Fantasy Hockey - Running Out of Title Ideas

[Flubber]

Originally posted by Asher
Skating away from an AHL player starting to start **** with 10 minutes left in a completely 1-sided game is simply smart.

.

In fairness, Godard cannot brag MUCH more NHL status than Stortini. IT actually might have been better for Godard personally to fight.

For a Phaneuf, he is reasonably tough but he is too valuable and too skilled to be fighting with the other team's chosen heavyweight

[Flubber]

Oh and Phoenix impressed me with their persistence. Down 2-0 against LA and they find a way to win to stay hanging on the periphery of the playoff race

[Asher]

I'm going to go ahead and predict that Phoenix and Edmonton will be locked in a battle of suckiness trying to break into the playoffs.

[Ninot]

How in tarnation does Phoenix still have a chance?

[Asher]

Tellqvist seems to have given them life.

A trade that it seems everybody but me saw as a nothing trade.

[Flubber]

Originally posted by Asher
I'm going to go ahead and predict that Phoenix and Edmonton will be locked in a battle of suckiness trying to break into the playoffs.

I actually ALSO predict that Phoenix won't make the playoffs. I actually predicted it when they were in their massive win streak

Bottom line is taht there are 5 spots that look spoken for by

Anaheim
San JOse
Detroit
Nashville
Dallas

THat leaves 3 spots for everyone else. I think that Calgary and Vancouver will get two of them. So then it comes down to whther MInny is for real or if some other team can get hot and surpass them.

Edmonton? At the beginning of the season I thought their potent offense would only get better and they could snatch a spot. They still could but frankly they just haven't looked that great for stretches of games. I know people cite injuries but heck the Flames were without their best player and have won 7 of 9. Ottawa has similarly soared . So it appears good teams manage to overcome some level of injuries.

Anaheim? probably has a few too many injuries.

[Flubber]

Speaking of Ottawa . . . They seem to have confirmed my faith in them. Even when they were in 13th I thought they would come out of it and now they have. At times they can look a downright dominating team. I still don't love their goaltending though.

[Ninot]

Montreal's better

[Asher]

Calgary's better.

[Flubber]

Originally posted by Ninot
Montreal's better

Perhaps but they have not shown it much lately, nor have they shown the capability to totally dominate that Ottawa has. I'd take you more seriously if the last meeting between the two was NOT an 8-2 Ottawa win

[Flubber]

Originally posted by Asher
Calgary's better.

As a total package I can agree-- If we are looking at the teams (leaving aside the goaltenders for the moment) I like Ottawa. BUt Calgary going 7 for 9 without Iggy is really impressing me.

Hopefully the break lets them all recharge and come back still hungry

[Flubber]

Oh and I have seen a bunch of comments around the idea that Iggy's injury will be beneficial for the Flames in the long run. The idea is that the tream learns to play without him and a few people step up. This has happened. The second part is that Iginla returns recharged and refreshed and is a holy terror into the playoffs

[Asher]

I'm actually more concerned about the opposite.

Iggy, traditionally, has slow starts into seasons. To me it seems like he needs a certain amount of games to get in the swing of things, and a prolonged injury like this may not bode well like that.

[Flubber]

I must say that Toronto continues to entertain. They can explosively combust or win a tight one but no matter what they seem to be back to their win one-lose one ways. I kinda admire their tenacity. Right from the beginning I predicted them as just good enough to barely miss the playoffs. I haven't seen much to change that opinion and their current 10th place standing seems appropriate for their play.

Toronto is tantalizingly close to a playoff spot but they should watch out. Both Tampa and Pittsburgh have been good lately and any kind of run by anyone could leave the Leafs in the dust. The good thing for TO is that the Lightening are likely to have a mini-skid after their 8-2 run and the Rangers have come back far enough that they could fall right out of the playoffs.

On the downside, Boston and NYI are just behind the Leafs despite a poor stretch. I expect both teams to rebound a bit and with their games in hand, they could easily surpass TO

[Flubber]

posted by Tingkai on December 3

Don't worry. Won't be forgotten, although I got to laugh at my great timing -- I make the bet and then the Flames go on a winning streak.

But no worries, the Flames will flicker out.

I just wondered how you feel about the Flames now. LOsing Iggy and Kobasew was a perfect excuse to "flicker out" yet they win 7 of 9.

They currently sit in 11th place overall. definitely not an elite placing but I believe you referred to them as a bottom-feeder.

Now in fairness, the Flames would not have far to fall to be in the bottom 8 (damn parity). The 22nd place Islanders actually play better than .500 ( ie more points than games played and have a positive goal differential)

ITs crazy -- after more than half a season, there are only a couple of teams that are absolutely out of the playoffs (plus a few more that should reaklize they are out but they continue to nurture long-shot hopes