It is championship season in fantasy hockey, with the final couple of rounds underway. Jason Chen presents the strength of schedule and players to target.
If this isn’t the final week of your fantasy hockey season, then it is your semifinals, with a spot in the championship matchup within your sights.
The schedule remains of utmost importance because, ideally, you want to maximize your games over the course of the week. It will only get harder from here, as teams outside of playoff contention may start auditioning spots for next season or debuting rookies whose junior and college seasons have just ended.
The Canucks signed 2019 seventh-round pick Aidan McDonough, who captained Northeastern and led the Huskies in scoring for the second straight season and made his NHL debut Sunday against the Blackhawks. Harvard Crimson veterans Henry Thrun (Sharks), Sean Farrell (Canadiens) and Matt Coronato (Flames) also signed their entry-level contracts when their seasons ended. The big name to follow is Luke Hughes, who will stay with Michigan for another week as the Wolverines prepare for the Frozen Four. All of them could be streaming options in the final two weeks of the season.
For teams that have clinched playoff spots, such as the Bruins and Devils, load management will become a topic, especially for some of their veterans (Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci come to mind) and goaltenders (Vitek Vanecek) as they gear up for the playoffs.
Here’s your Week 24 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 four games this week):
Blocked Shots (BkS/GP):
1. David Savard, D, MTL (2.88)
2. Joel Edmundson, D, MTL (2.58)
3. Andrew Peeke, D, CLB (2.47)
4. Ivan Provorov, D, PHI (2.07)
5. Rasmus Ristolainen, D, PHI (2.05)
6. Scott Mayfield, D, NYI (2.04)
7. Ryan Graves, D, NJ (1.94)
8. Nick Seeler, D, PHI (1.93)
9. Travis Hamonic, D, OTT (1.92)
10. Jonas Siegenthaler, D, NJ (1.92)
Hits (Hits/GP):
1. Radko Gudas, D, FLA (4.24)
2. Cal Clutterbuck, RW, NYI (4.00)
3. Michael Pezzetta, LW, MTL (3.72)
4. Matt Martin, LW, NYI (3.71)
5. Sammy Blais, LW/RW, STL (3.31)
6. Garnet Hathaway, RW, BOS (3.19)
7. Josh Archibald, LW/RW, PIT (3.19)
8. Wade Allison, RW, PHI (3.06)
9. Brendan Lemieux, LW, PHI (2.93)
10. Robert Hagg, D, DET (2.91)
Goalies:
Samuel Montembeault, Canadiens
Jake Allen has not won a game in March, with Montembeault starting four of their past six games. Start the Habs’ goalies at your own risk, and if you do, be sure to mark down Tuesday’s matchup against the Flyers and next Tuesday against the Wings. They’re really the only viable starts left.
Eric Comrie, Sabres
Comrie allowed 10 goals on March 9, suffered a minor injury and missed seven games, only to come back Saturday and post a 26-save shutout against the Isles. With Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Craig Anderson struggling – the entire team is, actually – look for Comrie to get a few more looks. The Sabres had an unwieldy three-man rotation, and Comrie’s most recent performance has earned the right to get more looks. Hopefully, the Sabres’ woes are behind them, and they can put together a winning streak after beating the Devils and Isles in back-to-back games.
Laurent Brossoit, Golden Knights
Logan Thompson looked good in his return until he suffered yet another injury, which prompted Brossoit to get the start the following game. Given how well Brossoit played with such a long layoff and Jonathan Quick allowing 12 goals in his past three starts, the best guess is that it’ll be a 50-50 rotation unless one of them falters. The good thing about the Knights is that their goalie-friendly system means they don’t need elite performances to win games. Both Brossoit and Quick remain good streaming options.
Matt Murray, Maple Leafs
Ilya Samsonov has left the team for personal reasons and he’s expected to be back soon, but in the meantime, it’s Murray’s net. He looked strong in consecutive games against the Sens and Panthers but allowed four goals on just 27 shots against the Canes, including the game-winner with less than three minutes left in the third period. Murray’s performances are still shaky at best, but the upshot is the Leafs are still a very good team, and the wins will come. Just be wary of the save percentage.
Joel Hofer, Blues
Not exactly sure how much time Hofer will see down the stretch since AHL Springfield are still in the hunt for a playoff spot. Splitting a back-to-back with Jordan Binnington is a clear signal that Craig Berube views impending UFA Thomas Greiss as the No. 3, and so long as Hofer stays with the big club, Greiss won’t be seeing the ice at all. Hofer’s performance Sunday against the Kings gives us pause, and usually, a blow-up game like this means the hot streak’s over.
Short-Term Streamers (< 50 percent rostered on Yahoo):
Dylan Strome, C/RW, Capitals
Playing with Alex Ovechkin helps. Strome is the latest No. 1 pivot for the Caps, and with a goal and an assist Saturday against the Pens, he pushed his point streak to four games. He’s shooting the puck a lot more and winning a lot of faceoffs, and he’ll continue to excel on the top line as long as the slumping Evgeny Kuznetsov remains on the third line.
Joel Farabee, C/LW, Flyers
Farabee’s on a five-game point streak after a 26-game goal drought. He’s streaky, but so have the Flyers all season, and generating offense on a consistent basis has been a challenge all year. Farabee’s a fine option when he’s hot; just drop him the moment he stops scoring.
Pavel Dorofeyev, LW, Golden Knights
Dorofeyev keeps on scoring. He scored his fifth goal in seven games Saturday against the Oilers, and he’s an excellent streaming option for managers looking for offense in a pinch. His ice time is limited because the Knights are deep and he’s still an untested rookie, but he’s also put at least two shots on goal in every game, and his scoring talent is evident.
Kasperi Kapanen, RW, Blues
Kapanen gets the ice time he never would’ve gotten in Pittsburgh, and maybe that was the missing ingredient all along. With a goal Sunday against the Kings, Kapanen scored a goal in consecutive games for the second time in two weeks. It brings his total to five goals and seven points in his past six games. Past history suggests Kapanen will have trouble staying consistent, but seeing him get this much ice time is also uncharted territory. When Kapanen had his best season, he averaged 16:37 TOI/GP with the Leafs; entering Sunday’s game, he was averaging 16:35 with the Blues. Coincidence?!
Mike Matheson, D, Canadiens
If you’re looking for help on defense, Matheson logs a ton of minutes for the Habs and quarterbacks the power play. He’s not someone who comes to mind when you think of scoring defensemen, but he’s shot the puck more than ever this season and is three points away from matching his career high set last year despite playing 35 fewer games so far in 2022-23. Matheson has scored three goals and six assists in his past seven games, including three assists in an 8-2 blowout win against the Jackets.
Mid-Term Holds (< 50 percent rostered on Yahoo):
Tom Wilson, RW, Capitals
A bit of a forgotten player, having missed so much time due to injuries, Wilson has scored two goals and six points in his past six games and adding his usual penalty minutes (12), shots (18) and hits (15). In banger leagues, Wilson is still extremely valuable for his multi-category contributions. He’s back on a line with Ovechkin again.
Nick Schmaltz, C/RW, Coyotes
Need points? Look no further. After missing three games due to injury, Schmaltz has not missed a beat and the Coyotes’ top line with Schmaltz and Clayton Keller between Barrett Hayton continues to score. Schmaltz is on a five-game point streak with six helpers and eight shots on goal.