Rumors, moves, injuries and newsmakers...

Zetterberg's second half slower than first; Crosby sits again; Kelly, McAmmond out for Ottawa; Cleary to return; Roberts suffers setback; Vyborny cleared; and more...

REGARDING HENRY 
Although he remains among the top scorers in the league, Detroit superstar Henrik Zetterberg may be starting to notice that the whispers of "MVP" have started dying off.

That is not an indication of his losing his elite status in this league, however. His 85 points still put him in the top 10 in scoring. However, it was his torrid pace in the first half of the season that is responsible for his high standing. His second half, well, from a productivity perspective, has been less than stellar.

The 27-year-old kicked off 2007-08 with 57 points in his first 40 contests and even led the league in scoring at one point. He followed that up with 21 points in 25 games--solid by most standards, but not by Zetterberg's. The big reason? His early success was the result of playing on a line with Pavel Datsyuk, while his second-half slowdown was the result of playing with the likes of grinder Johan Franzen. While the latter is great for Franzen's production, it clearly acted as a drag on Zetterberg's.

Thankfully for Zetterberg fantasy owners, Detroit coach Mike Babcock has reunited him with the highly-skilled Datsyuk and, as a result, the slick Swede already has seven points in his last four contests.

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KELLY SIDELINED 
Ottawa checking forward Chris Kelly has a hairline fracture in his leg and will be on the shelf for a minimum of three weeks. INTEL: The 27-year-old reached the 30- to 40-point range for the third straight season last Thursday and should steadily produce within that range over the next few years. The best-case scenario is that Kelly only misses a handful of postseason games. Rookie Cody Bass will eventually take his spot in the lineup, but he was held out of Monday's game to give his own injury (ankle) more time to heal.

MCAMMOND, TOO 
As a result of a deep bruise in his thigh, Ottawa winger Dean McAmmond sat out of Monday's action. INTEL: After peaking with 51 points for Calgary back in 2002, the 34-year-old has steadily declined and is now in the twilight of his career and should not be considered in your playoff pool.

CLEARY CLEARED 
Detroit's most underrated forward, Daniel Cleary, has been cleared to play in Tuesday's game after missing the past 19 contests with a broken jaw. INTEL: The 29-year-old's next point will give him 41, which would be a career high. Pro-rated over 82 games, Cleary would have 57 points and he seems to be getting better. He is a solid dark horse for your postseason pool and a decent depth pickup for next year's regular season.

PERTURBED PENGUIN 
Veteran warhorse Gary Roberts has not enjoyed the greatest season. First, he was sidelined with a broken leg and later, as that healed, it was discovered that he also had a high-ankle sprain that had gone undiagnosed. INTEL: Roberts has been trying to recover, but suffered a setback last week and has not skated since. He will be a valuable asset when the postseason arrives--if he makes it into the lineup by then.

VYBORNY TO RETURN 
Columbus winger David Vyborny is expected to return to the lineup Tuesday after missing the last three games with a knee injury. INTEL: Although the 33-year-old is having a poor season, he was heating up prior to his injury. Expect him to line up with Rick Nash and Manny Malhotra on the top line.

SUNDIN STILL SITTING 
Toronto captain Mats Sundin is adamant that he will play again this season, but his groin injury will prevent him from returning to the lineup Tuesday. He is still day-to-day. INTEL: Toronto has won the last three games (with Sundin out of the lineup) thanks to its supporting cast, which included Alexander Steen and Alexei Ponikarovsky.

SENS SIGN COLGATE STAR 
Ottawa signed undrafted free agent Jesse Winchester to a one-year contract Monday. The 24-year-old completed his college tenure and will now join Binghamton of the AHL. INTEL: Although Winchester was a point-per-game player throughout his college career, he is a bit of a longshot to make the NHL. But he will get a long look in training camp in the fall.

COMRIE SICK 
Mike Comrie missed the Islanders' 4-1 win over the Pens Monday night because of the flu. INTEL: Miroslav Satan took advantage of the added ice time, playing 18:58 and notching a pair of assists.

CROSBY OUT...STILL 
It was hoped that Sidney Crosby would return to the Pittsburgh lineup Monday against the Islanders, but he didn't and it's doubtful he will for Tuesday's contest, as well. INTEL: The Pens lost 4-1 and stars Marian Hossa and Evgeni Malkin were each pointless with a minus-2 rating.

BELANGER BACK 
Minnesota forward Eric Belanger returned on Monday against the Oilers after missing nine contests with a fractured toe. INTEL: Belanger bounced between the third and fourth line and picked up an assist on the Wild's second goal. He began the season looking as if a breakout 60-point year was in the cards, but has since fizzled and will be lucky to reach 40.

MORE GOALTENDING WOES FOR OTTAWA 
Martin Gerber gave up three goals on 14 shots and was pulled after the first period Monday. Ray Emery then came in and allowed four goals on 16 shots, as the Sens spotted Montreal a 7-1 lead. INTEL: Ottawa has clearly lost confidence in their netminders, figuring the only way to keep the puck out of their net was to not allow any shots. Montreal got just two shots on goal in the third period--Emery stopped them both and the Sens ended up closing the gap, only to lose 7-5. Perhaps it's time to recall Brian Elliott again?