Fantasy Hockey 2024-25: Weekly Strength of Schedule and Streaming Targets — Week 20

Identifying the players with four games each week and filling your roster with those players can increase your chances of winning your fantasy hockey matchup. That’s why our Weekly Schedule tool is so helpful!

I combined that weekly schedule with a Team Defense Score I created using key defensive metrics to find which teams/skaters have the best schedule this week.

How it Works:

Team Defensive Ratings are given on a scale of 0-100, with 0 being the best possible defensive team and 100 being the worst.
SCORE: The sum of all the Defensive Ratings the team will face this week.
AVG Opponent: The Average Defensive Ratings that the team will face this week.
The strength of the Schedule is determined by the sum of defensive ratings because we want players who play the most games but also have the easiest matchups.
Light Nights: A night in the NHL with eight or fewer games.

Week 20 – Strength of Schedule

Week 20 Streaming Targets

New York Rangers

The Rangers have the best schedule this week, but most of their top players remain high-owned. So you’re left to only Will Cuylle (LW/RW – 34% Rostered), who has just three goals and one assist in his last 10 games. Still, he’s in a good spot to produce, skating on a line with Mika Zibanejad and J.T. Miller and on PP2.

Washington Capitals

The Capitals have the second-best strength of schedule this week, but no quality streaming options will be available in competitive leagues. Connor McMichael (C/LW – 48% Rostered) and Aliaksei Protas (C/LW – 47% Rostered) are as close as you’ll get, with both being available in over 50 percent of leagues. McMichael had an outrageously hot start to the season but cooled off for a month around the Christmas break and into January. He’s been much better as of late, scoring four goals with five assists (nine points) in his last 10 games. Protas has been an anomaly all season, converting at a seemingly unsustainable rate and exclusively at 5v5. Coming into this week, he has 14 points (5G / 9A) in his last 15 games. You’re not going to get a great floor from Protas, but he’s managed to produce for most of the season without one.

New York Islanders

The Islanders have the third-ranked schedule this week. If Brock Nelson (C – 57% Rostered) is available in your league (highly unlikely), then he’s the best option. But in most competitive leagues, you’ll have to go down to Kyle Palmieri (RW – 15% Rostered), who has been nearly as hot as Nelson as of late. Palmieri has seven goals and four assists (11 points) in his last 13 games. However, both Nelson and Palmieri are rumoured to be available on the trade market this week, so there’s a chance one or both of them is scratched due to trade related reasons, or just traded and unable to take advantage of the Islanders’ strong schedule. At the same time, both could get traded into great situations and have season-long value. So there’s layers to streaming either Nelson and Palmieri this week. A third option would be Anthony Duclair (LW – 3% Rostered). He continues to skate on the top line and top power-play unit, but he has just one goal and no assists in his lat 11 games and his ice-time has been decreasing. So I would look elsewhere.

Seattle Kraken

The Kraken have the fifth-best schedule this week and you basically have your pick of the litter with their skaters. Their entire top line (Matty Beniers – C – 11%, Jaden Schwartz – C/LW – 10%, and Kaapo Kakko – RW – 7%) are available. That trio has been solid for the Kraken but lacks elite goal-scoring upside. Schwartz would be my favourite of the bunch thanks to his consistent shot volume. The hottest Kraken skater is Shane Wright (C/RW – 12% Rostered). He has 14 points (5G / 9A) in his last 12 games. It seems super unsustainable, considering he has 14 SOG and is shooting 35.7 percent during that time, but the nine assists are a welcomed sight.

Others to consider:

It’s not fun streaming Chicago Blackhawks, but they have the eighth-easiest schedule this week and Teuvo Teravainen (CHI – LW/RW – 18% Rostered) has been red-hot. The veteran winger has picked up 12 points (3G / 9A) in his last eight games. There’s not a lot of goal-scoring upside here, but he can chip in this week with an easy schedule.

The Anaheim Ducks have the 10th-ranked schedule and both Leo Carson (C – 7% Rostered) and Ryan Strome (C/LW – 4% Rostered) are worth looks this week. Carlsson has nine points (4G / 5A) in his last eight games and will get Trevor Zegras back from suspension on his wing on Tuesday. Strome centres the Ducks’ best line and has 10 points (2G / 8A) in his last 13 games. He’s also increased his shot volume as of late, firing 2+ shots in nine straight games, averaging 2.6 SOG/gm.