NHL All-Star Game: The Replacements

Being injured while enjoying an All-Star season is a haunting possibility to any NHL player. On the other hand, taking a few days off couldn’t hurt either.

This year’s replacement count jumped up to seven players on both teams combined.

Most notable of the injuries is Sidney Crosby’s absence due to a high ankle sprain suffered against Tampa last Friday. In Crosby's absence, Evgeni Malkin (26 goals, 30 assists) has been lighting it up, scoring four points (three goals, one assist) against both the Canadiens and the Capitals.

Not to be outdone, even with Crosby in the lineup, Malkin has scored 15 points, including two hat tricks, so far in 2008. Due to his strong play, Malkin will be taking Crosby’s place in Atlanta. Crosby, despite his injury, is currently tied for second in the NHL with with 63 points.

Injured as well, yet trailing Crosby by seven points, Dany Heatley’s season has taken a small turn for the worse. Heatley, out with a right shoulder injury, has been dominating this season along with fellow Ottawa All-Stars Jason Spezza (16 goals, 39 assists) and Daniel Alfredsson (29 goals, 31 assists) with his own 25 goals and 31 assists.

Possibilities that Alfredsson may miss the trip to Atlanta are still just speculative as he is day-to-day with a hip injury, yet will be in the lineup Tuesday night against the Florida Panthers. Healtey’s replacement will be Bruins sniper Marc Savard, who leads the Bruins with 11 goals and 41 assists. Savard will be playing in his first career All-Star Game.

Leading the Colorado Avalanche with the absence of Joe Sakic and Ryan Smyth for the majority of this season, Paul Stastny has notched 17 goals and 32 assists, yet his injuries mid-season make the situation even harder in the Mile High City for Stastny. Stastny has been the sole leader in points, leading teammate Milan Hejduk by 15 points. This season has been slightly frustrating for Colorado scorers, with only three players with 15 or more goals (Svatos, 20; Brunette 17; Stastny 17).

With the Red Wings dominating the Western Conference's starting lineup, there will be one less representative from the Motor City during the opening faceoff. Detroit's leading scorer Henrik Zetterberg (28 goals, 27 assists) is out of the All-Star Game suffering from back problems. Fellow Russian defenseman and Dallas Star Sergei Zubov (four goals, 31 assists) will also be absent from the lineup in Atlanta due to a bruised foot. While a major loss both up front and on defense, the replacements on the Western side are just as potent.

Replacing the three Western walking wounded are the Stars' Mike Ribeiro and the Ducks' Corey Perry and Scott Niedermayer. Niedermayer’s addition to the All-Star team has been the most surprising, considering he has not played most of this season, yet has two goals and seven assists so far in 17 games. His teammate Corey Perry leads the Ducks with 26 goals and has netted another 19 assists in 51 games.

Another player on a hot streak is Ribeiro, who has netted 53 points in 48 games, leading the offensively-revived Dallas squad with 22 goals.

Two bonafide French starters in Martin Brodeur and Roberto Luongo are not going to make their way to Atlanta, being replaced by the Bruins' Tim Thomas and the Blues' Manny Legace respectively. Luongo’s reasons were personal, however Brodeur’s reasons have been so far mired in speculation.

Despite the changes and injuries to both teams, rosters on both sides of the NHL look to be strong. It will be an electric, entertaining game Jan. 27.