Fantasy Playoffs are near
Fantasy playoffs begin in a couple of weeks so I thought I would give you the remaining games of all teams for the last three weeks of the season.
Anaheim - 8 (4,2,2)
Arizona – 9 (3,3,3)
Boston – 10 (3,4,3)
Buffalo – 10 (3,4,3)
Calgary – 10 (4,3,3)
Carolina – 11 (4,3,4)
Chicago – 11 (4,4,3)
Colorado – 11(4,4,3)
Columbus – 10 (3,3,4)
Dallas – 10 (4,3,3)
Detroit – 11 (4,4,3)
Edmonton – 10 (3,4,3)
Florida – 10 (4,4,2)
Los Angeles – 11 (4,3,4)
Minnesota – 10 (4,2,4)
Montreal – 9 (3,4,2)
Nashville – 9 (4,2,3)
New Jersey – 10 (4,3,3)
Islanders – 9 (4,2,3)
Rangers – 11 (4,3,4)
Ottawa – 11 (4,4,3)
Philadelphia – 8 (2,3,3)
Pittsburgh – 10 (4,3,3)
St. Louis – 9 (2,4,3)
San Jose – 10 (3,4,3)
Tampa Bay – 9 (3,4,2)
Toronto – 9 (3,4,2)
Vancouver – 10 (3,4,3)
Washington – 9 (3,4,2)
Winnipeg – 10 (4,2,4)
Be wary of teams who play eight games like Anaheim and the Flyers as you get three less games than Carolina, Chicago, Colorado, Detroit, Los Angeles, the Rangers and Ottawa who all play 11 times.
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Now to The Week Ahead.
WEEK OF MARCH 9-15
4 Games - Anaheim, Boston, Carolina, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Nashville, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Ottawa, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Toronto
3 Games –Arizona, Calgary, Colorado, Edmonton, Florida, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Montreal, New Jersey, San Jose, Tampa Bay, Vancouver, Washington, Winnipeg
2 Games – Buffalo, Chicago
Nashville plays all four games on the road.
Arizona, Boston, Carolina, the New York Islanders, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, San Jose, Vancouver and Winnipeg play three games at home.
Anaheim, Dallas, Edmonton, New Jersey, the New York Rangers and Winnipeg play three games on the road.
INJURIES
Alex Ovechkin missed Thursday’s game with a lower body injury and he is day-to-day. (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
@ Vancouver, @ Calgary, @ Minnesota, vs. Nashville
Rested Team: vs. Nashville (Sunday)
Tired Team: None
Notes
The Ducks play four games this week so look for Frederik Andersen and John Gibson to split the net. The Ducks have a good problem on their hands as Andersen returned this week after missing almost a month with a neck injury and now has a capable backup in Gibson who could run with the job if need be. The Ducks bolstered their blueline by picking up James Wisniewski, Simon Despres and Korbinian Holzer at the deadline while Wisniewski being the top player traded on Monday. He’ll give them a power play specialist on the first unit that has been needed since Sami Vatanen went down with a leg injury. Matt Beleskey is nearing a return after his shoulder injury on February 15.
ARIZONA
Games this week
vs. Nashville, vs. Chicago, vs. New Jersey
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None
Notes
The Coyotes end a six game home stand this week. Arizona certainly went all out, giving up as they traded Keith Yandle, Antoine Vermette and Zbynek Michalek as they attempt to rebuild and hopefully get one of Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel. They picked up junior Anthony Duclair in the Yandle trade with the Rangers and he certainly will look good alongside Max Domi next season. The duo starred for Team Canada at the World Junior Championships and had great chemistry together. Mikkel Boedker is out for the remainder of the season as is Martin Hanzal. If the Coyotes are fortunate enough to get either McDavid or Eichel and then have Domi as their second center, Hanzal will slot in nicely in the third spot, giving Arizona quite the strength down the middle.
BOSTON
Games this week
@ Ottawa, vs. Tampa Bay, @ Pittsburgh, @ Washington
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: @ Washington (Sunday)
Notes
The Bruins play three games in four days this week so look for Tuukka Rask to play at three times with Niklas Svedberg possibly getting a start. Boston traded a couple of second round picks for Brett Connolly who went sixth overall in 2010 but he broke his finger in practice and should be back for the first round of the playoffs. They also dealt for Maxime Talbot who will provide veteran stability on the fourth line but the Bruins, who are trying to hold off the Florida Panthers for the eighth and final playoff spot, certainly did not go all out to do so. Boston also traded Jared Knight and received Zack Phillips back which means two of the three picks they received from Toronto in the Phil Kessel trade have been dealt away as they traded Tyler Seguin in the summer of 2013. Only Dougie Hamilton remains.
BUFFALO
Games this week
@ Toronto, vs. New York Rangers
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None
Notes
The Sabres play only twice this week so if you needed prodding to keep your Buffalo players on the bench, this is yet another good reason to do so. The Sabres are looking very good to finish last as they keep giving away players who are UFA’s at the end of the season but could still contribute. They dealt Michal Neuvirth to the Islanders for Chad Johnson and Neuvirth has been much the superior goaltender as he was 6-17-3 with a 2.99 GAA and a .918 save percentage for a porous Buffalo team while Johnson was 8-8-1 with a 3.08 GAA and a .889 save percentage for the much superior Islanders. They also dealt Chris Stewart to Minnesota. Zemgus Girgensons is likely out for the season with a foot injury.
CALGARY
Games this week
vs. Anaheim, vs. Toronto, @ Colorado
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None
Notes
The Flames finally return home after an eight game road trip and play three games in four nights, so expect to see Karri Ramo play twice with Jonas Hiller getting one start. The Flames received horrible news as their best defenseman Mark Giordano required surgery to repair a torn bicep and he will miss the remainder of the season. That should help the fantasy value of Dennis Wideman who should see more power play time. Calgary dealt Curtis Glencross to the Capitals for draft picks. They also picked up David Schlemko off waivers from Dallas but Schlemko is a depth defenseman.
CAROLINA
Games this week
vs. Columbus, vs. Dallas, vs. Florida, @ Columbus
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: @ Columbus (Sunday)
Notes
The Hurricanes play three games in four nights as part of a four game week so expect to see Cam Ward and Anton Khudobin split the net. The Hurricanes were quiet at the trade deadline but did sign Jay McClement to a two-year extension. Jordan Staal did not go to the Penguins as some rumored. The Hurricanes play the Blue Jackets twice this week so if there are any fisticuffs, Brad Malone could be a candidate to fight. Justin Faulk leads the team in points and is tied with a team-worse minus-18 rating.
CHICAGO
Games this week
@ Arizona, @ San Jose
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None
Notes
The Blackhawks were quite busy at the deadline, picking up Antoine Vermette and Kimmo Timonen on the weekend and Andrew Desjardins on Monday. Vermette will slot into the second center spot on the depth chart while Timonen will play alongside Brent Seabrook. This is Timonen’s last season in the NHL and the Flyers were nice enough to give the soon-to-be 40-year-old a final chance at the Stanley Cup. He missed all season with blood clots but made his first start of the season on Monday. Desjardins will give the Blackhawks some extra toughness as a bottom six forward.
COLORADO
Games this week
vs. Los Angeles, vs. New jersey, vs. Calgary
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None
Notes
The Avalanche made three small deals at the deadline, picking up Jordan Caron from Boston, Freddie Hamilton from San Jose and Mat Clark from the Ducks. The one player who was thought to be on the move was Ryan O'Reilly but apparently GM Joe Sakic wants to re-sign the slick forward as he still has another year on his contract before he is able to become a UFA. Joey Hishon made his NHL regular season debut on Wednesday. The talented center was taken 17th overall in the 2010 Draft but concussion woes have hurt him drastically, not only physically but also in his attempts to play in the NHL. Here’s hoping that it’s the first of many games for the 23-year-old who had 14 goals and 32 points in 50 AHL games this season.
COLUMBUS
Games this week
@ Carolina, @ Detroit, vs. Edmonton, vs. Carolina
Rested Team: vs. Carolina (Sunday)
Tired Team: None
Notes
The Blue Jackets play four times this week including three games in four nights so Curtis McElhinney could get one start in net in place of Sergei Bobrovsky. Columbus plays the Carolina Hurricanes twice this week so do not be surprised if Scott Hartnell, Jared Boll or Dalton Prout adds to their penalty minute totals. The Blue Jackets dealt James Wisniewski to Anaheim in a strange trade as they only got back William Karlsson, Rene Bourque and a second round pick with Columbus sending a third round pick back. They then sent Bourque and Karlsson to the minors. Cam Atkinson inked a three-year extension. Brandon Dubinsky is expected to return on Friday from a concussion, well before it was thought he was coming back.
DALLAS
Games this week
@ Philadelphia, @ Carolina, @ Washington, vs. St. Louis
Rested Team: vs. St. Louis (Sunday)
Tired Team: @ Washington (Friday)
Notes
The Stars play four times this week as they conclude a five game road trip before playing the Blues at home Sunday. Look for Kari Lehtonen to play three of the four games with Jhonas Enroth getting a start. The Stars dealt Erik Cole to the Red Wings as they got back a couple of prospects in Mattias Backman and Mattias Janmark-Nyle as well as a second round pick. Looks like the organization was a tad short in players named Mattias. Trevor Daley suffered a knee injury and will miss the next two-four weeks but the team received good news in that Tyler Seguin skated in practice on Thursday and is now day-to-day with his knee injury.
DETROIT
Games this week
vs. Edmonton, vs. Columbus, @ Philadelphia, @ Pittsburgh
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None
Notes
The Red Wings play four times this week including three in four days. Expect to see Jonas Gustavsson play once for Jimmy Howard in that span. The Red Wings were quite busy this week, acquiring Erik Cole from Dallas and Marek Zidlicky from the Devils. Cole is starting his Detroit career on a line with Henrik Zetterberg and Justin Abdelkader, forcing Gustav Nyquist to the third unit. Zidlicky will give the Red Wings a good fourth defenseman who is capable of running the second power play. Teemu Pulkkinen was sent to the minors but do not forget about him next season in fantasy pools.
EDMONTON
Games this week
@ Detroit, @ Pittsburgh, @ Columbus
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None
Notes
The Oilers were not busy at the deadline as they dealt defenseman Jeff Petry and got back a second round pick. The Oilers conclude a five game road trip this week. The Oilers top prospect on the blueline, Darnell Nurse, has been out of action for the last few weeks in the OHL with a leg injury. Look for Nurse to crack the Oilers lineup next season. Nail Yakupov has benefited from the acquisition earlier in the season of Derek Roy. Yakupov has nine points in his last 13 games and is finally looking like the first overall pick the Oilers made him a couple of seasons ago.
FLORIDA
Games this week
vs. Winnipeg, @ Carolina, @ New York Rangers
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None
Notes
The Panthers play three games in four nights. They will likely go with Roberto Luongo for two games as he is expected back for the Carolina game on March 12. Al Montoya was put on the injured reserve list after hurting his groin. Luongo was also hurt in the Toronto game and if he is unable to go, the Panthers have recalled Dan Ellis and Sam Brittain to tend the net. The Panthers picked up veteran Jaromir Jagr and he should help the youngsters as they drive towards the playoffs. Willie Mitchell is set to return after missing a month with an upper body injury. Dave Bolland is out yet again, this time with an upper body injury.
LOS ANGELES
Games this week
@ Colorado, @ Vancouver, vs. Nashville
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None
Notes
The Kings were quiet on trade deadline day but made a big splash last week when they acquired Andrej Sekera from Carolina. Alec Martinez is hoping to skate this week as he tries to return from a concussion that has kept him out of action for the last 12 games. Drew Doughty is getting closer to having his second best offensive season of his NHL career as he has 38 points in 63 games. Anze Kopitar had a goal and two assists on Tuesday to pull within one point of the team scoring lead held by Jeff Carter who has 49. Kyle Clifford leads the Kings in penalty minutes with 76.
MINNESOTA
Games this week
vs. New Jersey, vs. Anaheim, @ St. Louis
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: @ St. Louis (Saturday)
Notes
Chris Stewart was traded to the Wild at the deadline for a second round pick and the former Sabre gets the prime spot in his first game with Minnesota as he will be on the same line with Mikko Koivu and Thomas Vanek. The Wild bolstered their depth on the blueline by getting Jordan Leopold while picking up forward Jared Knight from the Bruins. Devan Dubnyk was the first star of the month for February and has been the big reason for the Wild’s turnaround as he is 18-3-1 since being traded from Arizona for a measly third round pick. Marco Scandella is out at least a week with what may be an oblique injury.
MONTREAL
Games this week
vs. Tampa Bay, vs. Ottawa, @ New York Islanders
Rested Team: @ New York Islanders (Saturday)
Tired Team: None
Notes
The Canadiens added Jeff Petry to their blueline at the trade deadline and also added some depth with Brian Flynn and Torrey Mitchell coming from the Sabres. P.K. Subban was named the second star of the week with a goal and four assists in three games while Carey Price was the second star of the month as he was 9-1-1 with a 1.34 GAA to go with an equally sensational .949 save percentage. Alexei Emelin is travelling this week on the West Coast with his teammates and hopes to play the week of March 16. He is out with a shoulder injury.
NASHVILLE
Games this week
@ Arizona, @ San Jose, @ Los Angeles, @ Anaheim
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: @ Anaheim (Sunday)
Notes
The Predators play three games in four nights as part of all four games on the road, so expect to see Carter Hutton play once for the outstanding Pekka Rinne. The Predators were quiet as the deadline came and went but the trade with Toronto earlier for Cody Franson and Mike Santorelli should pay dividends. Matt Cullen is hot with nine points in his last 10 games. Taylor Beck picked up an assist in his first game in four after being a healthy scratch on a gorgeous behind the back pass to Matt Cullen. I wonder what Kanye West has to say about Beck now. Probably that Beyonce could have made a better pass. Ryan Ellis is being brought back slowly after playing on February 26. He missed 21 games with a lower body injury and had missed the last three as a healthy scratch before returning on Thursday. The Predators have lost five straight.
NEW JERSEY
Games this week
@ Minnesota, @ Colorado, @ Arizona
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None
Notes
The Devils ended up dealing Marek Zidlicky to the Red Wings but were unable to deal Michael Ryder or Martin Havlat at the deadline. Bryce Salvador is attempting to return to the lineup but has been out since November 10 with a back injury and it does not look promising. Adam Larsson continues to impress on the blueline and is now fantasy worthy. Michael Cammalleri is on a seven game points streak in which he has six goals and nine points. Damon Severson returned to the lineup on Tuesday for the first time since December 15 as he had been out with an ankle injury. He should see lots of time on the power play the rest of the way with Zidlicky out of the picture.
NEW YORK ISLANDERS
Games this week
@ Toronto, vs. New York Rangers, vs. Ottawa, vs. Montreal
Rested Team: vs. Ottawa (Friday)
Tired Team: vs. New York Rangers (Tuesday), vs. Montreal (Saturday)
Notes
The Islanders play a pair of back-to-back games this week so don’t be surprised if Michal Neuvirth plays once for Jaroslav Halak. The Islanders improved in net by trading for Neuvirth and giving up Chad Johnson to the Sabres. They made a nice depth move by picking up Tyler Kennedy from the Sharks and also got Dustin Jeffrey and Mark Louis to help out their AHL team. Anders Lee was the NHL’s rookie of the month in February. Matt Martin missed Thursday’s game as he was suspended for a game for kneeing Trevor Daley of the Stars.
NEW YORK RANGERS
Games this week
@ New York Islanders, @ Washington, @ Buffalo, vs. Florida
Rested Team: @ New York Islanders (Tuesday)
Tired Team: @ Washington (Wednesday)
Notes
The Rangers were all in for this season’s Stanley Cup playoffs when they acquired Keith Yandle from the Coyotes, giving up highly regarded prospect Anthony Duclair as well as defenseman John Moore and some draft picks. New York added defenseman Chris Summers in the deal and also added depth by trading for James Sheppard and Carl Klingberg. Mats Zuccarello’s name was being bandied about as trade bait but the Rangers inked him to a four-year deal on Monday to put a kibosh on any of those discussions. Cam Talbot is 9-2-3 since replacing the injured Henrik Lundqvist in the Rangers cage. Rick Nash picked up an assist on Wednesday to give him 60 points in 62 games, the first time he has hit the 60 point mark in five years.
OTTAWA
Games this week
vs. Boston, @ Montreal, @ New York Islanders, vs. Philadelphia
Rested Team: vs. Philadelphia (Sunday)
Tired Team: @ New York Islanders (Friday)
Notes
The Senators play three games in four nights as part of a four game week. Andrew Hammond has been outstanding since taking over from the injured Craig Anderson and Robin Lehner. Anderson is due back any day but Lehner is still suffering from the effects of a concussion and his return date is unknown at this time. Hammond is 6-0-1 as he has started the last seven games in a row, with a 1.35 FAA and a gaudy .957 save percentage. The Senators were quiet at the deadline. Mika Zibanejad has surpassed last season’s 16 goals and 33 points in 69 games as he has 16 goals and 35 points in 60 games this season. He is only 21 and is going to get better.
PHILADELPHIA
Games this week
vs. Dallas, @ St. Louis, vs. Detroit, @ Ottawa
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: @ Ottawa (Sunday)
Notes
The Flyers play four games this week including three games in four days so Steve Mason should get three starts with Ray Emery getting one. The Flyers dealt Kimmo Timonen to Chicago for a second round and a conditional fourth round draft selection and then made a great trade with the Lightning as they dealt Braydon Coburn for the injured Radko Gudas (who will help them next season), a first round pick and a third round pick in 2015. The Flyers did very well in the trade market. Michael Del Zotto continues to impress of late with six goals and 15 points in his last 19 games. Pierre-Edouard Bellemare signed a two-year extension on Monday.
PITTSBURGH
Games this week
@ San Jose, vs. Edmonton, vs. Boston, vs. Detroit
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None
Notes
The Penguins play three games in four nights as part of a four game week. It is likely that Thomas Greiss will get one start with Marc-Andre Fleury getting the other three. The Penguins made a couple of small moves at the deadline as they changed defensive depth in acquiring Ben Lovejoy from the Ducks and Ian Cole from St. Louis. Pittsburgh dealt Robert Bortuzzo to the Blues while Anaheim received Simon Despres. Evgeni Malkin was named the NHL’s third star of the week as he had two goals and six points in two games. Christian Ehrhoff’s concussion-like symptoms have reoccurred. Sidney Crosby struggled on Wednesday winning only seven of 20 draws and not getting a shot on goal for only the second time this season.
ST. LOUIS
Games this week
vs. Winnipeg, vs. Philadelphia, vs. Minnesota, @ Dallas
Rested Team: vs. Minnesota (Saturday)
Tired Team: @ Dallas (Sunday)
Notes
The Blues play four games this week including three in four nights and it is likely that Brian Elliott and Jake Allen will split the net. The Blues picked up Robert Bortuzzo from the Penguins for Ian Cole and made a big splash acquiring Zbynek Michalek (concussion) from the Coyotes along with a conditional third round pick for prospect Maxim Letunov. Olli Jokinen is also a Blue, giving St. Louis more depth up front. Jaden Schwartz scored his 21st goal of the season on Thursday as he is tied for second in goals with David Backes, 10 behind Vladimir Tarasenko.
SAN JOSE
Games this week
vs. Pittsburgh, vs. Nashville, vs. Chicago
Rested Team: None
Tired Team: None
Notes
The Sharks made a few deals at the deadline, acquiring Ben Smith from Chicago for Andrew Desjardins, as well as picking up rearguard Karl Stollery from Colorado and dealing James Sheppard to the Rangers. Smith quickly got to San Jose and played Monday night, scoring once and adding an assist. Don’t expect a lot offensively from Smith who should be a bottom six forward. Matt Irwin is on a four game point streak with two goals and four points. He also has six points in his last eight games. There has never been a problem with the offense of the blueliner but his play in his own zone made him a healthy scratch on numerous occasions earlier in the season.
TAMPA BAY
Games this week
@ Montreal, @ Boston, vs. Winnipeg
Rested team: None
Tired Team: None
Notes
The Lightning gave up a lot for Braydon Coburn as the defenseman cost them Radko Gudas, a first round pick and a third round selection in the upcoming June Draft. Coburn was paired with Jason Garrison in the early going. Steve Stamkos has six points including four goals in his last four games. Ben Bishop returned to the cage on Thursday after missing Tuesday’s game when he was injured during the morning skate. Andrei Vasilevskiy continues to back him up. Ryan Callahan continues to have a nice season with 21 goals and 46 points to go with a plus-seven rating in 61 games.
TORONTO
Games this week
vs. New York Islanders, vs. Buffalo, @ Calgary, @ Vancouver
Rested team: None
Tired Team: @ Vancouver (Saturday)
Notes
The Maple Leafs play four games this week including three games in four nights so look for James Reimer to get see action in one game with Jonathan Bernier getting the other three games. The Maple Leafs made a couple of small deals at the deadline, trading Olli Jokinen to the Blues and Korbinian Holzer to San Jose in exchange for Joakim Lindstrom and Eric Brewer and a couple late draft picks in 2016. The Leafs claimed former first round pick Tim Erixon off waivers. Unless he gets hot, Phil Kessel is headed for his worst offensive season in five years. James van Riemsdyk has only one goal in his last 16 games.
VANCOUVER
Games this week
vs. Anaheim, vs. Los Angeles, vs. Toronto
Rested Team: vs. Toronto (Saturday)
Tired Team: None
Notes
The Canucks made a couple of moves at the deadline as they picked up some depth with Cory Conacher but then took a chance and gave up a second round pick for Sven Baertschi who was a first round pick in 2011 (11th overall) but was not happy with the Calgary organization and there was talk of him going back to Europe next season if he remained the property of the Flames. Alexander Edler returned to the Vancouver lineup on Thursday after missing eight games with an upper body injury. Eddie Lack seems to be getting the majority of starts in goal with Ryan Miller on the sidelines. Jacob Markstrom got the start on Tuesday but was pulled after giving up three goals on four shots in his first start of the season.
WASHINGTON
Games this week
vs. New York Rangers, vs. Dallas, vs. Boston
Rested team: vs. New York Rangers (Wednesday), vs. Dallas (Friday), vs. Boston (Sunday)
Tired Team: None
Notes
The Capitals face tired teams in all three games this week and that has to be a bonus for them. The Capitals made a nice pickup when they acquired Curtis Glencross from the Calgary Flames. Washington gave up a second and third round pick for the forward but if he gets second line minutes, he will contribute as he will also get second line power play time. Alex Ovechkin was the NHL’s third star of the week and leads the league in goals with 43. Andre Burakovsky must feel like a yoyo as he has been up and down from the minors all season. He was the odd-man out when the Caps got Glencross but recalled him and put him on the first line Thursday due to the lower body injury suffered by Ovechkin.
WINNIPEG
Games this week
@ St. Louis, @ Florida, @ Tampa Bay
Rested team: None
Tired Team: None
Notes
The Jets picked up Lee Stempniak on the weekend as they gave up Carl Klingberg to the Rangers. They made their big moves last month in getting Tyler Myers and Drew Stafford from the Sabres and Jiri Tlusty from Carolina. The Jets still want to sign Michael Frolik to a contract extension. He has a five game point streak. Stempniak has been practicing alongside Blake Wheeler and Adam Lowry. Dustin Byfuglien suffered an upper body injury on Wednesday but nothing more is known at this time. Andrew Ladd has 52 points to lead the Jets, one ahead of Bryan Little.
