After the game, Sabres Coach Lindy Ruff said his forward was in a great deal of pain. "Right now, he's suffered a big laceration on his jaw," Ruff told reporters from the Buffalo News. "The teeth got pushed up a little bit, but they are involved on the lower jaw part." He underwent surgery on Sunday to repair the damage, but at best will be out of your lineup for three weeks.
The injury couldn't have come at a worse time for the Sabres or for fantasy owners. Vanek is currently the third-leading scorer in the NHL with 32 goals and had found great chemistry on a line with Tim Connolly and Drew Stafford. The Austrian-born sniper had eight goals in his past seven games and had been drawing the attention of the media and hockey fans across the country.
So if you are a Vanek owner left trying to plug a hole in your lineup for the next month, where can you look?
Steve Ott in Dallas has been a surprise of late, producing across the board on a Stars team that is starting to finally live up to expectations. Ott has six goals in his past seven games and is finally starting to show why he was taken in the first round of the 2000 NHL entry draft. The gritty center also has 81 penalty minutes to go along with his 11 goals and sees a considerable amount of ice time on the man advantage. He is owned in only 10.2 percent of ESPN.com leagues.
Meanwhile, Chris Stewart will see his value increase in Denver while Milan Hejduk remains sidelined with an injured jaw. Stewart was moved up on the depth chart and saw ice time along with Ryan Smyth and Wojtek Wolski on Saturday. He didn't look out of place and was rewarded with a goal in the Avalanche's loss to St. Louis. The young power forward and former OHL standout with the Kingston Frontenacs has five goals in his past 11 games. He is a terrific player and is just now finding his stride in his rookie season. He'll continue to produce so long as he skating with some of his club's top players and is available in nearly every single ESPN.com league.
Another injury has created a surprise fantasy asset in Carolina. Rod Brind'Amour has been sidelined and that has left Matt Cullen as the de facto No. 2 center for the Hurricanes. Cullen has taken full advantage of the opportunity; he had a goal and an assist in the Hurricanes' win against Phoenix on the weekend and has 13 points overall in his past 11 games. Cullen's ice time is on the rise as quickly as his offense is. Only a few weeks ago, he averaged between 13-16 minutes a game, but now that number regularly sits in the 18-22 range. Cullen is owned in only 11 percent of ESPN.com leagues.
Ice Chips
Marian Hossa scored a goal in his first game back in Pittsburgh since he turned down a massive contract in the offseason. The goal was his 30th this season, as he has settled in nicely for the Red Wings. … Sam Gagner scored in Edmonton's loss to Minnesota on Sunday night. Fellow center Shawn Horcoff missed the game due to an injury, which moved Gagner up the depth chart for the contest against the Wild. It may be just the thing to ignite Gagner again, since he has been very disappointing in his sophomore season. He's owned in only 5.8 percent of ESPN.com leagues. … Jeff Carter's surprise season continues. He scored his 33rd and 34th goals in a 3-2 win against Atlanta. This is the type of value-versus-draft position that can win you your league. … Jere Lehtinen dished out two assists in the Dallas Stars' 4-1 win against Nashville. The two helpers extended his point streak to eight games. He has missed a lot of time this season due to injury, but is obviously healthy and producing again. He's available in about 30 percent of ESPN.com leagues. … Another Dallas winger has been playing well, but getting little love amongst the fantasy set. Rookie James Neal scored in the Stars victory and has 10 points in his past eight games. … As expected, the Stars placed Sean Avery on waivers in an attempt to rid themselves of the troubled forward. It's widely expected that Avery will clear waivers and land with the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL. It's just the latest step in Avery finding his way back to the NHL, which may happen sooner rather than later. … The Columbus Blue Jackets have finally placed rookie goalie Steve Mason on the injured reserve, retroactive to February 4. The news is mixed for Mason owners. While you hate to see your star goaltender placed on the IR, it's finally nice to see that you can get him out of your active lineup and pick up a healthy player off the waiver wire in the meantime.
John Pereira is a fantasy hockey analyst for ESPN.com.
