Week 5 Fantasy Hockey Planner

Week 5 (Nov. 2-8)

Teams playing four games: Atlanta, N.Y. Islanders, Phoenix, Tampa Bay
Teams playing three games: Anaheim, Boston, Buffalo, Calgary, Carolina, Colorado, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Florida, Los Angeles, Montreal, New Jersey, N.Y. Rangers, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Jose, St. Louis, Toronto, Vancouver, Washington
Teams playing two games: Chicago, Edmonton, Minnesota, Nashville, Ottawa

Atlantic Division

Islanders defenseman Freddy Meyer appears to have lost his regular spot in the lineup after missing all but 27 games last season with various injuries. Meyer has been a healthy scratch in three straight games despite totaling three assists in his first eight games ... Rangers forward Christopher Higgins isn't exactly thriving like the rest of his teammates. The offseason acquisition has no goals and two assists in 13 games with his new club ... Fellow Rangers forward Chris Drury could also use a boost with just one goal and two assists in his last 11 games ... Flyers center Jeff Carter is in a bit of a slump with no goals in six straight games ... Penguins defenseman Alex Goligoski has been everything and then some for Pittsburgh in the first month of the season. He has four goals, 11 points and a plus-11 rating in 12 games. He has gone from low-end Fantasy option to must-start in a matter of weeks.
Injury report: Devils forward Patrik Elias (groin) was supposed to be back in the lineup by now, but he isn't going to start practicing until this coming week. Start adding him in Fantasy, but just don't start him ... Devils defenseman Johnny Oduya is day to day with a lower-body injury ... There is still no new update on injured Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro, who is working his way back from knee surgery ... Rangers right wing Marian Gaborik missed his only chance to play his former team -- Minnesota-- on Friday because of a leg injury. Gaborik said he didn't want to risk further damage. If he is not back by Sunday against Boston, then Gaborik is an injury-risk start for Week 5 ... It's safe to keep Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist active in Fantasy after he walked away unscathed from a one-car accident on Tuesday ... The Flyers have placed forward Simon Gagne on long-term injured reserve as he needed surgery for two small hernias. The news didn't get any better later in the week as Danny Briere injured his groin during Friday's practice. This is the last thing we want to hear after Briere missed most of the 2008-09 season due to a groin injury. He is clearly a risky start until 100 percent. This is a perfect chance for Claude Giroux and James van Riemsdyk to step up for Philadelphia ... The Penguins are facing the reality of playing without All-Star forward Evgeni Malkin, who will miss 2-3 weeks with a strained right shoulder. Malkin had played in 254 straight games and hadn't missed a contest since his rookie season in 2006-07.
Favorable matchup: New Jersey (WAS, NYI, @OTT). All three of the Devils' opponents are allowing 2.83 or more goals per game.
Unfavorable matchup: Philadelphia (TB, @BUF, STL). Already battling the injury bug, Philadelphia has to face two of the league's top defense in Buffalo (1.89 GAA) and St. Louis (2.64).

Northeast Division

Bruins center Patrice Bergeron is starting to look more like the player he was before suffering a serious head injury during the 2007-08 season. Bergeron has managed a point in 7 of 11 games this season and has six points (three goals) in his last seven games. Boston is going to need Bergeron to continue on this path with Marc Savard (foot) out a few more weeks ... The Sabres have chosen to keep defenseman Tyler Myers on the roster and not send him back to his junior club. Fantasy owners should consider adding the rookie since he has proven to be an effective blueliner in the first few weeks of his career ... The Canadiens are ready to turn back to goalie Carey Price after Jaroslav Halak's four-game winning streak came to an end. Price spent his long layoff working with goalie coach Pierre Groulx. Montreal is hoping Price comes back with a better work ethic and refinements in his game ... Canadiens center Tomas Plekanec is glad to have his confidence restored after a trying 2008-09 campaign. Plekanec has 11 points in his first 12 games and is once again climbing the Fantasy ladder ... The Senators have been receiving unexpected offensive output from enforcer Jarkko Ruutu. The veteran has four goals and seven points in his first 11 games and has been as good as some of the team's top offensive stars. While Ruutu is off to a nice start, we don't feel this hot streak will last, so he is still best used in Fantasy leagues that reward heavily for PIM ... Now that goalie Vesa Toskala (knee) has been taken off injured reserve, the Maple Leafs have a goalie battle on their hands after Jonas Gustavsson played well in Toskala's absence. We could see the two sharing starts until Toronto chooses to name a starter ... The Viktor Stalberg experiment lasted eight games before Toronto sent the struggling forward to the minors. He managed no goals, one point and a minus-5 rating after being a standout in training camp ... Maple Leafs defenseman Tomas Kaberle has one goal and six assists during a three-game point streak. His big performance was a four-assist, five-point outing against Anaheim on Oct. 26.
Injury report: Senators center Jason Spezza is out of the lineup due to an undisclosed upper-body injury, believed to be a back problem. He is an injury-risk start for Week 5, as is teammate Anton Volchenkov (elbow). But goalie Pascal Leclaire (flu) is safe to start for the upcoming scoring period ... The Maple Leafs are expecting forward Phil Kessel to make his Toronto debut on Tuesday against the Lightning. He has been out since having offseason shoulder surgery. You could consider Kessel a sleeper start for Week 5, if you think he will not be rusty.
Favorable matchup: Buffalo (NYI, PHI, @BOS). The Sabres have been one of the NHL's hottest teams through the first month and they could start November on a similar pattern going up against three squads allowing 3.00 or more goals per contest. Two of the games are also on home ice, where Buffalo is 12th in GFA (3.40).
Unfavorable matchup: Ottawa (TB, NJ). Ottawa is sixth in home GFA (3.83), but that might not help them if they are down Jason Spezza and about to face two teams playing very good defense. Tampa Bay has not allowed more than two goals in three straight games, including Thursday against Ottawa, and New Jersey has allowed more than two goals just once in their last five games.

Southeast Division

Keep tabs on Thrashers center Todd White. He has three goals in his last five games and is starting to pick up the offensive effort after a sluggish start. He totaled a career-high 73 points in 2008-09 ... The Panthers have recalled two of their top 20 prospects -- Michal Repik and Kenndal McArdle -- due to injuries. McArdle totaled six points (two goals) and Repik had 11 points (six goals) for Rochester of the AHL ... Steve Reinprecht is the surprise goals leader for the Panthers with eight after his hat trick on Friday against the Stars. Florida picked up the veteran for his presence in the faceoff circle, but the added offense has been welcomed ... Lightning center Steven Stamkos, who was taken first overall in the 2008 draft, is finally living up to the hype after he had somewhat of a turbulent rookie season in 2008-09. Stamkos has scored in four straight games and has a team-high nine goals. Dating back to February of last season, Stamkos has 26 goals and 41 points in his last 42 games. He has clearly become a must-start Fantasy option ... Lightning forward Martin St. Louis has set a franchise record to start a season by tallying at least one point in each of the first 10 games ... Lightning goalie Mike Smith is starting to settle into a groove. Smith has posted a 2-0-1 record with a 1.94 goals against average and .933 save percentage in his past three starts since being lit up for seven goals in a loss at Ottawa on Oct. 15. He can be treated as a No. 2 Fantasy goalie.
Injury report: Thrashers goalie Kari Lehtonen, who is recovering from offseason back surgery, recently received another epidural injection to reduce inflammation and has stopped skating. He remains out indefinitely ... Thrashers center Nik Antropov didn't miss a game despite battling a groin injury. He tallied an assist Thursday and has eight on the season, but is still searching for his first goal ... Fantasy owners need to keep tabs on Hurricanes forward Erik Cole, who has missed the last few weeks with a leg injury. He has been practicing and could play over the weekend ... Panthers forward David Booth continues to recover from a concussion sustained during a game against Philadelphia on Oct. 24. He might return during Fantasy Week 5, but there is no need to risk the start in Fantasy ... Lightning defenseman Paul Ranger is on an indefinite leave because of personal reasons.
Favorable matchup: Atlanta (@MON, CLB, @NYI, STL). Aside from being just one of four teams with a four-game slate in Week 5, the Thrashers face only one team in the top 10 for defense -- St. Louis. The remaining squads are allowing 3.17 or more goals per contest.
Unfavorable matchup: Florida (CAR, WAS, @WAS). The Panthers have to face one of the NHL's top teams in Washington twice in Week 5. The Capitals are 12th in defense (2.83 GAA). Carolina isn't quite as good; however, the Hurricanes already beat Florida, 7-2, earlier this season.

Central Division

Blackhawks goalie Cristobal Huet is starting to gain confidence in net. He has allowed just two goals in his last three games, which included a shutout of Nashville on Oct. 24 ... Predators forward Jerred Smithson has a short-handed goal in two straight games and has five shorties since 2006-07. He is definitely a viable Fantasy option in leagues that reward heavily for short-handed stats ... Despite Predators goalie Pekka Rinne on a three-game winning streak, coach Barry Trotz still intends to play Dan Ellis ... Blues forward Brad Boyes might have a team-high 35 shots, but he has scored just twice, including one goal being an empty netter. Boyes is getting his scoring chances, but is looking a lot like Jason Blake, who struggles at times despite being one of Toronto's top shot producers on a nightly basis.
Injury report: Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook has returned to the lineup after missing two games with a concussion, but teammate Jonathan Toews hasn't been as fortunate. Toews hasn't resumed skating since suffering a concussion on Oct. 21. Coach Joel Quenneville said the team is disappointed with Toews' progress. He will travel with the team during Week 5, but is clearly a risky start ... The news keeps getting worse for the Detroit Red Wings. Already down Johan Franzen (knee), Detroit will be without center Valtteri Filppula for at least two months because of a broken wrist ... The Predators are considering injured center Jason Arnott, who has been out since Oct. 17 with an arm injury, probable for Week 5. Consider him a low-risk start ... Predators forward Martin Erat is day to day with a lower-body injury ... Blues forward T.J. Oshie is out at least one more week following an appendectomy ... Blues lost enforcer D.J. King for at least two months with a dislocated right hand ... Blues defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo is day to day with an upper-body injury.
Favorable matchup: St. Louis (CGY, @PHI, @ATL). All three of the Blues' opponents rank in the bottom half of the league in defense, allowing 3.00 or more goals per game.
Unfavorable matchup: Chicago (@PHO, @COL). Chicago arguably has the toughest schedule for Week 5. Not only do they play just two games, but both are on the road and against top defenses. Phoenix is second in the NHL in GAA (1.92) and Colorado is third (2.00). It doesn't help Chicago is also 23rd in road GFA (2.25).

Northwest Division

The feedback mailbag has been flooded with questions on what to do with struggling Flames center Olli Jokinen, who has just two goals and six points in 11 games. That's not entirely bad production, but we expect more from Jokinen. We say if you have made it this far, continue to wait patiently with the veteran center. He is in a contract year and we expect him to get on a roll eventually ... Avalanche left wing Wojtek Wolski continues to make up for the absence of left wing Ryan Smyth, who was traded to Los Angeles in the offseason. Wolski has four goals in his last four games and leads Colorado with eight goals. He also has 13 points and a plus-9 rating in 13 games ... Thanks to Mike Comrie coming down with the flu, Shawn Horcoff was reunited with Dustin Penner and Ales Hemsky for Thursday's win against the Red Wings. Horcoff had his best game of the season with three points (one goal) and ended a drought of seven games without factoring on the stat sheet.
Injury report: Avalanche forward Darcy Tucker has landed on injured reserve with a concussion suffered on a boarding incident on Oct. 24. He is out indefinitely ... Avalanche defenseman John-Michael Liles (shoulder) has been activated off injured reserve and is a safe play for Week 5 ... Oilers defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky is day to day with the flu, but he is considered a low-risk start for Week 5 ... Oilers defenseman Sheldon Souray is still having a hard time overcoming post-concussion symptoms and his return date remains unknown ... Wild backup goalie Josh Harding isn't expected to be out long with lower-body soreness and could be back in Week 5 ... There is a chance Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo (ribs) is back in the lineup on Sunday against the Avalanche. He expects a quick recovery from a hairline fracture in one of his ribs, but if Luongo isn't showing improvement by Monday, then he remains an injury-risk start. Andrew Raycroft is expected to see most of the starts in his place with Cory Schneider serving as the backup ... The Canucks welcomed back defenseman Sami Salo earlier than expected from a knee sprain when he took the ice on Thursday against the Kings. It appears safe to activate the oft-injured blueliner in Fantasy.
Favorable matchup: Colorado (PHO, CHI, EDM). The Avalanche play all three of their Week 5 games at the Pepsi Center, where they are outscoring the opposition, 16-7 in four games. They are also averaging three goals per game against Edmonton and Chicago.
Unfavorable matchup: Calgary (@DAL, @STL, NYR). The Flames are going up against three of the league's best defenses in Week 5. The Rangers, Blues and Stars are allowing 2.77 or fewer goals per game.

Pacific Division

While all the talk in the NHL has been of the surprising impact of the 2009 draft class, Ducks defenseman Luca Sbisa isn't making the 2008 class very proud. The 2008 first-round draft pick appeared in 39 games for the Flyers last season before being sent back to his junior club. Sbisa, acquired in the Chris Pronger trade, was given another chance to become a permanent NHLer in 2009-10, but after he struggled in eight games with Anaheim they banished him back to his junior club. The Ducks felt Sbisa still needed more time to develop, even if that meant he couldn't return to the NHL this season. He is nothing more than a long-term Fantasy keeper ... The Kings have claimed defenseman Randy Jones off waivers from the Flyers. Head coach Terry Murray said it might take some time before Jones is comfortable enough for the Kings to play the veteran blueliner, who has been working in the minors, but it's still a good addition for Los Angeles ... Kings rookie Scott Parse has one goal and three points in his first four NHL games. He is expected to stick around a while longer since he has gelled on a line with Jarret Stoll and Teddy Purcell. Speaking of Stoll, he has three goals and five points in his last four games to run his season total to 11 points in 14 outings ... Coyotes goalie Ilya Bryzgalov has a NHL-best three shutouts through the first month and has emerged as a must-start Fantasy goalie ... Looking to get Ryane Clowe his first goal of the season, coach Todd McLellan has elevated the struggling forward to the team's top line with Joe Thornton and Dany Heatley.
Injury report: Ducks goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere is back on the injured list after aggravating a groin injury. He is day to day and an injury-risk start for Week 5 ... Stars goalie Marty Turco is day to day as he battles the flu. Consider him a low-risk start for Week 5 ... Stars defenseman Matt Niskanen is back in the lineup after missing two games with a head injury ... Kings forward Jason Williams (lower body) returned to practice on Saturday after missing five games and could play Monday against the Coyotes. There is some risk involved with starting the oft-injured winger ... Injured Sharks forwards Devin Setoguchi (leg), Ryan Vesce (leg), Torrey Mitchell (knee) and Joe Pavelski (foot) are all traveling with the team on their three-game road trip. Check their status after Sunday's game against Carolina before setting your Week 5 lineup ... Sharks defenseman Dan Boyle revealed he has played the first month of the season with a broken thumb he sustained in the preseason. Although he has 13 points in 13 games, Boyle has been inconsistent at times because of the injury. He said his thumb is improving and he is looking forward to being 100 percent. It's safe to keep Boyle active in Fantasy.
Favorable matchup: Dallas (CGY, VAN, @MIN). The Stars are coming up on the perfect time to face the Canucks since Roberto Luongo is not 100 percent and could still be sidelined by a rib injury. Their other two opponents -- Calgary and Minnesota -- are in the bottom 10 for defense.
Unfavorable matchup: Anaheim (PIT, NSH, PHO). The Ducks do play all three of their games at the Honda Center, but that isn't necessarily a good thing. Anaheim is averaging just 2.17 goals per game at home (t-25th), and it doesn't help their cause that all three of their opponents are allowing 2.92 or fewer goals per contest.

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