The Fantasy Hockey Weekly Planner is the essential guide to setting your lineup for the upcoming week. Every Friday, we provide you with top matchups, the latest news and give you the scoop on injured players.
Projections are for March 19-25 games.
Teams with four games (7): Boston, Chicago, Edmonton, N.Y.
Islanders, N.Y. Rangers, Pittsburgh, St. Louis
Teams with three games (20): Buffalo, Calgary, Colorado,
Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Florida, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Montreal,
Nashville, New Jersey, Ottawa, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Jose, Tampa
Bay, Toronto, Vancouver, Washington
Teams with two games (3): Anaheim, Atlanta, Carolina
On tap: Week 25 brings us 12 nationally televised games in either the United States or Canada: Pittsburgh at N.Y. Rangers in the United States on Monday; Phoenix at Minnesota in the United States and New Jersey at Toronto in Canada on Tuesday; Philadelphia at N.Y. Rangers and Nashville at Vancouver in Canada on Wednesday; Montreal at Boston in Canada on Thursday; Toronto at Buffalo in Canada on Friday; Buffalo at Toronto and Nashville at Edmonton on Saturday on Hockey Night in Canada; N.Y. Rangers at N.Y. Islanders, Boston at Pittsburgh and St. Louis at Columbus in the United States on Sunday. Other prime matchups to watch: The Sharks and Thrashers tussle in Atlanta in a potential Stanley Cup Finals preview and the Devils skate against the Lightning in Tampa Bay in a possible playoff matchup on Thursday; the Thrashers look to contain the Penguins on Friday in the Steel City; the Avalanche try to keep their fading postseason hopes alive when they skate into Vancouver for date with the Canucks on Sunday. How much would they love to deal their rivals a crushing blow?
| F A N T A S Y S P I N S | |
| Well, it's playoff time in Head-to-Head Fantasy Hockey leagues. We have just two scoring periods remaining and it's been a fun season. The best part about this season is there are so many teams still competing for playoff spots, that hardly anyone will be rested in the last couple of games. … Unfortunately for Fantasy owners, we were tooting the horn of Scottie Upshall in the last installment of In the Crease on Tuesday. However, he suffered a separated shoulder in Thursday’s game against the Thrashers and is expected to miss about 10 days. That's bad news, since he had really been coming into his own with his new club. At least Mike Knuble (facial surgery) was able to return to the lineup after missing 12 games. Get him back in the active Fantasy lineup if he is available. … Washington finally welcomed Olaf Kolzig (knee) back after he was sidelined for 13 games. It is just in time, too, as Brent Johnson is dealing with a minor knee injury. However, since the Caps already sent Frederic Cassivi down, obviously Johnson's knee is not bad. However, his playing time will decrease significantly now that Ollie the Goalie is back. He is a solid No. 3 Fantasy starter down the stretch. … The Nashville Predators are awfully banged up, but it appears help might be on the way. Steve Sullivan has been battling back spasms which cost him 10 games, but he might be able to return this weekend. If he can prove his health, get ready to activate him for crunch time. … Check out what is going on in Phoenix, if you are in need of a starting goaltender. Mikael Tellqvist has made three consecutive starts, although coach Wayne Gretzky is claiming to have a goaltender rotation. Curtis Joseph has been a spectator lately and the Great One is mostly going with the white hot Tellqvist. He is a solid No. 3 netminder for Fantasy owners heading into the playoffs, since he has been standing on his head and seizing the opportunity. |
| F I V E T E A M S W I T H F A V O R A B L E M A T C H U P S | |||||||
| The following five teams have the best matchups for the upcoming week. That doesn't necessarily mean they will post the best Fantasy stats, but if you're looking for a one-week start or are trying to make a difficult decision between two players to use, lean toward players from these teams: | |||||||
| Team | 3/19 | 3/20 | 3/21 | 3/22 | 3/23 | 3/24 | 3/25 |
| Buffalo Sabres (BUF) | -- | -- | WAS | -- | TOR | @TOR | -- |
| Dainius Zubrus will skate against his former teammates on Wednesday. The Sabres also play a home-and-home against the Maple Leafs, a team they usually own. | |||||||
| Colorado Avalanche (COL) | -- | -- | @EDM | -- | @EDM | -- | @VAN |
| The Avalanche might be watching the playoffs on television, although they have a chance to get back in it with a pair against the struggling Oilers. | |||||||
| Detroit Red Wings (DET) | -- | @CGY | -- | CLB | -- | STL | -- |
| The Red Wings should have a fairly easy week, especially when they return to the Joe for a couple of easy contests against Central Division foes. | |||||||
| Minnesota Wild (MIN) | -- | PHO | -- | STL | -- | LA | -- |
| Niklas Backstrom and the Wild have been playing very well lately and there is no reason to believe their hot run will not continue against three terrible teams playing out the string. | |||||||
| Ottawa Senators (OTT) | -- | @STL | -- | @FLA | -- | @TB | -- |
| The Senators might have a tough time later in the week at Tampa Bay, but they should do well against the Blues and Panthers, two teams they have dominated recently. | |||||||
| F I V E T E A M S W I T H P O O R M A T C H U P S | |||||||
| The following five teams have the worst matchups for the upcoming week. That doesn't necessarily mean you should reserve every player from these teams, but try to avoid less-heralded performers from these squads if you have an alternative on your roster: | |||||||
| Team | 3/19 | 3/20 | 3/21 | 3/22 | 3/23 | 3/24 | 3/25 |
| Calgary Flames (CGY) | -- | DET | -- | NSH | -- | -- | @CHI |
| The Flames will have their hands full with Dominik Hasek and Tomas Vokoun coming to town this week. | |||||||
| Edmonton Oilers (EDM) | VAN | -- | COL | -- | COL | NSH | -- |
| The Oilers have been abysmal since dealing their heart and soul to the Islanders. They’ll have a tough time scoring in the upcoming week. | |||||||
| Nashville Predators (NSH) | -- | -- | @VAN | @CGY | -- | @EDM | -- |
| The Predators have been tremendous this season, but they are very banged up and a road trip through Western Canada is not what they need right now. | |||||||
| Tampa Bay Lightning (TB) | -- | NYI | -- | NJ | -- | OTT | -- |
| Dan Boyle, Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis remain must-starts in all Fantasy leagues, but it might be a tough week for Tampa Bay goaltending. | |||||||
| Toronto Maple Leafs (TOR) | -- | NJ | -- | -- | @BUF | BUF | -- |
| The Maple Leafs have been struggling against the quality teams, especially at home. With a date against Martin Brodeur and a home-and-home against the rival Sabres, it might be a long week in Hogtown. | |||||||
You can e-mail your Fantasy Hockey questions to DMFantasyPucks@cbs.com. Be sure to put Attn: Fantasy Hockey in the subject field. Please include your full name, hometown and state. Be aware, due to the large volume of submissions received, we cannot guarantee personal responses to all questions.