Fantasy Hockey Analysis

Fantasy Hockey Scouts: The Fantasy Five - Week 24

#1 Give 'em a Look

Not sure what kind of crazy six-million dollar man operation they did on Ryan Callahan but in the 22 games before breaking his hand in December he had 6+6=12 and in the 22 games since returning from surgery he has 13+11=24. So he's been scoring at more than a point-a-game for almost two months now and has a big four goal game but is still available in almost half the leagues out there?!? Not sure what people have against this guy but I'd advise you add him to your team and enjoy the ride.

Others worth a look: David Legwand (Nsh – C), Artem Anisimov (NYR - C), Mike Knuble (Wsh – RW) and James Reimer (Tor – G)

So Callahan's pace has doubled since he returned but James Neal has seen his production cut in half since a trade to the Penguins. Prior to the trade he was playing on a great line with Richards & Eriksson in Dallas and had 39 points in 59 games (.66 ppg). Since the trade he has 1+3=4 in 12 games (.33 ppg) with Pittsburgh and is floundering on a line with Kovalev and a revolving door of centermen. Neal is still a good young player with a lot of upside and the trade to Pittsburgh may end up working out for him but he's not the type of player who's going to do it all himself and he's suffered a major decline in the quality of linemates as a result of this trade.

Others worth a boot: Patrice Bergeron (Bos – C), Justin Williams (LA – RW), Sergei Gonchar (Ott - D) and Niklas Backstrom (Min – G)

We're getting to the time of year where the playoffs are on the mind of a lot of teams and while some are pushing hard and giving all they got just to make it, others will start to rest players in order to prepare for a lengthy run. The Capitals recent surge has put them in a position to sit some players for a while and the latest is Alexander Ovechkin as he's expected to sit out a week or two to heal an undisclosed injury that has been bothering him for a few months… bad timing for those of us in fantasy playoffs.

It's an interesting three-way battle for the crease in Anaheim as Dan Ellis may have saved their playoff hopes after arriving from Tampa by going 6-2-1 in his first nine games with the Ducks but has since given way to Ray Emery who has won his first three starts since missing over a year due to hip surgery. The Ducks regular #1, Jonas Hiller, looks about ready to return after missing most of the last two months due to a bout of vertigo, so throw him into the mix and we're not sure how it will all shake out… but I'd put my money on Hiller prevailing.

Assuming you're still alive in your league then you're either coming down the stretch or in the fantasy playoffs right now and need every edge you can get so stay close to FantasyHockey911 and their updated daily line combinations and goalie probables as having the best information you can get could be the difference between winning and losing.