It's the final fantasy hockey primer of the season. Jason Chen provides the strength of schedule and NHL players to target to finish the season with a win.
The last week in fantasy hockey is always the toughest. Not only are you – presumably – contending for the fantasy championship, but there’s also an extra wrinkle: NHL teams resting players.
This makes lineups difficult to predict, and although the schedule matrix ranks the teams based on strength of schedule, in all likelihood, some of the top teams with literally nothing to play for – the Bruins, for example, who rested Charlie McAvoy on Sunday – won’t be as good as they were a month ago.
Sidenote: If you ever want to just avoid this conundrum, end your fantasy league in Week 24. Veteran league commissioners will know this because a matchup with multiple players missing from the lineup due to rest negates an entire season’s worth of work. It forces managers to dump potentially good players – a problem in keeper leagues – for a minor leaguer who gets an end-of-season cup of coffee.
With no games scheduled after next Friday, the final week of the fantasy season will run from April 3 to 14. It will be a relatively shorter week with no games scheduled for Good Friday, though for the first time all season, all 32 teams will be in action the following Saturday with staggered starts. (We need more of these, Gary).
The regular season was slated to end Thursday, April 13, but a pair of rescheduled games due to a winter storm (Sabres at Blues Jackets) and a burst pipe at Bridgestone Arena (Avalanche at Predators) will instead extend it to Friday, April 14. It provides a last-ditch effort for fantasy managers to win their matchups, and note that the Sabres, Avs and Preds, along with the Kraken, play a league-high seven games over the next 12 days.
The Preds are in a tough bind… though they’re within striking distance of a playoff spot, they have the hardest schedule with an opponents’ points percentage of .631. The Flames, meanwhile, have the easiest schedule, facing two lottery-bound teams (Blackhawks, Sharks), a division rival whom they’ve already beaten (Canucks) and a team that’s slumping badly (Jets). The Flames and Preds will meet on April 10, a showdown that could decide the final wild-card teams in the West.
Here’s your Week 25 schedule breakdown.
Legend:
P% = season points percentage
Opp. P% = opponents’ season points percentage
Diff. = difference between P% and Opp. P%
Pick players from teams at the top of the schedule matrix to maximize games and matchups. Green is good. Red is bad. All advanced stats courtesy naturalstatrick.com. All positions and rostered percentages are courtesy of Yahoo fantasy.
Top 10 Weekly Bangers (< 50 percent rostered on Yahoo, on teams with seven games this week):
Blocked Shots (BkS/GP):
1. Ryan McDonagh, D, NSH (2.25)
2. Adam Larsson, D, SEA (2.16)
3. Mattias Samuelsson, D, BUF (1.66)
4. Erik Johnson, D, COL (1.57)
5. Jamie Oleksiak, D, SEA (1.53)
6. Samuel Girard, D, COL (1.52)
7. Dante Fabbro, D, NSH (1.51)
8. Ilya Lyubushkin, D, BUF (1.51)
9. Jack Johnson, D, COL (1.50)
10. Jeremy Lauzon, D, NSH (1.12)
Hits (Hits/GP):
1. Jeremy Lauzon, D, NSH (3.73)
2. Kiefer Sherwood, RW, NSH (3.36)
3. Cole Smith, LW, NSH (2.87)
4. Adam Larsson, D, SEA (2.71)
5. Will Borgen, D, SEA (2.53)
6. Michael McCarron, C/RW, NSH (2.36)
7. Brandon Tanev, LW/RW, SEA (2.35)
8. Yakov Trenin, LW, NSH (2.21)
9. Kurtis MacDermid, LW/D, COL (2.08)
10. Colton Sissons, C, NSH (2.03)
Goalies:
Devon Levi, Sabres
Levi’s the Sabres’ prized prospect, and given how strong he was in his NHL debut – 31 saves in an overtime win against the Rangers – he’s earned the right to get more looks. The rotation will now be Levi with Eric Comrie and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen since Craig Anderson is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. This will be an early audition for the starting job next season. Luukkonen’s play has been very good at certain points but still very inconsistent overall, while Comrie just hasn’t shown the potential to be an everyday starter. With two back-to-backs to finish the season, look for Levi to get at least a couple of more starts.
Alex Lyon, Panthers
Sergei Bobrovsky has missed three straight games due to illness, but Lyon has been excellent. He allowed just four goals in three games, including a shutout win against the Jackets, as the Panthers try to claw their way into the playoffs. It’s going to likely come down to Game 82 to determine the East’s wild-card teams, and it’s a small shame the three teams in contention – Panthers, Pens and Isles – do not face each other for the rest of the season. Bobrovsky is not expected to be out for long, but in the meantime, with the Sabres, Senators and Capitals coming up, there might be one or two more wins to be had with Lyon.
Streamers (< 50 percent rostered on Yahoo):
Tommy Novak, C, NSH – Not only do you max out the games played with seven this week, Novak’s been the Preds’ top scorer since March 1 with 16 points in 17 games and also leads the team in even-strength points (12) and power-play points (4).
Mikael Backlund, C, CGY – A little perplexed why Backlund isn’t rostered in more leagues, but the Flames’ No. 2 center is second in shots (48) behind Tyler Toffoli and faceoff wins (145) behind Elias Lindholm since March 1. The Flames have one of the easiest schedules to close out the season.
J.T. Compher, C/RW, COL – It’s unlikely the Avs will take a break since the race for the division title is so tight, and Compher continues to be a fantastic player in multi-category leagues. Dual-position eligibility is really useful for flexibility, especially the Saturday after Good Friday since all 32 teams will be playing.
Jakub Vrana, LW, STL – Vrana and Sammy Blais have flourished in their new top-six roles. Vrana has scored 12 points in his past 15 games, and he only trails Jordan Kyrou in shots on goal. The Blues have moved their players around a lot in the lineup with Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich unavailable, and right now, Vrana’s playing on the second line with a rejuvenated Kasperi Kapanen and top prospect Jake Neighbours.
Tyson Foerster, C, PHI – Foerster is with AHL Lehigh Valley at the moment, but snatch him up quickly if he gets another call-up. He was very effective, scoring seven points in eight games in his previous stint, and John Tortorella is not shy about giving minutes to players who deserve them, as young and inexperienced as they may be.
Lukas Reichel, C/LW, CHI – The Hawks’ offensive ceiling is very low, but note Reichel has been pretty effective with eight points in his past 16 games. He’s playing on the top line and top power-play unit and will be a fixture in the top six for them next season.
Simon Edvinsson, D, DET – Edvinsson is drawing in and out of the lineup as the Wings get his feet wet in the NHL. When he does play, he’s been a source of hits and blocked shots. The big defender has seen his ice time increase lately – after playing around 15 minutes in his first three games, he played 17:21 against the Canes and 22:25 against the Leafs, collecting five hits and five blocks in total. He could be a sneaky addition in banger leagues.