here to see the rest of the injury list.)
Note: A tired team is one that has played the day or night before and is going against a team that did not play the previous day or night. The reverse is true for a rested team.
ANAHEIM
Games this week
@ Toronto, @ Montreal, @ Ottawa
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: @ Ottawa (Friday)
Notes
The Ducks play three games in four nights so expect to see Ilya Bryzgalov play once in place of Frederik Andersen. The Ducks finish a five game road trip on Canadian ice this week. Corey Perry is out another two-three weeks after suffering a knee injury on December 6. With the loss of Perry, Ryan Getzlaf has been seeing time between Rene Bourque and Devante Smith-Pelly. Matt Beleskey has only two assists heading into action on Thursday but he does have a career high 14 goals in 30 games and his plus-11 rating to go with 20 penalty minutes, gives him plenty of value. Keep an eye on Hampus Lindholm as the former sixth overall selection has three goals and 13 points in 30 games. Not too shabby for a 20-year-old defenseman.
ARIZONA
Games this week
vs. Edmonton, @ Los Angeles
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None
Notes
The Coyotes play only twice this week, for the second week in a row, so I would recommend sitting all your Arizona players in weekly pools. David Moss returned to action on Thursday after missing seven weeks with a hand injury. He was slated to play on the second line with Martin Hanzal and Martin Erat. Keith Yandle’s name is being bandied about in trade rumors and the Coyotes would want a top-six forward in return. I think they need a top-three forward back for the offensively talented blueliner. Lauri Korpikoski is a minus-14 this season in 29 games after a minus-three performance on Thursday, ahead of Shane Doan who is a minus-10 with seven goals and 16 points in 29 contests.
BOSTON
Games this week
@ Nashville, @ Minnesota, @ Winnipeg, vs. Buffalo
Rested Team: vs. Buffalo (Sunday)
Tired Team: None
Notes
The Bruins play four times this week including three games in four nights so look for Niklas Svedberg to play once for Tuukka Rask. The Bruins finally got Zdeno Chara back on Thursday, after a seven week absence when he tore his posterior cruciate ligament in his knee. He may need some time to return to his former self. David Krejci is starting to feel better and should return this week, if not sooner. Our best wishes are with the Simon Gagne family as he was granted an indefinite leave of absence to be with his ailing father who was recently diagnosed with liver cancer that is not curable. The Bruins are having trouble scoring as Patrice Bergeron leads the team with 20 points in 29 games.
BUFFALO
Games this week
vs. Ottawa, @ Winnipeg, vs. Colorado, @ Boston
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: @ Winnipeg (Tuesday), @ Boston (Sunday)
Notes
It’s a surprise to see that Cody Hodgson was a healthy scratch on Thursday, after he was the Sabres top player last season but he has certainly has not been this year. The 24-year-old has only one goal and two assists this season in 28 games. Chris Stewart, who was a healthy scratch on Tuesday, took his spot in the lineup. Stewart isn’t having a much better season than Hodgson as the former Blue has three goals and four points in 28 games. Marcus Foligno took over Hodgson’s spot at center with Stewart and Drew Stafford on the wings. The Sabres have only six power play goals with the season already 35 percent over.
CALGARY
Games this week
vs. New York Rangers, vs. Dallas, @ Vancouver
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: @ Vancouver (Saturday)
Notes
The Flames are starting to get healthy again as Joe Colborne, Matt Stajan and Mason Raymond have returned to the lineup after lengthy absences while Michael Ferland and Sven Baertschi were sent to the minors. Colborne is back with Josh Jooris and Johnny Gaudreau while Mason Raymond practiced with Markus Granlund and David Jones. The Flames continue to get outstanding offense from their top three defensemen as Mark Giordano has eight goals and 30 points in 30 games while T.J. Brodie has six goals and 22 points with Dennis Wideman chipping in nicely with 10 goals and 18 points to lead all NHL defensemen in goals.
CAROLINA
Games this week
@ Montreal, vs. Toronto, vs. New York Rangers, @ New York Rangers
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None
Notes
The Hurricanes play four games including three in four nights so expect to see Anton Khudobin in net at least once for Cam Ward. Carolina plays the Rangers in a home-and-home series on the weekend. Jay Harrison and Tim Gleason are the likeliest candidates to do battle if there are any fisticuffs. Eric Staal could still be suffering from the effects of his foot injury as he missed practice on Wednesday but he did play on Thursday. The Hurricanes are the second worst team in the NHL in finding the back of net. Alexander Semin was placed on the injured reserve list after suffering a lower body injury. With only a goal and six points this season, Semin will not be missed. Jordan Staal practiced with the team for the first time on Thursday albeit, without any contact.
CHICAGO
Games this week
vs. Minnesota, @ Columbus, vs. Toronto
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None
Notes
Good news for the Blackhawks and Patrick Sharp owners as he returned to the lineup on Tuesday after being out since November 4 with a knee injury. He bumped Brad Richards back to the second power play and will likely replace Kris Versteeg on the second line in even strength situations shortly. For now he is playing alongside Bryan Bickell and Andrew Shaw. Corey Crawford (lower body) practiced on Thursday but is not expected back this week. Jeremy Morin may have asked for a trade after he spent eight straight games as a healthy scratch. If dealt, he could be a top-six forward on a new team.
COLORADO
Games this week
@ Pittsburgh, @ Buffalo, @ Detroit
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: @ Detroit (Sunday)
Notes
Calvin Pickard will likely play at least twice this week, as the Avalanche play three games in four nights. Reto Berra may get a start as Semyon Varlamov is out yet again with a groin injury. Jamie McGinn is likely gone for the remainder of the season after undergoing back surgery. He had 19 goals and 38 points last season so he was taken in many deep leagues. Jesse Winchester has returned to practice after suffering a concussion but his date of return is unknown at this time. Tyson Barrie is tied for the lead with Matt Duchene with 20 points while Cody McLeod is first in penalty minutes with 70.
COLUMBUS
Games this week
@ Detroit, vs. Washington, vs. Chicago
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None
Notes
Brandon Dubinsky finally played on Tuesday for the first time this season as he returned after undergoing surgery to both sides of his groin at the start of the season. He saw action with Matt Calvert and Cam Atkinson. He is worth picking up in most pools as he is a nice combination of points and penalty minutes. Fedor Tyutin is close to returning after missing the last 12 games with surgery on his knee. After missing all of training camp, Ryan Johansen is still not showing any signs of slowing down as he leads the Blue Jackets in scoring with 27 points in 28 games. Jared Boll leads in penalty minutes with 51.
DALLAS
Games this week
@ Vancouver, @ Calgary, @ Edmonton
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None
Notes
The Stars travel through Western Canada this week. Ryan Garbutt has been suspended for three games when he slew-foot Dustin Byfuglien on Tuesday. He likely won’t get a lot of cheers in his hometown of Winnipeg the next time he plays there. As nice a season as Antoine Roussel had in 2013-14 when he scored 14 goals and added 15 assists with 209 penalty minutes, he is on pace to do better this season as he has six goals, 13 points and 62 penalty minutes in 28 contests. Patrick Eaves broke his ankle and will be out of action for four-eight weeks. Tyler Seguin has 22 goals and 36 points this season, both best in the NHL.
DETROIT
Games this week
vs. Columbus, vs. New York Islanders, vs. Colorado
Rested Team: vs. Toronto (Wednesday)
Tired Team: @ Colorado (Sunday)
Notes
Tomas Tatar had his five game point streak end on Wednesday but has been scoring at a nice clip with 12 goals and 20 points in 29 games including seven power play points. Danny DeKeyser has an upper body injury and the Red Wings recalled Xavier Ouellet to replace him. Justin Abdelkader was placed on the IR with a shoulder injury. Pavel Datsyuk was the first star of the week with three goals and seven points in four games. He has 12 goals and 22 points in 18 games. Johan Franzen is one of three Red Wings in the minus column and he is a team-worse minus-seven. Kyle Quincey leads in penalty minutes with 33.
EDMONTON
Games this week
@ Arizona, @ San Jose, vs. Dallas
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None
Notes
The only good news for the Oilers this past week is that the Oilers defeated the San Jose Sharks on December 7 and it was their first win over a Western Conference team this season as they are now 1-14-4 against their Conference rivals. The Oilers are averaging only 2.17 goals per game, the second worst in the NHL. What makes this worse is that Edmonton had three number one overall picks in a row from 2010-2012 and took offensive forwards with each pick (Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Nail Yakupov) and still have plenty of trouble putting the puck in the net. Boyd Gordon is out with a back injury.
FLORIDA
Games this week
vs. Washington, @ Philadelphia, @ Pittsburgh
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None
Notes
Rookie Aaron Ekblad was the third star of the week with two goals and six points in four games but the defenseman was not at practice on Thursday with an undisclosed injury and it forced the Panthers to recall Shane O’Brien. Nick Bjugstad continues to show his outstanding play is no fluke this season as he has 12 games in his last 17 games. He is worth picking up in most pools at this time, especially if you need some scoring. Roberto Luongo must love playing in Florida near his family as he is a surprising 9-6-6 this season with a 2.40 GAA as well as a .923 save percentage. He is keeping the Panthers in the playoff race, two months into the season.
LOS ANGELES
Games this week
@ St. Louis, vs. St. Louis, vs. Arizona
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None
Notes
The Kings play a home-and-home series with St. Louis and if there is any rough stuff (even though Christmas is just around the corner and players should be nice and not naughty) Brayden McNabb should be able to take care of things. Jake Muzzin broke a four game scoring slump Thursday with three assists and he now has 14 points in 23 games. What in the world is happening this season to Anze Kopitar. The perennial leader for the Kings in points, Kopitar scored his sixth of the season on Friday to give him three points in his last 10 games and only 13 points in 26 games this season. Marian Gaborik returned on Tuesday but has been held pointless in the two games since.
MINNESOTA
Games this week
@ Chicago, vs. Boston, vs. Nashville
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None
Notes
It’s nice to see Ryan Suter back in the lineup after he missed two games with the mumps. Marco Scandella will return for Tuesday’s game against Chicago after a suspension for his hit on Brock Nelson of the Islanders caused the NHL to sit him down for a couple of contests. Keith Ballard is out indefinitely after he suffered a concussion and multiple facial fractures when he was taken awkwardly into the boards by the Islanders Matt Martin. Thomas Vanek has only three goals and 16 points in 26 games this season after a goal and an assist Tuesday against the Isles. He has been a huge disappointment this season.
MONTREAL
Games this week
vs. Carolina, vs. Anaheim, vs. Ottawa
Rested Team: vs. Ottawa (Saturday)
Tired Team: None
Notes
It was a historic night in Montreal on Tuesday as the late Jean Beliveau was honored by the Canadiens. A jersey of his was hung over his regular seat, three rows behind the Habs bench and the attendance of 21,819 was announced as being one short of a sellout, Beliveau’s seat. It was a classy move by the Canadiens, by far the classiest team in the NHL. David Desharnais was moved to the third line this week as he centered P.A, Parenteau and Michael Bournival on the third unit. The Habs are looking for more scoring as they have found the back of the net only 23 times in their last 10 games. Alex Galchenyuk centered the first line with Max Pacioretty and Brendan Gallagher on his wings while Tomas Plekanec was in the middle between Jiri Sekac and Sven Andrighetto.
NASHVILLE
Games this week
vs. Boston, @ Minnesota
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None
Notes
The Predators only play twice this week so I would consider benching everyone in a weekly transaction pool with the exception of Pekka Rinne, Filip Forsberg, James Neal and Shea Weber. Mike Fisher was held pointless in his first three games after returning from a ruptured Achilles suffered in the off-season but has a goal and four points in his last four games. Filip Forsberg and Mike Ribeiro have made up quite the dynamic duo this season as they have combined for 54 points in 28 games while linemate James Neal has 11 goals and 18 points. The troika has combined for a plus-52 with Forsberg out in front with a plus-25 and Ribeiro tied for sixth at plus-15.
NEW JERSEY
Games this week
@ New York Islanders, vs. Ottawa, vs. Tampa Bay, vs. Washington
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: vs. Washington (Saturday)
Notes
The Devils play three times in four nights as part of their four game week so look for Keith Kinkaid to get a rare start for Cory Schneider. Just when Eric Gelinas looks good enough to put into your lineup (a goal and an assist on December 4), the Devils decide to make him a healthy scratch the last two games. Michael Cammalleri is back after missing a couple of games so get him back in your fantasy lineup as he is the Devils most dangerous offensive threat, especially in the goal scoring department. The Devils are one of the NHL teams affected by the mumps as Travis Zajac and Adam Larsson are battling the illness.
NEW YORK ISLANDERS
Games this week
vs. New Jersey, @ Detroit, vs. Tampa Bay
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None
Notes
Well, the 11 game winning streak of goaltender Jaroslav Halak came to an abrupt end as he ran into his former teammates, the St. Louis Blues, who promptly scored 11 goals on 72 shots with Halak between the pipes (and an empty netter to boot). The good news is that the Islanders and Blues do not face each other in the regular season in 2014-15. For anyone who took a flier on Cory Conacher at the beginning of the season (I did in a very deep league) he has been a major disappointment and it has been a long time since he saw first line duty with John Tavares and Kyle Okposo. He has also been a healthy scratch in 11 of his past 12 games. If he is still on your roster, then look for a new hobby. Brock Nelson continues to be third in scoring on the Isles with 13 goals and 24 points, trailing only Tavares and Okposo who each have 26.
NEW YORK RANGERS
Games this week
@ Calgary, @ Carolina, vs. Carolina
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None
Notes
The Rangers play Carolina in a home-and-home series this week so look for Chris Kreider (if healthy) to get involved if there is any rough stuff. Hard to believe but Mats Zuccarello is third on the Rangers in penalty minutes with 21. Derek Stepan is averaging close to a point a game (13 points in 14 contests), since his return from a fractured fibula five weeks ago. Anthony Duclair has been loaned to the Canadian Juniors for the World Championships and that should only help the 19-year-old. J.T. Miller is seeing second unit power play time. Tanner Glass is back after contracting the mumps. Kevin Klein continues to lead all Rangers defensemen in goals, with six, points with 10 and plus/minus at plus-nine.
OTTAWA
Games this week
@ Buffalo, @ New Jersey, vs. Anaheim, @ Montreal
Rested Team: vs. Anaheim (Friday)
Tired Team: @ Montreal (Saturday)
Notes
The Senators play four games this week including three in four nights so Craig Anderson and Robin Lehner could split the games. Anderson has been struggling of late as he is 1-6-1 in his last eight games, giving up 26 goals in 268 shots while allowing less than three goals only once in that span. He gave up two to the Islanders in a loss on December 4. The Senators fired their head coach Paul MacLean and replaced him with Dave Cameron. Cameron lost in his NHL debut on Thursday. Look for Erik Karlsson to play a more disciplined game defensively with Cameron in charge. Karlsson leads the Senators with 20 points while Clarke MacArthur is tops in goals with nine.
PHILADELPHIA
Games this week
vs. Tampa Bay, vs. Florida, @ Toronto, @ Winnipeg
Rested Team: vs. Tampa Bay (Tuesday)
Tired Team: @ Winnipeg (Sunday)
Notes
The Flyers play three times in four nights in their four game week, so Ray Emery could play once or twice for Steve Mason. Emery was between the pipes on Thursday and let only one get past him as he won for the first time since October 28. It must be tough being Vincent Lecavalier these days as he has now been scratched in five straight games. Wayne Simmonds has scored four goals in his last four games. After starting the season with only four goals and eight points in his first 23 games, Sean Couturier has two goals and six points in his last five games.
PITTSBURGH
Games this week
vs. Tampa Bay, vs. Colorado, vs. Florida
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None
Notes
Kris Letang (groin) and Patric Hornqvist will be game time decisions on December 12 as both have missed action with injuries. Steve Downie saw some time on a line with Sidney Crosby during Hornqvist’s absence. The Penguins are missing four players projected to be on the top-six at the start of the season in Hornqvist, Beau Bennett, Pascal Dupuis and Chris Kunitz but continue to sit at or near the top of the Eastern Conference. Good thing that the two healthy players are Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Marc-Andre Fleury is 15-4-2 this season with a 2.16 GAA and a .925 save percentage.
ST. LOUIS
Games this week
vs. Los Angeles, @ Los Angeles, @ San Jose
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None
Notes
The Blues take on the Kings in a home-and-home series this week. Ryan Reaves and Steve Ott are the likeliest candidates to add to their penalty minute totals if the situation arises and the two teams are forced to battle. Alexander Steen missed a couple of games with a lower body injury but came back on Thursday and was a thorn in the side of the Islanders as he scored twice and added an assist. Jay Bouwmeester returned to action on Thursday after missing eight games and the Blues put Carl Gunnarsson on injured reserve with what is likely a concussion. Brian Elliott skated on Monday but his return from a lower body injury on November 25 is not imminent.
SAN JOSE
Games this week
vs. Edmonton, vs. St. Louis
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None
Notes
The Sharks only play twice this week so feel free to reserve any of your San Jose players in weekly transaction pools. Alex Stalock has started the last three games and is 4-3-1 this season with a 2.12 GAA and a .926 save percentage. He has a chance to take over as the starter for the Sharks as Antti Niemi is dealing with a minor injury at this time. Joe Thornton is up to 26 points in 31 games this season and has been helped out by back-to-back two assist nights. Matt Tennyson was recalled from Worcester. Mike Brown is out with a lower body injury and he will miss an extended period of time.
TAMPA BAY
Games this week
@ Pittsburgh, @ Philadelphia, @ New Jersey, @ New York Islanders
Rested team: None
Tired Team: @ Philadelphia (Tuesday)
Notes
The Lightning are on the road for all four games this week. Ben Bishop is the unquestioned starter in goal but Evgeni Nabokov has played well of late so the Lightning will likely go to him once this week. Ondrej Palat sat out Thursday with a lower body injury and Alex Killorn replaced him on a line with Tyler Johnson and Nikita Kucherov. Jonathan Drouin will be staying with the Lightning as they did not release the rookie to the Canadian Junior team. Steve Stamkos scored his 250th goal of his NHL career on Tuesday as the 24-year-old also has 459 career points. Victor Hedman has points in only two of the seven games since his return from injury on November 29. The good thing is that it was a pair of three assist nights.
TORONTO
Games this week
vs. Anaheim, @ Carolina, vs. Philadelphia, @ Chicago
Rested team: None
Tired Team: None
Notes
The Maple Leafs play three times in four nights so look for James Reimer to get at least one start in place of Jonathan Bernier. Brandon Kozun has been back with the Maple Leafs this week but has been a healthy scratch on both occasions. Leo Komarov has yet to play after being hit by Alex Ovechkin on November 29. The worry is a possible concussion. Nazem Kadri is hot of late with two goals and eight points to go with a plus-seven rating in his last seven games. He has only two power play points after picking up 18 last season but he has been on the ice for seven goals in 28 games after being on the ice for 20 last season. Peter Holland has been centering Joffrey Lupul and David Clarkson.
VANCOUVER
Games this week
vs. Dallas, vs. Calgary
Rested Team: vs. Calgary (Saturday)
Tired Team: None
Notes
The Canucks play only two games for the second week in a row. Shawn Matthias has missed the last two games after being elbowed to the head on Saturday. Good thing that the Canucks are playing so few games heading into the Christmas season. Derek Dorsett continues to have a typical Derek Dorsett season in which he has four goals and 10 points in 27 games to go with 66 penalty minutes. Look for 10 goals and 25 points this season with around 200 minutes in the sin bin. Jannik Hansen has eight goals this season for the Canucks. Eddie Lack has seen action in three of the last four games with two starts. He is just a handcuff for Ryan Miller as Lack is 2-3-2 with a 2.77 GAA with a .911 save percentage.
WASHINGTON
Games this week
@ Florida, @ Columbus, @ New Jersey
Rested team: @ New Jersey (Saturday)
Tired Team: None
Notes
Mike Green returned to action on Thursday after a seven game absence and saw second power play time Matt Niskanen is seeing action on the first unit most of the time while John Carlson saw some. The Capitals have made Andre Burakovsky a healthy scratch for the last three games. Braden Holtby is 10-6 when games end in regulation time but is 1-4 in overtime and shootout games. Alex Ovechkin has five goals in his last eight games but his two goal performance on Tuesday, have been his only points in his last six games. On the blueline, Carlson leads with 21 points and a plus seven rating with Niskanen and Green tied with 12 points apiece.
WINNIPEG
Games this week
vs. Buffalo, vs. Boston, vs. Philadelphia
Rested team: vs. Buffalo (Tuesday), vs. Philadelphia (Sunday)
Tired Team: None
Notes
The Jets get a break this week as all three games are at home and they are the rested team in two of the three matches. When you see glimpses of Mark Scheifele like he played on Thursday, you realize why the Jets took him seventh overall in 2011. I still would have taken Dougie Hamilton with the pick but there is no denying Scheifele’s skill level. Adam Lowry has discovered where the offensive zone is as he has two goals and four point in his last three games after picking up two goals and an assist in his first 26 matches. Although Ondrej Pavelec stats are reasonable with a 9-8-4 record to go with a 2.32 GAA and a .914 save percentage, Michael Hutchinson is better as he is 6-1-2 with a 1.67 GAA and a .941 save percentage. I know who I would rather have between the pipes, and it’s not Pavelec.
