By JIMMY D / Luongo sizzles with fantastic shutout streak | Jimmy's archive

Roberto Luongo is not allowing any red lights and that has pushed him back into the fantasy hockey limelight.

Maybe we should call him Roberto NoGoalo. Or Roberto Shutouto. Three games last week. 83 shots. 180 minutes. Zero goals. Three wins.

Plenty of naysayers were ready to cast out Luongo from the ranks of premier fantasy goalies after a poor (by his standards) season in 2007-2008. But the only thing being cast out lately is any notion by any opposing shooter that he might score.

In total, it’s four shutouts in six games, the best performance among many this NHL season by netminders. And much of that big fantasy production is not coming from the usual goalie factories.

Who leads the league in save percentage and goals against average? Not Marty Brodeur (who is out three months with elbow surgery) and certainly not Marty Turco (whose 3.93 GAA is the league’s worst by a wide margin).

Try Alex Auld and Tim Thomas, tied at 1.85 GAA and hovering around .940 save percentage.

Luongo will pursue his shutout streak tomorrow against the Avalanche, but he still well short of the NHL mark of 332 minutes set by career backup Brian Boucher. He hatched five straight goose eggs for Phoenix in the 2003-2004season and then drifted back into backup anonymity.

By coincidence, Boucher has two shutouts himself this season and was recently thrust back into the spotlight in San Jose when Evgeni Nabokov went down stopping a shooutout attempt last week.

Keep an eye on this situation in San Jose, as Nabokov was scheduled to skate Monday, as well as in New Jersey where Kevin Weekes will get a chance to hold starter minutes. But he has a long history of inconsistency with starting roles.

Does that mean a trade in the Swamp or relying on Scott Clemmenson, who typically averages four or five starts per season as Brodeur’s benchwarmer?

Another goalie situation to watch is in Columbus, where rookie Steve Mason (a third rounder last season) was 3-0 for the Blue Jackets last week. With former Moosey Pascal Leclaire on the shelf and backup Fredrik Norrena at 1-3 and currently shelved with a groin strain, he could be a good pickup in weekly leagues.

Throw a few shutouts his way and he can become Steve-O Mason-O.

A big plus for Johnson

Port Hawkesbury native Aaron Johnson, a blueliner who has bounced between the minors and Islanders and Blue Jackets, has probably never made your NHL draft list, let alone made your starting fantasy roster.

But that is changing – and may have already changed – after a quick start to the season in Chicago sees him topping the plus-minus stats at +11. He has also chipped in three goals and three assists.

The Blackhawks have been hot since a slow start cost coach Denis Savard his job and are unbeaten at home. They have home dates this week against the Blues, Sharks and Bruins which could see them flying even higher.

If your league counts plus/minus and if low penalty minutes is a positive category, check Johnson’s availability on the waiver and wave the Nova Scotian (and Cape Breton) flag while you do it. That Crosby guy from Cole Harbour is not the only local product worthy of your fantasy attention.

Freelance writer Jimmy D is a fantasy sports expert living in Halifax and can be reached at jpoole@herald.ca