At the NHL level, many teams are looking to exploit a loophole that lets them gain an advantage in terms of scheduling. Teams can temporarily change their schedule without penalty and there is no way to detect it until after the season begins.
ESPN’s fantasy hockey schedule is a great tool for those who are looking to get ahead of the competition. The “espn fantasy hockey” allows users to find their opponents and make plans accordingly. It also allows users to see what type of lineups they should use.
We’ve arrived at the end of the road. Starting on Monday, fantasy managers in redraft head-to-head leagues will either be preparing for (hoped-for) postseason success or packing it in with an eye toward 2022-23. Those who are still involved must seize every advantage they can, including gaining a scheduling advantage. The National Hockey League’s habit of releasing a lopsided schedule – 13 or more games one day, four or fewer the next – continues into the last month of the regular season (pictured). Some teams appear more often on so-called “lighter” evenings than others, as we discovered in November. With a nod to simple mathematics, this implies those players aren’t as often occupied having cards with a large number of games. Removing yourself from consideration when it comes to rostering or not rostering players. In these final fantasy playoff rounds, icing a complete fantasy squad every night might spell the difference between progressing or calling it a season.
So, in the same vein as November’s hack, here’s how to maximize the FPG-potential of your fantasy assets by playing to the schedule’s feast or famine pattern when it counts most. I calculated which clubs are scheduled to participate on slower evenings from the start of the fantasy playoffs, April 4, until it all winds up on April 29. I set the standard at six games – when just 12 teams or less are engaged. During those 26 days, there is once again a large disparity between teams. The Winnipeg Jets have six such lighter dates, but the Pittsburgh Penguins have none. While choosing between two otherwise equal assts, why not go with the one who is more active when the others aren’t? With that in mind, here are a few teams that often play when others don’t.
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| a (14 teams in action) | 2nd (18 teams) | |||||
| three (18 teams) | a) (8 teams) | a) (20 teams) | (6) (10 teams) | a. (20 teams) | (8) (10 teams) | 9th (24 teams) |
| ten (14 teams) | 11th (2 teams) | 12th (28 teams) | 13th (8 teams) | 14th (24 teams) | 15th (4 teams) | 16th (28 teams) |
| the seventeenth (12 teams) | eighteen (12 teams) | 19th (20 teams) | 20. (8 teams) | 21. (22 teams) | 22. (8 teams) | 23. (24 teams) |
| 24. (22 teams) | 25. (2 teams) | 26. (26 teams) | 27. (10 teams) | 28. (18 teams) | 29. (30 teams) | 30 |
(Six games on lighter cards) Winnipeg Jets: As the Jets compete for a playoff berth in the West, I have a little more time for Paul Stastny as a fantasy asset. The dynamic attacker has a track record of delivering clutch performances, and Winnipeg is in dire need of one right now. Stastny, who is filling in for Kyle Connor (COVID) on the No. 1 line for at least one more game, is bound to play a key part even after the club’s leading scorer returns. It’s also worth remembering that the Jets play four games in the second week of ESPN’s fantasy playoffs, including games against the Kraken and the Canadiens (Apr. 11 – 17). Managers who get a first-round bye should be especially interested in this.
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Stastny is a great injury plug or replacement for another mediocre asset, even if you aren’t giving up a well-known product in return. Only 5.7 percent of ESPN.com leagues have the seasoned veteran on their roster.
Aside from Josh Morrissey, who has been a fantasy pleasure of late, Winnipeg’s defense corps isn’t very flashy. Logan Stanley, a sophomore, may be the only viable exception. In his first full-ish NHL season, the Jets’ 18th overall draft selection from 2016 is finally getting consistent action. Stanley had a good fantasy month, earning 1.8 points per game in standard ESPN leagues. Through 13 games, the combination of 29 blocked shots and 26 hits has helped to boost that total. If your league encourages such conduct, he’s also good for a couple penalty minutes here and then.
Colorado Avalanche (five games): Let’s start with the Avalanche’s (apparently) invincible top center. Nathan MacKinnon returned to his normal role Thursday, centering Mikko Rantanen and Valeri Nichushkin, after missing only one game with what seemed to be a severe upper body injury. While MacKinnon and Rantanen are well-represented in many aspects of fantasy gaming, Nichushkin is not. Since mid-March, the formidably-sized left winger has averaged more than 22 minutes and, more crucially, 2.74 fantasy points per game, and he can aid your team down the line. Especially in the last two weeks of the regular season, when Colorado plays seven games in the span of 12 days. Nichushkin can always be counted on to make up for a bad fantasy performance with an amazingly useful one. Over the course of a week or two, everything falls into place.
Every night throughout the season, Barry Melrose and Linda Cohn will provide a postgame analysis and highlight program. ESPN+ is the place to be.
Do you need assistance with D? The probable return of Bowen Byram on the blue line should be cautiously observed. The rookie defense has been out with a head ailment since early January and is presently on conditioning assignment with the AHL Eagles. That’s encouraging. The fourth-overall draft selection (2019) scored five goals and added six assists on 35 shots in just 18 games with the Avs this season. Erik Johnson, a veteran who is rostered in 20.4 percent of ESPN.com clubs, is an underappreciated asset in deeper leagues that award hits and blocked shots.
Arizona Coyotes (five games): Just because the Coyotes aren’t going to win a lot of games this month doesn’t mean they’re utterly devoid of fantasy value. Even with great forward Clayton Keller sidelined until next season, the top tandem of Nick Schmaltz and Nick Ritchie will continue to score. Would you think Schmaltz (who was rostered in 27.4% of ESPN.com leagues) was a Top-12 fantasy forward in March, averaging 3.0 points per game and outscoring Patrick Kane, Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, and David Pastrnak? Because it is correct.
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While he was a failure during his brief stay in Toronto, Ritchie (1.3 percent) is making the most of his new opportunity in Arizona, scoring eight goals and adding two assists in 14 games. In deeper levels where putting the puck in the goal is rewarded, the 26-year-old is a valuable asset. If/when the veteran shuffles back into the Coyotes’ Keller-less top-six, don’t sleep on Phil Kessel (54 percent). Even though everyone knows who/what the incoming UFA is about, a successful finish to this contract-ending season would still be beneficial to him.
Shayne Gostisbehere has been underappreciated all season and is still available in far too many ESPN.com leagues. The fact that the Coyotes are busy on nights when the bulk of the league is off just adds to his fantasy value. Gostisbehere has been a regular presence all season with 41 points, including 15 with the extra skater. And the Coyotes’ top power-play quarterback has yet to miss a game.
If you need blue-line fantasy assistance, try adding Vince Dunn to the Seattle Kraken (six games). Mark Giordano, 25, has nine assists in 12 games since joining the Toronto Maple Leafs at the trade deadline, including two with the extra skater. Adam Larsson’s fantasy production is consistent, with hits, blocked shots, and the occasional point. But now that Yanni Gourde’s recent fruitful streak is over, I’m less thrilled by what’s going on in Seattle’s front office. Look elsewhere for your fantasy playoff sleeper forwards.
It’s worth noting for managers competing in the first round of fantasy playoff competition, which runs from April 4 to 10, that the Tampa Bay Lightning and St. Louis Blues each have three games planned on less busy days. If you’re anxious to get out of the first round, try enlisting the help of the Lightning and Blues.
The following teams are scheduled on one or zero lightly-scheduled (six or less games) days between April 4 and April 29 on the other extreme of the heavy-action spectrum: San Jose Sharks, New Jersey Devils, Nashville Predators, Pittsburgh Penguins
The “espn fantasy playoff” is a hack that could help you win your matchup in the playoffs. It was released by espn and it has worked for many people.
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