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Three Stars of the Week: Oct. 26-Nov. 1
Alphabetical Listing
Position Listing
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Fantasy Updates
  Ward takes a blade to the groin
Cam Ward, G CAR
News: Carolina G Cam Ward was helped off the ice in the first period of Saturday's game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Ward knelt for a couple of minutes on the ice before he was attended to by team trainers. As he was being helped off, drops of blood hit the ice. Ward stretched to make a save while the Blue Jackets' Rick Nash was skating through the crease at the 7:35 mark. It appeared Nash might have nicked Ward in the groin area with a skate. Ward was replaced by Michael Leighton.
Analysis: All we can say about this injury is OUCH! Ward and the Hurricanes are off to an awful start this season, and now he has to deal with a cut in a very tender area. Hopefully Ward isn't out for too long, but he was likely to be benched in most leagues for Fantasy Week 6 (Nov. 9-15) anyway as Carolina only has two games in the scoring period. When healthy, Ward can be a No. 1 Fantasy goalie, but he's been relegated to more of a No. 2 option at the moment. The Hurricanes TG is also a No. 2 choice.
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Green doesn't return to ice Saturday
Mike Green, D WAS
News: Capitals D Mike Green (upper body) did not return to action Saturday vs. the Panthers, one day after leaving Friday's game at Floria in the first period.
Analysis: Green dealt with some shoulder problems late last season and rehabbed over the summer. You really hope his latest setback is unrelated because it could be an issue that lingers. Green continues to be a standout offensive player from the blue line and a must-start Fantasy option. He is now a huge injury-risk start for Week 6 (Nov. 9-15).
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Enroth falls to Bruins in 1st NHL start
Jhonas Enroth, G BUF
News: Sabres G Jhonas Enroth allowed four goals on 37 shots Saturday as he fell 4-2 to the Bruins in his first NHL start.
Analysis: Enroth had an awful 3.90 in 10 AHL games this season before getting called up, so the four goals he allowed on Saturday were right about his average so far in 2009-10. Enroth is backing up Ryan Miller while Patrick Lalime deals with a groin injury. He has minimal Fantasy value in deeper leagues. The Sabres TG remains a No. 1 Fantasy option.
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Neal remains out Saturday
James Neal, LW DAL
News: Stars LW James Neal (groin) sat out Saturday's game at Minnesota. He has now missed two straight contests.
Analysis: Neal has six goals and four assists during a career-high seven-game point streak. The second-year forward has been outstanding for the Stars to begin the year and it's a real shame he now has to fend off an injury. Neal has emerged as a viable Fantasy start when healthy, but Dallas only has two games in Fantasy Week 6 (Nov. 9-15), so you might just want to bench him anyway.
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Parent sits out third straight
Ryan Parent, D PHI
News: Flyers D Ryan Parent (groin) sat out a third straight game Saturday as Philadelphia hosted the Blues.
Analysis: Parent can't seem to shake this groin issue and might well end up on IR. He has marginal offensive skills and is more on the ice for his defense, so is best used only in Fantasy leagues that reward heavily for short-handed stats when healthy.
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Briers sits again Saturday
Danny Briere, C PHI
News: Flyers C Daniel Briere (groin) sat out a fourth straight game Saturday as Philadelphia hosted the Blues.
Analysis: Briere is a viable Fantasy option when healthy, but injury concerns are now part of the territory. He is now a clear injury-risk start for Week 6 (Nov. 9-15), although the Flyers only play twice in the scoring period, so you would probably be benching Briere if he was healthy anyway.
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McDonald has now been out a week
Andy McDonald, C STL
News: Blues C Andy McDonald (upper body) saw his absence extend to a week when he sat out Saturday's contest at Philadelphia.
Analysis: McDonald said hello to the boards in crashing fashion last Saturday and still hasn't recovered fully. He's usually a solid start in most Fantasy formats, but will clearly be a risky injury option for Fantasy Week 6 (Nov. 9-15) unless he can return to the ice on Sunday at Atlanta.
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Colaiacovo a no-show again Saturday
Carlo Colaiacovo, D STL
News: Blues D Carlo Colaiacovo (flu) remained out of commission Saturday at Philadelphia.
Analysis: Colaiacovo is getting closer to a return, so might be worth a shot in deeper leagues for Fantasy Week 6 (Nov. 9-15). Colaiacovo is a good passer from the blue line, but he is still more of a low-end Fantasy option when healthy.
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Hedman sits Saturday as expected
Victor Hedman, D TB
News: As expected, Lightning rookie D Victor Hedman, the second overall pick in this year's draft, sat out Saturday's game at Montreal with an upper body injury.
Analysis: Hedman's offensive output has slowed down a little after his blistering start, but he's still worth using in deeper leagues a Fantasy flier when healthy. Hopefully he'll be back on the ice soon, but you should just probably bench him for Fantasy Week 6 (Nov. 9-15) anyway as the Lightning only play twice in the scoring period.
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Schultz doesn't heal in time for Sat.
Jeff Schultz, D WAS
News: Capitals D Jeff Schultz (lower body) missed Saturday's game vs. Florida, one day after leaving a game at the Panthers.
Analysis: Schultz has been a surprise offensive contributor from the Capitals' blue line with five points in his first 12 games. Unfortunately, we doubt his success will continue since he does his best work on defense. Despite the fast start, Schultz has low-end Fantasy appeal when healthy. Schultz is best used in Fantasy leagues that reward heavily for short-handed stats and plus/minus rating.
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Moore doesn't return Saturday
Dominic Moore, C FLA
News: Panthers C Dominic Moore (nasal) did not return to the lineup Saturday at Washington.
Analysis: Moore wasn't expected to miss any time after having surgery to repair a broken nose, but the recovery process has been slow. Moore shouldn't be out for too long, but he still has low-end Fantasy appeal when healthy.
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Kreps remains out Saturday
Kamil Kreps, C FLA
News: Panthers C Kamil Kreps (foot) could not return to action Saturday at Washington. He hasn ow missed three straight games with this issue.
Analysis: Kreps has no goals and three assists in 13 games. He primarily chews up time as a lower-line forward and penalty killer. Kreps has little to no Fantasy value outside of leagues that reward heavily for short-handed stats when healthy.
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No sign of Whitney on Saturday
Ray Whitney, LW CAR
News: Hurricanes LW Ray Whitney (upper body) sat out a second straight game Saturday as Carolina visited Columbus.
Analysis: Whitney has struggled like many Hurricanes in 2009-10 with just four goals and eight points in 14 games. That's not bad production, but we know Whitney can do better. Consider him an injury-risk start for Week 6 (Nov. 9-15). He is a No. 3 or No. 4 Fantasy forward when active.
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Weight to miss a week with injury
Doug Weight, C NYI
News: The Islanders will be without captain Doug Weight when they host Atlanta on Saturday night. The 38-year-old center is expected to miss a week after sustaining an undisclosed upper body injury.
Analysis: Weight has played in only 11 of New York's 16 games because of an early season groin injury and a bout with the swine flu. He is just a low-end Fantasy option to begin with and should be benched in all formats for Week 6 (Nov. 9-15).
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Martinek done for the season
Radek Martinek, D NYI
News: Oft-injured Islanders defenseman Radek Martinek is out for the season with a knee injury. The 33-year-old Martinek tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee on Friday night in the third period of a 2-1 loss at New Jersey, the Islanders said on Saturday. Martinek was helped off the ice with about 5:45 to play after he was hit hard against the boards in front of the Devils bench by Zach Parise.
Analysis: Martinek, in his eighth NHL season, played in only 51 games last season - missing 17 straight after hurting a shoulder. A bruised right leg forced him to sit out 13 games during the 2007-08 campaign. In the season before that, Martinek broke his leg and didn't play the final 30 games. His rookie year of 2001-02 was limited to 23 games because of a season-ending knee injury. Martinek, who has played as many as 70 games in a season only once, had two goals and one assist this season. He was in the lineup for each of New York's first 16 contests. Martinek can be but in all formats as he is just a low-end option to begin with.
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Krejci sits as expected Saturday
David Krejci, C BOS
News: As expected, Bruins C David Krejci (swine flu) did not play Saturday against the Sabres. He is currently quarantined away from the team.
Analysis: After scoring 22 goals with 51 assists last season, Krejci received a three-year contract worth more than $11 million a few days before having hip surgery in June. In 14 games this season, he has one goal and four assists. Krejci can be a viable Fantasy option when healthy, but should probably be benched for Fantasy Week 6 (Nov. 9-15), as he isn't likely to be 100 percent if he does return in the scoring period.
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