It’s come time in the NHL when the good players and the good teams begin to separate from the bad. The contenders come out of the woodwork, and the pretenders fall back into irrelevancy. January has traditionally been that month, and lately we have seen exactly that as some players continue to ascend the ladder and some players are plummeting like rocks. Here is this month’s edition of “Treasure Hunting: The Over/Under.”
OVER
C- Mike Ribeiro, DAL (8 goals, 11 assists, +5, 6 PIMs, 2 PPGs, 1 GWG, 27 shots, 74 faceoff wins)
Mike Ribeiro has emerged as the best offensive threat for the Dallas Stars hands down, and just in time it seems. The Stars entered the season with an aging Mike Modano, an aging Jere Lehtinen and no one, it seemed, to replace them. Dallas was pegged by many analysts to finish near the bottom of the conference in goals scored, and subsequently in the standings as well. However, a better showing by goaltenders Marty Turco and Mike Smith, along with contributions from players like Ribeiro, have the Stars contending for the conference lead, second in goals scored with 134.
LW- Andrei Kostitsyn, MTL (7 goals, 6 assists, +2, 2 PPGs, 2 GWGs, 25 shots)
After a slow start to his NHL career, Habs forward Andrei Kostitsyn has caught fire as of late and is showing why he was worthy of his 10th overall draft selection in 2003. Kostitsyn had just eight points in his first two months of the season, but turned on the jets in December and the early part of January, currently sitting with 11 goals and 13 assists. Kostitsyn has scored a point in 13 of his last 16 games for Montreal, and is quietly emerging as one of the teams offensive weapons.
RW- Antti Miettinen, DAL (7 goals, 8 assists, +5, 6 PIMs, 3 PPGs, 2 GWGs, 31 shots)
Like the rest of the Dallas team, Antti Miettinen has had a good month. With 7 goals and 8 assists in the last 30 days of action, Miettinen has contributed to keeping Dallas on pace with the rest of the competitive Western Conference. It could be another Niklas Hagman case for the Stars (Hagman started the season hot but has since trailed off), as Miettinen isn’t typically known as elite scorer, but you never know in today’s NHL. Miettinen could just be a late bloomer that only Doug Armstrong in his genius had the foresight to grab.
D- Rob Blake, LA (3 goals, 9 assists, -1, 12 PIMs, 1 PPG, 55 shots)
It’s a bit odd to see a name like Rob Blake on the overachiever’s list, considering all the defenceman has done for the game over his lengthy career, but the fact is, Blake’s performance had trailed off so much over the past few seasons that no analyst realistically thought he had much left in the tank. Blake, the future Hall-of-Famer, however, had other ideas. With 3 goals and 9 assists in the last month, Blake has showed he’s still got it from an offensive standpoint, even if his speed has declined.
G- Ty Conklin, PIT (9-0-0, 1.55 GAA, .952 SV%, 2 shutouts)
Wow. That’s all anyone can say about Penguins stopper Ty Conklin after the showing he’s put on in the absence of normal (or should we say former?) starter Marc-Andre Fleury. Conklin has won every game he’s had a decision in this season for the Penguins, which also happened to translate into a nine-game winning streak. The former Edmonton netminder posted two shutouts during that stretch, and is playing the best hockey of his career. Pretty amazing stuff for a guy who entered the season at No. 3.
UNDER
C- Paul Stastny, COL (2 goals, 3 assists, -7, 10 PIMs, 1 GWG, 31 shots, 129 faceoff wins)
After putting up just five point in the last month, Paul Stastny still leads the Avalanche in scoring by 14 points. That’s a statement to a couple of things. First, it’s a statement about the state of the Colorado Avalanche, which is not good. The Avs have slipped to fourth in the Northwest Division and out of the playoff picture, with veteran leaders Joe Sakic and Ryan Smyth out of the lineup. However, it’s also a testament to Stastny’s play early in the season, as the sophomore still sits with 15 goals and 29 assists on the year.
LW- Rick Nash, CLB (4 goals, 2 assists, -4, 16 PIMs, 1 PPG, 1 SHG, 1 GWG, 36 shots)
The Columbus Blue Jackets have never made the playoffs in their existence as a franchise, and the inconsistent play of Rick Nash is a lot of the reason. Sure, the Jackets have failed to surround their star player with other good players, but Nash has not played like a No. 1 draft pick. Of his 4 goals in the past month, three of them came in a single game against the Edmonton Oilers on New Year’s Eve. The supposed power forward still has a ways to go before he can be compared to players like San Jose’s Joe Thornton.
RW- Jonathan Cheechoo, SJ (1 goal, 1 assist, +3, 6 PIMs, 1 GWG, 10 shots)
Speaking of Joe Thornton, the hulking center could be the only reason we are even mentioning Jonathan Cheechoo’s name anymore. Big Joe certainly changed Cheechoo when he first arrived in San Jose, but now that the honeymoon is over, we could be seeing the Moose Factory, Ontario native’s real colors. Cheechoo was never expected to be an elite scorer at the NHL before Thornton’s arrival, and his monster season could have been just the result of a really good center. 5 goals and 6 assists through the first three months of the season isn’t just a slump. It’s a trend.
D- Mathieu Schneider, ANA (1 goal, 4 assists, +8, 14 PIMs, 1 GWG, 27 shots)
When Mathieu Schneider was signed by the Ducks during the offseason, he was expected to be Scott Niedermayer’s replacement. The 38-year old has not been that (especially with Niedermayer back in the lineup), but he hasn’t been the player he was in Detroit the past few seasons either. After sustaining an injury early in the season, Schneider’s offence has slipped, registering a point in just three of his last 12 games. It could just be a product of age, but the Ducks need Schneider’s production to stay in the playoff hunt.
G- Henrik Lundqvist, NYR (3-5-3, .859 SV%, 3.54 GAA, 1 shutout)
If any goaltender has had a falling out since the start of the season, it’s been New York’s Henrik Lundqvist. After winning nine games during the month of November, Lundqvist has won just three in his last month of action. Widely regarded as one of the best goaltending choices for fantasy owners entering the season, Lundqvist sits at the halfway mark with an underwhelming 18-16-4 record. Still, his six shutouts are up there among the league leaders.
