Week 16 Fantasy Hockey Planner

The Fantasy Hockey Planner is the essential guide to setting your lineup for the upcoming week. Every week, we provide you with top matchups, the latest news and give you the scoop on injured players.

Fantasy Week 16 (Jan. 19-25)

It's All-Star week, so Week 16 is a short Fantasy session. There will be just games on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The NHL will take off Thursday and Friday before All-Star festivities over the weekend.

Another wrinkle into the Fantasy equation is the Monday holiday to celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The NHL will take advantage of the national holiday and open the weekly schedule with a 1 p.m. start time for St. Louis/Boston. Fantasy owners need to be aware that lineups will lock early in weekly formats.

Teams with two games: Anaheim, Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Carolina, Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Florida, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Montreal, N.Y. Islanders, New Jersey, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Toronto, Washington
Teams with one game: Calgary, Colorado, Columbus, Detroit, Nashville, N.Y. Rangers, Ottawa, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, San Jose, Vancouver

Editors Note: Projections are for Jan. 19-25 games and all stats are through Thursday

This week's news and notes for each team:

Anaheim Ducks: The Ducks blue line continues to get hit hard by injury. Already down Kent Huskins (foot) and Francois Beauchemin (knee), rookie Brett Festerling had to leave Wednesday's game against the Red Wings with a knee injury. He is day-to-day as Anaheim was forced to recall Troy Bodie from Iowa (AHL) ... On a brighter note, injured forward Teemu Selanne skated Thursday for the first time since suffering a lacerated quad Dec. 19. He is on pace to return before the end of January, but needs to be kept reserved through Week 16 ... Ryan Getzlaf continues to cruise along with a seven-game point streak to open January. He has two goals and nine assists in that span for a team-high 11 points ... Rookie Bobby Ryan has a team-high six goals this month and is the only Anaheim player with more than two tallies. Eight players have scored twice in January ... Defenseman Scott Niedermayer hasn't scored in eight games, but he does have seven assists in that span ... Anaheim hits the road Week 16 for a two-game East Coast trip to play the Rangers and Islanders. They are scoring just 2.53 goals per game away from home, and with a back-to-back slate, Jean-Sebastien Giguere and Jonas Hiller are likely to split starts in net.

Atlanta Thrashers: Atlanta traded with Columbus Wednesday to land defenseman Clay Wilson. They had to give up struggling forward Jason Williams, but get the 25-year-old defenseman, who had 20 points in 33 games in the AHL this season. Wilson could get into the mix in Atlanta, but is not yet a must-add Fantasy player ... Atlanta named Ilya Kovalchuk captain, but it might just be a ploy to up his trade value. Kovalchuk's name has been mentioned heavily in trade rumors, but right now it appears Atlanta's best move would be to keep him until the offseason since he still has one year left on his contract ... Atlanta has wasted little time thrusting new acquisition Rich Peverely into the mix. He centered a line Wednesday with Kovalchuk and Colby Armstrong, but produced no points in 18:53 of ice time. Peverely is a wait-and-see Fantasy project ... Atlanta also got back Bryan Little, who missed three games due to a rib injury, and placed him back on a line with Slava Kozlov and Todd White ... Rookie defenseman Zach Bogosian has returned from his conditioning stint in the AHL and GM Don Waddell likes his renewed level of confidence. However, he still warns everyone that Bogosian is 18 years old ... Defenseman Mathieu Schneider would love nothing more than a ticket out of Atlanta since he has a team-worst minus-5 rating in January. He is second to last on the team with a minus-17 rating.

Boston Bruins: The Bruins got some really bad news this week when forward Phil Kessel was diagnosed with mono. He is expected to miss up to a month of action ... The injury news isn't much better elsewhere as Andrew Ference is still out with a broken leg, there is no return date for Patrice Bergeron from a concussion and Milan Lucic continues to miss action with an undisclosed ailment. At least Manny Fernandez returned to the bench Thursday to backup Tim Thomas after missing a few games with an undisclosed injury ... All-Star snub David Krejci leads the team with eight points in January, including seven (three goals) in his last four games ... Michael Ryder has three goals and two assists in his last four games ... Defenseman Zdeno Chara had his eighth two-goal game Tuesday against the Canadiens and is at plus-20 in his last 20 games ... Boston has games against Toronto (3.50 GAA) and St. Louis (3.28 GAA) in Week 16. They both rank in the bottom five for defense, so consider starting your Boston skaters.

Buffalo Sabres: After easing center Tim Connolly into the lineup in his return from a rib injury, the oft-injured center was promoted to the second line Wednesday against the Blackhawks. He centered a line between Jason Pominville and Jochen Hecht, and is expected to remain in that role ... Defenseman Andrej Sekera suffered a lower-body injury Wednesday against the Blackhawks and coach Lindy Ruff feels Sekera could be out for a while ... Derek Roy had a five-game point streak snapped Wednesday, but still leads the team with five goals and 10 points in seven January games ... Thomas Vanek also had his five-game streak snapped against Chicago. He had two goals and five assists during his run ... Ales Kotalik snapped an eight-game scoring drought with his ninth goal of the season against Chicago ... Teppo Numminen had an assist Wednesday, his first point in nine games and 13th in 43 contests this season ... Forward Drew Stafford has just one goal in his last 12 games ... Buffalo hits the road for games against Florida and Tampa Bay Week 16. They rank 10th in road GFA (2.86), so consider starting your Sabres skaters.

Calgary Flames: Michael Cammalleri scored twice Tuesday against the Blues to up his season total to 17. He is only one back of Jarome Iginla for the team led. That number is significant since Iginla has led the Flames in scoring for every season since 2000-01 and it's usually by a wide margin ... Todd Bertuzzi is having a hard time overcoming a hip injury and might just be reserved until after the break. Keep him out of active lineups Week 16 ... Defenseman Jim Vandermeer is back from a broken ankle that sidelined him 25 games. It appears safe to get him active in Fantasy leagues that reward heavily for PIM and short-handed stats ... After playing one game with Calgary, prospect Mikael Backlund was sent to Kelowna of the WHL (juniors). He is expected to finish out the season with the Rockets ... Daymond Langkow had a seven-game point streak end Tuesday, He had six goals and six assists in that span. He still leads Calgary with six goals and nine points in January ... Rene Bourque had a four-game streak (one goal, five assists) snapped against the Blues. He has 18 points (nine goals) in his last 19 games ... Calgary has one game Week 16 against Columbus. They lost their previous matchup with the Blue Jackets, 3-1.

Carolina Hurricanes: Rod Brind'Amour is not happy that he has a team-worst minus-27 rating and it has lowered his confidence. But he has to be encouraged that he is at minus-1 through seven January games and has finished under even just twice. Still, he has just one goal since Nov. 17 and seems to have lost a step coming off a torn ACL ... Justin Williams' confidence seems to be going the other way. Coming off a torn Achilles', Williams is tied for the team lead with five points (two goals) this month after getting just three in his first 13 games since being activated off IR ... Defenseman Joe Corvo scored against his former team, the Senators, Tuesday for his seventh goal of the season. Corvo has been playing much better as of late with 11 points (four goals) in his last 20 games ... Carolina hits the road for two games Week 16. They rank 15th in road GFA (2.64).

Chicago Blackhawks: Patrick Kane admits he is not 100 percent recovered from an ankle sprain that kept him sidelined for two games earlier this month. He has played in the last four games, but has no goals and one assist in that span. But he is encouraged that the ankle is getting better. Too bad he can't use the All-Star break to rest since he will be participating in the festivities ... Iron man Duncan Keith was knocked silly Wednesday against the Sabres and had to leave the game in the second period. He has played in 286 of 287 games since earned a roster spot in 2005. If he doesn’t play over the weekend, consider him a risky start Week 16 ... Martin Havlat netted his team-high fourth January goal Wednesday and also leads the way for the Blackhawks with nine points in seven games ... Cristobal Huet won for the seventh time in nine starts Wednesday, but coach Joel Quenneville still has no goalie controversy. Nikolai Khabibulin is his starter and Huet is expected to start at least once per week ... Chicago is home for a pair of games Week 16. They rank second in home GFA (4.05), so consider starting your Blackhawks skaters.

Colorado Avalanche: Rookie forward Chris Stewart has played well under difficult circumstances since his December recall. The natural right winger has been playing on the left side of the ice due to a rash of injuries. He has produced four goals and three assists in 19 games ... Forward Tyler Arnason will do just about anything to break his scoring slump. He has not scored in 33 games since lighting the lamp Oct. 30 against Columbus. He has taken 64 shots in that span ... Marek Svatos had his first goal in nine games Tuesday against Columbus. It was the first goal since returning from a six-game absence due to a back injury. He had three goals and three assists during a six-game stretch before getting injured. Colorado desperately needs him to pick up the pace offensively ... Defenseman Adam Foote (triceps) has been skating with the team and could return before the All-Star break ... Ian Laperriere (back) seems a lot more unlikely to return before the break as Colorado is taking a cautious approach ... Goalie Andrew Raycroft has a minor calf injury, but he has been well-enough to dress as the backup ... Ryan Smith has three goals and four assists during a five-game point streak. He is tied with Wojtek Wolski for the team lead in points (seven) this month ... Milan Hejduk scored for the first time in 10 games Thursday against the Blues ... Colorado plays Los Angeles Week 16 for their only game. Colorado is averaging 4.33 goals per game over three contests against the Kings.

Columbus Blue Jackets: The Blue Jackets are hoping a change of scenery will benefit Jason Williams, who was acquired in a Wednesday trade with Atlanta. Williams had jus seven goals and 11 assists in 41 games with the Thrashers and Atlanta GM Don Waddell was tired of his sluggish play. Columbus has a need for Williams with all the injuries they have endured up front ... Rick Nash remains on IR with a leg injury, but has been practicing with the team and could return before Week 16. He does have to be ready for the All-Star game ... Raffi Torres played in his first game Friday against the Devils since undergoing knee surgery Dec. 1... Rookie forward Jakub Voracek has turned his game around offensively. He has one goal and four assists during a three-game point streak and is tied for the team lead with six January points. He had all of eight points in his previous 26 games before the new year ... Manny Malhotra has a team-high six January assists ... Kristian Huselius had his first three-point game with Columbus, scoring once and assisting twice Tuesday vs. Colorado ... R.J. Umberger had his 13th goal Tuesday, tying his total last season with Philadelphia ... Columbus hits the road for games against Edmonton and Calgary Week 16. Columbus is 20th in road GFA (2.52), but average more than 3.00 goals against both opponents.

Dallas Stars: The boot has come off Fabian Brunnstrom, who has been out since late December, but he is still a few days away from on-ice activities. Keep him reserved through Week 16 ... Jere Lehtinen is still searching for his second goal of the season. He hasn't scored since making his season debut Nov. 11 ... Defenseman Matt Niskanen appears over an early-season slump with 12 points in his last 19 games ... Mike Ribeiro is having a difficult start to January after finishing up December on a high note. He has just one goal and one assist in his last six games. He is also minus-5 in that span ... Defenseman Darryl Sydor has a team-worst minus-7 rating this month. He hasn't scored a goal since joining the team in mid-November and has just five points ... Dallas is on the road for games against Florida and Tampa Bay Week 16. They rank 25th in road GFA (2.32), so consider benching your Stars skaters.

Detroit Red Wings: Defenseman Brad Stuart's role has changed since joining Detroit at the trade deadline in 2007-08. Starring most of his career as a two-way defenseman, Stuart has become more of a stay-at-home defender in the Motor City. He leads Detroit with 114 hits and sees plenty of short-handed time, but has just eight points and one goal in 43 games. His days seem to be over as a possible high-end Fantasy flier ... Goalie Ty Conklin recorded his fifth shutout Thursday against the Kings. He is second in the NHL, one behind Steve Mason. Conklin came into the season with four career shutouts ... Detroit has stayed true to their word and have used veteran defenseman Chris Chelios very sparingly since returning from a broken leg in mid-December. He has dressed just six times over the last month ... RW Mikael Samuelsson has six goals in his last 12 games following an 11-game goal-scoring drought ... Johan Franzen scored his 20th goal Thursday, marking the second straight year he reached that plateau ... It's time to cue up the Pavel Datsyuk MVP talk. He has four multi-point games in his last six appearances and nine since mid-December. He leads Detroit with 52 points ... Detroit has 10 players with five or more points in eight January games ... Detroit plays Phoenix for their lone game Week 16. The Red Wings scored four times in their previous game against the Coyotes.

Edmonton Oilers: Ales Hemsky's concussion is proving to be an issue. Expected to miss one or two games, Hemsky is not expected back before the All-Star break and his absence should run longer than a month after getting knocked out by Jordin Tootoo Dec. 28. Hemsky says he feels fine outside the rink, but when he tries to wind it up on the ice the symptoms kick in ... Defenseman Sheldon Souray was a little more fortunate after leaving a Jan. 9 against San Jose. Souray was favoring his surgically-repaired shoulder, but played in the next game and says everything is fine ... Erik Cole leads the team with five goals and six points in seven January games ... Shawn Horcoff has just one point in his last six games and hasn't scored in nine appearances ... Gilbert Brule's confidence is beginning to soar with two goals in his last three games ... Ryan Potulny has three assists in three games since his recall from Springfield (AHL) ... Marc-Antoine Pouliot played some on the first line Thursday against the Wild with Dustin Penner and Horcoff. He still didn't get a point in 12 minutes ... Edmonton welcomes in Columbus for their lone game Week 16. The Oilers are averaging 5.50 goals per game against the Blue Jackets.

Florida Panthers: David Booth will be a restricted free-agent in the offseason, and Florida is well aware he will be a highly-sought after player. That's why they are in negotiations with the 24-year-old and hope to strike a similar deal to that of Jordan Staal, who got a four-year, $16 million extension from Pittsburgh. Florida might have to pay a higher premium, however, since Booth leads the team with 18 goals ... Radek Dvorak has two short-handed goals in his last four games. He has 17 short-handed goals in his career, so Dvorak is obviously worth the flier in leagues that reward heavily for short-handed stats ... Nathan Horton has five goals and two assists in his last seven games ... Ville Peltonen has four goals and two assists in five games ... Gregory Campbell has two goals and four assists during a three-game point streak ... Cory Stillman has one goal and four assists in his last five games ... Jay Bouwmeester has two goals and two assists during a four-game streak ... Florida has home games against Buffalo and Dallas Week 16. They rank 16th in home GFA (2.83).

Los Angeles Kings: Injured defenseman Jack Johnson, who has been out since the second game with a torn labrum, has been participating in contact drills and is hoping to return after the All-Star break. Johnson is a developing NHL blue liner, but still has marginal Fantasy appeal when healthy ... Fellow defenseman Drew Doughty is still day-to-day with a bruised thigh ... Los Angeles is starting to get worried about their goalie situation now that Jason LaBarbera has been traded to Vancouver. The Kings thought they could get by with Erik Ersberg and Jonathan Quick in net, but both goalies have struggled as of late. Los Angeles is hoping for a better effort after the break, but if things continue to decline, perhaps it will be time for promote youngster Jonathan Bernier ... Coach Terry Murray is upset with his team's physicality and sent a message Thursday by benching enforcer Raitis Ivanans. It's is believed that Ivanans is dealing with an undisclosed injury, but Murray has summoned for AHL tough-guy Kevin Westgarth and there is no given that Ivanans will return to the lineup anytime soon ... Los Angeles is having another disappointing offensive month. Only one player -- Wayne Simmonds -- has more than one goal and six players have to or more points. Anze Kopitar leads the way with four points ... Los Angeles hits the road for games against Colorado and Minnesota Week 16. They rank 27th in road GFA (2.21), so consider benching your Kings skaters.

Minnesota Wild: Benoit Pouliot was not very happy after getting demoted to the AHL Thursday. He stormed out of the locker room after a 5-1 win against the Oilers. Pouliot was having a disappointing time as the Wild's fourth-line center ... Right win Pierre-Marc Bouchard scored his first goal in 11 games Thursday, but he has seven points in the past eight games ... Goalie Niklas Backstrom won his 10th straight decision against Edmonton. He is 10-0-0 in his career against the Oilers with a 1.58 goals against average and a .935 saves percentage. The All-Star goalie is 4-1-0 with a 1.41 GAA in five January games ... Left wing Antti Miettinen has tied a career high with 20 assists ... Cal Clutterbuck has been a surprising source of offense in January with five points in seven games ... Owen Nolan leads the team with four goals ... Marek Zidlicky has come to life with two goals and three assists in five games after getting two points in his previous 13 games.

Montreal Canadiens: The Canadiens are upset that neither Saku Koivu or Carey Price has been able to recover in time from ankle injuries. Koivu was hoping to play earlier this week, but has suffered a setback and is very doubtful heading into Week 16. Price is also iffy for the upcoming scoring period, but he wants to play in the All-Star game. Coach Guy Carbonneau has suggested that unless Price plays in one of the three remaining games before the break, he would prefer his All-Star netminder to rest during the break ... Left winger Guillaume Latendresse has scored three times in five games ... Andrei Kostitsyn has six goals and four assists in his last six games and has scored nine times since Christmas ... Robert Lang is second on the team with nine points in January and has accumulated 20 points (10 goals) in his last 20 games ... Defenseman Andrei Markov has two goals and five assists during a five-game point streak ... Montreal has road games against Atlanta and New Jersey Week 16. They rank 14th in road GFA (2.65).

Nashville Predators: Defenseman Shea Weber was out of the lineup Thursday against the Canadiens with a foot injury sustained Tuesday against the Maple Leafs. Coach Barry Trotz isn't overly concerned about the issue and hopes to have Weber back in the lineup Saturday against Nashville. If the All-Star plays, consider him a safe start Week 16 ... Top-line center Jason Arnott has missed three games with a lower body injury. Trotz also expects him back Saturday, but he is another player to keep tabs on ... Martin Erat has two goals and four assists in his last five games ... David Legwand has four goals and two assists in his last five outings ... J.P. Dumont scored his first goal in 17 games Thursday ... Nashville's lone game Week 16 comes against the Devils, a top 10 defense. The Predators are 24th in home GFA (2.50), so consider benching your Nashville skaters.

New Jersey Devils: Brendan Shanahan has signed his contract with the Devils and is ready to join the team. However, there is no official word on when he might make his debut. It's probably best anyway for Fantasy owners to keep Shananhan reserved in Fantasy until it appears he is in top physical shape ... Brian Rolston is starting to come around offensively. He has five points in his last six games and five goals in 10 games ... Patrik Elias reached 50 points Tuesday with his fourth multi-point game in his last six outings ... Jamie Langenbrunner has one goal and four assists during a three-game streak ... Seven Devils skaters have five or more points in seven January games.

N.Y. Islanders: The groin injury to Joey MacDonald has forced the Islanders to re-sign Wade Dubielewicz, who was playing overseas in Russia. New York is down their top two goalies -- as Rick DiPietro might be shelved the rest of the season with a knee injury. Dubielewicz should see most of the starts over Yann Danis until MacDonald is ready to return in February ... Kyle Okposo had to leave Thursday's game against Boston after taking a puck off the side of the face in the first period. He did return in the game wearing a visor and appears to have dodged a serious injury. He returned in late December from a wrist ailment ... Veteran forward Doug Weight hasn't been as lucky as he is out 2-4 weeks with a right leg injury ... Defenseman Andy Sutton is out 8-10 weeks following foot surgery ... Bill Guerin had his team-high 14th goal Thursday, but it was his first score in nine outings ... Richard Park has no goals and one assist in his last four games after getting three goals and three assists in his first two January contests ... All Star Mark Streit has gone six games without a goal and has scored just once since Dec. 12 ... New York plays Washington and Anaheim at home Week 16. Both teams have GAAs 2.80 or higher and the Islanders rank 21st in home GFA (2.70).

N.Y. Rangers: Despite not scoring in his last nine games, the Rangers are interested in negotiating a contract with soon-to-be-free-agent Nikolai Zherdev. He leads the team with 37 points and coach Tom Renney has been more than pleased with his performance since coming over in an offseason trade with Columbus ... Left winger Markus Naslund is playing through a slightly tweaked groin, but his performance has certainly been lacking with no goals and one assist in his last six games ... Petr Prucha, a healthy scratch in 27 of the first 38 games, is finding a regular role with points in five of seven contests since getting back into the lineup Dec. 29 ... Nigel Dawes, who also has been a healthy scratch at times, is also feeling it. He has five goals and five assists in his last 12 games ... Chris Drury has scored three times in five games and has 14 points (five goals) in his last 14 games ... The Rangers host Anaheim Week 16. They won their previous matchup against the Ducks, 3-1.

Ottawa Senators: After going 21 games without a score, Dean McAmmond has now notched the game-winning goal in two straight outings for Ottawa ... Daniel Alfredsson has seven points in seven January games and is just three points shy of making it four straight months with 10 or more points ... Antoine Vermette has three multi-point games in his last six outings ... Dany Heatley's scoring woes continue as he has just three goals in his last 17 games ... After going without a point in five straight games from Dec. 10-19, forward Jason Spezza has a point in 10 of 12 games ... Defenseman Filip Kuba has a point in two of three games since returning to the lineup from a groin injury ... In three games since his recall, goalie Brian Elliott is 2-1-0 with a 1.69 GAA and .939 save percentage. Ottawa is likely going to keep turning to the rookie goalie as long as they keep winning. Martin Gerber has been sent on a two-week conditioning stint in the AHL, so Alex Auld is the backup goalie ... Ottawa hosts Washington Week 16. They have scored just three times in two games against the Capitals, so consider benching your Senators skaters.

Philadelphia Flyers: Get your popcorn ready! Daniel Briere, who has been limited to nine games this season due to injury, is on a conditioning stint with Philadelphia of the AHL to recover from his latest setback -- a groin injury. Briere had a goal and assist in his first game with the Phantoms and is expected back with the Flyers as early as Wednesday against the Thrashers. However, he might just be out until after the All-Star break because GM Paul Holmgrem has to clear $1.5 million in salary before activating his top-line center. While he might not be a recommended start Week 16, Briere should be back after the break, so start scooping him up now ... Defenseman Kimmo Timonen needed stitches inside and outside his mouth after getting cut Thursday against the Lightning. It’s not a serious injury as he was back in the lineup Friday, so Fantasy owners shouldn't fret about the high-end option ... In an attempt to get more offense out of center Glen Metropolit (one goal), coach John Stevens made a bold move by replacing Mike Richards with Metropolit on the top line Thursday against the Lightning. Richards was dropped onto the third line with Scottie Upshall and Claude Giroux. The plan didn't work as both players were held without a point. In fact, Richards has points in just three of his last nine games ... Joffrey Lupul became the sixth Flyers players with 15 or more goals Thursday. The other five are Jeff Carter, Simon Gagne, Scott Hartnell, Mike Knuble and Richards ... Philadelphia hosts Atlanta Week 16. The Flyers are averaging 5.50 goals per game in three contests against the Thrashers this season. Consider starting your Philadelphia skaters.

Phoenix Coyotes: Coach Wayne Gretzky was steaming after Tuesday's 6-3 loss to the Wild, so he held a closed door meeting. He called out many players, including Peter Mueller, Martin Hanzal and Mikkel Boedker, for their lack of energy out on the ice. All three players responded in a 4-1 win Thursday against the Canucks. All three players played with more zip and aggression, while Mueller scored a goal and Hanzal had an assist ... All Star Shane Doan assisted on both of the Coyotes' two first-period goals Thursday and has 15 points in the last 13 games. He has 40 points (14 goals) in his last 39 games ... Joakim Lindstrom's first career two-goal game gives him seven goals in 16 games since his call-up from San Antonio (AHL). The 25-year-old Swede, who had only four goals in 37 games with Columbus before coming to Phoenix, is tied with Boedker for sixth on the team in goals ... Keith Yandle broke out of his offensive slump Thursday with a goal and assist. He had gone 12 games without a point ... Steve Reinprecht has one goal and three assists in his last four games ... Kyle Turris picked up an assist Thursday after being a healthy scratch Tuesday. He is still struggling offensively with just two points in six January games and seven points in his last 21 outings ... Phoenix hosts Detroit for their lone game Week 16. The Coyotes scored four goals in their first meeting with Detroit.

Pittsburgh Penguins: Star center Sidney Crosby is nursing a lower-body injury (believed to be his knee) that kept him out of Friday's game against the Ducks. He tried to skate in the morning, but just didn't feel comfortable enough to play. Crosby is hoping to play Sunday against the Rangers, but if he is not in the lineup, he remains a risky start heading into Week 16 ... Pittsburgh is really banged up right now as Pascal Dupuis (undisclosed), Kris Letang (undisclosed), Rob Scuderi (face) and Maxime Talbot (undisclosed) are all day-to-day ... Defenseman Sergei Gonchar, out all season with a shoulder injury, participated in an optional skate Thursday. It was the first time he skated with his teammates since the preseason injury. He is still not ready contact and won't play until February at the earliest ... Defenseman Ryan Whitney scored his first goal in 12 games Wednesday against the Capitals. He has four points and a minus-9 rating after missing the first 33 games recovering from foot surgery ... Right winger Miroslav Satan has just four goals in his last 30 games ... Evgeni Malkin might just have two power-play scores in his last 28 games, but has scored in three straight games after going 10 games without a goal ... Jordan Staal has scored in three our four games since signing his four-year extension ... Pittsburgh has a home game against Carolina Week 16. They are averaging 4.50 goals per game against Carolina, so consider starting your Penguins skaters.

San Jose Sharks: Defenseman Rob Blake suffered a facial injury Thursday against the Flames after a puck ramped up his stick and hit the left side of his face. He was taken to the hospital for further evaluation and is day-to-day ... Torrey Mitchell, who has been out all season with a broken leg, has been sent to the AHL for a conditioning stint. He might return before the All-Star break, but there is no rush to add him in Fantasy ... Enforcer Jody Shelley returned to the lineup Thursday after missing five games with an upper-body injury ... Joe Thornton has three goals and four assists during a four-game point streak ... Defenseman Dan Boyle has one goal and five assists in six games ... Ryane Clowe has scored in four of his last six games ... San Jose has a home game against the Canucks Week 16. The Sharks are averaging 4.50 goals per game against Vancouver this season rank fourth in home GFA (3.91). Consider starting your San Jose skaters.

St. Louis Blues: Injured center Andy McDonald, who has been out since Nov. 16 with a broken ankle, is still feeling pain in his leg and is not expected back until after the All-Star break ... Erik Johnson, who has been out since tearing his ACL in a non-hockey activity in the preseason, said the worst is behind him as he starts his rehab. Johnson, who had surgery in mid-November, will visit the doctor in three weeks. He is still not expected back this season and Johnson added that he hopes to be back on the ice before June ... All-Star forward Keith Tkachuk is still day-to-day with an upper body injury ... Rookie T.J. Oshie had his first multi-point game Thursday against the Avalanche, scoring once and adding two assists. He leads St. Louis with six points in six January games and has seven points in seven games since returning from an ankle injury ... David Backes has four goals in his last seven games and set a career-high with his 14th tally Thursday ... Patrik Berglund leads rookies with 14 goals, but has points in just two of seven games ... Brad Boyes notched his 20th goal Thursday, the third time he has reached that mark in his career ... St. Louis is on the road for games against Boston and Chicago Week 16. Both teams rank in the top five for defense and St. Louis ranks 23rd in road GFA (2.33). Consider benching your St. Louis skaters.

Tampa Bay Lightning: The Lightning continue to vehemently deny trade rumors pertaining to Vincent Lecavalier. They said the All Star will remain in Tampa Bay and they will honor his 11-year contract ... With Paul Ranger nursing an upper-body injury, David Koci slid back to play defense Thursday against the Flyers. Still, his primary role is to act as an enforcer and his defensive assignment will be short-lived once Ranger, who is day-to-day, is healthy ... Defenseman Andrej Meszaros scored his second goal in five games Thursday after going without a goal in the first 39 games of the season ... Rookie center Steven Stamkos picked up an assist Thursday to give him points in all three games since he was a healthy scratch. The three-game scoring streak (one goal, two assists) matches his season high ... Martin St. Louis scored Thursday to give himself a third straight month of 10-plus points... Mark Recchi had two assists Thursday and right winger tied Dale Hawerchuk for 17th place on the NHL's career points list with 1,409. Recchi has one goal and four assists in his last five games ... Tampa Bay is at home for two games Week 16. They rank dead last in home GFA (2.37), so consider benching your Lightning skaters.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Mikhail Grabovski is back in the lineup after serving a three-game suspension for pushing a referee during a fight ... Jason Blake had a hat trick and five-point outing Thursday against the Hurricanes. He leads the team with five goals and eight points in January and has been outstanding over the last two months. Blake has 19 points (10 goals) in 21 games and seems back on track ... Nik Antropov has not scored a goal in 12 games ... Jiri Tlusty had three assists Thursday and coach Ron Wilson said it was the first time the second-year forward has looked like a pro. Tlusty has been bouncing between the NHL and AHL the last two seasons, but Thursday's game could go a long way with his confidence ... Niklas Hagman had his first goal in eight games Thursday ... Toronto has home games against Boston and Carolina Week 16. The Maple Leafs ranks 18th in home GFA (2.81), and is averaging 4.67 goals against the Hurricanes and 3.25 against the Bruins. Consider starting your Maple Leafs skaters.

Vancouver Canucks: Goalie Roberto Luongo made his much-anticipated return from a groin injury Thursday against the Coyotes, but looked a little rusty in a 4-1 loss. It was his first game since Nov. 22, but the good news is that Luongo didn't suffer any setbacks. He was playing well before the injury, netting five shutouts, so hopefully he can find that form shortly ... Curtis Sanford, who was cut to make room for Luongo, cleared waivers and was assigned to the AHL. Vancouver could still trade him before the March 4 deadline ... Pavol Demitra responded to his demotion to the fourth line Tuesday against the Devils with one of his finest games and was rewarded with a promotion back to the second line Tuesday. He played alongside new acquisition Mats Sundin ... Kyle Wellwood, who had played the previous two games on the top line with the Sedin twins, was a healthy scratch Thursday. Wellwood has just two goals and one assist in his last 14 games ... Taylor Pyatt was moved to the top line Thursday, but failed to record a point and has gone 11 games since factoring on the stat sheet ... Mason Raymond failed to create cohesion on the second line with Sundin, so he was demoted to the fourth line Thursday. He hasn't scored in nine games and is without a point in his last seven ... Defenseman Sami Salo, who is out with a rib injury, practiced earlier this week, but hasn't been cleared for contact. It appears he might be out until the break ... Henrik Sedin hasn't scored in six games, but brother Daniel Sedin has three goals in four games ... Vancouver has a road game against San Jose Week 16. Vancouver has scored just twice in two games against the Sharks. Consider benching your Canucks skaters.

Washington Capitals: Defenseman Mike Green has one goal and four assists during a three-game streak. He is tied with Alex Ovechkin for the team lead with eight points in January ... Speaking of Ovechkin, he ended a four-game goal-less streak with two tallies Wednesday against the Penguins ... Nicklas Backstrom has points in just two of six games after tallying in 13 of his previous 15 games ... Alexander Semin has recorded a point in 10 of his last 11 games ... Tomas Fleischmann has a goal in three straight games and four of his last five ... Viktor Kozlov has just one goal in his last nine games ... Washington has road games against the Islanders and Senators Week 16. The Capitals rank fourth in road GFA (3.04) and are averaging more than 3.00 goals per game against each of their Week 16 opponents. Consider starting your Capitals skaters.

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