Week 18 Fantasy Hockey Planner

Week 18 (Feb. 1-7)

Teams playing four games: Boston, Buffalo, Calgary, Carolina, Edmonton, Montreal, Washington
Teams playing three games: Anaheim, Atlanta, Chicago, Colorado, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Florida, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Nashville, New Jersey, N.Y. Rangers, Ottawa, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, San Jose, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Toronto, Vancouver
Teams playing two games: N.Y. Islanders

Atlantic Division

New Jersey Devils: Coach Jacques Lemaire chose to tweak his lines for Friday's game against the Maple Leafs, with the most noticeable move of replacing Jamie Langenbrunner on the top line with Zach Parise and Travis Zajac. It proved to be a great switch as the top line produced four goals and 11 points in a 5-4 overtime win. Zajac had the overtime winner ... Niclas Bergfors, who has gone 11 games without a goal, was a healthy scratch on Friday ... Lemaire also said Friday that he might consider scaling back goalie Martin Brodeur's playing time in March, if the veteran netminder plays too much for Team Canada during the Olympics.
N.Y. Islanders: Looking to add some toughness to its lineup, New York signed minor-league enforcer Trevor Gillies to a NHL contract. Fantasy owners in leagues that reward heavily for PIM might consider adding Gillies ... Matt Moulson became the Islanders' first 20-goal scorer since 2007-08 when he lit the lamp on Thursday against the Hurricanes ... Rookie John Tavares has gone 16 of the last 17 games without a goal ... Kyle Okposo has 14 points in his last 17 games.
N.Y. Rangers: Goalie Henrik Lundqvist has a case of the stomach flu, but he remains a low-risk start for Week 18 ... Wade Redden found himself back in the coach's doghouse on Wednesday as he was benched for the final 38 minutes in a 5-1 loss to the Hurricanes. He returned to the lineup on Saturday against the Coyotes ... Marian Gaborik reached 30 goals for the sixth time after scoring on Saturday against the Coyotes.
Philadelphia Flyers: Coach Peter Laviolette shook up his scoring lines on Saturday against the Islanders because he was upset with his team's lack of scoring punch. Simon Gagne and Scott Hartnell, who was moved to his off wing on the right side of the ice, joined Mike Richards, while Darroll Powe and Danny Briere flanked Jeff Carter ... Carter has six goals and three assists in his last seven games ... Goalie Ray Emery is 4-3-0 in seven starts since returning from abdominal surgery in mid-January.
Pittsburgh Penguins: Defenseman Alex Goligoski returned to the lineup on Sunday against the Red Wings after missing a few games due to injury. He is a safe start for Week 18 ... Chris Kunitz (abdominal) is back skating with the Penguins, but he won't be back until late in Week 18 at the earliest. Keep him reserved for at least one more scoring period ... Evgeni Malkin has six goals and five assists during a six-game point streak and is once again redeeming himself a career-worst scoring slump.
Favorable matchup: New Jersey (@TOR, TOR, @NYR). A scheduling quirk has the Devils playing the Maple Leafs three times in an eight-day stretch. New Jersey scored five times in its first game against Toronto, who has the worst defense in the NHL (3.48 GAA). New Jersey also gets to face a Rangers team that has allowed three or more goals in four straight games.
Unfavorable matchup: N.Y. Rangers (@LA, WAS, NJ). We will continue to pick on the Rangers. New York has scored a total of five goals in its last five games. The schedule shows no let up in Week 18. New Jersey is the NHL's best defense (2.21 GAA), while Washington and Los Angeles aren't allowing more than 2.70 goals per game.

Northeast Division

Boston Bruins: First-line center Marc Savard returned to the lineup on Friday against the Sabres after missing eight games with a knee injury. Savard, who said he will not be 100 percent until the offseason, has an assist in each of his first two games back in the lineup. He is a safe play again in Fantasy ... Marco Sturm returned from a leg injury on Saturday against the Kings and recorded his 16th goal. It's safe to play him again in Fantasy as well ... Blake Wheeler has scored once in his last 10 games after scoring four times in a three-game span in early January.
Buffalo Sabres: Thomas Vanek is beginning to show signs of emerging from a season-long slump. He has scored five times in his last 10 games and has nine points in that span. Three of those goals have come on the power play, which is a good sign Vanek is on top of his game. He is one of the NHL's premier power-play contributors.
Montreal Canadiens: Montreal was dealt a serious blow to its playoff hopes on Saturday when top scorer Mike Cammalleri injured his right leg against the Senators. He left the Scotiabank Place on crutches and is scheduled for MRI on Monday. It's probably best to keep Cammalleri reserved in Fantasy heading into Week 18 ... Defenseman Jaroslav Spacek is day to day with an upper-body injury. He is also a risky start for the upcoming scoring period ... Tomas Plekanec has three goals and five assists in his last eight games ... Brian Gionta has five goals and four assists in his last 11 contests.
Ottawa Senators: Nick Foligno will miss 6-8 weeks after breaking his leg on Saturday against the Canadiens. Ryan Shannon is expected to replace him on the second line with Mike Fisher and Alexei Kovalev. Shannon had success earlier in the season playing with Fisher and Kovalev ... Jason Spezza seems to have finally broken out of his season-long scoring slump with a goal in six straight games. Now that he is healthy, Spezza is producing like he should ... Rookie defenseman Erik Karlsson is beginning to show signs of maturation. He is at plus-8 in his last seven games and his offense is also coming around. Karlsson has four assists in that span ... Goalie Brian Elliott continues to play lights out with Pascal Leclaire (concussion) sidelined. He has won seven straight starts and is a must-start Fantasy option while he is this hot ... Speaking of Leclaire, he is practicing with Ottawa and could return toward the end of Week 18. But it's hard to imagine Ottawa pulling Elliott from net while he is this hot. Leclaire is not a recommended start.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Toronto was busy on Sunday bolstering its roster. The Maple Leafs acquired defenseman Dion Phaneuf from the Flames and goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere from the Ducks. In order to make these deals, Toronto did have to give up Jason Blake, Niklas Hagman, Matt Stajan and Ian White ... Alexei Ponikarovsky has four goals and six assists in his last seven games ... Phil Kessel has three goals and eight assists in his last 11 games. He has managed 11 points in each of his first three months.
Favorable matchup: Buffalo (@PIT, OTT, CAR, @CLB). Buffalo isn't doing a lot on offense lately, having scored only two goals in each of its last four games. But we are playing a hunch here as Buffalo looks like a team due to break out. It helps the Sabres get to play two of the worst defenses in the NHL -- Columbus (3.16 GAA) and Carolina (3.19).
Unfavorable matchup: Boston (WAS, MON, VAN, @MON). You would think three home games provide a favorable matchup, but not for Boston. It is scoring just 2.57 goals per game on home ice (24th). Boston hasn't scored more than two goals in any of its last six games, but unlike the Sabres we don't feel the Bruins are ready to snap their scoring woes. It doesn't help Boston is averaging 1.00 goals per game against Washington and Montreal, and Vancouver is fifth in defense (2.41 GAA).

Southeast Division

Atlanta Thrashers: Atlanta will make a decision on its goalie situation Monday. We expect Kari Lehtonen to be one of the goalies Atlanta keeps on its roster while either Ondrej Pavelec or Johan Hedberg being the odd-man out. Lehtonen has been out all season recovering from back surgery ... It's looking highly likely that Ilya Kovalchuk will be traded by the March 3 deadline ... Bryan Little had his first two-goal game of the season on Saturday against the Predators. Little has been moved to the top line with Kovalchuk and Nik Antropov ... Maxim Afinogenov, who used to play on the team's top line, has struggled mightily since December. He has only six goals in his last 30 games and is minus-16 in that span ... Chris Thorburn had his third short-handed goal of the season on Saturday. He came into the year with no shorties in his first four seasons.
Carolina Hurricanes: Goalie Cam Ward regained his form in January after missing several weeks with a leg laceration earlier in the season. He went 9-5-0 with a 2.02 GAA in 14 January starts. Ward is back to being a solid start in Fantasy ... Defenseman Joe Corvo (leg) is still aiming for a pre-Olympic break return.
Florida Panthers: Florida got a huge boost on Sunday when David Booth, who had been out since Oct. 24 with a concussion, returned to the lineup against the Islanders. Booth has the potential to be a Fantasy sleeper down the stretch ... Goalie Tomas Vokoun might have only seven wins in his last 14 outings, but he has stopped 463 of 489 shots in that span and has three shutouts as well ... Stephen Weiss has reached 20 goals for the second time in his career ... Michael Frolik has one goal in his last 13 games ... Bryan McCabe has one point in his last 11 games.
Tampa Bay Lightning: Steven Stamkos recorded the 100th point of his career Friday against the Ducks. It took him 132 games. It's amazing how quickly he has developed after getting only 14 points in his first 40 NHL contests ... Defenseman Mattias Ohlund is not having a good first season with Tampa Bay. He has yet to score in 46 games and hasn't recorded a point in his last 12 games ... Goalie Antero Niittymaki has three wins in his last four starts and has allowed only four goals in that span. But his hot streak wasn't enough to keep Mike Smith on the bench Sunday in Washington.
Washington Capitals: Defenseman Mike Green has been suspended three games for elbowing Michael Frolik on Friday. At least it will give him time to recover from a bruised thigh that knocked him out against the Panthers. Green is eligible to return Friday against the Thrashers ... There is a chance goalie Semyon Varlamov (knee) will return during Week 18, but he is still too risky of a start ... Washington signed Mike Knuble in the offseason looking for a player that wouldn't have any problems playing in front of the net. Knuble is finally living up to the billing. Playing on a line with Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom, Knuble has 11 goals and 14 points in his last 12 games ... Defenseman Jeff Schultz is up to plus-28, with a season-best plus-13 in January.
Favorable matchup: Tampa Bay (@ATL, NYI, CGY). The Lightning has scored 12 times in four games against Atlanta and eight goals in two games against the Islanders.
Unfavorable matchup: Florida (ANA, CGY, @ATL). The Panthers might be excited about the return of David Booth, but the fact remains they haven't scored more than two goals in six straight games. We are not sure Florida will break its scoring woes in Week 18. The Panthers average 2.25 goals against Atlanta, while Anaheim has allowed more than three goals just once in its last five games and Calgary is seventh in defense (2.47 GAA).

Central Division

Chicago Blackhawks: Center Dave Bolland, who has been out since November because of back surgery, is hoping to play on Wednesday against the Blues ... Troy Brouwer was second on the team in January with seven goals and now has five game-winning scores on the season.
Columbus Blue Jackets: Defenseman Anton Stralman and forward Kristian Huselius are both day-to-day with the flu. Consider them low-risk starts for Week 18 ... Huselius had an outstanding January with a team-high 12 assists and 17 points ... Antoine Vermette led Columbus in January with six goals.
Detroit Red Wings: Tomas Holmstrom couldn't make it back on Sunday against the Penguins from a broken foot that has sidelined him since Jan. 6. Detroit chose to give him a few extra days to rest, meaning Holmstrom will likely return in Week 18 ... Johan Franzen could return from a torn ACL that has kept him out since October before the Olympic break, but it is not yet a given ... Jason Williams returned from a broken leg on Friday against the Predators and recorded his third goal ... Nicklas Lidstrom continues his second-half surge, as he has managed 19 points (five goals) in his last 17 games. Coach Mike Babcock attributes the success since Detroit is finally getting some of its injured skilled players healthy, but Lidstrom has always been a second-half player ... Daniel Cleary has three goals, eight points and a plus-5 rating in his last 12 games.
Nashville Predators: Martin Erat has three goals and five points in his last five games. Thirteen of his 18 goals this season have been scored on home ice ... Jason Arnott has been another player to do well on home ice, with 10 of his 13 goals coming at the Sommet Center ... Patric Hornqvist finished January with a team-high eight goals.
St. Louis Blues: Andy McDonald recorded his team-high 17th goal on Saturday against the Blue Jackets to extend his point streak to seven games (three goals, four assists). It's the Blues' first seven-game point streak since Lee Stempniak had one in 2007 ... David Backes has already been returned to center after a brief stint at right wing. He responded Saturday with a goal ... Defenseman Erik Johnson is back in the lineup after missing one game with an upper-body injury ... Defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo also is recovered from a lower-body injury, but he was a healthy scratch on Saturday.
Favorable matchup: Detroit (@SJ, @ANA, @LA). Detroit hits the road for a West Coast road trip in Week 18. The schedule might look intimidating, but Detroit has fared well against each of its opponents. The Red Wings average 3.00 or more goals against Anaheim and Los Angeles, and have beaten San Jose in its previous two meetings.
Unfavorable matchup: St. Louis (@CHI, SJ, CHI). What a brutal Week 18 schedule for St. Louis. It faces two of the best defenses in the NHL -- Chicago (2.27 GAA) and San Jose (2.33). The Blues haven't had much luck against either opponent this season, averaging 1.50 goals in two games against the Blackhawks and 1.33 goals in three games against San Jose.

Northwest Division

Calgary Flames: After insisting defenseman Dion Phaneuf wouldn't be traded, Calgary parted with the talented defenseman on Sunday. The Flames dealt Phaneuf, along with prospect Keith Aulie and the struggling Fredrik Sjostrom to the Maple Leafs for Ian White, Matt Stajan, Niklas Hagman and Jamal Mayers ... Calgary brought up 2007 first-round pick Mikael Backlund after Craig Conroy went down with a knee injury. Backlund has made a quick impact. He has two points (one goal) in his first three games. He is winning a ton of faceoffs and has even been promoted to the top scoring line alongside Jarome Iginla ... Speaking of Iginla, he is heating up after enduring a career-worst 11-game goalless streak. He has three goals and four assists during a three-game point streak ... Rene Bourque is going to miss playing the Oilers after Calgary finished its six-game series with Edmonton on Saturday. He had six goals, 12 points and a plus-6 rating against Edmonton.
Colorado Avalanche: The Avalanche has gotten a lot of success out of its "Kid Line" -- which features rookies Matt Duchene, T.J. Galiardi and Brandon Yip -- the last few weeks. Duchene has collected six goals and three assists in the last eight games, Galiardi has three goals and one assist in the last six games, and Yip has one goal and four assists in the last five games ... Darcy Tucker has one goal and eight assists in his last 36 games after totaling four goals and six points in his first nine games. He hasn't been the same player since suffering a concussion earlier in the year.
Edmonton Oilers: Defenseman Sheldon Souray is out indefinitely after injuring his hand in a fight Saturday against the Flames. We wonder how much of an impact this will have on Souray's trade appeal since it is rumored Edmonton is looking to deal the veteran blueliner.
Minnesota Wild: Goalie Niklas Backstrom's wonky back is starting to get better, but he sat out Saturday against the Sharks because of an illness. We are likely to see Backstrom in the lineup in Week 18 barring any setbacks, but there is some risk involved with starting the veteran netminder ... Eric Belanger totaled 12 points (five goals) in 14 January games ... Guillaume Latendresse led Minnesota with eight goals in January.
Vancouver Canucks: Alex Burrows produced a four-point game on Saturday against the Maple Leafs after his 12-game point streak ended on Wednesday. He produced a team-record 15 goals in January and also had 23 points ... Sami Salo (groin) is with the team on its eight-game road trip and is day to day.
Favorable matchup: Colorado (CLB, @NSH, EDM). The Avalanche get to face two of the worst defenses in the NHL -- Columbus (3.16 GAA) and Edmonton (3.40) -- and they have already played well against both teams. Colorado has 16 goals in four games against Edmonton and 11 goals in three contests against Columbus.
Unfavorable matchup: Calgary (PHI, CAR, @FLA, @TB). The Flames face four Eastern Conference opponents in Week 18. They are averaging only 2.63 goals per game in eight games against Eastern Conference foes this season.

Pacific Division

Anaheim Ducks: Teemu Selanne (jaw) is getting back in shape and might return during Week 18, but he is still a risky start ... The Ducks are moving forward with Jonas Hiller as their top netminder after signing him to a four-year extension on Saturday and then dealing Jean-Sebastien Giguere to Toronto on Sunday. Anaheim got Vesa Toskala as goalie insurance and Jason Blake in return from Toronto ... Defenseman Ryan Whitney snapped a 16-game pointless streak with an assist on Friday against Tampa Bay.
Dallas Stars: Center Mike Ribeiro (throat) has been skating with the team and is expected to return during a three-game road trip right before the Olympic break in mid-February.
Los Angeles Kings: Defenseman Jack Johnson played on Sunday against the Devils after missing one game with an arm injury ... Defenseman Randy Jones drew back into the lineup on Saturday against Boston as Johnson was sidelined after being a healthy scratch in four games. Jones made a big splash when Los Angeles claimed him off waivers from Philadelphia in November. Then he dealt with some injuries and is now in the doghouse because of inconsistent play ... Anze Kopitar is starting to heat back up with 16 points (seven goals) in his last 13 games ... Drew Doughty has a season-high 13 assists in 13 January games.
Phoenix Coyotes: Phoenix got some pretty depressing news on Sunday when it was announced that forward Scottie Upshall would be out indefinitely with a torn ACL in his right knee. The team's leading scorer with 18 goals will need surgery to fix the issue and that will pretty much put him out the rest of the season. Mikkel Boedker was recalled from the minors to take Upshall's roster spot ... Shane Doan has 12 points (four goals) in his last seven games and is beginning to look like a high-end Fantasy option again.
San Jose Sharks: Don't expect goalie Evgeni Nabokov to have his workload reduced despite it being an Olympic year. Coach Todd McLellan said Nabokov is better the more he plays, and McLellan also doesn't want a repeat of last season. San Jose scaled back Nabokov's workload in the second half to rest him for the playoffs, but it backfired as San Jose lost in the first round to Anaheim. This is great news for Fantasy owners since they rely on Nabokov as a No. 1 Fantasy option ... Joe Pavelski has six goals and 12 points in his last 11 games ... Dan Boyle has missed four games with an upper-body injury. He hoped to be back Thursday after missing two games but it hasn't played out that way. Boyle didn't take warmups on Saturday and remains an injury-risk start for Week 18.
Favorable matchup: Los Angeles (NYR, ANA, DET). The Kings are on home ice for three games in Week 18. Los Angeles is 11th in home GFG, averaging 3.00 goals per game.
Unfavorable matchup: Phoenix (@NSH, @CHI, @DAL). Phoenix is on the road for all of its Week 18 games, but the Coyotes don't score well away from home. They are 19th in road scoring (2.42 GFG).

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