Curtis Sanford, Blue Jackets - He's dealing with a back injury and it was just revealed that he had back spasms. He was already dealing the back problems that knocked him out a few games and is considered day-to-day at this time. This couldn't have come in a worse time when the team was starting to find some consistency in net. Steve Mason will man the net while Sanford is recovering.

Sheldon Souray, Stars - He suffered a foot injury in February 10th and we don't know the extent of the injury but he has missed a game so far and is considered day-to-day.

More injury news after the jump...

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Not much in the starting backup goalie news so far this morning...

Sergei Bobrovsky, Flyers vs. Rangers - Ilya Bryzgalov has the flu so Bobrovsky gets the start by default. In five career starts against the Rangers, he's done a good job with his performance but hasn't had the wins to show for it. He's ok to play if you have him but with the Rangers playing alittle warmer than the Flyers, it's a bit risky in the Win column.

Scott Clemmensen, Panthers vs. Devlis - The Devils have been playing pretty well lately but Clemmensen has also done a good job against them in four career starts.

James Reimer, Maple Leafs vs. Canadiens - Both teams are playing pretty well lately and Reimer has done a meh job against the Habs in four careers starts but he's also been playing very good the past few games. I think he's a good play.

Semyon Varlamov, Avalanche vs. Blues- Varlamov has started only three times against the Blues and has not lost to them yet but the Blues have been playing pretty hot lately while the Avs have been struggling. Varlamov is an ok play.

Ray Emery, Blackhawks vs. Coyotes - The Blackhawks are struggling while the Yotes are playing well. Not to mention that the goaltending lately has been in the crapper, probably best to avoid playing Emery if you have him,

Check back before 6 PM CST for any updates! Be sure to follow us on Twtter at @Faketeams and @MattPTurner

No player has been hotter than Sam Gagner in the past several games. An 8 point night certainly pads the stats a bit lately but what we're seeing here is perhaps something of a preview to things to come from Gagner. This profile will take a look at his past, his present and his outlook as a NHL player.

The Past

He joined the Sioux City Musketeers after forgoeing his verbal agreement to join the University of Wisconsin in 2005-2006. He did a good job for his first year and managed to make 46 points (11 goals, 35 assists) in 56 games with the Musketeers. Then, he was drafted in the fourth round in the OHL priority draft by the London (Ont.) Knights and got to play with the likes of Patrick Kane and Sergei Kostitsyn during that year. While playing, Kane, Kostitsyn and Gagner had a redonkulous year with at least 100 points each. Gagner had 118 points (35 goals, 85 assists) and the results of that single season catapulted his draft status when he entered the NHL Draft in 2007. He was garnering quite a bit of praise as much as fellow draftees Logan Couture and Jakub Voracek. Finally he was selected in the 6th overall pick by the Edmonton Oilers and was thrusted into high expectations for a storied franchise.

More about Gagner's present and outlook after the jump...

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Something devilish is going on

Check the available New Jersey Devils in your league, odds are there's a Devil available whose currently on fire, literally. David Clarkson and Dainius Zubrus both have 7 points a piece since returning back from the All-Star break, whatever they did during the break must have also rubbed off on newly acquired Alexei Ponikarovsky who has five points in his last three. Even the offensively challenged blue-line is chipping in, Kurtis Foster has been an sly pick-up by Lou Lamorello and is an excellent addition if you're looking for a depth defenceman.

Win and you're in

The Edmonton Oilers have implemented a 'win and you're in' system in goal for the remainder of the season. If the goalie wins he stays in the for next game - if the goalie loses, he rides the pine. So far the benefactor of that in Oil Country has been Devan Dubnyk. Although at the time of writing this article the Oilers are down 2 goals to the Maple Leafs, nonetheless, Dubnyk had won three in a row coming into this game. Even though he will give up some games to Nikolai Khabibulin, the Oilers are likely leaning towards starting the much younger Devan Dubnyk down this rebuilding stretch.

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Before we get to the injury report, I wanted to express my congratulations to the New York Giants on their hard-earned victory over the New England Patriots. I was expecting it to be a close but fun game to watch and I was certainly not disappointed. Now we can finally focus on some playoff races in hockey and spring training around the corner! Not much fantasy hockey injury news to report thankfully since the All-Star Break took a couple of days off the week.

Jimmy Howard, Red Wings - This one stings since everyone was benefiting of his All-Star season only to be without him for at least a month due a broken finger he suffered on Friday. He's going to try to aim for before the 4 to 6 week time frame he's slated to return. In the mean time, don't be surprised if Ty Conklin and Joey MacDonald split time. Frankly, I am not sure if either is worth a pickup unless you're in a deeper league.

Jose Theodore, Panthers - He's dealing with a nagging knee injury he suffered sometime ago and even the All-Star layoff hasn't help things. I can't help but be concerned that this might get worse before it even gets better unless he gets put on the IR list. In the meantime, he is considered day-to-day. Owners in daily transaction leagues need to pickup Scott Clemmensen until Theodore gets better.

Brenden Morrow, Stars - He suffered from neck and other issues before the All-Star Break and was activated after the All-Star game. Sadly, he only lasted two games before the neck issues returned and he was placed on the IR list. He could come back by the end of the week but I would imagine the Stars would be more cautious on activating Morrow until he's 100% over his neck injury.

Thomas Vanek, Sabres - He suffered a shoulder injury on Wednesday and it seems like it's not a big deal at this time. They're anticipating his return by the end of the week but keep your ear out if the pain doesn't go away like it should be.

Be sure to follow us on Twitter at @FakeTeams and @MattPTurner!

Johan Hedberg, Devils vs. Sergei Bobrovsky, Flyers - Hedberg has done a decent job against the Flyers in 28 career starts and so has Bobrovsky against the Devils in only two starts. Both teams have been doing well lately so we'll get to see who's the stronger backup in a classic East Coast game.

Peter Budaj, Canadiens vs. Capitals - Budaj has surprisingly only started twice against the Caps and he's done a decent job both times but with the Habs struggling lately, I wouldn't recommend playing him.

Mathieu Garon, Lightning vs. Panthers - Garon has done a great job in nine career starts against the Cats so he's a good play against them.

Ty Conklin, Red Wings vs. Oilers - He's had a decent track record against the Oilers in six career starts but the Red Wings are playing red hot so he's well worth the start.

UPDATE

Al Montoya, Islanders vs. Sabres - He's only started twice against the Sabres but he's done a good job both times. With the Sabres struggling lately, he looks like a good play.

UNCONFIRMED

Jonathan Bernier, Kings vs. Hurricanes - It sounds like he's due to play since it's been a few games since the last time he started. He's only started against the Canes once and won that game but did a decent job. Again, this is UNCONFIRMED.

Check back before 6 pm CST for any more updates on backup goalies who are starting today! Be sure to follow us on Twitter at @FakeTeams and @MattPTurner!

Just a note, I'm merging both 'Pick-ups of the Week' and 'Super Sleepers' into one jam-packed fantasy write up. Enjoy.

After a junior career that saw him eclipse the 110 points plateau twice and averaging a point per game in the AHL, Mathieu Perreault hopes to make the best of the opportunity the Washington Capitals have presented to him. He's receiving first line minutes for the first time in his NHL career and even receiving minutes on the first power-play unit. Time will tell what kind of player Perreault is, if his last two games are any indication (3 goals 2 assists) than he could just be one of the more valuable pick-ups you'll come across this season.

For the most part when it comes to rookies, most of the hype has been surrounding Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Matt Read, and Adam Henrique but Carl Hagelin and Cody Hodgson are still relatively unowned in most ESPN leagues. Hagelin has essentially come out of nowhere, nonetheless he's gone all the way to the NHL All-Star game representing the rookies and even won the fastest skater at the skills competition. He finds himself playing on a line with Derek Stepan and Marian Gaborik, not bad for the Rangers 6th round pick in 2007. Meanwhile Hodgson is fourth in rookie scoring, although the only knock on him is thanks to the abundance of offensive talent on the Canucks roster, he finds himself centering the third line - albeit a talented one with Mason Raymond and Jannik Hansen. Look for both to have excellent second halves of the season.

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The All-Star Weekend is upon us and we are enjoying the fruits of some innovative things the NHL has changed. I absolutely love the Fantasy Draft portion. Lots of heckling and decision-making from the Captains makes for a very lively event. Not to mention that it's not divided up by Conference like years past but purely on who the Captain thinks would help their team win. In any case, I will present my case for the Fantasy All-Star team but for players who have vastly outperformed their average draft position this season. I will pick six forwards, four defensemen and two goaltenders for Team A and Team B.

Check out my selections after the jump and be sure to vote on who do you think will win this weekend...

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