Victoria Matiash, Fantasy HockeyJan 19, 2024, 04:00 PM ET
CloseESPN.com Fantasy Contributor since 2010Part-time anchor at NEWSTALK1010
In fantasy competition, as in life, there’s no scoring score from the bench. One of the tougher post-draft tasks in running a successful fantasy team is deciding who to play, and who to sit, when a good majority of NHL teams are in action on any busy night. There are only so many lineup slots with which to work. As such, there’s nothing like the sinking feeling of watching an player – deemed inactive by you – light it up, unexpectedly, against projected tougher competition. Especially in tight head-to-head competition, when every point feels amplified.
So why not hack the schedule to your favor, without sacrificing quality, by siding with fantasy assets who play more often when other teams don’t? Halfway through the season, there’s no better time to take a fresh look at how the schedule unfolds from now until conclusion, with a view to gauging which teams compete more often on so-called lighter dates, and less so when seemingly everyone is out there. Availability may not truly be the best ability – you’re not hooking up with a fourth-liner over a scoring star just because of how the schedule plays out – but it’s still tangibly helpful, all else being equal.
Setting the benchmark at six games – when another 20 teams, at minimum, are idle – we tabulated which clubs are booked to compete on so-called slower nights, from the season’s start to conclusion. While the team out of Arizona competes on 18 such lighter dates, the Montreal Canadiens figure in only two. That’s a tremendous gap. As long as you’re able to make daily adjustments, the ability to maximize your lineup every calendar date can make all the difference. Here’s a handful of clubs to recognize in that respect, beginning with the league’s most sizzling.
Edmonton Oilers: As if you need another reason to appreciate the fantasy heavy-hitters on a team that seemingly can’t lose….
Source link : https://www.espn.com/fantasy/hockey/story/_/id/39344578/fantasy-hockey-schedule-hacks-how-use-nhl-slate-your-advantage
Author : Victoria Matiash
Publish date : 2024-01-19 21:10:06
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