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The fantasy overlords decided that one Montreal Canadiens center suffering a knee injury that would keep him out two months just wasnt enough. So they decided to make it two.The news that Alex Galchenyuk, who was hurt in Sundays contest, and David Desharnais, who replaced Galchenyuk on the top line but was then injured Tuesday, will miss six-to-eight weeks each with knee injuries is bad news all around.Unless your name is Tomas Plekanec, that is. Suddenly the only body in a Habs uniform seemingly capable of taking faceoffs and making snappy decisions in the offensive zone is a hot commodity. Of course, fantasy owners of any stripe should consider scooping up Plekanec, who is available in 52 percent of ESPN leagues. After all, Alexander Radulov and Max Pacioretty are pretty darn good wingers to skate between.And its not as if this Plekanec guy is a flake. He has a 60-point season in recent history, and a 70-point season within the last decade on his resume. Hes hit the 20-goal threshold in seven of nine seasons when he played at least 70 games, but he butters the bread for his fantasy owners with assists. Even in what was a down season for Plekanec in 2015-16, he managed to be among the top 30 in the NHL for assists, with 40 helpers. Setting up Radulov and Pacioretty on even strength and on the power play is going to take him from fantasy afterthought to fantasy mainstay for the next two months.That said, dont expect Galchenyuk-like numbers out of him. Behind the top line, the Canadiens have zero depth that is capable of creating any kind of fear in opponents. Plekanec, Pacioretty and Radulov will face their opponents rockstar defenders at almost every turn. There is enough talent here that all three will get by for their fantasy owners, but they wont perform at the same level as they would if everyone was healthy and forcing the opposition to respect more than one line -- obviously.Downgrade your outlook for Radulov and Pacioretty for the next stretch, though both are still no-brainers for your lineup. Meanwhile, Plekanec could be argued for universal ownership until February.Fantasy Forecaster: Dec. 12-18The Winnipeg Jets, Philadelphia Flyers, Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames all have a lowly two-game schedule for next week. If youve been relying on Connor Hellebuyck, Steve Mason, Cam Talbot or Chad Johnson in head-to-head leagues with goaltender thresholds to meet, you may have to find a spot start somewhere.Of those two-game teams, dont shy away from the Flyers offense too much. Their two games are against the 25th- and 30th-ranked defenses for goals allowed per game.The Arizona Coyotes, Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Los Angeles Kings, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins and San Jose Sharks all get the bonus of an extra game, for a four-game week. Plan accordingly with your offensive decisions.The remaining NHL teams all have a three-game week on tap.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 upon 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 notesPittsburgh Penguins: Ian Cole and Justin Schultz are kicking way more butt than third-pairing defense partners should. For his part, Schultz has a five-game point streak rolling, with four goals and four assists in that span. Cole has seven points in the past five contests. Is this a product of a hot streak? A better selection for their offensive opportunities? The pair finally taking advantage of the weaker on-ice opponents they face most of the time? Its probably a combination of everything. For now, take advantage of it. Most fantasy owners have a fifth or sixth defenseman who is interchangeable with whatever looks good on the waiver wire. There is no reason not to ride this hot streak, especially heading into a four-game week that includes games against the 28th- and 29th-ranked defenses for goals allowed per game. It might not be obvious for fantasy hockey newcomers, so it bears mentioning that Schultz is the primary target here. He came into the league with much fanfare for his offensive abilities, and was once expected to be a long-term No. 1 fantasy defenseman. He, therefore, has more pedigree to keep his roll going.If you need a forward option to take advantage of the Penguins good schedule, check to see if you are too late to get on the Conor Sheary train. As Sidney Crosbys linemate with some consistency, Sheary has six points in his past five games. As a Hail Mary for deeper leagues, Carl Hagelin has not yet been bumped from the second line by Chris Kunitzs return, and offers potential upside for a roll of the dice.Columbus Blue Jackets: Power-play specialist, Sam Gagner be thy name. The former first-round pick who almost found himself out of a job in the NHL last season has found a niche with the Blue Jackets. Maybe its because the team and himself are both plucky on some level. Gagner tagged on two more power-play points on Monday (and two more at even strength), giving him seven points on the man advantage this season (and 17 total). If you told us before the season that Gagner would have more points (in fewer games) than Joe Thornton, Filip Forsberg or Max Domi, we might have asked you what you were on. But here we are, with Gagner as an arguable fantasy asset. You might look at the ice time and wonder if he can keep up the pace, but dont forget that a large chunk of that minimal ice time is coming on the man advantage on a consistent basis. The Blue Jackets take a road swing through western Canada next week, where goals are aplenty on most nights.Goalie notesThose looking for goaltending help next week need only know one name: Scott Darling. The Hawks have a busy four-game week and Corey Crawford is still sidelined. Hell likely have two-way wizard Jonathan Toews back in front of him next week, too.Of course, theres still the two-thirds of ESPN leagues where Steve Mason remains available for some reason. Even when he coughed up five goals to Connor McDavid & Co. on Thursday, his offense backed him for the win -- his sixth straight.Player notesT.J. Oshie returned to the Washington Capitals lineup on Wednesday, bolstering the scoring lines back to a full load of talent. Justin Williams took a turn on the top line with Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov in the resulting shuffle. The trio combined on a pair of first-period goals. Weve been waiting for Williams and, particularly, Kuznetsov to get things going this season. Maybe this is the catalyst.For what its worth, James Neal returned from injury to the third line for the Nashville Predators this week. Of course, Neal is still a mainstay on the top power-play unit and shouldnt be downgraded much.Drake Caggiula is the latest on our big board that tracks who Connor McDavid is playing with. The skilled, shifty winger, who won an NCAA championship last season before joining the Oilers, has been lining up with McDavid and Milan Lucic for the past two games, in which hes earned three assists.Jonathan Marchessaults continued absence is a boon to the slow start by Reilly Smith. Until Marchessault returns, Smith is playing with Aleksander Barkov and Jaromir Jagr on the top line. Before Matt Murray almost stonewalled the Panthers on Thursday, Smith had assists in two straight on the top line.Watch the Jets lines closely following Thursdays return by Mark Scheifele. The Jets opted to leave Bryan Little as the pivot for young snipers Nikolaj Ehlers and Patrik Laine. This role going forward would significantly increase our interest in Little as an everyday fantasy player.Ever on the fantasy radar for his sniping abilities, Teemu Pulkkinen was called up by the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday, but ended up sitting in the press box. He hasnt been unproductive in the AHL, however, collecting 15 points in 16 games. If the Wild ever give him a chance on a scoring line due to injuries, be ready. Water Bottle Hydro Flask 24 oz Standard Mouth Pacific . If ever they start actually putting pictures beside words in the dictionary, the Blue Jays left-handers mug will appear beside “Consistency. Water Bottle Hydro Flask 32 oz Wide Mouth Lemon .05 million next season unless Graham and the Saints subsequently agree on a long-term deal. The designation was released Monday after the deadline passed for NFL teams to use franchise or transition tags on players becoming free agents. http://www.hydroflaskaustralia.com/wide-mouth/64-oz.html . -- Jimmy Walkers first PGA Tour trophy came with a special gift tucked inside. Hydro Flask Wide Mouth Australia .Y. -- The Buffalo Sabres have recalled forward Kevin Porter and defenceman Chad Ruhwedel from the minors as part of a five-player roster shuffle made by the NHLs worst team. Water Bottle Hydro Flask 18 oz Wide Mouth Flamingo . The Montreal Canadiens announced on Friday that the veteran forward will return to the teams line-up on Saturday night when the Habs visit the Nashville Predators. MINNEAPOLIS -- Cool as their unflappable head coach, Brad Stevens, the Boston Celtics never got down even as their deficit ballooned against the young and athletic Minnesota Timberwolves.When the Celtics finally got going, the Wolves tensed up once again and let another big lead get away.Isaiah Thomas scored 29 points and Boston rallied from 13 points down in the fourth quarter to beat the Timberwolves 99-93 on Monday night.Al Horford added 20 points, six rebounds and five assists for the Celtics, who trailed 81-68 after three. Boston opened the fourth on a 17-0 run to take the lead and held on down the stretch for its second straight win.I think give us credit for playing a little harder than them and making them think a little more and getting them uncomfortable, Thomas said.Karl-Anthony Towns had 27 points and 18 rebounds for the Timberwolves. Gorgui Dieng added 20 points and 10 rebounds, but Andrew Wiggins was just 5 for 18 and Minnesota scored three points in the first 9 minutes of the fourth.We laid a damn egg, said Zach LaVine, who was 4 of 12 from the field and 0 for 7 on 3-pointers.Terry Rozier added a career-high 12 points off the bench and keyed the Celtics surge in the first 6 minutes of the fourth.The Timberwolves have normally reserved their meltdowns this season for the third quarter, when they have the NBAs worst point differential. But they won that period 29-26 on Monday night, just the second time this season they have outscored their opponent in the third.Jonas Jerebko and Rozier opened the fourth with 3-pointers, and Rozier added another long ball and a steal and dunk to push the Celtics in front.Towns was the only player who scored for the Wolves in the first 11 minutes of the fourth quarter, converting a three-point play with 5:18 to go for their first bucket and hitting a 3-pointer with 2:38 remaining.Boston outscored Minnesota 31-12 in the fourth as the Timberwolves shot 5 for 25.They were definitely pressing, Celtics guard Marcus Smart said. Guys were into guys, we were making everything hard. You could definitely tell they were pressingg to find a great shot.ddddddddddddThe Wolves outscored Boston 58-34 in the paint and outrebounded the Celtics 51-39, including 16-6 on the offensive glass. But Minnesota missed eight free throws.I think we have to play tougher with a lead, coach Tom Thibodeau said. And the big thing for us is to improve and learn.TIP-INSCeltics: Horford also had three blocks and reached 20 points for the first time with the Celtics. ... Boston was issued a rare delay of game warning coming out of a timeout late in the third quarter. ... Jerebko was a plus-20 in under 19 minutes.Timberwolves: Minnesota entered the game leading the NBA in 3-point shooting, but was 4 for 24. ... Towns has blocked a shot in 20 straight games. ... F Brandon Rush was active after missing the previous seven games with a sore big toe on his right foot. He played 2 minutes in the fourth quarter.TEMPERS FLAREOne of the biggest guys on the court and the smallest got into it in the third quarter when the 6-foot-11, 240-pound Dieng leveled the 5-9, 185-pound Thomas with a screen. Dieng was called for an offensive foul because he was moving while he set the screen, and Thomas took exception. The All-Star guard got up and shoved Dieng, and the two exchanged words while being separated by teammates.It was the heat of the battle, Thomas said. We talked about it after, and he loves my game, I love his, so were good.CROWDER AILINGJae Crowder missed eight games with a sprained left ankle before returning on Saturday against Detroit. He made life difficult on Wiggins, who was 0 for 5 from 3-point range. But Crowder had to leave the game in the third quarter because of soreness in that left ankle and did not return.Hopefully hell be OK, Stevens said.UP NEXTCeltics: Boston wraps up a three-game road trip in Brooklyn on Wednesday night.Timberwolves: Minnesota starts a three-game trip with a game at New Orleans on Wednesday night in which Towns will face fellow Kentucky big man Anthony Davis. ' ' '