Fantasy Hockey – Players who finished strong last season

An important factor to consider when putting the finishing touches on your draft roster is how well the players performed down the stretch last season. Consider two guys who finished last season with 48 points: Lee Stempniak stormed the castle down the stretch, racking up 14 goals in his last 19 games. Meanwhile, David Backes hobbled across the plate with just 10 points in his last 17 games. While it is not a complete indicator of things to come, it is certainly a pattern worth considering. For this post, I’ll ignore the obvious players who were strong from start to finish and focus on those who really turned it on in the fourth quarter, since the Olympic break. If that momentum continues into 2010-11, these guys could be on the rise in terms of fantasy value.

Insulted:

• Derek Roy (BUF) – Roy went unnoticed in 2009-10, finishing with fewer than 70 points on the season; however, he was one of the best players after the Olympics. He has managed 10 goals and 16 assists in his last 22 games with the Sabers.
• Jason Spezza (OTT) – Spezza was criticized by many for a slow start, but few noticed his rise at the end of the season. They have collected 24 points in their last 19 games, including 8 goals.
• Henrik Zetterberg (DET) – While it was a negative year again for Hank, he finished the fourth quarter above an average points per game (22 points in 20 games).
• Daniel Alfredsson (OTT) – Like Spezza, Alfie was strong for the Senators down the stretch. He finished with 22 points in the fourth quarter, although most were assists.
• Peter Mueller (COL) – Mueller came to life after arriving in Colorado on the deadline. He came in with 17 points in 54 games with Phoenix, then transformed with 9 goals and 11 assists in 15 games with Avalanche.
• Lee Stempniak (PHO) – Stempniak suffered an unexplained tear after arriving in Phoenix late last year. He was scoring a goal at the pace of the game for several weeks.
• Teemu Selanne (ANA) – Despite losing considerable time earlier in the year, Selanne proved just how young she is, scoring 9 goals and adding 10 assists in her last 17 games to save a decent season.
• David Krejci (BOS) – It’s hard to believe Krejci finished the season with just 52 points, considering he racked up almost half of them down the stretch. 21 points from 22 games was a good end to a bad season.
• John Tavares (NYI) – The high and low season for the high-profile rookie ended on the bright side. He finished his last 20 games with 20 points. It should be a sign of things to come in its second season.

Some other guys who finished the fourth quarter at a point-per-game rate, after starting much slower: Ryan Kesler, Eric Staal, Chris Stewart, Alex Steen, Chad LaRose, Wojtek Wolski, Kristian Huselius.

Defending:

• Tom Gilbert (EDM) – Who? That’s how it is. Tom Gilbert. He finished the season with just 31 points. 20 of them came in the last quarter. At that rate for an entire season, he would have challenged the likes of Mike Green. It’s not going to happen, but it’s good to dream if you’re a fan of the Oilers.
• Bryan McCabe (FLA) – McCabe was on average in the first 3/4 of the season, but exploded when games stopped counting for Florida. He closed 2010 with 17 points in his 21 final games.
• Erik Karlsson (OTT): Here’s a name to jot down on your draft list. It took him a while to stay with the big club, but this rookie finished the season with an impressive 14 points in 19 games for the Sens.
• Carlo Colaiacovo (STL): 32 points out of 67 doesn’t really catch your eye. 14 points out of his last 19 could get your attention.
• Dennis Wideman (FLA) – The Fantasy owners who selected him based on his 2008-09 season won’t forgive him for the past year, but he offered some redemption, recording 11 points in his last 22 games.
• Paul Martin (PIT) – Missed most of the season, but still had 9 points from 13 games at the end.
• Jamie McBain (CAR) – The rookie didn’t play until the stretch, but he opened his eyes with 10 points in those 14 games.

Some other guys picking up the pace down the stretch: Alex Edler, Andy Greene, Alex Goligoski, Ian White, Brent Burns.

Goalkeepers:

• Jimmy Howard (DET) – Don’t forget this guy’s tear this past spring. I couldn’t lose. He racked up 15 wins after the Olympic break to lead the NHL in that span.
• Pekka Rinne (NAS) – Rinne was inserted into the trophy consideration with her heroics at the end of the season. He has won 12 games (4 by shutout) in his last 18.
• Jose Theodore (WAS) – He’s still looking for work for fall 2010, but that doesn’t take away from his fabulous spring 2010 streak. 10 wins in his last 12 starts.
• Antti Niemi (SJ) – Neimi didn’t really claim the No. 1 spot in Chicago until late last season, when he had 3 shutouts after the break (not to mention those 16 postseason wins).
• Jaroslav Halak (STL) – Fans took notice when he turned Slovakia on their backs, then did the same for the Canadiens both before and during the playoffs. He has won 9 of his last 15 regular season games, including 2 shutouts.
• Jonas Gustavsson (TOR) – While it wasn’t enough to earn him the starting spot in the 2010-11 season, it’s worth noting that Gustavsson won 7 of 10 games down the stretch.
• Cam Ward (CAR) – Although last season was canceled due to injuries and the total collapse of the team, he played 6 games in the last race. He won 4 of them with a GAA around 2.

So which of these stories has a happy ending? Who will keep the magic alive to start the 2010 season? And who will let that streak of good luck die to start the new campaign?