Frozen Fantasy: Confusion and Curiosity

Confusion? Curiosities? Hmmmm ... maybe it's more like first-quarter queasiness. This season has been unpredictable to say the least.

I know I'm not the only one who's reached for the Gravol.

The Lows:

•Ryan Getzlaf, Nick Foligno and Jakub Voracek are members of the same one-goal club. Yah, one goal. In 20, 24 and 23 games, respectively.

•Sidney Crosby had nine points in his first 18 games. That included two goals.

• Pittsburgh had sniped 51 goals in 23 games. Pssst ... NEW JERSEY had 55 in same number of games. New Jersey! And Toronto had 51 in one less game.

• That whistling -- really LOUD whistling -- is from the Ducks flying in a reverse Flying-V all season. Yes, those lips really do whistle when facing the wind.

• Coaches are sucking the life out of their stars. See Mike Johnston. And Dave Hakstol.

• Where-o-where have the Triplets gone? Tampa Bay topped the league last season with 3.16 goals per game. This year, they're 22nd with 2.35.

The Highs:

•Jamie Benn is on a 60-goal pace. And John Klingberg is on an 89-point one (!!).

•Brendan Gallagher is becoming a near point-per-game player. And is earning an invite to Team Canada for the World Cup. Mark my words.

•Evgeny Kuznetsov has ascended to elite status in a season and a half. He's a top-five scorer. How high can he go?

•Max Pacioretty is becoming a real captain. And P.K. Subban is a better player than he was in his Norris year.

•James Reimer has been the second-best starting goalie (from a fantasy perspective) over the last month. Go figure.

•Mats Zuccarello has 21 points in 23 games, just six months after suffering bleeding on the brain from a postseason slap shot to the head. There was a point where continuing a "normal life" was in doubt. Go Hobbit, go!

It's the lows that are the most significant. It's U.S. Thanksgiving, and we both know what that means. Right now, those teams that are sitting in a playoff spot have an almost 80 percent shot at making the playoffs. Last season, just three teams -- Toronto, Boston and Los Angeles -- missed the playoffs after being in at U.S. Thanksgiving.

So, that means teams like Anaheim, Tampa Bay and Winnipeg -- teams that aren't in the playoffs now -- have just a 20 percent chance of getting in. That's more than low.

First quarter curiosity? Or just plain queasy.

Now let's take a look at who caught my eye this week:

Jack Campbell, G, Dallas (0 percent Yahoo! owned) - Once upon a time, Campbell was the soup du jour among goaltending prospects. But his chaotic approach to puck stopping put him out of shape and place in the net, and that has been exploited by savvy pros. This season got off to a slow start after he suffered a hand injury, but it gave him time to work with Jeff Reese, the Stars' goalie coach, who has been helping him tweak his approach. Now his movements are a bit more controlled. It's a work in progress and short term, I'm concerned it hasn't been long enough for it him to completely make it his own. But that will come soon enough. Short term, we might see the adrenaline of an NHL game send him back to his old chaotic ways. But I think this guy could soon be back on the feature board. And that means future value, either this season or next. File it away.

Jason Chimera, LW/RW, Washington (1 percent) - Good wheels will keep old men in the NHL. Case in point: Mr. Chimera. He comes cheap after his game seemed to have fallen off last season. But go back to last year's playoffs and you'll find seven points in 14 games and that momentum has carried forward. He picked up two power-play points Friday night and has five points in his last four games, including three with the man advantage. Overall, he has 12 points in 22 games, but they do come in bursts. Think multi-point games. That makes owning him a bit dicey, simply because he's not consistent. But over time, he could get back to 40 points, including a good chunk on the power play, and 130 hits. Not a bad combo for patient owners.

Michael Del Zotto, D, Philadelphia (7 percent) - I'm still a skeptic -- his game is a bit too loosey-goosey for me. And I'm not sure he thinks the game well enough to tap into his talent. But he does fire the puck -- case in point, Friday night. He fired seven pucks at Pekka Rinne and finally tallied his first goal. He won't deliver loads of offense, but those 14 shots in one week put him in the league's top-10 in that category. Cheap and easy.

Connor Hellebuyck, G, Winnipeg (6 percent) - Look out Ondrej Pavelec -- the next one is here. Hellebuyck was arguably the best (or one of the best) goalies not in the NHL, but Pavelec's injury changed all that. He brought his impressive resume to the Jets. Think 2013-14 Mike Richter Award as the top NCAA 'tender, 2014-15 AHL All-Star and top goalie of the 2015 World Championship and a bronze medal for Team USA (seven wins, 1.39 GAA and .948 save percentage). Hellebuyck is big, talented and smart, and he now has a shot at the blue paint in the 'Peg. He won his debut Friday night and it was the Jets' first road-win in seven tries. This team was expected to challenge in a tough Central division and make noise in the postseason. They're in tough to get there and need to produce, so Paul Maurice may be ready to do whatever it takes to win. And that may mean it's Bucky's time to shine in the blue paint. Stash him. Now.

Elias Lindholm, C, Carolina (4 percent) - Has this shell-shocked first rounder finally found his feet? He has first-liner written all over him, but he was thrown to the wolves in that sink-or-swim environment in Raleigh. He held his own over his first two seasons, but looked tentative on and off the puck this season. Perhaps the light bulb has gone on, though -- he heads into the weekend on a modest, four-game, four-point streak after putting up just two points in his first 19 games. His underlying advanced stats point to slow, but progressive improvement in his career, so this could be the start of that big leap forward. Or at least as big as he can make while playing in one of the NHL's offenses. Check out his game.

Chris Neil, RW, Ottawa (2 percent) - Neil is a rare breed in today's NHL -- he's a meathead who can skate. And that means he can play 8-10 minutes a night on a team's fourth line without embarrassing himself. And still pick up PIMs. I'd love to see more offense, but he can help you as long as PIMs are a counting category in your format. Neil has a whopping 36 PIMs in three games leading into Saturday night. Penalty minutes are hard to come by in an NHL with limited fighting. So 36 minutes could earn you a half dozen points in a tight category.

Dmitry Orlov, D, Washington (4 percent) - Orlov is a good two-way defender, but his development was delayed when he missed the entire 2014-15 season with a broken wrist. So, surprise, surprise -- he started slowly this year, but that changed 10 days ago. Something clicked for Orlov and he now has five points in five games heading into Saturday's game. And he's plus-5 in that span. He gives the Caps a third offensive option on the back end behind John Carlson and Matt Niskanen, and that means he could end up with a bit more exposure on the power play. Don't count on it right away, but he can still help in a deep league.

Frank Vatrano, LW, Boston (1 percent) - Vatrano created a bit of stir Wednesday night with a near-miss of the ref during his game-winning goal celebration. Then the natural left-winger moved to the right side of the Bruins' top line Friday night and fit right in. Vatrano didn't score, but he sure didn't look out of place beside Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand. And you know I love a great story. Vatrano has ridden a rocket the last eight months, going from college to the AHL to the NHL and now, the first line. He missed out on two years of college hockey because he didn't take his SATs seriously, but the undrafted son of mom-and-pop pizza makers in Massachusetts made up for lost time in the last year and is now living the dream. He's probably a short-term add, but the Bruins need a bit of energy and flare in its top six. Vatrano fits that bill. And he's a New Englander -- you know they eat that stuff up on the seaboard.

Back to the queasies.

I think Anaheim and Tampa Bay will make the postseason. Winnipeg? Not so much, but I could be wrong. I'm queasy if I'm Ottawa, Boston, Detroit or New York (Isles). One of those teams won't be there come April.

And as much as I'd like to say Arizona won't be around at the end, I'd be a bit queasy if I was a Sharks fan. They seriously need to improve their home record to stay in the hunt, especially as games get tighter.

I've told you about the things that I've found confusing and curious. What has caught your eye?

Until next week.