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The Power Play: Week 17

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As we take time away from the fantasy game to focus on the All-Star festivities and those fancy new jerseys, it's a good opportunity to review the progress of your fantasy team. Now might be the right moment to make a play for a category or two. Categories such as PIMs, +/-, shots and faceoff wins are great places to look for improvement. Remember, each category counts the same, meaning that you get the same credit for winning goals as you do PIMs. While goal-scoring is flashy, perhaps a few more bruisers on your team can gain you some valuable points in your league's standings.

With that, here are the top 50 fantasy players at the All-Star break.

1. Sidney Crosby, C, PIT: Crosby has been held scoreless nine times this season, the same number of games in which he has scored at least three points.

2. Martin Brodeur, G, NJ: Brodeur currently leads the NHL in wins (29), GAA (2.01) and shutouts (8). He is second in save percentage (.928).

3. Marian Hossa, RW, ATL: Hossa is the only player in the league to reach 30 goals, 30 assists (he has 33) and 15 power-play goals.

4. Teemu Selanne, RW, ANA: Selanne has 30 goals this season and 70 the past two, his highest two-season total since 1998-99 (80 goals).

5. Dany Heatley, RW, OTT: The league's best player in January, Heatley has played 10 games and has registered 10 goals, 10 assists and a +13 rating.

6. Alexander Ovechkin, LW, WAS: AO has scored at least a point in nine straight games and 21 of his last 23 contests.

7. Martin St. Louis, RW, TB: In 80 games last season St. Louis scored 61 points. In 50 games this season, he already has 66 points.

8. Vincent Lecavalier, C, TB: With 65 points in 50 games, Lecavalier still has plenty of time to shatter his career-high of 78 points set in 2002-03.

9. Jaromir Jagr, LW, NYR: All this talk of a lack of goal-scoring belies the fact that Jagr still has put up 60 points in 48 games including 22 power-play helpers.

10. Roberto Luongo, G, VAN: Luongo is second in the league with 27 wins after going 15-5 since the start of December.

11. Joe Thornton, C, SJ: Since he got healthy, Thornton has once again been dominant with 33 points in his last 22 games, with 20 of those points on the power play.

12. Marc Savard, C, BOS: Joe Thronton Jr. has fewer assists than last season's MVP but two more points (18g-44a-62 pts).

13. Nicklas Lidstrom, D, DET: Lidstrom leads the NHL with a +30, including a +7 over his last seven games.

14. Miikka Kiprusoff, G, CGY: After struggling somewhat in December (2.67 GAA, .905 save percentage), Kiprusoff has rebounded like we knew he would in January (2.01 GAA, .929 save percentage).

15. Jarome Iginla, RW, CGY: Though he hasn't played since Jan. 4, his overall numbers remain impressive. With 53 points in just 39 games, he is averaging more points per game (1.36) than at any point in his career (that pace would produce 111 points in a full season).

16. Martin Straka, C, NYR: With Jagr and Brendan Shanahan struggling, Straka has spearheaded the Rangers attack recently with 10 goals and 28 points in his last 23 games.

17. Chris Pronger, D, ANA: Pronger scored 54 and 56 points in each of the last two seasons, a total he might eclipse this year even though he has missed time with his broken foot. He has 40 points in just 41 games.

18. Dominik Hasek, G, DET: Being second in the league in GAA (2.01) and shutouts (6), and third in the league in wins (25) doesn't get you a spot on the All-Star team?

19. Scott Niedermayer, D, ANA: Playing through a stress-fracture in his right foot, Scott now leads all D-men with 44 points (10g, 34a).

20. J-S Giguere, G, ANA: Giguere hasn't played in almost a month but is still third in the league in GAA (2.17) and seventh in wins (23).

21. Ilya Kovalchuk, LW, ATL: It's pretty amazing to think that 50 points in 50 games is a disappointment.

22. Tomas Vanek, LW, BUF: In 49 games, this Austrian has produced 49 points, one more than last season, and 24 goals, one less than last season. He skated in 81 contests last year.

23. Sheldon Souray, D, MON: The only blemish on his record this year is his plus/minus (-9), which has taken a nose dive the past 11 games (-8).

24. Marty Turco, G, DAL: Just when you start to write him off, he produces stellar numbers as he did in earning the NHL's second star last week (3-0, 1.30 GAA).

25. Ryan Miller, G, BUF: Miller might be 24-8-3 this season, but his play of late needs to improve if he wants to maintain that pace. In January, Miller is 4-3-1 with a 2.71 GAA.

26. Evgeni Malkin, C/LW, PIT: Malkin has scored a point in 10 of his last 11 games and after his five-assist effort on Jan. 20, he now has seven goals and 12 assists in those 11 contests.

27. Patrick Marleau, C, SJ: For the sixth straight season, Marleau has reached 20 goals (he has 22). He has been one of the league's better players since the new year with 15 points and a +7 in just eight games since the calendar turned to 2007.

28. Maxim Afinogenov, RW, BUF: He is one goal off his career-best 22 set last season.

29. Ray Whitney, LW, CAR: With 19 goals scored, Whitney has his highest total since 2002-03.

30. Daniel Briere, C, BUF: In 48 games last season, Briere had 58 points (25g, 33a). In 49 games this season, he has 57 points (18g, 39a).

31. Rod Brind'Amour, C, CAR: Brind'Amour has 52 points at the All-Star break in 46 games, or more than the 38 points he scored for the 'Canes during the entire 2003-04 season.

32. Jason Spezza, C, OTT: Spezza's return from his knee injury is imminent as he shoots for his career-high of 22 goals (he has 19 in just 36 games this season).

33. Chris Mason, G, NSH: Mason leads the NHL in save percentage (.930) and has a team-record five shutouts.

34. Michael Nylander, C, NYR: With nine power-play goals and 21 power-play points, Nylander has already set career highs in both categories.

35. Jason Blake, LW, NYI: For the fourth straight year Blake has tallied 20 goals. However, he is a horrific -9 in his last eight games.

36. Cristobal Huet, MON, G: This All-Star has alternated excellent and terrible play over his last eight starts (4-4, 3.64 GAA).

37. Ray Emery, G, OTT: There is no debate as to who the No. 1 netminder is in Ottawa. In 80 career games, Emery is 47-22-1 with a 2.61 GAA and .911 save percentage.

38. Daniel Alfredsson, RW, OTT: When you weren't looking, Alfie once again turned into one of the top 10 offensive players in the game. In his last 10 games, Alfredsson has 17 points and is a +11. Oh yeah, he also has four game-winning goals in those 10 games.

39. Vesa Toskala, G, SJ: Toskala is fourth in the NHL with a 2.25 GAA, and no matter how he performs, the Sharks win when he is in goal (20-6-0).

40. Joe Sakic, C, COL: For the third straight season, Sakic has reached double digits in power-play goals (10 this season).

41. Brendan Shanahan, LW, NYR: He has the same number of goals as Sidney Crosby (24) but has scored only once in his last 13 games.

42. Alexander Semin, RW, WAS: Few are hotter than this Russian winger who has 10 goals in his last eight games.

43. Daymond Langkow, C, CGY: Who needs Iginla? Langkow is one of only three skaters who have at least 19 goals and a +20 rating (19 goals, +22).

44. Slava Kozlov, LW, ATL: Kozlov hasn't beaten a goalie in eight games and has just four assists in that span.

45. Olli Jokinen, C, FLA: Jokinen has seven goals in his last nine games, though he is a -5 during that time.

46. Dan Boyle, D, TB: Boyle's play has really improved of late as he has 22 points, 12 on the power play, in his last 24 games.

47. Bryan McCabe, D, TOR: Though he has only five points in his last nine games, McCabe is a +6 with 27 PIMs in that span.

48. Alexander Frolov, LW, LA: As has been his pattern, Frolov has been notoriously streaky. After 10 points in four games to close out December, Frolov has just two goals in his last nine games.

49. Paul Kariya, LW, NSH: In 131 games as a member of the Predators, Kariya has scored 138 points. In 10 January games, Kariya has 13 points and is a +9.

50. Kimmo Timonen, D, NSH: Timmonen has nine points in his last nine games and 29 points in his last 38 games. He is also a +14 on the season.