Week 18 Fantasy Hockey Start 'Em & Sit 'Em (Feb. 21-Feb. 27)
The NHL start and sit is now nearing the fantasy hockey playoffs. This week represents a transition from the "postponed games" to what would have been the end of the "Olympic Break". There will be 48 games played in all from Feb. 21-27. Let's break down the schedule matrix in the terms of games by night.
- Monday (Feb. 21) -- 5
- Tuesday (Feb. 22) -- 6
- Wednesday (Feb. 23) -- 5
- Thursday (Feb. 24) -- 8
- Friday (Feb. 25) -- 6
- Saturday (Feb. 26) -- 10
- Sunday (Feb. 27) -- 8
Again, note the weekend schedule. That is a lot of games spread over Saturday and Sunday.
Teams Playing Four Games: Colorado Avalanche, Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Islanders, San Jose Sharks, Seattle Kraken, Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets.
Teams Playing Three Games: Anaheim Ducks, Arizona Coyotes, Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes, Dallas Stars, Edmonton Oilers, Florida Panthers, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota Wild, Montreal Canadiens, Nashville Predators, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, St. Louis Blues, Vancouver Canucks.
Teams Playing Two Games: Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, New Jersey Devils, Ottawa Senators, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vegas Golden Knights, Washington Capitals.
In Week 18, watch out for the back-to-backs. Finally, be aware of injury situations this week. Columbus had three goalies out at press time for example. Those news bits are things to look out for.
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Fantasy Hockey Forwards To Start In Week 18
W Blake Wheeler, Winnipeg Jets
The Winnipeg Jets play four times this week and their top line is on fire. That is doubly true of Blake Wheeler whose latest hot streak has him right near a point a game. After a slow start and missing time due to COVID and injury, the right-winger is back. He has three goals and nine assists in his last five games alone. At this point, Winnipeg is going to have to score its way out of its defensive slump. Wheeler has 16 shots during that span and is playing just about 21 minutes a night now. It may be the first stretch of the season that the Winnipeg forward is healthy. Most pundits forgot just how bad COVID and the schedule wreaked havoc on some players. Along with Toronto, Winnipeg and Wheeler have one of the more favorable schedules.
C Sebastian Aho, Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina's top line is going to be in a prime position this week with games against Columbus, Philadelphia, and Edmonton. Now, those are three matchups with teams that can give up tons of goals. This is especially true of Columbus and Philadelphia. Columbus has three of their goalies out at press time. That will be an area to exploit. The idea of Aho paired with Andrei Svechnikov is just too hard to pass up. Aho has two goals and four assists in the past five contests and again the three teams he faces do not have much of a defense to deal with him or Svechnikov. Carolina's power play could be something to watch as well. Keep that in mind.
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Fantasy Hockey Forwards To Sit In Week 18
C Jack Hughes, New Jersey Devils
This is math at its finest. The New Jersey Devils, by the time they play, will have had over a week off. Jack Hughes has not dealt well with rest. The first game or two back usually have not gone quite as well. Hughes had goals in three straight games and five points in his past four contests. One would think matchups against Pittsburgh and Chicago is not so bad. However, to play back to back after all that time off is a concern. Even with averaging more than four scoring chances and all those attempts a game, that may not be enough with the shorter week for New Jersey. With so many teams playing at least three times and seven playing four, there are just better options out there for Week 18.
W Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning
This one could be thought to be nuts honestly. However, Tampa Bay is another team that plays just twice after playing once the previous week. The Lightning do entertain Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers but also travel to Nashville to face an ornery Predators team. So, that is one plus matchup and one not so plus. That could be a problem. One never knows when Kucherov throws up a stinker like he did against Arizona (no shots, one scoring chance). Again, watching these teams that have been resting a lot could prove beneficial. Kucherov may be a bit rusty initially this week along with the rest of the Bolts.
Not sure who to start this week? Use our fantasy hockey Start / Sit Tool!
Fantasy Hockey Defenseman To Start In Week 18
D Devon Toews, Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche are on the schedule four times this week and Cale Makar has to be started obviously. Again, how about Devon Toews? Toews fills a couple more categories and has four points in his last five games. That is along with quite a few blocked shots and when pushed, Toews can attempt quite a few shots on net. He had six against Tampa a few games back. The defenseman has been the real glue that has helped hold the Colorado Avalanche defense together. For desperate rosters, looking at Erik Johnson is an intruging back of the defense type of pick -- more for depth.
Fantasy Hockey Defenseman To Sit In Week 18
D Darnell Nurse, Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers defenseman seems to be seeing the lion's share of ice time like he usually does. The problem with Nurse is he is trying to do too much of it himself again (too much time on ice). It is good at times. He scored a goal on seven shots in his last game but has just two points in his last eight starts. While his blocked shots and hits ceiling are nice, Nurse needs to play more like an alpha defenseman and too often this year, he just has not. Edmonton's schedule is okay but not great this week. That is a concern for a player like Nurse especially when there is Morgan Rielly who plays four times, Makar and Toews play four, and even Dobson plays four. Again, better options exist.
Fantasy Hockey Goalie To Start In Week 18
G Ville Husso, St. Louis Blues
We would love to play Ville Husso more but he likely only sees two starts this week. Maybe three. Husso is on fire of late with nine wins in his last 11 starts and just one regulation loss. When one can post a save percentage of .934 like he has and have a string of quality starts, that is a good sign. St. Louis does play twice on the road in Philadelphia and Chicago. Those are not bad matchups to have away from home. Does he play the home game against Buffalo too? That is an excellent question but will also be a great opportunity at a win. Again, Husso has been one of the best fantasy commodities since 2022 started. There's no reason to believe that he won't continue to be.
Fantasy Hockey Goalie To Sit In Week 18
G Mike Smith, Edmonton Oilers
It is troublesome that Edmonton has been playing better even though they have been allowing plenty of quality scoring chances while not giving up a lot of shots. Mike Smith has strung together three straight wins while yielding just four goals. The dillemma is the schedule stiffens up some for the Oilers this week with a trip to Carolina and Florida back to back. That is not going to bode well for a team that is susceptible to teams that possess abundant depth. The expectation is that the Oilers and Smith may see a somewhat rusty Tampa Bay team. That may be their only reprieve if one can call it that. Stay away from Mr. Smith.
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