This article is part of our Ice and Fire series.
After I praised the otherworldly talent of Ottawa's Erik Karlsson in last week's column, the blueliner has gone four consecutive games without a point – his longest stretch of the season without finding his name on the scoresheet. He's put just one shot on goal in each of the last two. Prior to this barren patch, Karlsson had six points in two games and was running at better than a point-per-game pace for the season. Ottawa isn't the most consistent team in the league; these stretches will occur, but Karlsson is too good to be this quiet this long. Mentioning him in this space less often will surely allow Karlsson to prosper.
Crease Concerns
Wild backup goalie Darcy Kuemper has been playing rather well lately, including a 2-0 shutout over San Jose on Saturday evening, while Devan Dubnyk nurses what the team's called a minor groin injury. The 25-year-old's surrendered just four goals in four games (three starts) since Dubnyk went down, going 2-0-2 in that span. Although Dubnyk could return by the end of this week, there's no such thing as a minor groin injury for a goaltender. Considering how well Kuemper has been playing as well as the quality of the team in front of him, he's well worth an addition if you haven't snatched him up already. Dubnyk will reprise his role as the workhorse upon his return, but Kuemper could play Tuesday against Vancouver, as Dubnyk missed the Wild's two-game swing out west this week.
After I praised the otherworldly talent of Ottawa's Erik Karlsson in last week's column, the blueliner has gone four consecutive games without a point – his longest stretch of the season without finding his name on the scoresheet. He's put just one shot on goal in each of the last two. Prior to this barren patch, Karlsson had six points in two games and was running at better than a point-per-game pace for the season. Ottawa isn't the most consistent team in the league; these stretches will occur, but Karlsson is too good to be this quiet this long. Mentioning him in this space less often will surely allow Karlsson to prosper.
Crease Concerns
Wild backup goalie Darcy Kuemper has been playing rather well lately, including a 2-0 shutout over San Jose on Saturday evening, while Devan Dubnyk nurses what the team's called a minor groin injury. The 25-year-old's surrendered just four goals in four games (three starts) since Dubnyk went down, going 2-0-2 in that span. Although Dubnyk could return by the end of this week, there's no such thing as a minor groin injury for a goaltender. Considering how well Kuemper has been playing as well as the quality of the team in front of him, he's well worth an addition if you haven't snatched him up already. Dubnyk will reprise his role as the workhorse upon his return, but Kuemper could play Tuesday against Vancouver, as Dubnyk missed the Wild's two-game swing out west this week. Monitor this situation carefully, as Kuemper could provide sneaky value if Dubnyk isn't at full strength.
In the Eastern Conference, Curtis McElhinney appears to be the man for Columbus at least into January while Sergei Bobrovsky nurses a groin strain. Playing in front of Columbus isn't as attractive a situation as Kuemper's, but McElhinney isn't in a bad spot. Before his injury, Bobrovsky's numbers had rebounded wonderfully after a disastrous start for both him and his team, thanks in large part to the defensively disciplined system new coach John Tortorella has the Sport Coats playing. McElhinney isn't the talent that Goalie Bob is, but he's going to play. The Jackets face offensive juggernaut Dallas this week, but have several winnable games coming up against Tampa Bay, Philadelphia and Arizona. However, McElhinney will have to improve, as he's allowed eight goals in the two games he's started since Bobrovsky's injury and is still searching for his first win of the season.
It bodes well for McElhinney that the Jackets' captain, Nick Foligno, has been picking up his play of late, notching four points in his last four games, albeit none in the last two. Meanwhile, Ryan Johansen has three helpers in his last three games despite not scoring a goal in six. Columbus is still a team frantically trying to find its identity and completely bounce back from a woeful start. McElhinney isn't a perfect option, but if your league values goaltending, he's an option; you could do worse than adding a netminder who could benefit from Tortorella's tight system.
Meanwhile in Edmonton, Anders Nilsson appears to be the top netminder for all intents and purposes – he's usurped the crease almost entirely from Cam Talbot. The Oilers are hardly a reliable source of goaltending, given their lacking commitment to defense, but again, a goalie is a goalie. Nilsson surrendered five goals in Friday's win over the Rangers, but has won five straight starts and six of his last seven. Prior to Friday's sieve-like effort, Nilsson had been rather solid, giving up just 12 goals over five starts. Edmonton seems to be playing better defensively under Todd McLellan, but there's still much work to be done. After all, the Oil did put Mark Fayne on waivers this week. If you're in a league that rewards saves as opposed to save percentage, be it head-to-head, points or roto, Nilsson has some hidden value, as the Oilers allow quite a few pucks to get through, having given up 34 or more shots five times in their last seven games, including more than 40 thrice.
Few backup netminders not named Kari Lehtonen have enjoyed the frequency of starts enjoyed by Thomas Greiss of the Islanders. He made coach Jack Capuano look good again Sunday, notching his first shutout of the season and ninth win with a 27-save performance against New Jersey. Greiss has won nine of his 14 starts and has not gone more than three games without seeing the crease for the Islanders. Jaroslav Halak is undoubtedly the team's starter, but a reduced workload for the well-traveled veteran has appeared to result in stronger performances, as Halak owns a GAA of 2.04 and a rather strong .926 save percentage. Despite being the clear starter, Halak has played just three more games than Greiss. The Islanders and the rest of the Metropolitan Division are no strangers to games on consecutive days, meaning Greiss should start at least one game per week and almost assuredly one of every back-to-back set. He's legit and should be snatched up, if he hasn't been already.
Why Not
As I scour my league's waiver wire, Carl Soderberg of the Avalanche keeps catching my attention. I still haven't grabbed him yet, but it seems that every time I consider adding him, he registers a point or two. Soderberg potted an empty-netter in Sunday's win over St. Louis and has a point in each of the last four games. He owns 11 points in the last 12 contests and has quietly accumulated 20 in 31 games this year. While Soderbeg's not going to unseat Nathan MacKinnon or Matt Duchene on the Avs' top lines, he has six points on the power play, where he's seeing heavy minutes. He's on pace to easily surpass the 44 points he managed last season as a member of the Bruins and can be of use in deep leagues.
