NHL Waiver Wire: Crunch Time

The last week of the regular season is upon us, and with any good luck, and a few good moves, you're in the championship of your league. For those of you in a rotisserie, you're hopefully within striking distance of the top spot. In either situation, the next seven days will make the difference between also ran and champion. The difference is often little; hopefully, this cheat sheet will help you close whatever gap is needed, or defend your lead with only a few days remaining.

Good luck!

Goals

Jakob Silfverberg W, ANA - As I predicted in the first week of January, Anaheim has in fact come back from its atrocious start to the season to battle Los Angeles for the top spot in the Pacific. The reason behind the return has been a team-wide effort to turn the puck over less and be better in its own end. Silfverberg has been a key component in that turn around, and with an ownership level less than 50 percent, he's still available in many leagues. His last 10 games have been a gold mine for fantasy owners -- nine goals and three assists for 12 points, including a plus-eight rating, a power play point and two PIM. Goal scoring is a premium this time of year, and Silfverberg is a fantastic add if you can get him. Anaheim plays four games this week -- a perfect situation for the Ducks to try to take the top spot, and fertile ground for Silfverberg to continue his hot streak.

Boone Jenner C/W, CLS - I've long been a fan of his all-around solid statistical performance; he's a contributor in every major fantasy category, and even with a poor team surrounding him, he remains a bright light in Ohio. He's put up six goals and three assists for nine points in his last 10 games, with a minus-two, 10 PIM and two power-play points. He's even potted a shorthanded goal; the minus rating aside, those are incredibly good numbers for someone owned in less than 40 percent of leagues. Columbus' schedule is also very solid, with four games, two of which are against other sub-500 teams, in Toronto and Buffalo. He's one of your best bets for someone to light the lamp this week on the wire.

Assists

Paul Stastny C, STL - I couldn't have been more right about him last week, and I likely won't be wrong about him this week. As my top pick for assists last week, he notched a goal and four assists, a plus five, two PIM and a power-play point. I'm maintaining my recommendation for him again this week as an assist-plus player. He's white-hot, scoring 15 points in his last 10 games and a phenomenal plus-11 in that same time. The most ludicrous feature of his performance: he's only at a 33 percent ownership rate. I would make him a global recommendation for any team in need of offensive-category production. He's going to be an absolute key cog in the Blues playoff run.

Ales Hemsky W, DAL - At 8 percent owned, he'll be widely available in almost all leagues -- and note to potential GMs, Dallas only plays two games this week on Thursday and Saturday. Saturday's game against LA ended a six-game point streak; chances are, he'll start a new (albeit abbreviated) streak on Thursday. Hemsky will look to get more ice time with the injury to Seguin sidelining him for the remainder of the regular season. If you're looking for an assist specialist later in the week, take a strong look at Hemsky come Thursday morning.

Plus-minus

Ian Cole D, PIT - There are few players hotter in the plus-minus category than Cole. While he somehow has a minus-three rating this year, his last 10 games have been exceptionally hot, recording five points and 13 PIM to go alongside a plus-nine; there's no coincidence that the Penguins have also won nine of their last 10 games. Plus-minus tends to trend alongside team win-loss very strongly, so while the Penguins look to secure home-ice advantage against one of the New York teams for the playoffs, Cole likely will continue to get a solid boost in this category. His 3 percent ownership makes him available in almost every league.

Andrew Cogliano C/W, ANA - He was here last week, and he's here again with very little surprise. Since the recommendation, he's put up three assists and a plus-one (with Sunday's game still outstanding). His last 10 games have him at a plus-eight rating, and with a relatively weaker schedule this week (except against Washington on Sunday), he should be good for another plus-week. He can also help contribute in the other categories as well. His 3 percent ownership, mirroring Cole's, is also indicative of a player widely available. If your plus-minus needs work, he's my best bet for you this week.

Penalty Minutes

Justin Abdelkader W, DET - I'm not sure if someone kicked his dog, or if he's just plain angry about potentially missing the playoffs in a Detroit uniform for the first time since MC Hammer was popular. Something about Abdelkader has sparked a PIM outburst the last 10 games, and fantasy GMs would be wise to take note. Detroit is in a playoff race, which is always good for fantasy business; this American winger has managed to tally 38 PIM in eight games. That's tops in the league for the last two weeks; he's also been a minus-seven, so beware. Detroit plays three games in four nights, so adding Abdelkader to your roster looks to be a solid play to lock up your PIM category.

Power play points

Nazem Kadri C, TOR - With a pair of power-play goals last week, he's still the hottest power play point player available on the wire for the remainder of the season. Toronto plays four games this week -- Florida, Columbus, Philly and New Jersey. All four lie in the bottom half of the league for penalties taken, and three of the four lie in the bottom half of PK% in the league. That offers a unique opportunity for Kadri to continue scoring power-play points. You're not going to find a better option than Kadri, who is 33 percent owned.

Anders Lee C/LW, NYI - The Islanders have the most difficult but potentially rewarding schedule this week, with five games in seven days against very difficult opponents. They play Tampa Bay (Mon), Washington (Tues), New York Rangers (Thursday), Buffalo (Saturday) and Philadelphia (Sunday); that last game is likely the deciding factor between making the playoffs and missing it. New York currently occupies the first wild card in the East, but it seems unlikely that they'll be in that spot come next Sunday. Lee plays on the top power-play line with Tavares, so he'll likely get more power-play time than anybody on the wire. In the game of quantity over quality, I'd put a solid bet on him putting in a few power-play points this week.

Goaltending

Jean-Francois Berube G, NYI - Two probable starts this week -- With a double-back-to-back week, and so much on the line, look for the Islanders to play incredibly hard in front of Berube this week. At 3 percent ownership, he's everywhere -- and his .927 SV% and 2.30 GAA is good enough to feel confident in his ability to pull through a win with some solid stats. My expectation is that he'll play against a resting Washington team on Tuesday, and a Buffalo squad that's dusting off its golf clubs. Both should be easily winnable games for a team fighting to stay in a playoff spot. Berube for a two-spot this week should be easily attainable.

Jhonas Enroth G, LA - If I had to pick a team I thought would be the strongest in the West for a Cup run, I think I'd say the LA Kings. To properly prepare for the onslaught of playoff hockey on the west coast, I would expect their No. 1 goalie, Jonathan Quick, to sit at least two games this week. The result: Enroth will start, and with four games this week against three teams in the basement of the league, I expect at least a pair of wins for the Kings backup. His .928 SV% and 2.03 GAA has been stellar, along with his two shutouts on the season. If you're looking for a top-drawer spot-start this week, Enroth is my go-to.