At long last Sidney Crosby is back. No. 87 will be in the Penguins' lineup Monday night when Pittsburgh hosts the New York Islanders. The 7 p.m. ET game will be televised nationally by Versus in the United States and CBC in Canada

To say the Penguins, their fans and fantasy owners have been eagerly awaiting Crosby's return to action may be the understatement of the hockey season. Sid has been sidelined since Jan. 6 when he was diagnosed with a concussion following a pair hard hits in successive games. Since that time, there has been constant speculation as to when Crosby would be cleared to play. All of that is now in the past, however, with Sunday's big news that Sid is ready to return.  
 
When he was abruptly forced from the lineup last season, Crosby was having an MVP-caliber campaign. In 41 games Crosby had 32 goals and 66 points. He compiled 19 points on the power play, totaled 161 shots and was a plus-20 for good measure.

If Crosby can come close to producing the type of numbers he had prior to getting injured, then fantasy owners who took the risk of drafting or dealing for Sid will be ecstatic. Once Crosby shakes off the rust, there is no reason to believe he can't return to his elite status as one of the best -- if not the best -- players in the League.

The only concern the Pens and Sid owners should have is keeping him healthy and on the ice. In addition to the fear of Crosby suffering another concussion. The 24 year-old superstar has also been dinged up a few times with other various ailments. Injuries have been the only thing capable of slowing Sid down during his short career.
 

Chris Kunitz

Left Wing - PIT

GOALS: 7 | ASST: 4 | PTS: 11
SOG: 60 | +/-: -2

The fantasy impact of Crosby's return goes far beyond his giddy owners jumping for joy. Upon his return, Crosby will be reunited with the linemates he had most of last season, Chris Kunitz and Pascal Dupuis. To date, Kunitz has been a steady fantasy contributor with 7 goals, 11 points, 60 shots on goal and an impressive 42 hits. Dupuis, not known to be as fantasy relevant as Kunitz, has opened some eyes this season with 4 goals, 14 points and 54 shots on goal with a plus-7 rating. But now back with Crosby, both players should see their production experience a big boost that should continue as long as they keep reaping the benefits of skating alongside one of the NHL's most dynamic playmakers. 
 
Between Kunitz and Dupuis, Kunitz is the better play at this point due to his track record as a perennial 20-goal scorer who can be counted on to be a consistent contributor to the shots on goal and PIMs categories. Since arriving in Pittsburgh in 2008-09, Kunitz has shown the ability to elevate his game when paired with Sid. Dupuis might not have quite as a high a ceiling as Kunitz, but the underrated veteran left winger is a reliable fantasy option who, if not spectacular, can contribute to fantasy categories across the board for teams in deeper leagues. 
 
With Crosby sidelined to this point, both Kunitz (owned in 38 percent of Yahoo! Leagues and Dupuis (owned in 19 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) are both undervalued. That won't last for long once Sid returns and inevitably boosts the play of both of these wingers. Go ahead and grab Kunitz off the waiver wire now in leagues where he is available and keep a close eye on Dupuis to see if Crosby's return allows him to keep performing over his head.

Patrick Marleau is on a roll in November, and the San Jose Sharks are back to their winning ways as a direct result.

The 32-year-old forward posted a hat trick on Sunday, including an empty netter on the power-play to seal a 4-1 win in the Mile High City -- marking San Jose's sixth victory in eight games this month. Marleau is thriving alongside Joe Thornton (1 G, 6 A in last 3 games), and it's no secret that the Sharks are one of the most prolific offenses in the League when those two forces are in full swing.

Marleau (9 G, 10 A, plus-4, 9 PPP, 8 PIM, 55 SOG) has reeled off six goals and four assists in his last six games and is an experienced power-play orchestrator. Despite a five-game slump to start the season, Marleau has been extremely active in the offensive zone for the Sharks (6-1-1 in November) ever since, and is proving he is still at the top of his game.  He is also center/left wing eligible, which is icing on the cake for his fantasy owners.

The Sharks, despite falling in the Western Conference Finals in each of the past two seasons, continue to be one of the most dangerous regular season teams in the League -- which has been the case since their President's Trophy-winning campaign in 2008-09. With Joe Pavelski emerging as a top-10 fantasy right wing and Thornton's production in full swing, Marleau is in prime position to live up to expectations and produce a 35-plus goal, 75-plus point season in '11-12.

While the club is not quite there yet, the two fresh faces of the franchise are taking major strides in their pursuit of becoming elite players night in, night out. Saturday night, the two spilled oil all over the Chicago Blackhawks, combining for three goals, five assists, eight points and seven shots. Not a bad night.

The tough part is deciding which player had the better night. Hall collected a hat trick, but Nugent-Hopkins amassed five assists. Let'Tyler s call it a tie.

This year, fantasy owners have seen unexpected greatness from Nugent-Hopkins, a small-framed, inexperienced rookie. Through 19 games, RNH has 19 points on seven goals and 12 assists and has thrown 40 shots on the cage. Fellow stud Hall, meanwhile, has 14 points in 18 games and has 52 shots thrown on net.

The dynamic duo in Oil Country could be emerging as the next Sidney Crosby-Evgeni Malkin or Jonathan Toews-Patrick Kane. Fantasy owners are taking notice, too. Nugent-Hopkins is owned in 68 percent of Yahoo! leagues and has jumped from an original ranking of 244 to 93, currently. Hall is owned in 82 percent of Yahoo! leagues.

While you search for the next long-term solution for your fantasy teams, look no further than the two headliners in Edmonton.

Dustin Byfuglien is having a November to remember after experiencing an October to forget.

Byfuglien had another big game Saturday, scoring a goal and adding two assists in Winnipeg's 6-4 win against Philadelphia. That makes three goals and seven assists for Byfuglien in nine games this month. During that span, the 26-year old defenseman has totaled 30 shots on goal while racking up 20 penalty minutes.

Byfuglien's impressive month is quite the turnaround from his lackluster October in which he posted a meager seven points and was a minus-5 in 11 games. Concerns by the Jets and fantasy owners about Byfuglien in the season's opening month were only compounded by a disappointing finish to the 2010-11 season and growing concerns about his weight. However, Big Buff's strong November performance seems to indicate that he has put all his issues behind him and is ready to return to his elite status among fantasy blue liners.

In his latest On the 'D'-Fence segment, Brian Metzer moved Byfuglien up two spots to No. 12 in his weekly rankings. If Byfuglien can continue to produce up to his potential, then the offensively-gifted defenseman could easily crack the top 10 and even has the ability to soar into the top 5.

Unfortunately, fantasy GMs looking to buy low on Byfuglien may have missed their opportunity. However, if you are still looking to target Byfuglien in a trade, then you should feel confident Byfuglien is back on track and poised for his typical all-around stellar production at the always-thin defenseman position.

Is Jean-Sebastien Giguere finding the fountain of youth in Colorado?

The thirty four year-old goalie made 24 saves Friday night to blank the Stars 3-0.  Giguere's impressive performance against Dallas was his second straight solid start in net for the Avalanche.

Jean-Sebastien Giguere

Goalie - COL

RECORD: 4-2-0
GAA: 1.68 | SVP: 0.934

With his recent hot play, Giguere seems destined to wrestle plenty of playing time away from starting goalie Semyon Varlamov.  The Avs paid a steep price to acquire Varlamov in the offseason and are committed to making the twenty-three year old their franchise goalie for the long term.  All seemed to be going according to plan as Varlamov came out of the gates looking incredibly sharp while leading his young team to a surprisingly fast start.  Things quickly cooled for Colorado and Varlamov however.  Varlamov has not posted a win since October 30th and has lost his last six starts, erasing any remembrance of his hot start.  Varlamov now has an ugly 3.30 GAA and .890 save percentage for the season.

Meanwhile, Giguere has taken advantage of his latest opportunity to play while the struggling Varlamov sits.  In his start prior to shuting out the Stars, Gigure stopped 17 of the 18 shots he faced in a tough 1-0 loss to Minnesota.  Make no mistake, Varlamov is clearly the goalie of the future in Colorodo.  However, the youthful Avs have played above expectations to this point and as long as they stay in contention in the Western Conference, coach Joe Sacco is likely to stick with the goalie that gives his team the best chance to win.  At least for the time being, it seems like that guy is Giguere.

Giguere is currently owned in just 10 percent of Yahoo! leagues.  If you are a Varlamov owner or are in need of some help in goal, you might want to consider taking a flyer on Giguere as it appears the savvy veteran still has something left in the tank.

The New York Islanders have ruled Evgeni Nabokov out indefinitely with a groin injury after having an MRI on Friday. According to reports, Nabokov could be sidelined for aslong as a month. Rick DiPietro will likely get the nod in net for the Isles in their next game against Boston on Saturday.

DiPietro stepped in admirably for the injured Nabokov on Thursday night, stopping 24 of 27 shots against the Montreal Canadiens for his second win of the season.  With Nabokov expected to miss a stretch of games, DiPietro should have the opportunity to seize the No.1 job on the Island. 
 
Nabokov owners, or any fantasy GM in need of help in goal, should scoop up DiPietro, who is owned in just six percent of Yahoo! leagues.  DiPietro posseses plenty of talent, but an injury plagued career has prohibited him from reaching his potential. However, DiPietro is still just 30-years old and should be as motivated as ever to live up to lofty expectations and his hefty contract.  

Don't forget about Al Montoya, too, as there is always the potential DiPietro will falter or once again get bitten by the injury bug. But for now, DiPietro appears to be the goalie in line to benefit the most from Nabokov's absence. As previously noted, no Islander goalie can be considered a very strong fantasy option at this point.  However, the goalie pool is always shallow, and though DiPietro is a risky play, he could give fantasy owners some solid production, at least for the short term.

It may be only three games into the experiment, but defenseman Kris Russell is already paying dividends for the St. Louis Blues.

Russell gave the Blues some breathing room with a third period goal in Thursday's win over the red-hot Florida Panthers. Since joining forces with his former coach, Ken Hitchcock, in St. Louis via trade on Nov. 11, Russell has scored twice and compiled a plus-1 rating. To add even more intrigue to the situation, the Blues have won all three games since the addition of Russell, and are off to a 4-0-1 start since the organization made a coaching change earlier this month.

This 24-year-old showed flashes of promise as a puck-moving blueliner in Columbus, but never produced eye-opening numbers in his four-plus seasons with the Blue Jackets. Hitchcock, however, saw enough potential to reunite with his former player.

While the Blues are not likely to keep up their scorching start to the Hitchcock era, it's becoming less of a secret with each passing day that the 5'10 Russell is in his comfort zone in Hitchcock's system. If you're in a deep fantasy league and in need of a blueliner, look no further than Russell (4 G, 1 A, even rating, 13 PIM), who is owned in only 1 percent of Yahoo! leagues.

A 39-year-old who hasn't played in the NHL since 2007-08 shouldn't be a point-per-game player, right?

Jaromir Jagr

Right Wing - PHI

GOALS: 6 | ASST: 11 | PTS: 17
SOG: 44 | +/-: 7

Wrong. Philadelphia Flyers right wing Jaromir Jagr has surprised many with his consistent play through 18 games, in which he's amassed 17 points, a plus-7 rating, 10 PIMs and 44 shots.

Given his unlikey production, Jagr has evolved into a fantasy hockey gem for many owners or, worst case, a more-than-capable complimentary piece for many rosters. The Cinderella story took an unfortunate turn Thurdsday night, as the future Hall-of-Famer suffered a lower-body injury early in the game against the Phoenix Coyotes.

The good news is that the injury is not believed to be serious, at least according to Flyers GM Paul Holmgren. However, Jagr has dealt with lower-body injuries in the past and they tend to be nagging. Moreoever, Jagr is 39 years old.

Fantasy owners need not panic and should remain patient while the injury becomes more clear. Sooner rather than later the early exit from the game could be but an afterthought. 

New York Islanders goaltender Evgeni Nabokov was forced to leave Thursday night's game against the Montreal Canadiens in the first period with a groin injury.  Nabokov did not return and will be revaluated on Friday.  Rick DiPietro replaced Nabokov and played well, making 24 saves on 27 shots for his second win of the season.

It had appeared that Nabokov had established himself as the primary starter in what has been a crowded Islander net all season long.  Nabokov, DiPietro and Al Montoya are all currently up with the club.  Despite his starting status, Nabokov's numbers have not been very impressive.  Thanks in part to a weak Isles offense, Nabokov had only recorded one win in his seven starts leading  into Thursday night's tilt.   In those starts Nabokov has posted a mediocre 2.89 GAA and .910 save percentage 

Groin injuries can be tricky, especially for goalies.  If Nabokov is forced to miss an extended amount of action, DiPietro and Montoya would see increased time in net.  As of late, DiPietro has primarily filled the role of Nabokov's backup so logic would dictate he would get the first opportunity to claim the starting gig for however long Nabokov is sidelined.  Obviously, DiPietro has had his own difficulties staying on the ice while battling a variety of injuries throughout his career, making him anything but a reliable replacement.

Meanwhile, Montoya is a journeyman who did a nice job for the Islanders last season after coming over from Phoenix in a February trade.  In fact, Montoya served as the Islanders opening night goalie this season and stated the first three games of the year for the Isles.  If given the opportunity, Montoya has proved that in spurts he can be a serviceable goalie. 

It is still way too soon to know the extent of Nabokov's injury so his owners should keep a close eye on any news coming out of the Islanders camp on Friday.  In deeper leagues with limited goalie options, it might be wise to be proactive and go out and grab DiPietro for insurance, especially if you have the roster flexibility to do so. 

Be sure to keep Montoya in the back of your mind as well since there is potential for him to see time in net as the situation develops.  Unfortunately, no matter which goalie emerges as the No. 1, it is unlikely that they will be able to offer fantasy GMs the production they are looking for.  Any of the three Islanders goalies should be used with caution going forward.

The Dallas Stars have activated center Steve Ott from injured reserve. Ott was put on IR on November 10 (retroactive to October 29) and has missed the last six games due to a lower-body injury, but he will be back in the Stars' lineup Friday night when Dallas visits Colorado.

Ott's return should provide a big boost for his owners who could use some help in the PIMS and hits departments. The rugged center led the Stars last season with 183 PIMS and 252 hits, and in just 11 games this season, Ott has already compiled 25 PIMs to go along with a whopping 42 hits. Ott's game is more than just grit, however. Last season he reached double digits in goals with 12, and had scored twice this year before getting hurt.

Despite his well-rounded game, Ott is currently owned in just 29 percent of Yahoo! leagues. If your league counts PIMS and hits as categories Ott is a must own. In fact, Ott warrants consideration in all formats, considering he is slated for top six minutes centering a line between the rising Jame Benn and offensively-skilled Michael Ryder. Now back from injury, Ott is a safe bet to keep contributing to categories across the board going forward.

In addition to activating Ott, the Stars announced they have placed right wing Adam Burish on IR with a broken hand. He is expected to miss at least four weeks with the injury. Burish had scored three goals in 16 games while adding an impressive 32 PIMS, however, his loss will not affect most fantasy teams as Burish is owned in just two percent of Yahoo! leagues.