Hunter Skoczylas previews the Boston Bruins’ fantasy hockey matchups for the upcoming week.

Following their seven-game winning streak from Oct. 28 to Nov. 11, the Boston Bruins have come back down to Earth. Boston has dropped five of its last seven games, including two of three on its West Coast road trip last week. The club sits in fourth place in the Atlantic Division and eighth place in the Eastern Conference with a 13-11-0 record, 26 points, and a -2 goal differential. The Bruins are just one of two teams left in the NHL that have yet to lose a game in overtime.

David Pastrnak (11G, 15A) secured three points last week, bringing his season total to 29 points. Morgan Geekie (17G, 6A) netted five goals across three games last week and is tied with Nathan MacKinnon for the most goals in the NHL. Both Pavel Zacha (5G, 12A) and Charlie McAvoy (0G, 14A) rank third and fourth, respectively, in points. Jeremy Swayman (2.79 GAA and .909 SV%) started two of three games last week, securing his ninth win of the season in a 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings. After a shaky start to the season, Swayman has returned to elite form.

Boston has three games on tap for the upcoming week: a road tilt against the New York Islanders, followed by back-to-back home games against the New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings.

Bruins’ upcoming schedule for the week of November 25

Wednesday, November 26 at New York Islanders

Friday, November 28 vs. New York Rangers

Saturday, November 29 vs. Detroit Red Wings

Bruins’ DraftKings Fantasy Preview

Wednesday, November 26 at New York Islanders

The New York Islanders are in third place in the Metropolitan Division and fourth place in the Eastern Conference with a 13-8-2 record, 28 points, and a +5 goal differential.

The Islanders enter the new week having won three of their last five games, averaging 2.2 goals per game and allowing 1.6 goals per game. As a team, New York ranks 20th in goals per 60 and 23rd in goals against per 60. At even strength or 5v5, it ranks 15th in goals per 60 and 14th in Goals%. While the club ranks ninth in PK%, it ranks dead last in PP% and eighth in penalty minutes per game.

The club is led by 30-year-old center Bo Horvat (14G, 11A), who has posted three multiple-goal games this season. Horvat is averaging a healthy 13.8 DraftKings fantasy points (DK FPTS) across 23 games, good for 11th-best in the NHL. Mathew Barzal (6G, 11A) and Kyle Palmieri (6G, 11A) are tied for second-most points on the team, with Emil Heineman (9G, 6A) and Matthew Schaefer (7G, 8A) rounding out the top five. Schaefer has failed to post a point in five straight games, despite the strong start. New York’s goaltending has looked better as the season has progressed, with both Ilya Sorokin (2.67 GAA, .905 SV%) and David Rittich (2.59 GAA and .905 SV%) ranking inside the top 15 in goals saved above expected.

Friday, November 28 vs. New York Rangers

The New York Rangers are in eighth place in the Metropolitan Division and 14th place in the Eastern Conference with a 11-11-2 record, 24 points, and a -2 goal differential.

This Rangers squad enters the week having lost four of its last five games. The club’s first home win of the season came on Nov. 10 against the Nashville Predators, and it finds itself at the bottom of the conference. The Rangers rank 30th in goals per 60 and 25th in shots per game, but the goaltending that has allowed the fifth-fewest goals against per 60 is what has kept this team in games this season. The special teams play has been underwhelming, too, with the club ranking 17th in PP% and 20th in PK%, while taking far more penalties than it is drawing.

Adam Fox (3G, 18A) leads the way in terms of points and ranks third among all defensemen in assists. Artemi Panarin (6G, 14A) and Mika Zibanejad (7G, 8A) round out the top three, but this club is missing its usual offensive excellence so far this season. Luckily, Vincent Trocheck (4G, 4A) returned to the lineup after missing the first 14 games, and already has eight points in 10 games on the top line. Both Igor Shesterkin (2.50 GAA and .909 SV%) and Jonathan Quick (1.69 GAA and .944 SV%) have been flat-out elite this season, even amidst the club’s major struggles to secure wins. Shesterkin ranks eighth in the NHL in goals saved above expected, while averaging 11.7 DK FPTS, despite just eight wins.

Saturday, November 29 vs. Detroit Red Wings

The Detroit Wings are in second place in the Atlantic Division and fifth place in the Eastern Conference with a 13-9-1 record, 27 points, and a -5 goal differential.

Following a very strong start, the Red Wings have cooled down a bit in November, going 5-5-1 this month, while averaging 2.5 goals per game and allowing 3.2 goals per game. The offensive efficiency has been inconsistent, with the club ranking 22nd in goals per 60 and 25th in Goals%. Positive regression may be coming soon; however, as Detroit ranks fifth in xGoals%. The Red Wings rank 13th in PP%, 10th in power play goals and seventh in penalties drawn per 60.

Despite the inconsistencies, the point production has been there, with Dylan Larkin (13G, 12A) and Alex DeBrincat (11G, 14A) each posting 25 points through 23 games. Lucas Raymond (7G, 17A) has been on fire, too, securing at least one point in seven of the past eight games, while averaging 11.7 DK FPTS per game. Detroit’s offensive depth is top-notch, but until it receives ample goaltending, wins will be hard to come by. Cam Talbot (2.79 GAA and .893 SV%) sports a 9-3-0 record but ranks 31st in goals saved above expected and 36th in SV% above expected. John Gibson (3.46 GAA and .870 SV%) has started one more game than Talbot this season, despite ranking much lower in both categories.