Week 4 Fantasy Hockey Planner

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.

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

Fantasy Week 4 (Oct. 27-Nov. 2)

With no games scheduled Sunday because of the World Series and with Halloween lurking around the corner, the NHL is playing a little catch up with the schedule Week 4 (Oct. 27-Nov. 2).

There are 10 teams with four games, and Detroit is on the road for all four of their contests.

Also, Saturday is usually the only heavy day in hockey with 13 games typically on the docket. But during Week 4 there are 12 games on both Thursday (Oct. 30) and Saturday (Nov. 1).

Editors Note: Projections are for Oct. 27-Nov. 2 games and all stats are through Wednesday

Anaheim Ducks: Top line center Ryan Getzlaf missed Tuesday's game against the Maple Leafs because of an infection in his mouth, but he is not expected to miss a large chunk of time. It would be nice to see him get on track once he is active since he has just one assist in the first six games and a minus-5 rating ... Anaheim added 38-year-old defenseman Bret Hedican to the roster Thursday, but he will likely serve as a lower-pairing defenseman. He has little offensive upside and is at best a low-end Fantasy flier ... The Ducks are up for four games in Week 4 and three of them are at the Honda Center. The Ducks have scored just nine goals in four home games this season (2.25 GFA).

Atlanta Thrashers: Todd White has forged to the top of the Thrashers' scoring list with seven points (two goals) in six games. He has one goal and four assists in his last four games and has transitioned well since replacing Erik Christensen as the team's top-line center between Bryan Little and Ilya Kovalchuk ... The Thrashers also have four games in Week 4 and they are an even split home/away. With just one back-to-back slate, Kari Lehtonen could start three times in net for Atlanta.

Boston Bruins: P.J. Axelsson jumped back into the Bruins lineup Thursday against Toronto after missing three games with an undisclosed injury. He has no goals and three assists in three games ... Phil Kessel is one of the feel good stories of the young NHL season. He has scored six goals in the first six games and has nine goals in the last 10 games dating back to last year's playoffs. He has also played in 131 straight games since returning from his battle with cancer ... Defenseman Zdeno Chara still doesn't have a goal in the first six contests despite logging more than 27 minutes of ice time per game ... Boston has four games in Week 4 and three are on the road against Edmonton, Vancouver and Calgary. With one back-to-back slate, we will definitely see both Manny Fernandez and Tim Thomas in net. They could also end up splitting the four games ... Boston has been strong on the road thus far with 15 goals in four games (3.75 GFA)

Buffalo Sabres: Defenseman Craig Rivet is expected to miss at least two weeks after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery Wednesday. His absence means more scoring chances for the likes of Henrik Tallinder, Jaroslav Spacek and Teppo Numminen ... Buffalo has three home games in Week 4 and none are back-to-back. Ryan Miller should be able to start every game in net ... The Sabres haven't found a lot of offense at home in 2008-09 with just eight goals in their first three games (2.67 GFA) ... Forward Ales Kotalik is second on the team with four goals behind Thomas Vanek, who has seven. Clarke Macarthur is a surprising third with three goals ... After a turbulent and injury-filled 2007-08, forward Maxim Afinogenov has four assists in the team's first six games. He still could be traded at some point as he is in the final year of his contract.

Calgary Flames: It took only a few weeks for Michael Cammalleri to get bumped from the second line to the top line with left winger Todd Bertuzzi and right winger Jarome Iginla. The move means Daymond Langkow is now centering the second line between Matthew Lombardi and Rene Bourque ... Defenseman Dion Phaneuf is 0-for-21 on shot attempts through the first six games. He does have four assists and a minus-2 rating ... Only two Flames players -- Todd Bertuzzi (five) and Jarome Iginla (two) -- have more than one goal through six games ... Calgary has two home and two away games in Week 4 with one back-to-back slate again Los Angeles and Anaheim (Nov. 1-2).

Carolina Hurricanes: To no one's surprise, 2008 first-round pick Zach Boychuk was sent back to his junior team Monday after he went scoreless in his first two NHL games. Boychuk missed most of the preseason while recovering from wrist surgery ... Defenseman Frantisek Kaberle (foot) and Tuomo Ruutu (groin) both got injured during a recent West Coast trip and have yet to return to the lineup. Ruutu's injury is believed to be short-term, but Kaberle might miss several weeks. Both players are injury-risk starts in Week 4 ... Carolina shook up their top two scoring lines as Rod Brind'Amour is now centering a line with Ray Whitney and Matt Cullen, and Eric Staal is playing in between Sergei Samsonov and Patrick Eaves ... Whitney has a five-game points streak with one goal and five assists in that span ... Carolina has two road and two home games in Week 4. They are also playing back-to-back Nov. 1-2, so Michael Leighton should start at least once.

Chicago Blackhawks: Goalie Nikolai Khabibulin posted the team's first shutout Wednesday against the Oilers and remains in a heated battle with Cristobal Huet, who inked a four-year deal in the offseason. New coach Joel Quenneville expects one goalie to eventually emerge as the sole starter, but for now he is going to switch off between both players ... Second-line center Patrick Sharp has been the Blackhawks' best player to date with 10 points (five goals) in his first seven games. He has nine of those points during a five-game points streak ... Winger Kris Versteeg has also been a pleasant surprise with seven points (one goal). He has six assists during a four-game points streak ... Winger Troy Brouwer was recalled from Rockford (AHL) Wednesday and made his season debut against the Oilers as he skated on the second line with Sharp and Martin Havlat ... Defenseman Brent Sopel missed Wednesday's win for undisclosed reasons and there has been no word yet on when he will return.

Colorado Avalanche: Goalie Peter Budaj won his first game of the season Monday against the Kings and was back in net for the team's next game Thursday against the Oilers. The Avalanche hope to turn to Budaj on most nights, but expect to give Andrew Raycroft one start per week to stay fresh ... The line combination of Ryan Smyth-Paul Stastny-Milan Hejduk have been a real home run for the Avs as they have combined for 11 goals and 13 assists through the first six games ... Stastny is the only player with at least one point in the first six games and 10 total (nine assists). He is highly motivated as he enters the final season of his contract.

Columbus Blue Jackets: Columbus swapped players on injured reserve Tuesday as forward Manny Malhotra came off and Fredrik Modin went on with a groin injury. He is expected to miss at least three games and it is best to reserve him for Week 4 ... Goalie Steve Mason, who underwent arthroscopic knee surgery in late September, came off IR Thursday and was assigned to Syracuse (AHL). Mason is considered the team's top goalie prospect ... Michael Peca is done with a five-game suspension for bumping an official and is expected back Friday against the Rangers ... Columbus has three games in Week 4 and no back-to-backs, but Fredrik Norrena could still steal a start from Pascal Leclaire as the team wants to keep him fresh ... Kristian Huselius has fit nicely into his new surroundings with seven points (three goals) in six games. He has two goals and four assists during a four-game points streak ... Rookies Derick Brassard and Jakub Voracek have also looked strong, as both players have five points (two goals).

Dallas Stars: Coach Dave Tippett is less than happy with his team's start as they have just two wins in their first seven games. A lot of the blame has fallen onto goalie Marty Turco's shoulders. He is an ugly 2-4-1 with a 4.20 GAA and .841 save percentage ... Defenseman Philipe Boucher was slowed by a foot injury in the preseason, but he finally seems to be at 100 percent. He logged the most ice time (25:16) Wednesday during a 5-0 loss to the Devils ... The Stars have just six skaters at even or better through seven games ... Brenden Morrow has a team-worst minus-6 rating. Matt Niskanen and Trevor Daley are close behind at minus-5... After being a healthy scratch in the first two games, rookie Fabian Brunnstrom leads the team with four goals ... The Stars continue to offer little up in the way of Jere Lehtinen's status (groin), so keep him reserved until further notice. He has not played yet in 2008-09.

Detroit Red Wings: Defenseman Andreas Lilja had to have his appendix removed this week, but Detroit is not expecting him to miss much time and he could be back as soon as Monday's game against the Kings. Still, he is a bit of an injury-risk start Week 4 ... It doesn't seem anyone can slow down Tomas Holmstrom, who leads the team with six goals. He has scored in four straight games and is doing a better job of cleaning up the trash in front of the net and staying out of the crease so he doesn't interfere with the goalie ... Brian Rafalski tallied his sixth assist Wednesday against the Blues and opened the season with at least one point in the first six games. He shattered the team record for points streak by a defenseman to open the season, topping the great Nicklas Lidstrom ... Pavel Datsyuk is still without a goal, but leads the team with seven points ... Marian Hossa has just one goal on 25 shots this season, converting just four percent of the time ... Henrik Zetterberg returned to the ice Wednesday after missing two games with a groin injury and scored the opening goal in a 4-3 win.

Edmonton Oilers: Coach Craig MacTavish is doing his best job to juggle three goaltenders -- Mathieu Garon, Jeff Drouin-Deslaurie and Dwayne Roloson. So far, Garon has started three games while the other two have one start under their belts. Edmonton is still hoping to deal Roloson and free up a roster spot for another skater ... Edmonton is on the road for three of their four games in Week 4. They have managed just seven goals in their first three road games this season (2.33 GFA) ... Defenseman Sheldon Souray and forward Sam Gagner each missed just one game with leg injuries before suiting up Wednesday against the Blackhawks ... No one on the team has more than two goals or four points in the first five games ... Defenseman Steve Staios has returned home to Edmonton for personal reasons and no date has been announced yet on when he will take the ice again.

Florida Panthers: Goalie Craig Anderson made his first start Wednesday against the Senators and stopped 41 shots in a 3-1 win. Ottawa is back on the docket in Week 4 and Anderson could start again since he was so good his first time against the Sens ... Cory Stillman has found himself right at home in his first season with Florida. He is clicking playing alongside Nathan Horton and has six points (three goals) in his first six games ... Defenseman Keith Ballard, another import from Phoenix, seems right at home with five points (four assists) ... Forward David Booth doesn't have a goal in his last four games after totaling three in the first two ... Defenseman Bryan McCabe, who has been out with a back injury since the opener, is still a few weeks away from returning. Continue to keep him reserved in Week 4 ... Defenseman Jay Bouwmeester is off to another slow start with just one point in six games. He is 0-for-13 on scoring chances.

Los Angeles Kings: Patrick O'Sullivan spent a great deal of time in 2007-08 playing on the top scoring line with Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar. Since he missed training camp, he has opened the season on the second line with Jarrett Stoll and Oscar Moller. First-year head coach Terry Murray would like to keep O'Sullivan there, but did hint at him getting some top line time possibly late in games ... The Kings don't have an easy task ahead in Week 4 as Detroit, Vancouver and Calgary come to town. However, the Kings are averaging 3.25 goals per game at home in 2008-09, so it still might be worth starting some of their high-end Fantasy options ... With no back-to-backs, Jason LaBarbera should start all three games in net. He is 2-2-0 with a 2.97 GAA at home this season.

Minnesota Wild: Defenseman Marek Zidlicky (ankle) and forward Pierre-Marc Bouchard (lower body) both returned to action Thursday against the Sabres, but Marian Gaborik (lower body) and Owen Nolan (lower body) are still day-to-day candidates ... Lightning coach Barry Melrose thinks very highly of Wild center Mikko Koivu and went as far to say he considers him one of the top five players in the NHL. With nine points (eight assists) in four games, it's hard to argue ... Forward Andrew Brunette has made a smooth transition back to Minnesota with five points (two goals) in his first four games ... Minnesota is up for four games in Week 4 -- two at home and two on the road. We should see Josh Harding get in net for one start.

Montreal Canadiens: In 2007-08, Christopher Higgins was one of three Canadiens players to suit up for every game. This season, he has been one of a few to miss every game because of a groin injury. And the team still isn't sure when he will make his debut. Keep him reserved for Week 4 ... Defenseman Andrei Markov doesn't have a goal on 14 shots this season, but he has at least one assist in all six games and nine total ... The line of Saku Koivu-Guillaume Latendresse-Alex Tanguay has combined for seven goals and 14 assists. No one on that line has less than six points. Koivu leads the way with nine ... Goalie Carey Price has been battling the flu, but he should be OK by the time Week 4 arrives ... Enforcer Georges Laraque's groin injury flared back up and he is once again day-to-day ... Forward Andrei Kostitsyn has been feeling better since getting his head rammed into the wall Oct. 18 against Phoenix, but has yet to return to the ice.

Nashville Predators: As expected, top-line center Jason Arnott returned to the lineup Thursday against the Flames after missing three games with a fractured finger ... Nashville took Nick Tarnasky off IR Thursday after he had been out of action all season with a thumb injury. He was acquired in late September in a trade with Tampa Bay ... The Predators are up for three games Week 4 with no back-to-backs. Dan Ellis could very well start all three games over rookie Pekka Rinne ... Defenseman Shea Weber and forward Martin Erat are tied for the team lead with three goals. Nashville has just four power-play scores and Weber has two.

New Jersey Devils: Brian Rolston has missed the last two games with an ankle sprain and the Devils still have no firm timetable for his return. Added in the offseason for offense, New Jersey might not be in a rush to get Rolston back on the ice since they have nine goals in the two games he has been out of the lineup. They had just six in the four games Rolston dressed ... John Madden had a pair of goals during Wednesday's 5-0 win against the Stars and is now second on the team with three. He is expected to benefit the most with Rolston sidelined ... Forward Bobby Holik is out 3-4 weeks following finger surgery ... Zach Parise has a goal and an assist in his last two games. He has scored in four of six games this season and leads the team with seven points ... Martin Brodeur picked up his second shutout Wednesday and is now 5-1-0 with a 1.30 GAA and .942 save percentage in six starts this season.

New York Islanders: Defenseman Chris Campoli was able to make his season debut Thursday against the Stars after missing the first few weeks with a shoulder injury ... Bill Guerin has a team-high 16 shots, but has only been able to put through one goal ... Rookie Kyle Okposo has 14 shots in the first five games, but zero goals ... Defenseman Mark Streit, a key free-agent signing from Montreal, also went without a goal in his first five games with New York ... The Islanders are up for three games in Week 4, and with no back-to-backs, Rick DiPietro might start all three contests over Joey MacDonald.

New York Rangers: The Rangers have three games spaced out over six days during Week 4, so Henrik Lundqvist should have little trouble starting all three contests ... After getting five assists in his first five games, defenseman Daniel Girardi doesn't have a point in four straight.

Ottawa Senators: Coach Craig Hartsburg decided to shake up his top two lines by switching centers. He promoted Mike Fisher to the top line with Dany Heatley and Daniel Alfredsson, and dropped Jason Spezza down to a line with Nick Foligno and Jesse Winchester. The new lines debuted in a 3-1 loss Wednesday against Florida, but afterwards Hartsburg said Spezza, who had an assist, played his best game ... Third-line left winger Antoine Vermette took a team-high seven shots Wednesday, but failed to score. He has just one goal on 22 shots this season ... Defenseman Filip Kuba has been a stellar addition for Ottawa. Picked up in the Andrej Meszaros trade with Tampa Bay, Kuba has an assist in his first six games and eight total ... Ottawa is on the road for three games in Week 4. They will be away from home for the first time since starting the season in Stockholm, Sweden ... Hartsburg continues to rotate between goalies Martin Gerber and Alex Auld, but he seems to be leaning toward Auld a bit more.

Philadelphia Flyers: The goalie play between Martin Biron and Antero Niittymaki continues to be less than stellar and coach John Stevens will likely continue to rotate between players until someone steps up ... Left winger Simon Gagne missed his first game of the season Wednesday with the flu, but isn't expected to be sidelined for long. The good news is that he has yet to suffer any setbacks from a concussion that limited him to 25 games in 2007-08 ... The move back to center has worked out for Daniel Briere, who has three goals in the two games since the line change ... Second-line center Jeff Carter has scored in four of the last five games. He had a short-handed goal Wednesday against San Jose ... The Flyers have just five skaters at even or better through six games.

Phoenix Coyotes: Forward Daniel Carcillo finished his two-game suspension for coming off the bench during a fight and returned to the lineup Thursday against Capitals ... Phoenix has just two home games Week 4 and Ilya Bryzgalov is likely to start both games ... Phoenix won their only home game on Oct. 11 against the Blue Jackets, 3-1.

Pittsburgh Penguins: Defenseman Hal Gill (undisclosed) and forward Matt Cooke (upper body) are still out of action and remain day-to-day ... In the wake of Gill's absence, coach Michel Therrien has reshuffled his defensive pairings. Brooks Orpik is with Rob Scuderi, Kris Letang is paired with Mark Eaton and Alex Goligoski is with Darryl Sydor ... The Penguins are on the road for three games in Week 4. They have scored just five goals in their first two road games this season ... Since moving Evgeni Malkin back onto the top line, center Sidney Crosby has broken out of his early-season funk and has one goal and four assists in the first two games with Malkin, who has no goals and five assists since the move ... Tyler Kennedy has not scored a goal in the six games following his two-goal performance in the opener against Ottawa.

San Jose Sharks: Defenseman Douglas Murray (hand) and forward Tomas Plihal (lower body) remain day-to-day candidates ... Milan Michalek was back on the ice Wednesday against the Flyers after missing two games with an upper body injury. He didn't have a point in 19:02 of ice time ... Devin Setoguchi, Dan Boyle and Joe Pavelski each have a goal in the Sharks' last two games.

St. Louis Blues: Enforcer D.J. King had season-ending surgery Wednesday after dislocating his shoulder ... Rookie defenseman Alex Pietrangelo has been out of the lineup since Oct. 13 with an undisclosed injury and was put on IR retroactively Wednesday. He has been skating on his own and can return at any time. Still, he remains a risky start in Week 4 ... The Blues have just two home games in Week 4 and Manny Legace will likely start both games to give Chris Mason a few more days to recover after having an appendectomy last week ... St. Louis has scored 17 goals at home this season and is averaging 4.25 per home game ... The Blues have four players with seven or more points in their first six games. They are Paul Kariya (10), Brad Boyes (nine), Andy McDonald (nine) and Keith Tkachuk (seven) ... Lee Stempniak finally returned to the lineup Wednesday against the Red Wings after missing four games with a knee injury. He logged 22 minutes of ice time.

Tampa Bay Lightning: Tampa Bay inked free-agent defenseman Marek Malik to a one-year deal Thursday and he is expected to debut Saturday against San Jose. Malik has been practicing the last few weeks with the Lightning ... Tampa Bay has three games in Week 4 and we could see a 2-1 split in net between Mike Smith and Olaf Kolzig, with Smith likely to get the two starts ... Center Vincent Lecavalier has been firing at will in the first six games. He has taken 28 shots, but has connected on just three and is converting at 10.7 percent ... 2008 first overall pick Steven Stamkos hasn't made the rookie impact many expected and doesn't have a point in his first six games. He has a minus-1 rating and has taken just 12 shots on net ... Radim Vrbata, who was a surprise healthy scratch for a game this season, is now on the shelf with a lower-body injury. Consider him a risky start for Week 4.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Toronto has a pair of back-to-back contests in Week 4 and it's likely Curtis Joseph steals one start away from Vesa Toskala ... Defenseman Jeff Finger (foot) has been practicing with the team and is very close to make his Toronto debut ... Enforcer Ryan Hollweg returned from his second three-game suspension Thursday against the Bruins ... Nik Antropov (three) and Nikolai Kulemin (two) are the only skaters with two or more goals in six games ... Forward Jason Blake has just one goal on 24 shots. He is converting at 4.2 percent.

Vancouver Canucks: Vancouver was dealt quite a blow when it was announced Thursday that forward Pavol Demitra would miss 3-4 weeks while recovering from a rib injury ... Darcy Hordichuk (knee), Rick Rypien (undisclosed) and Sami Salo (groin) are all battling minor injuries and are day-to-day ... The Canucks have four games in six days in Week 4, so Curtis Sanford might have to get in net for one game to give Roberto Luongo a breather ... Ryan Kesler has one point in four straight games and is tied for the team lead with Henrik Sedin for seven points (three goals) in seven games ... Froward Kyle Wellwood was sent down to the minors last week after being a disappointment the day he arrived for training camp. He was immediately recalled after Demitra went down and posted two points (one goal) in his first game back Tuesday.

Washington Capitals: Washington has a pretty easy Week 4 slate with just one home game against the Predators and one road game against the Sabres. With two games in seven days, Jose Theodore is likely to start both games in net ... Defensemen John Erskine (calf) and Tom Poti (groin) continue to be slowed by injuries, but remain just day-to-day issues ... Second-year center Nicklas Backstrom has gotten off to a slow start (one assist in six games), so coach Bruce Boudreau opted to drop him from the first line to the second line.

Do you have a question for our Fantasy staff? You can e-mail us at DMFantasyPucks@cbs.com. Be sure to put Attn: Fantasy Pucks in the subject field. Please include your full name, hometown and state.