Anze Kopitar celebrates a goal last year against the Blackhawks. (Photo credit: Harry How)

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As part of ESPN.com’s NHL family, I was invited to participate in their fantasy hockey draft this past Tuesday. Just me and guys like Craig Custance, John Buccigross, and Scott Cullen.

No pressure.

Victoria Matiash has already given a bird’s eye view of the draft, but I thought I would run through my thought process on various picks and give you some ideas for your fantasy draft. Plus, you can see how I do for the season because we are making the results public.

Here were the ground rules for the draft:

Participants included, in original order, Craig Custance, Tristan Cockcroft, Tim Kavanagh, John Buccigross, Pierre Becquey, Michael Hume, Victoria Matiash, Neil Greenberg, Sean Allen and Scott Cullen. Categories include goals, assists, power-play points, plus/minus, penalty minutes, shots on goal and average time on ice for skaters and wins, save percentage and goals-against average for goaltenders. Slots to fill include nine forwards, five defensemen, one “utility” skater, two goaltenders and a five-man bench.

My philosophy was simple: grab young, healthy, talented players with upside. Let others worry if Patrick Kane would be healthy or if Sergei Kostitsyn can once again score 20 goals on less than 100 shots.

I had the eight pick. With my editor Mike Hume drafting before me (he knows which players I fancy) and Cullen having back-to-back picks behind me I knew I had to make strategic decisions.

Not surprisingly, Alex Ovechkin, Steven Stamkos, and Daniel Sedin went in the first three picks. Hume knows I think Corey Perry was no fluke, so the chances of him dropping to me were nil. That left me with Anze Kopitar (who I think will contend for the Art Ross) or Henrik Lundqvist as my first pick. Luckily for me, I got both of them.

My third choice was also an easy one: Duncan Keith. His boxcar stats may have fallen, but he is as fundamentally sound as he has ever been, and he remains my preseason favorite for another Norris-caliber performance.

My next pick caused some raised eyebrows:

Also noteworthy was Greenberg’s choice of Jeff Skinner ahead of Eric Staal. Ranked higher in ESPN.com’s projections, the captain of the Carolina Hurricanes is expected to put up superior numbers across the board. But obviously, Greenberg preferred to put his fantasy faith in the reigning Calder Trophy winner.

Fantasy hockey is about looking forward. While there is no doubt Eric Staal is a 70-point player, Jeff Skinner is (conservatively) a 60-point player who could put up over 70 points next year. So I got a player who may put up five points less or 10-15 points more than Eric Staal. In a rotisserie league with hockey geniuses it was worth the gamble, in my opinion.

I struggled with my fifth pick a little. I had Phil Kessel, John Tavares, and Loui Eriksson queued up but pulled the trigger on Kessel, thinking that one or both of the others would be there for me on my next picks.

I was right about Loui Eriksson, who I took with my sixth pick, but not Tavares, who went three picks before me in round seven.

With Tavares and Matt Duchene off the board, both of whom I think can post 30 goals in 2011-12, I decided to shore up my goaltending and took Jimmy Howard.

A quick note on goaltenders: I only considered drafting Henrik Lundqvist, Pekka Rinne, Cam Ward, Jimmy Howard, or Corey Crawford. Why? Too long to explain here, but I did some analysis on when goaltenders have their breakout season based on age and experience and these five fit the bill. I did the same thing last year and had only two goaltenders on my list: Pekka Rinne and Cam Ward.

In round eight I took Joe Pavelski, which was a solid pick there and then my first miscalculation of the draft came at the hands of Scott Cullen.

I feel Jamie Benn is this year’s sleeper. I think he has 30-goal potential and could end up surprising many people. With my ninth pick I took Evander Kane, thinking Benn would slip past another four picks. Nope.

Cullen: “I’ve been touting Jamie Benn going back to the second half of last year, when his ice time went up dramatically; he’s been my preferred pick as a breakthrough/sleeper forward since. So, by the ninth round, when I had already addressed all my positions to some degree, it felt right to take a young player that has a chance at 70 points. “

If you have a chance to pick up Benn in your league, do it.

Right now. I’ll wait.

It will be him and Eriksson that pick up the slack left by Brad Richard’s departure, not Michael Ryder. In the draft room Hume asked how many of Benn’s goals the last two years came via a Brad Richards primary assist. One. And Richards had only one secondary assist the year before that. Benn is the real deal.

I took Alex Pietrangelo after I misjudged the “sleepiness” of Benn. The D corps looked to be thinning after Dion Phaneuf and James Wisniewski were taken off the board, so I grabbed Pietrangelo. “Good for 45 points, I think he’s a solid fantasy pick.”

Next picks were unremarkable, but ones I believe have some big upside: Erik Karlsson, Tyler Ennis, Patric Hornqvist, Tyler Kennedy, Mikael Backlund, Patrik Berglund, Jakub Voracek and Nathan Gerbe.

I did have two moments of weakness where I got homesick and drafted Dennis Wideman (15th round) and Brooks Laich (20th round).

So there you have it. Be sure to check out how I am doing from time to time. Also, if you would have drafted differently or just want to comment on the draft in general, let us know in the comments.

GROUP HUG! (Photo credit: Rob Carr)

Jason Chimera brings the intensity in a second period fight with Brent Seabrook. (Photo credit: Jacquelyn Martin)

In dramatic fashion, in front of a national television audience  and a sellout crowd at Verizon Center, the Cardiac Caps were once again back at work as Washington pushed their winning streak to eight. Less than one month ago it would have been hard to imagine any of this happening. Nevertheless, the Caps are now just a single point out of first-place in the Eastern Conference.

“Guys have a bit of a swagger right now, back to the way things were,” said Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby.

The Blackhawks opened the scoring less than five minutes into the contest. After receiving a feed from Marian Hossa, Nick Leddy put the puck past Holtby. Just under two and a half minutes later, however, Boyd Gordon would knot the game at one. After picking up an errant pass by the ‘Hawks power play, Gordon raced down the wing before firing a slapper past Chicago netminder Corey Crawford for the shortie. Late in the first frame, after John Erskine drew a holding penalty, Washington headed to their recently anemic power play. This time, however, it would be different. New Cap Jason Arnott fired a bullet from the point that found twine, giving Washington their first lead of the game.

Three minutes into the second period, Chicago would tie the game at two when Holtby gave Tomas Kopecky a little too much daylight. Kopecky seized the opportunity, banking the puck off ‘keeper’s back from behind the goal-line. In the waining moments of the stanza, things got physical when Chicago’s Brent Seabrook delivered a hard check behind the net to Jason Chimera. Everyone favorite fire-footed, stone-handed forward took exception to Seabrook, challenging him to a duel. Seabrook appeared to come out with the win in the bout but it was Chimera got the take-down.

“Chimmer, I thought, he was a factor. He did not get a star or anything, but I thought he was a real big factor in the game,” said Chimera’s teammate Brooks Laich. “He was the one that sort of instigated that little rhubarb there. I think he does a good job and takes one of their top defenders off. So I think he had a very good night.”

Six and half in to the final frame, the aforementioned Laich put home Matt Hendricks’ (or more accurately Eric Fehr’s) feed from the corner to put the Caps on top. Washington appeared to be in control until Marcus Johansson was called for hooking at 18:10. “I thought it was a pretty chintzy call,” said Boudreau. On the ensuing Blackhawks power play, Jonathan Toews converted on a mad scrum in front of the net, as the puck bounced in off Holtby’s skate.

In overtime, the Capitals missed numerous chances until, finally, Mike Knuble — with a little help from Johansson — came to the rescue. Ballgame over. Caps top ‘Hawks, 4-3.

• Braden Holtby continued his determined play of late, making 27 saves on 30 shots despite, as he said later, not feeling at the top of his game. The first two goals he gave up he’d most likely want to have back. On Leddy’s opening goal, a diving Matt Hendricks and a standing Boyd Gordon screened Holtby on the shot from the point. On Kopecky’s “no-angled” tally from behind the net, Holtby cheated off the right post, thinking it was a centering pass. Plain and simple, a rookie mistake.
• “I did not feel that great out there. Today was kind of a battle the whole game,” Holtby said. “Thankfully the guys played a great game, especially defensively, and did not give up too much. A little bit of a mistake by me in the second, but we were still able to come out on top.”
• Still, Holtby was praised by head coach Bruce Boudreau after the game, saying “they are really not making it easy” for him to chose a playoff starter. “I am going to be ready if called upon, willing to put my heart on the line for this team,” said Holtby of that prospect.
• Holtby cleared the puck on a penalty kill again, prompting NBC’s Pierre McGuire to say, “this guy’s about as good as Marty Brodeur when it comes to handling the puck.” We’re still waiting for that empty net goal, Braden.
• 

  DJ Pauly D poses for a photo with Eric Fehr and John Carlson after the game (Photo credit: JC74)

  DJ Pauly D of “Jersey Shore” fame was at the game today after accepting Alex Ovechkin’s invite at Shamrockfest Saturday. Mr. D (?) stayed through overtime and even met with the boys in the locker room after the game, despite having a scheduled show in Harrisburg, PA at 5pm. Outfitted in a Caps jersey, a large chain and diamond earrings, Pauly D rocked the red with Slapshot, filmed an interview with Guerin Austin of Caps Red Line and took a photo with Fehr and John Carlson after the game. I would make some sort of joke here but I’m still dumbfounded.
• Thanks to Arnott’s late power play goal, the Caps came into the first intermission with a lead for the first time in 13 games.
• The Capitals third line of Jason Chimera, Brooks Laich and Eric Fehr played playoff style hockey. Laich won seven of his eight face-offs, Fehr had five shots while Chimera racked up three hits, two shots and, of course, his fight with Seabrook. Chimera’s fight was notable, if only because it took Seabrook – one of the Blackhawks best defensemen – off the ice. With Brian Campbell struggling with a foot injury and playing only 7:05, the Blackhawks opened the third period with only four rearguards. The group’s hard work was also rewarded by a second period goal from Laich. Fehr did all the heavy-lifting, outmuscling Duncan Keith behind the net for the puck before then dishing out a no-look backhander to Laich for a one-timer. It’s Fehr to say, Caps fans Laich goals by Brooks. Yeah, we’re horrible
• Marcus Johansson not only had the game-winning assist, but he also had a game-high seven shots on goal, two hits and three blocked shots. Can we assume his unintentional appearance at RMNB Party Two spurred his inspired performance today?
• Alex Ovechkin‘s seven game point streak — during which he accumulated four goals along with seven assists — may have ended but Ovi was still a force to be reckoned with. Ovechkin had six shots while registering three hits. He saved his most impressive effort for his last shift of the game, where he went one-on-three in the offensive zone, breaking through the triangle of players to fire a wrist-shot just wide of the net. Given how much criticism Ovechkin received for his poor — at least by his standards — play earlier in the year it’s important to note the renewed energy, creativity and hustle that he has displayed over the past month or so.
• Tomas Kopecky unintentionally boarded Dennis Wideman face-first into the glass in the third period, giving the Caps a two-minute power play. But this bullet is actually dedicated to Kopecky’s good sportsmanship after the hit. He tried to hold Wideman up as he fell down, stopped playing and asked to make sure he was okay. With the Zdeno Chara-Max Pacioretty hit dominating sports headlines over the past week, this was good to see. Wideman returned for his next regular shift and logged a team-high 27:27 of ice time.
• Jeff Schultz had five blocked shots. He also happened to miss the net by about 15 feet on a wide-open shot from the point. Nevertheless, a good performance from Sarge despite that fact he finished minus-one for the day.
• Finally, NBC did a nice feature on John Carlson during the second-intermission. View it here.

Joe B. sign of the game (Photo credit: Chris Gordon)

“I just like our team so much more than at this point last year,” said Knuble. “I think we’re definitely headed in the right direction.”

Still, Boudreau doesn’t want to worry about being the top dog in the East. “It is a nice feather in your cap,” he said. “In the end, I mean, I don’t care if we are eighth or first. I got to believe the eight can beat the one. It’s happened, I think.”

The Caps in Montreal Tuesday night. We’ll see you right back here.

Bonus Video: Homer McFanboy captures DJ Pauly D meeting up with Ovi after the game

Additional reporting by Ian Oland.