Sport: NHL
Although it’s important to target specific players on the waiver wire at the beginning of each week, picking up those with a stacked schedule through seven days can be the difference between winning and losing a matchup. Listed below are recommendations for fantasy hockey managers looking for players on teams that have four games with beneficial matchups this week.
Week 6 Fantasy Hockey Schedule Preview
Vegas Golden Knights
Vegas has been strong throughout the first month of the NHL season, and with games against the New York Islanders, St. Louis Blues, and the Minnesota Wild this week, a win streak could be on their horizon. Although it will be tough for managers to get their hands on stars like Tomas Hertl and Pavel Dorofeyev, Vegas has several players worth taking advantage of in a week with 4 games.
Those in need of a physical forward could turn to Ivan Barbashev, while others may take interest in Brayden McNabb or Jeremy Lauzon, who have proven to be useful for hits and blocks. In addition to Vegas playing back-to-back this upcoming weekend, they also face the Florida Panthers on Monday, who have struggled as of late. As Vegas prepares for a stretch against weak opponents, fantasy managers would be smart to utilize their players who add peripheral value.
Columbus Blue Jackets
The Blue Jackets have struggled to collect wins as of late, but 2 of their 4 games this week are against an opponent who can’t seem to keep the puck out of their net. On Monday and Thursday, Columbus will play the Edmonton Oilers, who currently has the 7th worst goals against in the league. They also go head-to-head with the New York Rangers on Saturday, who are tied for the least amount of goals this year. Therefore, this week marks the perfect opportunity to pick up Columbus’s goal scorers and take advantage of their talent in between the pipes.
Dmitri Voronkov and Sean Monahan are the two best options to choose from, with both not only being featured on the power-play but also providing value in categories such as face-offs and hits. As for goaltending, Elvis Merzlikins and Jet Greaves have been splitting time in net, meaning they should both play 2 games each this week.
New York Islanders
Despite the Islanders playing against some of the best teams in the league this week, they still have multiple players are their roster worth taking a chance on, especially due to the format of their schedule. Along with facing the New Jersey Devils tonight and playing back-to-back games later in the week, the Islanders will also challenge the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday. Therefore, New York isn’t scheduled to play on Tuesday or Saturday, which is typically the NHL’s busiest nights of the week, meaning owners can benefit from using Islanders players on days with fewer games.
If available, managers should consider picking up Emil Heineman or Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who can not only contribute offensively, but have proven to be useful for face-offs and hits. Although the options for defensemen on the Islanders are scarce, other forwards such as Matthew Barzal could be useful on the power-play, and have been positive when it comes to plus/minus so far.
Outside of the teams listed above, the Oilers and Rangers also play 4 games this week, though managers should be cautious when adding players from either roster with both teams underperforming as of late. Make sure to return next Monday for the best fantasy hockey advice going into Week 7.