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The picture says it all, really.
Related: Ilya Bryzgalov Lets 3 Goal-Lead Slip Away as Pittsburgh Penguins Defeat Philadelphia Flyers
Despite his team ending Sunday night with a win over the Florida Panthers, goaltender Cam Ward couldn’t stay on the ice to see it happen. After stopping all 15 shots fired his way in the contest, Ward was forced to exit early due to a leg injury, which was later diagnosed as a third degree MCL sprain. Terrible news for the Southeast Division leading Hurricanes, as Ward is expected to miss 6-8 weeks of action. On the bright side, the injury will not require surgery, but nevertheless, a huge blow to the Canes.
Fantasy owners who have been rolling with Ward’s terrific play as of late need to go out and grab backup Dan Ellis immediately. Ellis, who is sporting a very solid goals against average of 2.53 to match a .923 save percentage, has currently been added in over 8,000 Yahoo! leagues. Expect that trend to continue so if you are in dire need of a goaltender, stop reading this and go add Ellis. Like now.
Missing Malkin
Despite winning three of their last five contests, there is no secret that the Pittsburgh Penguins desperately miss their superstar center, Evgeni Malkin. Apparently, the reigning Hart Trophy winner missed his team too because after missing just four games due to a concussion, Malkin will return to the Pens lineup on Monday night. Malkin has been cleared for contact by the team’s training staff, so do not hesitate to insert him back into your lineup immediately. Tonight’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning could very well be a high-scoring affair, so count on Malkin to waste no time getting back into the swing of things.
Adam Pfeifer is a featured fantasy hockey/football columnist for Rant Sports.
You can follow him on Twitter @aPfeiferRS.
