In the course of two weeks, the NHL lost the top two netminders in the league. Martin Broduer, who will go down as the greatest goaltender ever, is out for months and now Roberto Luongo is out for months. Ask anyone in the NHL and they’ll tell you that you can’t win without goaltending. If you score six goals and your goaltender has an off night and gives up seven, those are six meaningless goals. Goaltending can win or lose you games. For my money, goaltending is the most important position in pro sports. It’s certainly the most important position in hockey. The only other positions that come close are pitchers in baseball and quarterbacks in football. A good defense can lead a mediocre quarterback to a championship though. I won’t argue against pitching because come the post season, I do think having a dominant pitcher is the most important person to having a series. But the loss of Broduer and Luongo isn’t just bad for the Devils and Canucks, it’s bad for the league. Broduer and Luongo always give you a show. Whether it’s Broduer playing the puck or Luongo making a two on one save. They’re just entertaining.
Game of the Week: Ottawa Senators vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (11/27)
It’s always exciting when these two teams face off. The rivalry brings out the best in the two teams and the fact that the Senators are sitting below the Leafs in the standings right now has to be disheartening to the. The Maple Leafs have been a big surprise this season, scoring a lot of goals despite having a minimum number of veterans in their line up. Their goaltending and defense is very shaky though and it’s not resulting in as many wins as it probably should. The Senators have been a huge disappointment, not scoring many goals at all and still getting shaky goaltending for their duo of Gerber and Auld. I expect this one to be a high scoring affair and a fun one to watch.
Official Pick: Senators 5-4
Fantasy Player to Watch: Mike Richards
The leader of the Flyers looks to have a big week as the team has favorable match ups against Dallas, Carolina (twice), and Toronto. Dallas and Toronto are the two worst defensive teams in the league and Carolina is in the bottom ten as well. Look for everyone of the Flyers to have a big week but with the way Richards plays, I expect him to have the biggest.
It’s Not Looking Good For: Tampa Bay Lightning
They play two of three games on the road and their lone home game is against a very good New York Rangers team. The two road games are against Minnesota and Colorado. The Lightning have struggled to score goals this season so games against the Rangers, Wild, and an improving Avalanche team don’t work in the favor of Lecavalier and company. Expect two of the three games to not even be close.
Lock of the Week (1-1): Philadelphia over Toronto (11/29)
Toronto can score goals but they can’t stop them. The Flyers have a lot of offensive talent and good enough defense and goaltending to slow down the young Toronto team. The Blackhawks proved to the Maple Leafs that speed kills and with players like Richards, Carter, and Gagne, the Flyers have speed. Look for Philly to put plenty of pucks in the net on Saturday.
