Ten years ago Wednesday, Patrik Stefan made NHL infamy.
The former Dallas Stars and Atlanta Thrashers forward was a first overall pick of the now-Winnipeg Jets in 1999, but he'll forever be more widely remembered for an on-ice blunder that both cost his team a sure goal and led to an opposing one.
In the waning moments of regulation with the Stars leading the Edmonton Oilers 5-4 on Jan. 4, 2007, Stefan had a golden opportunity to seal the victory with an empty-netter ... when this happened:
The Stars ended up winning in a shootout, but let's be honest, no one remembers that.
Thanks to a largely forgettable career and Stefan's status as one of the biggest draft busts in NHL history, the misplay will continue serving as a microcosm of his pro-hockey tenure, although multiple concussions and a slew of other injuries undoubtedly impacted his ability to perform at a high level.
Stefan was out of the NHL after that 2006-07 season, playing three games in the Swiss league in 2007-08 before hanging up his skates.
“I enjoyed the career I had,” Stefan said. “I had almost 500 (NHL) games. It wasn’t the career I wanted to (have), but I got to play in the NHL. I think people forget it’s really hard to make it to the NHL, and it’s even harder to stay there.”
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Here is a look at the Squad Up daily NHL fantasy picture for Wednesday, Jan. 4 (all advanced statistics courtesy of Corsica.Hockeyand apply to 5v5 situations):
Triple Threat
LW Matthew Tkachuk (26K), C Mikael Backlund (40K), RW Michael Frolik (36K), Flames (vs. Avalanche): Calgary has gone 6-4-0 in its past 10 games, and Colorado enters with four straight losses and just one win in its past 10 games. Calgary's second line has a Corsi For percentage of 57.74, while Colorado ranks third-last in the league at 46.44 as a team.
LW Michael Raffl (26K), C Claude Giroux (62K), RW Jakub Voracek (72K), Flyers (vs. Rangers): The Rangers are coming off a Tuesday loss to the Buffalo Sabres, and they're likely to switch to backup Antti Raanta in net after G Henrik Lundqvist's poor performance in the first half of the back-to-back. The Flyers have lost four in a row, but they rank seventh with 3.15 goals per home game.
LW Jussi Jokinen (45K), C Nick Bjugstad (35K), RW Reilly Smith (44K), Panthers (vs. Jets): The Jets are also on the second half of a back-to-back. They scored six goals in Tuesday's win but still allowed four. The second line has only recently been assembled, but the three ranked second, sixth and eighth in Panthers scoring last season while mostly playing together.
Bargain Plays
C Devin Shore (25K), Stars (vs. Canadiens): Shore plays on the fourth line at 5v5, but he centers the Stars' second power-play unit, while being flanked by Ws Jiri Hudler and Patrick Eaves. The Canadiens' penalty kill ranks just 19th in the league, and they've provided the fifth-most power-play opportunities. They could take more penalties on the second half of a back-to-back.
D T.J. Brodie (26K), Flames (vs. Avalanche): Brodie picked up two goals and five assists in December, his most productive month of the season to date. He hasn't registered a shot on goal in four consecutive games, but he topped 23 minutes of ice time in three of the four. He works on the top power-play unit for the Flames and faces an Avalanche team with the 25th-ranked penalty kill.
RW Mikko Rantanen (27K), Avalanche (at Flames): Rantanen cooled off in December after notching 10 points in November, but he scored in his first January game, while tallying three SOG against the Vancouver Canucks. He remains on the right side of his team's top line, playing with LW Gabriel Landeskog and C Nathan MacKinnon.
Top Fades
D Dustin Byfuglien (46K), Jets (at Panthers): Byfuglien scored on his lone shot on goal Tuesday, snapping a six-game goal-less streak. He has played six back-to-backs this season and picked up just two assists in the second halves.
C Rickard Rakell (42K), Ducks (vs. Red Wings): The Ducks have shaken up their forward lines with Rakell and RW Corey Perry now skating with C Antoine Vermette. While Rakell scored seven goals in December and has 16 on the season, he relied heavily on the playmaking abilities of C Ryan Getzlaf. Vermette is a pass-first center, but he's far from Getzlaf's caliber.
RW Shane Doan (40K), Coyotes (at Canucks): Doan should be a minimum-salary player, but his name value is keeping him more expensive. He picked up an assist on New Year's Eve, but he doesn't have a shot on goal in consecutive games and has just two points dating back to Dec. 10. He has played just 13 minutes in each of his past two games. Wednesday's good matchup isn't enough.
Contrarian Options
LW Sven Baertschi (40K), Canucks (vs. Coyotes): Baertschi plays on just the third line at 5v5, but he operates the point on the top power-play unit. The Coyotes have the second-worst penalty kill in the league, having allowed 33 goals on 130 power-play opportunities.
C Markus Granlund (41K), Canucks (vs. Coyotes): Granlund doesn't have a point in his past five games, but he continues to receive quality opportunities. He's on the second line at 5v5 and on the second power-play unit, and he has played more than 18 minutes in three of his past five games. Wednesday's matchup against the Coyotes' porous defense will provide a boost.
D Keith Yandle (42K), Panthers (vs. Jets): Yandle recorded just one goal and six assists in December, and he hasn't scored in five straight games. He does have assists in each of his past three, with his two most recent coming on the power play. The Jets' penalty kill ranks 28th in the NHL, and they allow the second most opportunities.
The veteran forward is in the final year of his contract with the last-place club, and, in advance of Wednesday's return to his long-time hockey home of Calgary, Iginla admitted he'd be open to waiving his no-movement clause in order to join a team with postseason aspirations.
"Yeah, I’d consider it," he said Tueday, per Wes Gilbertson of the Calgary Sun. "I’d love to be in the playoffs and have that chance."
A chance at winning the Stanley Cup before he retires is what Iginla is referring to, of course. It's a goal he hasn't been as close to reaching since a 2004 final appearance with the Flames, and one he'd love to add to his Hall of Fame resume.
"That’s still the dream, and I think it’s still possible," he added "I would love to. I tell you, I’d really appreciate it. I realize over all the years how many good things have to come together and how fortunate all the people that win it are.
"So yeah, I’d love to do that. I still think it’s possible. All I can do is just keep playing and you keep trying to get better."
Iginla has managed only five goals and four assists in 37 games this season, and hasn't appeared in a playoff game since signing with the Avalanche in 2014.
Winners of 16 straight following a 3-1 win Tuesday over Edmonton, John Tortorella's team continued to pile up goals and hold the opposition at bay in a way that leaves no doubt in regards to how good this team really is.
Since the win streak began Nov. 29, Columbus has scored 62 goals, second only to Pittsburgh (67). At the other end of the ice, the Blue Jackets have allowed only 27 goals against in the 16 games, five fewer than any team.
That amounts to a goal differential of 35, meaning an average of 2.2 goals per game over the course of the streak.
A big part of that has been the play of goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who's started 14 of the 16 games and held down the fort with sparkling numbers.
Bobrovsky stretched win streak to 14 games w/ .941 SV% and 1.64 GAA. It's tied for 2nd-longest win streak in #NHL history (6th time). #CBJ
In short, everything is clicking in Columbus these days, and the first-place Blue Jackets can tie an NHL record with their 17th win in a row Thursday against Washington.
Alex Ovechkin scored his 19th career regular-season overtime goal in Tuesday's comeback win over Toronto, tying Jaromir Jagr for the most in NHL history.
The Washington Capitals superstar captain now has 995 career points, and continues to demonstrate a penchant for coming up big.
Alex Ovechkin scored his 94th career GWG to pass Bucyk, Fedorov and Nieuwendyk (93) and tie Yzerman for 12th on the all-time list. #TORvsWSHpic.twitter.com/2BawmBMzlC
