Fantasy Hockey Playoff Guide

Welcome to the fantasy hockey playoff guide! With the NHL trade deadline in the books, it’s time for real and fantasy general managers to make a push for the playoffs en route to a championship.

When the puck drops on Monday, Week 21 of the fantasy hockey season will be underway, which means there are six weeks left in the NHL season. For those who play head-to-head formats, there are just two weeks left in the regular season before the quarterfinals (Week 23, Mar. 20 – Mar. 26). 

Below you’ll see a breakdown of each remaining week with suggested players to stream, own, drop and hold. I also listed the teams that play the most during the fantasy hockey playoffs (Mar. 20 – Apr 14).

For those playing in high stakes leagues, you’ll see a list of teams playing the most each week, including the last two weeks (Apr. 3 – Apr. 14). In head-to-head formats, Week 25 is championship week, but it’s a two-week period. 

The Buffalo Sabres have the potential to be a difference-maker not only in the finals but throughout the playoffs. On the flip side, if you’re on the outside looking in, you may need to cut your ties with a few players on teams playing the fewest games from here until the end of the season (New York Islanders). Of note, there are zero teams scheduled to play two games in the quarterfinals or semifinals of H2H formats.

It’s more important than ever to get the most out of your moves at this time of the season. The strategy I like to call “attacking the schedule” can be the difference in winning a championship. Each week, find out which players wouldn’t crack your lineup on the busy days on the schedule. Drop those players for players scheduled to play on the lighter scheduled nights. Those days are usually Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. If you’re in a shallow league or a roto league, this strategy may not mean that much to you, but if you’re not going to play an average player on a busy night like Thursday or Saturday, you’re better off dropping him for someone playing on those lighter days. 

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Fantasy Hockey Playoff Guide

Nashville Predators (22 games)

The Preds are basically icing an AHL squad, so I’m not crazy about their options down the stretch, despite having the most remaining games on the NHL schedule from now until the end of the season. This is good for Roman Josi and Matt Duchene owners and bittersweet news for Tyson Barrie owners. Barrie scored a goal on four shots in his Nashville debut. His stock took a hit though with the move from Oil Country to Music City. Thomas Novak has a touch of value in deeper leagues with FOW.

21 games

• Carolina Hurricanes
• Colorado Avalanche
• Buffalo Sabres 

Seth Jarvis, Shayne Gostisbehere, Teuvo Teravainen, Jordan Staal, Antti Raanta

Jarvis remains on the top line and loves to shoot the puck when George Zainoun doesn’t take the over on his shot prop. Gostisbehere scored in his Carolina debut and will QB the second power play. Staal can help in leagues with FOW, and Raanta will get starts down the stretch. Frederik Andersen and Raanta are a strong duo to own for the rest of the season. 

J.T. Compher, Alex Newhook, Samuel Girard 

Compher is a must-own in leagues with faceoff wins. Newhook and Compher are always a threat to hit the score sheet with Mikko Rantanen on their line. 

Jack Quinn

I don’t know how long Tuch will be sidelined, but Quinn is going to be a strong start for as long as he plays on the top line. It could be a short-term add that gets you into the playoffs and a potential MVP during the playoffs. 

20 games 

• New Jersey Devils 
• Boston Bruins
• Pittsburgh Penguins
• Ottawa Senators 
• St. Louis Blues 
• Vancouver Canucks
• Chicago Blackhawks 

Dawson Mercer, Tomas Tatar, Ryan Graves 

By now Mercer is surely owned in every competitive league. Tatar is someone to keep an eye on as he’s currently racking up points next to Mercer and Nico Hischier. Ondrej Palat may also find himself in the top six at times, and it’s a top six you’ll want to get a piece of.

David Krejci, Dmitry Orlov, Pavel Zacha, Tyler Bertuzzi, Charlie Coyle

Dmitry Orr, I mean Orlov, has nine points in five games with the Bruins. Two of those points have come on the power play, and he enters the week on the top pair with Charlie McAvoy. Bertuzzi picked up an assist in his Bruins debut and logged 16:31. There’s a chance he moves up the lineup with Taylor Hall sidelined. 

Jeff Petry, Rickard Rakell, Bryan Rust 

Rakell and Rust have been pretty inconsistent so proceed with caution. Petry is great. 

Jakob Chychrun 

It’s possible the Chychrun owner got sick and tired of holding him, so double check your wire. 

Robert Thomas, Brayden Schenn, Kasperi Kapanen, Sammy Blais, Colton Parayko 

Kapanen will play in the top six the rest of the way for the Blues, and he’s off to a good start. Parayko and Blais can help in leagues with hits and blocks. Schenn is currently skating with the Blues’ two best wingers. 

Andrei Kuzmenko, Anthony Beauvillier, Tyler Myers

These two forwards have been very good with Elias Pettersson since Vancouver traded Bo Horvat. Myers can add 10-15 blocks a week. 

Andreas Athanasiou, Caleb Jones

There’s really nothing to see here. 

Fewest remaining games 

17 games

• New York Islanders 

18 games

• Los Angeles Kings 
• Edmonton Oilers
• Florida Panthers
• Washington Capitals

Head-to-head playoffs (Mar. 20 – Apr. 14)

Most games 

14 games

• Carolina Hurricanes
• Detroit Red Wings – Lucas Raymond, David Perron, Robby Fabbri

13 games

• Boston Bruins
• Buffalo Sabres
• Colorado Avalanche
• Florida Panthers – Sam Bennett, Anthony Duclair 
• Nashville Predators 
• Ottawa Senators 
• Pittsburgh Penguins 
• Seattle Kraken – Jared McCann, Jordan Eberle, Yanni Gourde 

Fewest games 

10 games

• New York Islanders 

The Islanders don’t have any two-game weeks remaining, so you don’t need to panic and drop Bo Horvat, Brock Nelson or Noah Dobson just yet, but these are three players you may end up cutting throughout the playoffs, especially in the last couple of weeks.

Rest of the season weekly schedule 

Week 21 (Mar. 6 – Mar. 12)

*I didn’t list players on teams I already hit on. 

Four games 

• Anaheim Ducks – Mason McTavish, Cam Fowler 
• Arizona Coyotes – Barrett Hayton, Nick Schmaltz, Juuso Valimaki 
• Buffalo Sabres 
• Calgary Flames – Mikael Backlund
• Carolina Hurricanes 
• Chicago Blackhawks
• Minnesota Wild – John Klingberg, Ryan Hartman
• Nashville Predators 
• New Jersey Devils
• Ottawa Senators 
• Pittsburgh Penguins 
• San Jose Sharks – Alexander Barabanov, William Eklund
• St. Louis Blues 
• Tampa Bay Lightning – Alex Killorn 
• Vegas Golden Knights – Ivan Barbashev 
• Winnipeg Jets – Nino Niederreiter 

McTavish and Hayton are surprisingly productive despite the lack of talent on their respective teams. Klingberg, Barbashev and Niederreiter all benefit from their new landing spots. Nino is in a much better top six in Winnipeg, Klingberg is on the first power play in Minnesota and Barbashev began his Vegas career on the top line. Barabanov is getting a boost in ice time with Timo Meier no longer around, and Eklund was recalled over the weekend. Those are two players to consider rostering in deeper formats. 

Two games 

• Columbus Blue Jackets 
• Toronto Maple Leafs 

You can drop Ryan O’Reilly and Michael Bunting if you’re in need of points and wins to get into the playoffs. You can hold Patrik Laine and Boone Jenner if you’re in a good spot in the standings as the Blue Jackets have four games next week.

Attack the schedule
Monday – 6 games
Wednesday – 3 games
Friday – 2 games

Anaheim – TUE, WED, FRI, SUN
Calgary – MON, TUE, FRI, SUN
Chicago – MON, WED, FRI, SAT
Vancouver – MON, WED, SAT
Winnipeg – MON, WED, SAT, SUN

The Ducks and Blackhawks don’t have much to offer, but there’s a big advantage in having someone on Wednesday and Friday as there are only five games on those two days. 

Saturday & Sunday games
ARI
BOS
CAR
DET
MIN
NSH
NJ
NYR
OTT
PIT
STL
TB
VGK
WPG

The Bruins play several back to backs during the weekend so have Jeremy Swayman if you own Linus Ullmark.

Week 22 (Mar. 13 – Mar. 19)

Four games

• Boston Bruins
• Buffalo Sabres 
• Colorado Avalanche 
• Columbus Blue Jackets – Boone Jenner
• Dallas Stars – Max Domi, Evgenii Dadonov 
• Montreal Canadiens – Michael Matheson, Denis Gurianov 
• Nashville Predators 
• New Jersey Devils 
• New York Rangers 
• Tampa Bay Lightning 
• Toronto Maple Leafs
• Vancouver Canucks
• Washington Capitals – Rasmus Sandin, Tom Wilson, T.J. Oshie 
• Winnipeg Jets 

A slight uptick in Dadonov’s stock and a downtick in Domi’s. Max is surrounded around better players in Dallas but he won’t get the same kind of ice time. Matheson has been fantastic since he returned to the lineup. The shots and points are piling up as he continues to log heavy minutes. Gurianov has looked great on the top line. In just three games with the Habs, he’s already scored and touched season highs in shots, attempts and ice time. Sandin picked up three assists in his Capitals debut. He’s on the first power play, which is an extremly valueable role. Just ask Erik Gustafsson, who can now be dropped with the move to Toronto. 

Two games 

• Detroit Red Wings 
• Florida Panthers

Attack the schedule
Monday – 3 games
Wednesday – 4 games
Friday – 4 games

Anaheim – Wednesday, Friday, Sunday
Buffalo – Monday, Wedneday, Friday, Sunday
Colorado – Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday
St. Louis – Wednesday, Friday, Sunday
Toronto – Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday
Washington – Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday

The Sabres and Maple Leafs have games on all three light days. 

Saturday & Sunday games
BOS
MIN
NSH
NJ
NYR
TB
VAN
WPG

Week 23 (Mar. 20 – Mar. 26) – Quarterfinals 

Four games

• Arizona Coyotes 
• Boston Bruins 
• Calgary Flames
• Carolina Hurricanes 
• Chicago Blackhawks 
• Colorado Avalanche 
• Detroit Red Wings 
• Florida Panthers 
• Nashville Predators 
• Ottawa Senators 
• Pittsburgh Penguins 
• St. Louis Blues 
• Toronto Maple Leafs 
• Vancouver Canucks 

Attack the schedule
Monday – 5 games
Wednesday – 2 games
Friday – 3 games
Sunday – 5 games

Arizona – Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday
Chicago – Monday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday
Colorado – Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday
Edmonton – Monday, Wednesday, Saturday
Los Angeles – Mondat, Saturday, Sunday
Pittsburgh – Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday

The Avs have the perfect schedule as they have a game on all four light days. 

Saturday & Sunday games
BOS
CAR
CHI
LA
NSH
STL
TOR
VAN

Week 24 (Mar. 27 – Apr. 2) – Semifinals

Four games

• Anaheim Ducks
• Boston Bruins 
• Carolina Hurricanes
• Columbus Blue Jackets
• Detroit Red Wings 
• Edmonton Oilers
• Florida Panthers 
• Los Angeles Kings 
• Montreal Canadiens 
• New Jersey Devils 
• New York Islanders
• New York Rangers
• Ottawa Senators 
• Philadelphia Flyers 
• Pittsburgh Penguins 
• St. Louis Blues 

The Bruins, Hurricanes, Red Wings, Panthers, Senators and Penguins have four games in the quarters and semis. If you’re a lock for the playoffs, set yourself up with players from these teams. 

Attack the schedule
Monday – 6 games
Wednesday – 4 games
Friday – 4 games

Arizona – Monday, Friday, Saturday
Buffalo – Monday, Friday, Saturday
Colorado – Monday, Wednesday, Saturday
Florida – Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday
Minnesota – Monday, Wednesday, Saturday
New York Islanders – Monday, Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday

The Avs again have a great schedule this week. 

Saturday & Sunday games
ANA
BOS
CAR
CBJ
LA
NJ
NYI
OTT
PHI
PIT
STL
TOR
 

Week 25 (Apr. 3 – Apr. 9) 

Four games

• Colorado Avalanche 
• Nashville Predators 
• Philadelphia Flyers 
• Seattle Kraken
• Vegas Golden Knights 

Two games 

• New York Islanders
• Washington Capitals
• Winnipeg Jets 

This is where I would cut my players from the Islanders.

Attack the schedule
Monday – 3 games
Wednesday – 3 games
Sunday – 2 games

Anahiem – Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday

Saturday & Sunday games
ANA
BOS
COL
PHI

Week 26 (Apr. 10 – Apr. 16) 

Four games

• Buffalo Sabres

The Sabres are the only team with more than three games in the final week of the season. This is why holding Alex Tuch could pay off. 

Attack the schedule
Wednesday – 3 games
Friday – 2 games

Buffalo – Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
Calgary – Monday, Wednesday
Colorado – Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
Columbus – Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
Dallas – Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Montreal – Wednesday, Thursday
Nashville – Monday, Thursday, Friday
New York Islanders – Monday, Wednesday
San Jose – Monday, Wednesday, Thursday
St. Louis – Wednesday, Thursday

Week 25 (Apr. 3 – Apr. 14) – Head-to-head Finals

*This is a two-week period in most head-to-head formats. Don’t get ahead of yourself and add all seven-game streamers, but have these teams on your radar.

Seven games

• Buffalo Sabres 
• Colorado Avalanche 
• Nashville Predators 
• Seattle Kraken 

Six games

• Carolina Hurricanes 
• Chicago Blackhawks 
• Columbus Blue Jackets 
• Dallas Stars
• Detroit Red Wings
• Minnesota Wild
• Philadelphia Flyers
• San Jose Sharks
• Toronto Maple Leafs
• Vancouver Canucks
• Vegas Golden Knights

Five games

• Anaheim Ducks
• Arizona Coyotes
• Boston Bruins 
• Calgary Flames 
• Edmonton Oilers 
• Florida Panthers 
• Los Angeles Kings
• Montreal Canadiens 
• New Jersey Devils 
• New York Rangers
• Ottawa Senators
• Pittsburgh Penguins
• St. Louis Blues 
• Tampa Bay Lightning
• Washington Capitals
• Winnipeg Jets

Four games

• New York Islanders