Congratulations if you made it to the fantasy hockey playoffs, and commiserations to those who fell short.
For those still in it, do everything you can to advance. Strategize your lineup and check it right up until lock. Don't be afraid to swap out a better player with less favorable opportunities, and be sure to consider someone from the list below.
(Rostered rates as of March 27)
Forwards
Owen Tippett, PHI (Yahoo: 42%): Tippett has rounded back into form over the last 10 games by posting eight points, 37 shots, 30 hits and 10 blocks. He's within the top six and on the second power play, though the latter area hasn't been the most plentiful for the Flyers, as the team comfortably ranks last at 14.5 percent efficiency. If Philadelphia wants to get back into the playoff picture, Tippett and others will need to keep producing.
Patrick Kane, DET (Yahoo: 33%): The ageless Kane continues to be an offensive force on a club desperate not to once again come up just short of qualifying for the postseason. He's been supplying his share via three goals, six assists and 31 shots over nine outings, with three of those helpers coming on Detroit's lead man advantage. Kane needs to be on more rosters based on recent output. Do your part in increasing his coverage.
Blake Coleman, CGY (Yahoo: 25%): Coleman has taken on a larger role with the Flames since the trade deadline, moving up to the first line
Congratulations if you made it to the fantasy hockey playoffs, and commiserations to those who fell short.
For those still in it, do everything you can to advance. Strategize your lineup and check it right up until lock. Don't be afraid to swap out a better player with less favorable opportunities, and be sure to consider someone from the list below.
(Rostered rates as of March 27)
Forwards
Owen Tippett, PHI (Yahoo: 42%): Tippett has rounded back into form over the last 10 games by posting eight points, 37 shots, 30 hits and 10 blocks. He's within the top six and on the second power play, though the latter area hasn't been the most plentiful for the Flyers, as the team comfortably ranks last at 14.5 percent efficiency. If Philadelphia wants to get back into the playoff picture, Tippett and others will need to keep producing.
Patrick Kane, DET (Yahoo: 33%): The ageless Kane continues to be an offensive force on a club desperate not to once again come up just short of qualifying for the postseason. He's been supplying his share via three goals, six assists and 31 shots over nine outings, with three of those helpers coming on Detroit's lead man advantage. Kane needs to be on more rosters based on recent output. Do your part in increasing his coverage.
Blake Coleman, CGY (Yahoo: 25%): Coleman has taken on a larger role with the Flames since the trade deadline, moving up to the first line and power play, where he's notched eight points -- including his first power-play point of the season -- on top of 35 shots and 20 hits while averaging 18:11 of ice time. Expect him to keep it going, as he was already a decent cross-category performer before a few teammates were dealt, while the Flames' current forward talent is a bit thin.
Bobby McMann, SEA (Yahoo: 25%): McMann received his get-out-of-sinking-ship card at the deadline, coming over from Toronto after tallying 19 goals and 13 assists through 60 contests. And it didn't take him long to fit in with his new team as he went off for two goals -- one of those a power-play goal -- an assist, four shots and four hits during his Kraken debut. McMann has since grabbed another four markers (and second PPG), two helpers, 16 pucks on net and 11 hits. Fantasy managers may be hesitant to add him considering a history of brief production bursts, yet he already holds better placement in Seattle than he ever did with the Maple Leafs.
Gabe Perreault, NYR (Yahoo: 19%): The Rangers' season has been so rough that they're close to clinching last in the East, which isn't very surprising since every other team in the conference boasts a winning record. Despite this probable event, there's hope for the future. Perreault received a brief look with the Rangers in November before going to the minors and dominating, which resulted in another NHL return that saw him find the scoresheet in each of his first three games. Additionally, thanks to sharing the ice next to J.T. Miller and Vincent Trocheck, and now Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafreniere, Perreault has picked up 13 points and 21 shots this month.
Viktor Arvidsson, BOS (Yahoo: 19%): Boston's second line has been crucial throughout the campaign, with the trio mainly staying together. Arvidsson has made people forget about his disappointing stop in Edmonton by accumulating 20 goals and 22 assists, with 16 of those points being generated during the last 18 matchups. He's also been busy firing shots on net with 39 during this span and 154 overall. If the Bruins want to make the playoffs, they'll need Arvidsson and others up front to come through.
Jonathan Marchessault, NSH (Yahoo: 14%): Marchessault fared well in his first season with Nashville as he racked up 56 points, including 23 power-play points. Slow production and a month-long absence derailed his momentum, but the stats would revert to more normal numbers after reappearing in late January by way of four goals, 14 assists -- three of those being power-play assists -- 54 shots, 22 PIM and 24 hits. As Marchessault is back on the Predators' top man advantage and excelling for his team, maybe he can do the same for fantasy squads.
Jordan Staal, CAR (Yahoo: 8%): You can stop reading this section now if you believe Staal has been included here due to his scoring. It's all about the secondary contributions for Carolina's 37-year-old third-line center and penalty-killing master. Staal's three points in the last seven matchups are only a bonus in relation to the 12 shots, 25 hits and 70 faceoff wins. Take a chance on a player who's on the backup power play and potted a power-play goal last Friday while part of a strong offense with Nikolaj Ehlers regularly by his side.
Defensemen
Filip Hronek, VAN (Yahoo: 50%): A player earning three mentions in this column during one season needs to be someone who can definitely improve your fantasy squad. The Canucks may be destined to finish last in the league, but they've looked more lively -- and healthier -- of late, with a few of their key contributors leading the way. Brock Boeser was discussed again last week, so let's give further appreciation to Hronek, as he's reeled off nine points, 24 shots, 19 hits and 11 blocks in the last 11 games while averaging a whopping 25:46 of ice time. As Vancouver's quarterback on the first power-play unit, he's delivered four power-play points over that stretch. Ignoring plus-minus, Hronek represents a solid addition in most formats.
Owen Power, BUF (Yahoo: 20%): It would be wrong to label Power as a first-overall draft bust even though he hasn't yet reached any elite scoring totals, since most defenders would be more than happy producing a combined 108 points over the previous three seasons. He's been slightly off the pace this year, though he has registered four goals and five assists across 13 appearances to go with 16 shots and 18 blocks on 22:13 of ice time per game. Power may no longer assume a man-advantage role, yet he is paired at even-strength with Bowen Byram and continues to hold offensive upside within a dangerous Buffalo attack.
Jake McCabe, TOR (Yahoo: 18%): McCabe is enjoying the most ice time of his career, which has mainly paid off on the stat sheet. Going back to March 12, he's notched four points, eight shots, eight hits, eight PIM, 26 blocks and a plus-6 rating at just under 24 minutes of ice time per outing. While McCabe's special-teams participation mainly involves the shorthanded side, he benefits from a 5-on-5 partnership alongside Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Anyone who is solid for physical categories who can also chip in with scoring usually proves to be a decent fantasy performer.
Carter Yakemchuk, OTT (Yahoo: 4%): The Ottawa blue line has been decimated by injuries, with Jake Sanderson and Thomas Chabot the most notable casualties. With five in total currently out, Yakemchuk was called up from the AHL on Monday. The 2024 first-rounder recorded 36 points over 50 minor-league matchups and immediately starred for the Senators on Tuesday during his debut with his first NHL goal and assist. Yakemchuk also alternated with Jordan Spence on the man advantage while picking up a power-play assist. His power-play time could diminish, as Sanderson is set to return soon, but Yakemchuk will likely still be involved offensively.
Goaltenders
Jake Allen, NJ (Yahoo: 16%): Streaming goalies later in the regular season can be important as there are usually more back-to-backs, and both recommendations here will soon be involved in that situation. Allen hasn't been the most consistent, while most of New Jersey's starts have gone to Jacob Markstrom, though Allen has won two of his last three appearances. Allen was also on fire during a five-week span over October and November when he posted a 7-3 record alongside a 2.13 GAA and .920 save percentage. Markstrom will probably start Saturday in Carolina, which would leave Allen with the more favorable Sunday matchup at home against the Blackhawks.
Elvis Merzlikins, CLS (Yahoo: 9%): Entering Thursday, the Blue Jackets sat second in the Metro Division thanks to victories in five of their last six games. Over that stretch, Jet Greaves produced a 1.59 GAA and .934 save percentage across his five outings. The other one was ably handled on Saturday by Merzlikins, as he faced only 17 shots versus Seattle. Columbus will welcome San Jose and Boston this Saturday and Sunday, and the netminder allotments haven't yet been announced as of writing. The Sharks have recently struggled, while the Bruins are surging again, so the former could be considered as the more favorable opponent. Either way, Merzlikins is nearly guaranteed to get action on a club motivated to remain in the playoff race.
Players to consider from past columns: Dylan Cozens, Leo Carlsson, Will Smith, Troy Terry, Gabriel Landeskog, Carter Verhaeghe, Pavel Zacha, Elias Lindholm, Jared McCann, Cole Perfetti, Nick Schmaltz, Mats Zuccarello, Anthony Cirelli, Kiefer Sherwood, Brock Nelson, Zach Benson, Tyler Toffoli, Alexis Lafreniere, Adam Fantilli, Dawson Mercer, Kiefer Sherwood, Tyler Bertuzzi, Anze Kopitar, Mikael Granlund, Dylan Holloway, Jimmy Snuggerud, Brock Boeser, Sean Monahan, Jamie Benn, Ryan O'Reilly, Jordan Eberle, William Eklund, Anthony Mantha, Jordan Kyrou, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Ivan Barbashev, Cole Perfetti, Will Cuylle, Brayden Schenn, Anders Lee, Josh Doan, Chris Kreider, Frank Nazar, Matty Beniers, Luke Evangelista, Anthony Duclair, Eeli Tolvanen, Pavel Buchnevich, Boone Jenner, Anton Lundell, Mason Marchment, Vladimir Tarasenko, Jason Zucker, Matt Savoie, Jack Roslovic, Beckett Sennecke, Connor McMichael, Christian Dvorak, Jake Neighbours, Yegor Sharangovich, Ryan Hartman, Mikael Backlund, Vasily Podkolzin, Matt Duchene, Zachary Bolduc, Logan Stankoven, Marco Rossi, Jack McBain, Jonathan Toews, Alexandre Texier, Yegor Chinakhov, Mackie Samoskevich, Evander Kane, Alex Laferriere, Teuvo Teravainen, Alexander Wennberg, Jake DeBrusk, Lawson Crouse, Charlie Coyle, Chandler Stephenson, Noah Cates, Connor Brown, Peyton Krebs, Ethen Frank, Mavrik Bourque, Braeden Bowman, Claude Giroux, Sean Couturier, Jackson Blake, Dmitri Voronkov, Ridly Greig, Justin Sourdif, Kaapo Kakko, Eetu Luostarinen, Ross Colton, Jack Quinn, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Arseny Gritsyuk, Collin Graf, Conor Garland, Matias Maccelli, James van Riemsdyk, Matthew Coronato, Fabian Zetterlund, Oliver Kapanen, Corey Perry, Ben Kindel, Taylor Hall, Andre Burakovsky, Emmitt Finnie, Igor Chernyshov, Andrew Copp, Ryan Leonard, Fraser Minten, Erik Haula, Ryan McLeod, Brock Faber, Drew Doughty, Devon Toews, Mattias Ekholm, Brandt Clarke, Travis Sanheim, Rasmus Andersson, Ivan Provorov, Zeev Buium, Esa Lindell, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Mike Matheson, Philip Broberg, Sean Walker, Noah Hanifin, Cam Fowler, Bowen Byram, Jake Walman, Kris Letang, K'Andre Miller, Vladislav Gavrikov, Dmitry Orlov, Tony DeAngelo, Zayne Parekh, Rasmus Sandin, Jared Spurgeon, Simon Edvinsson, Cole Hutson, Artyom Levshunov, Logan Stanley, Charle-Edouard D'Astous, Hampus Lindholm, Darren Raddysh, Brent Burns, John Klingberg, Olen Zellweger, Sam Malinski, Ryan Pulock, Sean Durzi, Radko Gudas, J.J. Moser, Justin Faulk, Alexandre Carrier, Damon Severson, Mattias Samuelsson, Josh Manson, John Marino, Matt Roy, Cam York, Uvis Balinskis, Nate Schmidt, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Spencer Knight, Jesper Wallstedt, Brandon Bussi, Dan Vladar, Jakub Dobes, Stuart Skinner, Yaroslav Askarov, Akira Schmid, Jet Greaves, John Gibson, Alex Lyon, Joel Hofer, Casey DeSmith, Frederik Andersen, Jacob Fowler, Tristan Jarry, Philipp Grubauer, Cam Talbot, Alex Nedeljkovic, David Rittich, Connor Ingram, Anton Forsberg, Jonathan Quick, Kevin Lankinen, Joonas Korpisalo
