In this week's Eastern Edge, we'll discuss a few players to target over these next weeks of fantasy playoff action. If you're looking for teams with schedules that work best for your specific roster, I highly recommend Dobber's Schedule Planner!

This Week (Tuesday March 14^th – Sunday March 19^th)

Washington might have the best schedule for the rest of this fantasy week. Not only do they play four games over the next six days, but three of those games are scheduled on 'light nights' when most teams aren't in action. That means it should be easy to incorporate a Capital into your Lineup. Here are a few players to consider:

Rasmus Sandin

We discussed Sandin in last week's article, so I'll try to avoid repeating myself here. The takeaway message is that he's an offensively gifted defenseman who's seeing a higher volume of high-quality opportunity than he's ever seen before. Sandin has eight points in four games with the Caps, skating 25 minutes a night. He's still available in 49% of Yahoo leagues.

T.J. Oshie

It's been hard for Oshie to get into a rhythm this season as he's been derailed by injuries constantly. He played nine games before getting sidelined for three weeks. Then he played 13 games before missing two weeks of action. That return lasted 10 games before he went down with another injury. Fortunately, he's enjoyed a run of good health since returning to the lineup on January 26^th – featuring in 17-straight games. It took some time for him to settle in as he went pointless in the first five of those 17 appearances. However, he looks more comfortable now, tallying 13 points in his last 12 outings. He's provided solid multicategory coverage during this hot streak, chipping in roughly two shots, hits, and faceoff wins per game. This stretch has seen him skate 17 minutes a night while holding a nice 69% share of Washington's total power-play time. That kind of deployment should help him stay productive this week. Oshie has flown under the radar as a result of early injury woes, currently rostered in just 35% of Yahoo Leagues.

Dylan Strome

If Oshie isn't available in your league, Strome is an option to consider. He's on a hot streak of his own with ten points in his last seven outings. Strome is eligible to slot in at right-wing in Yahoo Leagues, allowing him to supplement the faceoff wins tallied from your center slots. Now, I'd say he's a downgrade from Oshie because he sees less ice time, doesn't play a prominent role on the power play, and tallies fewer hits. However, he should be more attainable as he's currently rostered in just 21% of Yahoo fantasy formats.

Next Week (Monday March 20^th – Sunday March 26^th)

Looking at next week's schedule, Colorado and Arizona are the obvious targets, but being Western Conference teams, they're outside of our jurisdiction. Among teams in the East, Pittsburgh and Detroit are ones that stand out. The Penguins play four games, with two games on light nights. The Red Wings also play four games, and although they only have one light night contest, they'll benefit from easier matchups against the Blues (twice) and Flyers. Here are a few players to consider:

Rickard Rakell

The 29-year-old winger has been productive over the past month, racking up 13 points over 14 appearances, while averaging three shots and two hits per game. During this stretch, he's seen 19 and a half minutes of action a night and holds a 64% share of Pittsburgh's time with the man advantage. Rakell is probably the only member of Pittsburgh's star-studded power-play that isn't universally rostered. Now, he's only available in 33% of Yahoo Leagues, so he won't be as easy to find on the waiver wire as other players on this list. However, with Pittsburgh only playing three games this week, and with all those games scheduled on busy nights, there's a chance a desperate manager drops Rakell. You'd be wise to keep an eye on your league's free agent list between now and Monday.

Jason Zucker

Since February 17^th, Zucker has 11 goals in 13 games. Connor McDavid is the only player with more goals (13) during that span. Now, obviously I'm not comparing the best player in the world to Connor McDavid – okay seriously though, the contrast in production becomes evident when you realize Zucker doesn't have a single assist during this stretch, while McDavid has 15. Regardless, Zucker's recent run of goal scoring is notable because it suggests he's riding a wave of confidence. We often say that goal scorers are streaky. During dry spells, they tend to overthink things – hesitating a second too long before shooting and allowing the goalie to get in position, or maybe passing when they should have shot. However, during hot streaks when the puck is going in a lot, players gain confidence. That usually fuels more strong play which can result in even more goals. Although he lacks the prominent power-play role and high volume of ice time that Rakell provides, he's in a good spot beside Evgeni Malkin on Pittsburgh's second line. Rostered in 38% of Yahoo Leagues, Zucker should be a good add next week.     

Andrew Copp

Copp's overall output isn't impressive, but he's been productive over the past few weeks – tallying eight points in his last 10 outings. During this stretch, he sits second in ice time among Detroit's forwards, averaging 19 minutes per game. He's especially valuable in Yahoo leagues that track faceoffs, as he can rack up faceoff wins from the right-wing slot of your roster. If you're looking for more offensively minded Red Wings, you may be more comfortable with David Perron or Lucas Raymond. However, given the fact that Copp's been seeing more ice time, scoring more and is more likely to be available on your league's waiver wire, I thought he was worth highlighting.