Schedule Analysis: Week 6

Just three (Calgary, Edmonton, Rangers) NHL teams will play less than three games this week.

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While Chicago managed a road win over the Blues on Saturday, their 2-5-2 record away from home leaves a bit of hesitation. That said, two of three opponents (Edmonton and Calgary) should provide little resistance to the defending champs. It looks like Teuvo Teravainen has been replaced by Marko Dano as the young hopeful on Jonathan Toews' line. Corey Crawford's career GAA against Vancouver is a bit lower than against the Flames, so perhaps Scott Darling will take on Calgary.

Save for two losses to an improving Maple Leafs team, Dallas continues its assault on the NHL. With a home-and-home against Buffalo separated by a trip to D.C. there's a solid chance their dominance continues. While Jamie Benn's willingness to play physical makes him one of the most unique players in the league, the Stars are clicking on all cylinders, and sophomore blue liner John Klingberg seems to be the gelling force so far. Also a good bet: Jason Spezza (65 points in 55 career games versus Buffalo) breaks his current drought this week.

New Jersey is quietly making its way up to the top of the Eastern Conference. The Devils will follow in the Blackhawks' footsteps almost exactly (two in Alberta and one in Vancouver), just without a back-to-back occurrence, which is good news for Cory Schneider's fantasy owners, of course. Add in the pending return of Patrik Elias and things are truly looking up for the Devils. Michael Cammalleri (17 points) has had a big hand in New Jersey's recent surge (7-3 over last 10) and should be on all fantasy radars by now. While his availability in traditional formats is likely slim-to-none, DFS players should take advantage of this week's schedule.

Fresh off their shellacking of Winnipeg, Nashville has scored seven goals in two of their last three games. Consider they host a still-sluggish Ducks squad before heading out to Columbus and Minnesota on back-to-back nights, and there's reason to believe more big nights are ahead this week. James Neal had a goal and an assist on Saturday, while Seth Jones (goal, four assists in last three games) and Craig Smith each had three-point nights in the win over Winnipeg. Even Calle Jarnkrok and Cody Hodgson got into the action with a pair of points each.

Yes, Ottawa is second in the Atlantic division. While their home record (3-3-3) gives owners anything but confidence, this week's opponents combined record of 20-28-4 suggests it should be a good end to their five-game home stand. Craig Anderson rebounded quite nicely after getting beaten seven times by the Preds in the shootout loss to the Rangers on Saturday. Still, Andrew Hammond may be breathing down his neck a little closer this week.

Rarely is Toronto suggested as a good bet, and outside of a few aforementioned wins against Dallas, nothing about their recent record (4-4-2) suggests a good week. That said, only Boston has a winning record among their opponents and Toronto has shown a progressing grit under head coach Mike Babcock. Heck, even James Reimer has notched three straight victories.

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As suggested last week, Arizona did well; this week, meh, not so much. After a 5-2 loss to Columbus to start their four-game road trip, the 'Yotes will face the Isles, Canadiens and Jets. Those three teams combine for a home record of 15-7-4. Anthony Duclair finally broke from his slump in Saturday's loss.

As mentioned before, Buffalo will host Dallas and then head down south to visit the Blues and Stars. While the Sabres held their own against Dallas in a season split of two games (6:6 GF:GA) last year and they're a better team this year, Dallas' offense is much more prolific. Jack Eichel or not, it's going to be a long week for the Sabres. Ryan O'Reilly snapped his six-game pointdrought.

The Atlantic division is churning out a slew of .500 hockey teams and Florida is definitely one of them. While the Panthers should win their first two (Tampa Bay and Anaheim), their 5-5 record over their last 10 games with a match-up against one of the NHL's hottest teams (Rangers) makes them a low-percentage wager. Aleksander Barkov (hand) could return on Monday.

The Turn
Teams with four games this week

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San Jose finishes out their six-game road trip with four against the Eastern Conference. Already 2-0 on their trip, games against the mediocre Bruins, Flyers and Jackets are all welcomed sights. Then there's the Penguins, who have us all guessing on a nightly basis. After going 4-6 over his last 10 games, Martin Jones has won two straight. As expected, Joe Pavelski is fourth in NHL goal-scoring.

St. Louis plays three of four at home and none of their four opponents have any kind of consistency. Jake Allen has allowed three goals in last two appearances. While in most cities that wouldn't be an issue, in Ken Hitchcock's town, it allows Brian Elliott to get back in the fold. Goalie competition back on? A disappointment thus far, Jori Lehtera nabbed two assists on Saturday.

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Anaheim begins their six-game road trip with four down south, including a back-to-back occurrence to start the week in Carolina and Nashville. Simon Despres (concussion) is still a week or two away from returning. Nick Ritchie has been recalled, so monitor his progress.

Yes, Columbus broke the schneid at home (1-6) against Arizona on Saturday but visitors St. Louis, Nashville and San Jose will likely provide a bit more competition. Sergei Bobrovsky's improved play could pose a challenge to those teams, but their defense is still suspect. Brandon Dubinsky (elbow) is expected to miss at least 2-to-3 weeks. Boone Jenner, yep Boone had a boon on Saturday. I expect his inconsistencies to continue but perhaps with less frequency, so I picked him up. William Karlsson also had a pair of goals in the win over Arizona.

Detroit has been hard to gauge this season. Although their week could go in either direction, especially with Pavel Datsyuk back in the lineup, three tilts in four nights against Washington, Los Angeles and St. Louis leads me to believe the best case scenario is a 2-2 split this week. Justin Abdelkader scored his first goal in 15 games Saturday. Teemu Pulkkinen missed Saturday's game because of "general soreness."Tomas Tatar (11 points in 16 games) is becoming a dependable source of offense.

Tied for first in the NHL with 28 points, it's difficult to bet against Montreal in the midst of a four-game week, much less with three of four at home where they are 7-1-1. Then again, it's difficult to be among the best of the league because every team is giving you their best. Especially when those teams (Vancouver, Arizona, Islanders) are all capable of offensive explosions, a la Colorado's 6-1 win over Montreal on Saturday. Alexei Emelin was notably absent from Saturday's tilt, though it was described as a maintenance night off. Mike Condon has been suspect of late, and Carey Price is skating again and could return this week. I'm not sure why, but the Canadiens will probably go 2-2 this week. Either way, it should be interesting to see how the Isles (0-3 against Montreal last season) stack up in their home-and-home match-ups.

Vancouver starts off the week with Montreal and Winnipeg on the road before heading home to host the Hawks and Devils on back-to-back nights. Jannik Hansen has five points in three games since lining with the Sedin twins. Regardless, the Canucks' fate seems to rely on Ryan Miller, who has a 0.79 GAA in five wins and 3.17 GAA in his other 10 starts. Hunter Shinkaru (10 goals in 12 games with AHL Utica) has been recalled.