This article is part of our Neutral Zone Wrap series.
Neutral Zone Wrap
Evan Berofsky, RotoWire.com
Holiday shopping is the best. The selection of goods is abundant and the deals are almost too good to believe. And thanks to technology, you don't even have to leave the house to fulfill family/friend obligations.
The downside in all this is the temptation to get too much and/or non-essential items. So before you make that next purchase, first consider if you really need 50 cases of glitter glue.
Yes, there's a point that can be transferred to fantasy hockey (isn't there always?!). Some owners - even those in a position of strength - get caught up in reworking their lineup. They see others making transactions and will naturally do likewise.
The danger in doing these moves is that they're purely reactionary and can end up hurting the team. You lose focus on the long-term outlook and settle on the newest and shiniest available object. Is a sixth right winger necessary when you've got holes at center and defense? Probably not. So during this period of hyper-consumerism, please shop wisely.
Only 10 NHL clubs left to cover. The first batch:
(Stats as of Monday December 8th)
It's true: Penguins are actually able to fly. At least a lofty place in the swanky Metropolitan Division suggests they can. Even without three of their regular top-six forwards, others have adequately filled the void. Blake Comeau (five points in six games, including a hat-trick vs. Toronto) has acted as the main beneficiary. Steve Downie (nothing in eight)
Neutral Zone Wrap
Evan Berofsky, RotoWire.com
Holiday shopping is the best. The selection of goods is abundant and the deals are almost too good to believe. And thanks to technology, you don't even have to leave the house to fulfill family/friend obligations.
The downside in all this is the temptation to get too much and/or non-essential items. So before you make that next purchase, first consider if you really need 50 cases of glitter glue.
Yes, there's a point that can be transferred to fantasy hockey (isn't there always?!). Some owners - even those in a position of strength - get caught up in reworking their lineup. They see others making transactions and will naturally do likewise.
The danger in doing these moves is that they're purely reactionary and can end up hurting the team. You lose focus on the long-term outlook and settle on the newest and shiniest available object. Is a sixth right winger necessary when you've got holes at center and defense? Probably not. So during this period of hyper-consumerism, please shop wisely.
Only 10 NHL clubs left to cover. The first batch:
(Stats as of Monday December 8th)
It's true: Penguins are actually able to fly. At least a lofty place in the swanky Metropolitan Division suggests they can. Even without three of their regular top-six forwards, others have adequately filled the void. Blake Comeau (five points in six games, including a hat-trick vs. Toronto) has acted as the main beneficiary. Steve Downie (nothing in eight) has fallen off the mark after initial success. Nick Spaling (one in seven) hasn't yet seen the effects of lining up with Sidney Crosby. And how did Brandon Sutter (PPA on Sunday) sneak on the first power-play? With Kris Letang (groin strain) and Olli Maatta (unknown injury) hurting, Paul Martin (two in 13) can boost his worth. Hold off on Simon Despres (scoreless in 13) until he earns the full trust of the coaching staff.
A contagious disease may have ravaged the lineup but Anaheim is not giving in (in fact, they're leading the league with 41 points). Losses up front have allowed others to shine, but don't be fooled by Rene Bourque (PPG Sunday, but only one other in seven since arriving). Your better bets right now should be Devante Smith-Pelly (four in seven) or Matt Beleskey (goals in six of 10). Patrick Maroon (eight in 10) is maintaining a decent run while Jakob Silfverberg (four-in-a-row) looks to be turning the corner. The darkhorse winger would be Kyle Palmieri (five in eight), if his unbelievable game-winner Sunday is any indication.
Guessing which version of Toronto will show up on a nightly basis is as exciting an effort as the games themselves. Are they dominating (like Saturday's 5-2 win over Vancouver) or confused and frightened (back-to-back shellackings from Buffalo and Nashville last month)? Putting Nazem Kadri (eight in 10) at the power-play point has forced him to improve his defense. Mike Santorelli (goal, seven assists in five) has conjured a scoring resume reminiscent of his AHL days (averaged 57 points in three seasons while in the Nashville system). David Clarkson (three in six) is just looking to stay healthy. Both Jake Gardiner (eight, minus-9) and Morgan Rielly (nine, minus-1) have generally been stymied but have the support to raise their totals.
These aren't your father's Flyers ... unless he followed the crumby years from 1989-94. The stats for Steve Mason aren't shabby (2.67 GAA, .918 SV%) but he's usually the first one blamed for the team's troubles. Michael Raffl (one in six after six goals early in the season) needs to do more with his opportunities. Matt Read (zero in seven) has managed to parlay lousy luck with subpar stats. The hype of coming back wasn't worth the cost for R.J. Umberger (four, minus-10 in 26). Did you know Vincent Lecavalier (three healthy scratches preceded by one in nine) earns the sixth-highest salary in the league? And if you weren't aware by now, Michael del Zotto (nothing in eight, along with three stints in the press box) is a waste of time; Andrew MacDonald (assists in three straight) is the D you're looking for.
Eventually, Edmonton will be fed up with their futility and do something about it. And everyone in the organization can be criticized, even after an impressive victory Sunday night. At least David Perron (five in seven, 12 PIM) is picking up the pace while Teddy Purcell (three in four) is set to repay the Oilers for bringing him in last summer. It must be so frustrating for Nail Yakupov (a goal after 10 helpings of nothing), although he can only do so much with what's available. Maybe it would have been better to return Leon Draisaitl (one in 10) to juniors. At least Oscar Klefbom (one point, but logging major minutes) has looked comfortable in his first full season. And trying to distinguish between Ben Scrivens (3.22 GAA, .890 SV%) and Viktor Fasth (3.23 GAA, .891 SV%) in terms of performance will get you nowhere.
