The Week Ahead: The Penultimate Week

The finals for head-to-head fantasy enters the last 11 days and for all that play rotisserie-style, best of luck down the stretch. It's the penultimate column of the season and the last full week, as next week's schedule ends Thursday.

All statistics are through Saturday night, unless otherwise noted.

WEEK OF APRIL 7-13

4 Games – Anaheim, Buffalo, Calgary, Carolina, Colorado, Columbus, Edmonton, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, San Jose, Seattle, Tampa Bay, Toronto, Winnipeg

3 Games – Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Florida, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Montreal, Nashville, New Jersey, Ottawa, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Utah, Vancouver, Vegas, Washington

Anaheim, Columbus, Dallas, Florida, Los Angeles, New Jersey and Toronto play three games at home.

Buffalo, Detroit, the New York Islanders, San Jose, Seattle, St. Louis and Vancouver play three games on the road.

ANAHEIM

Games this week: vs. Edmonton, vs. Calgary, @ Los Angeles, vs. Colorado

Tired: @ Los Angeles (Thursday)

Rested: vs. Colorado (Sunday)

Notes: The Ducks play four games this week, including three games in four nights...Look for John Gibson (if healthy, as he left Thursday's game with a lower-body injury) and Lukas Dostal to share the net...Troy Terry has only one goal and one assist in his last seven games...Mason McTavish has been hot since the middle of March with two goals and nine assists in his last 10 games.

BOSTON

Games this week: @ New Jersey, vs. Chicago, @ Pittsburgh

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Bruins are at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, a huge surprise for the team that had made the playoffs eight seasons in a row...Morgan Geekie has been terrific this season with 28 goals and 49 points in 72 games, including six goals and 14 points in his last nine appearances...Jeremy Swayman needs a reset in the offseason as he had lost seven in a row, giving up 29 goals on 193 shots (.850 save percentage) before Saturday's 5-1 win over Carolina.

BUFFALO

Games this week: vs. Carolina, @ Columbus, @ Florida, @ Tampa Bay

Tired: @ Tampa Bay (Sunday)

Rested: None

Notes: The Sabres play three games in four nights as part of their four-game week...Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and James Reimer should share the net...The Sabres recalled Noah Ostlund from AHL Rochester on Friday. The 16th overall pick in 2022, Ostlund had eight goals and 11 points in his last six games with the Amerks...Too little, too late, but the Sabres have won six of their last seven games.

CALGARY

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

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Flames play four games this week...Dustin Wolf should get three starts with Dan Vladar playing once...It has been a disappointing season from Yegor Sharangovich who has only 13 goals and 27 points in 66 games, after a 31-goal, 28-assist season in 2023-24...Blake Coleman is in a similar spot, though no one expected the 33-year-old to pick up 30 goals again this season. He has 15 goals and 35 points across 76 contests.

CAROLINA

Games this week: @ Buffalo, @ Washington, vs. New York Rangers, vs. Toronto

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Hurricanes play three games in four nights as part of their four-game week...They have been alternating games between Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov, so look for both to play twice...Jackson Blake has been on a tear of late with four goals and nine points in his last nine games. He is seeing first-line time with Seth Jarvis and Sebastian Aho.

CHICAGO  

Games this week: @ Pittsburgh, @ Boston, vs. Winnipeg

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: Oliver Moore inked an entry-level contract last week and after going pointless in his first two NHL games, Moore had a pair of helpers Friday. He was selected 19th overall in 2023 and the Blackhawks consider him a future cornerstone of the franchise...Frank Nazar has two goals and two assists in his last five games. He has sputtered somewhat in his rookie campaign with eight goals and 20 points in 47 outings this season.

COLORADO

Games this week: vs. Vegas, vs. Vancouver, @ Los Angeles, @ Anaheim

Tired: @ Anaheim (Sunday)

Rested: None

Notes: The Avalanche play four games this week, including three games in four nights...Mackenzie Blackwood is slated to start at least twice and likely three times with Scott Wedgewood playing once...The Avalanche are the only team in the NHL to finish their season this week, giving them almost a complete week off before starting the playoffs...Jonathan Drouin (lower body) and Martin Necas (undisclosed) both missed Thursday and Saturday's games.

COLUMBUS

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

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Blue Jackets play three games in four nights as part of their four-game week...Elvis Merzlikins will likely play three games while Daniil Tarasov plays once...Columbus plays a home-and-home series with Washington so look for Mathieu Olivier to add to his penalty minutes if there is any rough stuff...James van Riemsdyk returned to the Columbus lineup Saturday after missing four games as a healthy scratch. He replaced Luke Kunin who is pointless in 12 games since he was acquired from San Jose at the trade deadline.

DALLAS

Games this week: vs. Vancouver, vs. Winnipeg, vs. Utah  

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: Roope Hintz got off to a slow start this season but has been hot of late with three goals and 10 points in his last seven games, giving him 65 points in 70 appearances...Jason Robertson has four goals and six assists in his last eight games and is poised to have his second-best season in his young NHL career. Robertson has 33 goals and 44 assists across 76 games this season...Mikko Rantanen, the third member of the top line, has nine points in his last seven games.

DETROIT

Games this week: @ Montreal, @ Florida, @ Tampa Bay   

Tired: @ Tampa Bay (Friday)

Rested: None

Notes: The Red Wings play three games in four nights...Look for Cam Talbot to play twice with Alex Lyon playing once...Don't forget about Marco Kasper late in fantasy pools next season. He was selected eighth overall in 2022 and has managed 16 goals and 15 assists in 71 games this season. He has a prominent role as a top-six forward and is only going to get better...Lucas Raymond had 26 goals and 74 points this season, including 35 points on the power play.

EDMONTON

Games this week: @ Anaheim, vs. St. Louis, vs. San Jose, @ Winnipeg

Tired: None

Rested: @ Winnipeg (Sunday)

Notes: The Oilers play four games this week...Stuart Skinner should be back at some point this week and is likely to play once or twice with Calvin Pickard picking up the remainder of the starts...The Oilers need to get healthy ahead of the playoffs as Connor McDavid (lower body), Leon Draisaitl (undisclosed), Skinner (head) and Mattias Ekholm (undisclosed) are all battling injuries...McDavid needs 10 points in his remaining games to hit the 100-point mark for the eighth time in 10 seasons.

FLORIDA

Games this week: vs. Toronto, vs. Detroit, vs. Buffalo

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: Florida is slumping at a bad time. They were in first place in the Atlantic Division last week, but have lost four in a row and are in danger of falling into a wild card spot as they are only four points ahead of Ottawa after the Senators beat them 3-0 Saturday...Sam Reinhart has 27 goals and 78 points in 76 games, 20 goals less than he potted last season.

LOS ANGELES

Games this week: vs. Seattle, vs. Anaheim, vs. Colorado

Tired: None

Rested: vs. Anaheim (Thursday)

Notes: The Kings have won four in a row and are challenging Vegas for first place in the Pacific Division...Warren Foegele has hit the 20-goal mark for the second straight season and has 43 points in 76 games, a career high...Adrian Kempe has 64 points this season, two ahead of Anze Kopitar...Kevin Fiala hit the 30-goal mark Saturday for the second time in his career.

MINNESOTA

Games this week: vs. San Jose, @ Calgary, @ Vancouver  

Tired: @ Vancouver (Saturday)

Rested: None

Notes: The Wild play three games in four nights...Expect to see Filip Gustavsson play twice with Marc-Andre Fleury picking up one start...Kirill Kaprizov (lower body) could return to the lineup this week as he has missed 27 games in a row...He will be a much-needed asset heading into the playoffs...Matt Boldy has only two goals and four points in his last seven games.

MONTREAL

Games this week: vs. Detroit, @ Ottawa, @ Toronto

Tired: @ Toronto (Saturday)

Rested: None

Notes: The Canadiens signed their goaltender of the future Jacob Fowler to an entry-level contract Friday...Fowler had an outstanding season with Boston College this season, going 25-7-2 with a sizzling 1.63 GAA and a .940 save percentage across 35 NCAA games...Nick Suzuki has been carrying the Canadiens offensively this season and has eight goals and 18 points in his last 13 games.

NASHVILLE

Games this week: vs. New York Islanders, @ Utah, @ Vegas

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: It has been a very disappointing campaign for Steven Stamkos...The former Lightning star inked a four-year, $32 million contract with Nashville in the offseason and was expected to lead the team offensively. Instead of his usual point per game offense, Stamkos has managed only 24 goals and 46 points in 76 games, a far cry from the 81, 84 and 106-point seasons he managed his previous three seasons...Roman Josi has missed the last 19 games with an upper-body injury and I'm not sure he will return this season.

NEW JERSEY

Games this week: vs. Boston, vs. Pittsburgh, vs. New York Islanders

Tired: None

Rested: vs. New York Islanders (Sunday)

Notes: Jacob Markstrom picked up his fourth shutout of the season Saturday in a 4-0 win over the Rangers...Nico Hischier has been on a hot streak with nine goals and 17 points in his last 12 games...Luke Hughes has taken advantage of the injury to Dougie Hamilton and has two goals and 20 points in his last 18 games, including eight assists on the power play.

NEW YORK ISLANDERS

Games this week: @ Nashville, vs. New York Rangers, @ Philadelphia, @ New Jersey  

Tired: @ New Jersey (Sunday)

Rested: vs. New York Rangers (Thursday)

Notes: The Islanders play three games in four nights as part of their four-game week...Look for Ilya Sorokin to start at least three times with Marcus Hogberg playing once at most...Bo Horvat has slumped this season after 68 and 70-point seasons in his last two years. He has 25 goals and 52 points in 74 games...Kyle Palmieri has only two goals and an assist in his last eight games with a minus-6 rating.  

NEW YORK RANGERS

Games this week: vs. Tampa Bay, vs. Philadelphia, @ New York Islanders, @ Carolina

Tired: @ New York Islanders (Thursday)

Rested: None

Notes: The Rangers play four games this week including three games in four nights...Igor Shesterkin should start at least three games and possibly all four if the Rangers remain in the playoff race. If not, Jonathan Quick should get at least one start...The Rangers are currently four points in arrears of Montreal for the second wild card in the East...Mika Zibanejad has only 16 goals and 51 points in 76 games this season. He has been a big disappointment, especially down the stretch with only a goal and one assist in his last nine outings.

OTTAWA 

Games this week: @ Columbus, vs. Montreal, vs. Philadelphia  

Tired: None

Rested: vs. Philadelphia (Sunday)

Notes: The Senators had a huge 3-0 win over Florida to pull to within four points of the third-place Panthers...They are still missing Brady Tkachuk who has missed the last three games with an upper-body injury...Jake Sanderson has four goals in his last five games, giving him 11 goals and 53 points in 75 contests this season. He should be selected as a top-10 defenseman in pools next season.

PHILADELPHIA

Games this week: @ New York Rangers, vs. New York Islanders, @ Ottawa

Tired: @ Ottawa (Sunday)

Rested: None

Notes: Ryan Poehling has been on fire of late with seven goals and 10 points in his last eight games, giving the 26-year-old 12 goals and 27 points over 63 games...Travis Konecny picked up his 50th assist of the season Saturday in a 3-2 loss to the Canadiens...Travis Sanheim had 44 points last season, but has disappointed offensively this season with only 28, including seven goals.

PITTSBURGH

Games this week: vs. Chicago, @ New Jersey, vs. Boston

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Penguins got a hat trick from Sidney Crosby on Saturday, giving the superstar 11 goals and 20 points in his last 12 games. It has been another outstanding season for the 37-year-old, as he has 30 goals and 86 points in 75 games...Evgeni Malkin picked up his 32nd assist on Crosby's first marker Saturday, but it has been a troubling year for the Russian, who has only 47 points in 63 appearances.

SAN JOSE

Games this week: vs. Calgary, @ Minnesota, @ Edmonton, @ Calgary

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Sharks play four games this week, evenly spaced out...Alexandar Georgiev and Georgi Romanov should split the goaltending duties...It is likely the end of the road for Georgiev in San Jose as Yaroslav Askarov is slated to be the starting goaltender next season for the Sharks...Will Smith potted his 14th of the season Saturday, giving him 38 points in 68 outings. He is another player to target next season as the rookie was selected fourth overall in 2023 and is expected to play alongside Macklin Celebrini again in 2025-26.

SEATTLE

Games this week: @ Los Angeles, @ Utah, @ Vegas, vs. St. Louis

Tired: @ Utah (Tuesday)

Rested: None

Notes: The Kraken play three games in four nights as part of their four-game week...Joey Daccord should play at least two games and possibly three while Philipp Grubauer will play at least once...Jani Nyman is seeing time on the first line with Matty Beniers and Kaapo Kakko and has three goals and six points in 13 games since his recall. He is only 20 and was selected in the second round of the 2022 Draft...Shane Wright snapped a six-game pointless streak Wednesday with his 18th goal of the season.

ST. LOUIS

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

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Blues are the hottest team in the NHL, winners of 12 straight games and have likely cemented a playoff spot...They are likely to face Vegas in the opening round and will give the Golden Knights everything they can handle...Robert Thomas has 34 points since the end of the 4 Nations Face-Off to lead the NHL...Jimmy Snuggerud inked an entry-level contract March 28 and has two assists in three games thus far.

TAMPA BAY

Games this week: @ New York Rangers, vs. Toronto, vs. Detroit, vs. Buffalo

Tired: None

Rested: vs. Toronto (Wednesday), vs. Detroit (Friday), vs. Buffalo (Sunday)

Notes: The Lightning play four games this week and are fortunate to be the rested team in all three home games...Andrei Vasilevskiy is expected to start three games with Jonas Johansson playing once...Nikita Kucherov saw his nine-game point streak (five goals and 14 assists) end Thursday...Kucherov is second in NHL scoring with 112 points in 72 games, trailing Nathan MacKinnon by three points.

TORONTO

Games this week: @ Florida, @ Tampa Bay, vs. Montreal, @ Carolina

Tired: @ Tampa Bay (Wednesday)

Rested: vs. Montreal (Saturday)

Notes: The Maple Leafs play a pair of back-to-back games this week so expect Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll to share the net...The Maple Leafs have won four straight to take over the lead in the Atlantic Division, four points ahead of Tampa Bay and six better than Florida with six games remaining in the regular season...Nicholas Robertson had a pair of goals Saturday in a 5-0 win over Columbus...John Tavares has 15 goals and 25 points in 21 games since the NHL returned to action following the 4 Nations Face-Off.

UTAH

Games this week: vs. Seattle, vs. Nashville, @ Dallas

Tired: None

Rested: vs. Seattle (Tuesday)

Notes: Utah won't make the playoffs this season but there is plenty to be excited about...Their first line of Logan Cooley, Clayton Keller and Dylan Guenther should be a top-ten line next season and they have a couple of offensive defensemen in Mikhail Sergachev and Sean Durzi...They are hoping that the goaltending duo of Karel Vejmelka and Connor Ingram is good enough next season to compete for a playoff spot and perhaps be even better than that.

VANCOUVER

Games this week: @ Dallas, @ Colorado, vs. Minnesota

Tired: None

Rested: vs. Minnesota (Saturday)

Notes: The Canucks came up big Saturday with a 6-2 win over Anaheim, but it is likely not going to be enough as they trail Minnesota by six points (albeit with a game in hand) for the second wild card in the Western Conference...Quinn Hughes had a pair of assists Saturday, giving the Norris Trophy contender 16 goals and 72 points in 62 games...Pius Suter has taken over as the Canucks' first line center and has six goals and 13 points in his last 12 games.

VEGAS

Games this week: @ Colorado, vs. Seattle, vs. Nashville

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Golden Knights have had their Pacific Division lead cut to three points by the Kings and finish the season with five of their last six games on the road...Pavel Dorofeyev leads the team with 33 goals, two better than the injured Tomas Hertl...Shea Theodore has seven goals and 47 assists in 61 games to lead all Vegas blueliners.

WASHINGTON

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

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Capitals play three games in four nights...Look for Charlie Lindgren to play twice if Logan Thompson (upper body) is unable to return to action...The Capitals play a home-and-home series with Columbus and if there are any fisticuffs, look for Tom Wilson to be involved...Alex Ovechkin scored twice Friday to give him 41 goals this season as well as 894 career goals, tying him with Wayne Gretzky on the all-time list.

WINNIPEG

Games this week: vs. St. Louis, @ Dallas, @ Chicago, vs. Edmonton

Tired: vs. Edmonton (Sunday)

Rested: None

Notes: The Jets play four games this week, including three games in four nights...Connor Hellebuyck should play three times as Winnipeg is trying to hold off Dallas for first place in the Central Division as well as the Western Conference...Eric Comrie should start once...Nikolaj Ehlers sat out Saturday with a foot injury after he was struck by the puck Thursday versus Vegas.