Week 27 Fantasy Hockey Planner

The Fantasy Hockey 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.

Fantasy Week 27 (April 6-12)

It has been a long and turbulent road at times, but the final week of the Fantasy Hockey season has arrived.

We hope you have enjoyed consuming the pucks content at CBSSports.com, as well as had a successful Fantasy season.

But our coverage doesn't stop with the Week 27 Planner as we will continue to breakdown the NHL happenings during the offseason in preparation for the 2009-10 season.

This summer will bring us the Stanley Cup Finals, the 2009 NHL Draft and the frenzy that is the free-agent signing period, which begins July 1. So please, drop by anytime and catch up on the latest because before you know it Draft Day 2009 will be here.

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

Editors Note: Projections are for April 6-12 games and all stats are through Saturday

This week's news and notes for each team:

Anaheim Ducks: By combining for three goals and five assists in Saturday's 5-2 win against the Sharks, the Ducks' top line of Ryan Getzlaf, Bobby Ryan and Corey Perry remains on a tear. Getzlaf had four assists, Ryan had two goals and Perry had a goal and an assist to give them a combined 14 goals and 32 points in the last six games. Getzlaf (two goals, 10 assists) and Ryan (six goals, four assists) each own a five-game point streak. Perry has six goals and 10 points in the last six games. With the four assists Saturday, Getzlaf is up to 64, breaking the team record of 62 set by Paul Kariya in 1998-99. Ryan is also up to 30 goals, which breaks Dustin Penner's rookie record of 29 set in 2006-07 ... Goalie Jonas Hiller has won seven straight decisions -- tying the club record set by Guy Herbert in 1995.

Atlanta Thrashers: Colby Armstrong is an on season-high six-game point streak. He has two goals and seven assists in that span. Armstrong has been playing well on the second line with Rich Peverley and Slava Kozlov ... Goalie Kari Lehtonen has missed five straight games with an upper-body injury. It's uncertain if Lehtonen will play in the final week of the season since Johan Hedberg has won five straight starts and six of seven dating back to March 12 ... Atlanta has home games against Washington, Florida and Tampa Bay Week 27. They average 2.92 goals (14th in home GFA) at Phillips Arena. They also average 3.40 or more goals against Florida and Washington. Consider starting your Atlanta skaters.

Boston Bruins: Goalie Tim Thomas inked a four-year extension Friday and responded by recording his fifth shutout Saturday against the Rangers. Thomas earned his 34th win of the season, the most wins by a Boston goalie since Byron Dafoe had 35 in 2001-02. It seems Boston has finally found a goalie to stand behind ... Patrice Bergeron hasn't scored a goal in 14 game, but has 10 assists over that span ... Phil Kessel has missed five straight games with an undisclosed injury. He might return this week, but with Boston already securing the top seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, it wouldn't surprise us if Kessel rested the final week. He is a risky start ... Dennis Wideman was injured twice Saturday against the Rangers, but finished the game out. Boston doesn't believe the injuries are serious, so Wideman is a low-risk start Week 27 ... Defenseman Andrew Ference wasn't as fortunate as Wideman, leaving Saturday's game in the second period due to injury. Ference, who missed a great deal of time this season with a broken leg, will be further evaluated and is a risky start for the upcoming period ... Boston is on the road for three of their four games Week 27. The Bruins are 11th in road GFA, averaging 2.84 goals. Boston is also averaging 3.20 or more goals against each Week 27 opponent -- Islanders, Canadiens, Sabres and Senators -- so consider starting your Boston skaters.

Buffalo Sabres: Coach Lindy Ruff has called out his top-scoring line of Derek Roy, Thomas Vanek and Drew Stafford. The trio has combined for just four goals and four assists in the last six games ... Clarke MacArthur has five goals in his last seven games, and seems to be fitting in on the second line with Tim Connolly and Jason Pominville. Connolly and Pominville have also been playing extremely well. Connolly has four goals and six assists in his last six games, while Pominville saw a point streak end at eight game (three goals, 10 assists) Saturday against the Devils ... Backup goalie Patrick Lalime is day-to-day with a hip injury.

Calgary Flames: Some of the Flames' top producers have been toiling in failure recently. Jarome Iginla has two goals in his last nine games. Olli Jokinen doesn't have a goal in nine appearances. Michael Cammalleri is riding a six-game point drought and has just two goals in 14 games. Daymond Langkow has one goal in 10 games and David Moss hasn't scored in 14 outings since netting his first career hat trick ... Aside from slumping scorers, the Flames have also been decimated by injury lately. Robyn Regehr (lower body), Adrian Aucoin (upper body) and Cory Sarich (lower body) have joined the walking wounded list, which already included Andre Roy (upper body) and Rene Bourque (ankle) ... The Flames play the Kings, Canucks and Oilers (twice) Week 27. They average 2.80 or more goals against each team, so consider starting your Calgary skaters.

Carolina Hurricanes: Defenseman Anton Babchuk has five goals in his last eight games and 10 of his 14 this season since Feb. 19 ... Matt Cullen has missed the last five games with a foot injury and hasn't yet begun to practice. Consider him a risky start Week 27 ... The Hurricanes plays the Islanders, Sabres and Devils Week 27. They are averaging 5.00 goals against New York and Buffalo.

Chicago Blackhawks: Jonathan Toews notched his 32nd goal Friday against the Predators, which also happened to be his team-leading seventh game winner ... Martin Havlat has been at his best since the calendar year hit 2009. He has managed five or more goals and 12 or more points in the last three months. He is off to a fast start in April with three points in two games to bring his total to 45 points in his last 42 games ... Goalie Nikolai Khabibulin has been in net for seven of the last eight games, racking up a 5-1-1 record in that span. He's held opponents to two or fewer goals in 22 of his 38 appearances this season ... Patrick Sharp, who missed 16 games from Feb. 17-March 22 with a knee injury, was knocked out of Friday's game against the Predators after colliding with goalie Pekka Rinne. He is day-to-day and an injury-risk start Week 27.

Colorado Avalanche: Ryan Smyth will miss the remainder of the season with a fractured right hand. Smyth had 26 goals and 33 assists in 77 games this season ... Joe Sakic continues to be optimistic that he will play before the regular season ends, but the veteran is still trying to recover his leg strength after missing months recovering from a herniated disk. Sakic is not worth a flier for the final week of the season ... Center Paul Stastny could return as early as Thursday from a broken foot, but he is still not worth the start in Fantasy ... Colorado has three of its four games Week 27 at home, where they average 2.66 goals (26th). They are also averaging 2.00 or fewer goals against the Sharks, Canucks and Blues. Consider benching your Colorado skaters.

Columbus Blue Jackets: Rick Nash had his sixth multi-goal game Saturday against the Predators. He tied his goals total from last season (38) and is three shy of tying his career-high from 2003-04. Many people were worried how Nash would respond to the defensive-coaching style of Ken Hitchcock when he took over in 2006-07, but Hitchcock has been the one coach credited with making Nash a more complete player ... Jason Williams has six goals and 10 assists in his last 16 games ... With two assists Saturday, Manny Malhotra set a career-high with 23 helpers.

Dallas Stars: Starting goalie Marty Turco is in the press box nursing a lower-body injury. He is day-to-day and an injury-risk start Week 27. Matt Climie was recalled on an emergency basis Saturday and made 22 saves during a 5-4 overtime win against the Blues. Climie might be in net Tuesday against the Wild if Turco isn’t available, but neither Climie nor Tobias Stephan are recommended Fantasy starts ... Defenseman Stephane Robidas is still day-to-day with a lower-body injury and an injury-risk start Week 27 ... Loui Eriksson scored two goals against the Blues, giving him 36 in 2008-09. He's the first Stars player to hit 36 since Brett Hull finished with 39 in 2000-01 ... Mike Ribeiro has three goals and four assists in his last five games ... Dallas has road games against Minnesota, Colorado and Anaheim Week 27. The Stars average 2.63 goals away from home (19th). Surprisingly, they average 3.20 or more goals against the Wild and Ducks. They are averaging just 2.33 goals against the Avalanche, but Colorado has been in a tailspin lately, so it might be worth starting your Dallas skaters.

Detroit Red Wings: Henrik Zetterberg has just one goal and no assists in five games since netting a season-best four helpers against the Thrashers ... Defenseman Brian Rafalski has missed the last three games with a sore groin. He is not expected to play until Thursday against the Predators, so he remains a risky start Week 27 ... Johan Franzen, who could be close to signing a long-term deal, has seven goals and nine assists in his last 11 games ... Defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom has one goal and seven assists in his last six games ... Detroit has games against Buffalo, Nashville and Chicago (twice) Week 27. They average 3.00 or more goals against each team, so consider starting your Detroit skaters.

Edmonton Oilers: Robert Nilsson has eight points (two goals) in his last 10 games ... Ales Hemsky has just three goals in his last 17 games. He does have 10 assists in that span ... Ales Kotalik has five goals in seven games ... Edmonton plays Los Angeles and Calgary (twice) Week 27. The Oilers average 2.33 goals against the Kings and 3.25 goals against the Flames.

Florida Panthers: Defenseman Steve Eminger, who came to Florida from Tampa Bay at the trade deadline, has missed the last six games as a healthy scratch. He played in all seven games after being acquired on March 4, but hasn't played since being replaced by Nick Boynton March 23 against Carolina ... Tomas Vokoun jumped back in net Sunday against the Penguins after Craig Anderson started the previous four (3-1-0). Coach Peter DeBoer said he would ride Anderson until he lost, which happened Friday against the Thrashers. There is a lot of uncertainty with the Panthers' situation in net, so start Vokoun or Anderson at your own discretion ... The Panthers play the Flyers, Capitals and Thrashers Week 27. They are averaging 2.80 or more goals against each team, so consider starting your Florida skaters.

Los Angeles Kings: Defenseman Kyle Quincey is lost for the season after opting for back surgery to repair a herniated disc. He had 38 points in 72 games after being picked up off waivers from Detroit in October ... Forward Justin Williams, who came to Los Angeles in a deadline deal from Carolina, had his first goal as a King Saturday against the Coyotes. He also had his first three-point game with L.A., adding two assists. Williams was held without a point in his first seven games with the Kings ... Anze Kopitar had one goal and two assists Saturday for his sixth three-point game of the season and the 19th three-point game of his career. It also broke him out of a slump as Kopitar had all of three points in his previous eight games ... Alexander Frolov returned with two goals Saturday after missing the previous five with a strained groin ... Brian Boyle scored two goals against the Coyotes for his first career two-goal game and his second career multi-point game. Boyle had two points in his NHL debut -- Feb. 2, 2008 at New Jersey ... Los Angeles has three of its four games Week 27 on the road, where they average 2.24 goals (26th). They play the Flames, Oilers, Canucks and Sharks. The only team L.A. is averaging more than 2.00 goals against is Edmonton, so consider benching your Kings skaters.

Minnesota Wild: Andrew Brunette, who is playing on a torn ACL, had four goals and three assists during a five-game point streak ... Marian Gaborik has six goals and nine points in six games since returning from a 38-game absence due to hip surgery ... Marek Zidlicky has a Wild franchise record for defenseman assists in a season with 29 ... Goalie Niklas Backstrom managed to pick up his eighth shutout of the season Friday against the Flames despite sustaining a cut along his right eye. It appears safe to start him Week 27 ... Pierre-Marc Bouchard is still an injury-risk start Week 27 with a concussion. Enforcer Derek Boogaard, recovering from upper-body soreness, has been skating on his own but is still a risky start ... Minnesota plays Dallas, Nashville and Columbus Week 27. They are averaging 2.33 or fewer goals against each team. Consider benching your Wild skaters.

Montreal Canadiens: Mathieu Schneider and Andrei Markov both left Saturday's game against the Maple Leafs with upper-body injuries. However, coach Bob Gainey believes both players will be available Monday against the Senators. The Canadiens are still fighting for a playoff berth and both players could play through injury the final week ... The prognosis is also good for Carey Price, who has missed the last two games with the flu. He should be active Monday against the Senators, however, might pull backup duty since Jaroslav Halak has won both games in his absence ... Andrei Kostitsyn has fallen out of favor with Gainey. He was a healthy scratch Saturday despite being the team's second-leading scorer with 23 goals. However, Kostitsyn has scored just once since Feb. 19 ... The line of Alex Tanguay, Alexei Kovalev and Saku Koivu continues to be one of the hottest in the NHL. The trio has combined for 14 goals and 19 assists in the last six games ... The Canadiens play the Senators, Rangers, Bruins and Penguins Week 27. The only team they aren't averaging at least 3.67 goals against is Boston, so consider starting your Montreal skaters.

Nashville Predators: Jason Arnott finally returned from a concussion Saturday against the Blue Jackets and sparked the offense with a pair of goals and three points. The 34-year-old center now has 22 points in his last 20 games and appears to be a safe start Week 27 ... Radek Bonk scored a goal and added an assist Saturday for his third multi-point game in his last 12 outings ... Martin Erat (leg) and David Legwand (face) are both expected to miss the remainder of the regular season, so don't make plans to start them Week 27.

New Jersey Devils: Jamie Langenbrunner scored his third goal in two games Saturday against the Sabres and has a career-high 28 for the season. He has 23 of them since Jan. 1 ... Zach Parise is three points shy of Patrik Elias' team record of 96 with three games to play ... Speaking of Elias, he has missed the last three games with leg tightness and hasn't been on the ice for days. Consider him an injury-risk start Week 27 ... Defenseman Niclas Havelid is also an injury-risk start with an upper-body injury ... Backup goalie Kevin Weekes is out 2-3 weeks with a leg injury. Scott Clemmensen was recalled from Lowell of the AHL to backup Martin Brodeur.

N.Y. Islanders: Two of the Islanders' top players -- Kyle Okposo and Mark Streit -- continue to sit in the press box with groin injuries. Both players are chomping at the bit to play, but New York is not going to risk long-term damage since they aren't headed for the playoffs. That makes both players risky options Week 27 ... Richard Park has tied a career-high with 14 goals ... Josh Bailey has five goals in 13 games after netting just two in his first 51 outings ... The Islanders play Carolina, Pittsburgh, Boston and Philadelphia Week 27. The only team they are averaging more than 2.00 goals against is Carolina. Consider benching your New York skaters.

N.Y. Rangers: Nik Antropov, who has 11 points in 15 games since coming to New York at the trade deadline, couldn't finish Saturday's game against the Bruins after suffering a knee injury in the second period. He is an injury-risk start Week 27 ... Defenseman Michal Rozsival returned to the lineup Saturday after missing five games with a left knee injury ... Ryan Callahan has scored seven times in the last 15 games and has 12 points total in that span.

Ottawa Senators: Nick Foligno has totaled 13 points (seven goals) in his last 17 games ... Ottawa plays Montreal, Boston, New Jersey and Toronto Week 27. They average 2.80 or fewer goals against each opponent. Consider benching your Ottawa skaters.

Philadelphia Flyers: The Flyers were able to sign forward James van Riemsdyk to an entry-level deal this week. The second overall pick in 2007 opted to sign with Philadelphia after spending two years at the University of New Hampshire ... The Flyers play the Panthers, Rangers and Islanders Week 27. They are averaging 3.25 or more goals against the New York teams and 2.00 goals against Florida.

Phoenix Coyotes: Shane Doan scored his career-high 31st goal of the season Saturday against the Kings, becoming the first Coyote to score at least 31 goals in a season since Daniel Briere had 32 in 2001-02. Doan has been on fire since early March with eight goals in his last 13 games ... Goalie Al Montoya, recalled from San Antonio earlier in the week, got a real taste of the NHL Saturday. After allowing one goal in his first two starts -- both wins -- he was tagged for six goals in a loss against the Kings ... Matthew Lombardi has four goals and five assists in his last nine games ... Phoenix plays St. Louis, San Jose and Anaheim Week 27. They average 2.40 or fewer goals against each team. Consider benching your Coyotes skaters.

Pittsburgh Penguins: Pittsburgh plays Tampa Bay, N.Y. Islanders and Montreal Week 27. They average 3.00 or more goals against the Isles and Habs, but surprisingly average just 2.33 goals against the Lightning. However, they have scored seven goals in their last two meetings against Tampa Bay since being shut out by Mike Smith Dec. 23. So still consider starting your Pittsburgh skaters Week 27.

San Jose Sharks: The Sharks have started to return to full strength as Rob Blake, Jeremy Roenick, Marcel Goc and Tomas Plihal have all recently come back from injury. And more good news could be on the way. Ryane Clowe (lower body), Mike Grier (knee), Kent Huskins (foot) and Patrick Marleau (lower body) might play once or twice in the final week of the season. However, Claude Lemieux (upper body) and Torrey Mitchell (leg) won't be back Week 27 ... Joe Thornton has 10 goals in 18 games.

St. Louis Blues: David Backes chipped in his 31st goal Saturday against the Stars, one game after totaling a career-high four goals against the Red Wings. Backes has 13 goals in his last 17 games ... Brad Boyes had four points Saturday and has six in his last two games. He still leads the team with 32 goals ... Patrik Berglund was able to stay in the lineup against the Stars after receiving 26 stitches for a cut on his left leg sustained Thursday against Detroit ... The Blues play Phoenix, Columbus and Colorado Week 27. They average 3.00 or more goals against each team, so consider starting your St. Louis skaters.

Tampa Bay Lightning: Already down three regulars for the rest of the season, Tampa Bay lost another one during the week as Vincent Lecavalier needed season-ending wrist surgery. He was scheduled for the wrist surgery last summer but was delayed because he needed shoulder surgery. Lecavalier, who signed an 11-year extension in July, finished with 67 points (29 goals) in 77 games. It was definitely a down season by his recent standards and now we can pinpoint the troubles to wrist ailment. He will be idle 4-6 weeks before resuming training, but Lecavalier is expected to be ready by training camp ... Martins Karsums, part of a trade deadline deal that sent Mark Recchi to Boston, scored his first career goal Friday against the Devils. Karsums projects as a top-six forward in the NHL, but he isn't quite there at this stage in his career ... Karri Ramo is expected to get the start in Tampa Bay's final two home games, Tuesday against Pittsburgh and Thursday against Washington ... Tampa Bay also travels to Atlanta Week 27. Unfortunately, they are averaging 2.80 or fewer goals against each team, so consider benching your Lightning skaters.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Goalie Martin Gerber is scheduled to start the final three games of the season despite allowing 11 goals in his last two games since returning from a three-game suspension.

Vancouver Canucks: Taylor Pyatt has taken an indefinite leave from the team to tend to personal matters after the tragic death of his fiancé. It's the second tragedy to strike the Canucks in the last year after promising defenseman Luc Bourdon lost his life in a motorcycle accident in May ... Alexandre Burrows dedicated his 2008-09 season to the memory of his close friend Bourdon and has done a great job honoring his fallen teammate. Burrows has career-highs in goals (28), assists (22), points (50) and plus-minus rating (plus-22) ... Pyatt's absence has forced coach Alain Vigneault to switch his lines. The top line of Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin and Burrows is still in place, but Mason Raymond replaced Pavol Demitra on the second line with Demitra sliding down the third unit ... Rick Rypien is back in the lineup after missing 70 games due to a sports hernia and personal leave ... Cody Hodgson, the Canucks' first-round pick (10th overall) in 2008, leads the Ontario Hockey League playoffs (juniors) in scoring with 14 points (three goals, 11 assists) in just six games. Hodgson has a good chance to make the Canucks' roster in 2009-10 and remains a solid long-term keeper ... The Canucks plays the Flames, Kings and Avalanche Week 27. They average 3.25 or more goals against each team, so consider starting your Vancouver skaters.

Washington Capitals: Washington has road games against Atlanta, Tampa Bay and Florida Week 27. Washington averages 3.00 goals on the road (3.00) and 3.00 goals against each opponent, so consider starting your Capitals' skaters.

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