This article is part of our Schedule Analysis series.
With more than half (18) of the the NHL playing a full four-game week (or better), the league schedule is well above one hundred (108) games and several teams will supply you with immediate advantage over unknowing owners.
Royal Straight Flush
The Islanders will have the rare five-games-in-seven-nights schedule this week, including two back-to-back occurrences. Have faith in Chad Johnson? Now is the time to put it into effect, because Jaroslav Halak is going to have his hands full this week. Josh Bailey is heating up, so enjoy the ride while it lasts. Calvin de Haan (face) may crack the lineup again this week. Anders Lee has 12 points in his last five tilts and Ryan Strome broke his silence.
Back-to-Back Jacks
While Carolina will only plays four games, they do share one commonality with the Islanders: all four games come on a back-to-back set. So we should definitively find out after this week whether Cam Ward or Anton Khudobin is the No. 1 man in town. Adding to their fantasy impact, Carolina has three winnable games (Ottawa, Toronto and New Jersey) and a host night against the aforementioned Isles. Justin Faulk has five assists in his last three tilts.
Four Aces
Only one team (Arizona) will play the minimum two-game schedule, but here's a few of the remaining 16 organizations with a full four game slate:
Hold 'Em
Minnesota will hit the road for three of four (Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton) before heading home to host a hurting
With more than half (18) of the the NHL playing a full four-game week (or better), the league schedule is well above one hundred (108) games and several teams will supply you with immediate advantage over unknowing owners.
Royal Straight Flush
The Islanders will have the rare five-games-in-seven-nights schedule this week, including two back-to-back occurrences. Have faith in Chad Johnson? Now is the time to put it into effect, because Jaroslav Halak is going to have his hands full this week. Josh Bailey is heating up, so enjoy the ride while it lasts. Calvin de Haan (face) may crack the lineup again this week. Anders Lee has 12 points in his last five tilts and Ryan Strome broke his silence.
Back-to-Back Jacks
While Carolina will only plays four games, they do share one commonality with the Islanders: all four games come on a back-to-back set. So we should definitively find out after this week whether Cam Ward or Anton Khudobin is the No. 1 man in town. Adding to their fantasy impact, Carolina has three winnable games (Ottawa, Toronto and New Jersey) and a host night against the aforementioned Isles. Justin Faulk has five assists in his last three tilts.
Four Aces
Only one team (Arizona) will play the minimum two-game schedule, but here's a few of the remaining 16 organizations with a full four game slate:
Hold 'Em
Minnesota will hit the road for three of four (Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton) before heading home to host a hurting Stars squad. With days off in between all four games, set 'em up and knock 'em down for a mostly (see his Valentines Day night) confident Devan Dubnyk. Matt Cullen has four points in his last five games.
Tampa Bay has had a rough go of things since the start of February. Currently engaged in a five-game road trip, if the Lightning can eek out of SoCal with a win or two, the end of their week could set them atop the Atlantic division. Matt Carle has been skating on his own. Cedric Paquette (upper body) should be back into the lineup this week.
Fold 'Em
Colorado rebounded from a 6-3 loss to the visiting Rangers, but after this week's tilt with the Yotes, the Avs will play Los Angeles, Chicago and Tampa Bay. Dennis Everberg had his first multi-point game.
Dallas is reeling from injuries this week, so the last thing they want to see is St. Louis on the road, San Jose and then Detroit and Minnie on back-to-back nights over the weekend. Patrick Eaves (upper body) is out, but missing Ales Hemsky (lower body) and Tyler Seguin (knee) for any period of time really changes this team's chances this week, much less making the playoffs. Perhaps Travis Morin and Brett Ritchie can finally punch through on all of his promise with more ice time this call-up. Jhonas Enroth was decent in his Stars debut, despite the loss.
Three of a Kind
It's been a few weeks since we broke down the three most favorable/unfavorable three game weeks. Let's have a look at six teams, including the two teams playing in the 2015 Stadium Series.
Hold 'Em
Chicago plays three from the windy city against Detroit, Colorado and Boston. Michael Rozsival (shoulder) was a game-time decision for Sunday's tilt with Pittsburgh.
San Jose has a tough three-game schedule, but a closer look at their record (4-1, 16:8 GF:GA) and this week's opponents suggests they kick things up a notch. Marc-Edouage Vlasic (upper body) and Justin Braun (upper body) are eyeing a return this week.
Winners in three of their last four, Winnipeg has shaken up the roster a bit. Their schedule (Oilers, Caps and Maple Leafs) suggests that may continue. Tyler Myers' value rising as expected?
Fold 'Em
Calgary has done well this month, but they can't seem to shake that pedestrian feelings. With a decent (16-11-2) home record, we like their chances against Boston, but not a hot Minnesota or Anaheim squad. Josh Jooris is the odd man out in Calgary's lineup these days.
Sure, Los Angeles has won four straight. But they'll play two of three from the road (7-12-6), one of which will be against the Sharks in Levi Stadium where they are less-likely to continue that streak. Alec Martinez (concussion) is very likely to miss the big game.
You have to go back to mid-December to find a modest two-game win streak for the Maple Leafs, who are currently averaging one win per month in the McEICHEL sweepstakes. David Clarkson could face a suspension.
Other RotoWire Reports:Mark Arcobello logged a goal in his debut with the Coyotes and given the pending deadline deals from the desert, the Yotes may give him the shot he needs, making him worth a consideration in standard formats. Alexander Edler left Saturday's game with an upper-body injury. Christian Ehrhoff (concussion) skated in a non-contact jersey this past weekend. For good-or-ill, Lars Eller's fantasy value could change after the deadline. Mattias Ekholm (upper body) returned to the Preds' lineup on Saturday, while Ryan Ellis (lower body) could be nearing a return. Sergei Gonchar left Saturday's game with an upper-body injury. Zack Kassian has been solid since seeing a healthy scratch. Henrik Lundqvist (neck) has been staying well-conditioned. Steve Mason (knee) could resume skating this week. Shawn Matthias has five goals in his last four games. Willie Mitchell is likely to return to the Panthers' lineup this week. Chris Neil will miss the next few weeks. Brandon Pirri (upper body) was placed on IR. Benoit Pouliot (foot) was activated from IR. Michael Raffl (illness) was expected to make his return this past Sunday.
