Hunter Skoczylas previews the Boston Bruins’ fantasy hockey matchups for the upcoming week with NHL stats and analysis you need to know.
Published Mar 31, 2026 10:10 AM EDT
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – MARCH 28: Pavel Zacha #18 of the Boston Bruins celebrates his third period goal with Morgan Geekie #39, Jonathan Aspirot #45, and Casey Mittelstadt #11 against the Minnesota Wild at TD Garden on March 28, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by China Wong/NHLI via Getty Images)
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The Boston Bruins went 3-0-1 last week, dropping their first matchup of the week against the Toronto Maple Leafs but topping the Buffalo Sabres, Minnesota Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets to cap off the week. Boston finds itself in fourth place in the Atlantic Division and fifth place in the Eastern Conference, with a 42-24-8 record, 92 points and a +20 goal differential.
Entering the new week, the Bruins will host the Dallas Stars on Tuesday. Then, the club will hit the road for a four-game road trip, with matchups against the Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning and Philadelphia Flyers. Boston currently holds sole possession of the top Eastern Conference wild card spot, so it must come away with at least two wins to prevent Columbus from catching up in the playoff race.
Boston Bruins’ upcoming schedule for the week of March 31:
Tuesday, March 31 vs. Dallas Stars
Thursday, April 2 at Florida Panthers
Saturday, April 4 at Tampa Bay Lightning
Sunday, April 5 at Philadelphia Flyers
Boston Bruins’ DraftKings Fantasy Preview
Tuesday, March 31 vs. Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars are in second place in both the Central Division and the Western Conference with a 44-18-12 record, 100 points, and a +49 goal differential.
This will be the second and last meeting of the season between these two teams. Dallas has gone 2-4-2 across its past eight games, while averaging 2.5 goals and allowing 3.1 goals per game. While the Stars rank second in 5v5 goals against per 60, the club ranks just 15th in 5v5 goals per 60 and 13th in 5v5 xGoals%. Still, the club ranks second in PP% and 11th in PK%, and it has scored the most power play goals in the NHL.
The club stayed afloat as Mikko Rantanen (21G, 50A) was sidelined since early February, and it welcomed the 29-year-old back on Mar. 29 against Pittsburgh, a game in which he totaled one goal and one assist. While he was sidelined, it was Jason Robertson (40G, 47A) and Wyatt Johnston (40G, 38A) who stepped up. This season marked Robertson’s third 40-goal season and Johnston’s first career 40-goal season, with the pair averaging 14.0 DK FPTS per game and 12.2 DK FPTS per game, respectively. Dallas also possesses quite the luxury in rolling out either Jake Oettinger (2.63 GAA, .899 SV%) or Casey DeSmith (2.38 GAA, .909 SV%) on a nightly basis. Oettinger has the third-most wins in the NHL, while DeSmith ranks third in GAA and 14th in goals saved above expected.
Thursday, April 2 at Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers are in eighth place in the Atlantic Division and 15th in the Eastern Conference with a 35-35-3 record, 73 points, and a -28 goal differential.
This will be the third and final meeting between these two teams, with Florida claiming the first two. It has been a rough season for the back-to-back Stanley Cup champions, as the club finds itself in last place in the division and already out of playoff contention. The Panthers are 2-6-0 across their last eight outings, while averaging 2.4 goals and allowing 3.8 goals per game. On the season, the Panthers rank 21st in goals per game and 27th in goals against per game. When it comes to special teams, the club ranks 21st in PP% and seventh in PK%, but it also ranks third in penalty minutes per game and 13th in power play goals scored.
Sergei Bobrovsky (3.00 GAA, .879 SV%) is on pace for one of the worst seasons across his 16 seasons in the NHL. Among 94 eligible goaltenders, Bobrovsky ranks 86th in goals saved above expected, and he is averaging just over 8.0 DK FPTS per game, the lowest average of his career. The offensive production has been underwhelming, as well, with the club ranking in the bottom half of the league in 5v5 goals per 60 and only four skaters totaling 50+ points on the season. Sam Reinhart (29G, 32A) leads the team in both goals and assists, with Brad Marchand (27G, 27A) and Sam Bennett (25G, 29A) rounding out the top three in terms of points. Matthew Tkachuk (12G, 15A) has appeared in just 26 games this season, and his 27-point total will mark the lowest of his career by far.
Saturday, April 4 at Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning are in first place in both the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference with a 46-21-6 record, 98 points, and a +64 goal differential.
This will be the third of four meetings between these two teams this season, with Tampa Bay winning both matchups. The Lightning were one of the hottest teams in the NHL for much of the season, but they’ve somewhat slowed down since the Olympic break, posting a 9-7-2 record, while averaging 3.8 goals and allowing 3.5 goals per game. The club has scored the second-most goals, and it ranks second in 5v5 goals per 60 and third in 5v5 Corsi%. Tampa Bay has also allowed the ninth-fewest 5v5 goals against per 60. As for special teams, it is more of the same, with the club ranking 11th in PP% and third in PK%. Interestingly enough, the Lightning have both drawn and taken the most penalties in the NHL, so special-teams opportunities occur often.
Offensive efficiency isn’t that hard to come by when Nikita Kucherov (40G, 81A) is leading the way. Kucherov ranks second in the NHL in points and has averaged a whopping 16.5 DK FPTS per game this season. The team does look a bit top-heavy, with Jake Guentzel (35G, 45A) and Brandon Hagel (35G, 38A) rounding out the top three in terms of points, but the depth production has still been great. It isn’t necessarily fair when Tampa Bay can score so many goals and still receive elite goaltending from Andrei Vasilevskiy (2.33 GAA, .913 SV%). Vasilevskiy ranks fourth in goals saved above expected and 14th in SV% above expected, while averaging a league-leading 13.1 DK FPTS per game.
Sunday, April 5 at Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are in fifth place in the Metropolitan Division and 11th place in the Eastern Conference with a 37-24-12 record, 86 points, and a -3 goal differential.
This will be the third and final meeting between these two teams, with the Flyers claiming the most recent matchup on Feb. 28. The Flyers have been locked in since the break, posting a 12-4-1 record, while averaging 2.9 and allowing 2.3 goals per game. The goaltending has been especially elite across the last 10 games, allowing the second-fewest 5v5 goals against per 60. It’s quite impressive that this club has been able to stack as many wins as it has when it also ranks 27th in 5v5 goals per 60 across this same span. As for special teams, this is an area that has hindered much of Philadelphia’s potential success, with the club ranking dead last in PP% and 16th in PK%.
Still, this team has a chance to clinch a playoff spot, as it is just two points out of the second Eastern Conference wild card spot, and the overall team production has been balanced. Nine different skaters have eclipsed 30 points on the season, with Travis Konecny (26G, 37A) and Trevor Zegras (23G, 36A) leading the way. The depth has been producing lately; however, with players like Owen Tippett (27G, 21A) and Noah Cates (17G, 24A) leading the team in points across the last 10 outings. The club has rotated both Daniel Vladar (2.44 GAA, .907 SV%) and Samuel Ersson (3.11 GAA, .870 SV%) all season, and both of them have played very well lately. Vladar has been especially great, ranking 12th in goals saved above expected and 22nd in SV% above expected, while averaging 11.4 DK FPTS per game.
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