Yardbarker: Niklas Backstrom

2008 Fantasy Hockey Rankings: Goaltenders

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 15:36:18 -0500

Wrapping things up, FIO staff writer Tim Hays breaks down the Top 25 goaltenders heading into fantasy hockey drafts this season, including in-depth analysis about the Top 10 and some notes about the remaining players on the list... and don't forget some sleepers listed.

The Race for the Calder Trophy

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 11:41:03 -0500

In roughly one month, the blazing turbines of a rookie race -- which is unfortunately getting ignored from the media -- will cease. Let'??s meet the candidates who will most likely raise some eyebrows for grasping the "Calder Trophy".

Patrick Kane: The 19-year old Buffalo native debuted his NHL career with the Chicago Blackhawks. Initial expectations were that Kane would follow in the shadow of the highly touted Jonathan Toews, but that proved to be false. Kane has emerged as the perfect line mate for Toews, feeding of each others raw skill to play the puck with precision, or snipe it top corner. But with a mid-season injury to Toews -- including roughly 5 other regulars -- Kane was counted on to carry the load, and that's what he did. What makes Kane such a tremendous player is his superb vision, prodigious puck-handling skills, and his playmaking abilities. For months he was the leader in the rookie scoring, just recently getting his 57 points surpassed by Washington Capitals rookie Niklas Backstrom, by 1 point.

Niklas Backstrom: The 4th overall pick in 2006 has emerged as one of the Washington Capitals best players. At 20 years old, he is finishing off a tremendous rookie season centering phenom Alexander Ovechkin. However, do not let such a fact cloud your judgment on him. Backstrom has worked for the opportunity, and heâ??s now taking full advantage of it. He currently leads the NHL in rookie points with an impressive 58 points. His playmaking abilities combined with maturity beyond his years gives a strong indication that Backstrom may very well walk away with the Calder.

Jonathan Toews: If it were not for a mid-season injury, Toews would be your Calder Trophy winner. He currently holds the best PPG amongst rookies with a .88 (18 G, 43 PTS in 49 games) and if it were not for the injury he would finish with the most goals as well. Toews is a product of solid, dependable two-way play. He is responsible in his own end and hockey sense and offensive creativity is uncanny. With a core of bright young players developing in Chicago, here is your franchise player.

Carey Price: With Cristobal Huet finding his way on the Capitals, Price is now the undisputed starter in Montreal. Sitting atop the Eastern Conference, the Canadiens are backstopped with a tremendous goaltender in the making that is experiencing the hype of the NHL's most hockey crazed city in just one season. What makes Price such a highly touted prospect is his solid positioning, clutch performances, smooth puck handling abilities, and a huge frame (6'3, 225 lbs.) among other things. In 31 games so far this season, he has posted a .913 SV%, 2.76 GAA, and 16 W to go along with 1 SO. What we must take into consideration is that Price is just 20 years old. The average age of a goaltender making an impact in the NHL is around 25 years old. This should play a huge part in deciding the Calder Trophy winner.

The winner will emerge within the list above in my opinion. Some dark horses may erupt near the end, like Peter Mueller or Erik Johnson, but if I was a betting man (which I'm not being a Leafs fan -- unless it's against them) I'd go with the before mentioned.

Personally, I am not comfortable even picking a winner, because I believe all of them have a significant shot at the Calder Trophy. Letting this intriguing story play itself out is what ultimately does it justice.

Potential Playoff Series: Habs vs. Caps

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 11:41:01 -0500

Before I begin, let me start by saying this is not written in stone yet, but if the playoffs were to start today, this would be the best series throughout the first round of playoff hockey. While the Capitals still require lady luck on their side, it's important to note that their chances are significantly higher considering the Flyers are going head-to-head with the Pittsburgh Penguins and New Jersey Devils for their final two games of the regular season. Meanwhile, the Capitals will be hosting the Florida Panthers for their final game -- not exactly an overly difficult game. Still, what we must keep in mind is that the Capitals do not control their destiny; so once again, lady luck will have to be sitting on their shoulder.

Throwing aside all these implications, let's look at what a possible Habs vs. Caps playoffs series would deliver. The first thing you can expect is an overhaul of intensity from both clubs. You can certainly expect Capitals goaltender Cristobal Huet to raise his game to new levels in an attempt to prove his old team wrong. Ever since the 33-year old has been traded, he's polished his game to become a much more reliable netminder. Huet was often criticized for weak goals and durability issues. Both of those things have gotten considerably better since arriving in Washington, winning his last three starts with a 0.67 GAA and a .971 SV%. One thing is for certain, the goaltending battle between former teammates Carey Price and Huet would make this one of the best series in the playoffs.

While the Habs have been scorching hot lately, Price has been better. The 20-year old goaltender has raised his game to new heights ever since the departure of Huet. While he had minor problems with questionable goals earlier in the season, he has rounded his game to become an undisputed #1 goaltender in this league. The Vancouver native has accumulated 23 wins, a 2.60 GAA, a .919 SV% and 3 shutouts in 40 games played. Sensational numbers considering he's playing his rookie season -- at 20 years old! Perhaps the best contributor to Price's success is his positional play. While he possesses a huge frame at 6'3, 226 lbs., he makes himself even bigger with superb positioning. Another thing that must be mentioned is that the kid is fazed by absolutely nothing, and he's capable of keeping his cool in the biggest of games. Despite all of his impressive abilities, Price will have to follow through in the playoffs, standing as the Habs best player. As we all know, a good team means nothing in the post-season unless you have a goaltender ready to steal you games.

The second thing you can expect is goals, and a lot of them with Alexander Ovechkin in the mix. The 22-year old has become the NHL's best player this season, posting an incredible league leading 65 goals and 112 points with a +28 rating in 81 games played. His explosive speed, big hits, ferocious wrist shots and incredible intensity are what make him impossible to contain for a full 60 minutes. The Russian sensation will undoubtedly win the Rocket Richard and Art Ross Trophies respectively, with a chance for the Hart Trophy as well. While the Habs contain one of the best defensive clubs of the East, they will not be able to stop Ovechkin, just slow him down a little. While the Caps have offensive threats in Alexander Semin and Niklas Backstrom, the key to any playoff success lies with Ovechkin.

In the other end, the Habs host the best offensive club in the league this season, scoring an impressive 259 goals for. The key to their offensive success lies in Alexei Kovalev and Tomas Plekanec. The duo has been explosive in the offensive zone this season, displaying great chemistry together. Fantastic puck control, superb passing and incredible patience is what makes the Habs such a threat going into the playoffs. The club has placed themselves 1st overall on the powerplay (24.3%) because of this, and it will prove to be a huge factor once the playoffs begin. Despite the play of Kovalev and Plekanec, the Habs have had balanced scoring throughout the season, the 3rd and 4th line chipping in for offensive production. If the Habs can follow through with superb goaltending, balanced scoring and solid defensive play, there wonâ??t be many teams who can stop them. But if you ask me, out of all the possible opponents the Habs could be facing, the Capitals should be the most feared.

Wild Take 2-1 Series Lead With OT Win

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 00:25:23 -0500

And with a 3-2 win in OT... Ringing any bells, people? This was the third game in a row with the same result, and each has been as thrilling as the last. Wild forward Pierre-Marc Bouchard bangs one home 11:58 into the first overtime with a beautiful pass from Brian Rolston. Overtime was dominated by the Wild, who made the Avs look like they were boys among men. Goaltenders were the key for both teams again tonight. Jose Theodore and Niklas Backstrom seemed to be standing on their heads at times, especially Theodore in the third and OT. The calls were fair and evenly dispersed this evening, so I have no complaints in that department. Great play from both teams. This is what the playoffs is all about. Game 4 is tomorrow at 10et/9ct in Denver and it looks to build off of an already amazing series. PS to ESPN.com, nice recap, guys. Also, Pierre-Marc Bouchard apparently isn't in Yardbarker's database for tagging. That made me a little sad.

Wild vs. Avs --- Prepare Yourself

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 11:11:54 -0500

Turn off the lights and crank the volume right before the puck drops.

Joe Sakic, You Broke My Heart

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 23:29:41 -0500

At 11:11 in the first OT, Joe Sakic buried a shot right in the slot. The Colorado Avalanche down the Minnesota Wild in game 1 at the Xcel Energy Center 3-2. The Wild played sporadically tonight, on and off all night. They came back from a 2-0 deficit in the 3rd only to fall in the overtime period. If they want to win game 2 (and the series for that matter), Niklas Backstrom will need to come out on fire Friday night. Side note: Minnesota Wild winger Mark Parrish left the game during the second period after a collision with Avalanche defenseman Ruslan Salei. He was helped off the ice after being down for more than 10 minutes. No news about his current condition.

AccuScore NHL Rundown 4/9

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 13:15:35 -0500

AccuScore NHL analyst Tim Williams breaks down today's games, detailing: -Players to watch in each game. -Top fantasy goalies for each game. -Simulated outcomes for each game, including "AccuScore Upset Watch" contests.

NHL Playoffs: Western Conference Preview

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 12:22:43 -0500

AccuScore NHL analyst Tim Williams breaks down the first round of the Western Conference playoffs, and gives AccuScore projections for each series.

Wild kick it into gear, send Canucks to fourth straight loss

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 00:11:33 -0500

With just 4 games remaining in the regular season, the Minnesota Wild are getting hot at the right time. Mikko Koivu had a goal and an assist and Niklas Backstrom had 28 saves en route to a 4-0 win over the Vancouver Canucks. The game featured everything a Wild fan could want: a dominating win by a team that had been struggling to score, a brawl in the middle of the third period, and a wicked performance by Backstrom that propelled the Wild to victory.

The NHL Needs a Capitals - Penguins Rivalry

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 05:42:40 -0500

At the end of the 2003-2004 season, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals were the two worst teams in the NHL. Following the lockout neither team made any improvements in the standings, finishing in the final two spots of the Eastern Conference. Just two years later, the Capitals and Penguins could be the key rivalry that brings popularity to the NHL. In the 2004 NHL draft, Washington was awarded the top draft pick, with the Penguins getting the second overall pick. Washington selected superstar prospect Alexander Ovechkin with the first overall pick. Ovechkin entered the league with a tremendous amount of fanfare, being cited as the best prospect to enter the draft since Mario Lemieux in 1984. Lost in the fanfare of Ovechkin was Evgeni Malkin, who was selected by the Penguins with the second pick. Malkin was considered to be a slight drop from Ovechkin, with some saying that the two were on the same talent level. In the 2005 NHL draft, Pittsburgh won the "Sidney Crosby lottery"...

Rookie Mistake

Sun, 09 Mar 2008 22:59:30 -0500

I was always the guy who liked the rookie with no experience going down the playoff stretch. It's because he hasn't known the feeling of losing out of the playoff race and can sometimes bring new excitement, a swagger to their team. And you don't have to look very far to see many young players leading their teams right now (Pittsburg, Washington, Chicago, Ottawa, just to name a few). Now here is the draw back of playing young inexperienced talent, they put the puck in their own net instead of clearing it into the corner. It's unfortunate for Nicklas Backstrom, rookie forward for the Washington Capitals, that he broke a 2-2 tie by trying to clear the front of his own net and scoring the game winner for the Penguins. For the most part of the season Backstrom has played brilliantly next to Alexander Ovechkin who is close to being the first man with 60 goals since Mario Lemieux lit the lamp 69 times in '95-96, he has 54 with 12 games left. Even though these kids can make some simple mental errors they still are bringing a lot to the game and energy for their teams playoff drive.

Wild win, move back into first

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 05:45:12 -0500

After a disappointing loss to the Flames just two nights ago, the Wild were looking for a game to show them they still belonged at the top of the Conference.

Fantasy Hockey 101: Holiday Trade Freeze

Tue, 18 Dec 2007 03:04:33 -0500

Time to ice it up.....and patch some holes before we head into the second half of the fantasy regular season.

Fantasy Hockey 101: Back to The Stevens and LSHL Leagues

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 06:40:01 -0500

Time to take another look at two of the best leagues The NHL Arena has to offer. Movers, shakers, and much more!

The LSHL League WK 11/12

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 06:48:53 -0500

The LSHL League is kicking and screaming into the second month and the contenders are starting to appear...at least most of them.