This is the last week of the Odds & Ends column as the last day of the default head-to-head season calendar ended Saturday. But there are still more games to play, and if your league has extended the season, well, this one's for you.
Thanks for reading and sticking around for the entire season. I'm sure it's been difficult to everyone in varying degrees, and I think I speak for everyone that having some resemblance of normalcy — even with a truncated season — was a nice treat. Here's to a full season for 2021-22, and if you've already locked up your league championship — congratulations! I hope this column helped.
Here's a look around the league at the latest trends after another week of hockey. Some food for thought, some leftover stats and, of course, some fantasy advice. Let's dig in.
All fancy stats courtesy Natural Stat Trick.
As of Saturday night, all but one of the 16 playoff spots have been accounted for, but with a 10-point cushion on the Flames and a 14-point cushion on the Canucks, it's probably safe to say that the Canadiens have locked up the final spot in the North despite having just two more games to play.
Even playoff seeding won't be a dramatic race; the Central's matchups have been determined, the Avalanche and Wild likely will meet in the West's first round, the Penguins will play either the Islanders or the Bruins in the East's first round (I'm hoping it's the
This is the last week of the Odds & Ends column as the last day of the default head-to-head season calendar ended Saturday. But there are still more games to play, and if your league has extended the season, well, this one's for you.
Thanks for reading and sticking around for the entire season. I'm sure it's been difficult to everyone in varying degrees, and I think I speak for everyone that having some resemblance of normalcy — even with a truncated season — was a nice treat. Here's to a full season for 2021-22, and if you've already locked up your league championship — congratulations! I hope this column helped.
Here's a look around the league at the latest trends after another week of hockey. Some food for thought, some leftover stats and, of course, some fantasy advice. Let's dig in.
All fancy stats courtesy Natural Stat Trick.
As of Saturday night, all but one of the 16 playoff spots have been accounted for, but with a 10-point cushion on the Flames and a 14-point cushion on the Canucks, it's probably safe to say that the Canadiens have locked up the final spot in the North despite having just two more games to play.
Even playoff seeding won't be a dramatic race; the Central's matchups have been determined, the Avalanche and Wild likely will meet in the West's first round, the Penguins will play either the Islanders or the Bruins in the East's first round (I'm hoping it's the Isles for entertainment purposes), and the Maple Leafs are expected to run the table in the North. Fantasy-wise, that means teams likely will be giving their veterans some rest and younger players will get to soak up those minutes.
Here's the rundown on what teams have games yet to be played and which players to target.
Season complete: ANA, ARI, BUF, CBJ, DET, NYR, PIT
1 game remaining: CAR, FLA, NSH, NJ, NYI, PHI, SJ, TB, WSH
2 games remaining: BOS, CHI, DAL, MIN, MTL, OTT, TOR, VGK
3 games remaining: COL, EDM, LA, STL, WPG
5 games remaining: CGY
7 games remaining: VAN
Obviously, if you're simply looking at quantity, the Canucks and the Flames are the best options. But keep in mind the Flames have been in shambles for most of the season, their scoring is inconsistent and their goaltending has been disappointing; the Canucks, meanwhile, just got beat up by the Oilers and definitely are suffering the effects of COVID and continue to miss key players in the lineup.
There is a sneaky play, however, with word that Elias Pettersson is close to returning. The Canucks star center has not played since March 2, and his presence in the lineup changes the entirely dynamic of their offense; he'll take a huge load off Bo Horvat's shoulders and it also allows J.T. Miller to shift to the wing to form a more balanced two-line attack, not to mention provide one of the league's most dangerous one-timer options on the power play. No question he likely won't be 100 percent, but Pettersson has considerable upside and plenty of time to collect a few points.
With three games remaining, it's also insane to think that Connor McDavid will be adding to his point total after a four-point effort against the Canucks gave him 100 in just 53 games. That's just bonkers because in an era where the goaltending is probably as good as ever, McDavid is scoring at a pace not since Mario Lemieux. That makes any of his linemates worth picking up, and when Dave Tippett doesn't stack his top line with Leon Draisaitl, look for a rotation of Jesse Puljujarvi and Dominik Kahun.
The Avalanche might seem like a good add at first glance, but keep in mind that they may not have Nathan MacKinnon for the final three games of the season. That gives a huge fantasy boost to Tyson Jost, who's taken over his spot, and don't forget about Alex Newhook as well, who has been playing on the third line behind Nazem Kadri.
If you're looking to stack against weak opponents, consider the Leafs (@OTT, @WPG). The Leafs are on the road but it's against two teams they've played very well against this season, and it would be rather surprising if Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner received rest; they simply have too many veterans who need it more than they do, not to mention sitting their young and best players just seems overly cautious.
The sneaky one-game stack will be the Devils. Yes, you read that right. They're really finishing the season on a strong note with five wins in their past seven games, including three consecutive vs. the Flyers, against whom they're 4-2-1 this season. Their top line of Jack Hughes between Yegor Sharangovich and Janne Kuokkanen has been very effective, and there's plenty to pick from the rest of the roster, too, including captain Nico Hischier and top prospect Nolan Foote.
Good luck the rest of the way and thanks for reading.
