This weeks honorable mention goes to Alex Kovalev of the Ottawa Senators. Last week Kovalev scored 3 goals and had 4 assists for 7 points with 3 of those points coming while on the power play. He also had zero penalty minutes, a plus/minus rating of plus-2, had 14 shots on goal and one game winning goal. Alex got off to a terrible start to say the least, has bouned around from team-to-team via waivers in my one league quite a few times, but has 11 points in his last 10 games and is a big reason for the Sens recent success.

Lets take a look at the NHL Fantasy 3 Stars for Week 19.

3rd Star – Chris Mason (G), St.Louis Blues

Despite the arrival of Ty Conklin in St.Louis this past offseason Chris Mason has remained the team’s #1 goaltender has been playing solid so far. Last week Mason collected 3 wins while posting a 1.90 GAA, .943 SAV%, made 100 saves and one shutout. Although the Blues haven’t been playing as well as some people thought they would so far this season Chris is still putting up solid numbers with 20 wins, .912 SAV%, 2.53 GAA and two shutouts.

2nd Star – Marty Turco (G), Dallas Stars

Just like the Blues, the Stars haven’t had as much success as originally thought, but unlike Chris Mason, some of the blame for Dallas’ failures can be put on the shoulders of Marty Turco. Last week Turco collected two wins while posting a 1.30 GAA, .965 SAV%, made 110 saves and one shutout. As mentioned Marty has struggled so far this season and there are rumours that the Stars are looking to trade him before the trade deadline after the Olympics finish. If he is traded, consider picking him up/trading for him as it might act as a resurrection for Turco ala Jean-Sebastien Giguere in Toronto.

1st Star – Steven Stamkos (C), Tampa Bay Lightning

Someone forgot to tell Steven Stamkos that you’re supposed to flourish in your rookie season then suffer the “Sophomore Slump” the next, because Steven seems to be doing the opposite. Last week Stamkos scored 3 goals and added 6 assists for 9 points with 3 of those points coming while on the power play. He also had zero penalty minutes, a plus/minus rating of plus-4, had 10 shots on goal and won 29 faceoffs. With 70 points (35 goals & 35 assists) already heading into the Olympic break Stamkos looks poised for 90+ points this season which is quite the feat considering he had just 46 points in his rookie season last year. I think it’s pretty obvious, but I’ll say it anyways, this guy is a stud!

Remember to check back in next week to see who the NHL Fantasy 3 Stars will be for Week 20.

This weeks honorable mention goes to Mike Knuble of the Washington Capitals. Last week Knuble had 3 goals and added 3 assists for 6 points with two of those points coming on the power play. He also had 19 penalty minutes, a plus/minus rating of plus-7 and one game winning goal. Mike was one of my favourite sleepers heading into the season as he was slated to play with Ovechkin on the right side and so far he’s making me look like a genius. As of Tuesday, Feb.9 Knuble has 39 points (21 goals & 18 assists) in just 47 games. Injuries are the only real concern for Mike but considering the points he’s already put up, plus the decent amount of PIMs, I’d say he’s worth the risk.

Lets take a look at the NHL Fantasy 3 Stars for Week 18.

3rd Star – Alexander Ovechkin (LW), Washington Capitals

Yours truly wasn’t a big fan of Alexander Ovechkin being named captain last month, but I guess you can’t argue with the results so far. Last week Ovie scored 7 goals and had 3 assists for 10 points with 3 of those points coming while on the power play. Alex also had 4 penalty minutes, a plus/minus rating of plus-6 and 18 shots on goal. Ovechkin is pumped up for the Olympics and I think is one of the few players that wont digress when he comes back from Vancouver.

2nd Star – Nicklas Backstrom (C), Washington Capitals

First it was Miikka Kiprusoff, now it’s Nicklas Backstrom who’s making a habit of appearing on the NHL Fantasy 3 Stars each week. Last week Mr.Backstrom had two goals and tallied 8 assists for 10 points with 4 of those points coming while on the power play. He also had 14 penalty minutes, I repeat 14 penalty minutes, a plus/minus rating of plus-6, had one game winning goal and won 34 faceoffs. Unlike Ovechkin, I think Backstrom will be due for a bit of a drop off after the Olympics if Sweden makes it far.

1st Star – Jean-Sebastien Giguere (G), Toronto Maple Leafs

Brian Burke was hoping that Jean-Sebastien Giguere would be able to restart his career in Toronto after trading for him last Sunday. So far so good. Last week Jiggy collected two wins while posting a 0.00 GAA, 1.000 SAV%, made 60 saves and had two shutouts. Giguere has the pedigree of winning the Stanley Cup & Conn Smythe trophy and at the age of 32 has potential to turn his career around and become one of the top goaltenders in the league again. Hopefully you were lucky enough to pick him up off waivers or trade for him. If not, I’d suggest you do so if he’s still available.

Remember to check back in next week to see who the NHL Fantasy 3 Stars will be for Week 19.

This weeks honorable mention goes to Jean-Sebastien Giguere of the Anaheim Ducks. Last week the man known as Jiggy collected three wins while posting a 1.71 GAA, .945 SAV%, one shutout and made a total of 120 saves. Giguere had been a fantasy stud since the 2005-06 season but fell on hard times last season struggling mightily and ended up losing his starting job to Jonas Hiller. Since returning from his latest injury J.S. has looked good and might be on his way to regaining his #1 status or getting some playing time somewhere else via trade for a team that could currently use some goaltending help.

Lets take a look at the NHL Fantasy 3 Stars for Week 9.

3rd Star – Brad Richards (C), Dallas Stars

Despite being a consistent 70+ points per season producer Brad Richards left a bad taste in people’s mouths after an injury riddled 2008-09 season that saw him put up 48 points in 56 games. So far this season Richards has been the great playmaking center that everyone grew accustomed to and showed it last week scoring one goal and adding 5 assists for 6 points with 5 of those points coming while on the power play. He also posted a plus/minus rating of minus-1, zero penalty minutes, 17 shots on goal and 19 faceoffs won. With his history I wouldn’t recommend to sell high with Brad but if you’re sitting pretty at center and could afford to loose him to strengthen another position like goaltending now is as good of time as any to involve Richards in a trade.

2nd Star – Miikka Kiprusoff (G), Calgary Flames

The workhorse known as Miikka Kiprusoff has been just that so far this season and just appears to be playing better and better as the season wears on. Last week Kiprusoff collected two wins while posting a .098 GAA, .970 SAV%, one shutout and made a total of 96 saves. Miikka is well on his way to another Vezina Trophy nomination as he already has 14 wins with a 2.38 GAA, .922 SAV% and two shutouts on the season.

1st Star – Sidney Crosby (C), Pittsburgh Penguins

Sidney Crosby has gotten off to a so-so start for his standards but if last week was any indication then he’s well on his way to another 100+ point season. Last week Crosby scored 5 goals and had three assists for 8 points with two of those points coming while on the power play. He also had 4 penalty minutes, a plus/minus rating of plus-3, 16 shots on goal, one game winning goal and won 49 faceoffs. Nothing much else needs to be said here as the young talented forward seems to be hitting his stride and remains a top 3 fantasy forward.

Remember to check back in next week to see who the NHL Fantasy 3 Stars will be for Week 10.

RW – Jonathan Cheechoo – San Jose Sharks: Can officially be called Mr.Disappointment after having back-to-back terrible seasons despite the success of the San Jose Sharks. In 66 games this year Cheechoo  scored 12 goals and had 17 assists for a measley 29 points with only 9 of those points coming on the power play. Jonathan also registered 59 penalty minutes, a plus/minus rating of minus-3, 152 shots on goal and 4 game winning goals.

C – Peter Mueller – Phoenix Coyotes: After a great rookie season in 2007-08 where he recorded 54 points, Peter Mueller had high expectations heading into the 2008-09 season and was going to play a key part in the Coyotes offence. That didn’t happen. In 72 games this year Mueller scored 13 goals and had 23 assists for 36 points with only 11 of those points coming on the power play. Peter also registered 24 penalty minutes, a plus/minus rating of minus-7, 138 shots on goal and 4 game winning goals.

LW – Christopher Higgins – Montreal Canadiens: After a solid 2007-08 campaign in which he posted 52 points in 82 games and looked like a promising top 6 forward, Christopher Higgins had a very disappointing 2008-09 season. In 57 games this year Higgins scored 12 goals and had 11 assists for just 23 points with 4 of those points coming on the power play. Chris also registered 22 penalty minutes, a plus/minus rating of minus-1, 151 shots on goal and one game winning goal.

C – Andrew Cogliano – Edmonton Oilers: Just like Peter Mueller, Andrew Cogliano had a very good rookie season posting 45 points in 82 games. This year however he failed to improve on those stats. In 82 games this year Cogliano scored 18 goals and added 20 assists for 38 points with only 9 points coming while on the power play. Andrew also registered 22 penalty minutes, a plus/minus rating of minus-6, just 116 shots on goal and 4 game winning goals.

LW – Darcy Tucker – Colorado Avalanche: Darcy Tucker’s stats have been on the decline since the 2005-06 season and this year they took a big nose dive. In 63 games this year Tucker scored just 8 goals and only had 8 assists for a total of 16 points with 5 of those points coming on the power play, yikes! Darcy also registered 67 penalty minutes, a plus/minus rating of minus-13, 94 shots on goal and one game winning goal.

D – Wade Redden – New York Rangers: Ever since the Ottawa Senators decided to take Wade Redden over Zdeno Chara, Redden has struggled and this year was no exception. In 81 games this year Redden scored just 3 goals and had 23 assists for 26 points with 8 of those points coming on the power play. Wade also registered 51 penalty minutes, a plus/minus rating of minus-5, 161 shots on goal and zero game winning goals.

D – Derek Morris – Phoenix Coyotes/New York Rangers: Besides recording 48 points in the 2002-03 season, Derek Morris hasn’t lived up to the expectations of him after being drafted 13th overall by the Calgary Flames in the 1996 Entry Draft. In 75 games with both the Phoenix Coyotes and New York Rangers this year Morris scored 5 goals and had 15 assists for 20 points with just 5 of those points coming on the power play. Derek also registered 40 penalty minutes, a plus/minus rating of minus-10, 120 shots on goal and zero game winning goals.

D – Andrej Meszaros – Tampa Bay Lightning: After some solid seasons in Ottawa, Andrej Meszaros was projected to be Tampa Bay’s #1 d-man and put up some good points while anchoring the Lightning’s power play. That didn’t happen. In 52 games this year Meszaros scored 2 goals and had 14 assists for 16 points with 5 of those points coming on the power play. Andrej also registered 36 penalty minutes, a plus/minus rating of minus-4, 87 shots on goal and one game winning goal.

G – Jean-Sebastien Giguere – Anaheim Ducks: Since the lockout Jean-Sebastien Giguere has been one of the more consistent goaltenders in the league. However he got off to a bad start this season and wasn’t able to turn things around. In 46 games this year Giguere recorded 19 wins while posting a 3.10 GAA, .900 SAV% and just 2 shutouts. At his age it’ll be interesting to see if he can make an Ed Belfour-like comeback next season. If he does, expect it to be with another team as the strong play of Jonas Hiller will most likely have the Ducks trading Giguere in the offseason.

G – Chris Osgood – Detroit Red Wings: After replacing Dominik Hasek in the playoffs and helping the Red Wings win the Cup last year many expected big things from Chris Osgood this season. Unfortunately he disappointed. In 46 games this year Osgood recorded 26 wins while posting a 3.09 GAA, .887 SAV% and only 2 shutouts. If Chris has another solid playoff run with Detroit one would think that his numbers will improve next season. Time will tell, although if Osgood ends up winning another Cup don’t be surprised to see him retire.

RW – Jonathan Cheechoo – San Jose Sharks: After a disappointing 2007-08 season with only 37 points, Cheechoo has followed it up with…another disappointing season. He only has 7 goals and 11 assists for 18 points, and only 5 power play points, in 33 games. Seems like his 50+ goal season is only but a distant memory now.

LW – Milan Michalek – San Jose Sharks: I will first point out that Michalek is still a young player with lots of potential and could easily turn things around in the second half. However, with only 29 points (11 goals & 18 assists) he definitely needs to pick up his play and show people why he was the 6th overall pick in 2003. He is playing with guys like Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Ryan Clowe and Devin Setoguchi so I do expect things to pick up for Milan in the second half.

C – Pierre-Marc Bouchard – Minnesota Wild: I will cut Bouchard some slack as he is playing on the defence first Wild and hasn’t had his buddy Marian Gaborik around a lot. But, that still doesn’t make up for the points, or lack thereof, that he’s put up so far this season. Pierre-Marc has 8 goals and 15 assists for 23 points after 43 games. Oh, and back to the defence first part, he currently has a +/- rating of minus-10.

C – Sam Gagner – Edmonton Oilers: After a successful rookie campaign last year putting up 49 points in 79 games bigger and better things were expected of Gagner for this season. So far he has disappointed scoring 4 goals and 13 assists for only 17 points in 43 games.

C – Rod Brind’Amour – Carolina Hurricanes: After a disappointing and injury plagued 2007-08 season Brind’Amour was looking to rebound with a solid season this year…so far no luck. Rod has only been able to score 8 goals and add 19 assists for 27 points in 48 games. He also has a terrible +/- rating of minus-29.

D – Kris Letang – Pittsburgh Penguins: When Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney both ended up on the I.R. at the start of the season the Penguins turned to Letang to pick up some of the slack. Unfortunately he wasn’t able to. In 43 games Kris has managed 1 goal and 13 assists for 14 points and has a +/- rating of minus-3. Now that Whitney’s been back for a bit look for Letang to improve his play in the second half as some of the pressure has been lifted off his shoulders.

D – Mathieu Schneider – Atlanta Thrashers: After some very successful post-lockout seaons in Detroit and Anaheim, Schneider’s been having a hard time adjusting to playing in Atlanta. So far Mathieu has 4 goals and 6 assists for 10 points in 35 games. He also only has 3 power play points, a part of the game in which Schneider has excelled throughout his career.

D – Andrej Meszaros – Tampa Bay Lightning: When the Lightning traded Dan Boyle right away they looked to find a cheaper and younger replacement. They chose to trade for Andrej Meszaros to lead their defence and power play. So far it hasn’t worked. Meszaros has 2 goals and 13 assists for 15 points in 47 games. He has only averaged 37 points so far in his career but he is still young and was expected to take the next step this season.

G – Jean-Sebastien Giguere – Anaheim Ducks: What was thought to be one of the more solid fantasy picks for the season, Giguere has been anything but. In 31 games he’s posted 12 wins, a 3.08 GAA, .904 SAV% and 2 shutouts. Far from the stats normally posted by J.S.. Jonas Hiller has played well and has earned more playing time than expected due to Giguere’s lack luster play. It will be interesting to see if this battle for playing time will bring out the best in Giguere in the second half.

G – Marty Turco – Dallas Stars: Looks like the Stars might have given away the wrong goaltender in the Brad Richards deal from last season. In 42 games Turco has collected 19 wins while posting a 3.08 GAA, .885 SAV% and 1 shutout. At 33-years old Marty is getting up there in age for goaltenders and might be playing for a new team if his play doesn’t improve in the second half.

This week’s honorable mention goes to Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins. Chara put up 5 points (3 goals & 2 assists) with 4 of those points coming on the power play. He also had 15 shots on goal and 6 penalty minutes. Zedno has been one of the best defenceman in the NHL and fantasy since the lockout and doesn’t seem to show any signs of slowing down.

Lets take a look at the NHL Fantasy 3 Stars for Week 15.

3rd Star – Alexander Ovechkin (LW), Washington Capitals

Even though Ovechkin’s evil counter part Evgeni Malkin leads the league in points, Alexander Ovechkin is still arguably the league’s best player and has been on a hot streak as of late. Last week Alex put up 5 points (4 goals & 1 assist) with 4 of those points coming on the power play. He also had an incredible 34 shots on goal, 4 penalty minutes and a plus/minus rating of plus-1.

2nd Star – Marc-Andre Fleury (G), Pittsburgh Penguins

Just when I was kicking myself for taking Fleury in one of my fantasy leagues he has his best week of the season. Marc-Andre Fleury collected 3 wins while posting a 2.00 GAA, .936 SAV% and 1 shutout. Fleury will play a key part in the Penguins turn around in the second half, so if you need some goaltending help he’d be one of the goalies to try and trade for. Another tender I expect to bounce back is Jean-Sebastien Giguere with the Ducks.

1st Star – Vincent Lecavalier (C), Tampa Bay Lightning

It seems as if the trade rumors surrounding Lecavalier are helping rather than hindering his play so far. Last week Vincent Lecavalier put up 6 points (4 goals & 2 assists) with 2 of those points coming on the power play. He also had 19 shots on goal, 2 penalty minutes and a plus/minus rating of plus-1. Should be interesting to see what happens with Vincent and how it’ll effects his numbers.

Remember to check back in next week to see who the NHL Fantasy 3 Stars will be for Week 16.

Ending ( Jan 18th)

Total Pro Sports – This week’s NHL Power Rankings has a tonne of movement due to the fact I was soaking up the sun in Miami and haven’t been able to do them since Week 10.

Despite all the movement, San Jose, Boston and Detroit remain the top 3 teams finishing 1,2 ,3 respectively.

NHL Power Rankings Movers And Shakers

The biggest Shakers in our NHL Power Rankings this week were the Nashville Predators falling a massive 8 spots to end up at #22.

The second biggest shaker was the Vancouver Canucks dropping 7 spots to land at #15.

The biggest Movers in our NHL Power Rankings this week were the Phoenix Coyotes climbing up 5 spots to sit at #13. The Calgary Flames also moved up 5 spots to find themselves at #7.

Lets take a look at the rest of the league: NHL POWER RANKINGS for Week 15.

Rank	Team	Record	Change	Comment
1		33-6-5	-	Even with their fantastic start they’ll need to get better efforts from guys like Milan Michalek, Jonathan Cheechoo and Christian Ehrhoff as both the Bruins and Red Wings are right on their tail.
2		33-8-5	-	Lead by Marc Savard and the surprising David Krejci the Bruins have rocketed up the standings and are now contending with the likes of San Jose and Detroit for the Presidents Trophy.
3		31-8-6	-	So far the Wings are loving January going 7-1-1.
4		30-14-3	1	Not to be Debbie Downer, but despite their success they’ll have to add some depth both up front and on the blueline if they want to be serious contenders come playoff time.
5		27-11-6	4	Thanks to the recent success of Robert Lang and Andrei Kostitsyn the Habs have enjoyed the month of January so far going 6-2-0.
6		27-16-4	2	They’ll need to get better efforts from veteran guys like Markus Naslund, Scott Gomez and Wade Redden if they want to have a good second half.
7		27-14-4	5	So far the additions of Mike Cammalleri, Todd Bertuzzi and Curtis Glencross have all been wise ones.
8		25-10-8	3	After a shaky start the Blackhawks have managed to turn things around thanks to a great month of December where they lost a total of two games.
9		24-12-9	3	Just like Chicago, Philly were able to turn their season around thanks to a great month of December as well. Plus it helps having the second highest goal scorer in the league with Jeff Carter.
10		27-15-3	3	Thanks to the solid play by Scott Clemmensen the Devils haven’t missed a beat with Martin Brodeur on the shelf.
11		23-19-5	4	Bobby Ryan has looked great collecting 28 points in 29 games so far. Jean-Sebastien Giguere will have to pick up his play greatly for the Ducks to make some noise in the second half.
12		23-17-5	3	After being reunited with Thomas Vanek, Derek Roy has caught fire and now leads the team in points with 42.
13		23-19-5	5	Peter Mueller has turned things around after a slow start collecting 4 points in his last 3 games.
14		23-20-4	4	Who would have guessed that a team with the league’s two top scorers would be struggling so much.
15		22-19-6	7	With Roberto Luongo back and a couple games under Mats Sundin‘s belt look for the Canucks to turn things around in the second half.
16		21-16-7	3	So far January has been a good month for the Panthers going 5-0-2. Question now is do they sell some of the future to try and make the playoffs for this year?
17		22-19-3	1	Mikko Koivu and Antti Miettinen have been two bright spots in what has been an up and down season for the Wild.
18		23-19-3	2	Despite being injured for a couple games Ales Hemsky still leads the team with 37 points. Erik Cole has improved his play lately and has 5 points in his last 5 games.
19		22-19-4	4	Steve Mason for MVP? He may not get many votes no matter how well he plays, but he’s definitely in contention for the Vezina.
20		21-20-5	3	Everyone who thought Ray Whitney would be leading the Hurricanes in points raise their hand…that’s what I thought.
21		23-22-1	1	So far Andrew Raycroft is enjoying some success in the limited playing time he’s gotten in the first half going 9-3.
22		20-22-3	8	Pekka Rinne has emerged late in the first half to become Nashville’s new #1 collecting 10 wins and 4 shutouts so far.
23		19-17-7	4	Are slowly trying to get back in the playoff hunt after a brutal start. Marty Turco will have to improve his play greatly for the Stars to gain any significant ground.
24		17-20-7	3	Good core group of young players but they need to start surrounding them with better veterans than Michal Handzus and Kyle Calder.
25		17-21-7	1	After a good start and a mini win streak in mid December the Leafs have come down to earth and will be sellers come the trade deadline.
26		18-23-4	1	They’ve been getting some fairly consistent scoring so far. Problem is their top two scorers Brad Boyes and Keith Tkachuk have a combined plus/minus of minus-36.
27		14-21-10	3	I don’t think they’d even have 10 wins yet if it weren’t for Mike Smith being between the pipes.
28		16-25-5	1	They recently named Ilya Kovalchuk the new team captain in an attempt to have him stay in Atlanta. Unless they surround him with more talent I don’t think it’ll work.
29		15-21-7	3	Who would have thought scoring would be the Sens problem this season. Will be interesting to see what Bryan Murray will get in return for Martin Gerber.
30		12-29-5	2	Mark Streit leads the team in points and everyone except Andy Sutton, who’s only played 23 games, and Kurtis McLean, who’s only played one game, are all minus players.

Be sure to check back next week with our NHL Power Rankings for Week 16.

Not a terrible season last year for the Ducks, but with a disappointing playoffs and two of their big free agent signings from a year ago gone, they’ll be looking to have a better year this year. But will they?

Ryan Getzlaf leads the Ducks forwards followed by Corey Perry, Chris Kunitz, Teemu Selanne and Rob Niedermayer.  Brendan Morrison will look to prove that he’s still a top 6 player and young Bobby Ryan is also looking to crack the top 6.

On defence Anaheim is lead by two of the best in Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger.  Francois Beauchemin, Kent Huskins, Ken Klee and Steve Montador round out the blueline.

Jean-Sebastien Giguere is looking for another sold 30+ win season and Jonas Hiller showed last year that he’s a very capable backup.

Anaheim is a good team, but not great. Their lack of depth will end up hurting them and I could see them ending up in a war with Phoenix at the end of the season.