With the fantasy playoffs kicking off for most leagues this week, it’s do-or-die time. Make sure to consider adding the following players to help you make it into the next round of playoffs.
Erik Haula – Boston Bruins – 11% Rostered
The Bruins’ second-line centerman is one of the hotter players in fantasy with four goals and 10 points over the last two weeks of games. The team is opting to avoid stacking the team’s top line, which gives Haula the pleasure of playing alongside Taylor Hall and David Pastrnak.
The exposure to a goal scorer like Pastrnak is what makes Haula one of the more intriguing adds in fantasy. Knowing that the Bruins will start off the week with a back-to-back set against the Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings is also a major factor, not to mention having four games on the schedule in total for this week.
Mikael Backlund – Calgary Flames – 17% Rostered
With the Flames losing Sean Monahan to season-ending hip surgery, Backlund will be tasked with doing more. Backlund is the second-line center playing with Tyler Toffoli and Andrew Mangiapane on his wings. Playing with wingers that can score at the capacity Toffoli and Mangiapane can is key for Backlund’s production.
The Flames have four games on the schedule this week, and with Backlund exposed to the team’s second power-play unit as well as top-six minutes, it’s a good idea to add a guy who is getting lots of opportunities to produce. Calgary is on a three-game slide so they are due to bounce back, especially with three games this week against three teams out of playoff contention.
Ryan Johansen – Nashville Predators – 29% Rostered
The player who should be the most universally added forward if he is available in your league is Ryan Johansen. He is the top-line center on a solid Predators team, which is rare to find on the waiver wire. Johansen centers the team’s top two point-producing forwards in Matt Duchene and Filip Forsberg who both surpassed the 35-goal mark this season.
Johansen himself is up to 17 goals and 51 points on the season and will provide managers who pick him up with great offensive upside being on the top line and first unit power play. He has six points in his last six games played with 19 power-play points on the season. Nashville’s four-game slate this week gives Johansen lots of chances to accrue points and any fantasy team looking for scoring should add him immediately.
Roster percentages courtesy of Yahoo
