Monday marked the beginning of an important week for most fantasy hockey leagues. Many leagues begin their playoffs this week, while playoff qualification and seeding may be on the line in other leagues. Either way, having a good showing this week could go a long way in securing your league's fantasy hockey championship. So, in this week's Eastern Edge, we'll look at teams that have a good schedule this week (Tuesday, March 29^th – Sunday, April 3^rd) and we'll highlight players on those teams who can help your fantasy squad.

Using Dobber's invaluable Schedule Planner, we can see that across the NHL, 18 teams are in action on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. In contrast, only 12 teams play on Wednesday, with 14 playing on Friday. As such, I'll be sure to highlight teams that play on Wednesday and Friday this week, because it'll probably be easier to integrate players from those teams into your lineup.

Buffalo Sabres

The Sabres have an ideal 'light-day' slate this week, with games scheduled on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. I've been pumping the tires of Buffalo's top line all season, but Jeff Skinner, Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch remain criminally underrated in fantasy formats.

Thompson is still available in 43% of Yahoo leagues. Not only does he produce offense, tallying 31 points in 31 games in 2022, but he contributes a good number of shots and faceoff wins. He's eligible to play all three forward positions in Yahoo leagues, which makes it easy to slot him into your fantasy roster. If your league rewards faceoff wins, you know how useful it is to slot someone in as a winger and have them add on to the faceoffs tallied by the centers on your roster.

If Thompson isn't available in your fantasy league, you may be able to snag one of his linemates as Skinner and Tuch are rostered in just 24% and 21% of Yahoo leagues, respectively. Since January 1^st, only 20 players across the league have more goals than Skinner, who's posted 18 goals through 35 games in the calendar year. After a terrific start to his tenure in Buffalo, Tuch had a disappointing March, with just six points in 12 games. However, given the good things we've seen from him in a larger sample, I'd still be willing to give him a chance in deeper leagues this week.

A final name I want to mention is Victor Olofsson. He's had a disappointing season and I think that's partially explained by an oblique injury he suffered earlier in the campaign. Olofsson's greatest strength is hit shot and the oblique muscles are integral in the action of shooting. From November (when he returned from the oblique injury) to February, Olofsson managed just two goals in 36 appearances. He's taken a big step forward in March, tallying seven goals in 13 outings so far. While I'm optimistic about Olofsson, it's important to mention that he's only been skating 14 minutes a night recently and doesn't hold a prominent role on the power play.

Detroit Red Wings

Like Buffalo, Detroit also has a good 'light-day' schedule this week, playing on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. If you're looking for a Red Wing on the waiver wire, Lucas Raymond (49% rostered) and Jakub Vrana (22% rostered) are probably your best options. Beware of Tyler Bertuzzi, who's unvaccinated and won't be eligible to cross the border and play in Ottawa on Sunday, leaving him with only two games this week. I'd expect Vrana steps onto the top line with Lucas Raymond and Dylan Larkin while Bertuzzi is sidelined on Sunday. Although Vrana has missed most of the season while recovering from shoulder surgery, he's put up six goals and two assists in 10 games since getting back in the lineup.

Florida Panthers

The Panthers are one of six teams that play four games between Tuesday and Sunday. They'll see a high volume of action against non-playoff teams who give up a lot of goals. Florida faces the Canadiens on Tuesday, Blackhawks on Thursday, Devils on Saturday, and Sabres on Sunday. All four of those defenses rank near the bottom of the league this season. While Florida is an ideal team to target this week, they've been a powerhouse all season, so most of their players are probably already rostered in your fantasy league. Some semi-attainable names to consider include Anthony Duclair (65% rostered), who is a part of the top power-play unit and skates beside superstar Jonathan Huberdeau at even strength. Then there's Carter Verhaeghe (57% rostered), who skates on the top line with two top-tier talents in Aleksander Barkov and Claude Giroux. Mason Marchment is another good option as he has 36 points in 40 games this year and is still available in 80% of Yahoo leagues.  Keep an eye on the status of rookie sensation Anton Lundell, who was on fire with 31 points in 35 games before going down with a lower-body injury. He's nearing a return and could be back as early as Thursday.

New York Islanders 

The Islanders are another one of those six teams that play four games between Tuesday and Sunday. Three of those four games will be played against teams that struggle to keep the put out of their net as New York faces Columbus twice and New Jersey once. The Islanders have struggled offensively for most of the season, and although they've picked up the offense recently, many of their players remain undervalued in fantasy formats. For starters, there's Brock Nelson, who's currently available in 59% of Yahoo leagues. In the past month, nobody has more goals than Nelson, who's lit the lamp 12 times in 15 games. Although he's been especially hot lately, his overall numbers are nothing to scoff at. He has 31 goals and 15 assists through 55 outings this season, which translates to 69 points in 82 games. Nice! Anders Lee (50% rostered) is another good streaming option this week. Lee is putting together a strong showing in March, posting 11 goals and seven assists through 14 appearances. Next up is Anthony Beauvillier, a more attainable name, currently available in 93% of Yahoo leagues. He had a terrible first half but is living up to his reputation for strong second-half performances, posting 12 points through 15 games in March. New York's long list of solid streaming options continues with Kyle Palmieri (7% rostered) and Jean-Gabriel Pageau (26% rostered), who each have 11 points in 15 games so far this month.

New York Rangers

Like the Panthers and Islanders, the Rangers also play four games between Tuesday and Sunday. However, it may be easier to incorporate Rangers into your lineup because they play on both 'light days' this week, with games scheduled on Wednesday and Friday. NYR plays a couple of defensively competent teams in the Penguins and Islanders, but they'll also benefit from a couple of favourable matchups against porous defenses in Detroit and Philadelphia. New York's trade deadline additions have been solid so far and could be good streaming options this week. Frank Vatrano (15% rostered) has four goals in six games since joining the Rangers and could be a decent option in deeper leagues. Andrew Copp (50% rostered) has five points in three games since joining the team. With Ryan Strome injured, Copp has benefitted from a prominent role on the top power play and a spot beside Artemi Panarin at even strength. Strome should be back soon, so keep an eye on what the lines look like once he returns. A final name I want to highlight from the Rangers is Alexis Lafreniere. The first overall pick from 2020 has had a disappointing season overall and is rostered in just 27% of Yahoo leagues. However, he's started to find some offense recently, posting nine points through 13 outings in March.