Week 17 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 17 (Jan. 26-Feb. 1)

After an exciting All-Star weekend, games resume Tuesday after another off day Monday. The first game isn't until 7 p.m., so Fantasy owners will have an extended period to set their Week 17 lineups.

As they say in horse racing, "And down the stretch they come ..."

It should definitely be an interesting second half of hockey.

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

Editors Note: Projections are for Jan. 26-Feb. 1 games and all stats are through Thursday

This week's news and notes for each team:

Anaheim Ducks: The Ducks got a bit of bad news when a CT scan on Kent Huskins' fractured right foot revealed it was not healing properly. Huskins had surgery Friday to stabilize the fracture and will be out an additional 4-6 weeks ... Injured winger Teemu Selanne (thigh) is back up on skates, but still lacks explosion. He might return by the end of Week 17, but still should be kept reserved through the upcoming scoring period ... Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry are back on the top line together after coach Randy Carlyle split up the pair for two games ... Rookie Bobby Ryan is second on the team with 15 goals despite missing the first 18 games while he was toiling in the AHL ... Getzlaf led Anaheim with 17 goals and 56 points in the first half ... Defenseman Steve Montador has a team-high plus-14 rating. Ryan is second with a plus-11 mark.

Atlanta Thrashers: Rookie winger Joey Crabb got back into the lineup Wednesday against the Flyers after being a healthy scratch in the previous three games, but it certainly wasn't a coaching choice. Crabb was needed since Jim Slater was out with a shoulder injury. Crabb took just one shot in 13:07 of ice time and showed just how valuable Slater's energetic play is when healthy ... Checking-line forward Chris Thorburn has a goal in each of his last two games ... Ilya Kovalchuk led Atlanta with 49 points in the first half, but Bryan Little led the way with 21 goals. Two other Atlanta skaters -- Todd White (44) and Slava Kozlov (42) -- joined Kovalchuk with 40-plus points ... Niclas Havelid has a team-high plus-5 rating, while Ron Hainsey and Slava Kozlov are tied for a team worst minus-14 ... Atlanta has games against Dallas, N.Y. Islanders and Carolina Week 17. All three teams rank in the bottom 11 in defense. Consider starting your Atlanta skaters.

Boston Bruins: Coach Claude Julien juggled his lines right before the All-Star break, putting David Krejci back with Michael Ryder and Blake Wheeler. The trio has been a key to Boston's first-half success ... Boston could be close to 100 percent as Milan Lucic (shoulder), Patrice Bergeron (concussion) and Andrew Ference (leg) are all close to returning. However, they all remain injury-risk starts for Week 17 since there is no guarantee they will be back on the ice ... Phil Kessel, who led the team with 24 goals in the first half, is skating, but is expected to miss another three weeks with mono ... Marc Savard has a team-high 40 assists, 56 points and a plus-28 rating in the first half. Krejci was the only other Bruins skater to break 50 points with 52 ... Five other Bruins players aside from Savard had finished the first half with plus-20 or better ratings. They were Wheeler (plus-27), Dennis Wideman (plus-26), Krejci (plus-25), Zdeno Chara (plus-22) and Ryder (plus-21). Only four skaters finished under even, with Vladimir Sobotka having a team-low minus-9 ... Boston does have four games Week 17, but the schedule is not easy with the Devils, Rangers, Canadiens and Capitals on the docket. All four teams are in the top 15 for defense, with Washington being the only team outside the top 10. Also, Boston has a GFA better than 2.00 only against the Canadiens (3.50) this season.

Buffalo Sabres: After a very sluggish start to the season, Derek Roy has righted the ship in Buffalo. He has failed to tally in only seven games since Nov. 14. He has 16 goals and 20 assists since mid-November ... Defenseman Henrik Tallinder injured his shoulder in the last game before the All-Star break and coach Lindy Ruff doesn't expect him back in the foreseeable future ... Defenseman Teppo Numminen has joined him on the injured list after getting struck in the face with a puck. He is out until mid-February ... Right winger Maxim Afinogenov (groin) is still doing light skating, but Buffalo hasn't changed his out indefinitely status ... Thomas Vanek had a team-high 28 goals in the first half and was second on the team with 43 points, one behind Roy. Jason Pominville was the only other Sabres' skater to break 30 points with 37 ... Drew Stafford has a team-high plus-7 rating, while Afinogenov has a team-worst minus-14 ... Buffalo takes to the road for three games Week 17. They rank 11th in road GFA (2.83). All three of their opponents -- Phoenix, Edmonton and Calgary -- have GAAs 2.85 or higher, so it could be worth starting your Buffalo skaters.

Calgary Flames: Jarome Iginla ended his goal drought by scoring Wednesday against the Blue Jackets. It was his first goal in nine games since scoring twice against the Oilers New Year's Eve ... Michael Cammalleri scored twice against Columbus to give him eight goals in six games. He also has a team-high 22 tallies ... Todd Bertuzzi is back in action after missing five games with a hip flexor ... Defenseman Adam Pardy has really made an impression on the Calgary coaching staff as he now has a regular spot in the defensive rotation. Jim Vandermeer is the odd man out for the time being ... Despite being second on the team with 19 goals, Iginla still leads the way with 53 points in the first half. Aside from Iginla, five other Calgary skaters managed 30-plus points. They were Cammalleri (44), Daymond Langkow (37), Bertuzzi (31), Rene Bourque (31) and Dion Phaneuf ... Bourque has a team-high plus-12 rating, while Bertuzzi is on the other end with a minus-10 mark ... Calgary hosts Buffalo and Nashville Week 17. The Flames rank sixth in home GFA (3.15).

Carolina Hurricanes: Justin Williams recorded his 200th point with the Hurricanes Jan. 20 against the Penguins and it came in his 256th outing with the team. Carolina is expecting big things from Williams in the second half as it appears he is up to full speed after recovering from a torn Achilles'. Williams has six points in his last 10 games ... Eric Staal reached the 20-goal plateau in the first half, but is second on the team with 35 points. Ray Whitney leads the way with 39, and they are the only two Carolina skaters to break 30 points in the first half ...Aside from Staal and Whitney, only three other Carolina players managed 10 or more goals. They are Tuomo Ruutu (13), Matt Cullen (10) and Chad LaRose (10) ... Patrick Eaves has a team-high plus-7 rating, while Rod Brind'Amour is struggling at the bottom with a minus-29 mark.

Chicago Blackhawks: Kris Versteeg sat out the YoungStars game Saturday after injuring his finger Wednesday against the Blues. Chicago isn't back on the ice until Wednesday against the Ducks, but Versteeg is an injury-risk start Week 17 ... Defenseman Duncan Keith has missed the last four games with a concussion, but coach Joel Quenneville is hopeful he will be back in the lineup against Anaheim. Without any assurances, Fantasy owners are rolling the dice when starting Keith Week 17 ... Patrick Kane posted a team-best 42 points in the first half. Patrick Sharp led the team with 21 goals. Martin Havlat (37), Jonathan Toews (36), Versteeg (36), Sharp (35) and Brian Campbell (30) also broke 30 points in the first half ... Keith had a team-high plus-23 rating, while six other players finished plus-14 or better. They were Andrew Ladd (plus-19), Aaron Johnson (plus-18), Versteeg (plus-16), Havlat (plus-16), Brent Seabrook (plus-15) and Dave Bolland (plus-14). The worst mark on the team went to Cam Barker (minus-5) ... Chicago has a West Coast swing Week 17 with games against Anaheim, Los Angeles and San Jose. The Blackhawks are tied for third in road GFA, averaging 3.00 goals per game. Consider starting your Chicago skaters.

Colorado Avalanche: While David Jones (back), Adam Foote (triceps) and Ian Laperriere (back) could all return shortly after the All-Star break, Colorado is still without two of their biggest guns. Paul Stastny still isn't expected back from a forearm injury until mid-February and Joe Sakic is out until mid-to-late March due to back and hand injuries ... Defenseman John-Michael Liles tallied an assist in three straight games before the break. He has 14 points in his last 24 games ... No Colorado skater broke 40 points in the first half, but Ryan Smyth was their best player with a team-high 36 points, 16 goals and 151 shots. Milan Hejduk (34) and Stastny (31) were the only other players to break 30 points ... Laperriere leads the team with a plus-5 mark, while Jones toils at the other end with a minus-8 rating ... Colorado welcomes San Jose, Toronto and Anaheim to the Pepsi Center Week 17. The Avalanche is 12th in home GFA (3.13), so consider starting your Colorado skaters.

Columbus Blue Jackets: Columbus is one of the most banged up teams in the NHL right now, but that could all change very shortly. Jason Chimera (groin), Nikita Filatov (leg), Jiri Novotny (upper body), Michael Peca (leg) and Kristian Huselius (wrist) are all questionable heading into Tuesday against the Red Wings, so there is a good chance most of these players will be back within the week. The same can't be said for Rostislav Klesla, who is still out until February with a lower-body injury ... Starting goalie Steve Mason missed the YoungStars game Saturday due to a nagging back injury, but he played in both games before the break and should be in net Tuesday. Keep him active in Fantasy ... All-Star Rick Nash has a team-high 43 points and 19 goals. The only other Columbus skater to break 30 points in the first half was Huselius, who had 32 ... The Blue Jackets' fourth-leading scorer is Derick Brassard, who has 10 goals but is also out for the season with a shoulder injury ... Jan Hejda has a team-high plus-17 rating and rookie Jakub Voracek is second at plus-13 ... Columbus is home Week 17 for games against Detroit, Ottawa and Dallas. They rank 21st in home GFA (2.67).

Dallas Stars: Injured winger Brenden Morrow, who had surgery Dec. 2 to repair a torn ACL, is entertaining the notion of making a very late-season return. However, he might only play in the final two games of the season. Morrow is still not worth a flier in Fantasy leagues ... Fabian Brunnstrom is still working his way back from a sprained ankle, but there is no definite word if he will play Tuesday against the Thrashers. It's best to keep him reserved through Week 17 ... Mike Ribeiro had a hat trick right before the All-Star break and it was good enough to tie him with Brad Richards for the team lead in points with 39. Loui Eriksson is the only other Dallas skater with 30-plus points and he leads the squad with 22 goals. Mike Modano is second with 14, while James Neal is third with 13 ... Stephane Robidas has a team-best plus-10 rating, while Matt Niskanen has the worst with a minus-12 mark.

Detroit Red Wings: A foolish rule about All-Star weekend will cost Pavel Datsyuk (hip) and Nicklas Lidstrom (elbow). Since both players failed to show up for All-Star weekend as they opted to rest their wounded bodies, the NHL suspended each player one game for their absence. Datsyuk and Lidstrom will miss Tuesday's game against Columbus, but are eligible to return Thursday against the Stars ... Johan Franzen's injured hip has been feeling better and is hoping to be active Tuesday. Monday's practice could end up being the deciding factor if Franzen returns Tuesday ... As one of the highest scoring teams in the NHL, it's no surprise to see Detroit have nine players with 30 or more points in the first half. They were Datsyuk (56), Marian Hossa (46), Henrik Zetterberg (42), Jiri Hudler (39), Brian Rafalski (35), Franzen (32), Lidstrom (32), Mikael Samuelsson (32) and Tomas Holmstrom (30) ... Hossa and Franzen broke 20 goals, with 22 and 21 respectively ... Datsyuk has a team-high plus-21 mark, while Kris Draper has a team-low minus-12 rating.

Edmonton Oilers: The big story heading into the All-Star game aside from Edmonton going 5-1 in their last six games has been the effective return of Ales Hemsky from a concussion. After missing 10 games, Hemsky scored two goals in his first game back and followed that up with a four-point performance (two goals, two assists) Jan. 20 against the Blue Jackets. He appears back to 100 percent ... There is still no word on when enforcer Zack Stortini will return from a strained knee ... Even though they traded for goalie Dany Sabourin, the Oilers never had any intentions of bringing him on board. If no one takes him off waivers, Edmonton will send him to the AHL ... The Oilers had nine players with 20 or more points in the first half, but Hemksy was the only player with 40 points. Shawn Horcoff and Sheldon Souray were the only other two players to finish with 30 or more points ... Andrew Cogliano and Souray were tied for the team lead with 12 goals before Hemsky's four-goal outburst before the break ... Horcoff has a team-high plus-8 rating ... Edmonton stays home for three games Week 17. They rank 20th in home GFA (2.68).

Florida Panthers: Injured forward Rostislav Olesz, who has been out since Dec. 4, will need surgery to repair a sports hernia. He is expected to miss two months following the surgery ... Forward Ville Peltonen (knee) is expected back in the lineup Tuesday against the Flyers ... David Booth failed to make the All-Star team despite leading Florida with 19 goals and 31 points in the first half. He was the only Panthers skater to break 30 points. Stephen Weiss was closest with 28 points and Jay Bouwmeester -- who was Florida's lone All-Star rep -- is third on the team with 26. Bouwmeester is also the only other Florida player with at least 10 goals ... Peltonen has a team-best plus-12 mark, while Brett McLean is at the bottom with a minus-13 ... The Panthers have games against the Flyers, Canadiens and Islanders Week 17. Florida is averaging 2.67 goals or less against each opponent. Consider benching your Florida skaters Week 17.

Los Angeles Kings: Goalie Erik Ersberg missed Saturday's YoungStars game with a lower-body injury. He has missed two games because of the injury, but is expected back shortly after the break. Whether that is Thursday against the Blackhawks remains in question ... Anze Kopitar went into the All-Star break as the Kings' top producer with 37 points. Dustin Brown, the team's lone All-Star rep, was second in points (33) and goals (17). The top goal scorer was Alexander Frolov with 20. He also converted at a team-high 21.7 percent in the first half ... Jarret Stoll has a team-best plus-7 rating, while Brian Boyle is at the other end with a minus-11 mark ... The Kings have games against Chicago (2.42) and Montreal (2.67) Week 17. Both teams have top 10 defenses, so consider benching your L.A. skaters.

Minnesota Wild: Coach Jacques Lemaire is a little concerned about defenseman Brent Burns. He has played the last 17 games along the blue line after a six-week forward experiment. However, Burns is still playing like a forward more than a defenseman and going up ice on almost every rush. Lemaire would like Burns to play a bit more conservatively, which could limit some of Burns' scoring chances ... Defenseman Marek Zidlicky has been at his best in January with five goals and five assists in nine games. All of his nine goals this season have come on the power play, which is a Wild record ... Mikko Koivu was Minnesota's most effective player in the first half with team highs in goals (13) and points (46). Antti Miettinen was the only other Wild player with 30 points ... Minnesota really struggled to score in the first half as only four players managed 10 or more goals. Aside from Koivu's 13, Owen Nolan and Andrew Brunette had 11 while Miettinen had 10 ... For a team that preaches defense first, Minnesota had five players in the first half with a minus-10 rating or worse. They were Pierre-Marc Bouchard (minus-10), Stephane Veileux (minus-10), Martin Skoula (minus-10), Burns (minus-11) and James Sheppard (minus-17).

Montreal Canadiens: Montreal got a real lift before the All-Star break as Carey Price and Saku Koivu both returned from ankle injuries. Next up is Christopher Higgins, who was cleared to return from a sprained shoulder before the break but opted for an extra week of rest ... Alex Tanguay, who is recovering from a separated shoulder, is up on skates, but is not expected back until mid-February ... Georges Laraques, who is out with a back injury, is also up on skates, but Montreal has no timetable for his return ... Defenseman Andrei Markov is riding an eight-game point streak. He has two goals and eight assists in those eight games. Markov leads NHL defensemen with 30 assists ... Montreal has four games Week 17. Three of those teams -- Boston, Los Angeles and Florida -- have top 10 defenses. Montreal is also averaging fewer than 2.00 goals per game against Tampa Bay and Boston.

Nashville Predators: Center Jason Arnott has at least one assist in four straight games and is one point shy of his 800th career tally. He leads the team with 15 goals, but has a disappointing 29 points in 40 games ... Radek Bonk has three goals in the past six games after scoring only two in his first 40 games ... J.P. Dumont has a team-high 34 points, but has just eight goals and is converting at 8.1 percent ... Shea Weber and Martin Erat are the only other Predators skater with 30-plus points ... Only four Nashville players have plus/minus ratings better than even. They are Weber (plus-6), Scott Nichol (plus-2), Ryan Jones (plus-1) and Wade Belak (plus-1). On the flip side, 17 Predators are below even with Dan Hamhuis (minus-12) and Greg De Vries (minus-15) having the worst marks on the team ... Nashville is on the road for three games Week 17. They rank 26th in road GFA (2.33), so consider benching your Nashville skaters.

New Jersey Devils: Injured goalie Martin Brodeur was on the ice Wednesday for the first time since left arm surgery in November. He was just out to skate and general manager Lou Lamoriello said the future Hall of Famer is on target for a March 1 return. Scott Clemmensen owners should get at least another month of Fantasy viability out of Brodeur's replacement ... Center John Madden was on a roll heading into the break. He had two straight two-assist games and has seven points (one goal) during a five-game point streak ... Zach Parise was also red hot heading into the break with six goals in his last seven games. He has a team-high 28 scores, 55 points and plus-20 rating. Patrik Elias is close on his heels with 54 points and 20 goals ... New Jersey has only eight skaters under even, with Jay Pandolfo having a team-worst minus-8 mark. On the other hand, 18 skaters are above even and nine guys are plus-11 or better. Travis Zajac is second on the team behind Parise with a plus-19 mark.

N.Y. Islanders: Injured goalie Joey MacDonald is making a faster than expected recovery from a groin strain, but is still expected to miss another 1-3 weeks. Keep him reserved through Week 17. The Islanders need MacDonald back in the worst way after they learned last week that Rick DiPietro will miss the remainder of the season because of continued problems with his surgically repaired knee. Yann Danis continues to start in net for New York while MacDonald rests up ... Center Doug Weight has missed the last seven games with a leg injury and is expected to miss an additional 1-2 weeks ... Forward Trent Hunter is still day-to-day with a hand injury ... On a positive note, center Andy Hilbert has come off injured reserve after missing 12 games with a foot injury ... Kyle Okposo has scored in two straight games and has five goals in his last 13 outings ... Mark Streit led the team with 35 points and 27 assists in the first half. Bill Guerin was the high scorer with 14 goals. Trent Hunter and Richard Park were the only other Islanders with 10 or more goals ... Andy Sutton (plus-3), Brett Skinner (plus-2) and Kurtis McLean (plus-1) are the only New York players above even. Twenty-nine skaters are below even, with Brendan Witt having a team-worst minus-27 rating ... New York has games against Atlanta and Florida Week 17. They are averaging just 2.00 goals per game against each opponent, so consider benching your Islanders skaters.

N.Y. Rangers: The Rangers have no one on their injury report ... Aaron Voros has been a healthy scratch in five of the last six games ... Nikolai Zherdev had a team-high 39 points in the first half and was also tied with Ryan Callahan for the third most goals (12). Chris Drury and Markus Naslund tied for the top honor with 15 scores. They are the only four players with 10 or more goals on the Rangers roster ... Surprisingly, Marc Staal has a team-best plus-7 mark. Only five skaters are above even, while 16 are below. Naslund has the worst mark at minus-11 ... New York has games against Carolina, Pittsburgh and Boston Week 17. They aren't averaging more than 2.00 goals per game against any of those teams, so consider benching your Rangers skaters.

Ottawa Senators: Defenseman Anton Volchenkov has missed eight games with a shoulder injury, but is practicing and is expected to play Tuesday against the Devils ... Enforcer Chris Neil missed the final game before the break with the flu, but should also be ready to go Tuesday ... Forward Antoine Vermette is past his horrendous start to the season. Vermette has three goals and nine assists in his last 13 games ... Dany Heatley is out of his scoring slump. He has scored two goals in two straight games and has five scores in four games. He had all of two goals in his previous 15 games. Heatley has a team-high 21 goals and 43 points... Daniel Alfredsson is second on the team with 40 points and has a team-best 28 assists ... Aside from Heatley, Alfredsson and Jason Spezza, no Senator has more than 30 points or 10 goals ... Defenseman Filip Kuba has a team-best plus-10 rating and only three other players are above even. Nineteen players are below even, with Chris Phillips having a team-worst minus-20 mark ... Ottawa has four games Week 17 with three on the road. The Senators are dead last in road GFA (2.05).

Philadelphia Flyers: Injured center Daniel Briere underwent successful surgery to repair nerve damage in his groin/stomach area. He will be out an additional four weeks and might not make it back onto the ice until late February/early March ... All-Star center Jeff Carter has at least a point in five straight games, posting three goals and seven points in that span. Carter has also recorded at least a point in nine of his last 10 home games, posting eight goals and 17 points. He has been getting it done away from home as well with a team-high 51 points. Mike Richards is second with 46 and Simon Gagne is third with 45 ... Gagne leads Philadelphia with a plus-18 mark and Andres Nodl is at the other end with a minus-11 mark ... Philadelphia is on the road for three games Week 17. They rank 18th in road GFA, averaging 2.52 goals per game.

Phoenix Coyotes: Defenseman Keith Yandle has scored in three of his last four games after going 32 games without a score ... Shane Doan was the Coyotes' best all-around player in the first half with team-highs in goals (18), assists (28), points (46) and shots (129) ... Olli Jokinen and Peter Mueller were the only other Coyotes with 10 or more scores and 30 points ... Steve Reinprecht and Ken Klee lead the team with a plus-9 mark, while Enver Lisin is dead last with a minus-11 rating.

Pittsburgh Penguins: All-Star center Sidney Crosby had to miss out on the weekend festivities because of a knee injury, but at least he showed up and won't be suspended by the NHL. However, Crosby's status for Wednesday's game against the Rangers won't be decided until practice resumes Monday. Crosby remains an injury-risk start heading into Week 17 ... Evgeni Malkin leads the NHL with 70 points. Crosby isn't far behind with 60. The next closest Pittsburgh skater is Petr Sykora with 34 ... No Penguin has breached 20 goals, but Malkin is close with 19. He also has a team-high plus-13 mark, while injured forward Maxime Talbot has a team-low minus-13 rating.

San Jose Sharks: Torrey Mitchell, who has been out all season with a broken leg, sustained an unrelated leg injury during his AHL rehab stint. He will get further evaluation, but the latest setback will keep him from returning to the NHL right after the break ... Defenseman Rob Blake, who is nursing a lower jaw injury, was also hoping to make a return to the lineup immediately after the All-Star break, but it appears he might need a few more practices. Blake remains a risky start Week 17 ... San Jose was one of the NHL's highest scoring teams in the first half. That was evident by nine players totaling 20 or more points. Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau led the way with 55 and 51 points respectively. Marleau also had a team-best 25 goals, while Devin Setoguchi was a close second with 21 ... Thornton finished at plus-23 in the first half, while Marleau was at plus-21. Defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic was third at plus-17, and Marcel Goc had the team-low minus-7 rating.

St. Louis Blues: It doesn't appear injured center Andy McDonald, who has been out since Nov. 16 with a broken ankle, will be back immediately after the All-Star break. McDonald still feels pain in his ankle and the Blues aren't committing to a return date ... Brad Boyes leads the Blues with 20 goals and 37 points. But since he is on the ice so much, he also has a team-worst minus-22 rating ... David Backes is second with 16 goals, Keith Tkachuk is third with 15 and Patrik Berglund is fourth with 14. No other Blues skater has reached 10 scores ... Berglund has the best rating on the team with a plus-14 ... St. Louis welcomes in Ottawa and Philadelphia Week 17. The Blues rank 11th in home GFA (3.17).

Tampa Bay Lightning: Defenseman Paul Ranger continues to be day-to-day with an upper-body injury ... Forward Evgeny Artyukhin is done with his two-game suspension for a knee-to-knee hit on Ville Peltonen. He is eligible to return Tuesday against the Canadiens ... Right wing Mark Recchi picked up a pair of assists Wednesday against the Sabres, giving him six assists in the past five games. The 40-year-old veteran is third on the team with 31 points and 21 assists. Although, he has a team-worst minus-14 mark ... Obviously All-Star Martin St. Louis (46) and Vincent Lecavalier (44) lead the team in points ... Vaclav Prospal has made a surge to fourth on the team with 30 points as he has managed at least one point in 10 of 12 games.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Coach Ron Wilson has been more than happy with rookie defenseman Luke Schenn's defensive play, but is urging the 19-year-old to get a little more offensive. He scored his first goal as a professional during Saturday's YoungStars game, but it doesn't count toward his regular-season total ... Defenseman Mike Van Ryn says he feels recovered from a concussion, but he failed a baseline test and still hasn't been cleared to return ... Nik Antropov had a team-high 35 points in the first half. Jason Blake and Alexei Ponikarovsky were the top scorers with 14 goals, and Tomas Kaberle was the best assist man with 25 ... Four Toronto skaters are at minus-10 or worse. They are Kaberle (minus-10), Pavel Kubina (minus-11), John Mitchell (minus-12) and Antropov (minus-12). Ian White has the best mark with a plus-4.

Vancouver Canucks: Injury-prone defenseman Sami Salo got back into the lineup before the break after missing 15 games with a broken rib. It appears safe to activate him for Week 17, but there is always risk with the Fragile Finn since he can never stay healthy for long periods of time ... Pavol Demitra missed the final game before the break because of a groin injury, but Vancouver is expecting him back Wednesday against the Predators ... Daniel Sedin leads Vancouver with 22 goals, 48 points, 168 shots and a plus-11 rating. Brother Henrik Sedin is second on the team with 44 points and first with 36 assists. No other player has more than 25 points ... Vancouver has played very well defensively in 2008-09 as only eight players are below even, with Mike Brown and Kevin Bieksa sharing a team-worst minus-4 rating ... Vancouver has home games against Nashville and Minnesota Week 17. They rank 14th in home GFA (2.92).

Washington Capitals: Backup goalie Brent Johnson is dealing with an undisclosed injury, but the coaching staff is expecting him back after the All-Star break. It's not like he is a good start in Fantasy anyway since Jose Theodore has been on a roll ... Alex Ovechkin put a sluggish October behind him to finish the first half with a team-high 31 goals and 59 points. Nicklas Backstrom was second on the team with 48 points, but led the way with 36 assists. He also had a slow start to the season ... Alexander Semin overcame some injury woes to post 41 points, 18 goals and a team-high plus-23 rating. Mike Green was close behind with a plus-17 mark. He also had 33 points (21 assists) in the first half despite injury woes of his own ... Aside from Ovechkin, Semin, Green and Backstrom, Viktor Kozlov, Brooks Laich and Tomas Fleischmann all had 10 or more goals in the first half.

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