The first beneficiary of the knee injury that has sidelined Rangers first-liner Vaclav Prospal is Christopher Higgins (37 games, 4-6-10, owned in 3 percent of all Yahoo! leagues). The winger, who has struggled most of the season, practiced on a line with Marian Gaborik and Brandon Dubinsky on Tuesday. "Higgy is a guy who has done so many good things other than not scoring," head coach John Tortorella told the New York Post. "He has done all of the things we asked of him, and has done them very well. He's played hard, straight ahead, killed penalties, been put on the ice after we've scored a goal to have a momentum shift. I hope it ignites him." The Rangers host the Flyers on Wednesday.
Goaltender Michael Leighton (11, 4-4-0, 3.46 GAA, 5 percent) will make his fourth straight start for the Flyers on Wednesday against the Rangers in New York. Ray Emery remains out with an abdominal injury, though he has begun practicing on the ice, and Brian Boucher had an injection to numb his lacerated right ring finger before Tuesday's practice. Leighton is riding a three-game win streak during which he has a 1.96 goals-against average and a .941 save percentage. "Right now, Michael Leighton deserves to start," coach Peter Laviolette told the Philadelphia Inquirer. He'll be opposed by Henrik Lundqvist (34, 16-13-4, 2.42 GAA, 97 percent) of the Rangers.
Center Ryan Getzlaf, tied for the Ducks' scoring lead with Corey Perry, missed his first game of the season on Tuesday, a 4-2 home win against Minnesota. Getzlaf (38, 10-31-41, 98 percent) has a leg laceration. According to the Orange County Register, he will likely return to the lineup by the weekend.
Also due back soon is winger Teemu Selanne, who has missed the last 12 games with a broken hand. Coach Randy Carlyle said he expects Selanne (27, 14-7-21, 67 percent) to return to the lineup in the next few games. Selanne will travel with the Ducks on their three-game road trip that begins Dec. 31. "Teemu's time frame is after the first of January," Carlyle told the Register. "He will wear a protective device. We'll probably have an X-ray or an MRI done on his hand before he's cleared to play."
Newly acquired left wing Jason Chimera (39, 8-9-17, 4 percent) will make his Capitals debut on Wednesday at San Jose. The Washington Post reports he will skate on the second line with high-scoring teammates Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Semin. "No slight to Sammy Pahlsson and Freddy Modin," Chimera said, referring to his linemates with the Blue Jackets. "They're great players. But Backstrom and Semin bring a whole new level to the game. Just their patience with the puck is unbelievable. Should be fun. Hopefully I don't go offside too much."
On Wednesday, the Capitals are seeking their first win in San Jose since Oct. 30, 1993. Washington has gone 0-8-1 and lost six in a row at San Jose since. The contest pits two of the NHL's four teams with 54 or more points and features the two highest scoring pairs of teammates in the League in Joe Thornton and Dany Heatley (98 points) of San Jose, and Alex Ovechkin and Backstrom (94) of the Capitals.
Also from Washington, goaltender Semyon Varlamov was sent to AHL Hershey on a conditioning assignment. He has missed nine games with a groin injury. Varlamov (16, 12-1-2, 2.21 GAA) has not lost a game since Nov. 23, bowing to Ottawa in overtime. Expect him back with the Caps as soon as possible.
After five straight starts for Jaroslav Halak (17, 10-6-0, 2.56 GAA), the Canadiens will have goaltender Carey Price (26, 9-13-3, 2.75 GAA) in net for Wednesday's game at Tampa Bay. Price hasn't won since Dec. 7.
Atlanta's team Web site reports Ondrej Pavelec (24, 9-10-3, 3.42 GAA) will start in goal on Wednesday at Boston. The Thrashers are speculating that Tuukka Rask (15, 9-3-2, 1.97 GAA) will start for the Bruins.
The Canucks waived veteran defenseman Mathieu Schneider on Tuesday afternoon, diminishing his fantasy value greatly, not that he was producing much anyway. If Schneider (17, 2-3-5) clears waivers, the Canucks can opt to send him down to AHL Manitoba, in which case Schneider can be cut immediately from any fantasy team.
Later that day, Vancouver defenseman Kevin Bieksa (40, 1-15-16) suffered a serious skate cut to his leg in a 3-2 shootout loss at Phoenix. "It's horrible," Bieksa told the Vancouver Sun. The Canucks next play on Wednesday at St. Louis.
Fantasy owners of Erik Johnson should be seething over his benching on Tuesday, yet another home loss by the Blues, 4-3 to Nashville. Though he is in the top 20 in the NHL among defensemen in scoring, Johnson (38, 4-17-21) has only 2 assists in his last 11 games. Despite his recent struggles, Johnson, who missed all of last season with a leg injury, is St. Louis' top-scoring defender. "We need E.J. to play better, and we think he will," coach Andy Murray told the Post-Dispatch. "His play away from the puck is an area where he needs to consistently work."
WEDNESDAY'S PROJECTED GOALIES:
Atlanta (Ondrej Pavelec) at Boston (Tim Thomas), 7:00 p.m. ET
Pittsburgh (Marc-Andre Fleury) at New Jersey (Martin Brodeur), 7:00 p.m. ET
Philadelphia (Michael Leighton) at NY Rangers (Henrik Lundqvist), 7:00 p.m. ET
Montreal (Carey Price) at Tampa Bay (Mike Smith), 7:00 p.m. ET
Colorado (Craig Anderson) at Ottawa (Pascal Leclaire), 7:30 p.m. ET
Los Angeles (Jonathan Quick) at Calgary (Miikka Kiprusoff), 9:30 p.m. ET
Toronto (Johan Gustavsson) at Edmonton (Jeff Deslauriers), 9:30 p.m. ET
Washington (Jose Theodore) at San Jose (Evgeni Nabokov), 10:30 p.m. ET
RECENT INJURIES:
Daniel Alfredsson, RW, Ottawa: Will miss four to six weeks with separated left shoulder.
Kevin Bieksa, D, Vancouver: Is day-to-day with a leg laceration.
Ryan Getzlaf, C, Anaheim: Is day-to-day with a leg laceration.
Evander Kane, RW, Atlanta: Is day-to-day with a shoulder injury.
Paul Kariya, LW, St. Louis: Is day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
Kevin Klein, D, Nashville: Is day-to-day with a concussion.
Chuck Kobasew, RW, Minnesota: Is out four to six weeks with sprained anterior and medial collateral ligaments in his left knee.
Paul Mara, D, Montreal: Is day-to-day with a hand injury.
Marc Methot, D, Columbus: Placed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury.
Tom Poti, D, Washington: Is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.
Vaclav Prospal, C, NY Rangers: Will miss 10 days to three weeks following arthroscopic knee surgery to repair a lateral meniscus tear.
Derek Roy, C, Buffalo: Is day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
Jerred Smithson, W, Nashville: Is sidelined indefinitely with a broken left hand.
Jim Vandermeer, D, Phoenix: Is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.
Justin Williams, RW, Los Angeles: Placed on injured reserve with a broken right leg.
TRANSACTIONS:
Boston Bruins: Reassigned F Matt Marquardt from Providence (AHL) to Reading (ECHL).
Colorado Avalanche: Reassigned D Derek Peltier to Lake Erie (AHL).
Nashville Predators: Reassigned F Dave Scatchard to Milwaukee (AHL).
New Jersey Devils: Recalled D Matt Corrente from Lowell (AHL) under emergency conditions. Placed RW Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond on injured reserve, retroactive to Dec. 17.
Ottawa Senators: Reassigned F Ryan Keller to Binghamton (AHL).
St. Louis Blues: Recalled F Derek Armstrong from Peoria (AHL) under emergency conditions.
Washington Capitals: Assigned G Semyon Varlamov to Hershey (AHL) on a conditioning assignment.
NHL.COM EXPERTS LEAGUE:
Week 13 results through Dec. 29
Rocky Trottier 1 vs. Hempstead Slowpokes 7 (3 ties)
Skoula Hard Knocks 3 vs. The Birdcage 8
Clown Shoes 5 vs. Code Monkeys 3 (3 ties)
Big Skillets O'BKLYN 7 vs. Philly Cheesestakes 2 (2 ties)
Ovi's Heroes 7 vs. Ready Arnott 3 (1 tie)
Hammerhead United 6 vs. Out on a Dan Hinote 3 (2 ties)
EMAIL OF THE DAY:
I have held onto Thomas Vanek for a long time, hoping that he would eventually snap out of his funk. He doesn't appear to be doing so. Andrei Kostitsyn, Mason Raymond, Kris Versteeg, Wayne Simmonds, and Patrice Bergeron are all free agents that look appealing. I'm at the top of my league in nearly every offensive category except for plus-minus and penalty minutes so I'd like to boost those a little. Any suggestions?
-- Alex
My first suggestion is to not drop Vanek. If you want him off your roster, you should only do so by trading him, even while his value is low. A two-time 40-goal scorer can not simply be dumped, and you’ll see how fast another owner in your league will put in a claim and gladly scoop him up. But I do agree, Vanek has been a disappointment, as by now you would expect him to have at least 20 goals, and the five games he’s missed with injury haven’t helped. Look to another player on your team to clear out if you must.
As for who to add, I can’t see how Simmonds doesn’t emerge from those five candidates you provided. Through Monday’s games he was a plus-14 with 42 penalty minutes in 35 games. The other four players all fill offensive roles as a top-six forwards on their respective teams. They may have superior point totals, but none are known as two-way players and they generally stay out of the penalty box. For much of this season Simmonds has been a third-liner for the Kings, a position that carries more defensive responsibility, though Simmonds has chipped in with 9-12-21. I own him on a few teams of my own and have been quite pleased with his production.
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