Neutral Zone Wrap: Dottier in Detroit

Neutral Zone Wrap
Evan Berofsky, RotoWire.com

In case you missed the latest fifth-tier news, I recently participated in the Scrabble(TM) Champions Tournament (SCT) in London (the famous European city, not its wildly popular Ontario namesake). After spending over a week in England, I learned three things:

1) The worst fish and chips available in the UK is better than just about any fish and chips that can be found over here.
2) There are many meanings for the word 'banger' - and most of them are surprisingly not offensive.
3) You really, really miss watching live hockey. That is, unless you want to stay up until 1AM and hope for a decent live online feed.

Going into the event, I realized winning it all would be unrealistic but I still believed a major prize (i.e. a top-eight finish) was possible. The tiles may be unfavorable at times, but the greats can work through those lulls and persevere. And while 31st place out of 108 isn't awful, I know I have to improve my game if I have any chance of cashing in the future.

And like my experience in the field of 'professional' gaming, the same concepts apply in fantasy management. Even though you cannot control what your players do on the ice, you can at least maintain a high level of skill and preparedness to overcome any unfortunate occurrence. As long as you put in the time and effort, you will end up being rewarded more often.

Five teams, five stories:

(Stats as of Monday December 1st)

Survival is the key to success in Detroit. When a couple major contributors go missing, the unit falters. But at full strength, everything clicks into place. With everyone back in working order, the Wings have taken six of the last seven. Stephen Weiss (five points in four games) may exist as the latest flavor-of-the-week but odds on he'll soon turn sour. As long as Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg stick as a regular tandem, others can shine in secondary setups. Riley Sheahan (seven in eight, with four on the power-play) has finally broken through the NCAA/AHL barrier. Tomas Tatar (nine in nine) may receive more press for his flash, but Tomas Jurco (seven in seven) proves just as reliable. Jakub Kindl (three in three, regular spot on the #2 man-advantage) is turning years of hard work into a regular all-purpose role. Danny DeKeyser may be shedding power-play minutes, but the former Western Michigan star can still produce (six in eight).

Holy Moses, perhaps the Islanders are for real. Tied for the NHL lead in points (34, with five others) and seventh in average goals scored (at 2.95), the other New York franchise is enjoying life at the top. Jaroslav Halak (2.13 GAA, .926 SV%, three shutouts in 16) is providing the stability in net the club has been waiting for. The blue chippers up front are chipping in, with former first-rounders Brock Nelson (20) and Ryan Strome (17) killing it. Anders Lee (four in six) still looks raw at 24 but his solid two-way play will undoubtedly give him an edge for future assignments. The D may be crumbling (with Lubomir Visnovsky and Johnny Boychuk out) so a guy like Nick Leddy (four in 14, but a solid PP pedigree) or even Matt Donovan (21 in 27 in the AHL last year) can pick up the offensive slack.

For anyone who closely follows fantasy, it's no surprise John Klingberg  (eight in 10) is excelling this early. Had it not been for his North American inexperience (three AHL contests) and a knock in the preseason, the Stars would've immediately handed the 22-year old the keys to the offense. Without Valeri Nichuskin (hip surgery, maybe returning for the playoffs), other forwards are failing to fill in. Veterans Ales Hemsky (four in five) and Erik Cole (two in nine, minus-5) are experiencing different results from meager minutes. Even in a slight downturn, Antoine Roussel (two in seven but 17 PIM) is good enough. Wait, wasn't Ryan Garbutt supposed to supply more PIM (only 14 in 19)? Jason Demers may be the new kid in town but has already fit in nicely (game-winner is his Dallas opener) and is ready to increase his responsibilities.

Give credit to the Sens, who always seem to draw more out of their players than their assumed skill set. Even with a winning record, several skaters in Ottawa need a boost. Time to wake up, Mika Zibanejad (six in 21, followed two healthy scratches with a minus-3). While he may not be young anymore, David Legwand (two in nine, with both coming in the last two) should be assuming a larger load. Those hot streaks appear as distant memories for Mike Hoffman (once six goals in five, now two assists in seven) and Mark Stone (had a seven-in-eight point run but slipped to one in eight). Cody Ceci has been a stalwart performer (averaging over 20 minutes a night, plus-3 overall) but the better long-term fantasy option would point towards Patrick Wiercioch (although four in 15 is an awful encore to 23 in 53 last season).

We may as well ignore LA's mediocrity because they'll only turn it up again in the spring. Tyler Toffoli (19) may lead in scoring but poor play of late (two in nine) has earned him a quick demotion. What's up with Anze Kopitar (only 10 in 21, scoreless in five)? Where have you gone, Tanner Pearson (two in nine after starting nine in eight)? When will you not be injured, Marian Gaborik (upper-body injury, eight in 15 when healthy)? At least Dustin Brown (five in six) looks promising and Jarret Stoll (six in seven) gets the job done. Meanwhile, on defense, keep an eye on twenty-somethings Brayden McNabb (five assists in six, 14 PIM) and Jamie McBain (three in nine since signing), who look to be temporarily taking over for Alec Martinez (broken finger) and Slava Voynov (idiot).