Fantasy Hockey: Weekly Strength of Schedule and Streaming Targets — Week 19
Identifying the players with four games each week and filling your roster with those players can increase your chances of winning your fantasy hockey matchup. That’s why our Weekly Schedule tool is so helpful!
I took that weekly schedule and combined it with a Team Defense Score I created using key defensive metrics to find which teams/skaters have the easiest schedule this week.
Week 19 – Strength of Schedule
Week 19 Streaming Targets
- SOS = Strength of Schedule Rank (1 good, 32 bad)
- Light = No. of games on Lighter days (Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun)
- DR = Defensive Ranking (1st = Best Defensive Team, 32nd = Worst Defensive Team)
Tampa Bay Lightning (SOS: #1 | Light: 1)
The Lightning have the easiest schedule this week, but only one game on the light days, so you’ll have to scan through your roster to make sure you can fit the Lightning skaters before adding them.
- Anthony Cirelli (C/LW) – 16% Rostered
Cirelli is on the Lightning’s second line, typically with Steven Stamkos and Alex Killorn. He’s heated up in the last month, scoring four goals with four assists (eight points) and 29 shots on goal (2.4 SOG/gm) in his last 12 games.
Carolina Hurricanes (SOS: #3 | Light: 1)
Like the Lightning, the Hurricanes only have one game on light days, but they have the third-easiest schedule of the week and plenty of streaming targets available on the waiver wire.
- Teuvo Teravainen (LW/RW) – 59% Rostered
Teravainen was bumped from the top line over the weekend but responded with a two-point (1G / 1A) performance vs. the Capitals on Saturday. Since late December, Teravainen has picked up 16 points (5G / 11A) in his last 20 games.
- Seth Jarvis (LW/RW) – 23% Rostered
Jarvis hasn’t had the breakout season many expected in the pre-season, but he remains a great streaming target, given his spot in the Hurricanes’ lineup. He’s currently skating on a line with Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov and on the second power-play unit. Jarvis had a hat-trick vs. Montreal last Thursday and has 10 points (5G / 3A) and 36 shots (2.3 SOG/gm) in his last 16 games.
- Jesperi Kotkaniemi (C/LW) – 3% Rostered
Kotkaniemi is back in the Hurricanes’ top-6 and is producing the best offensive results of his young career. Kotkaniemi has scored three goals with four assists (seven points) in his last six games. He’s shooting 50% over that stretch, so the goal-scoring won’t continue at this rate, but he’s a decent one-week option while the Hurricanes’ have an easy schedule.
Buffalo Sabres (SOS: #6 | Light: 2)
The Sabres have two games on light days and the sixth-easiest schedule this week, and better streaming targets than the Flyers, whose schedule is marginally easier.
- Dylan Cozens (C) – 57% Rostered
Cozens’ breakout season continues to roll along. He’s on a four-game point streak, posting three goals and one assist during that time. In his last 21 games, Cozens has nine goals and eight assists (17 points) and continues to be a fixture on PP1 for the Sabres’ No.6 ranked power-play (25.0%).
- Victor Olofsson (RW) – 16% Rostered
Olofsson is always an interesting streaming target because of his goal-scoring ability. He’s tough to own full-time because of his inconsistencies and lack of assist totals, but he can provide an influx of goals this week. He’s gone goalless in his last six games, so you could say he’s “due.” In his last 15 games, the 27-year-old has eight goals and four assists (12 points) and 38 shots (2.5 SOG/gm).
Pittsburgh Penguins (SOS: #8 | Light: 2)
- Rickard Rakell (LW/RW) – 64% Rostered
Rakell should probably be higher-owned since he’s skating on the top line with Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel and is also on the top power-play unit. He’s been great with this deployment, scoring eight goals and seven assists (15 points) in his last 16 games.
- Bryan Rust (RW) – 50% Rostered
Rust has zero points in his last four games, but he had a seven-shot performance against the Islanders last Friday and has seven points (4G / 3A) in his last 13 games. He’s a clear tier below Rakell but is a solid shallow-league target this week.
- Jason Zucker (LW) – 21% Rostered
Zucker has just one goal and one assist in his last 10 games, but he continues to skate on a line with Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust, so you’d imagine the results will improve. He’s fired 2.8 shots on goal per game over that stretch, so his 3.6 SH% is due for some positive regression.
New York Islanders (SOS: #10 | Light: 4)
The Islanders are one of two teams with all four of their games on light days this week and have a top-10 easiest schedule as well. The problem for them is they are missing four key forwards and their offence has struggled mightily, averaging the eighth-fewest goals per game (2.74) in their last 10 games.
- Anders Lee (LW) – 58% Rostered
Whether Lee is on the top line with Bo Horvat or the second line with Brock Nelson, he’s in good company. Lee is a fixture on the Islanders’ top power-play unit and comes into the week with 10 points (6G / 4A) in his last 12 games.
- Kyle Palmieri (RW) – 8% Rostered
Palmieri has been skating on the second line with Nelson recently but was bumped to the top line with Horvat and Lee on Saturday after Mathew Barzal left the game with an injury. He also moved to the top power-play unit, so he could be in for a big week if Barzal misses time. Palmieri has been very productive since returning to the lineup on January 23rd, scoring three goals with six assists (nine points) in 11 games.