The Week Ahead: Bench Your Devils

Thirteen teams in the NHL play four games this week, while only New Jersey plays twice. Adjust your lineups accordingly.

All statistics are through Saturday's games unless otherwise noted.  

WEEK OF JANUARY 20-26

4 Games – Boston, Buffalo, Carolina, Colorado, Columbus, Florida, Minnesota, Ottawa, San Jose, Tampa Bay, Utah, Vegas, Winnipeg

3 Games – Anaheim, Calgary, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Edmonton, Los Angeles, Montreal, Nashville, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Seattle, St. Louis, Toronto, Vancouver, Washington

2 Games – New Jersey

Buffalo, Florida and Tampa Bay play all four games on the road.

Anaheim, Boston, Chicago, Edmonton, the New York Islanders, the New York Rangers and Seattle play three games at home.

Columbus, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Utah and Washington play three games on the road.

ANAHEIM

Games this week: vs. Florida, vs. Pittsburgh, vs. Nashville

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Ducks are the lowest-scoring team in the NHL, averaging only 2.42 goals per game...Troy Terry returned to action this past week after missing four games due to the birth of his child. He has a team-leading 15 goals and 34 points in 41 games...Frank Vatrano is the only other Duck with double-digit goals (11).

BOSTON

Games this week: vs. San Jose, @ New Jersey, vs. Ottawa, vs. Colorado

Tired: vs. Ottawa (Thursday)

Rested: None

Notes: The Bruins play four games this week, including three games in four nights...Jeremy Swayman should play three times, with Joonas Korpisalo picking up one start...David Pastrnak has nine points in his last three games, heading into action Saturday, giving him 21 goals and 51 points in 47 contests. He has regressed on the power play with only five goals and 11 points, after picking 72 points with the man advantage over the previous two seasons.

BUFFALO

Games this week: @ Seattle, @ Vancouver, @ Calgary, @ Edmonton

Tired: @ Vancouver (Tuesday)

Rested: None

Notes: The Sabres head out west to play Seattle before crossing the border to play in Western Canada...They play three games in four nights as part of their four-game week...Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is expected to start three times while James Reimer should start once...Owen Power picked up his first power-play point of the season Friday. He has been averaging 1:48 of ice time with the man-advantage this season. Dylan Cozens is drawing some interest from other teams in trade rumors.

CALGARY

Games this week: vs. Buffalo, @ Minnesota, @ Winnipeg

Tired: @ Winnipeg (Sunday)

Rested: None

Notes: The Flames play three games in four nights this week...Look for Dustin Wolf to play twice with Dan Vladar receiving the other start...Rory Kerins had a pair of assists in his NHL debut Monday and has four helpers in four games thus far...Rasmus Andersson could be a possible trade candidate closer to the trade deadline. He got off to a great start with four goals and 10 points in his first eight games, but he has fallen off considerably since then, with two goals and eight points in his last 37 contests.

CAROLINA

Games this week: @ Chicago, @ Dallas, vs. Columbus, @ New York Islanders

Tired: @ Dallas (Tuesday)

Rested: vs. Columbus (Thursday), @ New York Islanders (Saturday)

Notes: The Hurricanes play four games this week, including three games in four nights...Pyotr Kochetkov is slated to start at least twice with Frederik Andersen garnering the remainder of the starts...Andersen was activated off injured reserve (IR) Friday after missing 38 games with a knee injury and subsequent surgery...Jackson Blake has moved to the top line and has 10 goals and four assists in 46 games this season. He is playing alongside Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov.

CHICAGO  

Games this week: vs. Carolina, vs. Tampa Bay, vs. Minnesota

Tired: None

Rested: vs. Minnesota (Sunday)

Notes: Taylor Hall expects to be traded ahead of the March 7 trade deadline...The 33-year-old is in the final season of a four-year contract he signed with the Bruins in 2021. Some playoff team should be interested in the former Hart Trophy winner...Hall has nine goals and 23 points in 45 outings and has been demoted to the fourth line...The Blackhawks picked up Dmitry Kuzmin from Winnipeg on Wednesday, dealing Isaak Phillips to the Jets.

COLORADO

Games this week: vs. Minnesota, vs. Winnipeg, @ Boston, @ New York Rangers

Tired: @ New York Rangers (Sunday)

Rested: None

Notes: The Avalanche play four games this week...Mackenzie Blackwood should get three starts, with Scott Wedgewood getting one start between the pipes...Avalanche goaltender of the future Ilya Nabokov will not negotiate a new contract with Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the KHL and will cross the pond at the end of the playoffs to sign with Colorado...Samuel Girard was a -3 on Thursday after missing three games with an upper-body injury.

COLUMBUS

Games this week: @ New York Islanders, @ Toronto, @ Carolina, vs. Los Angeles  

Tired: @ Carolina (Thursday)

Rested: None

Notes: The Blue Jackets play four games this week, including three games in four nights...Elvis Merzlikins should get at least a pair of starts, while Daniil Tarasov will get whatever is left over...Zach Werenski leads all defensemen and the Blue Jackets with 51 points in 45 games. He is only six points away from tying his career high (57), set last season in 70 contests.

DALLAS

Games this week: vs. Carolina, vs. Vegas, @ St. Louis  

Tired: @ St. Lous (Saturday)

Rested: vs. Carolina (Tuesday), vs. Vegas (Friday)

Notes: Roope Hintz was injured Tuesday against the Maple Leafs and missed Thursday's game with an upper-body injury. He has struggled offensively this season with 19 goals but only eight assists in 42 games...Wyatt Johnston took over at pivot on the top line for Hintz, between Jason Robertson and Evgenii Dadonov...Miro Heiskanen is slumping this season with only five goals and 20 points in 45 appearances.

DETROIT

Games this week: @ Philadelphia, vs. Montreal, vs. Tampa Bay   

Tired: None

Rested: vs. Tampa Bay (Saturday)

Notes: The Red Wings are led in scoring by Lucas Raymond this season. He has 50 points in 45 games, eight better than Dylan Larkin. Larkin hit the 20-goal mark for the fourth straight season and the sixth time in his 10-year NHL career...Moritz Seider has 10 assists in his last 13 games...Marco Kasper has moved to the top line and has a goal and an assist in three of the last four games.

EDMONTON

Games this week: vs. Washington, vs. Vancouver, vs. Buffalo

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Oilers are home for all three games this week...There is a huge gap in scoring between Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid, with the rest of the team. Draisaitl has 67 points, while McDavid trails by three, and then you have to go all the way to Evan Bouchard's 35 points in 45 games this season. After Bouchard, Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins each have 26 points, while no one else has managed 20 points.

FLORIDA

Games this week: @ Anaheim, @ Los Angeles, @ San Jose, @ Vegas

Tired: @ Los Angeles (Wednesday), @ Vegas (Sunday)

Rested: None

Notes: The Panthers play a pair of back-to-back games, so expect to see Sergei Bobrovsky and Spencer Knight share the net...The Panthers are in California and Sin City all week...Bobrovsky continues to struggle this season. He was pulled Thursday after allowing four goals on 15 shots to the Red Wings. Bobrovsky is 18-11-2 with a 2.86 GAA and a .896 save percentage. His GAA is almost half a goal higher than last season.

LOS ANGELES

Games this week: vs. Pittsburgh, vs. Florida, @ Columbus

Tired: None

Rested: vs. Florida (Wednesday)

Notes: The Kings are getting an outstanding season from Darcy Kuemper...They picked Kuemper up in the offseason from Washington in exchange for Pierre-Luc Dubois. Kuemper has shined this season with a 13-3-5 record, to go with a 2.06 GAA and a .922 save percentage...This is a win-win for both teams as Dubois has excelled with the Capitals...Adrian Kempe and Anze Kopitar lead the team in points with 41 points.

MINNESOTA

Games this week: @ Colorado, vs, Utah, vs. Calgary, @ Chicago  

Tired: @ Chicago (Sunday)

Rested: None

Notes: The Wild play three games in four nights as part of their four-game week...Filip Gustavsson is likely to get three starts with Marc-Andre Fleury playing once...Kirill Kaprizov (lower body) was placed on long-term injured reserve (LTIR) Thursday, retroactive to Dec. 23...The Wild are expecting to have their top pick (22nd overall) from 2022 in their lineup next season...Danila Yurov will not negotiate a new contract with his KHL team as he wants to play for the Wild in 2025-26.

MONTREAL

Games this week: vs. Tampa Bay, @ Detroit, vs. New Jersey

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Canadiens are led by Nick Suzuki's 46 points in 45 games, three better than Cole Caufield...Rookie defenseman Lane Hutson is having a fabulous season with three goals and 33 assists including 14 helpers on the top power play...Jakub Dobes continues to impress in his rookie season. The netminder is 4-0-0 with a microscopic 0.98 GAA (it went up one point despite Dobes allowing only one goal in a 3-1 win over Dallas on Thursday) and a .963 save percentage.

NASHVILLE

Games this week: vs. San Jose, @ San Jose, @ Anaheim

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Predators play back-to-back games with San Jose this week...Should there be any fisticuffs, look for Michael McCarron to add to his penalty minute total...Ryan O'Reilly could be dealt at or before the trade deadline, but the opposing team will have to pay a top price for the veteran...Luke Evangelista was placed on IR Saturday after already missing three games with a lower-body injury.  

NEW JERSEY

Games this week: vs. Boston, @ Montreal

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Devils only play twice, so bench your New Jersey players except Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt...Stefan Noesen returned to action Saturday after missing two games with an illness. He was held off the scoresheet in the 3-1 loss to the Flyers. He has a career-high 17 goals this season, including eight with the man advantage...Dougie Hamilton potted his sixth goal of the season on Saturday. The defenseman has 29 points in 48 games and has been a bit of a disappointment for fantasy.

NEW YORK ISLANDERS

Games this week: vs. Columbus, vs. Philadelphia, vs. Carolina

Tired: vs. Carolina (Saturday)

Rested: vs. Philadelphia (Friday)

Notes: The Islanders lost Maxim Tsyplakov to a three-game suspension for his hit to the head on the Flyers' Ryan Poehling...Tsyplakov will return in time for Saturday's game against Carolina...Brock Nelson has three goals and seven points in his last five games...Marcus Hogberg has started three of the last four games with Ilya Sorokin ill earlier in the week. Hogberg was 2-1-0, for his first two wins of the season, allowing one goal in each of the three games.

NEW YORK RANGERS

Games this week: vs. Ottawa, vs. Philadelphia, vs. Colorado

Tired: None

Rested: vs. Colorado (Sunday)

Notes: The Rangers are having trouble scoring and needed a 27-save effort from Igor Shesterkin on Saturday to beat Columbus 1-0 in a shootout...Will Cuylle has 11 goals and 13 assists in 45 games this season and is fifth in the NHL with 165 hits...Adam Fox is having a good season with 34 points in 45 games. The former Norris Trophy winner has had three straight 70+ point seasons but he is not close to that pace this season.

OTTAWA 

Games this week: @ New York Rangers, @ Boston, vs. Toronto, vs. Utah

Tired: vs. Utah (Sunday)

Rested: @ Boston (Thursday)

Notes: The Senators play four games this week, including three games in four nights...Linus Ullmark is questionable with a back injury and may get one start near the end of the week. Anton Forsberg should get a pair of starts with Leevi Merilainen getting the remainder if Ullmark is unable to play...Claude Giroux has six assists in his last nine games but has been held off the scoresheet on six occasions during the streak.

PHILADELPHIA

Games this week: @ Detroit, @ New York Rangers, @ New York Islanders

Tired: @ New York Islanders (Friday)

Rested: None

Notes: The Flyers play three games in four nights...Samuel Ersson is expected to garner two starts with Ivan Fedotov expected to start once...Travis Sanheim has assists in three of his last five games. He has six goals and 24 points in 47 contests...Rookie Matvei Michkov is returning to form of late. He went five games without a point but has two goals and four points in his last five games.

PITTSBURGH

Games this week: @ Los Angeles, @ Anaheim, @ Seattle

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: Alex Nedeljkovic became the first goaltender to score a goal and garner an assist in the same game Friday. He also became the first netminder to score at the NHL, AHL and ECHL levels...The Penguins placed Tristan Jarry on waivers Wednesday. When he cleared the following day, Jarry was sent to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Don't expect him back in a Pittsburgh uniform unless there is an injury to Nedeljkovic or Joel Blomqvist.

SAN JOSE

Games this week: @ Boston, @ Nashville, vs. Nashville, vs. Florida

Tired: @ Nashville (Tuesday)

Rested: None

Notes: The Sharks play four games this week, including three games in four nights this upcoming week...Yaroslav Askarov and Alexandar Georgiev should split the games...San Jose has a back-to-back series against Nashville and if there is any rough stuff, look for Barclay Goodrow to be involved...Cody Ceci is getting mentioned in trade rumors as plenty of playoff-bound teams need a defenseman of his ilk. He is in the final year of his contract, which should make it easier for the Sharks to deal him.

SEATTLE

Games this week: vs. Buffalo, vs. Washington, vs. Pittsburgh

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes

The Kraken have been relying on Joey Daccord as he has started each of the last six games. He is 14-10-2 with a 2.45 GAA and a .915 save percentage heading into action Saturday...Matty Beniers has goals in two of his last three games ahead of Saturday's contest against Los Angeles...Brandon Tanev is in the final year of his contract and should be trade bait when the Kraken throw in the towel this season as they are 10 points out of a playoff spot with five teams to jump over.

ST. LOUIS

Games this week: @ Vegas, vs. Vegas, vs. Dallas

Tired: None

Rested: vs. Dallas (Saturday)

Notes: The Blues play a back-to-back series versus Vegas this week...Brayden Schenn leads the Blues in penalty minutes with 37...Jordan Kyrou leads the Blues in points with 39 in 46 games, ahead of Saturday's tilt against Utah. He scored six goals and 11 points in his last 11 outings...Robert Thomas has only one assist in his last four games and 34 points in 35 games this season.

TAMPA BAY

Games this week: @ Toronto, @ Montreal, @ Chicago, @ Detroit

Tired: @ Montreal (Tuesday), @ Detroit (Saturday)

Rested: None

Notes: The Lightning play four games this week, including a pair of back-to-back games... Look for Andrei Vasilevskiy and Jonas Johansson to share the net...Brayden Point was forced to sit out Tuesday's game against the Bruins after he missed a team meeting. Point has scored once in each of the two games since he was a healthy scratch, giving him 27 goals this season.

TORONTO

Games this week: vs. Tampa Bay, vs. Columbus, @ Ottawa

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Maple Leafs could get goaltender Anthony Stolarz back in the next 2-3 weeks. The netminder is past his return date as he was expected to be out 4-6 weeks after undergoing surgery to remove a loose body from his knee. Stolarz is closing in on the six-week mark and will hit it on Jan. 23...Auston Matthews has 11 points in seven games since his return from an upper-body injury on Jan. 4.

UTAH

Games this week: vs. Winnipeg, @ Minnesota, @ Winnipeg, @ Ottawa

Tired: @ Winnipeg (Friday)

Rested: @ Ottawa (Sunday)

Notes: Utah plays three games in four nights as part of their four-game week...Karel Vejmelka and Connor Ingram are expected to share the net...John Marino returned to the lineup Tuesday for the first time this season as he has been out of action with a back injury...Mikhail Sergachev suffered an upper-body injury and was forced to miss Saturday's tilt with St. Louis.

VANCOUVER

Games this week: vs. Buffalo, @ Edmonton, vs. Washington

Tired: None

Rested: vs. Buffalo (Tuesday)

Notes: The Canucks could deal J.T. Miller at any time as there has been plenty of rumors of a rift between Miller and Elias Pettersson...Miller has to waive his no-trade clause. Pettersson wants to remain in Vancouver but he does not have a no-trade clause...Thatcher Demko is off to a slow start, as he is 2-3-3 with a 3.39 GAA and an .872 save percentage ahead of Saturday's game with the Oilers.  

VEGAS

Games this week: vs. St. Louis, @ St. Louis, @ Dallas, vs. Florida

Tired: @ Dallas (Friday)

Rested: vs. Florida (Saturday)

Notes: The Golden Knights play four games this week, including three games in four nights...Adin Hill should get at least two starts and possibly three with Ilya Samsonov getting the remaining starts...The Golden Knights play a back-to-back set versus the Blues this week. If there is any rough stuff, expect Nicolas Roy and/or Keegan Kolesar to add to their penalty minutes total...Ivan Barbashev returned to the lineup and is back on the top line with Jack Eichel and Mark Stone.  

WASHINGTON

Games this week: @ Edmonton, @ Seattle, @ Vancouver

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Capitals are getting unbelievable production from Aliaksei Protas, who has 19 goals and 38 points in 46 games. He snapped a four-game pointless streak Saturday with a goal and an assist...Pierre-Luc Dubois has revitalized his career as the 26-year-old has seven goals and 35 points in 46 appearances...Logan Thompson has been an absolute steal for the Capitals. He was dealt in the offseason from Vegas for a couple of third-round draft picks and is 21-2-2 this season with a 2.11 GAA and a .925 save percentage.

WINNIPEG

Games this week: @ Utah, @ Colorado, vs. Utah, vs. Calgary

Tired: None

Rested: vs. Utah (Friday), vs. Calgary (Sunday)

Notes: The Jets received Isaak Phillips from Chicago this week, giving up Dmitry Kuzmin...Connor Hellebuyck has won four straight games, giving up four goals on only 92 shots...Colin Miller returned to action Saturday after missing five games with a fractured larynx and picked up an assist...Josh Morrissey had two goals and six points in his last seven games heading into action Saturday. The defenseman has 40 points in 46 games this season.