Sunday morning armchair

how about them Kings!?! they set a franchise record for the fastest 5 goals by coming back from 4-0 in the last 7 1/2 minutes of the game, taking the lead, losing the lead and then winning in overtime. i wonder how many folks left at ten minutes of the 3rd with the game well in hand in Dallas. really i do. i suspect that some fantasy players are pretty down on Marty Turco after his last two starts being the stinkers they have been but Turc is still an elite goalie and the Stars do know how to play defense. that would've been an exciting 15 minutes of hockey but unfortunately, i was asleep and probably so were you.

ok, i went to see "3:10 to Yuma" last night at the cheapie theatre here in town. it was pretty good actually. i like Russell Crowe and Christian Bale and it was a flick of badasses and bit of redemption. if you're looking for something to do some evening it's a good move.

Montreal hoped to make a move on the best team in the division yesterday afternoon by using their power play. it turned out that their "moves" got rebuffed and Senators aren't necessarily attracted to power since they have their own. a couple fantasy things i noticed in this game; Tomas Plekanec is on the 2nd line with Alex Kovalev and if he has any influence with Kovalev then he'll do all he can to keep him happy. i've never really like Plekanec as a fantasy option but the fact that the Montreal PP has been so good so far makes him a consideration for any team looking for PPP (and who isn't). Kovalev has a load of enigmatic talent that sometimes explodes onto the ice and when it does, you want to be there because you'll get a piece of it. Koivu is by far the heart of that team and in fact got an assist yesterday (and was -3) in a losing attempt. Cristobal Huet got the start and i still say that the Habs are going to shop him and just hand the job to Carey Price but in the meantime why not ride the hot hand eh? Martin Gerber got the start at the other end and has certainly been showing more than Ray Emery this season, that fact alone has been killing me in my work league where i've had to rely on Emery and MA Fleury (who hasn't exactly been setting the world on fire either). Alffy with 2 goals and Chris Neil with a goal and 4 PIMs.
i actually only saw the first few minutes of the Hall of Fame game (Toronto hosting NYR) last night but actually the opening ceremonies was very cool. Hall of Famers galore were on the ice shaking hands with the new HOFers as they came on the ice and then they brought on a couple WW2 vets and some present servicemen as a Remembrance Day thing. the private who sang the national anthems absolutely KILLED, that was phenomenal. Sean Avery, Brendan Shanahan and Alexei Ponikorovsky were the stars of the stat sheet here. it looks like Nigel Dawes has been removed from playing with Shanny and replaced by Sean Avery, obviously Avery is going to return to his full value this season and i say 30 goals and 200 PIMs.
Ondrej Pavelec may just take the starter's job away in Atlanta until such time that Kari Lehtenin returns to the ice and Marian Hossa is waking up folks. Carolina was just too much for Atlanta though with Rod the bod getting 2 goals and Cory Stillman with a goal and 2 assists. it is interesting to me that the Canes are doing all this without a single dominating contribution from a defenseman. they run out an all forward PP roster and it's working for them.
i think Chris Campoli can be the puck moving D that i was saying was SO incredibly needed on NHL teams. i think he'll drop off though as soon as Bryan Berard returns so you might want to move on him now (short term). DiP is an elite goalie that doesnt get enough love and all he does is see rubber and stop it.
Philly had 3 PP goals and a shortie as they showed Pitt how it's done in the battle of Penn yesterday. Kimmo Timonen is workmanlike and very much a viable D2 for any fantasy team. i've ragged on Mike Knuble a bit in the recent past since i thought i saw him slipping down the depth chart but that doesn't seem to be so, he's still contributing with plenty of ice time and stats. Joffrey Lupul does seem to have replaced him on the depth chart though (he went 1 and 1 last night). both guys bear watching. Sid the kid extended his pts scoring streak last night, YAWN, he's got so much talent that i forget that 1 assist in a rough and tumble game is enough when it's also a concern that you leave with your head still attached. there was some sort of mixup with Jason Smith yesterday and he's not a guy you want to mess with.
Tom Poti got 2 assists last night and may end up becoming the lynchpin in the Caps PP once everyone is back and contributing (yes i'm talking to you Mr. Semin). Filip Kuba is very much underrated as a triggerman in Tampa and is a good addition to any fantasy team because he shoots and gets plenty of PP opportunity. this just in, the Lightning can light the lamp.
the Sabres lost one to the Bruins last night and Marco Sturm and (up)Chuck Kobasew each scored their 7th of the season. i can't believe that Kobasew is getting a chance, i've never liked him as an option after all those seasons of failure in Calgary but well, he's getting a shot at some decent ice time so don't continue to ignore him. some of the 10 shots that Jason Pominville took yesterday will start to go in, i peg him for 30 goals on the season. Jochen Hecht is a fine two way player.
Nikolai Zherdev can't be ignored any longer. he's being counted on in C-bus and is back to being a good enough RW3 option for a fantasy team. i want to like Jordan Tootoo and Radek Bonk but i just can't. i can't believe that a no-name defense like the Jackets, with rejects like Hainsey and Klesla on it, actually succeeds so far this season. if you're looking for a reason for why they're so good, look no farther than coach Ken Hitchcock and his defensive system.
don't get me started on Miikka Kiprusoff. he'll turn it around. can't believe the Oilers beat him last night. it does look like Robert Nilsson had a nice night and that might garner some more ice time but still in an important game against your provincial rival you shouldn't be coughing up 4 goals, especially when the other guys put their backup in net.
in truth, i dropped Peter Mueller a couple weeks ago. he was doing nothing at the time but it now seems that he's had himself a great week. 6 pts in 3 games is a nice week for anyone but your coach Mr. Mueller. it seems that a little chemistry is developing with a chameleon like Steve Reinprecht who always seems to pop up on the stat sheet when guys with more talent aren't on the team or are injured. anyway, after i dropped Mueller a couple wks back someone snapped him up after his hattie earlier this week. if he's there and you have a bench slot or a C4 spot available or if you're in a keeper league then look at Mueller now, kid's got serious skills. Devin Seto(kaiba)guchi got 18 mins of ice time and is still getting a serious look amongst the top lines in SJ.