Todd White is the kind of player you ride while he's hot, then dump him when he's not!

Last week I took a quick look at shooting percentage.  There is another indicator of future and present success, which can be used; simply, shots on goal.  Even though shooting percentage and shots on goal are closely related, players with higher shots on goals numbers are always good to have.  Why?  The answer is easy, actually.  Shots on goal is; 1) a strong indicator of a player’s accuracy as his shots are hitting the net, 2) an even better display of a players aggressiveness or willingness to shoot the puck, which 3) leads to a player who is more likely to score goals.  In the end, I want goal scorers or I want guys who will eventually start potting some goals.  Shots on goal leaders are the key to unlocking some of these hidden fantasy gems. 

Now don’t get me wrong, you need assist guys to win, as most leagues count total points and/or assists as a category.  However, goal scorers are what you want before assist guys.  If you’re playing rotisserie or head to head, the goal is the more rare stat.  For fantasy sports in general, it never hurts to have a lot of a scarce stat or position.  With that in mind, let’s look at some players who can help you get some goals and other fantasy hockey statistics.

Each week there are some player suggestions that carry over into the following weeks.  If you haven’t picked them up and haven’t read about them in more detail, check out some of previous Power Play Pickups.  Guys I suggested last week that are still good bets for production:

Loui Eriksson, Clarke MacArthur, Bryan Little and Jaroslav Halak.

Goalies

Who else out there is putting major hate on Marty Turco right now?  With no real competition (Tobias Stephan with 1 win a 3.54 GAA and .857 save percentage) behind him he still remains the top option in goal for Dallas despite his paltry and pathetic 4.34 goals against average and .837 save percentage. While you wait patiently for Turco to shake off the rust, here are some options in goal you can actually play:

Dwayne Roloson – G – Oilers

 Red hot Roloson has 2 wins a 2.22 goals against average, has 117 total saves with a save percentage of .929. Don’t confuse his age with a lack of skill.  Coach Craig MacTavish is going with the hot hand in goal right now so Roloson is worth a pick up, even with Mathieu Garon waiting in the wings to steal starts.  As long as Roloson is playing this effectively, he’s worth putting on your roster as a reserve goaltender who you can occasionally spot start.  However, in some deeper leagues he’s a viable number two goaltender.

Nikolai Khabibulin – G – Blackhawks

At the beginning of the year, Khabibulin’s future with the team looked bleak. Cristobal Huet was brought in during the off season as a pricey free agent replacement and or time share candidate.  He was placed on waivers in the pre-season, with hopes that some team desperate for goaltending would pick up his 6 million dollar tab.  Something within Khabibulin has really clicked lately as he’s brought his game up. Whether to showcase himself as a possible trade candidate or just to prove the Blackhawks wrong in signing Huet is not important. His numbers are on the season are: 4 wins 2.38 goals against average and .919 save percentage. As with Roloson, ignore the age and ride the hot streak.  Bear in mind the Blackhawks are an improved team, which is leading to wins for both goaltenders.  Khabibulin should be at least a bench goaltender in most leagues.

Forwards

Todd White -- C  – Thrashers

White is an example of a player who everyone in your league doesn’t buy his recent success.  He sits on the waiver wire taunting you every day with his 12 overall points and 4 power play points.  I can’t recommend him as a solid, season long add, as he’s 33 years old with limited upside.  He plays for a team that will hurt your plus minus. Also, he’s never topped 60 points in a season, although he has had two 20 + goal seasons in the past. However, he’s been playing well lately and will sneak in some power play and first line time with famed sniper Ilya Kovalchuk.  Add him while he’s hot, don’t drop anyone decent for him, and drop him when he cools off again. 

Kris Versteeg  -- RW – Blackhawks

Versteeg should be noted because he’s getting power play time with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. He’s 22 and mainly been lining up on the 3^rd line for the Blackhawks this season.  He was close to a point per game player in his minor league career.  As long as he’s getting solid time on the ice with above mentioned talented wingers, he should be on your radar.

Doug Weight –C -- Islanders

Here’s a ‘golden oldie’.  Weight is far from his prime at 39 years old, but has been seeing plenty of ice time and power play time with the Islanders.  The Isles have no other options but Weight has been very successful with the time he’s been given.  10 overall points with 8 on the power play is nothing short of superb given the lack of talent that surrounds him.  The biggest caveat to owning Weight is that he rarely scores goals.  If you are in need of points and can afford a bit of a hit on your plus minus, Weight is worth a shot.

Defenseman

Jaroslav Spacek and Andrej Sekera

I’m a bit lazy mentioning these guys in the same sentence, but this to serve notice that the Buffalo offense is back.  Its strengthened by the evolution of Thomas Vanek into an elite LW goal scorer.  The bottom line is, Spacek and Sekera are getting points because they play for a strong offensive team.  You cannot ignore them much longer and should add Spacek first, and if he’s gone, Sekera.  Spacek has 9 overall points, and Sekera has 8 with 4 power play points each.

Well that’s all I’ve got for this week.  Hopefully, next week I’ll be adding Mats Sundin to this list.  If he’s out there in any leagues and you have a roster spot to give, I’d recommend picking him up now.  The media hype surrounding his possible return will only send more and more people scouring the wire for him.