Looking Ahead 2015: Week 23

Mike Schmidt

2015-03-13

DavidDesharnais

Looking ahead at some of the best schedules in fantasy hockey for Week 23.

There are times when a little help in one category is all a fantasy squad needs to find lasting success. As the NHL regular season winds down and poolies try to contend for league championships, effectively scouring the waiver-wire for instant and impactful production is more important than at any other time of the year. With that in mind, here are some widely-available players who can make a difference in a particular fantasy-relevant category.

Goals — Tyler Ennis, C/LW, Buffalo (Available in 90 percent of Yahoo leagues) Don't look now, but the 25-year-old Ennis seems poised to register his second straight 20-goal campaign (despite toiling away for the hapless/rebuilding Buffalo Sabres). No, he's not a must-own fantasy asset. But he's among his team's leaders in scoring, ice time and power-play ice time. His role on the squad is stable, and that means something for fantasy owners looking to pick up a player and plug him into the lineup for more than a day or two. Ennis isn't going to break out, and he lacks the upside poolies are looking for from their late-season pickups, but the 2008 first-rounder is a steady player capable of useful offensive production.

Assists — David Desharnais, C, Montreal (Available in 79 percent of Yahoo leagues) It pays to play alongside this guy every night. Desharnais has been a sneaky-good source of assists for quite some time now. He registered 44 (and 60 points) during the 2011-12 campaign, his first full season in the NHL. Now, partially due to playing on the same line as Pacioretty, the diminutive Desharnais is on pace for 50-plus points for the second straight year. The ice time is there. So is the track record of success, and it's not often such a productive player with such a prominent role on his team is so widely available in fantasy leagues. Scoop him up before someone else in your league wises up.

Hits — Tommy Wingels, RW, San Jose (Available in 77 percent of Yahoo leagues) Three players have totaled more hits on the season than Wingels. Two of them are New York Islanders wingers Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck. The third is Washington defenseman Brooks Orpik. That being said, Wingels has scored one fewer goal (13) than the other three combined (14). He's no offensive dynamo, but Wingels is the kind of versatile, jack-of-all-trades-type hockey player that always finds a way to contribute and stay in the lineup. With double-digit goals in each of the past two seasons, Wingels shouldn't be mislabeled as a one-category specialist.

Blocks — Kris Russell, D, Calgary (Available in 74 percent of Yahoo leagues) If Russell is available in your league, stop reading this article and go pick him up right now. The season-ending injury to all-world Calgary defenseman Mark Giordano has been a significant boon to Russell's fantasy outlook. He's now a bona-fide first-pairing defenseman and member of his squad's top power-play unit. Then there are the blocks… The 27-year-old Russell leads the league with 228, or 47 more than anyone else right now. There's nothing else to say other than Russell is a must-own fantasy defenseman in all formats.

Shots on goal – I was just about to recommend Cam Atkinson. Then I came to my senses. So I thought about suggesting Michael Frolik. Let's just move on. Nothing to see here…

Montreal 4.14 – four games – TBL, FLA, CAR and SJS

Philadelphia 4.13 – four games – OTT, VAN, CGY and EDM

Ottawa 4.10 – four games – PHI, CAR, BOS and TOR

Steer Clear

New York Islanders 1.85 – two games – both on road

Colorado 1.90 – two games – both on road

Tampa Bay 2.15 – two games – MTL and DET

Dallas 2.73 – three games – STL, PIT and CHI

Arizona 2.75 – three games – LAK, COL and PIT

Monday, March 16 to Sunday, March 22

Best Bets

Boston 4.30 – four games – BUF, OTT, FLA and TBL

Montreal 4.14 – four games – TBL, FLA, CAR and SJS

Buffalo 4.06 – four games – WAS, BOS, NJD and NSH

St. Louis 4.04 – four games – CGY, WPG, MIN and DET

Arizona 3.91 – four games – three at home

Steer Clear

Colorado 1.90 – two games – both on road

Dallas 1.84 – two games – PIT and CHI

Nashville 2.31 – two games – MIN and BUF

New York Islanders 1.85 – two games – CHI and NJD

Anaheim 2.79 – three games – LAK, COL and NYR

Tuesday, March 17 to Monday, March 23

Best Bets

Boston 4.30 – four games – BUF, OTT, FLA and TBL

Ottawa 4.04 – four games – three at home

St. Louis 4.04 – four games – CGY, WPG, MIN and DET

New Jersey 4.08 – four games – three at home

San Jose 4.04 – four games – WPG, TOR, MTL and OTT

Steer Clear

New York Islanders 1.85 – two games -CHI and NJD

Tampa Bay 2.00 – two games – DET and BOS

Washington 2.00 – two games – MIN and wPG

Nashville 2.31 – two games – MIN and BUF

Anaheim 2.79 – three games – LAK, COL and NYR

Wednesday, March 18 to Tuesday, March 24

Best Bets

Detroit 4.09 – four games – FLA, TBL, STL and ARI

Columbus 4.08 – four games – EDM, VAN, CGY and ANA

Arizona 4.05 – four games – COL, PIT, VAN and DET

Vancouver 4.01 – four games – CBJ, LAK, ARI and WPG

Winnipeg 3.99 – four games – STL, WAS, EDM and VAN

Steer Clear

Washington 2.00 – two games – both on road

Philadelphia 2.09 – two games – both on road

New York Islanders 2.10 – two games – NJD and MIN

Nashville 2.36 – two games – BUF and MTL

Chicago 2.85 – three games – all on road

Thursday, March 19 to Wednesday, March 25

Best Bets

Dallas 4.19 – four games – PIT, CHI, BUF and CGY

Calgary 4.10 – four games – all at home

Detroit 4.09 – four games – FLA, TBL, STL and ARI

Arizona 4.05 – four games – three at home

Vancouver 4.01 – four games – CBJ, LAK, ARI and WPG

Steer Clear

Washington 2.00 – two games – both on road

New York Islanders 2.10 – two games – NJD and MIN

Nashville 2.36 – two games – BUF and MTL

Anaheim 2.80 – three games – COL, NYR and CBJ

New York Rangers 2.84 – three games – CAR, ANA and LAK

UPCOMING GAMES

Mar 18 - 19:03	MTL	vs	OTT
Mar 18 - 19:03	WSH	vs	DET
Mar 18 - 19:03	NYR	vs	CGY
Mar 18 - 19:03	PIT	vs	NYI
Mar 18 - 20:03	DAL	vs	ANA
Mar 18 - 20:03	NSH	vs	STL
Mar 18 - 20:03	CHI	vs	SEA
Mar 18 - 21:03	EDM	vs	UTA
Mar 18 - 22:03	VAN	vs	WPG