This article is part of our Crashing the Net series.
Forward Focus
Dany Heatley scored 50 goals in back-to-back seasons in 2005-06. He followed that up with three more seasons of at least 39 goals before dipping to 26 markers last season. The Sharks, wary of that trend, dealt him to the Wild this offseason. Good for the Sharks. Heatley has 13 goals through 42 games, putting him on pace for another season of just 26 goals. His days as an elite goal scorer are over.
No one can spell Valtteri Filppula's name, but you need to recognize the game. Filppula has 35 points in 40 games for the Wings, a year after he recorded 39 points in 71 games. Valterri has been hot of late, with five games of at least two points in his last 15 contests.
Cody Hodgson's fantasy value continues to be somewhat capped because he's really only seeing third-line minutes, but he's still been very productive in what ice time he gets. Over his last 11 games, he has four goals and five assists for the Canucks.
Olli Jokinen was one of those guys taken at the end of drafts this season. Coming off a season of 17 goals and 54 points, people called out his name because it was familiar to them, not because they expected a big season. Surprisingly, he's decided to turn back the clock to 2007, as he's posting points at a rapid pace for the Flames, with 27 in his last 22 games played. He's only 33 years
Forward Focus
Dany Heatley scored 50 goals in back-to-back seasons in 2005-06. He followed that up with three more seasons of at least 39 goals before dipping to 26 markers last season. The Sharks, wary of that trend, dealt him to the Wild this offseason. Good for the Sharks. Heatley has 13 goals through 42 games, putting him on pace for another season of just 26 goals. His days as an elite goal scorer are over.
No one can spell Valtteri Filppula's name, but you need to recognize the game. Filppula has 35 points in 40 games for the Wings, a year after he recorded 39 points in 71 games. Valterri has been hot of late, with five games of at least two points in his last 15 contests.
Cody Hodgson's fantasy value continues to be somewhat capped because he's really only seeing third-line minutes, but he's still been very productive in what ice time he gets. Over his last 11 games, he has four goals and five assists for the Canucks.
Olli Jokinen was one of those guys taken at the end of drafts this season. Coming off a season of 17 goals and 54 points, people called out his name because it was familiar to them, not because they expected a big season. Surprisingly, he's decided to turn back the clock to 2007, as he's posting points at a rapid pace for the Flames, with 27 in his last 22 games played. He's only 33 years old, but it's still shocking to see him crank up the offense after failing to best 57 points the last three years.
Patrick Marleau has always been one of the better offensive players in the league. However, he's always been overshadowed by a teammate and he's only had two seasons of more than 75 points, so he's never really been mentioned among the game's elite. Marleau has averaged 76 points a season the past three years, and thanks to his current run (points in 10 of his last 11 games – 5g, 8a) he's on pace for about 71 points this year.
Woke up this morning and thought I would upchuck my pancakes when I looked at Dustin Penner's line this season with the Kings: two goals, seven assists, minus-5 rating in 31 games. That's 15 points in 50 games since he joined the Kings.
James van Riemsdyk recorded seven goals in 11 playoff games last season for the Flyers. He's recorded 11 goals this season in 35 regular season games, including just three in his last 16 games.
Bobby Ryan is heating up. He has five goals in his last six games for the Ducks.
Paul Stastny has been one of the biggest disappointments in the game this season. A three-time 70 point producer in his first five seasons, Stastny entered the year with 321 points in 348 games. How in the world does he have only 22 points in 40 games this season?
Alex Steen has only 24 points in 36 games this season for the Blues, and he's currently on the shelf with a concussion in late December. He's been able to post an impressive plus-20 mark, though, not bad for a guy who entered the year as a minus-11 performer in 454 games.
Blake Wheeler continues to get it done for the Jets. Over his last 17 games, he's produced 18 points, dished out 41 hits, and taken 37 shots on goal. He's also been on a tear of late, with points in seven of eight games, including five goals and five helpers.
Ray Whitney was always thought of as too small to succeed in the NHL. Well, 962 points and 1,189 NHL games have put that thought to rest. His issue now is that he's too old (39). Or is he? Once again defying the odds, Whitney has 14 goals and 36 points in 42 games with the Coyotes. Never underestimate Mr. Whitney.
Blue Line Business
Jason Garrison remains the only blue-liner in the game to have hit double-digits in goals (he has 11). Unfortunately. Garrison has only three of those goals over his last 21 games, as his scoring rate has predictably regressed.
Erik Karlsson leads defensemen with 41 points this season. Remove his six goals, and his total of 35 assists would still lead blue liners in points (Brian Campbell is second with 33 points). There is only one blue liner in the game who has recorded 20 points who has only one goal – Kimmo Timonen of the Flyers, who has one goal and 25 helpers. Matt Gilroy is the highest point producer from the back end who doesn't have a goal. He's dished out 10 helpers for the Bolts.
Duncan Keith had 14 goals in 2009 and saw that number regress to seven last season. It looks like another step back might be in the cards for the Blackhawks' blue-liner. who has only two markers in 39 games this season.
Dmitry Kulikov has a solid total of 21 points, putting him on pace to shatter his total of 26 points from last season. However, his offense has dried up quicker than a free bottle of Grey Goose on a Friday night at the local dance club. Though Dmitry scored a goal in his last game, that is the only point, the only one, that he's posted since December 8, a stretch of 14 games.
Crease Cops
Craig Anderson is tied for second in the league with 20 victories, but thanks to a 3.13 GAA, he owns a dubious distinction as the NHL leader in wins without a shutout. The next-highest win total for a keeper who hasn't pitched a shutout is 15 for Kari Lehtonen and Corey Crawford.
Scott Clemmensen has upped his record to 5-3-1. With Jose Theodore currently on the sidelines with a knee issue, and Jacob Markstrom potentially dealing with a serious knee injury, Clemmensen has all of a sudden become a nice pick-up off the waiver-wire heap.
Marc-Andre Fleury has done what he always does for the Penguins, and that is tend the net with enough skill to give them a chance to win nearly every game. On the season, MAF is 19-11-2 for a team that has been crippled by injuries.
Tuukka Rask has allowed one goal in his last five games, all of which are wins. He's lowered his GAA to 1.49.
There is a heaping helping of struggling keepers in the NHL right now. Look at a smattering of the keepers who have failed to record a .900 save percentage, the absolute floor for acceptance in the NHL nowadays: Cam Ward (.898), Jones Hiller (.898), Martin Brodeur (.894) and Ilya Bryzgalov (.891). All of them simply have to improve in the second half, but they've all been so bad for so long that it's nearly impossible to think any of them will meet expectations this season.
The Infirmary
James Neal has a broken foot, an injury that was projected to keep him out of the lineup for weeks. However, he participated in the morning skate on Tuesday and said he was good to go in what would be a miraculous recovery. I don't know what elixir he was able to use to play through his injury, but let's hope he shares it with Sidney Crosby.
Patrick Sharp, one of the best all-around offensive contributors in the league (20g, 20a, plus-18, 5 GWG), is likely to miss at least three weeks with a hand/wrist injury, leaving the Blackhawks without a main offensive weapon. Jimmy Hayes and/or Andrew Shaw will take on a bigger role with the club from Chicago.
Ray Flowers can be heard daily on Sirius/XM Radio on The Fantasy Drive on Sirius 210 and XM 87, and Saturday's from 3-4 PM he hosts the SiriusXM Fantasy Hockey Show. His NHL thoughts can be read at RotoWire.com. Ray's baseball analysis can be found at BaseballGuys.com and his minute to minute musings can be located at the BaseballGuys' Twitter account.To email Ray a question for next week's piece, drop him a line at [email protected].
