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The class of this list will be the Jets, Blues, and Predators.
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Unfortunately, the teams with the highest frequency of weeks with more games than average aren’t very good teams. Starting with weeks that have teams with more games than the rest of the league. On the whole, there are a few weeks you need to keep in the back of your mind until they come up. It will be a very even schedule for man games this year so the above sections on off days becomes even more important to maximize your adds. Only two weeks have an average of two games (below average) and another two with four games (above average). There are a maximum of 26 weeks in fantasy this season, assuming the first week runs from October 7 to October 16. That holds true this season, but there are a few weeks with outliers on either end. In the past, three games per week has been the average for teams, four games has been above average, and two games below. Man games are always important in fantasy, and it’s key to ensure you have as many man games each week as possible. As well, the Leafs have 14 back-to-backs which boosts the fantasy value of their tandem in Matt Murray and Ilya Samsonov. On the other end, the Islanders have 15 back-to-backs, giving a bit more value to Semyon Varlamov who should be even more of a backup than a 1B to Ilya Sorokin. With only 10 back-to-backs, we could see Markstrom start north of 65 games easily this season with Darryl Sutter making the starting goaltender decisions. If Markstrom stays healthy, he could easy lead the league in games played and put up crazy fantasy numbers once again.
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One team to keep an eye on is the Flames. This does bring down the value of these teams’ backups, notably Daniel Vladar with Calgary. There are a few teams with bona fide starters that gain even more value due to a low number of back-to-backs: Jacob Markstrom, Jack Campbell, and Jake Oettinger. The Rangers will need to find some reliability from their backup this year to help out Igor Shesterkin. The Golden Knights losing Robin Lehner is definitely a huge blow, but they do have the best schedule when it comes to back to backs this season.
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It isn’t as bad as last season where the number of back-to-backs ranged from eight to a whopping 19, but this is still quite a range. Teams with the most back-to-backs are: # of Back-to-Backs This year however, there are some teams that definitely have an easier schedule than others. What’s the point of having someone on your team if you can’t dress them? Back-to-backsīack-to-backs, or instances when a team plays on consecutive nights, are usually spread out fairly evenly between teams. For example, if it comes down to a middle-six forward from the Lightning or the Avalanche, lean Avalanche. It will be important to spread out your drafting to ensure you’re not forced to bench the same player over and over again. Notables on this list are the Lightning, Predators, and Golden Knights, all with a high number of fantasy relevant players who will make setting your lines difficult on busy nights.
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The spread between the Ducks and the Kings/Canadiens/Lightning is an incredible 23 games. Three of the biggest markets currently in the league unsurprisingly have the fewest off day games: the Kings, Canadiens, and Lightning. Teams with the fewest games on off days are: Team The Avalanche, Rangers, Wild, Flames, and Oilers will all have a long list of fantasy relevant players who all get a boost due to this schedule quirk. Only the Ducks will play over half their season on off days, but this group of teams trail as valuable off day investments.
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