Schedule Analysis: 100 Games

Back in full swing, the NHL's schedule features a crisp 100 games played. Obviously, three teams (especially Detroit who plays just four games in the next 14 days) playing a skimpy two-game schedule will not provide much fantasy punch, but here's a few teams that could.

Four Aces with a Kicker

Not only will 13 of the 30 NHL organizations play four games this week, all 13 play a back-to-back set, so shilling for rogue goalie points with decent back-up goalies should be like fishing in a barrel.

Anaheim has Carolina at home before embarking on a five-game road trip through the southern United States. Ryan Getzlaf has gone three straight without a point and is a minus-6 over his last pair of games.

Buffalo plays opposite of the Ducks, finishing off a five-game road trip before heading home to begin a five-game homestand. Losers of 14 in a row, the Sabres (10-13-2 at home) could actually break the schneid. Despite Friday's disappointing season debut, Matt Hackett is drawing praise from his coach.

Colorado plays three of four on the road this week. Alex Tanguay (hand) missed Saturday's practice.

Dallas plays two at home before beginning a three-game trip up north. Erik Cole (upper body) has missed three-straight games and Brett Ritchie (undisclosed) did not play Saturday.

Florida plays the Rangers and Islanders on the road before beginning their own three game road trip. Tomas Fleischmann logged over 19 minutes and a minus-1 in his return to the lineup Saturday, displacing Jimmy Hayes.

Nashville (19-2-1 at home) plays seven of their next eight contests from the Music City, starting with a flailing Maple Leafs team Tuesday. Marek Mazanec was decent in Friday's loss and could get more than one start this week.

The Islanders play three of four away from the Coliseum where they are a pedestrian 15-11-1. Playing in his first game in almost a month, Lubomir Visnovsky (upper body) scored a goal on Saturday.

The Rangers host the Panthers and Bruins, with a rest day in between, before heading on the road for six of the next eight tilts this month. Cam Talbot will get at least one start this week.

San Jose's schedule seems easy, with the Oilers and Canes on the docket, but the Sharks host Vancouver twice this season and are being outscored by the Flames 8-6 en route to a 1-1-1 series record. Tyler Kennedy (lower body) could be ready to return on Monday.

St. Louis plays three of four on the road. David Backes has eight goals and 24 points during his current nine-game point streak. Patrik Berglund (upper body) is day-to-day.

Tampa Bay splits their week, playing the Blues and Stars on the road and then hosting the Kings and Ducks on back-to-back nights. Matt Carle (hip) was moved to the injured reserve, leaving an empty spot on the Lightning roster. Perhaps a perusal of their AHL Affiliate is a good idea.

Washington plays four of their next five from home, where they are 13-5-5. While he continues to practice with the team's top line, Andre Burakovsky was a healthy scratch for the second straight game Saturday.

Winnipeg starts a quick Pacific division two-game trip. Matt Halischuk (lower body) is in danger of missing the rest of the season, making way for one of S.A.'s favorite dark horses, T.J. Galiardi. Don't stress, four of Michael Hutchinson's five goals allowed on Saturday were of the power-play variety. Even if they do move back to Ondrej Pavelec, we highly doubt he will steal the job back.

Other RotoWire Reports:Craig Anderson (hand) resumed skating Saturday and could return Tuesday, but don't hold your breath. Matt Calvert (illness) did not play Saturday. Adam Clendening is a fish in a smaller pond with Kevin Bieska (hand) gone for six-to-eight weeks. Michael Del Zotto has turned things up a notch in his past six games. Christian Ehrhoff (upper body) was expected to miss Sunday's game against the Preds, despite not having been diagnosed with a concussion. Justin Fontaine is dealing with a groin injury. Adam Henrique (hand) played and registered a point in Saturday's win. Evgeni Malkin (lower body) plans to travel with the team. Dion Phaneuf (hand) is expected to remain out this week. Ryan Suter was questionable heading into Sunday's game with Vancouver.

Table Talk (with the Phil Naessens Show)

1). Curtis McElhinney (Mackle-Hinny): Is he worth picking up or are there better goaltending options?

Barely a sub-3.00 GAA is nothing to get excited over, that's our line of thought. As a career back-up, his February numbers are well north of 3.5 goals per game and 3.66 GAA, which leads us down to one of the AHL's best goalies (2.04 GAA) this season, recently recalled Anton Forsberg. While McElhinney has shored up more every year, we're sticking our chips with the kid.

2). Petr Mrazek and his Fantasy Value?

Reverse of McElhinney and Forsberg, Mrazek has been decent, much better than we've expected, but his value is heavily dependent on his injured counterpart Jimmy Howard, and unfortunately for Mrazek, Howard is much closer to returning than Bobrovsky. We'd say use a streamer option, but don't make any heavy investments.

3). Steve Mason Fantasy Value

With 25 games in the next two months, he's not exactly knocking your socks off with opportunity. However, with just one back-to-back set, he could start 24 of them. To top if off, historically, February is Mason's best month, posting a 2.38 GAA, .920 save percentage and career-high six shutouts in just 38 starts. He hasn't given up more than two goals in a game since New Year's Eve, and he has only given up more than three goals in a game just twice since Nov. 14.

We're not a Mason guy at the Schedule Analysis corner, much less a Flyers defense supporter, but he's a candidate to be one of the NHL's top-10 goalies over the next 60 days.

4). A listener wanted to know if she should drop Jimmy Howard?

No. Just plain no. He's skating, nothing serious, but he should be back to full strength in two weeks, and in my humble opinion, he is easily one of the best five goalies in the league this year. No.