Week 7 Fantasy Hockey Planner

Week 7 (Nov. 16-22)

Teams playing four games: Florida, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Tampa Bay
Teams playing three games: Anaheim, Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Calgary, Carolina, Chicago, Colorado, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Edmonton, Los Angeles, Montreal, Nashville, New Jersey, N.Y. Islanders, Ottawa, Pittsburgh, San Jose, Toronto, Washington
Teams playing two games: Minnesota, N.Y. Rangers, St. Louis, Vancouver

Atlantic Division

Devils left wing Patrik Elias played in back-to-back games for the first time since returning from groin surgery on Wednesday and Thursday. It appears New Jersey is ready to unleash the former 30-goal scorer ... Devils defenseman Andy Greene has cracked the regular rotation due to a rash of injuries, but he is doing everything in his power to keep the job. He has two goals and four assists during a five-game point streak ... Islanders defenseman Mark Streit is starting to heat up. He has three points in his last two games after getting six in his first 16 outings ... Flyers forward Daniel Carcillo is making a conscious effort to play hockey instead of dropping the gloves every game. The usually chirpy enforcer has just 25 penalty minutes in 15 games and his defense is also improved with a plus-5 rating. At this pace, Carcillo will finish with 137 penalty minutes, which would be a career low, and a career-high plus-27. Carcillo said in the past that when things weren't going his way, he would seek out a fight to alleviate his frustrations. He is no longer doing that and just focusing on helping his team win. Carcillo is still a flier in leagues that reward heavily for PIM, but Fantasy owners need to adjust their expectations.
Injury report: Injured Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro (knee) is starting to practice on consecutive days, but he is still a few weeks away from returning to game action ... Islanders forward Kyle Okposo returned to the lineup earlier than expected from the swine flu on Friday against the Hurricanes. It appears safe to put him back into Fantasy lineups ... The Rangers have lost center Brandon Dubinsky for up to six weeks with a broken wrist ... Rangers center Chris Drury is battling a concussion, but he is not recovering well and should be treated as a risky start for Week 7. With injuries to two of their top centers, New York has moved Vaclav Prospal from the wing to center and elevated Artem Anisimov to the second line ... The Flyers got back two of their top scorers in Danny Briere (groin) and James van Riemsdyk (finger) on Thursday. It appears safe to start them in Week 7 ... Already down Sergei Gonchar (wrist), the Penguins recently lost Kris Letang (shoulder) and Brooks Orpik (lower body). Both players are out to late November ... Good news for Pittsburgh is that Evgeni Malkin is set to rejoin the lineup. He has missed seven games with a shoulder injury, but said on Friday he is ready to play and could be back Saturday against Boston. Either way, Malkin probably should be put back in Fantasy lineups for Week 7 ... Penguins forward Chris Kunitz is playing through an undisclosed nagging injury, so Fantasy owners can keep him active, if you choose.
Favorable matchup: Pittsburgh (ANA, @OTT, @ATL). The Penguins have scored a total of three goals during a four-game losing streak and have been shut out twice. However, their fortunes could be turning in Week 7. On the docket are three teams in the bottom 10 for defense, all allowing 3.06 or more goals per game.
Unfavorable matchup: N.Y. Islanders (@BOS, @MIN, @STL). Not only does New York have to face two top 10 defenses -- Boston (2.17 GAA) and St. Louis (2.47) -- but they play three times on the road. The Islanders are 23rd in road GFA (2.22).

Northeast Division

Canadiens center Tomas Plekanec had three assists on Thursday against Phoenix and now leads Montreal with 17 points ... Canadiens center Glen Metropolit continued his strong play with his fourth goal on Thursday. Metropolit is a surprising fifth on the team in points (10) and he even missed six games with a rib injury ... Five of Mike Fisher's seven goals this season have been via the power play. He is second on the Senators with 14 points ... Senators defenseman Matt Carkner leads the NHL in fights with eight ... Maple Leafs center John Mitchell isn't wasting his opportunity playing on the top line with Phil Kessel and Jason Blake. Mitchell has scored in two of his last three games ... Fantasy owners shouldn't lose sight of Alexei Ponikarovsky now that Kessel has joined the lineup. Ponikarovsky has four goals and five points in his last five games.
Injury report: Bruins forward Milan Lucic (finger) is shooting to return to the lineup on Thursday against Atlanta. He is still an injury-risk start for Week 7 ... Sabres backup goalie Patrick Lalime finally returned from a groin injury on Friday against Calgary, so Jhonas Enroth was sent back to Portland (AHL) ... The Maple Leafs will be playing without defenseman Mike Komisarek until early December because of a slight tear in his quad muscle.
Favorable matchup: Toronto (@OTT, @CAR, WAS). The Maple Leafs are starting to show some steady improvements on offense and might be able to continue their progress in Week 7 as they face three teams in the bottom 10 for defense. All three of their opponents are allowing 3.06 or more goals per game.
Unfavorable matchup: Ottawa (TOR, PIT, BUF). The Sens are at home for three games, where they are averaging 3.20 goals per contest (11th), but they face two very good defenses in Buffalo (2.27 GAA) and Pittsburgh (2.68) during the upcoming scoring period. Ottawa already lost to Pittsburgh, 4-1, earlier this season and scored only two goals against Toronto in their previous matchup.

Southeast Division

Panthers goalie Tomas Vokoun has registered three shutouts in his last four appearances ... Looking to add toughness to their lineup, the Panthers reacquired Steve McIntyre off waivers from Edmonton. Florida waived McIntyre in training camp last season trying to get him to the minors, but Edmonton plucked him off waivers. McIntyre will be in the minors for a few games for conditioning purposes, but should be recalled in the coming weeks to fill an enforcer role for Florida ... The Panthers are moving Ville Koistinen back to defense after he played mostly as a fourth-line forward to begin the season. However, coach Peter DeBoer said Koistinen is going to have to earn his playing time. Koistinen was a key free-agent signing for Florida this offseason, but he has delivered much of the same frustrations (inconsistent play) he gave the Nashville coaches ... Panthers veteran forward Cory Stillman is settling into a rhythm. He has three goals and five points in his last five games, and is doing well on a line with Steve Reinprecht and Nathan Horton ... Lightning forward Martin St. Louis has hit a bit of a scoring funk with no goals in his last 11 games. Luckily, he hasn't been totally useless as he leads the team with 15 assists, with nine coming in his last 11 outings ... Capitals left wing Tomas Fleischmann could be ready for his breakout campaign in the NHL. A proven minor leaguer scorer, Fleischmann totaled a career-high 19 goals in 2008-09 and already has six goals in seven games this season. He missed the first 11 games with a blood clot in his leg. Coach Bruce Boudreau has said Fleischmann could be a scoring force in the NHL and it looks as though he might prove his coach correct.
Injury report: Thrashers left wing Ilya Kovalchuk returned from a broken foot on Thursday against the Rangers and totaled three points (one goal) in his first game back. He also took a game-high 11 shots. It is safe to insert the must-start Fantasy option back into all lineups ... Thrashers rookie Evander Kane dodged a serious foot injury to remain active in the lineup. It's safe to keep using him as a low-end Fantasy option ... In case you haven't heard, Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward will be out until at least early December with a leg laceration. Manny Legace and Michael Leighton will hold down the fort until Ward is ready to resume goaltending duties ... There is nothing new yet on Hurricanes center Eric Staal (upper body), so consider him a less than stellar start for Week 7 ... Carolina forward Ray Whitney is back in the lineup after missing two games with an upper-body injury ... Panthers forward David Booth (concussion) has been cleared for light exercise, but remains out indefinitely ... Lightning center Steven Stamkos jammed his wrist in practice on Tuesday, but was able to play Thursday against the Wild and recorded his 13th goal. It's safe to keep him active in all Fantasy formats ... Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman was also in the lineup on Thursday after missing one game with a concussion. Hedman remains more of a low-end Fantasy option ... Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin (upper body) could be back in the lineup by Saturday against the Devils. Even if he is not, he is definitely close to playing, so he might not be a bad start for Week 7 ... Capitals defenseman Mike Green is back in the lineup after missing one game with a lower-body injury. Keep him active in all Fantasy formats.
Favorable matchup: Tampa Bay (@PHO, @ANA, @CAR, @ATL). The Lightning have struggled to score on the road in 2009-10 (1.88 GFA), but they could change their luck in Week 7. Three of the teams they face -- Anaheim, Carolina and Atlanta -- are allowing 3.13 or more goals per game. They are also averaging 3.00 goals per contest against Carolina and Atlanta.
Unfavorable matchup: Florida (LA, @BUF, @DET, @NYR). Florida is one of four teams with a four-game schedule in Week 7, but it is definitely no walk in the park. The Panthers don't face a team allowing more than 2.84 goals per game and three games are on the road, where Florida is averaging just 2.56 goals per contest.

Central Division

Columbus defenseman Mike Commodore didn't play Friday against the Ducks because of a conditioning issue. Coach Ken Hitchcock said Commodore lacks energy in the second half of games. However, they will put Commodore through a few tough days of practice and expect to have him back on Monday against the Oilers ... Forward Drew Miller is on the move again. After being acquired by Tampa Bay in an offseason trade with Anaheim, Miller did not clear waivers and was claimed by Detroit. The Red Wings have had success with reclamation projects like Daniel Cleary and Mikael Samuelsson in the past, and they are hoping to do the same with Miller ... The Blues' Andy McDonald had played the last three games at center -- his natural position -- after starting the year on the wing. McDonald seems at ease with two goals and three assists during a three-game point streak ... Blues forward Brad Boyes is starting to heat up after a ho-hum start. He has scored in each of his last two games and has five points total in that span.
Injury report: Blackhawks center Dave Bolland tried to play through a nagging back injury, but when it became too much, he finally opted for surgery. He will not miss 3-4 months recovering from surgery to repair a herniated disk ... The Blackhawks have set a target date for Marian Hossa (shoulder) to make his season debut. They are targeting Nov. 25 at San Jose. While Fantasy owners should keep Hossa reserved for Week 7, it does appear he might be ready for action by Week 8 (Nov. 23-29). He is a must-start Fantasy option when healthy ... Blue Jackets forward Kristian Huselius has returned from an upper-body injury and is safe to play again in Fantasy ... Red Wings goalie Chris Osgood is merely battling a case of the flu and is considered a low-risk start for Week 7 ... Predators forward J.P. Dumont was back in the lineup on Thursday against the Blues after missing a few games with an upper-body injury. It appears safe to put him back into active lineups.
Favorable matchup: Detroit (DAL, FLA, @MON). The Red Wings have scored 12 goals in their last two games and prepare to face three teams in Week 7 that are allowing 2.78 or more goals per contest.
Unfavorable matchup: Nashville (SJ, NJ, CLB). Playing at home is usually a treat for most teams, but not for Nashville. The Predators are dead last in home GFA, averaging just 1.83 goals. They are set to play two of the NHL's top defenses -- New Jersey (2.06 GAA) and San Jose (2.25) -- in Week 7, so their outlook for the upcoming scoring period looks bleak.

Northwest Division

Avalanche rookie Matt Duchene, the No. 3 pick in the 2009 draft, is having a tough time scoring in the NHL. He has only two goals in his first 19 games and one in his last 10 appearances ... Oilers forward Patrick O'Sullivan scored for the first time in 10 games on Wednesday against the Sabres. O'Sullivan does have a point in four straight games, but his lack of goals was starting to annoy head coach Pat Quinn ... Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault moved around his top scoring lines on Thursday against the Red Wings since Mikael Samuelsson and Alexandre Burrows are mired in scoring funks. Burrows and Samuelsson played on the second line with Kyle Wellwood, and Ryan Kesler and Mason Raymond moved to the top line with Henrik Sedin ... Canucks defenseman Mathieu Schneider returned to the lineup on Thursday after being a healthy scratch in two straight games. Schneider was likely benched because he has struggled since coming off shoulder surgery. Schneider has one goal and a minus-6 rating in his first seven games with Vancouver.
Injury report: Avalanche forward Milan Hejduk is merely day to day with a back injury and is a low-risk start for Week 7 ... Avalanche defenseman John-Michael Liles (shoulder) has made a second trip to injured reserve this season and should be kept reserved in Fantasy for Week 7 ... Oilers defenseman Denis Grebeshkov is on the shelf with a MCL strain and has been ruled out indefinitely ... Oilers center Shawn Horcoff (shoulder) is expected to be back in the lineup on Sunday against the Thrashers. While Sheldon Souray (concussion) is back at practice, he still seems a few games away from returning ... Oilers forward Ales Hemsky is back in the lineup after missing a few games with a shoulder injury. He is still not 100 percent, but is going to play through the discomfort ... Wild forward Petr Sykora is out indefinitely with a concussion ... Canucks left wing Daniel Sedin is hoping to return from a broken foot on Nov. 20 against the Avalanche. Since Vancouver plays just twice, Sedin remains a risky start ... Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo is back in net after missing time with a fractured rib.
Favorable matchup: Calgary (COL, CHI, @LA). There are a ton of tough matchups in the Northwest Division in Week 7, so it was tough to pick a favorable slate. Calgary appeared to be the best since they play twice at home, where they are averaging 3.67 goals (5th). They scored five goals in a game against Chicago earlier this season and Los Angeles is in the bottom half of the league for defense.
Unfavorable matchup: Vancouver (COL, CHI). The Canucks are on a two-game homestand in Week 7, but the competition is tough. Both Colorado (2.26 GAA) and Chicago (2.29) are in the top 10 for defense.

Pacific Division

Ducks goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who just returned from a groin injury, backtracked after saying earlier in the week that he would rather retire than backup Jonas Hiller. Giguere said he was being sarcastic and just wants the opportunity to regain his starting job. Poor play since last season has resulted in Hiller emerging as the Ducks' top goalie ... Kings defenseman Randy Jones, who was claimed off waivers from Philadelphia earlier this season, made his Los Angeles debut on Wednesday against the Hurricanes. He responded with two points (one goal) in 16:25 of ice time and could continue to draw into the lineup with solid outings like on Wednesday. That could spell bad news for Sean O'Donnell, who sat out Wednesday ... Kings right wing Justin Williams has managed a point in 10 of 14 games this season, including five of the last six. As long as Williams is healthy, he can be a dynamic offensive player, especially playing on a line with Anze Kopitar and Ryan Smyth ... Sharks goalie Evgeni Nabokov is doing everything in his power to land a fat contract as he is in the final season of his current deal. Through the Sharks' first 20 games, Nabokov is 11-3-3 with a 2.12 GAA and .926 save percentage. He has solidified his role as a top Fantasy goalie.
Injury report: Ducks center Saku Koivu is day to day with a lower-body injury ... Stars forwards Fabian Brunnstrom (shoulder) and Jere Lehtinen (groin) are also day to day ... Stars left wing James Neal returned to the lineup on Thursday against the Sharks after missing two games with a groin injury. He scored his team-leading 10th goal and has 12 points (seven goals) during an eight-game point streak. It's safe to play Neal for Week 7 ... Coyotes defenseman Ed Jovanovski is day to day with a lower-body injury. If he is not back by the weekend, he is an injury-risk start for Week 7.
Favorable matchup: San Jose (@NSH, PHI, @ANA). San Jose has played each of its Week 7 opponents once this season. The Sharks have beaten all three opponents and scored four goals in each game.
Unfavorable matchup: Anaheim (@PIT, TB, SJ). The Ducks play two of the top 10 defenses -- San Jose (2.25 GAA) and Pittsburgh (2.68) -- in the NHL in Week 7. They have already lost to both San Jose and Pittsburgh as well.

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