Jordan Staal has always been the red-headed step child in Pittsburgh. You know Crosby, you know Malkin, and you know Fluery. Staal has always been a good 3rd line center who is great at killing penalties. Staal had six points in three games this past week, five of them being goals. This years Penguins are like all those Philadelphia Eagles teams from earlier this century who kept getting close, yet a large window to win a championship, brought in different pieces to the puzzle, and yet never won a championship. I hope the Penguins don’t suffer the same fate as the Eagles and fail to win a championship. Onto the week preview.
Game of the Week: Boston Bruins at Montreal Canadiens (11/22)
You know the history of these two teams. They’ve met countless times in the playoffs, including last year where the #8 Bruins took the #1 Habs to a seventh game. The Bruins have been on a roll as of late going 8-1-1 in the last 10 games, allowing them to take over the lead in the Northeast Division over the Canadiens. I still question Tim Thomas in the Bruins net and you know the Habs are going to test him. They’re a relatively high scoring team and they have a 5-2 record at home. The Bruins score just as many goals as the Canadiens though so expect this one to be just as entertaining as last weeks Game of the Week between the Penguins and the Red Wings.
Official Pick: Canadiens 5-3
Fantasy Player to Watch: Vincent Lecavalier
Tampa Bay isn’t a good team this year. They threw random good players in their line up and expected them to gel, they never truly fixed their goaltending, and they’ve already fired their coach. That said, they’re facing Nashville, New Jersey, and Florida this week. It’s a favorable schedule for the Lightning and if they want to turn things around with their new coach, they need Lecavalier to lead them during this stretch. New Jersey is giving up a lot of goals without Broduer in net, Florida doesn’t give up much but they also don’t score a lot, and Nashville gives up the 5th most goals in the West. If Lecavalier doesn’t break out, look for another Lightning player to have a big week.
It’s Not Looking Good For: St. Louis Blues
They’re already the worst team in the West and now they’re without Andy McDonald, who has arguably been their best player this season. They only have two games this week but they’re against Minnesota and Anaheim. Minnesota isn’t as hot as they were to start the season but they’re still the top defensive team in the league and Anaheim is finally turning into the Anaheim team we expected all season. The Blues are going to be woeful all season but this week looks to be one the lower valley’s for them.
Lock of the Week (1-0): Minnesota over St. Louis (11/22)
I said it’s going to be a bad week for St. Louis and I mean it. Minnesota plays a stingy defense, they score just enough to get by, and they’re 5-1-1 at home against a Blues team that’s 2-4-1 on the road. There isn’t much to say about this game. Minnesota is going to shut down the McDonald-less offense of the Blues and they’re going to score enough to win. Bank on it.
