Welcome back in! How is everyone's fantasy matchup going in playoffs? For me, I won my round one easily, to make it to round two against the top seed in our league. There's no other way to put it – I am down 40 points. Well, 42.8 but who's counting, right?

I was on a call with another league member who's in our final four, who yesterday was also down an exorbitant amount. Before we hung up, I said in a voice that I'm sure my neighbors heard, "It's gonna be a helluva comeback!" His team is now up by two, with favorable matchups the rest of the way. Just remember everyone out there who may be down 10, 20, heck, maybe even 42.8, there's still puck left. We got this, let's lock in.

The Immediate Fix (Grab this guy and use him for the next several days)

Morgan Geekie, C, Boston Bruins (Rostered in 12% of ESPN leagues, 38% Fantrax, 18% Yahoo) – I considered writing up Morgan Geekie last week but decided against it in favor of…I honestly can't remember. It's been a long season. Vincent Lecavalier maybe?   

Boston as a team may be going through it right now, but I do like their top line with Morgan Geekie across from David Pastrnak, and even Pavel Zacha as a center is good for this trio. Geekie has been excellent this season with 27 goals and 17 assists, which I did not have on my NHL 2024-2025 BINGO card. He also has nine points in his past seven games, with as recent as two helpers on both of David Pastrnak's power play goals against Washington on Monday.

The only hesitancy I can see with this add is that Geekie is a center, which I've found this season more than others, is a position of strength in fantasy and one where you typically avoid stacking on a roster. With this add being need-based, if you are in the market for a center in a close matchup, then Geekie is your guy. The Bruins will be in action on both weekend days upcoming to help fill out your lineup to try and survive and advance onto the championship round or round two, depending on how your league is set up.

The Building Block (Buy now, sit back and enjoy the production)

Jack Quinn, RW, Buffalo Sabres (Rostered in 2% of ESPN leagues, 42% Fantrax, 3% Yahoo) – Jack Quinn is a Building Block this week for the Buffalo schedule going into the rest of the playoffs, as well as possibly next season for those out there that can carry a set amount of keepers over.

Quinn has been hot and cold this season, but as of late he has been excellent. Just eye test, maybe not as much pressure on him to fill the net? I have a good friend who lives in Buffalo that hold told me that most Sabres fans are high on him because of the offense that he can bring, and if he can do just that to close out the season then that can be encouraging for Buffalo fans and those in fantasy. Quinn has five points in his last six games, and what we need most besides staying hot, is what the schedule provides with Buffalo on the schedule twice this weekend.

The Odd Man Out (His short-term value is cause for concern)

Morgan Rielly, D, Toronto Maple Leafs (Rostered in 74% of ESPN leagues, 89% Fantrax, 77% Yahoo) – If Morgan Rielly is on your fantasy team in the playoffs then there's a mix of value as well as risk.        

I drafted Morgan Rielly late in our fantasy draft (which feels like it was 40 years ago now), and can say that he was not on my club for long. What happened? The Leafs went to a five-forward power play and instead of reverting back to a four-forward power play like most clubs do, they have stuck with playing five F's on the man advantage. This virtually takes almost all fantasy value away from Rielly who one point in the last nine games has just, but if you're in a position where you can't drop a skater, I bring good news. Toronto will be on the schedule four times next week, so even if you need Rielly to fill a roster spot, he'll be more than capable of doing just that. There's worse top pairings to skate on than Toronto, so at least he will also get a decent amount of ice time with the top two Toronto lines.

The Anchors (They’ll do nothing but disappoint even over the long haul)

Evgeni Malkin, C, Pittsburgh Penguins (Rostered in 75% of ESPN leagues, 77%, Fantrax, 40% Yahoo) – We'll make this quick here, Evgeni Malkin is your Anchor for the remainder of the fantasy season, and while we're at it, let's just put him on a do not draft list next season. Sorry, Geno.   

Malkin is currently injured…yet skating…but won't play against St. Louis on Thursday…but could maybe play Saturday? Did I get all that right? The roster numbers are very high for a player with his production and constant injury risk. My guess is that if you're still live for moving on in your fantasy playoffs, then you probably did it without Malkin, but if you are in a spot where you're rostering him then I think there are much better options to move to instead of burning a roster spot.

Love ‘Em (These squads are sure to pay dividends in the coming days)
This period runs through April4 – April 12

Calgary – The Flames can end their season on a high note with two games against the Sharks next week, I like them in the short term for sure with their strength of schedule.

Utah – This could all be shaping up nicely for Utah. They'll see Nashville twice more before season's end, with their last game coming against a Blues club that may not have anything to play for come the final day of the regular season.

Carolina – The Canes always find a way to finish strong, trust me. Love 'Em.

Leave ‘Em (These squads will leave fantasy owners sorely disappointed in the short term)

Florida – The Panthers appear as a worst bet all over the board and I can't figure out why. But hey, not going to question science, leave 'em.  

Colorado – Once next week is over there is only one team that will not play at all the following week and that's the Avalanche. That is tough going for those rostering any Colorado skaters on the final week of the regular season.

Vancouver – The Canucks schedule next week is not favorable for a club just hardly hanging on by a thread.  Road matchups against Dallas and Colorado, followed by welcoming in the Wild at home.

*For continued fantasy news and notes, follow me on Twitter @ndySanz.