After eight weeks away from the Ottawa Senators while his wife underwent radiation and chemotherapy treatments for throat cancer, Craig Anderson returned to the team Monday with a different outlook on the game he's fortunate enough to play for a living.
It makes you realize how lucky and fortunate we are to play a game we love. Win or lose, it's a hockey game, there's more to life. You learn that when you have kids, but when you go through something this traumatic and difficult, hockey is a job. I'm passionate about it, but at the end of the day, hockey will go on, whether I'm in it or not. You don't know how much time you have with someone. Life is precious.
Having said that, Anderson is looking to resume his duties as the team's starting goalie, and has been working with goaltending coach Pierre Groulx toward that end.
The time away, however, has basically put him back in training camp mode.
"Timing is everything," Anderson said. "I skated for a few days before coming in here, but nothing replaces actual shots. It's going to be a work in progress. I have to find a way to battle through it and get my game as quickly as possible."
Mike Condon will continue to start in the meantime, with Andrew Hammond serving as backup until Anderson is back in game shape. At that point, general manager Pierre Dorion will have a decision to make regarding who stays and who goes.
Anderson has appeared in 19 games for the Senators this season, posting a 12-6-1 record with a .924 save percentage.
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If you're in a 12-team league, chances are you've struggled at the goaltending position in some capacity this season. There just aren't enough elite netminders to go around.
The following four goaltenders have struggled lately, or for the majority of the season. Three represent excellent buy-low options, while the fourth could wind up being a savvy waiver-wire pickup.
Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens
Carey Price hasn't played like Carey Price lately. His save percentage is just .896 in his last 16 games, compiling a record of 6-7-3. His asking price is certainly lower now than it was at the beginning of the season.
Despite Devan Dubnyk's spectacular season, Price is still the best goaltender on the planet. While Minnesota is a superior team compared to Montreal, the Habs play in a weak division and have a favorable schedule down the stretch. Here's a look at Montreal's final 12 games and where their opponents rank in goals for per game:
OPPONENT
GF/G RANK
@ Senators
18
vs. Senators
18
vs. Red Wings
25
vs. Hurricanes
19
vs. Senators
18
vs. Stars
14
vs. Panthers
27
@ Lightning
16
@ Panthers
27
@ Sabres
24
vs. Lightning
16
@ Red Wings
25
As you can see, the Canadiens won't face any high-octane offenses down the stretch. Ten of their final 12 games are against divisional opponents and Montreal has dominated the Atlantic this season with a record of 10-2-5.
The team in front of Price should only get better too, as Montreal will certainly be a buyer at the trade deadline and still await the returns of C Alex Galchenyuk and RW Brendan Gallagher from injury.
Corey Crawford, Chicago Blackhawks
Crawford has struggled to the tune of an .891 save percentage over his last nine games. This might just be enough for his fantasy owner to trade him. He hasn't been at his best this season, but as the starting goaltender of the Blackhawks, he will always have immense fantasy value.
The Hawks could stand to add a top-six forward as well as a top-four defenseman. If they can address these needs in front of Crawford, it will certainly lead to much more success for the goaltender.
Crawford's schedule isn't as favorable as Price's, but his workload is; Chicago will play four games in the fantasy playoff quarter-finals, three in the semi-finals and four the week of the fantasy championship.
Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh Penguins
Fleury is having his worst season since Mario Lemieux was still playing for the Penguins. Despite his struggles, he continues to share the crease with youngster Matt Murray.
In fact, Murray has been the one struggling lately, posting an .892 SV% in his last nine games. It's possible the 22-year-old is showing signs of fatigue in his first full NHL season.
Fleury has failed to string together a long run of strong play. His home/road splits are a big reason why:
STAT
HOME
ROAD
REC
11-2-1
2-5-3
GAA
2.60
4.06
SV%
.924
.878
Fortunately, the Penguins close out the fantasy playoffs with six home games in their final nine outings.
If Murray continues to struggle and Fleury can figure out his road woes, the veteran could be in line for more work down the stretch.
Michal Neuvirth, Philadelphia Flyers
As a whole, the goaltending tandem of Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth has been terrible. Neuvirth has started only 12 games because of injury, but he has allowed at least three goals on seven occasions.
However, Neuvirth has drastically outplayed Mason since returning from injury Jan. 7. He has a .919 SV% in his last six games, while Mason's SV% sits at .891 in his last nine games.
Neuvirth was the more effective goaltender last season and could see more starts down the stretch as the Flyers are desperate for a solution in goal. He is worth an add if he is available in your league.
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If you're in a 12-team league, chances are you've struggled at the goaltending position in some capacity this season. There just aren't enough elite netminders to go around.
The following four goaltenders have struggled lately, or for the majority of the season. Three represent excellent buy-low options, while the fourth could wind up being a savvy waiver-wire pickup.
Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens
Carey Price hasn't played like Carey Price lately. His save percentage is just .896 in his last 16 games, compiling a record of 6-7-3. His asking price is certainly lower now than it was at the beginning of the season.
Despite Devan Dubnyk's spectacular season, Price is still the best goaltender on the planet. While Minnesota is a superior team compared to Montreal, the Habs play in a weak division and have a favorable schedule down the stretch. Here's a look at Montreal's final 12 games and where their opponents rank in goals for per game:
OPPONENT
GF/G RANK
@ Senators
18
vs. Senators
18
vs. Red Wings
25
vs. Hurricanes
19
vs. Senators
18
vs. Stars
14
vs. Panthers
27
@ Lightning
16
@ Panthers
27
@ Sabres
24
vs. Lightning
16
@ Red Wings
25
As you can see, the Canadiens won't face any high-octane offenses down the stretch. Ten of their final 12 games are against divisional opponents and Montreal has dominated the Atlantic this season with a record of 10-2-5.
The team in front of Price should only get better too, as Montreal will certainly be a buyer at the trade deadline and still await the returns of C Alex Galchenyuk and RW Brendan Gallagher from injury.
Corey Crawford, Chicago Blackhawks
Crawford has struggled to the tune of an .891 save percentage over his last nine games. This might just be enough for his fantasy owner to trade him. He hasn't been at his best this season, but as the starting goaltender of the Blackhawks, he will always have immense fantasy value.
The Hawks could stand to add a top-six forward as well as a top-four defenseman. If they can address these needs in front of Crawford, it will certainly lead to much more success for the goaltender.
Crawford's schedule isn't as favorable as Price's, but his workload is; Chicago will play four games in the fantasy playoff quarter-finals, three in the semi-finals and four the week of the fantasy championship.
Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh Penguins
Fleury is having his worst season since Mario Lemieux was still playing for the Penguins. Despite his struggles, he continues to share the crease with youngster Matt Murray.
In fact, Murray has been the one struggling lately, posting an .892 SV% in his last nine games. It's possible the 22-year-old is showing signs of fatigue in his first full NHL season.
Fleury has failed to string together a long run of strong play. His home/road splits are a big reason why:
STAT
HOME
ROAD
REC
11-2-1
2-5-3
GAA
2.60
4.06
SV%
.924
.878
Fortunately, the Penguins close out the fantasy playoffs with six home games in their final nine outings.
If Murray continues to struggle and Fleury can figure out his road woes, the veteran could be in line for more work down the stretch.
Michal Neuvirth, Philadelphia Flyers
As a whole, the goaltending tandem of Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth has been terrible. Neuvirth has started only 12 games because of injury, but he has allowed at least three goals on seven occasions.
However, Neuvirth has drastically outplayed Mason since returning from injury Jan. 7. He has a .919 SV% in his last six games, while Mason's SV% sits at .891 in his last nine games.
Neuvirth was the more effective goaltender last season and could see more starts down the stretch as the Flyers are desperate for a solution in goal. He is worth an add if he is available in your league.
Vigneault, whose deal was set to expire at the end of next year, is expected to earn a pay increase on his current $2-million annual salary, Brooks noted.
He signed a five-year deal to coach New York after being fired by the Vancouver Canucks at the end of the 2012-13 season. The Rangers have won at least 45 games in each season under Vigneault, and are on pace to exceed 50 with the NHL's second-highest scoring attack.
Vigneault has led the Rangers into the postseason in each of his three completed campaigns. They lost in the Stanley Cup Final in 2014, the conference final in 2015, and were ousted in five games last season by the Pittsburgh Penguins.
He coached the Canucks to within a win of a championship in 2011, and has led his teams into the postseason in eight consecutive seasons.
Nolan Patrick got his hands on the trophy in the end, but it was No. 2 ranked North American skater Nico Hischier who had scouts, pundits, and fans alike buzzing after the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game in Quebec City.
Hischier scored a gorgeous breakaway goal off a Patrick turnover with a silky backhand move and also added two assists to take top player honors in a losing effort for Team Orr.
He outshone the presumptive No. 1 NHL draft choice with a dynamic offensive showcase, though Patrick, the captain for Team Cherry, did have a productive outing, collecting two assists and impressing physically.
Hischier, a Halifax Mooseheads center, has picked up momentum throughout his draft season. He scored four goals and seven points in five games at the World Junior Championship, and U.S. coach Bob Motzko labeled Hischier the best player his gold medal-winning side faced in the tournament after he nearly willed Switzerland past the Americans in the quarterfinal.
Gabe Valiardi and Owen Tippett, the third- and fourth-ranked North American skaters, also scored for Team Cherry.
Chris Pronger, one of the baddest defensemen in NHL history, was merely taking it easy on Justin Bieber when he used his 220-pound frame to press the pop star's chin into the glass in the NHL All-Star Celebrity Game on Saturday in Los Angeles.
"We're just going to call it a hit and stick," Pronger laughed in conversation with TSN 1050 on Monday. "I didn't hit him very hard; he only weighs about 100 pounds. Had I hit him, I may have killed him.
"There would be another legal nightmare for the NHL."
That said, over the course of the game, Pronger realized that it was on him to teach Bieber a lesson.
"I was kinda playing around with him all game, getting in his face, slashing him and bugging him a bit. He gave me a little whack so I said 'alright, I guess he wants to play.' So I thought I would rough him up a bit in the corner, see how he liked it."
It turns out Bieber is a good sport. When asked if he was unhappy with the abuse, or the viral photo snapped rinkside, Pronger said his latest victim took it all in stride.
"We were just having fun."
AP snapped an amazing photo of Chris Pronger squashing Justin Bieber into the boards: pic.twitter.com/hhykeHh5Oh
The top-end draft-eligible Swiss center of the Halifax Mooseheads showed off his elite speed and scoring touch with a beautiful breakaway goal at the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game in Quebec City on Monday night.
Hischier is the second-ranked North American skater in the NHL Central Scouting midterm rankings behind Brandon Wheat Kings center Nolan Patrick.
Joe Thornton is predictably at peace with the NHL's decision to omit him from its list of 100 Greatest Players.
"At the start, I was like, 'Ah, maybe I could be on there.' But once it came out, I live my life, or try to live, with no stress," Thornton told Curtis Pashelka of the San Jose Mercury News on Monday.
"So as soon as it came out, it was like, 'Oh, you're not on it. OK, don't worry about it.'"
Of course, this is consistent for Thornton, unbothered and unwound, ostensibly with age, or at least since he began growing the stringy beard that matches his on-ice legend.
Thornton is 24th all time in points, and is on pace to crack the top 20 in history this season; he will exceed the 1,000-assist threshold this spring, a milestone only 12 others have accomplished; and he won the Hart Trophy in 2006 after the most productive season in the post-lockout era.
What Thornton doesn't have is a Stanley Cup, which, rightly or wrongly, clearly did factor in the selection process.
But he'll leave the speculation to those upset by the snub.
"For me, personally, it was just, 'Wow,' what a list it was. You read all of the names, and you're like, 'Wow, those are some powerful names.'
