We’re now in the middle of the fantasy hockey playoffs and it’s time to start that final push. Just like last week’s post, I’m going to break down the schedule for this week and as a compliment to the Playoff Manifesto, help you in terms of streaming. Let’s get right to it!
Monday 3/18 – ARZ @ TB, VAN @ CHI, WIN @ LA, VGK @ SJ
Tuesday 3/19 – PIT @ CAR, BOS @ NYI, DET @ NYR, MON @ PHI, WAS @ NJ, EDM @ STL, TOR @ NSH, COL @ MIN, FLA @ DAL, CBJ @ CAL
Wednesday 3/20 – TOR @ BUF, TB @ WAS, OTT @ VAN, WIN @ ANA
Thursday 3/21 – TB @ CAR, BOS @ NJ , ARZ @ FLA, NYI @ MON, DET @ STL, PIT @ NSH, PHI @ CHI, COL @ DAL, OTT @ CAL, CBJ@EDM, WIN @ VGK, SJ @ LA
Friday 3/22 – MIN @ WAS, SJ @ ANA
Saturday 3/23 – ARZ @ NJ, NYI @ PHI, CHI @ COL, OTT @ EDM, MIN @ CAR, BUF @ MON, NYR @ TOR, BOS @ FLA, NSH @ WIN, PIT @ DAL, TB @ STL, CAL @ VAN, DET @ VGK, ANA @ LA
Sunday 3/24 – PHI @ WAS, ARZ @ NYI , MON @ CAR, COL @ CHI, CBJ @ VAN
Monday 3/25 has a large slate of games, but nobody has a back-to-back with Sunday, so it doesn’t serve us much purpose for this exercise. More on that next week. Takeaways:
Tampa Bay and Winnipeg both have amazing schedules to open the week. They play on both Monday and Wednesday when there are only four games, and then also get a back-to-back including Thursday. Getting three games in four nights from players on their teams is excellent. Guys like J.T. Miller, Alex Killorn, and Kevin Hayes are great options.
The Capitals schedule might be sneakily better than those two. They get a back-to-back right away on Tuesday/Wednesday, then don’t play on Thursday which is a super busy day anyways, then play on a two game slate Friday. Then, they don’t play Saturday but there are 14 games so you don’t need to stream, then they play again Sunday. Jakub Vrana is easily their best option as he’s playing great hockey right now, but even someone like Brett Connolly is worth considering.
Honestly, I would be ignoring Saturday’s games in regards to streaming. With 14 games on the slate, all but Columbus, Washington and San Jose play. You should be able to fill out your starting lineup without ease, so look for guys that play on across the lighter days and don’t worry about Saturday.
The Ducks also play on Wednesday and Friday, two light days. In a shallow league, someone like Rickard Rakell could be available (he’s sitting on the waiver wire in my 10 team league). Otherwise, I would be looking at two guys to use: Troy Terry and Nick Ritchie. Terry was on a massive tear, and although he’s pointless in the last five, the opportunity is still there. Ritchie is also in a great spot and is a huge PIM / hits boost.
Reminder that the Sabres and Rangers have only two games this week, but then their schedules are amazing over the final two weeks. However, that won’t matter if you don’t make the finals, so if you are trailing, you need to be aggressive. If that means cutting someone on these two teams for someone who plays four games, then so be it. I wouldn’t be cutting Jack Eichel, but I could see dropping a Chris Kreider if necessary because their only two games are on busy days anyways.
Monday Streamers:
Brendan Perlini is on fire right now and gets a great matchup with Vancouver. Otherwise, it’s the guys I mentioned above on Tampa and Winnipeg. For a deep option, Kevin Labanc or Marcus Sorensen are reasonable options.
That’s all for now guys. I’ll be back on Wednesday recapping the action from the next two nights. As always, feel free to ask any questions, give any comments, or make any suggestions below. Thanks for reading, take care!
