The Fantasy Hockey Weekly Planner is the essential guide to setting your lineup for the upcoming week. Every week, we provide you with top matchups, the latest news and give you the scoop on injured players.
Projections are for March 17-23 games and all stats are through Sunday.
Teams with four games: Minnesota, Phoenix
Teams with three games: Anaheim, Atlanta, Calgary, Chicago, Colorado, Columbus, Detroit, Edmonton, Los Angeles, Montreal, Nashville, N.Y. Islanders, N.Y. Rangers, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Jose, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Toronto, Vancouver, Washington
Teams with two games: Boston, Buffalo, Carolina, Dallas, Florida, Ottawa
Teams with three home games: Edmonton, Nashville, Philadelphia
Teams with three away games: Anaheim, Colorado, Minnesota, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Toronto, Washington
Teams with four away games: None
Teams with back-to-back games in the upcoming scoring period, which means that a backup goalie might start one of the two contests: Anaheim, Atlanta, Carolina, Chicago, Columbus, Detroit, Minnesota, N.Y. Rangers, New Jersey, Phoenix, San Jose, Tampa Bay, Toronto, Vancouver, Washington
On tap: Week 25 brings us eight nationally televised games in either the United States or Canada: Colorado at Minnesota (CAN) on Monday; Atlanta at Pittsburgh (U.S.) on Tuesday; N.Y. Rangers at New Jersey (CAN) on Wednesday; Montreal at Boston (CAN) on Thursday; Colorado at Edmonton (CAN) on Saturday; Boston at Montreal (CAN) on Saturday; Toronto at Ottawa (CAN) on Saturday; Minnesota at Calgary (CAN) on Saturday.
| F A N T A S Y S P I N S |
Tisk, tisk, tisk. Chris Pronger, you have disappointed Fantasy owners everywhere. In case you missed it, the Ducks defenseman was suspended eight games (eligible to return for the season finale April 6) for stomping on the foot of Cancuks forward Ryan Kesler during Anaheim's 4-1 win Wednesday. Pronger initially dodged a suspension before a better camera angle of the incident was brought to the attention of NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell. By Saturday, we learned Pronger would be out until early April. He actually got off easy compared to Chris Simon, who was suspended for 25 games for stepping on the ankle of Jarkko Ruutu earlier this season. Regardless, Pronger's actions have cost Fantasy owners one of their most important players during a crucial time of year. Again, tisk, tisk, tisk. ... The news isn't any better for Fantasy superstar Sidney Crosby, who missed his 23rd game of the season Sunday against the Flyers due to a nagging ankle injury. Crosby is not expected back until Saturday against the Devils at the earliest. Crosby was out from Jan. 19-March 4 because of a high-ankle sprain. He played three games (scoring two goals and adding two assists) before exiting the lineup March 10. The Penguins are taking the necessary steps to make sure Crosby is healthy for the playoffs, but his absence is not helping Fantasy owners, who should bench Crosby in the upcoming scoring period. ... Sticking on the injury trail, the Maple Leafs lost their top two scorers during Fantasy Week 24 (March 10-16). Mats Sundin went down with a groin injury Wednesday and Nik Antropov messed up his knee Saturday. The Leafs are hopeful that Sundin will play Tuesday against the Islanders, but no word yet on Antropov's status. Both players are injury-risk starts for Fantasy Week 25, with Sundin being the far less riskier option. ... The Blackhawks need to hire Martin Havlat his own personal strength and conditioning coach. The seventh-year forward opted to have season-ending surgery on his left shoulder Thursday, marking his third straight injury-filled season. He has never played 80 games in his career and hasn't made it to 60 games the last three seasons. Havlat is a monster when he is on the ice, but at this point, he is going to be a huge risk come Draft Day 2008. ... Perhaps Peter Forsberg can split the personal trainer bill with Havlat as it took him only three games with the Avs before exiting the lineup with a groin injury. The Avalanche are taking the blame here saying they rushed him back into action and will only bring him back when he is ready. That's not exactly what Fantasy owners want to hear. We warned that Forsberg was going to be a headace down the stretch and it appears to be the case. ... Hurricanes LW Ray Whitney underwent ankle surgery Saturday and is expected to be sidelined 2-3 weeks, leaving a very good chance he misses the remainder of the regular season. The Hurricanes will likely make the playoffs even without Whitney the final weeks, but for Fantasy purposes, this opens the door for Erik Cole and Sergei Samsonov to rack up the points. ... Moving on to some more positive news, hopefully you have taken notice of how well Ducks G Jean-Sebastien Giguere and Sharks G Evgeni Nabokov have been playing the last few weeks. Giguere wrapped up February with a 8-1-1 record with two shutouts and a 1.28 GAA. He has stayed hot in March with a 3-1-1 record and a 1.59 GAA. You think that's impressive, just look at Nabokov. He has a 10-game winning streak and has allowed more than two goals just once in that span. He is 6-0-0 with a 1.96 GAA in March. ... Mike Richards finally returned to the Flyers lineup Friday after missing nearly a month with a hamstring injury. He scored a goal in his return and is back to his old tricks. Richards is in the midst of a breakout season and will be a popular pick come Draft Day 2008.
Three Stars of the Week
Johan Franzen, C, DET: The third-year forward is having his best run of the season. It took him long enough. Franzen was a standout during the preseason and many had him pegged for a breakout season. Yeah, not the case. He scored just 12 goals and added six assists through the first five months of the season. As soon as the calendar hit March, he has been unstoppable. He has six goals and three assists during a six-game points streak. He had at least one goal in five straight games before not scoring Saturday against the Predators. Playing on the left wing has been the difference for Franzen.
Brian Campbell, D, SJ: The Sharks arugably landed the biggest catch at the trade deadline with the acquistion of Campbell from Buffalo. They were lacking that superb two-way defenseman, but no more. Campbell has at least one point in six of seven March games. He has two goals and seven assists in that span. Let's not forget that San Jose is riding an 11-game winning streak and Campbell has been around for nine of those contests.
Mike Smith, G, TB: The Lightning might be nowhere near sniffing a playoff berth, but that hasn't stopped Smith from playing hard. Acquired from the Stars at the trade deadline, Smith has made eight starts for his new team. He won just once in his first six outings, but is now riding an impressive two-game winning streak. He allowed one goal in a win Thursday against the Bruins and then shutout the Rangers Saturday -- two teams in the playoff hunt.
| 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 | 3/17 | 3/18 | 3/19 | 3/20 | 3/21 | 3/22 | 3/23 |
| Phoenix Coyotes | @VAN | @EDM | -- | LA | -- | ANA | -- |
| The thought of facing Roberto Luongo and Jean-Sebastien Giguere in the same week is never pretty, but Phoenix might just be OK during Fantasy Week 25. The Oilers own the Coyotes with a 14-6 advantage in goals, but Edmonton has allowed three or more goals in three of their last four games. Phoenix has scored 16 goals in six games against Anaheim this season (2.67 GFA) and has put 21 goals past Los Angeles in six games (3.50 GFA). | |||||||
| Nashville Predators | -- | WAS | -- | DET | -- | CHI | -- |
| The Predators will have the home crowd supporting them all week. Nashville owns a top 10 offense (2.85 GFA), and has fared well against Detroit and Chicago. Nashville has scored 16 goals in six games against Detroit (2.67 GFA) and has scored 17 goals in six games against Chicago (2.83 GFA). They have yet to face Washington, but the Capitals are allowing 2.89 goals per game. | |||||||
| Philadelphia Flyers | -- | ATL | -- | -- | NYR | -- | NYI |
| Philadelphia is another team that doesn't have to leave home during Fantasy Week 25. The Flyers have the sixth best offense when playing on their home ice (3.08 GFA). The Rangers might pose a problem for Philadelphia, but they are licking their chops at a chance to play the Thrashers and the Islanders. Philadelphia has played the Islanders six times this season and the Thrashers three times, but are average 3.67 goals per game against both opponents. The fact that Atlanta has allowed four or more goals in their last three games and the Islanders have allowed three or more goals in their last six games is an added bonus. | |||||||
| Colorado Avalanche | @MIN | -- | -- | @CGY | -- | @EDM | -- |
| Colorado still rank 24th in goals for average on the road (2.39), but are improving. The have scored three or more goals in four of their last seven road games. Also, they've done well against Minnesota (2.40 GFA), Calgary (2.83 GFA) and Edmonton (3.50 GFA) in 2007-08. So starting Colorado skaters during Fantasy Week 25 might not be such a bad idea. | |||||||
| Toronto Maple Leafs | -- | @NYI | -- | -- | @BUF | @OTT | -- |
| Toronto might be without top scorers Mats Sundin and Nik Antropov, but they have three winnable games during Fantasy Week 25. The Maple Leafs average five goals per game (three contests) against the Islanders in 2007-08. Buffalo and Ottawa have solid goalies, but Toronto always seems to have the right offensive plan. They have scored 14 times in six games against the Sabres and 18 times in six games against the Senators. | |||||||
| 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 a better alternative: | |||||||
| Team | 3/17 | 3/18 | 3/19 | 3/20 | 3/21 | 3/22 | 3/23 |
| Los Angeles Kings | -- | SJ | -- | @PHO | -- | @DAL | -- |
| The Kings will have to deal with three of the best goalies in the NHL during Fantasy Week 25. First up is the red hot Evgeni Nabokov Tuesday, followed by Ilya Bryzgalov Thursday and then finish up with Marty Turco Saturday. San Jose is allowing 2.28 GAA; Phoenix is at 2.61 GAA; and Dallas is at 2.47 GAA. All top 10 marks in the NHL. | |||||||
| Tampa Bay Lightning | -- | -- | @BUF | @PIT | -- | @FLA | -- |
| Tampa Bay hits the road for three games during the upcoming scoring period. They rank in the bottom half of goals scored per game thanks in large part to a 11-18-6 road record. The Lightning should have a nice battle with in-state rival Florida at the end of the week, but have had limited success against Buffalo (eight goals in three games) and Pittsburgh (four goals in three games) this season. | |||||||
| St. Louis Blues | -- | @MON | -- | @OTT | -- | -- | @CHI |
| The Blues wrap up a nine-game road trip during Fantasy Week 25. The first six games haven't gone so well as St. Louis has lost them all. In fact, they have scored two or fewer goals in four of those contests. The rank 28th in road GFA (2.23) and are probably a little weary rolling into the last leg of their marathon trip. | |||||||
| Atlanta Thrashers | -- | @PHI | CAR | -- | WAS | -- | -- |
| Atlanta could be in for a rough week as they will play three teams in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race. They particularly need to be prepared against Philadelphia, as the Thrashers have scored just three goals in three games (including one shutout) against the Flyers. | |||||||
| Boston Bruins | -- | -- | -- | MON | -- | @MON | -- |
| The Bruins are one of six teams during Fantasy Week 25 to play just two games. However, they play a familiar foe in Montreal in which they have had limited success. They are 0-6-0 against Montreal and have scored more than two goals just once in those six games. | |||||||
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