The All-Star break will arrive this upcoming weekend which in turn leads to a shortened week in the National Hockey League. Hopefully most of you who have been following along have kept your rosters active and productivity has kept steady throughout your roster(s) so far this season. If you are still on the outside and scraping your way through each week trying to sneak into a playoff spot…keep at it. There is still time! Perhaps your team has been under achieving in the first half of the season and will start to electrify down the final stretch here when it matters most. Just like any sport, fantasy is no different…if you make the playoffs you have a shot at winning, it just takes a few hot weeks in a row and boom next thing you know you are in the money.
With only so many weeks left in the HockeyBuzz SuperLeague, four to be exact. So if you are just out of a playoff spot or just hanging onto one I sure hope you have your rosters set before today 1 o clock game or you will be stuck with what you had last week. Hopefully you were on the ball and noticed the early game today. If you didn’t, before you get your feathers all ruffled take a quick look at your matchup, perhaps the person you are versus did the same thing and you still have a good chance. I’m not sure if this week and next will be combined into one mega week or not, I will check this out and get back to you.
There are not a whole lot of games this week as mentioned, so be sure to keep an eye on which teams have a couple games, everyone has at least one game this week except the Buffalo Sabres who don’t play at all. After blowing a 3-0 lead against the Red Wings I’m sure they could use the extra break to try and forget about that game.
In yahoo leagues for head to head matchups I know that this week and next week will be combined into one week, so be sure you meet the criteria for minimum number of goalie games played. Also, if you are out of a playoff spot and have no chance of making it…don’t just let your players sit on the bench. Play out the season for the sake of keeping your chin up and not just blatantly giving up; remember there are other people in your fantasy pools and you don’t want to gift wrap anything to anyone as it may affect the outcome for others in the big picture. Play the spoiler in that scenario, beat someone who needs to win the week whether it is they are trying to secure a playoff spot or trying to lock down first overall.
Everyone likes to have players on their team they really like, you know guys who are hot shots like Giroux, Crosby, Malkin, Toews, Kessel, Datsyuk…whoever the player may be the point is the same for everyone. If you need to make a move or two and a great player like one of these gets moved off your roster for two or three players that upgrade your team…well then perhaps it’s worth it, overall depth for 1 star player can pay off. Just make sure you are getting good value going forward, good enough that it may be enough to help you and your playoff push. Again, don’t bolster someones lineup just for the sake of making a trade, be fair to everyone in your pool. It’s not easy moving your star players or favorite players; but sometimes that’s the key to turning things around. Feel free to post a thread in your pool letting everyone know that you have ‘Crosby’ on the trading block, this way you will hopefully get a number of decent offers and can accept the one you feel is best for your fantasy team.
Here is a list of which teams have how many games going forward this week:
(1) Games: Anaheim – Arizona – Carolina – Dallas – Detroit – Edmonton – Florida – Montreal – Nashville – New Jersey – New York Islanders/Rangers – St. Louis – Tampa Bay – Washington - Winnipeg
(2) Games: Boston – Calgary – Chicago – Colorado – Columbus – Los Angeles – Minnesota – Ottawa – Philadelphia – Pittsburgh – San Jose – Toronto – Vancouver
Do you have any trades pending? Do you have an injury and need to fill a void?
Whatever the case may be, if you have any questions or need another opinion feel free to ask in the comments section and I will give you my best answer.
Starting Goalies:
(PHI) Zepp VS (NYI) Halak ***In Progress*** (CAR) Khudobin VS (TOR) Bernier (VAN) Miller VS (FLA) Luongo (COL) Varlamov VS (STL) Elliott (CLB) Bobrovsky VS (MIN) Dubnyk (CAL) Ortio VS (LA) Quick (NJ) Schneider VS (SJ) Stalock
Thanks for reading, be sure to tune in tomorrow for some free agents and Tuesday’s breakdown
*Update* - this week in the HBSL will be a short week and will NOT carry over into next week.