Each week, I dig into the stats to find information that can help you make better fantasy hockey decisions. This week, with the season nearing its end, there is concern on the Colorado blueline, veteran forwards are stepping to the forefront for the Bruins, Ducks and Flyers, and much more!
#1 Colorado Avalanche defenceman Cale Makar suffered an upper-body injury when hit by Calgary Flames winger Adam Klapka and while it appears that it is not a long-term injury, fantasy managers will need to manage an absence for one of the premier defencemen in the league. While Devon Toews is the Avalanche defender moving up to the first power play unit, there could be value to be found with Sam Malinski, who is paired with Toews at even strength and is getting second-unit power play time. Malinski has eight points (4 G, 4 A) and 11 shots on goal in his past five games.
#2 One of the reasons that the Boston Bruins have been able to execute a quick turnaround this season is that they have had some veterans rise to the occasion with strong seasons. Right winger Viktor Arvidsson, for example, has 22 points (10 G, 12 A) and 41 shots on goal in 19 games since the Olympic break, thriving on a line with Pavel Zacha and Casey Mittelstadt. Arvidsson is up to 24 goals in 63 games this season, his highest goals per game since the 2018-2019 season.
#3 Although he has had ups and downs since arriving in Boston, Bruins centre Elias Lindholm is elevating his game late in this season. He has seven points (5 G, 2 A) and 19 shots on goal in his past seven games. This scoring surge follows a seven-game scoreless streak, but Lindholm is making progress on a line with Morgan Geekie and Lukas Reichel. While Lindholm may not be living up to what the Bruins expected when they signed him in the summer of 2024, he does have 47 points in 63 games this season after putting up 47 points in 82 games during his first season with the Bruins, so there is at least a notable per-game improvement in his production.
#4 Anaheim Ducks winger Mikael Granlund has been cooking late in the season. He is not usually an aggressive shooter but has put up eight points (7 G, 1 A) with 17 shots on goal in his past seven games. Four of those seven goals have come on the power play and eight of his 19 goals this season have been scored with the man advantage. At even strength, he’s skating on the right wing with rookie Tim Washe in the middle and veteran winger Alex Killorn on the left side.
#5 As the Philadelphia Flyers make a push for a playoff spot, winger Owen Tippett is driving the offence. In the past 12 games, during which the Flyers have a record of 8-3-1, Tippett has 12 points (7 G, 5 A) and 49 shots on goal. That shot rate is an indication that Tippett is consistently dangerous on the attack and he is up to 27 goals on the season, putting him within one of his career high, set in 2023-2024. He is getting second unit power play time but is also skating with Trevor Zegras and Tyson Foerster at even strength.
#6 In mid-March, San Jose Sharks right winger Will Smith went through a six-game scoreless drought, but he has rebounded, putting up multiple points in four of his past six games, recording nine points (3 G, 6 A) with 15 shots on goal in those six contests. He is riding shotgun with Macklin Celebrini on the Sharks’ top line as well as getting first unit power play time, so Smith is in a prime position to finish the season strong.
#7 While the New York Rangers’ season is going nowhere, they have been relatively interesting for fantasy purposes down the stretch because they are generating offence. Since the Olympic break, winger Alexis Lafreniere has tallied 20 points (10 G, 10 A) with 48 shots on goal in 19 games. He is skating on a line with Mika Zibanejad and rookie Gabe Perreault at even strength, but the more interesting part is that Lafreniere is getting top unit power play time. He is up to 13 power play points, including eight power play goals, this season, which is easily the most power play production of his career and has put him within five points of his career high of 57 points, set in 2023-2024.
#8 It’s difficult to recommend a forward who is playing 13 minutes per game, but Avalanche winger Parker Kelly is riding a five-game point streak, during which he has seven points (4 G, 3 A) with 10 shots on goal. Kelly has career highs of 19 goals and 33 points this season, which does make him a little appealing in banger leagues because he also has 169 hits.
#9 Kelly isn’t the only depth forward getting the job done for the Avs. Jack Drury has chipped in six points (2 G, 4 A) with nine shots on goal in his past five games.
#10 When the New York Islanders acquired Brayden Schenn from the St. Louis Blues, Schenn had a modest 28 points (12 G, 16 A) with 87 shots on goal in 61 games for St. Louis. Sure, he has grit and experience, too, but that level of productivity was not super appealing for a team pushing for a playoff spot. Well, with a recent uptick in his production, Schenn has delivered 10 points (5 G, 5 A) and 24 shots on goal in 13 games for the Islanders. He also has 25 hits and 13 blocked shots, making him legitimately valuable for fantasy managers. Schenn is centering a line with Anthony Duclair and Mathew Barzal at even strength in addition to getting first unit power play time.
#11 One of the best in-season acquisitions, Pittsburgh Penguins winger Egor Chinakhov has produced 16 points (7 G, 9 A) and 43 shots on goal in his past 15 games. On a Penguins team in the middle of the playoff picture, Chinakhov is getting second unit power play time while skating on the top line with Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust at even strength. He has hit career highs with 20 goals and 36 points this season after he had just six points (3 G, 3 A) in 29 games for Columbus before the trade.
#12 It’s been a tough season for the Calgary Flames, but they still offer some potential value for fantasy managers as they play out the string. Right winger Matt Coronato has contributed nine points (3 G, 6 A) and 22 shots on goal in his past nine games, a stretch that has seen the Flames go 5-3-1. He’s skating on a line with Morgan Frost and rookie Matvei Gridin at even strength, and Gridin is showing some promise, too, with nine points (2 G, 7 A) and 27 shots on goal in his past 14 games.
#13 Veteran Chicago Blackhawks winger Tyler Bertuzzi has contributed six points (3 G, 3 A) and 13 shots on goal in his past seven games, lifting him to a career high 31 goals for the season. He has made his mark on the power play, tallying 21 (11 G, 10) of his 55 points with the man advantage. At even strength, Bertuzzi is playing left wing on a line with rookie Anton Frondell in the middle and veteran Ilya Mikheyev on the right side.
#14 When he has been at his best, Colorado Avalanche winger Valeri Nichushkin is rarely available on the fantasy hockey waiver wire, but with some bouts of inconsistency this season, he is more accessible at this stage of the season. In his past seven games, Nichushkin has produced seven points (1 G, 6 A) with 15 shots on goal and he’s doing this while averaging just 15:20 of ice time per game, which is well below his season average of 17:51 per game and a far cry from the 20-plus minutes per game that he was averaging across the past three seasons.
#15 The Tampa Bay Lightning have been a resilient bunch this season, especially on the blueline, where they have been able to continue winning despite injuries to several regulars. One of the defenders that has stepped up is 27-year-old blueliner Charle-Edouard D’Astous who spent last season in Sweden and the two years before that playing in Finland. In his past six games, D’Astous has seven points (1 G, 6 A) with four shots on goal. That’s not a shot rate that suggests sustained offensive output but, with Victor Hedman out of the lineup, D’Astous is getting second-unit power play time for the Lightning and has played nearly 20 minutes per game over that seven-game span.
#16 New York Islanders rookie Calum Ritchie is getting more comfortable, it appears, as he is taking on more offensive responsibility for a team that is right in the middle of the playoff hunt in the Eastern Conference. In his past 13 games, Ritchie has contributed 11 points (5 G, 6 A) with 15 shots on goal. The youngster is getting first unit power play time and five of those 11 points have come with the Islanders on the PP. At even strength, he’s skating on a line with Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Ondrej Palat.
#17 The Vegas Golden Knights made a surprise decision to replace head coach Bruce Cassidy with John Tortorella, and it will be up to Torts to get the Golden Knights’ star players to perform down the stretch and into the playoffs. Tomas Hertl, for example, has one assist and zero goals, despite 35 shots on goal in his past 13 games. It’s not easy to go without a goal on 35 shots, but that’s the slump that Hertl is stuck in at the moment. While Hertl is still on Vegas’ top power play unit, he is skating on a line with Reilly Smith and Colton Sissons, which may inhibit his offensive production.
#18 Some significant injuries could affect fantasy managers in these crucial final weeks of the season which cover fantasy playoffs. Anaheim Ducks winger Cutter Gauthier is out with an upper-body injury which has landed blue collar winger Jeffrey Viel a spot among Anaheim’s top nine forwards. In his past 20 games, Gauthier has 18 points (15 G, 3 A) with 69 shots on goal. Washington Capitals winger Aliaksei Protas also has an upper-body injury and Florida Panthers winger Sam Reinhart and defenceman Aaron Ekblad join a long list of teammates on the shelf.
#19 There are some goaltenders that are still available in a decent percentage of leagues who are among the hottest netminders in the game. Montreal’s Jakub Dobes has a record of 7-2 with a .942 save percentage in his past nine starts. The Habs have rookie Jacob Fowler waiting in the wings, but it appears that Dobes is taking the lead in the Montreal crease. In his past 10 starts, Edmonton Oilers goaltender Connor Ingram has a 7-2-1 record with a .909 save percentage. Not quite as dominant as Dobes, but Ingram is establishing that he’s the best option between the pipes for the Oilers.
#20 He may not be generating a ton of shots, but St. Louis Blues defenceman Philip Broberg is making the most of his opportunity to quarterback the team’s top power play unit. In his past six games, Broberg has recorded six points (2 G, 4 A) while managing just three shots on goal. Both of his goals were scored on the power play, however, and he played nearly 24 minutes per game across those six contests.
*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick