Yardbarker: Shane Doan

Zach's 2008-09 Predictions...

Sat, 04 Oct 2008 10:03:32 -0500

Much like my counterpart Bryan (and every fan with a computer and a knowledge of the game), I present to you my 2008-09 NHL predictions... exactly 67 minutes before the puck drops on the season.

EAST

1. Montreal

2. Pittsburgh

3. Tampa Bay

4. NY Rangers

5. Washington

6. Boston

7. Flyers

8. Buffalo

9. Ottawa

10. NJ Devils

11. Carolina

12. Florida

13. Toronto

14. NY Islanders

15. Atlanta

1) Montreal still has the best power play in the game. Remember how they lost Sheldon Souray and were still the best one? Losing Mark Streit is nothing to them. Someone else will step up. 2) It takes a lot for me to not pick my Rangers as 1st in the division, but for the first year in 3 seasons I'm taking the high road and going with my head and picking the Penguins. 3) Tampa Bay is the best team in that division. Steven Stamkos will score 40 goals. 4) Vastly improved defense should keep the Rangers in games while the offense scores 2.5 goals per game. 5) Theodore is a weaker goalie than Huet, Federov is a year older, and their one solid d-man is a kid who has had one good year. Yes, Ovechkin is the best player in the world, but WashingtonA will win and lose 6-5, 5-4 games all year. 6) Don't know why I picked Boston over Ottawa. I love Tim Thomas. This is probably a mistake, I admit it. Maybe a trade deadline pick-up of a defenseman will help. 7) Flyers are a solid team with questionable goaltending (Marty Biron) who play in a tough division. 8) Buffalo is fast, has good goaltending, and manageable defense. I think they'll sneak in.

9/10) I think this might be the yearA Ottawa and the Devils miss the playoffs. The East is very tough to pick this year (as it was last year). If Ottawa doesn't shore up their goaltending, they have 2 backups leading them this year. Brodeur, on the other hand, is a year older and still have weak defense in front of him. The Devils always pull out wins, but they didn't improve in the offseason and I see them missing the playoffs. 11) Carolina is stuck with a small budget, making acquisitions hard. Cam Ward hasn't proven anything since the Cup run in '06. Erik Cole is gone. Eric Staal is fantastic. Brind'Amour is hurt. Pitkanen is a step up on the PP though. 12) Florida is one of the worst organizations in sports history. While Cory Stillman is a great acquisition and Tomas Vokoun is a Top 5 goalie in the NHL, Bryan McCabe has nothing left besides a big contract, and the rest of the team (except Bouwmeester and Horton) are busts. 13) Besides Antropov and Blake, who's going to score in Toronto? Ryan Hollweg? Jeff Finger? Their saving grace is Vesa Toskala (no pun intended). 14) The Islanders won't be as bad as everyone thinks. Okay, they might. Doug Weight can no longer carry the weight of a team on his shoulders (pun sort of intended). Okposo, Comeau, and and Tambellini should have good starter years. Maybe Josh Bailey sees action. Atleast they won't be as bad as 15) Atlanta. A question mark in goal, two good defenseman A (one of whom even the Kings didn't want to trade for), and a skilled forward do not a playoff team make.

WEST

1. Detroit

2. Anaheim

3. Colorado

4. Dallas

5. Chicago

6. San Jose

7. Edmonton

8. Minnesota

9. Phoenix

10. Vancouver

11. Calgary

12. Nashville

13. St. Louis

14. ColumbusA

15. Los Angeles

1) Let's face it: Detroit never gets bad. When a Federov or Shanahan leaves, a Zetterberg and Datsyuk steps up. When they're gone, Filppula and Helm are ready. Adding Hossa is huge for the offense. 2) Anaheim has improved over last year and should win a dogfight in the Pacific. They had a great regular season last year, just started slow. 3) If healthy, Colorado has a dynamic offense. Sakic, Svatos, Wolski, Stastny, Smith, Guite, even Darcy Tucker. They have 7 serviceable defensemen, although no studs. Maybe with Raycroft and Budaj splitting time, their goaltending holes won't shine as brightly. 4) A great goaltending, 3 stud d-men, and a great offense are going to lead Dallas. 5) Years of horrendous hockey has finally paid of for Chicago. Pat Kane, Jon Toews, and a strong D will help this team beat up on the weakened Central division. If Huet fails in goal, Antti Niemi is ready to go in his stead. 6) San Jose is again good, and with a much better, Dan Boyle-Rob Blake duo on the blueline. Nabokov might wear out at the end from too many games, but they'll easily make the playoffs. 7) Edmonton plays in a weak division, and did improve greatly. Sam Gagner and Andrew Cogliano should be great, as should Ales Hemsky, Cole, and a returning Shawn Horcoff. What? Souray is back? Pick him up on your fantasy team since everyone else forgot about him. Dustin Penner is an overpaid bum, but he has a supporting cast that overshadows him. 8) I'll go out on a limb and say the Coyotes, led by Olli Jokinen, Peter Mueller and Shane Doan will have a great offense. Dan Carcillo is not just a fighter, he can score. Marty Hanzal and Daniel Winnik also should have breakout years. And with rookies Mueller, Kyle Turris, Viktor Tikhonov, and Mikkel Boedker (who I don't know if he made the team or not... I know Tikhonov did), I get overwhelmed thinking of the young guns on this team. Their D isn't that good (Jovanoski is one of the most overpaid players since Penner. Sauer, Hale, and Morris are good but not stars). However, Ilya Bryzgalov is a gem in net for them. Oh, and you can get 4 tickets, 4 hot dogs, and 4 sodas at their home opener for $79 total.

9) I hate Minnesota. I hate their ugly, Christmas-inspired uniforms. I hate their coach and I hate his trapping system. I hate Marion Gaborik. I do love Brent Burns though. And I think these guys might sneak into the playoffs due to the insane parity in the Northwest division. They have a few good forwards (Mikko Koivu, P.M. Bouchard, and don't forget Owen Nolan), and decent D led by Burns, and 2 overrated but alright goaltenders. However, I see them on the outside looking in this year. Originally I had them as 8th, but am moving them down. A 10) Vancouver has an amazing goaltender, a good D, and no forwards. Unless they win every game 1-0 or 2-1, I don't see them making the playoffs. 11) Nashville has nosedived. Yes, Dan Ellis is good in goal, but they really put all their eggs into one inexperienced basket when they traded Chris Mason to St. Louis. Radulov was their star playmaker, and he will be scoring tons of goals in Russia this year. 12) When will St. Louis make the jump? Maybe next year, guys, maybe next year. Chock full of 1st round picks, including Erik Johnson and his torn ACL. Legace/Mason make a good team, but I'm afraid that while they will be competitive, it won't be the year for them. 13) Trust me, Blue Jacket fans, Fedor Tyutin and Christian Backman are not great players. While Pascal Leclaire is a fantastic goalie (as is waiting-in-the-wings Steve Mason), the team only has a few good forwards (Nash, Husselius) and a very porous backline. 14) A star goalie, a star D, and a star forward. Didn't the Rangers have that every year they missed the playoffs in the 1990's and 2000's? Sorry, Flames. Your ship sailed in 2004. 15) The LA Kings might not even have enough salary on the books to be able to field a team in 2008-09. Their goaltending fleet is led by Jason LaBarberra, and their best D (Jack Johnson) is a year away from being great. Frolov, Kopitar, and Dustin Brown are excellent, but one line won't win you that many games in the new NHL.

Playoffs

In the East, I see the Rangers or Canadiens escaping. The Rangers have a better goalie (although Carey Price might have the Patrick Roy-like season everyone up in Quebec wants him to have), but they Habs have a great offense. Montreal has also one a Stanley Cup in every decade except this one. So as not to seem like a homer, I'll pick the Montreal Canadiens to win the Eastern Conference, although if the Rangers make the Finals I'll give myself credit as well.

It doesn't matter though, because no one is beating the Sean Avery's Dallas Stars en route to the Stanley Cup. Avery is a great addition to the team. He is like Steve Ott, except he scores. Avery, Brendan Morrow, Mike Modano, Brad Richard, Lou Erikkson, Fabian Brunnstrom, Jere Lehtinen, Joel Lundqvist, Mike Ribeiro. That's 9 awesome forwards. Imagine what a deadline pick up can do for them? Phillipe Boucher, Sergei Zubov, and Stephane Robidas get the job done on D, and they have 4 to 5 other guys who are solid NHL players ready if anything happens to one of them. Marty Turco is vastly underrated, and while Tobias Stephan (one NHL game) is an inexperienced backup, Turco should carry the weight of the team.

Stars over Canadiens/Rangers in 6. Mark is down!

2008 Fantasy Hockey Rankings: Right Wings

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 09:20:16 -0500

FIO staff writer Tim Hays breaks down the Top 25 right wingers 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.

Fantasy Hockey Pre-Draft Rankings: Top 10 Right Wings

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 21:36:50 -0500

Breaking down the Top Ten right wings in fantasy hockey heading into the 2008-09 NHL season.

Pacific Division Preview - Phoenix Coyotes

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 13:37:13 -0500

The Pacific Division is the ugly stepchild of the NHL. Most of the East Coast are going to bed when the games begin on the West Coast. Therefore, many of the players and teams get overlooked. However, the Pacific boasts several strong teams who are perennial contenders when the playoffs roll around and the Anaheim Ducks were the 2007 winners of the Stanley Cup. The San Jose Sharks will remain competitive, as will the Dallas Stars. The Phoenix Coyotes have made great improvements and should contend for a playoff spot again. The Los Angeles Kings will remain low man on the totem pole, and for good reason, but if they truly rebuild, they, too, can be a challenge to any team that plays them.

Week 20 Frozen IR Report

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 09:40:26 -0500

One of FIO's weekly fantasy hockey columns, staff writer Tim Hays swtiches things up a bit this week as he discusses some fantasy-worthy players who are injured, and some updates on their respective conditions. Check this injury report article each and every week on Wednesdays.

NHL Team Of The Month: January 2008

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 21:44:08 -0500

January saw some players putting up mind blowing numbers across the NHL. Who was good enough to secure a spot on the Team of the Month?

Coyotes Bite Sharks 5-3

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 12:56:18 -0500

The Phoenix Coyotes snap the road win streak for the San Jose Sharks and improve their record at home by beating the Sharks 5-3. Ed Jovanovski had a huge four-point night, and Shane Doan along with Peter Muller had a three-point night. Doan had two goals. They won without Radim Vrbata who left due to a lower body injury during the game and Steven Reinprecht who left with neck spasms. Vrbata leads the team in goals scored with 18. Ilya Bryzgalov shut the Sharks down in the third period when Joel Perrault scored the game winning goal in the opening seconds of the period. The Coyotes have won four games in a row at home.

Coyotes Win 5-2 in Second Game Against Avalanche

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 06:27:05 -0500

Steven Reinprecht takes the short path to redemption Wednesday night by scoring a hat trick against one of his former teams, the Colorado Avalanche. After receiving plenty of criticism for his work against the Detroit Red Wings last Saturday night, he answers by scoring four goals in two nights. The Coyotes had a strong first period where they initiated their forecheck and had the Avalanche on their heels. Reinprecht scored his first two goals one minute apart and the pressure continued in the second period. However, after Daniel Winnik's first fight in the NHL (and his first decision), the Avalanche took over with Marek Svatos scoring his second goal of the night, which tied the game at two. Ilya Bryzgalov had to make some timely saves once again to hold the score even. Shane Doan then scored the game winner on a power play. Two empty net goals scored by Reinprecht and Radim Vrbata sealed the deal for the Coyotes. They also have started to correct some of the deficiencies that lacked in the game as of late. For the past two games on the power play, the Coyotes have converted five out of nine chances. They have found their intensity and aggression by forechecking their opponents and utilizing their speed on the ice. For the first and the third periods of tonight's game, the Avalanche definitely found themselves skating backward rather than forward. Radim Vrbata scored his 17th goal of the season, one away from his career high of 18 that he scored while in a Avalanche sweater. In addition, three Coyotes, Doan, Vrbata, and Reinprecht are now in double digits in goals scored. Peter Mueller and Fredrik Sjostrom have nine goals each.

Coyotes Battle Back to Win Against Flyers

Wed, 19 Dec 2007 05:17:10 -0500

In the first period against the Philadelphia Flyers, the Phoenix Coyotes faced a team that looked like them in a way: young, fast, and hungry for a win. The Coyotes looked a little bewildered on the ice battling a team that was very aggressive in every facet of the game, except shots on goal. After the first period, the Coyotes had 14 shots to the Flyers 5. The difference was the goal scored by Scott Hartnell. Then, Keith Yandle saw his opportunity and capitalized by knocking a goal in behind Flyers' netminder Martin Biron after the puck deflected off of Biron's mask and ricocheted towards Yandle's stick. Yandle shot it in the net and scored his first career NHL goal to cut the deficit in half. Keith Ballard took a hooking penalty in the last two minutes of the second period. Undaunted, and thanks to an aggressive penalty kill of their own, Shane Doan found himself with the puck and streaked up the side boards. As the Flyers' defenders tracked Doan, they neglected to pay attention to Fredrik Sjostrom baring down on the weak side. Doan made a quick pass to Sjostrom and he banged it home for the tying goal. Sjostrom is en fuego. He has a three-game goal streak and has eight points in the last five games. Another young player that is red hot is Peter Mueller. With the score tied at two apiece in the third period, he makes a strong play in front of the net and never gives up. Thanks to the initial hard work of Doan and Steven Reinprecht, Mueller capitalizes on his scoring chance. Mueller now has nine goals and 17 points. Only Jonathan Toews, the NHL leader in goals scored for rookies, has more. The win against the Flyers is the first time the Coyotes won a game while trailing after the first period. They now return to San Jose to find a way to earn their first victory against the only team in the Pacific Division that they have not beaten.

The Rock Crumbles...well not quite....

Sat, 15 Dec 2007 20:35:50 -0500

I am not sure where in the hell Wayne Gretzky got enough money to pay off the officials...but something stunk in this penalty filled affair. Yes, the Devils killed themselves with some of the penalties but Phoenix was just as guilty...including a head high hit by Jovanovski which did not go unpunished. Hat tip for Phoenix...especially to Martin Hanzal and company as the dumped the Devs 4-1 today...here is the livecap.

Fantasy Hockey 101: The Weekend Can Be Kind!

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 22:50:39 -0500

Sometimes you can take a dump in the woods and it comes out gold...see how it did for me this week.

Coyotes Win 4-2 Against Kings

Sun, 09 Dec 2007 08:33:09 -0500

When the Coyotes' opponents score the first goal, they have won only one game. When the Kings' score first, they have won four games. One of these teams were due to change their trends. The Kings looked like they were going to control the pace of the game and thanks to Daniel Carcillo, Anze Kopitar scored the first goal. They were poised to win their fifth game of the season when scoring first. In response, Carcillo sat on the bench the remainder of the first period and for good reason. If it wasn't for Mathias Tjarnqvist being in the right place to deflect a Jovanovski shot or Radim Vrbata scoring his 11th goal of the season off of a lucky bounce from a referee's skate, the Coyotes would continue their losing trend when their opponents scored first. After the Kings tied the game at two, Keith Ballard answered with authority on a Shane Doan pass that Ballard buried past Jean-Sebastien Aubin and the goal ended up being the game winner. Bryzgalov has squashed the Kings by winning all four games that he has faced against them so far. He has given the Coyotes every chance to win.

A Little Phoenix Persuasion....

Sun, 18 Nov 2007 19:43:32 -0500

Going south (East for me) to take a look at the goings on in Phoenix and more.

Coyotes v. 2.0.1.0

Sun, 18 Nov 2007 02:49:26 -0500

After rebooting their team, the Coyotes received an upgrade Saturday morning with the addition of Ilya Brzgalov, the former Anaheim Ducks backup to J.S. Giguere. Bryzgalov arrived to the team pre-game meeting with one minute to spare before the game and the coaching staff inserted him in the lineup in place of Alex Auld. The Los Angeles Kings tested him early as he saw 11 quality shots and he turned them all aside. The solid performance gave life to the Coyotes and their confidence returned. The Kings could not capitalize on their five penalties, which is remarkable because the Kings are eighth in the league converting on their power play. However, the Coyotes, unlike the current trend, were able to convert a five-on-three power play and Shane Doan scored the only goal of the game which earned Bryzgalov his third career shutout. Bryzgalov was terrific in his debut and he immediately changed the makeup of the team. Regarding the Coyotes though, it was a welcome return to the team that I've grown accustomed to early in the season - every member working hard to insure the chance at victory. Mike Zigomanis, Fredrik Sjostrom, and Mathias Tjarnqvist had a whale of a game and showed everyone what hard work can do.

Coyotes Beat Ducks in OT; Mueller Scores First NHL Hat Trick

Thu, 08 Nov 2007 06:34:03 -0500

The Coyotes win their first overtime game in a raucous back-and-forth contest that must have had fans in both cities riding the crest of emotions between joy and despair. Mueller had a huge night as he notched his first career NHL hat trick. For most NHL players, their first hat trick eludes them for quite some time, but for Mueller, he took advantage of his opportunities by putting the puck on the net any chance he could. Recently, Mueller has really stepped up his game and I can see his confidence on the NHL surface growing with each shift. He is now unafraid to shoot the puck on the net or to make an important play. He no longer hesitates looking for that important shot. He skates forward and keeps working as hard as he can to score. In the overtime frame, Shane Doan takes advantage of a Corey Perry miscue by taking control of the Perry turnover and put everything he had behind the shot that blew right past Giguere for the victory. The Coyotes improve their overall record to 6-7 and they are now 5-1 on the road.