Penultimate Week
The NHL regular season is winding down and the final two weeks should be very interesting as teams fight for a playoff spot or playoff positioning.
There are six teams within two points of the NHL lead with the Rangers and Anaheim tied at 101 points (Rangers do have three games in hand and be wary down the stretch as the Ducks only have six games left to play, the least in the NHL). Nashville and Montreal are one point behind, while the Blues and Tampa Bay are two in arrears.
The battle for the eighth and final spot is also a barnburner with Ottawa holding on to the final spot in the East with 85 points. They are actually tied with Boston but have nine games left while the Bruins have only eight. Florida remains in the hunt with 82 points and eight games remaining.
In the West, the Kings jumped back into a playoff position Thursday with 88 points, two behind Vancouver and Winnipeg, and ahead of the Calgary Flames.
The battles will be interesting down the stretch.
Don’t forget, for everything NHL, check out Rotoworld's Player News, and follow @Rotoworld_ HK and @mfinewaxhockey on Twitter.
Now to The Week Ahead.
WEEK OF MARCH 30-APRIL 5
4 Games – Buffalo, Chicago, Colorado, Detroit, Edmonton, Florida, Montreal, Ottawa, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Toronto, Vancouver, Washington,
3 Games – Arizona, Boston, Calgary, Carolina, Columbus, Dallas, Los Angeles, New Jersey, New York Rangers, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Jose
2 Games – Anaheim, Minnesota, Nashville, New York Islanders, Winnipeg
Tampa Bay and Vancouver play all four games on the road.
Chicago, Columbus, Detroit, Florida and Los Angeles play three games at home.
Calgary, Colorado, Edmonton and Washington play three games on the road.
INJURIES
Dougie Hamilton is out with an undisclosed injury. (Click here to see the rest of the injury list.)
Note: A tired team is one that has played the day or night before and is going against a team that did not play the previous day or night. The reverse is true for a rested team.
ANAHEIM
Games this week
vs. Edmonton, vs. Colorado
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None
Notes
The Ducks only play twice this week so if you are in the playoffs, bench everyone with the exception of Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry if you are in a weekly transaction pool and have other choices. The Ducks had been slumping of late losing two in a row before beating the Bruins on Thursday. The Ducks had given up 12 goals to Columbus and the Rangers in their losses, and are 5-5 in their last 10 games. Matt Beleskey found the back of the net on Tuesday for the first time in five weeks and now has 22 goals this season. The Ducks decided to make Cam Fowler a healthy scratch for the first time this season on Tuesday as the team has eight solid blueliners with everyone healthy.
ARIZONA
Games this week
vs. Buffalo, @ San Jose, vs. San Jose
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None
Notes
The Coyotes play the Sabres for the second time in less than a week and then play the Sharks in a home-and-home series. Look for Kyle Chipchura and B.J. Crombeen to add to their penalty minute totals if there is any rough stuff. Oliver Ekman-Larsson hit the 20 goal mark for the first time in his career and leads all current Coyotes in points with 40. Arizona finally won a hockey game on Tuesday as they upset the Red Wings in overtime. It was only their second win in their last 20 games and they then got their third in 21 games with an overtime win over Buffalo. They are seven points up on the Sabres in the race for last place in the NHL. Mike Smith is now 13-37-5 with a .902 save percentage and a 3.16 GAA.
BOSTON
Games this week
vs. Florida, @ Detroit, vs. Toronto
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None
Notes
David Krejci returned to action on Thursday after missing 15 games with a knee injury. He replaced the injured Dougie Hamilton on the power play and took a regular shift with
Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron. Hamilton has missed the last two games with an undisclosed injury. He is second on the Bruins in scoring with 42 points, nine behind Bergeron heading into action on Thursday. The Bruins are in ninth place and tied with eighth place Ottawa but the Senators had one game in hand. If the Bruins fail to make the post-season, look for Peter Chiarelli’s job as General Manager to be in peril. Brett Connolly is looking to return from a broken finger before the end of the season.
BUFFALO
Games this week
@ Arizona, vs. Toronto, vs. Chicago, @ New York Islanders
Rested Team: vs. Toronto (Wednesday), vs. Chicago (Friday)
Tired Team: @ New York Islanders (Saturday)
Notes
The Sabres have a four game week in which they play three games in four nights so expect to see Anders Lindback and Matt Hackett to split the net. The Sabres play the Coyotes twice in less than 96 hours, so tempers could flare as they battle for last place in the NHL. Nicolas Deslauriers and Zach Bogosian are the likeliest candidates to get into a fight should the Coyotes and the Sabres get into it. The team that finishes last has only a 20 percent chance to get Connor McDavid (the overwhelming choice to go first overall) but a 100 percent chance to get either McDavid or Jack Eichel, the other so called franchise player in the draft.
CALGARY
Games this week
@ Dallas, @ St. Louis, @ Edmonton
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: @ Dallas (Monday)
Notes
Boy is Jiri Hudler having a great season with 27 goals and 66 points in 71 games as he is tied for 14th overall in the points race with Joe Pavelski, Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin. That’s not bad company. After a fairly slow start to the season, Sean Monahan has come on like gangbusters and now has 29 goals and 56 points this season. He was one of a very few sophomores who did well last season, not to slump in 2014-15. Rookie Johnny Gaudreau leads all rookies in scoring with 58 points this season and he will be a finalist for the Calder Trophy. After going 67 games without a goal, defenseman Deryk Engelland had two on Wednesday.
CAROLINA
Games this week
@ Washington, @ Florida, vs. Philadelphia
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None
Notes
The Hurricanes looked to be locked into the fifth spot at the draft (before the draw) as they are 10 points in arrears of Columbus and four points up on Toronto with two games in hand. Defenseman Justin Faulk was leading the Hurricanes in points with 45 points before Thursday’s game but Eric Staal had a three point night while Faulk had one, so Staal leads by one with 47. Staal became the Hurricanes first 20 goal scorer on Thursday and is two ahead of Jeff Skinner who has 18 goals. Skinner has the worst plus/minus on the team at minus-22. Cam Ward leads the way with 19 wins while Anton Khudobin has only eight.
CHICAGO
Games this week
vs. Los Angeles, vs. Vancouver, @ Buffalo, vs. St. Louis
Rested Team: vs. Los Angeles, (Monday), @ Buffalo (Friday)
Tired Team: None
Notes
Chicago plays four times this week for the second week in a row as well as three games in four nights. Scott Darling should get one start in net with Corey Crawford playing three games. Andrew Shaw has three goals in his last two games and do not forget about him next season despite his 13 goals and 21 points in 70 games this season as he sees plenty of power play time. I had plenty of people ask me if they should take Kimmo Timonen upon his return from blood clots and I said no, and that advice has certainly been good as he has no points in 10 games with a minus-two rating. I would take him late in a playoff pool if you think the Blackhawks are going deep into the playoffs but that would be the only reason to do so. The Blackhawks inked Kyle Baun to a contract. He is the grandson of former NHLer Bob Baun.
COLORADO
Games this week
vs. Edmonton, @ San Jose, @ Anaheim, @ Los Angeles
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: @ Los Angeles (Saturday)
Notes
The Avalanche play three games in four nights as part of a four game week. Semyon Varlamov should play three games with Reto Berra likely getting one start. Varlamov had a poor game on Wednesday as he gave up three goals on seven shots to the lowly Edmonton Oilers. Ryan O'Reilly has been red-hot of late with 11 points in his last six games. I've been impressed with the performance of Alex Tanguay this season as he has 22 goals and 51 points in 72 points with a plus-three rating (second best among forwards on the Avs). He also has 40 minutes in penalties and is only eight away from tying a career best. Jarome Iginla needs four goals in his last eight games to hit the 30 goal mark for the 13th time in his career.
COLUMBUS
Games this week
vs. New Jersey, vs. New York Islanders, vs. Pittsburgh
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None
Notes
Jared Boll has been suspended for three games for an illegal check to the head on Anaheim’s Patrick Maroon. Despite only two assists in 10 games this season, I like Ryan Murray next season. He was drafted second overall in the 2012 draft and it always takes defensemen longer to succeed in the NHL than forwards. He also had some knee surgery and that did not help his progress. The Blue Jackets made an outstanding trade in getting Scott Hartnell in the off-season for R.J. Umberger. Hartnell has 25 goals and 53 points this season with 96 penalty minutes while Umberger is out for the season after picking up only nine goals and 14 points with 19 penalty minutes in 67 games. Advantage Columbus.
DALLAS
Games this week
vs. Calgary, vs. St. Louis, @ Nashville
Rested Team: vs. Calgary (Monday), vs. St. Louis (Friday)
Tired Team: @ Nashville (Saturday)
Notes
For everyone who thought that Kari Lehtonen’s hold on the top spot in Dallas was in jeopardy when the Stars dealt for Jhonas Enroth, well they were wrong. Enroth has only had five starts in 20 games and has not seen the net in the Stars past eight games. While Lehtonen’s peripherals are not great (2.82 GAA and a .908 save percentage), his 33-14-10 record is outstanding. Trevor Daley has missed the last 11 games with a knee injury but should return by this week at the latest. Jamie Benn is sixth in the NHL in points with 71, only three points out of first in the race for the Art Ross Trophy.
DETROIT
Games this week
vs. Ottawa, vs. Boston, @ Minnesota, vs. Washington
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None
Notes
The Red Wings play three games in four nights so Petr Mrazek, who replaced the concussed Jonas Gustavsson, could play once for Jimmy Howard. Gustavsson returned to practice on Tuesday but there is no definitive word on his return. Stephen Weiss returned to the lineup on Thursday after being a healthy scratch in seven of the Red Wings previous eight games. Erik Cole is out of action with an upper body injury and should miss the next three games. Pavel Datsyuk is out of action with a lower body injury. The Wings have been sliding down the standings as they were 3-6-1 in their last 10 and are now sixth in the East.
EDMONTON
Games this week
@ Colorado, @ Anaheim, @ Los Angeles, vs. Calgary
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: @ Los Angeles (Thursday)
Notes
The Oilers play three in four nights as part of a four game week. Look for Richard Bachman to get a start with Ben Scrivens garnering the remainder of the action. Jordan Eberle has been red hot of late with six goals and 15 points in his last nine games. Taylor Hall (leg) returned to action on March 22 and he has a three game point streak since his return. He will lose a lot of value in pools next season but he is a talented player and should be undervalued in most pools so take him. Andrew Miller received a late season recall and had a couple of assists in his fourth NHL game on Wednesday.
FLORIDA
Games this week
@ Boston, vs. Carolina, vs. Tampa Bay, vs. Montreal
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: vs. Montreal (Saturday)
Notes
The Panthers play four games including three in four nights so expect Roberto Luongo to play the majority of the games with Dan Ellis playing once. Luongo was brilliant in his return as he gave up one goal on 27 shots in two straight games before giving up four goals in a loss to Tampa Bay on Tuesday. The Panthers want to re-sign Jaromir Jagr but the 43-year-old says he is focused on this season and not about his future. Florida could use his experience in their lineup, but you have to wonder if he will be too interested in the early bird dinners in the Miami area. Nick Bjugstad is day-to-day with a lower body injury suffered over a week ago.
LOS ANGELES
Games this week
@ Chicago, vs. Edmonton, vs. Colorado
Rested Team: @ Chicago (Monday), vs. Colorado (Saturday)
Tired Team: None
Notes
The Kings finish up a five game road trip on Monday against the Blackhawks. There is good news on the Tanner Pearson front as he participated in an optional skate on Wednesday. He has been out of action since January 10 with a fractured left fibula and could return as early as this week. Justin Williams has only 38 points in 73 games but has nine points in his last 11 contests. Marian Gaborik has six goals in his last 11 games and now has 23 on the season. Jonathan Quick has had a pretty good season for fantasy fans as he is 33-19-12 with good peripherals (2.26 GAA and a .917 save percentage). It looks like Anze Kopitar will lead the Kings in scoring for an eighth straight season as he has 60 points, five ahead of Jeff Carter.
MINNESOTA
Games this week
vs. New York Rangers, vs. Detroit
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None
Notes
Thomas Vanek has been pretty hot of late with six goals and 10 points in his last nine games and was also put back on the first power play in practice Wednesday replacing Matt Dumba as the Wild are going with four forwards and one blueliner. Another week and more kudos for Devan Dubnyk who has started in 32 straight games for the Wild and has compiled a 24-6-1 record (with one no-decision) to lead the Wild into the playoff race. The Wild are currently in fifth place in the Western Conference. Needless to say, the third round pick they gave to the Coyotes for Dubnyk is well worth it. Dubnyk has given up only 54 goals in 32 games for Minnesota as he has a 1.71 GAA with the Wild.
MONTREAL
Games this week
vs. Tampa Bay, vs. Washington, @ New Jersey, @ Florida
Rested Team: @ Florida (Sunday)
Tired Team: @ New Jersey (Friday)
Notes
The Canadiens play four games this week including three in four nights so look for Dustin Tokarski to get one start for Carey Price. The Habs were the first team to hit the 100 point mark this season in an overtime loss to Nashville on Tuesday. Max Pacioretty is having an outstanding season with 35 goals and 64 points with an NHL leading plus-40 rating. So many Canadiens are having outstanding seasons including P.K. Subban who has 13 goals and 52 points with a plus-20 rating, and Tomas Plekanec who has scored 22 times with 30 assists and a plus-10 rating. Price is the likely Vezina Trophy winner with a 40-15-5 record to go with 1.88 GAA and a .937 save percent. He has a good shot to win the Hart as well.
NASHVILLE
Games this week
vs. Vancouver, vs. Dallas
Rested Team: vs. Vancouver (Tuesday). vs. Dallas (Saturday)
Tired Team: None
Notes
The Predators play only twice this week and are the rested team in both games. Pekka Rinne became the second goalie this season to hit the 40 win plateau as he got the win Thursday over Tampa Bay. He has been sensational this season and if he didn’t get hurt and miss eight games over a three week period, he could have been a bigger challenger to Montreal’s Carey Price for the Vezina. As it is, he will be a finalist for the award. It took Mike Santorelli over a month but he finally scored his first goal as a Nashville Predator on Thursday. It was the game winner. Filip Forsberg has struggled since the calendar turned into 2015 and he potted his first goal in 13 games on Tuesday.
NEW JERSEY
Games this week
@ Columbus, vs. Montreal, @ New York Rangers
Rested Team: vs. Montreal (Friday)
Tired Team: @ New York Rangers (Saturday)
Notes
The Devils should be selecting around the seventh slot in the 2015 draft and that will enable them to get a very good player as this season’s draft is deep. Of course if they are lucky enough to win the lottery, then Connor McDavid will reside in New Jersey. GM Lou Lanoriello said that he will not be behind the bench next season. Travis Zajac has had a horrible season with only 23 points in 66 games. He had a couple of 60-plus point seasons in 2008-09 and the following year and has been on the fringe of being a fantasy asset in the past few seasons but he is not even close to that this season. Scott Gomez has been a lot better than Zajac this season with 31 points in only 50 games.
NEW YORK ISLANDERS
Games this week
@ Columbus, vs. Buffalo
Rested Team: vs. Buffalo (Saturday)
Tired Team: None
Notes
The Islanders play only twice this week but you still need to put John Tavares and Kyle Okposo in your lineup, as well as Jaroslav Halak. Tavares has been a stud on the power play with 12 goals and 27 points. He is currently tied for second in scoring with 74 points. The Islanders have made Michael Grabner a healthy scratch the last four games. Lubomir Visnovsky is slated to return shortly to the lineup as he has been out with a lower body injury since March 13. Mikhail Grabovski is still sidelined with a concussion and has not begun skating. He last played on February 19.
NEW YORK RANGERS
Games this week
@ Winnipeg, @ Minnesota, vs. New Jersey
Rested Team: vs. New Jersey (Saturday)
Tired Team: None
Notes
Great news on the Rangers front as Henrik Lundqvist is supposed to get one start on either March 28 or 29. He has been out of action since February 2 but the net has been capably filled by Cam Talbot who was 18-4-2 with Lundqvist on the sidelines. The Rangers are sitting pretty heading into the playoffs and would have no qualms pulling Lundqvist in the post-season if he struggles. Martin St. Louis has started skating again as he was on the ice Thursday for the first time since spraining his right MCL on March 15. Mats Zuccarello scored for the first time in 15 games on Tuesday.
OTTAWA
Games this week
@ Detroit, vs. Tampa Bay, vs. Washington, @ Toronto
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None
Notes
The Senators play three games in four nights as part of a four game week so expect to see Andrew Hammond play three times with Craig Anderson getting a start. Hammond finally had a tough game on Thursday as he was pulled after allowing five goals on 22 shots in 37 minutes of action. Even with the poor performance, Hammond has been outstanding as he is now 14-1-1 with a 1.92 GAA and a .938 save percentage. Bobby Ryan is not scoring like he has in the past (four straight 30 goal seasons in his first four seasons of playing as a regular in the NHL) but is in line for his third best point total as he has 35 assists and 53 points in 69 games. Mika Zibanejad is one goal away from 20 and has 43 points this season.
PHILADELPHIA
Games this week
@ Pittsburgh, @ Carolina, vs. Pittsburgh
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None
Notes
The Flyers play the Penguins twice this week and will have to combat Steve Downie if there are any fights. Zac Rinaldo should be the man to take care of business for the Flyers. Philadelphia received bad news on Wednesday as both Wayne Simmonds (fractured left leg) and Andrew MacDonald (fractured right hand) were lost for the season when injured against the Blackhawks. Steve Mason is only 15-17-10 but his peripherals have been very good with a 2.28 GAA and a .925 save percentage. Keep an eye on Michael Del Zotto next season as he has rebounded from a couple of bad seasons and seems to have found a home in Philadelphia. Look for the Flyers to re-sign him, especially with nine goals and 28 points in 57 games this season.
PITTSBURGH
Games this week
vs. Philadelphia, @ Columbus, @ Philadelphia
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None
Notes
The Penguins play their cross-state rival Flyers twice this week and expect there to be some nastiness. If that is the case, then NHL penalty minute leader Steve Downie, who has 223, will certainly add to his total. Sidney Crosby has taken over the scoring lead in the NHL with 75 points. Christian Ehrhoff is expected to be out for several days with an undisclosed injury. He is certainly having a tough time staying healthy this season. Just to show you how hard it is sometimes in fantasy pools, Marc-Andre Fleury has been great this season but in the first week of fantasy playoffs, he has allowed eight goals on only 63 shots and did not pick up a victory.
ST. LOUIS
Games this week
vs. Vancouver, vs. Calgary, @ Dallas, @ Chicago
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: @ Dallas (Friday)
Notes
The Blues play four games including three in four nights. Jake Allen should get at least once start in place of Brian Elliott. The good news for the Blues is that Kevin Shattenkirk could return as early as March 28. He has been out of action since February 1 as he underwent abdominal surgery. What an outstanding season Vladimir Tarasenko has had with 35 goals and 70 points in 74 games with a plus-29 rating. He is tied for fourth in goals and seventh in points while his plus/minus ranks him fifth in the NHL and first overall in the Western Conference. Ryan Reaves has 116 penalty minutes with six goals and 12 points. Not so bad if you are looking for an enforcer.
SAN JOSE
Games this week
vs. Colorado, vs. Arizona, @ Arizona
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None
Notes
The Sharks play three games in four nights so Antti Niemi should get at least two of the starts. San Jose plays a home-and-home series with the Arizona Coyotes and John Scott (if he gets into the lineup) and Brenden Dillon are likely to increase their penalty minute totals if there are any fisticuffs. Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture have taken over from Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau as the faces of the San Jose franchise. This could change in the off-season if the Sharks blow up the team although it’s hard to see them dealing Couture who is their top young player and heading into his prime years.
TAMPA BAY
Games this week
@ Montreal, @ Toronto, @ Ottawa, @ Florida
Rested team: None
Tired Team: @ Toronto (Tuesday)
Notes
The Lightning play all four games on the road this week and you should expect to see Ben Bishop start three games with Andrei Vasilevskiy playing once. Ryan Callahan has 51 points thus far this season and is only three points away from tying his career high set in the 2011-12 season with the Rangers. I have been surprised by the great season of Nikita Kucherov who has 27 goals and 59 points and is second best in the NHL with a plus-36 rating. Anton Stralman has come into his own this season after bouncing around for seven seasons with Toronto, Columbus and the Rangers. He has a career high eight goals and 36 points with a plus-22 rating in 75 games this season after he was a seventh round pick by Toronto in 2005.
TORONTO
Games this week
vs. Tampa Bay, @ Buffalo, @ Boston, vs. Ottawa
Rested team: vs. Tampa Bay (Tuesday)
Tired Team: @ Buffalo (Wednesday)
Notes
The Maple Leafs play four times including three games in four nights this week. Look for Jonathan Bernier to play at least twice with James Reimer getting at least one start this week. Jake Gardiner has only four goals and 22 points in 72 games but has two goals and six points in his last 10 outings. The Maple Leafs line of James van Riemsdyk, Tyler Bozak and Phil Kessel have the three worst plus/minus ratings in the NHL, as van Riemsdyk is at minus-36, Bozak at minus-37 and Kessel at minus-38. All three have been minus-34 since the beginning of January. It’s no wonder Toronto has the four worst record in the NHL, despite going on a 10-1-1 streak earlier in the season.
VANCOUVER
Games this week
@ St. Louis, @ Nashville, @ Chicago, @ Winnipeg
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: @ Nashville (Tuesday)
Notes
The Canucks are on the road for all four games this week including three games in four nights. Ryan Miller will not return before the playoffs so look for Eddie Lack to get at least three starts with Jacob Markstrom probably getting one. Defenseman Yannick Weber has a three game goal scoring streak and now has nine this season. The Canucks have inked defenseman Chris Tanev to a five-year/$22.25 million contract. While the blueliner has limited fantasy value at best, he is a solid defenseman in real hockey. Radim Vrbata is only one goal away from his second 30 goal season of his career and has 56 points this season. He has fit in well with the Sedin twins.
WASHINGTON
Games this week
vs. Carolina, @ Montreal, @ Ottawa, @ Detroit
Rested team: None
Tired Team: None
Notes
The Capitals play three games in four nights as part of a four game week. Braden Holtby will play at least three times but Justin Peters could get one start. Holtby has been strong this season with a 36-19-9 record to go with a 2.18 GAA and .925 save percentage. He along with Alex Ovechkin have been the major reasons the Capitals are currently tied for sixth overall in the East with the slumping Red Wings, five points ahead of Florida and Boston. Matt Niskanen has 26 points in 74 games this season after a 46 point effort last season but he has a goal and four assists in his past four contests. It looks like Dmitry Orlov will finally return to the Washington lineup after missing all season with a wrist injury. He has been sent to Hershey for some conditioning but is expected to return to the Capitals shortly.
WINNIPEG
Games this week
vs. New York Rangers, vs. Vancouver
Rested team: None
Tired Team: None
Notes
The Jets only play twice this week and if you are in a weekly transaction pool, I would recommend staying away from all if you have a choice, with the exception of Andrew Ladd and Dustin Byfuglien. Byfuglien returned from an upper body injury on Thursday after missing nine games. Ondrej Pavelec has been hot of late as he has won six games in a row and is now 6-1 in March with a 1.15 GAA and a .963 save percentage. His outstanding goalkeeping is keeping the Jets in the playoff hunt as they are currently tied for sixth in points with Vancouver at 90, three ahead of the ninth place Flames who have a game in hand. Tyler Myers has only 25 points in 65 games this season but 12 have come since his trade from Buffalo 18 games ago. Do not forget about him next season
