There's a very important point this season in the NHL. That is the Olympic break coming up in a month. I would expect that the majority of players playing in the tournament will have a tough time upon their return (with the possible exception of the gold medalists), while all the players who were snubbed, as well as Russian players who picked up an extra two-week vacation, will return to action with a fury. It's something to consider, especially if your hockey pool allows trading.
All stats are through Saturday night unless otherwise noted.
Visit RotoWire's NHL Daily Starting Lineups to find out starters for every game on the schedule!
WEEK OF JANUARY 5-12
4 Games – Anaheim, Boston, Calgary, Columbus, Los Angeles, Nashville, Ottawa, San Jose, Seattle, Utah, Vegas, Washington, Winnipeg
3 Games – Buffalo, Carolina, Chicago, Colorado, Dallas, Detroit, Edmonton, Florida, Minnesota, Montreal, New Jersey, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Toronto, Vancouver
2 Games – Tampa Bay
Winnipeg plays all four games at home.
Anaheim and Columbus play four games on the road.
Calgary, Dallas, Florida, New Jersey, St. Louis and Vancouver play three games on the road.
Boston, Carolina, Montreal, Nashville, San Jose and Utah play three games at home.
ANAHEIM
Games this week
@ Washington, @ Philadelphia, @ Carolina, @ Buffalo
Tired: @ Philadelphia (Tuesday)
Rested: None
Notes
The Ducks play all four games on the road, including three games in four nights... Lukas Dostal has been in a horrible slump
There's a very important point this season in the NHL. That is the Olympic break coming up in a month. I would expect that the majority of players playing in the tournament will have a tough time upon their return (with the possible exception of the gold medalists), while all the players who were snubbed, as well as Russian players who picked up an extra two-week vacation, will return to action with a fury. It's something to consider, especially if your hockey pool allows trading.
All stats are through Saturday night unless otherwise noted.
Visit RotoWire's NHL Daily Starting Lineups to find out starters for every game on the schedule!
WEEK OF JANUARY 5-12
4 Games – Anaheim, Boston, Calgary, Columbus, Los Angeles, Nashville, Ottawa, San Jose, Seattle, Utah, Vegas, Washington, Winnipeg
3 Games – Buffalo, Carolina, Chicago, Colorado, Dallas, Detroit, Edmonton, Florida, Minnesota, Montreal, New Jersey, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Toronto, Vancouver
2 Games – Tampa Bay
Winnipeg plays all four games at home.
Anaheim and Columbus play four games on the road.
Calgary, Dallas, Florida, New Jersey, St. Louis and Vancouver play three games on the road.
Boston, Carolina, Montreal, Nashville, San Jose and Utah play three games at home.
ANAHEIM
Games this week
@ Washington, @ Philadelphia, @ Carolina, @ Buffalo
Tired: @ Philadelphia (Tuesday)
Rested: None
Notes
The Ducks play all four games on the road, including three games in four nights... Lukas Dostal has been in a horrible slump of late and it's possible that he shares the net with Petr Mrazek this week... The Ducks are in a tailspin. They are 2-6-2 in their last 10 games, and while they are still in a playoff spot, their hold on it is becoming precarious... The Ducks continue to get offensive production out of their top four forwards with Leo Carlsson at 42 points, Troy Terry at 39, Cutter Gauthier just one point in arrears of Terry and rookie Beckett Sennecke at 31.
BOSTON
Games this week
@ Seattle vs. Calgary, vs. New York Rangers, vs. Pittsburgh
Tired: None
Rested: @ Seattle (Tuesday), vs. Calgary (Thursday)
Notes
The Bruins return home after a trip out west and play four games, including three in four nights... Jeremy Swayman is likely to get three starts with Joonas Korpisalo playing once... Alex Steeves is seeing first line minutes alongside Morgan Geekie and Elias Lindholm. Steeves has eight goals, four assists, 23 PIM and 92 hits across 25 games this season.
BUFFALO
Games this week
vs. Vancouver, @ New York Rangers, vs. Anaheim
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Sabres are the hottest team in the NHL at this time, but saw their 10-game winning streak come to an end Saturday... Alex Lyon (lower body) returned to Buffalo after suffering a lower-body injury Monday and should be considered day-to-day... Josh Doan is having a great start to the season with 12 goals and 27 points in 40 games. He has moved up to the top line alongside Tage Thompson.
CALGARY
Games this week
vs. Seattle, @ Montreal, @ Boston, @ Pittsburgh
Tired: @ Boston (Thursday)
Rested: None
Notes
The Flames play three games in four nights as part of their four-game week... Dustin Wolf should play three times with Devin Cooley picking up one start... Rasmus Andersson snapped a four-game point drought Wednesday with his eighth goal of the season... Matthew Coronato had a pair of helpers Saturday to give the winger four assists in his last two games, and 11 goals and 24 points in 40 games this season.
CAROLINA
Games this week
vs. Dallas, vs. Anaheim, vs. Seattle
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
Alexander Nikishin has two goals and seven points in his last 11 games. The rookie blueliner has five goals and 16 points in 39 appearances, including a goal and three assists on the power play... Sebastian Aho has been on a hot streak. He has eight goals and eight assists in his last nine games, including a five-point effort Thursday against Montreal.
CHICAGO
Games this week
vs. St. Louis, vs. Washington, @ Nashville
Tired: @ Nashville (Saturday)
Rested: None
Notes
Chicago plays three games in four nights... Spencer Knight should get a pair of starts with Arvid Soderblom playing once... Connor Bedard (upper body) has started shooting the puck, but there is still no timetable for his return... The 'Hawks picked up a rare win Saturday, defeating the Capitals 3-2 in a shootout... Andre Burakovsky really misses Bedard as his center, but he still has managed three assists in his last two games.
COLORADO
Games this week
@ Tampa Bay, vs. Ottawa, vs. Columbus
Tired: None
Rested: vs. Ottawa (Thursday)
Notes
The Avalanche continue to be the best team in the NHL... Scott Wedgewood should get all the starts this week, as Mackenzie Blackwood is out of action and on injured reserve with a lower-body injury. The Avalanche recalled Trent Miner to back up Wedgewood in the interim... Brock Nelson continues to excel with 12 goals and eight assists in his last 16 contests... Nathan MacKinnon has 13 points in his last four games, giving him the NHL scoring lead with 74 points. He is also a whopping plus-51 this season.
COLUMBUS
Games this week
@ San Jose, @ Vegas, @ Colorado, @ Utah
Tired: @ Utah (Sunday)
Rested: None
Notes
The Blue Jackets play all four games on the road this week, including three games in four nights... Jet Greaves should get three starts with Elvis Merzlikins starting once... Picking up Mason Marchment before Christmas allowed the Blue Jackets to trade Yegor Chinakhov to Pittsburgh for Danton Heinen, a 2026 second-round pick and a 2027 third-rounder... Zach Werenski returned to action Saturday after missing four games with a lower-body injury. He had two assists in a 5-1 win over Buffalo.
DALLAS
Games this week
@ Carolina, @ Washington, @ San Jose
Tired: @ Washington (Wednesday)
Rested: None
Notes
Mikko Rantanen is on a heater. He has three goals and 11 assists in his last eight games, giving the star forward 16 goals, 40 assists, 25 power-play points and 71 PIM. His points, power-play points and penalty minutes are all in the top six on the NHL leaderboard... Look for Jason Robertson to have a great month of January. Robertson was not added to the American Olympic side, despite 24 goals and 24 assists in 41 games. He will go all-out in case the US team has an injury or two to their forward ranks... Casey DeSmith was given non-roster status Saturday, prompting the recall of Remi Poirier to back up Jake Oettinger.
DETROIT
Games this week
@ Ottawa, vs. Vancouver, @ Montreal
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Red Wings were atop of the Eastern Conference standings heading into action Saturday, but a loss to Pittsburgh, combined with a Tampa Bay win, left them in second place... Alex DeBrincat was not named to the United States Olympic team. He has 22 goals and 20 assists in 43 games this season, second on the Red Wings and two in arrears of Lucas Raymond... I was surprised that Simon Edvinsson was not named to Sweden's team. He is an outstanding defenseman.
EDMONTON
Games this week
@ Nashville, @ Winnipeg, vs. Los Angeles
Tired: None
Rested: vs. Los Angeles (Saturday)
Notes
The Oilers are only 5-5-0 in their last 10 games... Connor McDavid dropped to second place in NHL scoring with 72 points, including 25 goals... Leon Draisaitl had a hat trick Dec. 23, but it has been the only time he has lit the lamp in the last 13 contests... After a poor 2024-25 season in which he had only 49 points in 78 games, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is back, tallying 11 goals and 22 assists in 33 games... Evan Bouchard potted his eighth goal of the season Saturday and has 38 points in 42 appearances.
FLORIDA
Games this week
@ Toronto, @ Montreal, @ Ottawa
Tired: None
Rested: @ Montreal (Thursday)
Notes
The Panthers play in Eastern Canada this week... Matthew Tkachuk (groin surgery) has been practicing and could make his season debut this week... It will be interesting if his debut is in Ottawa on Saturday, against his brother Brady... Seth Jones could miss some time after suffering an upper-body injury at the Winter Classic on Friday. If he does, expect Aaron Ekblad to move into Jones' spot on the first power-play unit.
LOS ANGELES
Games this week
vs. Minnesota, vs. San Jose, @ Winnipeg, @ Edmonton
Tired: @ Edmonton (Saturday)
Rested: vs. San Jose (Wednesday), @ Winnipeg (Friday)
Notes
The Kings play four games this week, including three games in four nights... Darcy Kuemper should play at least twice and possibly three times, with Anton Forsberg picking up the remainder of the starts... Kevin Fiala has five points in his last five games... Drew Doughty made the Canadian Olympic team, but his fantasy value has plummeted with only three goals and 13 points in 33 games.
MINNESOTA
Games this week
@ Los Angeles, @ Seattle, vs. New York Islanders
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
Filip Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt are giving the Wild the best goalkeeping in the NHL. Gustavsson is 7-0-1 in his last eight games, boosting his record to 14-8-4 with three shutouts, a 2.48 GAA and a .912 save percentage. Wallstedt has been even better, going 11-2-3 with four shutouts, a 2.21 GAA and a .928 save percentage... Brock Faber has been terrific since Quinn Hughes joined him on the blue line. Faber has three goals and eight points in his last 11 games.
MONTREAL
Games this week
vs. Calgary, vs. Florida, vs. Detroit
Tired: vs. Florida (Thursday)
Rested: None
Notes
The Canadiens play three games in four nights, and all are at home... Jacob Fowler should get two starts with Jakub Dobes starting once... Nick Suzuki has nine goals and 23 points in his last 21 appearances... Lane Hutson has also been on a scoring tear with one goal and 17 assists in his last 12 contests... Phillip Danault has yet to pick up a point in five games since his trade from Los Angeles.
NASHVILLE
Games this week
@ Edmonton, vs. New York Islanders, vs. Chicago, vs. Washington
Tired: vs. Washington (Sunday)
Rested: vs. Chicago (Saturday)
Notes
The Predators play four games this week, including three games in four nights... Juuse Saros should get three starts with Justus Annunen playing once... Michael Bunting led the way in Saturday's 4-3 win over Calgary. Bunting had a hand in all four goals with one marker and three assists... Steven Stamkos potted his 600th career goal Wednesday and has 10 goals and seven assists in his last 12 games.
NEW JERSEY
Games this week
@ New York Islanders, @ Pittsburgh, @ Winnipeg
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Devils are one point out of the second wild card and on a two-game winning streak... Timo Meier snapped a six-game goal drought Saturday with his 12th of the year... Dougie Hamilton picked up his fifth of the season in Saturday's victory over Utah, his first goal in 26 matches... Simon Nemec (lower body) is still at least three weeks away from returning to action.
NEW YORK ISLANDERS
Games this week
vs. New Jersey, @ Nashville, @ Minnesota
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Islanders are second in the Metropolitan Division following a 4-3 overtime win over Toronto in which rookie Matthew Schaefer scored twice, including the winner. He has 12 goals already and became the first 18-year-old rearguard in NHL history to have a pair of multigoal games... Ilya Sorokin was activated off injured reserve Friday and is expected to see his first game action this week, likely Tuesday versus the Devils. He last played Dec. 19, a span of seven games.
NEW YORK RANGERS
Games this week
vs. Utah, vs. Buffalo, @ Boston
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Rangers rode a huge Winter Classic performance from Mika Zibanejad, who recorded the first hat trick in Winter Classic game history and added a pair of assists, to a 5-1 win over Florida... Adam Fox returned to action Wednesday after missing 14 games with an upper-body injury and had a goal and an assist in a 6-3 loss to Washington... Alexis Lafreniere is seeing time on the top line with Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin. Lafreniere had three helpers at the Winter Classic and has eight goals and 23 points in 43 appearances.
OTTAWA
Games this week
vs. Detroit, @ Utah, @ Colorado, vs. Florida
Tired: @ Colorado (Thursday)
Rested: None
Notes
There is currently no timetable for the return of Linus Ullmark, who took a personal leave of absence Dec. 28... The Senators moved Dylan Cozens up to the first line, between Brady Tkachuk and Drake Batherson... Thomas Chabot tallied a pair of goals Saturday, giving him four on the season. They were his first goals since Oct. 25... Fabian Zetterlund has four goals and four assists in his last eight games while playing alongside Tim Stutzle.
PHILADELPHIA
Games this week
vs. Anaheim, @ Toronto, vs. Tampa Bay
Tired: None
Rested: vs. Anaheim (Tuesday)
Notes
The Flyers knocked off Edmonton on Saturday by a 5-2 score... Denver Barkey opened the scoring with his first career NHL goal... Sean Couturier had a pair of assists and has five goals and 23 points in 39 outings... Matvei Michkov had a terrific rookie season in 2024-25 with 26 goals and 63 points in 80 games. He is experiencing the proverbial sophomore slump, as he has only nine goals and 23 points in 40 games. He is worth trading for if you are looking to the future in a dynasty pool.
PITTSBURGH
Games this week
vs. New Jersey, vs. Calgary, @ Boston
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Penguins play three games in four nights... Look for Stuart Skinner to start twice with Arturs Silovs playing once... The Penguins acquired Yegor Chinakhov from Columbus on Monday, giving up Danton Heinen, a 2026 second-round pick and a 2027 third-rounder. Chinakhov should slot in as a middle-six forward and see power-play time on the second unit... Sidney Crosby had a pair of helpers Saturday, giving the superstar four goals and 10 points during his current six-game point streak.
SAN JOSE
Games this week
vs. Columbus, @ Los Angeles, vs. Dallas, vs. Vegas
Tired: @ Los Angeles (Wednesday)
Rested: None
Notes
The Sharks play a pair of back-to-back games this week, so expect Yaroslav Askarov and Alex Nedeljkovic to split the net... Askarov has allowed at least three goals in each of his last 11 games dating back to Dec. 1. He allowed three tallies Saturday on only 10 shots before he was pulled in the opening frame against Tampa Bay... Macklin Celebrini had an assist Saturday, giving him 20 points during his current 10-game point streak... Grab Igor Chernyshov if you still can. The rookie is seeing first-line minutes alongside Celebrini and has eight points in eight games.
SEATTLE
Games this week
@ Calgary, vs. Boston, vs. Minnesota, @ Carolina
Tired: vs. Boston (Tuesday)
Rested: None
Notes
The Kraken play four times this week, including three games in four nights... Look for Joey Daccord and Philipp Grubauer to share the net this week... Cale Fleury scored his first goal in over six years Friday in a 4-3 shootout win over Vancouver. His only other NHL goal occurred Nov. 16, 2019 as a member of the Canadiens... Chandler Stephenson has seven goals and 13 points in his last 14 games.
ST. LOUIS
Games this week
@ Chicago, @ Utah, @ Vegas
Tired: @ Vegas (Saturday)
Rested: None
Notes
The Blues play three games in four nights... Expect to see Joel Hofer play twice with Jordan Binnington playing once. Binnington got a rare start Saturday as Hofer has been the No. 1 goaltender of late, and he stopped 25 shots in shutting out the Canadiens. It was Binnington's first shutout of the season... Robert Thomas scored shorthanded Saturday. It was only the second time in 11 games that he's found the back of the net, though he did score a pair of goals in the other game.
TAMPA BAY
Games this week
vs. Colorado, @ Philadelphia
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Lightning are the only team playing just twice this week... Nikita Kucherov had a big five-point night Saturday in Tampa Bay's 7-3 win over San Jose. The outburst gave Kucherov 59 points, good for fourth place in the NHL scoring race... Brayden Point has a five-game point streak with four goals and seven points... Darren Raddysh had the hat trick Saturday, giving the defenseman 12 goals this season. That is good for a tie for third among blueliners, tied with the great Cale Makar and just three behind Jakob Chychrun, who leads all defensemen with 15.
TORONTO
Games this week
vs. Florida, @ Philadelphia vs. Vancouver
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Maple Leafs are 4-1-1 in their last six games to climb back into the playoff race... Auston Matthews has five goals in his last two games and became the all-time leading goal scorer in Maple Leafs history with 421, surpassing Mats Sundin... William Nylander has missed the last four games with a lower-body injury... Bobby McMann has moved up to the top line alongside Matthews. McMann has four goals and four assists in his last eight games.
UTAH
Games this week
@ New York Rangers, vs. Ottawa, vs. St. Louis, vs. Columbus
Tired: None
Rested: vs. Columbus (Sunday)
Notes
The Mammoth play four games this week, including three games in four nights... Karel Vejmelka should see action in three games, with Vitek Vanecek playing once... Vejmelka is 17-11-2 with a 2.69 GAA and an .895 save percentage across 31 games this season... Sean Durzi has one point in nine of his last 11 outings... Logan Cooley (lower body) is likely to return after the Olympic break.
VANCOUVER
Games this week
@ Buffalo, @ Detroit, @ Toronto
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Canucks may not have the services of Derek Forbort for the remainder of the season. The defenseman suffered an undisclosed injury in the second game of the season and is currently on long-term injured reserve... Filip Hronek scored once and added an assist Saturday, giving him one goal and eight assists in his last nine games... Thatcher Demko is 0-3-1 in his last four games, allowing 16 goals on 133 shots.
VEGAS
Games this week
@ Winnipeg, vs. Columbus, vs. St. Louis, @ San Jose
Tired: None
Rested: vs. St. Louis (Saturday)
Notes
The Golden Knights play three games in four nights as part of their four-game week... Carter Hart and Akira Schmid are expected to share the net. Hart has not played particularly well in the Vegas cage, going 4-3-3 with a 3.28 GAA and an .876 save percentage... Adin Hill (lower body) has been out since late October and is still considered week-to-week... Mitch Marner is without a point in his last two games, but he had four goals and 11 assists in his previous 11 contests.
WASHINGTON
Games this week
vs. Anaheim, vs. Dallas, @ Chicago, @ Nashville
Tired: None
Rested: vs. Dallas (Wednesday), @ Nashville (Sunday)
Notes
Pierre-Luc Dubois (abdominal surgery) has begun skating and is expected back in action after the February Olympic break... Alex Ovechkin continues to slump with one goal and two assists in his last 10 games... Tom Wilson suffered a lower-body injury Saturday and his status for the upcoming week is undetermined at this time. Wilson saw his scoring streak end Saturday at three games. He had five goals and three assists during the streak.
WINNIPEG
Games this week
vs. Vegas, vs. Edmonton, vs. Los Angeles, vs. New Jersey
Tired: vs. Los Angeles (Friday)
Rested: None
Notes
The Jets play four home games this week including three games in four nights... Connor Hellebuyck should start three times with Eric Comrie getting one start... The Jets were the best team in the NHL last season with 116 points, but they're currently in 32nd and last place in the NHL standings... Mark Scheifele was not selected to Team Canada and promptly scored twice and added an assist in a 6-5 loss to Toronto on New Year's Day.
