LW

Unless you own Vanek, you might not have noticed that he has exploded back into the stratosphere. After months of disappointment, this great buy-low player has finally shaken his label. The window has likely closed to snag him at much of a discount, but it is still worth a shot. Unfortunately, 15 points in 9 games, including two hat tricks, usually wakes up even the most naive of owners. Still, if you stole him low... congrats!

Just in case you hadn't noticed, Alexander Ovechkin had 4 goals and 5 points last night. He is the #1 player in fantasy now and his stock has never been higher. He is currently on pace for an astounding 67 goals with 110 points total. Where is the ceiling on this kid? 80 goals? 125 points? I'd like to hear your thoughts!

I apologize for the absence of updates here. I too was shocked to find out I was the last to post. I have been quite busy but will do my best to update more often. Encourage HI to hire me to do this full time eh? Haha, anyway, as predicted, the Penguins have been going off since Malkin's last hat trick. The team hasn’t lost in regulation since the Toronto drubbing. It is a great time to own Pittsburgh players again... especially Mr. Malkin who, with his second career hat trick tonight, has put up 11 points in his last six games. Petr Sykora has also woken up with seven points in that span. Finally, Conklin continues to silence doubters with another brillant 43-save performance tonight. Looks like a bit of a goalie controversy could be in the future after all.

Zetterberg practiced this week and is on target to return for Wednesday's game against the Stars, reports the Detroit News. He has missed the last four games due to back spasms but appears to be healthy and should challenge for the scoring lead from here on out provided he can avoid any more absences.

Holy Carcillo, Batman! This is what I love about PIM producers in fantasy. If their team is having an awful game, players like Carcillo can still have one of their best. Tonight, Phoenix was smoked 6-1, but Daniel took out his frustration to a category winning 23 penalty minutes! He already has 130 PIM with a solid 11 points to keep him from hurting you on offense. I don't know if his value could be any higher.

Although he was held off the scoresheet today, David Booth is someone fantasy players need to keep an eye on. He has escaped obscurity by putting up 7 points in his last 7 games coming into tonight. Although he became a PPG producer as a senior in college, Booth was not all that spectacular last year in his time in the AHL and with Florida. Still, this may just be the slow maturation of a power forward... with his ability finally shining through! Booth is at least a decent temporary add to consider, and his youth gives us hope for more!

This is a bad year for Mr. Avery. Fantasy's favorite (and the NHL's most hated) scoring PIM machine is going to miss a couple weeks with wrist surgery. To me, this would be a great time to trade FOR Avery. With all the games missed this year, Avery owners may be getting fed up. However, Sean has stayed relatively healthy so far in his young career. PIM producers are usually pretty undervalued anyway, so it may not be as hard as you think to get a player with top 50 value in PIM leagues.

Demitra will return to the Wild lineup for Wednesday's game against the Coyotes, reports the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. He has missed 13 of the last 15 games with a troublesome groin but has practiced the last few days without any discomfort.

Gagne may need another month to recover from a concussion, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer. The original prognosis was that Gagne would need about one month to recover, but that due date is fast approaching and Gagne has only begun exercising. Keep the speedy winger reserved, perhaps until 2008.

Demitra continues to struggle with a groin injury and will not play Sunday against the Avalanche, reports the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. In fact, the Wild don't expect him back for another week and there's a growing sense that the injury could actually be more serious than the team is letting on. This injury bit shouldn't come as too much of a surprise for anyone who plays fantasy hockey as Demitra is one of the most injury prone players around.