Its been too easy so far this year, so a day like Wednesday was inevitable. Fantasy hockey owners lost three monsters, each for a significant length of time. You dont just replace Steven Stamkos, Taylor Hall and?Johnny Gaudreau; you simply try to get by without them and hope your opponents dont get out too far ahead.That said, fantasy value is responsive, and it will move around somewhat within the vacuum these superstars leave behind. Some of it will be lost in the ether, but some of it will stick to other NHLers who may serve a purpose with your fantasy squad. While you cant replace Stamkos, Hall or Gaudreau, you have to pick up the pieces and find the best alternatives.Tampa Bay Lightning: This is by far the most significant of the injuries, as surgery on a torn knee will mean a minimum of four months on the sidelines for Stamkos -- and as many as six. Yes, that means he could have played his last fantasy-relevant game of the season. First off, do you stash him? Yes, but only if you have the convenience of an injured-reserve spot. Otherwise, cut him loose and hope you are in a position to play the waiver-wire game with your league when his return edges closer.As for the remaining Bolts, we know precisely how the team succeeds without Stamkos, because they did well in last seasons NHL playoffs without him, when he was out with a blood clot issue. Look for coach Jon Cooper to get back to the trio of Tyler Johnson, Alex Killorn and Nikita Kucherov as his top unit. They were dominant in the playoffs last season, with Jonathan Drouin, Ondrej Palat and Valtteri Filppula making up the other top-six line. If we see an argument for including Vladislav Namestnikov in the top six this time around, its Filppulas spot that makes sense. Those arent the lines they used Thursday, but they are the lines that got them within one goal of the Stanley Cup finals last season.For fantasy value, this skyrockets Johnson up our rankings, as he is at his best when he gets to play the No. 1 center role. Drouin also flourished without Stamkos presence in the playoffs last season, so he should be scooped back up in the 40 percent of leagues where he has been dropped since the start of the season.New Jersey Devils: While Hall suffered a similar injury to Stamkos, mainly a torn meniscus in his knee, the Devils new catalyst comes with a timetable of three to four weeks. Thats much more manageable, and for anyone who has owned Hall in the past, its almost a relief to get the inevitable injury out of the way early in the season (if only this guaranteed his health the rest of the way!). While Beau Bennett will slide into Halls role on a line with Travis Zajac and P.A. Parenteau, the trio itself is relegated to fantasy irrelevance. While Hall is out, youll want to look at Kyle Palmieri?and?Adam Henrique, and perhaps give Pavel Zacha a test drive. This line gets promoted from second scoring line to top unit with Hall out. Palmieri is already owned in most formats, but Henriques ownership is slipping, and Zacha is well behind. Henrique has four points in his past three games.Calgary Flames: Gaudreau will be out four to six weeks with a fractured finger, but fantasy owners might not have noticed his absence. Thats a dig at how slow the start to his season has been. In fact, Gaudreaus numbers look way better than they did, thanks to four points in his final four games before the injury on Tuesday. This is an opportunity for a fresh start with his owners when he comes back. The good news is that he can stay in top-notch shape because its a finger injury as opposed to a lower-body issue, so in theory, he can hit the ground running in 2017.In the meantime, the Flames used the injury as an excuse to shake up their lines. Sean Monahan now joins the duo of Troy Brouwer and Sam Bennett, while Matthew Tkachuk should draw back into the lineup on a consistent basis to play on the second scoring line with Michael Frolik and Mikael Backlund. The first hope here is that new surroundings will spark Monahan. He is not expected to score at quite the rate of Gaudreau, but six points in 18 games is still unacceptable production from a No. 2 center. The second hope here is that some consistency on a scoring line and some power-play time can help Tkachuk find a rhythm and make him more of a factor for fantasy owners. Hes not there yet, with just seven points in 14 games, but hes played more than 17 minutes in the two games this week with Gaudreau injured, so there is hope.Fantasy Forecaster: Nov. 21-27The Los Angeles Kings are the only NHL team not playing either three or four games next week. And, no, the Kings arent playing in our third five-game week of the season; they only have a pair of games next week.Download the forecaster chart PDF hereFor those new to the Forecaster chart, here are some explanations: O (offense) and D (defense) matchup ratings are based on a scale from 1 (poor matchup) to 10 (excellent matchup) and are calculated using a formula that evaluates the teams season-to-date statistics, their performance in home/road games depending on where the game is to be played, as well as their opponents numbers in those categories. The Ratings column lists the cumulative rating from 1-10 of that weeks offensive (O) and defensive (D) matchups.Team notesMinnesota Wild: They arent scoring a ton of goals lately, but they dont need to the way Devan Dubnyk is playing. That said, this Wild team is now primed for some offense with the return of Zach Parise this week. Interestingly, coach Bruce Boudreau opted to leave Nino Niederreiter with Charlie Coyle and Eric Staal, playing Parise with Mikko Koivu and Mikael Granlund. Its a nice balanced attack and has the potential for returns for both unites. Granlund is probably the most interesting of the group, as his stock has fallen big-time this season, but would be aided by playing with Parise on a regular basis. The Wild have a four-game week on tap that includes matchups against the less-than-elite defenses of the Dallas Stars and Winnipeg Jets.Dallas Stars: Big changes are coming for the Stars offense prior to next weeks contests. Jason Spezza returned this week from a five-game absence.?Cody Eakin played his first game of the season on Thursday. And Patrick Sharp is eyeing a potential return on Saturday. Watch the lineup on Saturday, as any number of role players could step up to fill the top six for now. The shortlist includes Eakin, Radek Faksa and the continued use of Patrick Eaves. The Stars have some tough opposing goaltenders to start the week with in Dubnyk and Pekka Rinne, but depending on how the lines are shaped on the weekend, any player skating with Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn should be worth using.Goalie notesWe feel bad for doubting Pekka Rinne after a very slow start to the season. He finished October with a 3.22 goals-against average in six games. So far in November, he has a 1.12 GAA in seven games. Hes definitely a No. 1 fantasy goaltender, and were sorry for bemoaning his earlier struggles. Rinne has more than made up for the bad numbers.Jonathan Bernier has now started three of the past six games for the Anaheim Ducks, appearing in four of them. Only one of those starts was part of a back-to-back set. Coach Randy Carlyle, familiar with Bernier from their days in Toronto, clearly still trusts him. If he continues to get 50 percent of the workload, thats enough to make a fantasy impact in all leagues.Tuukka Rask played the most recent back-to-back set on his own, but thats unlikely to occur again this coming week. If you need a cheap, one-off goaltender, Zane McIntyre is likely to draw either the punchless Ottawa Senators or Gaudreau-less Flames.Corey Crawford is close to matchup-proof, but owners might want to have a second look at their plans for next week as the Chicago Blackhawks are on a western road swing against the offenses of the Edmonton Oilers, San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings.Conversely, Sergei Bobrovskys schedule has him primed for a potential Player of the Week nod, as the Columbus Blue Jackets take on the Colorado Avalanche (potentially with no Matt Duchene or Gabriel Landeskog), Calgary Flames (sans Gaudreau), Tampa Bay Lightning (without Steven Stamkos) and Florida Panthers.Player notesThe search for a sixth and final winger for the Blackhawks top lines continues. While Vinnie Hinostroza had a shot this week, Tyler Motte is expected back from a leg injury this weekend. If he does return, that could put him in prime position for a four-game week with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane as linemates.A positive sign for Rickard Rakell:?When the chips were down and the Ducks were down 2-0 to the Devils on Thursday, Nick Ritchie was booted from the top line in favor of Rakell. He played out the game there with Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf, setting up Getzlaf for the first goal of the 3-2 comeback victory.Martin Hanzals return to the ice this week sparked Radim Vrbata to a nine-shot performance on Thursday against the Vancouver Canucks. The line of Hanzal, Vrbata and Max Domi is about as good as it gets for the young Arizona Coyotes, so watch for this chemistry to improve.Its never a good sign when your star finishes pointless and minus-3, but the Oilers switched up their lines on Thursday to promote Milan Lucic and Jesse Puljujarvi alongside Connor McDavid. As mentioned, the results werent great, but this makes Puljujarvi a short-term must-add for deeper leagues and someone to watch closely this weekend for all leagues.We are probably going to regret this recommendation, but medium to deep leagues should scoop up Ryan Strome. The New York Islanders, who continue to be lost on offense, are throwing Strome onto the top line with John Tavares for Fridays game. We still think the talent is there for something good to happen with this opportunity.Hello, Kevin Labanc! The OHLs leading scorer from last season was tearing up the AHL as a rookie so far this season. Now up with the Sharks, he played a few games buried down the depth chart. Then on Thursday Labanc skated with Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton on the top line and potted his first NHL goal. Give him a look. Cheap Seattle Mariners Jerseys . After Martin Skrtel put the Reds in front from close range at Stamford Bridge after only four minutes, Hazard hit back in the 17th with a superb strike. Etoo gave Jose Mourinhos team a decisive lead from Oscars back pass in the 34th. Cheap MLB Jerseys . There was no hesitation from the 40th-ranked Pospisil, from Vernon, B.C., who admitted that he cut back on his training sessions over the last few days to conserve energy as the long ATP season finishes next week at the Paris Masters. http://www.cheapmarinersjerseys.com/ . "I wrote 36 on my sheet at the beginning of the game," the Cincinnati coach said, referring the yard line the ball would need to be snapped from. Cheap Mariners Jerseys Authentic . 31, the CFL club announced Monday. The team also has yet to decide on the future of Doug Berry, who began the season as a consultant to the head coach but took over the offensive co-ordinators duties in July. Cheap Jay Buhner Jersey . -- Ryan Blaney provided more evidence that Penske Racings No.SILVERSTONE, England - As Formula One expands its reach into the United States, theres still a missing ingredient that could keep some fans away from the stands — an American driver on the grid. There hasnt been an American in Formula One since 2007 when Scott Speed drove for Toro Rosso. But the pressure is building for an American to make the jump now that the United States successfully hosted the U.S. Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, last year and is set to hold second grand prix in New Jersey as soon as 2014. "It would be tremendous boost for Formula One to have an American driver," Mario Andretti, the Formula One champion in 1978, told The Associated Press. "It would not only be good for America but also Formula One. No question about it. The U.S. is a very powerful nation from the standpoint of the financial situation. Every company in Formula One now does business in the Unites States." Scores of Americans have given F1 a try but few have succeeded. Andretti was the last American to win a drivers championship title and before him it was Phil Hill in 1961. More common were the likes of Andrettis son Michael, who raced 13 grand prix races for McLaren in 1993 with a third-place finish as his best result. Speed never scored a point in the two years he raced in F1. There was talk in 2010 of creating an American team dubbed USF1 team with strong backing from YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley and featuring Danica Patrick and possibly Speed as drivers. But USF1 struggled to attract sponsors amid the global recession and ran afoul of F1 when it didnt race in 2010. The dearth of drivers — there are only Americans Alexander Rossi and Conor Daly in all the F1 feeders — is blamed on the a mix of cultural and financial factors. Among the biggest challenges is raising the millions needed to fund a team from American corporations that may have doubts about the benefits of investing in a sport that is not a major attraction in the U.S. "Its extremely difficult for an American mostly because there is no American support from companies," said Speed, who now races in NASCAR and Global Rally Cross. "Why would an American company spend x amount of money in Formula One when they can get 10 times that exposure in America racing NASCAR? It makes zero sense financially." F1 drivers and executives said it also can be difficult for an American to make the transition to F1 since they are raised on tracks and a system that grooms them for IndyCar and NASCAR rather than serpentine circuits of Europe. There also isnt the kind of support system that European drivers can count on to provide mentoring and the occasional break as they attempt to rise through the ranks of the sport. "Formula One has flirted with North American for many years but Formula One hasnt been seen as the pinnacle of the sport in the eyes of youngster in North America. North America has evolved in a slightly different approach with things like NASCAR," said McLarens Martin Whitmarsh, who heads the F1 teams association. "North American doesnt have the karting program. Without exceeption, every single one of these (F1) drivers started at 8 or 9 in karting and went into competitive karting.dddddddddddd Karting became the launch pad for their careers." In the short term, Whitmarsh said prospective American drivers will have to go to Europe early on in their careers. But Andretti said the addition of two American races should help in the long-term — by inspiring more youngsters to take up the sport, providing the facilities needed to develop that talent and convincing American companies to step up their sponsorship. Rossi and Daly have beaten the odds partly because they are not your typical American drivers. Rossi is a reserve driver for Caterham and drives for them in the series GP2 which is a notch below F1. Daly drives in a lesser, GP3 series with ART Grand Prix. Both grew up on F1 — Rossi watching as a 6-year-old with his father — and Daly benefiting from the stories a father, Derek, who raced in F1 from 1978 to 1982. They also raced in Europe at a young age which Whitmarsh and others recommend. Rossi moved to Italy at 16 to pursue his F1 dream while the 21-year-old Daly first raced as a 16-year-old in Europe before moving there in 2011. The duo also have the belief they will make it to F1 — emboldened by the success they have had so far. Daly won a race in Barcelona last year and again this year in Valencia and sits fifth in the GP3 standings. Rossi joined Caterham in 2011 as a test driver and was named a reserve driver this year. He then replaced Chinese reserve driver Ma Qing Hua in GP2 after the opening race in Malaysia and placed third place in Bahrain. "When we were able to come over here and win races and qualify on pole, it justified that we can do it too. That is what has been encouraging," Daly said. "Rossi has been great so far and he has done an awesome job and he has kind of gotten there with Caterham already," he said. "Its not just one American we want in F1. Its as many as we can get. Right now, its just us two that at least have made it into Formula One cars and are kind of getting there." The two also understand the significance of becoming the next American on the grid. They have already witnessed a few flag-waving Americans at European races and the kind of support that comes across Twitter and Facebook when they win races. Doing that in Austin or New Jersey, they said, would be special. "It would mean everything not only to be an American on the grid but to be an American on the grid as Formula One starts to rebuild an audience in America," Rossi said. "The timing would be amazing." Noting the buzz he saw for Brit Lewis Hamilton at the British GP and Spaniard Fernando Alonso at the Spanish GP, Daly said an American race needs a homegrown driver. "In America, we have a race. Any drivers? No. Was there a good crowd? Absolutely, its a great venue Austin and the track is incredible. But in reality, who do Americans have to cheer for?" he said. "Its like the Olympics. When you watch the Olympics, you want to see Americans do well." ' ' '
