Fantasy Forecast for Tuesday, November 24

MONDAY'S ROUNDUP:

Back in late July, an NHL.com poll asked voters which goalie would make the most starts for the Islanders this season -- Martin Biron, Dwayne Roloson or Rick DiPietro. The player who finished last in voting is the one making all the headlines and keeping the Islanders, and countless fantasy teams, in playoff contention.

Dwayne Roloson, the 40-year-old netminder who received 29.33 percent of the votes (Biron had 36.51 percent, DiPietro got 34.16 percent), made a franchise-record 58 saves to lead the Isles to a 4-3 overtime victory against the Maple Leafs in Toronto on Monday. It was an incredible performance by Roloson (14, 7-2-5, 2.86 GAA, owned in 44 percent of all Yahoo! leagues) who now must be considered a top-tier fantasy netminder despite playing for a team that lacks a multitude of fantasy-worthy players.

Also consider ...

* Roloson's 58 saves were the most in one regular-season game since Ron Tugnutt of Quebec had 70 saves in a 3-3 tie at Boston on March 21, 1991.

* Roloson's 58 saves were the most by a winning goaltender in a regular-season game since Mario Lessard stopped 65 shots for the Kings against the North Stars on March 24, 1981.

* Roloson raised his save percentage from .911 to .916 in the game.

"To me it's just another night, another game," Roloson said. "It doesn't matter to me whether it's one shot or 100 shots -- I've got to do the same things."

"I don't ever remember a game like that," said Maple Leafs forward Phil Kessel, who fired 12 shots at Roloson. "I don't even know what to say after something like that."

After beginning the season in a rotation with Biron (11, 2-6-2, 2.85 GAA, 23 percent), Roloson has taken the reins on the No. 1 job, starting six of the last eight games and going 3-1-2 in that span. In the Fantasy Forecaster season preview, I projected for Roloson 11 wins in 30 games with one shutout and a 3.25 GAA (for Biron: 20 wins in 45 games, 1 shutout, 3.15 GAA). Roloson now is on pace for 24 wins and a 2.85 GAA in 48 appearances.

In all Yahoo! fantasy leagues, Roloson was, on average, the 42nd goaltender drafted. His average draft position was 182.8 overall, making him a 16th-round pick.

Speaking of DiPietro (10 percent), who has not appeared in a game since Jan. 2, 2009 because of knee problems, he is scheduled to practice with the Islanders on Tuesday, a big step in his rehabilitation. "Everything has gone according to plan," coach Scott Gordon said. "This isn't anything unexpected. We'd be disappointed if he wasn't on the ice soon."

The Canadiens-Wild trade Monday, in which Montreal deal left wing Guillaume Latendresse (23, 2-1-3, 1 percent) to Minnesota for left wing Benoit Pouliot (14, 2-2-4, zero percent), puts both players back on the fantasy radar at least for the first handful of games with their new squads. Monitor their progress -- Latendresse figures to get a lot more playing time for the injury-riddled Wild.

"These are two players whose best days are ahead of them," Wild GM Chuck Fletcher told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. "You have two young players, both of whom have great potential and hopefully can both thrive in a new environment. We just felt it was an opportunity to get a big, strong power forward and somebody who has the potential to be a contributor for us for years to come.

"Guillaume has good touch around the net, and he's already shown he can score as a young player, and that's with limited ice time and power-play time."

Pouliot currently is on injured reserve with a lower-body injury, so the Canadiens also recalled forward Sergei Kostitsyn (1 percent) from Hamilton of the AHL, and he will be present at Tuesday's practice. Montreal hosts Columbus in Tuesday's only NHL game. In 16 games with the Bulldogs, Kostitsyn has 4 goals, 9 assists and a plus- 6 rating.

The Kings recalled an interesting prospect Monday who deserves a fantasy flier if you have room on your team. Forward Andrei Loktionov, only 19, is up from AHL Manchester, where he had 6 goals and 11 assists for a team-leading 17 points in 20 games. His 17 points were tied for third among all AHL rookies. How much playing time Loktionov receives is yet to be seen. Los Angeles also placed left wing Ryan Smyth (22 games, 9-14-23, 90 percent) on injured reserve, retroactive to Nov. 17.

Bruins All-Star center Marc Savard (8, 4-3-7, 92 percent) returned from a broken foot Monday, his first game since Oct. 17. "Not bad," he told the Boston Herald after a 4-2 win at St. Louis. "I felt a little rusty at times. I had some chances. I felt pretty good. I think it's coming. I had fun and we won. It's a good thing." Centering Marco Sturm and Byron Bitz, Savard was scoreless in 16:30.

Sharks forward Devin Setoguchi, who has played only four of the last 14 games with a leg injury, skated following Monday's practice. "I was out (Monday) for a little bit, to lace them up and have a good skate," Setoguchi (15, 8-2-10, 90 percent) told the Sharks' Web site. "There's progress and we're trying to get it better. We'll see how it goes skating more and more each day." He has been ruled out of Wednesday's game against Chicago.

The Wild diagnosed defenseman Brent Burns with a concussion and placed him on injured reserve. It's his second concussion in two seasons; last season Burns (21, 2-8-10, 27 percent) missed the final 19 games of the season with a concussion. "(Concussions) are difficult to diagnose and it's nearly impossible to predict when a person recovers fully from it," Fletcher told the Pioneer Press. "In the meantime, we have some quality players and have to move on."

Maple Leafs goalie Vesa Toskala (10, 1-4-2, 3.91 GAA, 25 percent) had to be replaced midway through Monday's loss against the Islanders after "tweaking" his groin, and was replaced by Jonas Gustavsson. Also, center John Mitchell (22, 2-7-9, 1 percent) suffered a knee injury. On Tuesday, Toskala and Mitchell were placed on injured reserve and the Maple Leafs recalled goalie Joey MacDonald and forward Christian Hanson from AHL Toronto.

Another Ontario goalie is sidelined as the Senators announced Pascal Leclaire will miss up to four weeks with a fractured cheekbone that will require surgery. The freakish injury occurred in a game Leclaire (16, 8-5-1, 2.71 GAA, 64 percent) didn't even play, Monday's 4-3 overtime victory against Washington. Leclaire was sitting on the bench when an errant puck bounced off the glass behind the Ottawa bench and struck Leclaire. Adding insult to injury was that Leclaire already was injured; he suffered a lower-body injury during a goalmouth collision in a win against Buffalo on Saturday and had to be replaced by Brian Elliott (7, 4-1-2, 2.91 GAA, 7 percent) after two periods. The Senators recalled goalie Mike Brodeur from AHL Binghamton on an emergency basis.

Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville on the possible return of Marian Hossa (89 percent) on Wednesday at San Jose: "I think all systems are go," he told the Chicago Tribune. "(Hossa) hasn't played in a long time and hopefully he can just help us. We felt there was an upgrade in our practices when he joined us. He can make plays. We like the way he competes and ... on both sides of the puck he does a lot of good things."

TUESDAY'S PROJECTED GOALIES:

Columbus (Mathieu Garon) at Montreal (Carey Price), 7:30 p.m. ET (RDS, TSN)

RECENT INJURIES:

Rene Bourque, LW, Calgary: Is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.
Brent Burns, D, Minnesota: Placed on injured reserve with a concussion.
Mike Comrie, C, Edmonton: Is day-to-day with mononucleosis.
Shean Donovan, RW, Ottawa: Is sidelined indefinitely with a knee injury.
Jeff Finger, D, Toronto: Is day-to-day with a lower-body injury.
Scott Gomez, C, Montreal: Is day-to-day with a lower-body injury.
Martin Hanzal, C, Phoenix: Is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.
Martin Havlat, RW, Minnesota: Is day-to-day with a lower-body injury.
Nikolai Khabibulin, G, Edmonton: Is day-to-day with a sore back.
Niklas Kronwall, D, Detroit: Will miss 4-8 weeks with a sprained left MCL.
Pascal Leclaire, G, Ottawa: Is out a month with a fractured cheekbone.
Joffrey Lupul, RW, Anaheim: Is day-to-day with back spasms.
John Mitchell, D, Toronto: Placed on injured reserve with a knee injury.
Tom Poti, D, Washington: Is day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
Darroll Powe, RW, Philadelphia: Is sidelined with a strained left shoulder.
Drew Stafford, RW, Buffalo: Is day-to-day with a lower-body injury.
Cory Stillman, LW, Florida: Is day-to-day with a knee injury.
Vesa Toskala, G, Toronto: Placed on injured reserve with a groin injury.
Dainius Zubrus, C, New Jersey: Will be out 4-6 weeks with a right leg injury.
   
TRANSACTIONS:

NHL: Suspended Montreal Canadiens F Georges Laraque for five games.
Chicago Blackhawks: Reassigned LW Bryan Bickell to Rockford (AHL).
Columbus Blue Jackets: Placed F Derek Dorsett on injured reserve retroactive to Nov. 19.
Los Angeles Kings: Recalled Fs Andrei Loktionov and Brandon Segal from Manchester (AHL). Placed LW Ryan Smyth on injured reserve, retroactive to Nov. 17.
Minnesota Wild: Traded LW Benoit Pouliot to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for LW Guillaume Latendresse.
Montreal Canadiens: Recalled LW Sergei Kostitsyn from Hamilton (AHL).
Nashville Predators: Reassigned D Alexander Sulzer to Milwaukee (AHL).
Ottawa Senators: Recalled G Mike Brodeur from Binghamton (AHL) on an emergency basis.
Philadelphia Flyers: Recalled C Jared Ross and LW Andreas Nodl from Adirondack (AHL).
San Jose Sharks: Reassigned Fs Benn Ferriero, Ryan Vesce and Logan Couture to Worcester (AHL).
Tampa Bay Lightning: Reassigned D Mike Lundin to Norfolk (AHL).
Toronto Maple Leafs: Recalled G Joey MacDonald and F Christian Hanson from Toronto (AHL). Placed G Vesa Toskala and C John Mitchell on injured reserve.

NHL.COM EXPERTS LEAGUE:

Week 8 results through Nov. 23
Rocky Trottier 7, Out on a Dan Hinote 4
Skoula Hard Knocks 4, Ovi's Heroes 3 (4 ties)
Clown Shoes 6, Philly Cheesestakes 1 (4 ties)
Big Skillets O'BKLYN 6, Hempstead Slowpokes 4 (1 tie)
The Birdcage 5, Hammerhead United 4 (2 ties)
Code Monkeys 6, No Shanahan-igans 3 (2 ties)

E-MAIL OF THE DAY:

Hi there,
Now that Daniel Sedin is off injured reserve, I need to drop a player on my roster. It's a toss-up between Dustin Byfuglien, Niclas Bergfors and Kris Letang (injured, but I don't want someone else to scoop him up when he's healthy). Who do you think will produce more points in the long run for me?
Thanks,
-- Enzo

Agreed, you can't cut Letang. But as for the other two, the choice is clear -- get rid of Byfuglien. I put him in the same class as Milan Lucic, players who are more valuable to their teams than in fantasy hockey. Byfuglien was a novelty when he first began making a name for himself because he carried defense eligibility while the Blackhawks converted him to power forward. No longer capable of being put on the blue line in Yahoo!, Byfuglien is a streaky scorer who makes life easier for his linemates by playing a physical game and creating havoc in the goal crease. Certainly there are fantasy leagues tailored to give value to players who accumulate penalty minutes and hits, but universally we all look for goals, assists and points, and Byfuglien is a pedestrian scorer. He is currently 11th in scoring on Chicago, behind non-luminaries like Andrew Ladd and Troy Brouwer, and four Chicago defensemen have more points than Byfuglien.

Bergfors has been polishing his game in the minors for the patient Devils for quite some time, and now he's arrived to become a top-six forward with oodles of talent. Three of his five goals have come on the power-play, he's taking plenty of shots and not deferring to his veteran teammates (as plenty of young players do), and he's fifth on the Devils in scoring.

Even though Bergfors plays less on the power-play (2:21 per game) than Byfuglien (2:43), he's done more with his man-advantage time, scoring 3 goals and 4 assists; Byfuglien has 3 goals and 1 assist.

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