Faceoffs: Trying to fill the holes

Editor's note: Our Ross Devonport and Michael Hurcomb read, write and analyze everything Fantasy Hockey on a daily basis for CBSSports.com. They agree and disagree on a variety of subjects on a weekly basis and will share their opinions on Fantasy-relevant topics each week.

Who stands to benefit in Buffalo now that Thomas Vanek (jaw) is out 3-4 weeks?
Ross Devonport	Michael Hurcomb
I'm hoping that Ales Kotalik, who put up 62 points a few seasons ago, can reclaim a bit of the magic if he manages to grab a little more ice time on the top line with Vanek out of commission. Problem is, Kotalik has always been a 15-minute guy, regardless of who he skates alongside. I think Tim Connolly will benefit nicely as well, as he can be an assist machine when he's getting the chances.	Lindy Ruff has toyed with the idea of moving Derek Roy to Vanek's left wing spot, but felt it was still essential that he stay up the middle. Roy and Tim Connolly could both hone in on Vanek's scoring chances, but I'm looking toward Jochen Hecht and Clarke Macarthur to possibly picking up the slack at left wing. Hecht has been in a scoring funk all season, but with added scoring chances he could get on track. Also, Macarthur has shown this season to be a viable scoring option when given ample playing time.

What’s your advice for dealing with Steve Mason's (mono) situation?
Ross Devonport	Michael Hurcomb
Well, you're clearly not going to trade Mason away in any keeper format, so throw that out of the window. In seasonal leagues, I would hold on to him as well, because this thing could just vanish at any time and most people added Mason as a third goalie anyway, so you should have other options available to use until the mono does go away permantenly. Overall, I say bench him in almost all formats for now and save yourself the heartache of putting him in your lineup and then seeing him get zero starts.	Mono has the ability to have a long shelf life, and Mason could be dealing with chronic fatigue for the remainder of the season. Columbus has already said they are going to treat Mason as a day-to-day candidate, and it makes it easier to take that stance if Dan LaCosta and Wade Dubielewicz get the job done in net. I would only recommend trading Mason for fair value, but you just can't get that right now. My advice is to start praying and hope for the best. I wish I had more comforting news, but I can't recommend making any rash decisions.

Which short-handed specialists would you recommend for Fantasy play?
Ross Devonport	Michael Hurcomb
This is a tough one, as short-handed points are almost as rare as penalty shots. So, I'll just throw a dart and pick Canadiens winger Tomas Plekanec, who has three short-handed points this season. If Montreal continues to struggle like they have been recently, then I can see the frustration building and more short-handed chances coming Plekanec's way. Hey, stranger things have happened!	The Flyers trio of Simon Gagne, Mike Richards and Jeff Carter have been solid scorers in short-handed situations this season, but they are already owned in most Fantasy leagues, so what's the point of recommending them? Some forwards you can probably pick up for cheap in leagues that reward heavily for short-handed stats are Richard Park, Alexandre Burrows, David Legwand, Joe Pavelski, Dave Steckel and Matt Cullen. Roman Hamrlik, Chris Campoli and Dan Hamhuis are possible options among defensemen that are valuable penalty killers.

Which free agent owned in less than 50 percent of leagues would you want on your roster?
Ross Devonport	Michael Hurcomb
While the Senators have been awfully disappointing this season, I think you could do worse than having Brian Elliott as your No. 2 Fantasy goalie in deeper leagues for the stretch run. His 2.47 GAA is respectable, and you know with all the talent they have that Ottawa will surely have at least one nice little spurt before the end of March. But then again, maybe they won't.	My choice is Stars defenseman Matt Niskanen (owned 45 percent of leagues). He got off to a sluggish start in his sophomore campaign, but since Philippe Boucher was traded to Pittsburgh and Sergei Zubov went on season-ending IR, the Minnesota native has performed at a high level. He has three goals and 18 assists in his last 29 games. He is one of the Stars' top-logging skaters, and is a top defenseman for a playoff contender. I'm also starting to warm up to Panthers center Stephen Weiss (36 percent), but since defense is such a tough position to fill in Fantasy, Niskanen gets my vote.

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