Fantasy Hockey: How To Take Advantage of Second Half Schedule

Believe it or not, fantasy hockey players can use the schedule to their advantage to start the second half. Here’s how.

When the NHL’s mandated five-day breaks became implemented two years ago, fantasy hockey owners had to be cognizant of when their players would have time off. For some teams, those breaks coincide with the NHL all-star game making for a horrendous schedule. Combine that with 15 game dockets and you’re guaranteed to overthink about who to start.

But have no fear, dear fantasy owner! We’re almost out of the woods and back to reality. With the All-Star weekend, Yahoo! Fantasy Hockey has combined your matchup with this week and last week. So here are some keys to the last weird week before the home stretch towards the playoffs.

Sneaky Schedule Solutions

More from Puck Prose

The Carolina Hurricanes, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, San Jose Sharks and Vegas Golden Knights all have four games in six days, starting on Tuesday, Jan. 30. Here’s a player from each team that are low-risk, high-reward options

Justin Williams – Carolina Hurricanes: 17% ownership

Despite Sebastian Aho’s return from his injuries, Williams is still a solid power-play option manning the second unit. He’s got four points in the last three games and is averaging around 16 minutes a night. Williams has 10 power-play points on the season.

Jeff Petry – Montreal Canadiens: 14% ownership

The Canadiens are an intriguing team to watch this week. Over their last ten games, they’ve averaged 2.9 goals per game, but have scored three or more in six of them. In that stretch, Petry has accumulated eight points and has a shot in each of those contests.

Bobby Ryan – Ottawa Senators: 16% Ownership

If any time was the time to grab Bobby Ryan, it’s right now. He’s facing at best average goaltending in Carolina, Anaheim, and Philadelphia and has been resting over the All-Star Break. He’s a first line player that works the power-play. At 16% ownership, he’s worth the risk for the week.

Timo Meier – San Jose Sharks: 4% Ownership

The 2015 first round pick seems to be hitting his stride in San Jose. He had a four-game point streak snapped right before the all-star break but is averaging three shots per game in his last five contests.

Alex Tuch – Vegas Golden Knights: 4% Ownership

22 points and a +7 plus-minus rating is nothing to sneeze at. He also has over 100 shots on the season and gets powerplay looks. With Vegas facing teams for the second time, they’ll need depth scoring and Tuch can provide that.

Trade Targets

With the NHL Trade Deadline and the Fantasy deadline fast approaching, consider trading for or picking these three players.

Tyler Myers – Winnipeg Jets: 60% Ownership

With Jacob Trouba going down for the next 6-8 weeks, Myers will see an increased role in all situations. He averages 0.5 points per game and over 20 minutes a night and that might go up with the absence of Trouba.

Mike Green – Detroit Red Wings: 66% Ownership

With trade rumors swirling and an All-Star appearance to boot, Green is definitely worth a look. The pending UFA will be dealt to a team in need of an upgrade on the man-advantage. Depending on where he goes, Green could be a huge contributor down the stretch.

Next: 5 Teams Who Should Trade For Mike Green

Rick Nash – New York Rangers: 45% Ownership

Nash looked good and felt good before the All-Star Break. The veteran winger had three multi-point efforts in his last six games for the Rangers. With New York open to trading just about everybody, Nash, Grabner and Zuccarello could provide the scoring boost needed to improve your team.

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