Injuries, ugh.

At a crucial time in the fantasy playoffs, both Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are not expected to be available for at least most of Week 23. On Saturday, Elias Pettersson was injured, leaving the Canucks without their top forward at the most crucial time in their playoff race. Seth Jarvis crashed into the boards and was forced to leave the game, joining a number of key Hurricanes players on the shelf.

There is no replacing the top players. Like their real-life teams, fantasy managers will have to make do with waiver wire pickups and hope that they can at least stop some of the bleeding, whether that’s targeting players on other teams or picking up players who have moved up the depth chart.

Week 23 features 12 teams that play four games and two teams that play just twice, including the Panthers. If you have Sergei Bobrovsky or Aleksander Barkov on your roster for the playoffs, this is a tough week because they’ll be occupying a space on the bench for most of it.

It may not be a bad idea, however, to roster a Star, Wild or Red Wing – they play three games from Monday to Thursday – and then pick up a Panther for Friday and Sunday games to get five games from one roster spot. You’ll have to be creative and open up some roster spots, and don’t be afraid to be ruthless when dropping players. As I noted last week, it’s the playoffs, and there is no next week if you lose.

A new episode of the Sleepers and Keepers fantasy hockey podcast will be published Monday at 8 a.m. PT/11 a.m. ET and cover more injuries and news items in depth.

Schedule

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. Points percentages are as of the conclusion of Saturday’s games.

Season-long adds (< 50% rostered on Yahoo)

Pavel Dorofeyev, LW/RW, VGK (49% rostered)

I really like Dorofeyev for points leagues because he shoots the puck a lot and can score in bunches. It’s a relatively easy week for the Knights in Week 23; despite playing all three games on the road, he gets the Hawks and Preds back-to-back. If you want to avoid Tuesday’s Wild game, Dorofeyev’s a good option through Friday and Saturday.

JJ Peterka, LW/RW, BUF (46% rostered)

I think Peterka gets slept on because the Sabres are terrible and they have a lot of big names in Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin. Note, however, that Peterka has scored in every game since returning to the lineup, and Week 23 features the Sens, Pens and Flyers, the latter two who are prone to allowing goals in bunches. Scoring is generally not a problem for the Sabres, especially at home.

Sean Monahan, C, CBJ (46% rostered)

As of Sunday evening, Monahan has not been activated off IR but he’s returning to the lineup Monday. He’s been a point-per-game player this season with lots of shot volume and will return to his role as their top center on L1 and PP1 with Adam Fantilli getting pushed down. It’s a gamble because we don’t know how Monahan will play upon returning when the Jackets are stumbling, but the move would be to fade Fantilli and add Monahan.

Logan Cooley, C, UTA (41% rostered)

No reason Cooley should be left on waivers for too long. It took him a little time to get back on track but he’s scored four goals and two assists in his past four games. It’s a tough schedule coming up but his role on L1 and PP1 makes him attractive nonetheless.

Dylan Cozens, C, OTT (41% rostered)

Lots of multi-category potential with Cozens with points, shots, faceoff wins and hits, and it’s an attractive Week 23 schedule with the Sabres, Wings and Jackets, none of whom defend very well. Hopefully, the streaky Sens can keep their momentum going after a big win against the Sens on Saturday.

Mid-term holds (< 50% rostered on Yahoo)

Mason McTavish, C, ANA (31% rostered)

A three-game points streak with five total assists entering Sunday’s game against the Canes makes McTavish an attractive option. The Ducks spread their minutes around but it’s encouraging McTavish has played close to 20 minutes in consecutive games. The Bruins and Rangers look intimidating on paper, but they have not been good defensively and the Ducks offense has the ability to surprise. Their entire Week 23 schedule consists of visiting East teams playing on off-nights Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

Justin Faulk, D, STL (45% rostered)

Faulk has been very good over the past two weeks (one goal, six assists) and I like his prospects in Week 23. They have a home-and-home series with a home game against the Habs sandwiched in between, and their entire team is humming right now. Pavel Buchnevich is not expected to miss much time. Faulk is their PP1 QB and plays top pair with Philip Broberg.

Luke Schenn, D, WPG (19% rostered)

Schenn’s fit in very well on the Jets and he knows his role – physical play. He’s hitting everything in sight and blocking a ton of shots. If you need either of those categories, Schenn is a must-add. Entering Sunday’s games, Schenn has 32 hits (6.4 per game) and 13 blocks (2.6) in five games with the Jets, a much higher rate than when he played with the Preds (3.7 hits, 1.2 blocks per game). They have three home games in Week 23.  

Karel Vejmelka, G, UTA (42% rostered)

With four wins in his past six starts, it’s again worth mentioning that Vejmelka has plenty of ROS value if you’re looking for quantity. Jaxson Stauber is not a threat to take over the net even if Vejmelka has a string of bad starts; Vejmelka’s their best option right now during their playoff race. Expect Vejmelka to play at least three of their four games this week, saving for a Thursday-Friday back-to-back against the Panthers and Lightning.

Tristan Jarry, G, PIT (33% rostered)

There aren’t many starters available in leagues at this time of the season, and Jarry’s winning streak puts him ahead of the pack. I’m not convinced the winning streak can continue, but no doubt he’ll get a ton of saves. I have very little confidence in him this week because I think the hot streak is over and the matchups aren’t easy.

Jake Allen, G, NJ (22% rostered)

I don’t think it’s outrageous to say Allen might be the Devils’ No. 1 for the rest of the season. Jacob Markstrom has not looked good – Sheldon Keefe even said he’s not up to speed – and the Devils are not doing him any favors. Despite a mostly excellent regular season, the Devils are falling apart. Allen’s last start – 16 saves on 19 shots (.842 SP) and a loss – was not good, but I suspect he’ll get at least two starts in Week 23, with lots of value early in the week with a banged-up Canucks on Monday and the lottery-bound Hawks on Wednesday.

Short-term streamers (< 50% rostered on Yahoo)

Jeff Skinner, LW, EDM (26% rostered)

I really don’t like Skinner at all in fantasy, but we’re making an exception for him in Week 23. The Oilers need offense and Skinner generates plenty; the issue is he gets benched a lot for poor two-way play and he can be very unpredictable. Skinner’s even-strength minutes will be a gamble, but he’s a pretty good bet to play PP1 if you need PPP.

Pius Suter, C, VAN (3% rostered)

If Elias Pettersson cannot play, Suter becomes the Canucks’ top center by default, and they have the best schedule this week with four games, all on off nights. They’ve already called up center Aatu Raty on an emergency basis, which lends me to believe Pettersson may not play. Suter’s been excellent for the Canucks this season and definitely has some offense. The Canucks offense will struggle to score, but Suter will get the minutes and top deployment. He led all Canucks forwards in ice time Sunday against the Rangers with two shots and went 15-for-20 in the faceoff dot.

Luca Cagnoni, D, SJ (0% rostered)

He’s made my daily waiver wire pickup articles for two straight games and we’re continuing the theme. He played 23:15 in his NHL debut, looked much stronger as the game went on, and despite playing 15:16 in his second game managed to score his first NHL point. This is the time of season where non-playoff teams start auditioning for next season and Cagnoni, who’s third in scoring among all AHL defensemen as a rookie, is getting a look. He’ll benefit from PP time and he's an under-the-radar option in deep leagues. The upside is mostly points for Cagnoni.

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