Week 2 Review

Alberta 3-5 Vancouver

After two weeks, the defending champion Vancouver Villains are the only team in the league with wins in both match ups. Svitak seems to have patched up his goaltending situation for the time being, adding Mathieu Garon on Saturday night just in time to enjoy his shut out performance against Buffalo. Jason Spezza poured in 3 G and 4 A in only three games this week, helping Slevin and the Bears keep this one respectable. Keith Yandle's 1 G, 1 A Sunday night performace tied the goals category, and gave the Bears an 8-7 edge in DEF points to narrow the margin of defeat significantly. Standouts: Jason Spezza (ALB) 3 G, 4 A, 3 PPP---Mike Green (VAN) 2 G, 2 A, 4 DEF

Winnipeg 4-4 Branson

Despite three shutouts Jonathan Quick, the Branson Bull Frogs were able to win 3 out of 4 goaltending categories from Winnipeg in this one. Quick's second shut out of the week came on the Wasps bench, as Joel Hafnor elected to give Varlamov and Bryzgalov each the nod on Thursday night. The decision likely changed the outcome of this match up significantly. Most would say that's just bad managing by Joel Hafnor. Others might say he should be fired. Nicklas Backstrom appears to be returning to form for the Wasps, tallying a 5-point week in this one. Brian Campbell had a 4-assist night on Monday for Branson, and then wasn't heard from again. Standouts: Jonathan Quick 3 W, 3 SO, 0.00 GAA, 1.000 SV%---Henrik Lundqvist (BRAN) 2 W, 1 SO, 1.38 GAA, .960 SV%

Lake Erie 3-5 NWT

The Moose edged division opponent Lake Erie thanks in large part to the offensive efforts of superstars Daniel Sedin and Alex Ovechkin. The two combined for 4 G and 6 A in the week, and are undoubtedly the most feared tandem in the league at this point. Despite the offensive prowess of the Moose, there still appear to be some issues in net, made evident by this weeks ugly 3.72 GAA and .874 SV% clip. The big news in Lake Erie this week was the acquisition of Evgeni Malkin, who still has yet to make his Shtonsters debut, but nonetheless has people talking about the team again. The Shtonsters could certainly use the big man, as they now sit at 4-13-1 on the season. Standouts: Marian Hossa (LE) 3 G, 9 SOG---Daniel Sedin (NWT) 2 G, 3 A, 4 PPP, 11 SOG

Latvia 5-1 Sandusky

This one was an upset special, as Travis Todd's Lipsuckers uprooted a Prince's Pot favorite in Sandusky. Latvia netminder Tomas Vokoun was nothing short of sensational this week, stopping nearly 97% of the shots he faced and winning all three games for the week. The Slanderers lit the lamp more than any team in POH this week, but failed to fill the stat sheet other than that. His 4 PPP effort simply won't do the trick. An encouraging start to the season for Latvia, who stuck with a very good Vancouver squad, and now has a solid win against last season's Fleury Division champion. Standouts: Tomas Vokoun (LAT) 3 W, 1 SO, 1.00 GAA, .968 SV%---Lubomir Visnovsky (SAN) 1 G, 3 A, 4 DEF

Newfoundland 5-3 Istan

Another eyebrow raiser in this one, as the Newfoundland NorthStars knocked off Istan, last season's runner-up. It appears Nick Ewing pulled the trigger on Phil Kessel at the perfect moment, as the sniper appears to be putting it all together for the first time this season. Through eight games, Kessel has 8 G and 6 A. The goaltending was phenomenal for the NorthStars this week, with Ryan Miller and Kari Lehtonen each collecting 2 W's, with GAA's below 2.00 and SV%'s higher than .960! The Buls' newest addition Marc-Andre Fleury was steady in his first two games with the club, posting a 1.00 GAA and a .962 SV%. Standouts: Phil Kessel (NEWF) 3 G, 3 A, 14 SOG---Dion Phaneuf (IST) 1 G, 5 A, 6 DEF

 

Question of the Week:

Just a season removed from expansion, both Latvia and Newfoundland find themselves with decent records in the early going. Do either club have what it takes to remain competitive, or is this success a blip on the radar?

League Leaders

Goals-Sandusky (27)

Assists-Branson (39)

PPP-Vancouver/Alberta (28)

SOG-Sandusky (245)

DEF-Vancouver (19)

Wins-Newfoundland (11)

Shutouts-Winnipeg (4)

GAA-Winnipeg (1.843)

SV%-Newfoundland (.937)

Week 3 Match Ups

NWT @ Branson

Sandusky @ Vancouver

Istan @ Alberta

Latvia @ Winnipeg

Newfoundland @ Lake Erie