Fantasy Hockey Week 3: Are Toronto Maple Leafs for Real?

We are about to enter Week 3 of the NHL season, and who would have predicted that the Toronto Maple Leafs would be first overall in the league?  Phil Kessel looks strong as he has four goals and six points in four games, but it's been the addition of Clarke MacArthur that has made the biggest difference. 

MacArthur has five goals in four games, including two game-winners.  MacArthur makes a great sleeper pick, so take the gamble on him now.  Are the Maple Leafs for real or is this the closest they will get to a playoff spot all season?  Time will tell.

Four Games in Week 3

Calgary, Chicago, Nashville, Rangers, San Jose and Tampa Bay

Three Games

Anaheim, Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Carolina, Colorado, Columbus, Dallas, Los Angeles, Minnesota, New Jersey, Islanders, Ottawa, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Toronto, Vancouver and Washington

Two Games

Detroit, Edmonton, Florida, Montreal, Philadelphia and Phoenix

When it comes to dressing your players for the upcoming week, especially your goalies, it is important to know which team is on a long road trip and which team is enjoying an extended period at home. Listed below are the teams that play all their games at home or on the road (minimum two games) and their home/road records up to October 16, 2010:

Home

Detroit (1-0-1), Edmonton (2-0-0), Florida (0-0-0), Philadelphia (1-1-0) and Phoenix (0-1-0)

Away

Anaheim (0-3-0), Carolina (1-1-0) and Islanders (0-1-1)

If you participate in any type of head-to-head hockey pool, then you are likely dressing a lineup for each scoring period, which usually ends on Sunday. As the week comes to an end and you find yourself in a close battle for those wins, you want as many players as possible playing for you.

Teams That Play Sunday

Calgary, Nashville, New Jersey, Rangers, San Jose and Tampa Bay

When you are deciding which goalie to dress, you need to look at the NHL schedule to see if your goalie's team will play in back-to-back games that week. Most coaches will not dress the same goalie in back-to-back games, so that is something to consider.

Teams That Play Back-to-Back Games This Week

Anaheim, Atlanta, Buffalo, Calgary, Carolina, Chicago, Columbus, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Nashville, New Jersey, Rangers, Ottawa, San Jose, St. Louis, Tampa Bay and Vancouver

Knowing which team is on a hot streak or cold streak will help in making your lineup decisions, for example you definitely want to dress a goalie from teams that are on a hot streak. Here are the top five and bottom five teams up to October 16, 2010:

Top Five

Toronto (4-0-0), Tampa Bay (3-0-0), Nashville (3-0-0), Dallas (3-0-0) and Washington (3-1-0)

Bottom Five

Florida (1-2-0), Columbus (1-2-0), Calgary (1-2-0), New Jersey (1-3-1) and Buffalo (1-3-1)

Most elite stars are consistent scorers, but there are several players who are very streaky. Keep an eye on their stats so that you can dress them while they are on a hot streak. Here are the top five scorers up to October 16, 2010 for the past seven and 14 days:

Past 7

Alexander Ovechkin-WAS (4G 2A), Daniel Sedin-VAN (4G 2A), Steven Stamkos-TAM (4G 2A), Blake Comeau-NYI (3G 3A), Marian Hossa-CHI (3G 3A), Ryan Getzlaf-ANA (2G 4A)

Past 14

Marian Hossa-CHI (4G 4A), Alexander Ovechkin-WAS (4G 3A), Brad Richards-DAL (2G 5A), Clarke MacArthur-TOR (5G 1A) and Derek Roy-BUF (5G 1A)

Goaltenders Past 14

Kari Lehtonen-DAL (3GS 3W), Michal Neuvirth-WAS (4GS 3W), J-S Giguere-TOR (3GS 3W), Jonathan Quick-LOS (3GS 3W) and Brent Johnson-PIT (2GS 2W)

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