Things are heating up in the polls as we close in on deciding who the best fantasy player is – only 12 left standing…

Apparently there are a ton of fun things you can do with chalk. One thing that isn't much fun is going chalk in a bracket tournament. In that regard you guys are total bores (at least this round anyway). After the previous round of polls yielded two upsets you guys decided to go straight chalk in the first half of the Sweet Sixteen. I am not complaining though, I just love the irony that a "fantasy" game could yield such unimaginative results.

Before we see how it went down, let's get you caught up:

Introducing the Bracket

Howe Bracket: Round One

Richard Bracket: Round One

Gretzky Bracket: Round One

Lemieux Bracket: Round One

Sweet Sixteen: Part One

Now here is how the polls turned out:

#1 Evgeni Malkin over #4 Jonathan Toews – 114 votes to 7 votes

After a somewhat controversial victory over Jordan Eberle in Round One, it was high time that Toews crashed into the pillar of strength that is Evgeni Malkin.

#2 Claude Giroux over #3 Patrick Kane – 107 votes to 10 votes

Forum member Big Ev said it best when he asked, "What have you done for me lately?" Giroux has done a lot more for us lately so it's no shock he made Kane look sillier than a goaltender in a shootout.

#1 Alexander Ovechkin over #4 Pavel Datsyuk – 84 votes to 35 votes

Ovechkin may be playing like the Tin Man this season but like the Wicked Witch of the West, Pavel Datsyuk didn't have enough magic (or flying monkeys) to take him down.

#2 Sidney Crosby over #3 Nicklas Backstrom – 104 votes to 12 votes

With Crosby emerging from the quiet room this week the still concussed Backstrom had no shot in this one.

Here is the updated bracket:

Now, in Part Two of the Sweet Sixteen, we have the Second Round contests in the Gretzky and Lemieux Brackets.

#1 Henrik Sedin vs. #4 Corey Perry

In this matchup we have the past two Hart Trophy winners. Both players are currently slumping so who can buck their struggles to move on to the Elite Eight?

#2 Daniel Sedin vs. #6 Ilya Kovalchuk

If this was last season I could comprehend a blowout here. Sedin was busy leading the league in scoring while Kovalchuk was struggling to find a fit in New Jersey. Now Sedin is struggling while Kovalchuk has re-discovered his game. The playing field is even. What do you think?

#1 Steven Stamkos vs. #5 Tyler Seguin

Seguin is playing copycat to Stamkos by following up his weak rookie season with a breakout sophomore performance. Is he showing enough spunk to take down the well-established Stamkos?

#2 John Tavares vs. #6 Jamie Benn

Welcome to the future. These two have been two of the biggest breakout stars of the season and have been a big part of many successful fantasy teams this season. Whose star is shining brighter?

Remember to follow those links, cast your votes and make your voice heard!