Travis Pastrana's NASCAR Debut

X Games star Travis Pastrana made his NASCAR racing debut in the Toyota All Star Showdown Saturday night. And what a race he ran. Starting 20th in the 40 car field, he remained mid-pack for over 200 laps avoiding the multitude of accidents that marred the race. He eventually made many clean passes and found himself in the front-pack toward the end of the contest. He eventually finished in sixth place, a remarkable run for his first race. According to Ben Montedonico of Stock Car Spin, Pastrana's driving skills, the exhilaration he exuded after the race in his post-race interview, his positive attitude and "contagious excitement," make Pastrana one to watch down the road. Ben believes Pastrana has a bright future and may be "just what the doctor ordered for NASCAR."
Read Ben's article at http://stockcarspin.com/2011/01/31/travis-pastrana-impressed-in-nascar-debut-in-more-ways-than-one/.

Hockey Links-January 31, 2011

School of Block: Down the Stretch- The Goalie Guild- Justin Goldman

Justin Goldman declares who he feels are the netminders who will give us the most fantasy value for the remaining ten weeks of the regular season. He believes each has the ability to make adjustments with alacrity and improve every aspect of his game. I don't see any being on the waiver wire in even the shallowest of leagues, but maybe you can pry them away from an unsuspecting owner. They are:

Miikka Kiprusoff- With only an .885 save-percentage and a 3.09 goals-against-average in January, Kiprusoff's confidence was shaken. In ten January games he was pulled twice. But prior to the All-Star weekend, in a game against the Canucks, he made a remarkable first-period glove save that seemed to be the catalyst that restored his swagger. The result was a Calgary shootout win with Kipper making 41 saves on 44 shots, followed by two wins in which he allowed only one goal per contest. Is it possible that this could be the turning-point where the 34 year-old Finn rights the ship?

Ryan Miller- Last season's Vezina Trophy winner has many poolies kicking themselves for selecting him in the first-round of their 2010-11 drafts. His .913 save-percentage and 2.68 goals-against-average fall short of expectations. But Justin feels a number of things bode well for Miller's fantasy value improving toward season's end. First, he has won his last four starts, stopping 125 of 143 shots. Second, we must take into account Miller's two-plus week absence in November due to injury if we are going to properly project his wins, saves, and shutouts for the rest of the year. Third, with Buffalo six points out of a playoff spot, Miller will draw from his experience on Team USA in the Winter Olympics a year ago to help bring the Sabres into the post-season. Do you feel these and Miller's sound "economical" and butterfly style will, as according to Justin, improve Miller's value?

Henrik Lundqvist-The King has a 1.97 goals-against-average and a .934 save-percentage in January despite going 5-4-1. He is currently on pace to play a whopping 70 games and win 36. Justin feels, however, that he will win 40 because of 1) his experience and his ability to make the huge, timely save in close games, 2) his save percentage at home (.924) and on the road(.925) are virtually identical, and 3) he an Tim Thomas lead the league in shutouts (7). Justin even believes that Lundqvist will add 4-5 more shutouts before the season's end. Do you?

Antti Nieme-Up until December, not many would have predicted to see the 27 year-old from Vantaa, Finland on this list. Since then his play has steadily improved. Before losing to the Kings last Wednesday, he had won four consecutive games. Add Antero Nittymaki's nagging injuries, and Niemi now has the opportunity to nail down the starting gig in San Jose. As Justin rightly points out, the Sharks appear to play with more confidence in front of Niemi, which in turn boosts Niemi's confidence in himself. In addition, his phenomenal .901 power play save-percentage (15 PP on 152 shots) is 4th best in the NHL. We also cannot forget what he accomplished for the Blackhawks last year in helping them win the Stanley Cup. Justin feels that despite Niemi's mediocre statistics and "average" butterfly skills, his experience and mental toughness will help steer the Sharks into the playoffs, and help profoundly his fantasy value for the remainder of the 2011 campaign. Do you agree?

Among the goalies without any playoff pressure, Justin considers Devan Dubnyk, Martin Brodeur, and Kevin Poulin as sleepers down the stretch. Except for Brodeur, I would pass on the rookies unless I was in a league that did not consider save-percentage or goals-against-average. Who are your sleepers?

Hockey Links

Steven Stamkos leads the NHL with 67 points and also 38 goals. Evgeni Malkin has 37 points and 15 goals in comparison. Moreover, Geno has missed his last three games with a gimpy knee that has plagued him for most of the 2010-11 campaign. Yet Jeff Angus over at Dobber Hockey claims he would trade Stamkos for Malkin; "Unless it is a league that HEAVILY weighted goals (two or three to one, for example), give me Malkin seven days a week." Jeff doesn't clarify whether he means a one-year league or keeper, but I'll assume he means the latter. In which case who would you rather have, Stamkos or Malkin?

Corey Pronman at Hockey Prospectus evaluates some of the top future prospects in the upcoming 2011 NHL Entry Draft in his "From Daigle To Datsyuk" series. He is high on center Jonathan Huberdeau of the Saint John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL, whose stock is recently on the rise. Corey feels that it is not a matter of "if" Huberdeau will be chosen in the first round of the draft, but "how high" in the first. In another article in the series, Corey looks at the 12 rookies that were selected for the SuperSkills Competition at the 2011 All-Star Game. He offers an interesting statistic that bodes well for FHS darling Logan Couture. Thus far the Sharks are shooting around a paultry 8-percent when Couture is on the ice, making it probable that his point total will even get better as the season progresses. Yes!

In her Frozen Fantasy blog, Janet Eagleson presents a striking chronological similitude between the career paths of Sidney Crosby and Eric Lindros: both junior hockey greats, both number-one overall draft picks, both dominant their first five NHL seasons, both suffering concussions in their sixth season of play. Let's all hope this is where their career parallels will end. Crosby started skating again this past weekend, albeit when he will return to normal hockey activity remains unknown. Janet is especially disgusted that Crosby may have suffered TWO concussions in a matter of days. The first occurred when he was hit by David Steckel, the second when he was slammed into the glass by Victor Hedman. If true, it would be unconscionable that he was allowed to play that last game in Tampa.

Fantasyhockey.com writer Steven Ives presents his 2010-11 mid-season awards. Prior to the season, Steven predicted that Lord Stanley's Cup would be moving from Chicago to Vancouver, and in his post proudly reiterates his reasons why. But he is also self-deprecating, and informs us that the team he felt would represent the Eastern Conference in the Stanley Cup Final would be none other than the New Jersey Devils. He calls John MacLean the "Rich Kotite of the NHL" and equates MacLean's coaching strategies to "Paris Hilton’s conceptualization of quantum physics." Steven's award winners are for the most part well deserving and should not stir much controversy. He feels that the Nashville Predators success in spite of their lack of talented forwards and multiple injuries is due to superior coaching. Thus, Steven presents the Jack Adams trophy (Coach of the Year) to Barry Trotz.

Down Goes Brown believes that the new "schoolyard" draft system will be the highlight of the 2011 All-Star Game. Yes, an innovative idea. But is it worthy of the NHL's self-adulation that already has been repeated ad nauseum? What else will be new? The SkillsCompetition? Nope. The game itself? Nope. Down Goes Brown makes the NHL's brain-trust look like preschoolers with the ten suggestions he offers. One idea, for example, is a " Lame Duck - Cory Clouston delivers a fiery motivational speech to members of the Ottawa Senators, who compete to see who can go the longest without rolling their eyes and tuning him out completely. (Note to organizers: this event will require a timer that can measure thousandths of a second.)" Forget about the stodgy beau monde of the NHL. We need more Down Goes Brown.

Please feel free to offer any suggestions in the comments about articles, blogs, publications, etc. you feel would be of interest to the fantasy hockey community.

Jokinen Tutors Skinner

Jeff Skinner scored the only goal for either team in the shootout tiebreaker as the Carolina Hurricanes pushed back the Calgary Flames, 6-5, at the RBC in Raleigh, N.C. Tuesday night. Skinner, the youngest active player in the NHL at 18 years of age, deked Calgary goaltender Henrik Karlsson, and blistered the game-winning wrist shot past Karlsonn high on his glove side.

It was the Canes third consecutive victory and their eighth straight game in which they have earned at least a point going 6-0-2 in that span. They now find themselves sitting in ninth place in the Eastern Conference with 48 points, three points behind Atlanta and Montreal, but seven points ahead of 10th place Buffalo. In addition, they have three games on hand on the Thrashers and are actually percentage points ahead of them in terms of win-loss percentage (.571 to Atlanta’s .567).

In his first action since Dec. 28, a six-game absence because of a lower-body injury, Jussi Jokinen scored 2 goals and added an assist to gain the game’s first star. His night could have even been better had not Karlsson robbed him of a hat trick on a magnificent save at point-blank range with seconds to go in the overtime period.

Jokinen, who turned 27 in April, was drafted in the sixth round, 192nd overall, in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. The Finnish forward played four years for Kärpät of the SM-liiga, the top Finnish league before making his debut with the Stars in 2005. He played in 81 games that rookie season finishing with 55 points (17 goal, 38 assists) scoring on 15.9-percent of his total 107 shots.

In his 2006-07 season he scored 48 points (14 goals, 34 assists) playing in all 82 games. He floundered, however, the following season scoring only 28 points (14 goals, 14 assists) in 52 contests. During trade deadline day on Feb. 26, 2008, Jokinen was dealt by Dallas to the Tampa Bay Lightning along with Mike Smith, Jeff Halpern, and a 2009 fourth-round draft pick in exchange for Brad Richards and Johan Holmqvist. Jokinen finished the year in Tampa Bay scoring 14 points (2 goals, 12 assists) in 20 games with a very low 5.3-percent shooting percentage and a dreadful minus-16.

Unfortunately he did not show improvement at the start of the 2008-09 season. After only 16 points (6 goals, 10 assists) in 46 games, the Lightning had seen enough. On Feb. 4, 2009, Jokinen was placed on waivers. When he was not claimed, he was traded three days later to the Hurricanes in exchange for Wade Brookbank, Josef Melichar and a 2009 fourth-round draft pick.

Things began to click for Jokinen in the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs. Jokinen will always be remembered by the Hurricane faithful for his game-winning goal against the New Jersey Devils in Game 4 of the first round of the playoffs when he scored with 0.2 seconds left in regulation to tie the series at two games apiece. The win helped propel Carolina to a quarterfinal meeting with the Boston Bruins in which Jokinen scored an overtime winning goal in Game 3, and the regulation game-winner in Game 4. Carolina eventually would win the series in seven games. The Canes 2009 run for the Cup finally ended when they were swept in the semifinals by the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The 2009-10 season in Carolina was Jokinen’s breakout year. He again showed his durability playing in 81 games and finishing the regular season with 65 points (30 goals, 35 assists) on 180 shots, shooting at a remarkable 18.8-percent clip. The 30 goals led the team, and he won over 50-percent of his faceoffs while playing slightly over 16 minutes per game.

Scouting reports show that Jokinen is skilled and “polished.” He is a sound two-way forward and rarely makes mistakes with the puck. He is also versatile and can line up at any three of the forward positions. The knocks on him are that he is not very big or strong, and at times can be intimidated by bigger NHL defensemen. In addition, he also lacks consistency in the offensive zone.

Jokinen is regarded as arguably the best shootout specialist in the NHL. He entered the 2010-11 season as the active career leader scoring on 27 of 56 shootout attempts, an impressive 52-percent clip. When he failed to convert on his first five attempts this year, he became somewhat flummoxed, fossicking for that seemingly Sisyphean initial tally. Finally, on Dec. 11, 2010 he scored the game’s lone shootout goal against St. Louis which the Canes won, 2-1. “I’d been struggling bad this year,” Jokinen said. “I know I can score in shootouts. I’m just glad the coach kept his confidence in me.” For 2010-11 he now has scored on two of eight shootout attempts.

Jokinen was just starting to play well this season shortly before his injury. In 36 games he has 29 points (8 goals, 21 assists) and has scored on 11.1-percent of his 76 shots. He presently stands at plus-2 for the year. In the last 15 games he has been even or plus and finished Tuesday’s game at plus-3.

Even though Jokinen was denied on his shootout attempt last evening, Skinner attributed his shootout goal to the mahatma of the specialty shot. He claims he observed and learned from Jokinen’s attempt on Karlsson. The NHL wunderkind said, “I tried to copy Jussi.” Some very sage advice coming from the kid.

Capital 3, Panthers 2

Photo by Anna Armstrong

The Florida Panthers traveled to the nation's capital Saturday to take on the Washington Capitals in their first game of a home-and-home series. The Cats, playing their fifth game in seven nights, were attempting to avoid fatigue. In addition, they were coming off a difficult defeat Friday against the Carolina Hurricanes. Florida jumped out to a 2-0 lead, only to see Carolina storm back and hand the Panthers a 5-3 loss. Subsequently, they fell six points behind the Hurricanes in their hunt for a playoff birth.

The Caps, winners of New Year's Day's thrilling NHL Winter Classic, lost their last game to Tampa Bay, 1-0 on a Martin St. Louis overtime goal Tuesday. Alex Ovechkin was limited in practice this week because of what is believed to be an ailing left wrist. He recently received a cortisone shot and claims he is fine.

Florida struck first at 3:49 of the first-period when David Booth snagged a puck in the right corner and sent a pass to Dmitri Kulikov at the left point. Kulikov then found a wide open Mike Santorelli parked in front of the net, who pushed the puck past Washington goalie Semyon Varlamov.

Please read the rest of the story at The Hockey Writers.

NHL Happenings

Panthers 4, Hurricanes 3

Bryan Allen fooled Carolina netminder Cam Ward with a slap shot 1:16 into overtime as the Florida Panthers edged the Hurricanes 4-3. Ward made 24 saves on the night.
Florida also had goals from Cory Stillman, Chris Higgins, and Dennis Wideman. The Panthers blew a two-goal lead in the third-period but were able to prevail. Scott Clemensen blocked away 34 shots in the win.
Zac Dalpe, Zach Boychuck, and Jay Harrison each scored goals for Carolina.

Fantasy Fodder:
Florida
B. Allen 1G/+1
D. Wideman 1G/+1
D. Kulikov 1A/+1/2PIM
M. Santorelli 1A/+1
R. Dvorak 1A/+1/3SOG
S. Matthias 1A/-1
C. Higgins 1G/+1/4PIM
C. Stillman 1G/1A/+2
E. Dadonov 1A/+1/3SOG
M. Frolik 2A/+1/5SOG
Scratches: D. Hordichuk

Carolina
J. McBain 1A/-1
T. Gleason -3/6PIM
T. Bodie 1A/+1
Z. Dalpe 1G/+2
E. Cole 2A/+2/4SOG
J. Harrison 1G/+2
E. Staal 1A/5SOG
Scratches: J. Tlusty, Joni Pitkanen, J. Jokinen
___________________________________________________________________

Bruins 2, Maple Leafs 1
Marc Savard's tie-breaking goal in the second-period turned out to be the decisive marker as the Boston Bruins got passed the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1. Nathan Horton also scored and recorded an assist for the Bruins. Boston goalie Tuuka Rask, a day after his confidence was questioned by coach Claude Julien, was phenomenal, stopping 36 of 37 Toronto shots. Mikhail Grabovski had the lone goal for the Maple Leafs. Toronto goalie James Reimer making his second straight start was the hard-luck loser stopping 31 shots. The young netminder has now appeared in three games and sports an impressive .957 SV% and 1.35 GAA.

Fantasy Fodder:
Boston
M. Lucic 1A/+1/3SOG
N. Horton 1G/1A/+2/4SOG
Z. Chara 5SOG
D. Seidenberg 1A/2PIM/3SOG
M. Savard 1G/+2/2PIM
Scratches: M. Stuart

Toronto
L. Schenn 1A
F. Beauchemin 6SOG
P. Kessel 8SOG
M. Grabovski 1G/5SOG
Scratches: B. Lebda, J. Mitchell

_______________________________________

Blackhawks 4, Kings 3
Both the Los Angeles Kings and the Chicago Blackhawks entered tonight's play with three-game losing streaks. At the end of the night, it was Chicago snapping their skid and the Kings losing their fourth straight for the second time this year. Jonathan Toews scored the game winner in the third-period to give the Blackhawks a 4-3 victory. Toews also added an assist. Patrick Sharp continued to play well against the Kings finishing with two goals and registering an assist. Marian Hossa also had a goal for Chicago. Corey Crawford earned the win making 26 saves.
Ryan Smyth had two goals and Michal Handzus added another for Los Angeles. Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick saved 24 shots in the loss.

Fantasy Fodder:
Chicago
P. Sharp 2G/1A/2PIM/4SOG
J. Toews 1G/1A/2PIM/ 6SOG
B. Bickell +1/2PIM
M. Hossa 1G/+1/6SOG
T. Kopecky 2A
P. Kane 1A
Scratches: N. Boynton, J. Dowell, J. Scott

Los Angeles
J. Johnson 2A
R. Scuderi 2PIM
A. Kopitar 1A/-1/2PIM/4SOG
J. Williams 1A/+2/4PIM/3SOG
R. Smyth 2G/+1/3SOG
M. Handzus 1G/+1
Scratches: P. Harold, A. Ponikarovsky, W. Mitchell
___________________________________________________________________

Islanders 5, Flames 2
John Tavares scored two goals and added an assist as the New York Islanders downed the Calgary flames 5-2. Matt Moulson also scored twice for the Isles and Michael Grabner tallied an empty netter. New York goaltender Rick DiPietro started the game but was forced to leave in the second-period with an apparent lower body injury. He had stopped 13 of 14 shots and staked the Isles to a 4-1 lead. DiPietro missed most of the last two seasons with a bad knee. Nathan Lawson who was just called from Bridgeport of the AHL finished the game and made 28 saves on 29 shots. David Moss scored twice but was the only Flame to find the back of the net. Goalie Henrik Karlsson made a rare start for Calgary kicking out 21-25 shots in the loss.

Fantasy Fodder:
New York
P. Parenteau 2A/+1/2PIM
M. Moulson 2G/ +2
Z. Konopka 1A/5PIM
T. Harmonic 1A/+1
M. Grabner 1G/+1/4SOG
A. MacDonald 2A/+1
F. Nielsen 1A/5SOG
J. Tavares 2G/1A/+1/5SOG
Scratches: T. Gillies, B. Comeau

Calgary
M. Giordano -2/4SOG
A. Pardy 1A/2PIM
J. Iginla 5SOG
O. Jokinen -1/4SOG
T. Jackman 1A/2PIM/4SOG
T. Kostopulos 5PIM/4SOG
D. Moss 2g/ +1/6SOG
A. Kotalik -1/4SOG
A. Babchuk 1A
Scratches: C. Conroy, B. Mikkelson
___________________________________________________________________

Canucks 4, Sharks 3
Alexandre Burrows, Jannik Hansen, Daniel Sedin, and Alexander Edler each tallied goals as the Vancouver Canucks defeated the San Jose Sharks 4-3. Burrows scored the winning goal midway through the third-period. Goalie Cory Schneider rejected 32 shots for the win.
Ryan Clowe, Jamal Mayers, and Patrick Marleau scored for the Sharks. San Jose netminder Antti Niemi had a busy night, saving 43 of 47 shots in the defeat.

Fantasy Fodder:
Vancouver
K. Ballard 1A/+1
E. Ehrhoff 2A,/+1/5SOG
J. Tambellini 5SOG
A. Burrows 1G/1A/+1/5SOG
T. Glass 10PIM
R. Kessler 1A/+1/4SOG
M. Raymond 1A/+1/ 3SOG
D. Sedin 1G/1A/ +1/3SOG
A. Edler 1G/3SOG
H. Sedin 1A/+1/4PIM
J. Hansen 1G/+1
Scratches: A. Alberts, A Volpatti

San Jose
J. Mayers 1G/+1/5PIM
P. Marleau 1G
D. Heatley 2A
J. Thornton -3
D. Boyle 1A/-1/2PIM/4SOG
R. Clowe 1A/-1
L. Couture +1/2PIM/7SOG
K. Huskins 1A
M. Vlasic 2PIM
B. Mashinter 5PIM
B. Ferriero 1A
Scratches: J. Pavelski, T. Mitchell, D. Joslin
____________________________________________________________________

Notes:

• Ryan Kessler was questionable with a heel injury but did play.
• Brad Stuart participated in Monday's practice. He was hit with a puck on the back of the head in Sunday's game.
• Mark Frazer is back with Devils. He missed time with a broken hand. Mark Fayne was sent down to Abany of the AHL to make room for him.
• Jonanthan Toews returned on Monday.
• Nick Bonine was sent back down to AHL Syracuse to make room for newly acquired Maxim Lapierre.
• Mikkel Boedker was sent back down to the minors
• Liam Reddox and Linus Omark were called up to Edmonton from Oklahoma City
• Ryan McDonagh was summoned by the Rangers from Hartford.
  

NHL Happenings

Thrasher 4, Canadians 3, OT
Dustin Byfuglien continued his quest for the Norris Trophy by scoring the winning goal in overtime as the Atlanta Thrashers defeated the Montreal Canadians 4-3. Byfuglien leads all NHL defensemen with 16 goals and 41 points. Oleg Pavelec was magnificent, stopping 47 of 50 Montreal shots. Andrew Ladd, Rich Peverley, and Evander Kane scored the other goals for the Thrashers. Montreal goalie Carey Price kicked out 24 of 28 shots in the loss. His record fell to 2-7-1 in his last ten games. Tomas Plekanec, P.K. Subban, and Brian Gionta each scored goals for the Canadians.

Fantasy Fodder:
Atlanta
Z Bogosian 1 A
E Kane 1G/1A/+1/4SOG
C. Thorburn 1A
D. Bufuglien 1G/+2/4SOG
T. Enstrom 3A/+3
P. Cormier 1A/+1/3SOG
R. Peverley 1G/+1/4SOG
Scratches: B. Eager, J. Slater, F. Meyer

Montreal
S.Gomez 1A/+1/5SOG
T. Plekanec 1G/-1/3SOG
J. Wisniewsky 2A
B. Gionta 1G/+1/9SOG
R. Hamrlik 1A/5SOG
M. Pacioretty 1A/7SOG
P. Subban 1G/-1/3SOG
Scratches: A.Picard, L. Eller
____________________________________________________________________

Panthers 3, Rangers 0
Thomas Vokoun made 32 saves to earn his fifth shutout of the season and help give the Florida Panthers a 3-2 win over the New York Rangers. David Booth and Chris Higgins were able to slip pucks past Ranger goaltender Martin Biron. Biron played well also, stopping 33 of 35 Panther shots. Stephen Weiss added an empty netter for Florida.

Fantasy Fodder:
New York
S. Avery 9:14 TOI
B. Dubinsky minus 2
D. Stepan minus 2/3SOG
Scratches: D. Boogaard, M. Gilroy

Florida
D. Wideman 1A/3SOG
S. Weiss 1G/+2/3SOG
D. Booth 1G/4SOG
C. Higgins 1G/+2
J. Garrison plus 2/3SOG
Scratches: D. Hordichuk, S. Reinprecht ____________________________________________________________________

Flyers 3, Red Wings 2
James van Reimsdyk, Daniel Carcillo, and Scott Hartnell each scored goals to lead the Philadelphia Flyers to a 3-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings. The Flyers, up 3-0, were able to hold off a late Detroit comeback. Valtteri Filppula and Henrik Zetterberg each scored third period goals for the Red Wings. Detroit starter Jimmy Howard was pulled in favor of Chris Osgood at the start of the third period. Howard allowed 3 goals on 27 shots. Osgood stopped all five shots he faced. Flyer goalie Brian Boucher kicked out 25-27 shots for the win.
Detroit defenseman Brad Stuart was helped off the ice after being struck in the face by a Jeff Carter shot.

Fantasy Fodder
Philadelphia
D. Carcillo 1G/+1/4SOG
M. Richards 1A
S. Hartnell 1G/+1
J. van Reimsdyk 1G/+1/5SOG
V. Leino plus 1/ 2PIM/4SOG
M. Carle 1A/+1
D. Briere 1A/+1/2PIM
Scratches: E. Gustafsson, N. Zherdev, M. Leighton

Detroit
N. Lidstrom 1A/-1
H. Zetterberg 1G/4SOG
D. Helm 4SOG
J. Franzen 1A/+1/3SOG
T Holmstrom 1A
Scratches: J. Kindl, P. Datsyuk, P. Eaves
_____________________________________________________________________

Wild 6, Coyotes 5, OT
In a fast and furious third-period, Minnesota's Pierre-Marc Bouchard scored with 26 seconds remaining in regulation, leading to Cam Barker's game winning goal 46 seconds into overtime, as the Minnesota Wild downed the Phoenix Coyotes 6-5. Andrew Brunette scored twice, Nick Schultz and Brent Burns added goals, and Mikko Koivu had four assists for the Wild.
Jose Theodore stopped 39 shots to pick up the win. Phoenix goaltender Jason LaBarbara blocked 39 shots in the loss. Ray Whitney scored twice for Phoenix, while Scottie Upshall, Keith Yandle, and Ed Jovanovski each scored once. Shane Doan added two assists for the Coyotes. He now has a six game scoring streak, and has 21 points in the last 19 games.


Fantasy Fodder:
Phoenix
S. Upshall 1G/+1
R. Whitney 2G/+1
K. Yandle 1G/1A/+1/2PIM/5SOG
E. Belanger 1A
L. Stempniak 1A/6SOG
V. Fiddler 1A/ 4SOG
Scratches: P. Bissonette, O. Ekman-Larsson, M.Boedker

Minnesota
B. Burns 1G/2A/+1/3SOG
M. Koivu 4A/+4/ 4SOG
A. Brunette 2G/1A/+3/3SOG
K. Brodziak minus 3
C. Clutterbuck +2/2PIM
E. Nystrom 1A
M. Havlat minus 4/4SOG
C. Barker 1A/-1/4PIM
P. Bouchard 1G/1A/-1
N. Schutz 1G
Scratches: M. Scandella, B. Staubitz
____________________________________________________________________

Predators 4, Blue Jackets 1
Shea Weber had a goal and two assists, and Pekka Rinne stopped 19 of 20 shots as the Nashville Predators beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-1. The Predators have now won fifteen straight home games over Columbus. Nick Spaling, Patric Hornqvist, and Sergei Kostitsyn also scored for Nashville. R.J. Umberger tallied the lone goal for the Blue Jackets. Steve Mason stopped 22 shots in the loss. Preds' center Cal O'Reilly suffered a broken fibula and will likely be missing from action for some time.

Fantasy Fodder:
Columbus
D. Brassard 1A/+1
R. Umberger 1G/+1
A. Vermette minus 3/3SOG
R. Nash minus 3
Scratches: A. Murray, M. Commodore, K. Wilson

Nashville
S. Weber 1G/2A/+2/5SOG
D. Legwand 1A/+2/2PIM
N. Spaling 1G/+1
R. Suter 1A/+2
P. Hornqvist 1G/1A/+1/5SOG
J. Ward 1A/+1
C. Wilson 2A/+2
S. Kostitsyn 1G
Scratches: A. Sulzer, C. Mueller, L. Klasen
_____________________________________________________________________

Stars 4, Blues 2
Kari Lehtonen snapped a personal four-game losing streak, blocking all but two of 30 shots as the Dallas Stars bested the St. Louis Blues 4-2. Brad Richards had a goal and two assists, and Brenden Morrow scored a pair of goals for Dallas. James Neal potted his 14th goal of the season, but only his first in two weeks. David Backes and Alexander Steen scored the Blues only goals. Matt D'Agostini assisted on both markers. Blues netminder Jaroslav Halak made 23 saves on 27 Stars shots for the loss.

Fantasy Fodder:
Dallas
T. Daley 1A
B. Morrow 2G/2SOG
J. Benn 1A
T. Petersen 1A/+1
J. Neal 1G/+1
L. Eriksson 1A/3SOG
K. Skrastins +2
B. Richards 1G/2A/+1/3SOG
Scratches: B. Sutherby, M. Fistric

St. Louis
E. Brewer 1A/3SOG
A. Steen 1G/8SOG
M. D'Agostini 2A/+2/4SOG
D. Backes 1G/+2
Scratches: T. Strachen
_____________________________________________________________________

Canucks 2, Avalanche 1
Alexandre Bolduc scored his first career NHL goal and added an assist as the Vancouver Canucks trimmed the Colorado Avalanche 2-1. Vancouver winger Mason Raymond also scored. It was his first game back after recovering from a broken thumb. Roberto Luongo also returned to action after the birth of his son, and kicked out all but one of 32 shots. Luongo was denied the shutout when Paul Stastny ripped a wrist shot by him. Craig Anderson was the hard-luck loser but played well. He stopped 27 of 29 Vancouver shots.

Fantasy Fodder:
Vancouver
C. Ehrhoff +1/2PIM/3SOG
T. Glass 1A/+1
R. Kessler 6PIM
M. Raymond 1G/+1/3SOG
A. Bolduc 1G/1A/+2/2PIM
Scratches: A. Rome, A. Volpati

Colorado
J. Liles 1A/4SOG
M. Duchene 1A/4SOG
P. Stastny 1G, +1, 3SOG
Scratches: J. Holos, D. Koci, C. McLeod
____________________________________________________________________

Ducks 2, Blackhawks 1
Jonas Hiller was brilliant, saving 40 of 41 shots as he lead the Anaheim Ducks to a 2-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Perry scored the game winning goal. Andreas Lilja also scored for the Ducks on his first marker of the season. Bryan Bickell's 11th goal of the year was the only score for Chicago. Corey Crawford stopped 16 of 18 shots. He missed his last three contests because of a severe flu.

Fantasy Fodder:
Chicago
P. Sharp minus 1/2PIM/3SOG
B. Bickell 1G/5SOG
B. Campbell 1A/+1
D. Bolland 1A/2PIM/6SOG
Scratches: Jonathan Toews, Nick Boynton, John Scott

Anaheim
A. Lilja 1G/2PIM
J. Lupul 1A/+1
T. Lydman 1A
M. Belesky 1A/+1
B. McMillan 1A/+1
Scratches: M. Lapierre, S. Brookbank, P. Mara

NHL Happenings

Maple Leafs 5, Senators 1
James Reimer in his first NHL start kicked out 32 of 33 Ottawa shots as the Toronto Maple Leafs embarrassed the Senators 5-1. Ottawa goalie Brian Elliott allowed 3 goals on 7 shots and was replaced after the first sixteen minutes of play by Mike Brodeur, who made 12 saves. Tyler Bozak scored twice for the Maple Leafs, while Joey Crabb, Tomas Kaberle, and Phil Kessel each registered two assists. Sergei Gonchar tallied the only goal for Ottawa.

Hurricanes 6, Devils 3
Martin Brodeur was ineffective yet again, and was pulled in the first period after allowing 3 goals on ten Carolina shots. Devil backup Johan Hedberg played in relief the rest of the way. Rookie Jeff Skinner and Sergei Samsonov scored two goals apiece for the 'Canes. Tuomo Ruutu had a goal and three assists, and rookie Zac Dalpe netted his first NHL goal after being called up from Charlotte, Carolina's AHL affiliate yesterday. Carolina netminder Cam Ward earned the win blocking 25 of 28 shots. Patrick Elias had a goal and an assist, Matt Corrente registered two assists, and Rod Pelley and Travis Zajac each scored a goal for New Jersey.

Sabres 7, Bruins 6, SO
Tyler Ennis scored the decisive shootout goal, and Drew Stafford registered his second hat trick in two weeks as the Buffalo Sabres defeated the Boston Bruins 7-6. Jason Pominville had two goals and two assists, and Thomas Vanek registered a goal and an assist for Buffalo. Boston goalie Tuuka Rask was pulled after allowing 3 goals on 16 shots. He was relieved by Tim Thomas who also allowed 3 goals. Zdeno Chara and Tyer Seguin each had a goal and an assist, while Steven Kamfer, Dennis Seidenberg, Brad Marchand and Andrew Ferrence each netted goals for the Bruins. Ryan Miller was far from his best. He kicked out only 34 of 40 shots but was able to get the win for Buffalo.

Lightning 2, Rangers, OT
Nate Thompson scored on a pass from Dana Tyrell in overtime as the Tampa Bay Lightning out-dueled the New York Rangers 2-1. In the first period, Tyrell scored on an assist from Thompson. Marion Gaborik forced the overtime for the Rangers when he slipped the puck by Tampa Bay goalie Cedrick Desjardins with 45.6 seconds left in overtime. Desjardins won his second consecutive start after being recalled from Norfolk in the AHL on December 20th. Henrik Lundqvist played well, stopping 31 of 32 shots in the Ranger loss.

Capitals 3, Penguins 1, The Winter Classic
Eric Fehr netted a pair of goals for Washington and Mike Knuble scored once as the Capitals beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Winter Classic played outdoors in a makeshift arena in Pittsburgh. Superstars Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin went scoreless. Evgeni Malkin scored the only goal for the Pens. Semyon Varlamov, who earned the first star honors, stopped 32 shots for the victory. Marc-Andre Fleury was the hard luck loser for Pittsburgh, stopping 29 of 32 Capital shots.

Flames 2, Oilers 1
Mark Giordano tipped in an Alex Tanguay wrist shot for the winning goal as Calgary beat Edmonton 2-1. Tim Jackman also scored for the Flames. Mikka Kiprusoff was brilliant again kicking out 16 of 17 shots. Oiler goalie Nikolai Khabibulin was also outstanding stopping 28 shots. Edmonton rookie Jordan Eberle was forced to leave the game in the second period when he injured his ankle slamming into the boards. His status is unknown at this time.

Sharks 1, Kings 0
Devin Setoguchi scored the only goal of the game on his 24th birthday as the San Jose Sharks nipped the Los Angeles Kings 1-0. Kent Huskins and Marc-Edouard Vlasic each registered assists on the play. Antti Niemi earned his ninth NHL shutout stopping all 29 shots. Jonathan Quick stopped 18 of 19 San Jose shots but took the loss.

Injuries
Marek Zidlicky will be out "long term" according to Minnesota coach Todd Richards. Zidlicky's timetable to return is likely to measured in months, not weeks.
Boston center Gregory Campbell missed tonight's game because of the flu.
Atlanta defenseman Zach Bogosian missed yesterday's game due to a knee injury. He is considered day-to-day.
The Hurricanes called up defenseman Brett Carson from Charlotte to take the place of injured Joni Pitkanen. Zac Dalpe was also called up to fill in for Jussi Jokinen.

Puck Pugilists
Colton Orr of Toronto 24 PIM
Chris Neil of Ottowa 17 PIM

Chi-Sox Conundrum

ESPN's Buster Olney and MLB.com's Scott Merkin both believe that Chris Sale is the likely favorite to become the Chicago White Sox closer in 2011. Bobby Jenks, the team's primary closer since 2006, recently signed a two-year contract with the Boston Red Sox. J.J.Putz, who may have been considered for the job, signed a free agent deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

When Jenks was benched at the end of last year's season because of injury, and which some claim ineffectiveness, the closing chores were shared between Sales and Matt Thornton. Both southpaws were effective, with Thornton picking up eight saves and Sale four. So who deserves to be the closer heading into the 2011 season?

The 22 year old Sale made his major league debut last season in the same year he was drafted. He was immediately regarded as Chicago's number one prospect. A starter in college, he pitched only 10.1 innings in the minors, all in relief, before being called up to the majors. With the White Sox he was dominant (12.34 K/9) while showing decent control (3.86 BB/9) in 23.1 innings, also in relief. He posted a 51GB/12LD/37FB line and ended with a stellar 1.93 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and 2.74 FIP. These numbers all indicate an excellent skill set. There are, however, some questions. Will he be able to maintain his unusually high 87% strand rate, or .278 BABIP? And most of all, will he be able to maintain his 51% ground ball rate. If not, this can be a cause of concern, especially in the cozy confines of U.S. Cellular Field. He doesn't pitch low in the zone and his arsenal is one that is not conducive to producing many ground balls. He possesses a good fast ball that reaches 96MPH, a good slider, and a decent changeup. Sale does not have a smooth delivery, and some scouts believe his motion will cause undue stress on his elbow.

Matt Thornton turned 34 years of age in September. He is known for having only one pitch, an unbelievable fastball with great lateral movement that he throws 90% of the time. Thornton pounds the upper half of the zone with it, which jams right-hand batters up and in, and moves away from lefties. He throws it with such velocity (96.2 MPH) that it is almost impossible to hit, let alone get a good swing on. From 2008-10 he averaged 10.78 K/9, 3.23 BB/9, 4.15 K/BB all indicating superb dominance, control, and command. He also averaged a 2.69 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and 2.45 FIP. However, his GB% has decreased from 53% in 2008 to 40% in 2010, although he was able to reduce his hr/f from 11% to 6%. He also had five blown saves in each of the past two years.

The question that Ozzie Guillen faces is whether he will trust the young Sale's lack of experience, or the elder Thornton's ability to maintain his heater's effectiveness. Who do you think will be the Chi-Sox closer in 2011?