The push for the playoffs is on in the NHL with some tight races in both the Eastern and Western Conference. That should mean plenty of excitement over the next couple of weeks with the postseason races tightening up in fantasy hockey leagues as well. With a number of teams on bye weeks, we took the time to break down some capable fantasy options that could really help your team over the next seven days. Here is a look at the best NHL waiver wire options for this week.
C/LW – Jussi Jokinen, Florida Panthers
Jokinen’s fantasy stock really took a hit when the Panthers were hurt by injuries earlier in the year but the club is getting healthy and suddenly it appears as though the veteran winger is worth claiming off the wire. Jokinen has a goal and an assist in each of his last two games and there is every reason to think he can continue to produce while playing on a line with Vincent Trocheck and Reilly Smith. Florida’s offensive depth should lead to a number of their players becoming more fantasy relevant now that they are healthy and Jokinen is among their best options.
LW/RW – Josh Bailey, New York Islanders
Bailey has clicked well with John Tavares and Anders Lee on the Islanders top line as he has five goals over his last eight games. Bailey also leads the team with 27 assists and is tied for second with 10 powerplay points. The Islanders are going to try hard to close the gap on their competition in the Eastern Conference over the next couple of weeks and Bailey will play a role in that on the top line.
The Islanders enter Monday’s schedule on a bit of a roll as they are 6-2-2 in their last 10 games. They have 60 points, which is still decent – that would put them in fourth place in the Atlantic Division – but given how good the Metropolitan Division has been this season, the Isles are in sixth place in that division.
RW – Jason Pominville, Minnesota Wild
Pominville is starting to heat up for the Wild with two goals and five assists over a four-game point streak. The veteran winger is up to 19 points over his last 18 games and he now has 33 points in 54 games this season. Pominville is playing on a line with Charlie Coyle and Zach Parise so there is every reason to expect him to continue to produce.
The Wild continue to pull away from the field in the Western Conference. They enter Monday with 80 points so far, which is five better than the second-place Chicago Blackhawks. The Wild’s offense has been fantastic, which is why we’re constantly looking to them for NHL fantasy. They’ve scored 187 goals so far this season, which is the most in the Western Conference and the second-most in the NHL. We’ll see if they can keep it up down the stretch as they’re having their best season in franchise history.
C: Brandon Dubinsky, Columbus Blue Jackets
Dubinsky struggled throughout the first couple of months of the season but he is starting to pick up his production with four goals and eight assists over his last 13 games. Dubinsky is even more valuable in leagues that count hits and penalty minutes as he has 160 hits and 57 penalty minutes on the season. The Blue Jackets play four games this week and they are the only team that plays on each of Monday, Wednesday and Friday night so now is the time to grab Dubinsky before somebody else does.
LW/RW – Mikko Rantenen, Colorado Avalanche
Rantenen has five goals and two assists over his last seven games and suddenly he appears to be very fantasy relevant playing on the top line in Colorado. The Avalanche have paired Rantenen with Nathan Mackinnon and Gabriel Landeskog at both even strength and on the powerplay so there is reason to believe Rantenen could continue his strong play this week and for as long as he continues to click on the top line in Colorado. He could see even more ice time if the Avs make some moves at the trade deadline.
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