It's the final column of the season and thanks to everyone who enjoyed it.
This is an important week, whether you are in your head-to-head final or playing rotisserie-style. Teams that have made the playoffs and are locked into their position (e.g. Colorado and Carolina) will likely sit out their stars at least once during the final week. It has already started as Pittsburgh sat Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust among others Saturday, and there should be plenty more the rest of the way. While it shouldn't be a problem in leagues with daily transactions, it will be a problem in leagues with weekly moves.
All statistics are through Saturday, unless otherwise noted.
Visit RotoWire's NHL Daily Starting Lineups to find out starters for every game on the schedule!
WEEK OF APRIL 13-16
3 Games - Colorado, Los Angeles, San Jose, Seattle, St. Louis, Winnipeg
2 Games - Anaheim, Buffalo, Calgary, Carolina, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Edmonton, Florida, Minnesota, Nashville, New York Rangers, Philadelphia, Tampa Bay, Toronto, Utah, Vancouver, Vegas
1 Game – Boston, Columbus, Montreal, New Jersey, New York Islanders, Ottawa, Pittsburgh, Washington
Los Angeles and San Jose play all three games on the road.
ANAHEIM
Games this week
@ Minnesota, @ Nashville
Tired: None
Rested: @ Minnesota (Tuesday)
Notes
Biggest Surprise: Beckett Sennecke. Cutter Gauthier was also considered, but the rookie Sennecke has surprised with 23 goals and 60 points in 79 games. He would have won the Calder Trophy in most years, but Matthew
It's the final column of the season and thanks to everyone who enjoyed it.
This is an important week, whether you are in your head-to-head final or playing rotisserie-style. Teams that have made the playoffs and are locked into their position (e.g. Colorado and Carolina) will likely sit out their stars at least once during the final week. It has already started as Pittsburgh sat Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust among others Saturday, and there should be plenty more the rest of the way. While it shouldn't be a problem in leagues with daily transactions, it will be a problem in leagues with weekly moves.
All statistics are through Saturday, unless otherwise noted.
Visit RotoWire's NHL Daily Starting Lineups to find out starters for every game on the schedule!
WEEK OF APRIL 13-16
3 Games - Colorado, Los Angeles, San Jose, Seattle, St. Louis, Winnipeg
2 Games - Anaheim, Buffalo, Calgary, Carolina, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Edmonton, Florida, Minnesota, Nashville, New York Rangers, Philadelphia, Tampa Bay, Toronto, Utah, Vancouver, Vegas
1 Game – Boston, Columbus, Montreal, New Jersey, New York Islanders, Ottawa, Pittsburgh, Washington
Los Angeles and San Jose play all three games on the road.
ANAHEIM
Games this week
@ Minnesota, @ Nashville
Tired: None
Rested: @ Minnesota (Tuesday)
Notes
Biggest Surprise: Beckett Sennecke. Cutter Gauthier was also considered, but the rookie Sennecke has surprised with 23 goals and 60 points in 79 games. He would have won the Calder Trophy in most years, but Matthew Schaefer is an easy winner this season with Sennecke likely second.
Biggest Disappointment: Mason McTavish. McTavish set career highs last season with 22 goals and 30 assists in 76 games. It was assumed that he would outdo those figures this season, but McTavish has regressed offensively with 15 goals and 22 assists and is now on the third line, rather on the top unit.
BOSTON
Games this week
vs. New Jersey
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
Biggest Surprise: Fraser Minten. Minten was acquired at the 2025 trade deadline from Toronto. It was thought he was a third-line center at best, but Minten has proven to be able to play all over the depth chart. He has 17 goals and 17 assists with a plus-20 rating over 80 games this season.
Biggest Disappointment: There haven't been too many disappointments from the Bruins this season, so we will go with Mason Lohrei, who lost most of his power-play time to Charlie McAvoy. Lorhei had 16 power-play points last season and has just five in 2025-26.
BUFFALO
Games this week
@ Chicago, vs. Dallas
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
Biggest Surprise: Alex Lyon. Lyon has had a career year for the Sabres, posting a 20-10-4 mark with three shutouts, a 2.77 GAA and a .906 save percentage. The 35-year-old is one win away from tying his career high set in Detroit two seasons ago.
Biggest Disappointment: Josh Norris. Norris has been good when healthy, but that's been the problem. He can't stay healthy. Norris has 32 points in 42 games, missing 38 games with a variety of injuries.
CALGARY
Games this week
vs. Colorado, vs. Los Angeles
Tired: None
Rested: vs. Colorado (Tuesday)
Notes
Biggest Surprise: Devin Cooley. Not a lot to choose from on the Flames. Cooley has turned into a dependable backup goaltender. He is 10-10-6 with a 2.69 GAA and a .909 save percentage. Most teams would love their No. 1 goalie to have those peripherals.
Biggest Disappointment: Connor Zary. Zary's numbers have gone down in the last two seasons, despite playing more games in 2025-26 than in any of his previous two campaigns. Zary has 11 goals and 13 assists over 73 games this season.
CAROLINA
Games this week
@ Philadelphia, @ New York Islanders
Tired: @ New York Islanders
Rested: None
Notes
Biggest Surprise: Logan Stankoven. Stankoven was not having a great season until recently, when he started to turn it on. Stankoven has seven goals and two assists in his last six games, giving him 21 goals and 42 points in 79 contests.
Biggest Disappointment: Frederik Andersen. Andersen is 16-14-5 with a 3.05 GAA and an .874 save percentage across 35 appearances this season. You need a lot better results from a second-string goalie on a first-place team than that.
CHICAGO
Games this week
vs. Buffalo, vs. San Jose
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
Biggest Surprise: Tyler Bertuzzi. Bertuzzi is having his best season since 2021-22 when he played for Detroit. Bertuzzi has 32 goals (a career high) and 57 points, including 21 points with the man advantage.
Biggest Disappointment: Ryan Donato. Donato took a huge step back in 2025-26, after collecting 31 goals and 62 points last season. He only has 15 goals and 29 points this season and has dropped from the first line to the third. A lot more was expected from the 30-year-old, especially starting the season alongside Connor Bedard.
COLORADO
Games this week
@ Edmonton, @ Calgary, vs. Seattle
Tired: @ Calgary (Tuesday)
Rested: vs. Seattle (Thursday)
Notes
Biggest Surprise: Scott Wedgewood. Wedgewood took full advantage of a Mackenzie Blackwood injury during preseason and stole the top job to start the season. Wedgewood is 29-6-6 with a 2.10 GAA and a .918 save percentage. He likely won many fantasy pools this season.
Biggest Disappointment: Mackenzie Blackwood. Blackwood didn't have a bad season, but he was expected to play over 50 games for the best team in the league. Instead, he was 22-10-2 with a 2.55 GAA and a .901 save percentage over 38 appearances this season.
COLUMBUS
Games this week
vs. Washington
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
Biggest Surprise: Jet Greaves. Greaves held the Blue Jackets in the playoff race all season. The young netminder is 26-17-9 with a 2.60 GAA and a .908 save percentage thus far this season, far superior to Elvis Merzlikins, his backup.
Biggest Disappointment: Sean Monahan. Monahan snapped an 11-game streak with nary a point Saturday with an assist. He had 57 points in 54 games last season, but the veteran center has managed just 13 goals and 36 points in 76 contests in 2025-26.
DALLAS
Games this week
@ Toronto, @ Buffalo
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
Biggest Surprise: Wyatt Johnston. Johnston has made a big jump to join the NHL elite this season. He had 33 goals and 71 points last season, and moved into another category in 2025-26 with 44 goals and 85 points, including 26 goals and 15 assists on the power play.
Biggest Disappointment: Thomas Harley, Harley had 15 goals and 47 points in 2023-24 and upped it to 16 goals and 50 points last season. This season has seen a big regression offensively, with only six goals and 35 points in 68 games to date.
DETROIT
Games this week
@ Tampa Bay, @ Florida
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
Biggest Surprise: John Gibson. Gibson resurrected his career with the Red Wings after an offseason trade from Anaheim. Gibson took over the top job from Cam Talbot and has played 56 games, going 29-21-4 with four shutouts. It's the most action he has seen since the 2021-22 season when he also played 56 times.
Biggest Disappointment: Marco Kasper. Kasper was selected eighth overall in 2022 and had a fine rookie season last year with 19 goals and 37 points. He was unable to get it going this season, as he has eight goals and 18 points, moving down the depth chart from a top-six role to fourth line center.
EDMONTON
Games this week
vs. Colorado, vs. Vancouver
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
Biggest Surprise: Evan Bouchard. Bouchard has joined the NHL elite as a top defenseman offensively. He has 21 goals and a whopping 70 assists with a plus-22 rating this season, and has definitely joined the ranks of those who should win a Norris Trophy.
Biggest Disappointment: Tristan Jarry. The Oilers thought they were getting the solid goalkeeper they needed from the Penguins earlier in the season, but Jarry has been a disaster in the Edmonton crease and has been surpassed by Connor Ingram on the depth chart.
FLORIDA
Games this week
vs. New York Rangers, vs. Detroit
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
Biggest Surprise: Anton Lundell. Lundell took full advantage of the injury to Aleksander Barkov (knee) and centered the top line with the Panthers. He only played 64 games this season and while he managed 18 goals and 44 points, he was strong on the power play with four goals and 15 points.
Biggest Disappointment: Sergei Bobrovsky. Age seemed to catch up with Bobrovsky this season, as he had the worst save percentage in his 16-year NHL career at .877. The rest of his stats weren't anything to write home about and at the age of 37 and with free agency around the corner, Bobrovsky will be fortunate to garner more than a one-year deal.
LOS ANGELES
Games this week
@ Seattle, @ Vancouver, @ Calgary
Tired: @ Vancouver (Tuesday)
Rested: None
Notes
Biggest Surprise: Adrian Kempe. No one has exceeded expectations with the Kings, so we will go with their top player for most of the season. Kempe has 34 goals and 71 points this season.
Biggest Disappointment: Darcy Kuemper. Kuemper won 31 games last season in 50 outings, but is 19-14-14 this season in 49 games. A big drop for the 35-year-old netminder.
MINNESOTA
Games this week
@ St. Louis, vs. Anaheim
Tired: vs. Anaheim (Tuesday)
Rested: None
Notes
Biggest Surprise: Brock Faber. It was thought that Faber would lose fantasy value when Quinn Hughes was dealt to the Wild, but the opposite occurred. Faber became a huge fantasy asset, setting career highs in goals (15) and points (51), along with a plus-20 rating.
Biggest Disappointment: Danila Yurov. I thought Yurov would be a 45-50 point player, but he has just 25 points in 70 games. He has really faltered of late, going the last 10 games with nary a point.
MONTREAL
Games this week
@ Philadelphia
Tired: None
Rested: @ Philadelphia (Tuesday)
Notes
Biggest Surprise: Juraj Slafkovsky. After 50 and 51-point seasons in his sophomore and junior seasons in the NHL, Slafkovsky has shown why he went first overall in 2022. The big Slovakian has 30 goals and 72 points for the Habs, including 28 points on the power play.
Biggest Disappointment: Patrik Laine. Laine played five games to start the season, picking up one assist before undergoing core muscle surgery Oct. 16. He has been healthy enough to play since the Olympic break but has not been able to crack the lineup, despite his $8.7 million annual salary.
NASHVILLE
Games this week
vs. San Jose, vs. Anaheim
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
Biggest Surprise: Luke Evangelista. Evangelista is not a big goal scorer, but he certainly can set them up. He has 10 goals and 42 helpers this season and his 52 points are 13 better than his former career high, set two seasons ago.
Biggest Disappointment: Jonathan Marchessault. The Predators inked Marchessault to a five-year, $27.5 million contract in July of 2024. He was okay last season with 21 goals and 35 assists, but he has fallen quite far this season with 12 goals and 31 points in 61 games.
NEW JERSEY
Games this week
@ Boston
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
Biggest Surprise: Jack Hughes. While Hughes really is not a surprise, no one on the Devils stands out as a good surprise. What was a surprise was how big Hughes became around the United States when he scored the Golden Goal at the Olympics.
Biggest Disappointment: Dougie Hamilton. Hamilton really dipped in his production this season, to the point that New Jersey has tried to deal him elsewhere. He has 12 goals and 37 points in 75 games, not what they were expecting when he signed a seven-year, $63 million deal five seasons ago.
NEW YORK ISLANDERS
Games this week
vs. Carolina
Tired: None
Rested: vs. Carolina (Tuesday)
Notes
Biggest Surprise: Matthew Schaefer. There are not enough accolades for the 18-year-old rookie who missed most of his junior hockey season last year and still went first overall in the 2025 Draft. He has 23 goals (a record for a rookie blueliner of any age, tied with Brian Leetch) and 36 assists and is a shoo-in for the Calder Trophy.
Biggest Disappointment: Anthony Duclair. Duclair has had some nice seasons in the NHL but he only has 12 goals and 27 points in 61 games and has been a healthy scratch on numerous occasions.
NEW YORK RANGERS
Games this week
@ Florida, @ Tampa Bay
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
Biggest Surprise: Alexis Lafreniere. There haven't been many surprises on the Rangers this season, but Lafreniere probably comes the closest. He has 24 goals and 55 points after a disappointing 44 points last season.
Biggest Disappointment: J.T. Miller. Miller has 17 goals and 51 points this season, his worst totals since 2018-19 when he managed 13 goals and 47 points in 75 games with the Lightning.
OTTAWA
Games this week
vs. Toronto
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
Biggest Surprise: Linus Ullmark. Ullmark has performed remarkably well, despite battling mental health issues this season. He has solidified the Ottawa goaltending situation and is 28-12-8 with a 2.73 GAA and an .891 save percentage, despite troubling times.
Biggest Disappointment: Warren Foegele. Foegele had 46 points last season with Los Angeles and has managed just 12 goals and four assists across 66 games, split between the Kings and Senators. That's disappointing two teams.
PHILADELPHIA
Games this week
vs. Carolina, vs. Montreal
Tired: vs. Montreal (Tuesday)
Rested: None
Notes
Biggest Surprise: Trevor Zegras. Zegras reverted to his play in his first two seasons in the league when he was regarded as one of the best young players in the NHL. Zegras has flourished in his first season with the Flyers, setting a career-high in points with 66, much better than the 32 points in 57 games he had last season with the Ducks.
Biggest Disappointment: Matvei Michkov. Michkov was supposed to take off in his sophomore season after a 26-goal, 63-point performance as a 19-year-old last season. It did not happen, as he has 18 goals and 47 points in 79 games in 2025-26.
PITTSBURGH
Games this week
@ St. Louis
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
Biggest Surprise: Evgeni Malkin. It was thought that Malkin was playing his final year in the NHL, but after potting 19 goals and 61 points in 55 games, he could return for one more season.
Biggest Disappointment: Kris Letang. Letang was hoping to bounce back after a poor 2024-25 campaign in which he had nine goals and 30 points in 74 games. It did not happen, as he has only three goals and 34 points in 73 appearances. His fantasy value is non-existent at this time.
SAN JOSE
Games this week
@ Nashville, @ Chicago, @ Winnipeg
Tired: @ Winnipeg (Thursday)
Rested: None
Notes
Biggest Surprise: Macklin Celebrini. Everyone knew that Celebrini was good. Not too many pundits thought he was this good, this fast. He is fourth in NHL scoring with 110 points and should win an Art Ross Trophy in the next few years.
Biggest Disappointment: Yaroslav Askarov. Askarov was thought to be the Sharks' goalie of the future when they got him from Nashville, but he has been mediocre at best. He is 21-19-4 with a 3.59 GAA and an .885 save percentage. He has regressed, not improved since his NHL debut in 2022-23.
SEATTLE
Games this week
vs. Los Angeles, @ Vegas, @ Colorado
Tired: @ Colorado (Thursday)
Rested: None
Notes
Biggest Surprise: Jordan Eberle. Eberle came back from an injury-plagued 2024-25 campaign in which he played 42 games (tallying nine goals and 26 points). He leads the Kraken with 25 goals and 54 points this season, a nice comeback for the 35-year-old.
Biggest Disappointment: Shane Wright. Wright was expected to take a big step forward this season, but he has regressed to the point the Kraken were thinking of trading him at the deadline. He has 11 goals and 26 points in 72 games this season after picking up 44 points in 2024-25.
ST. LOUIS
Games this week
vs. Minnesota, vs. Pittsburgh, @ Utah
Tired: vs. Pittsburgh (Tuesday)
Rested: None
Notes
Biggest Surprise: Joel Hofer. Hofer has taken over as the Blues' No. 1 netminder. He is second in the NHL in shutouts with six, trailing Ilya Sorokin by one. Hofer is 21-13-5 with a 2.58 GAA and a .910 save percentage this season.
Biggest Disappointment: Jordan Binnington. While Hofer was the surprise, Binnington has been a huge disappointment. Binnington is 12-20-7 with a 3.28 GAA and an .875 save percentage, placing him 75th among netminders in save percentage this season.
TAMPA BAY
Games this week
vs. Detroit, vs. New York Rangers
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
Biggest Surprise: Darren Raddysh took full advantage of Victor Hedman's off-year to lead all Tampa Bay blueliners with 22 goals and 70 points in 72 games, including 26 points on the power play. His previous best total was 37 points last season.
Biggest Disappointment: Victor Hedman. It has been a horrible year for Hedman, who has one goal and 17 points in 33 games. He suffered a couple of injuries and is on long-term injured reserve at this time with a family matter. Hedman has not had less than 38 points since the 2014-15 season when he played only 59 games.
TORONTO
Games this week
vs. Dallas, @ Ottawa
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
Biggest Surprise: John Tavares. Tavares keeps moving down the draft board every season, likely due to his age and spot on the second line behind Auston Matthews. But the 35-year-old hit the 70-point mark for the ninth time in his NHL career Saturday, a big surprise considering he was expected to get 55-60 points.
Biggest Disappointment: Auston Matthews. It's hard to believe that Matthews led the NHL with 69 goals just two seasons ago. He dropped to 33 goals in 67 games last season and had only 27 in 60 games this campaign when his season ended with knee surgery after a Radko Gudas hit in March. His 53 points in 60 games is the first time he has averaged less than a point per game since his rookie season in 2016-17.
UTAH
Games this week
vs. Winnipeg, vs. St. Louis
Tired: None
Rested: vs. Winnipeg (Tuesday)
Notes
Biggest Surprise: Nick Schmaltz. Schmaltz has smashed his career highs in goals with 31 and points with 72. He is a big part of Utah's future and proved so this season.
Biggest Disappointment: Barrett Hayton. Hayton has never fulfilled his potential since he was selected 5th overall in the 2018 Draft. He has 10 goals and 15 assists in 67 games this season, well below the 20 goals and 26 assist campaign he put up in 2024-25. He is likely a third-line center at best, not something you are looking for when drafting fifth overall.
VANCOUVER
Games this week
vs. Los Angeles, @ Edmonton
Tired: @ Los Angeles (Tuesday)
Rested: None
Notes
Biggest Surprise: Marco Rossi. Rossi is finally putting things together after he was dealt from Minnesota in the Quinn Hughes deal in December. He has six goals and 12 assists in 29 games with Vancouver, a big surprise on a team of disappointments.
Biggest Disappointment: Elias Pettersson. Pettersson is having another awful year with 15 goals and 48 points in 70 games. Everyone thought he hit rock bottom last season with 15 goals and 45 points in 64 games, but this could be worse.
VEGAS
Games this week
vs. Winnipeg, vs. Seattle
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
Biggest Surprise: Mark Stone. Stone set a career high in points despite already missing 22 games. He has 70 points in 58 games and has been a big benefit to poolies who drafted him.
Biggest Disappointment: Mitch Marner. While some thought Marner would hit the 100-point mark for the second straight season, as he would be playing alongside Jack Eichel, the duo did not have the proper chemistry and Marner was placed centering the second line. His 79 points in 79 games are good for most NHLers, but Marner hasn't averaged a measly point a game since his sophomore season of 2017-18.
WASHINGTON
Games this week
@ Columbus
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
Biggest Surprise: Jakob Chychrun. Chychrun leads all blueliners with 25 goals this season, two better than rookie sensation Matthew Schaefer. Chychrun's outstanding offensive performance allowed the Capitals to deal John Carlson at the trade deadline.
Biggest Disappointment: Dylan Strome. Strome took a significant step back this season after picking up 82 points in 82 games in 2024-25. He has 19 goals and 58 points with two games remaining in the regular season, not what fantasy managers were expecting from him this season.
WINNIPEG
Games this week
@ Vegas, @ Utah, vs. San Jose
Tired: @ Utah (Tuesday)
Rested: vs. San Jose (Thursday)
Notes
Biggest Surprise: Mark Scheifele. Scheifele is sitting at 99 points with three games remaining. Should he pick up one more point, it will be the first time he has hit the century mark in his 15-year NHL career, surpassing last season's 87 points, his previous career high.
Biggest Disappointment: Connor Hellebuyck. Hellebuyck came back to earth this season after winning two straight Vezina Trophy's and the Hart Trophy last season. He is 23-22-11 with a 2.8 and an .89 save percentage across 56 starts and has yet to get a shutout after picking up eight whitewashes in 2024-25.
