James Reimer Is Heating Up

James Reimer has been perfect for the Toronto Maple Leafs in his last two games.

Analysis: James Reimer has amassed seventy-four total saves in two shutout victories in his last two starts. These victories come against Pittsburgh and Ottawa, two playoff teams at the moment. Reimer does have a solid stat line on the year- a 9-5-4 win-loss record with a .912 save percentage.

Jonas Gustavsson has struggled recently for Toronto and it looks like the Leafs will ride Reimer’s hot hand at least for the time being. Gustavsson has allowed at least three goals in six of his last nine starts and appears to have fallen out of favor in Toronto.

Reimer is available in over forty percent of fantasy leagues but he is “the” goalie on the wire right now. Mathieu Garon may be racking up wins in Tampa lately but his goals against average has been pedestrian. Garon does at least offer the consistent starts you want from a lower tier fantasy goaltender. Garon has started seven of Tampa’s last eight games. Garon is widely available and with Tampa’s fire power you really do have to consider picking up Garon if only for the wins.

Mike Fisher Is Heating Up

After a disappointing start to the 2011-12 season, Mike Fisher has found his form this January.

Analysis: Mike Fisher has tallied thirteen points in twelve January contests this year. Compare that with just fifteen points in his twenty-nine games prior to his January hot streak and you can see why he is such a hot commodity in the fantasy world right now. Fisher is available in over half of fantasy leagues across the country and he is going fast.

Fisher is a reliable source of goals, assists, ice time and shots on goal for a lower tier center. However, his biggest strength recently has been his power play points. Fisher has six power play points this month which has turned him into a nice little five to six category fantasy performer. We all know he can score twenty plus goals each year but his plus/minus is finally starting to make the difference, especially this past month. In addition to Fisher, Nik Antropov is another center I would seriously consider picking up at the moment. He too is finding his groove over the past couple of weeks and is showing no signs of slowing down.

Filip Kuba Is A Must Own

Filip Kuba is averaging over twenty-five minutes of ice time in the month of January and while doing so is becoming one defenseman that you cannot pass on.

Analysis: Filip Kuba has climbed to thirty-eighth in the NHL among all players in average time on ice. Yet, Kuba’s biggest strength over the last few weeks has been his plus/minus. Kuba is plus ten in his last ten games and is plus sixteen for the year. He does have five assists this month but he is dominating those two fantasy categories(ATOI,+/-) at the moment. Kuba is available in over thirty percent of fantasy leagues and don’t expect him to last much longer.

Ottawa has been on fire recently and as the talented team continues to gel, expect Kuba to keep on producing. He will not be of any help in penalty minutes or shots on goal but he provides enough goals and power play points to make him a fantasy asset. Outside of Tyler Myers, Kuba is the hot defenseman on the wire right now. You can count on the ice time being fantastic and the plus/minus will be reliable as he continues on in January.

Under The Radar- Saku Koivu

After missing three weeks of action with a groin injury, Saku Koivu has been playing very well in his first four games back.

Analysis: Koivu has four assists, one goal, an average of nineteen minutes of ice time and is a plus four in his four games since returning from injury. Koivu is only owned in about twenty percent of fantasy leagues and he is certainly going under the radar at the moment. He started the season without a point in twelve of his first  fifteen games but since he has put up sixteen points in seventeen games.

Koivu isn’t a force on the power play nor does he rack up tons of shots but he is a reliable source of points. His plus eight rating on the year is exceptional when considering Ryan Getzlaf is a minus seventeen and Corey Perry is a minus eleven on the year. Koivu is about as consistent as they come and as far as lower tier fantasy centers go… he’s solid. He’s a great buy low option at this point in the fantasy hockey season.

RJ Umberger Is Heating Up

Despite the awful season the Blue Jackets are having, RJ Umberger has been one of the few bright spots recently.

Analysis: RJ Umberger may not get the attention like Rick Nash or Jeff Carter in Columbus but he has been playing very well as of late and he deserves some fantasy recognition. Umberger has amassed seven points in his last seven games and a solid twenty-two shots on goal in that span. Since he plays in Columbus a lot of people tend to forget he has posted back-to-back fifty-five plus point seasons with a healthy amount of power play points.

RJ Umberger actually has a better plus/minus this year than teammates Rick Nash, Jeff Carter and Vinny Prospal. Umberger isn’t going to give you much in terms of penalty minutes but his ice time continues to stay in the nineteen minute range and his shots on goal are on the rise. Umberger is available in over fifty percent of fantasy leagues and if you are in need of a reliable, lower tier forward he just may be worth a look.