Week 18 Fantasy Hockey winners and losers

Victoria Beaver
Special to Yahoo!

The “Bye-week Curse” sweeping the NHL greatly influenced this version of Winners and Losers. This newfound phenomenon of poor performances by teams returning from break was unexpected when the league implemented the rule. So far, 16 of 19 teams have lost their first game back from break—many in spectacular fashion. Five ended their bye on Saturday of week 18. That contributed to scorers struggling to find the back of the net, so any ray of sunshine seemed bright indeed.

Winners:

Winger: Patrik Laine, Winnipeg Jets
Last week’s stats: 4 games, 5 goals, 3 assists, 1 hat trick

Laine had a red hot week. On Valentine’s Day, he recorded his third hat trick of the season, which is the most of any player. He would not cool off with at least one point in each matchup since.

Laine worked hard to get those points, producing 18 shots on goal in four games. Seven of these came in a win over Montreal. The Jets only have one more game before their dreaded bye-week begins and keeps them off the ice until February 28. A nine-game home stay after the enforced vacation may help fight off the newly discovered curse.

Center: Brandon Dubinsky, Columbus Blue Jackets
Last week stats: 4 games, 2 goals, 1 assist

Dubinsky sailed into Sunday night’s game against the Predators with points in three consecutive games. That streak was snapped by Nashville, but Dubinsky rewarded fantasy players with nine points so far in February.

This week’s performance raised his season point total to 30. Notably, Sunday’s game was the worst for Dubinsky with only one shot on goal. Still, the trend is upward and he’s being rewarded with more ice time. Those extra minutes should increase his chances of putting up points.

Defenseman: Oscar Klefbom, Edmonton Oilers
Last week stats: 3 games, 2 goals, 2 assists, +7 ranking

Klefbom’s recent performance showed he is an offense-capable defenseman. This week he hit the double-digit goals mark by reaching 10 for the season. While 10 goals may be low compared to some other franchise defenseman, it gives him a three-point buffer over his teammates. Klefbom earned only his second multi-point game of the season against Arizona, but is earning fantasy points appropriate for his position. Klefbom has 98 blocks on the season and finally drew his first penalty of the season.

Goalie: Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
Last week stats: 4 games, 3 wins, 1 OT loss, .930 save percentage

Goalies across the league had a hard time this week with huge upsets and high scoring games. It was not uncommon for a shutout one night to be followed by four goals the next. With that in mind, Hellebuyck’s consistency made him very attractive. He won three games with two or fewer goals in each. His single loss came in overtime against Pittsburgh. His worst save percentage was .897. In four games, he allowed an average of 2.25 goals and faced 31.75 shots per night.

Losers:

Center: Patrik Berglund, St Louis Blues
Last week stats: 3 games, 3 shots on goal, 0 points

Berglund commanded fantasy players’ attention with a hat trick on February 11. Unfortunately, he failed to carry that momentum over as the calendar turned to a new week. Week 17 featured five goals in three games. By comparison, week 18 was marked by only three shots on goal, none of which were successful. About the only thing Berglund had going for him was a couple of penalty infraction minutes in two of his three games.

Goalie: Peter Budaj, Los Angeles Kings
Last week stats: 3 games, 3 losses, 8 goals against

Budaj has been the talk of league since the start of the season, with both good and bad conversations. He assumed control of the crease after Jonathan Quick was injured in the opening game. While Budaj’s stopping power has been impressive at times, his current slump hits the Kings hard.

In his last six games, Budaj has produced one win and allowed 20 goals. That average of 3.33 goals per game is not being sufficiently offset by SOGs so he is earning minimal or even negative points some nights. Unless Budaj halts this two-week slump, the Kings will be in big trouble.

Winger: Justin Williams, Washington Capitals
Last week stats: 2 games, 0 goals, 0 assists, 2 shots on goal

The Capitals were on a five-game winning streak entering their bye. Since their return, they have lost back-to-back games. Williams has 34 points this season, ranking sixth on a team with a lot of talent. The bye-week impact on scoring afflicted Williams severely, however. Before the break, the winger earned three points in five games; this week, he only had one shot on goal in each contest. Williams should bounce back, but that is cold comfort for fantasy owners he hurt this week.

Center: Valtteri Filppula, Tampa Bay Lightning
Last week stats: 2 games, 0 goals, 1 assist, 1 shot on goal

The Lightning also returned from their bye-week on Saturday. They were immediately faced with a back-to-back against the Stars and Avalanche. Like most of the teams returning from vacation, they fell in their first game. Filppula had only one shot Saturday and ended the night with a -2 ranking. He bettered his performance on Sunday by adding his 26th assist of the season, but had no shots on goal.