H2H Faceoff: One More Week

Head-to-Head Faceoff is a weekly column by Mollie Krupp which will run every Sunday and continue into Monday. Here you’ll find a breakdown of each team’s schedule for the week as well as which goalies you can expect to see in net so you can make sure to set your fantasy rosters accordingly.

The regular season is quickly coming to an end and that means it’s time for cup predictions. So let’s hear ‘em! Oh and for my parting words with you fabulous fantasy hockey players, I say, Go Wings!

Four Games

Thrashers (@Nsh, @NYR, Car, Pit) Chris Mason has been playing more than Ondrej Pavelec as of late, he’s had three wins in five starts. Pavelec may see the majority of starts this week, check back game days to make sure your lines are set accordingly for the last week of the season.

Bruins (@NYR, NYI, Ott, @NJ) The Bruins face a busy last week of the regular season with back-to-back games. The Bruins have secured a spot in the playoffs, so Tuukka Rask will see at least one start this week, which will allow Tim Thomas to get a little rest before the Bruins enter the playoffs.

Blackhawks (@Mon, StL, @Det, Det) Corey Crawford stepped up this season for the defending Stanley cup champs. He’ll be in net for the Hawks as they face the last week in the regular season.

Avs (@StL, @Dal, Dal, Edm) With a four-game week for the Avs, Peter Budaj and Brian Elliott will continue to split time in the net. Budaj managed to get a win for his team against the Coyotes, other than that, there isn’t much worth mentioning here. If you’re looking for some last minute playoff points, I wouldn’t turn to the Avs for help.

Stars (Cls, Col, @Col, @Min) The Stars have lost their last six games with Kari Lehtonen in net. He hasn’t seen a real break in awhile, this week may give him the chance to sit one out. The Stars face a four-game week with back-to-back games, Andrew Raycroft should step in for a game and give Lehtonen the break he needs, but he’ll still be in most of the week.

Oilers (Van, @Cgy, Min, @Col) Devan Dubnyk was strong against the Canucks on Saturday, allowing only one goal on 41 shots. This was a big win for the Oilers, the first they’ve seen in awhile against the number one team in the West, it may be the moral boost they need going into to the final week of the regular season. Dubnyk and Nikolai Khabibulin will likely continue to share time in net this week.

Kings (@SJ, Pho, @Anh, Anh) The Kings face a four game week with back-to-back games so it’s likely Jonathan Bernier will step in once more this season. This shouldn’t worry Kings fans as Bernier’s last start was a shutout against the Oilers, he stopped 32 shots against the Edmonton team. Jonathan Quick is still the number-one goalie for the Kings, he’s had a great season and will get the majority of starts this week.

Devils (@Pit, Tor, @NYR, Bos) Martin Brodeur and Johan Hedberg will likely both be in net again this week, as Hedberg will cover one of the back-to-back games the Devils play. Hedberg has been a strong backup for the Devils. Marty has won only one of his last five games but still remains a strong fantasy option going into the last week of the season.

Sharks (LA, @Anh, @Pho, Pho) Antti Niemi has been great for the Sharks since taking over as the number-one goalie. He recently shutout the Stars, stopping 29 shots. He definitely turned his game around from the beginning of the season. He’ll be in net the majority, if not all, of this week.

Three Games

Ducks (SJ, LA, @LA) After returning to the lineup on March 24, Jonas Hiller decided he still wasn’t ready to be back in the game. He is still suffering from vertigo and you shouldn’t expect to see him during the last week of the regular season. Luckily, the Ducks have been able to lean on Ray Emery in Hiller’s absence. Emery has lost only one of his last six games started. He’ll be in net the majority, if not all of this week.

Sabres (TB, Phi, @Cls) Ryan Miller is listed as DTD with an upper body injury. Jhonas Enroth has stepped in to take over in his absence, he shutout the Rangers last Wednesday but allowed five goals against the Caps on Saturday night. There isn’t any indication of whether or not Miller will return for the last week of the season, so Enroth will be playing for the Sabres in the meantime.

Hurricanes (Det, @Atl, TB) The Hurricanes have been on fire as they push for a playoff spot. They’ve lost only one of their last seven games. Cam Ward will start in the last week of the season hoping to ensure the team a playoff spot this year.

Blue Jackets (@Dal, @Nsh, Buf) Steve Mason and Mathieu Garon have been sharing time in net lately, but neither of them have had much luck. With back-to-back games this week, you’ll likely see both of them again. Check back game days if you’ve got either of them.

Wings (@Car, Chi, @Chi) Jimmy Howard made a strong return to the lineup on Saturday against the Preds, the Wings were down 0-3 and came back, with the help of Howard, to come back and win 4-3 in OT. You should see Howard finish out the season for the Wings this week.

Panthers (@Was, @TB, Was) Tomas Vokoun is listed as DTD and Scott Clemmensen has stepped in for the Panthers in his absence. Since stepping in Clemmensen hasn’t been able to chalk up a win, but it may be more his team’s fault than his. Clemmensen will be in for the last three games of the season if Vokoun doesn’t come back. Check game days to be sure.

Wild (@Van, @Edm, Dal) Jose Theodore and Niklas Backstrom both notched wins in the past week, however those two wins were the first they’ve seen in awhile. It’s likely you’ll see both of them in net this week.

Habs (Chi, @Ott, @Tor) Carey Price stopped 20 shots, allowing only one goal against the Devils on Saturday. He has two wins in his last five games and will start this week for the Habs.

Preds (Atl, Cls, @StL) Pekka Rinne and the Preds have four wins in the last six games played. Rinne has been strong for his team, but they face back-to-back games this week and that might mean a start for Anders Lindback. Check back game days to be sure.

Islanders (@Bos, Pit, @Phi) The Islanders face back-to-back games which means it’s like Rick DiPietro and Al Montoya will both start. DiPietro hasn’t been reliable where as Montoya stepped up for the Islanders when they needed him to. He beat out the Rangers on Friday allowing only two goal but couldn’t quite beat the Hurricanes on Saturday.

Rangers (Bos, Atl, NJ) The Rangers have been relying heavily on Henrik Lundqvist as the season nears its end. He will have his 64th start today (Sunday) against the Flyers. He’s lost his last two but still remains a strong fantasy options going into this week.

Senators (Phi, Mon, @Bos) Craig Anderson allowed only one goal on 38 shots against Florida on Friday. He’s been strong for the Senators since being acquired and will likely be who the Senators rely on as they face the last week of the regular season.

Flyers (@Ott, @Buf, NYI) The Flyers have been back and forth with their goalies since early in the season. Don’t expect anything different this week. Check back game days to see if Brian Boucher or Sergei Bobrovsky will get the start.

Coyotes (@LA, SJ, @SJ) Ilya Bryzgalov and the Coyotes lost to Colorado on Friday but before that Bryz held strong against Dallas allowing only one shot on 45 goals. The Coyotes face back-to-back games this week which means Jason LaBarbera may get one more start before the season ends.

Penguins (NJ, @NYI, @Atl) With only three games left for the Penguins, Marc-Andre Fleury will likely be in net for at least one of these games, but Bylsma has indicated that we will still see Brent Johnson at least once more this season.

Blues (Col, @Chi, Nsh) Jaroslav Halak hasn’t been entirely consistent for his team this year but it’s likely you’ll see him the majority of the week for the Blues.

Lightning (@Buf, Fla, @Car) Dwayne Roloson has three consecutive wins for his team. The Bolts face back-to-back games this week but if Rolie keeps up his winning streak, he will see all three starts.

Leafs (Was, @NJ, Mon) James Reimer has seven wins in his last eight starts. He’s been a surprise for the Leafs, to say the least. It’s likely he’ll get the majority, if not all, starts in the last few games of the season.

Canucks (@Edm, Min, @Cgy) Roberto Luongo will likely get all three starts this week for the Canucks. Check back game days to be sure they don’t slip Schneider in one more time, as they can definitely afford to give the backup one more start. He may be able to help your fantasy team out one last time if you’re looking for extra points. However, expect Luongo.

Caps (@Tor, Fla, @Fla) Michal Neuvirth has four wins in his last four starts. He’ll start for the Caps the majority of this week, but with back-to-backs, Varlamov should make an appearance as well.

Two Games

Flames (Edm, Van) Miikka Kiprusoff should be in net this week for the Flames as they’ve only got two games left in the regular season. Kip stopped 25 shots and allowed only two goals against the Blues on Friday. Henrik Karlsson should get another start in before the end of the season.

Home Sweet Home: Rangers, Flyers and Flames

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