Happy American Thanksgiving as we approach one of the most pivotal dates in the NHL calendar. Historically, teams sitting outside the playoff picture by Thursday face a tough road ahead to make the playoffs.

Since the NHL adopted its current wild card format, about three-quarters of the teams currently in playoff position make the playoffs. Last season, 12 of the 16 teams held onto to their playoff spot for the remaining four-and-half months.

There might be a slight wrinkle this season because the standings have been so tight, so we might see a bit more variance than normal. The only teams I can say with confidence that aren’t going to make the playoffs are the Flames and Predators, with the Blues and Canucks teetering on the edge.

Given the holiday, there will be no games on Thursday. This is the one week in the NHL calendar where Tuesdays and Thursdays won’t feature a lot of action. Only one game will be played on Tuesday with 15 games each on Wednesday and Friday. It sets up a lot of back-to-backs for Friday-Saturday, so be prepared to start or stream some backup goalies.

If you want to squeeze five games out of a single roster spot, one of the things you can do is to stream a player for Monday’s games and then pick up a Star since they’re the only team to play four games from Tuesday to Sunday in Week 8. The most obvious choice on the Stars to do so is Tyler Seguin, who’s playing top six with PP2 and available in roughly 75% of Yahoo leagues.

Good luck and have a great Thanksgiving week.

All positions and rostered percentages are courtesy of Yahoo Fantasy.

Schedule

Pick players from teams at the top of the schedule matrix to maximize games and matchups. Green is good. Red is bad. Points percentages are as of Sunday morning.

Season-long adds (< 50% rostered on Yahoo)

Adam Fantilli, C, CBJ (46% rostered)

It was a slow start but patience pays off. Fantilli scored just two goals in his first 14 games but has since scored seven in eight. Obviously, his current pace will be difficult to maintain and I don’t expect him to keep this up, but he’s really solidified himself as their 1C option recently and it’s a role I don’t think he’ll relinquish for the rest of the season.

Jack Roslovic, C/RW, EDM (44% rostered)

This time next week, I don’t expect to see Roslovic in this space anymore. Zach Hyman’s still getting up to speed – two assists, minus-4 in five games – and it looks like the Oilers intend to keep Roslovic with Connor McDavid at even strength. Bumping Roslovic down to PP2 is a bummer, but keep in mind only one of his past nine points was scored on the power play.

Jet Greaves, G, CBJ (46% rostered)

There was a brief moment when it looked like Elvis Merzlikins was going to force the Jackets to go back to their rotation, but it looks like Greaves is really pulling away as their go-to starter. There have been some frustrating late-game collapses with the Jackets and all these games going into overtime will eventually take their toll – fatigue, mostly – but for the most part Greaves has been a solid starter all season.

Mid-term holds (< 50% rostered on Yahoo)

Tyler Seguin, C/RW, DAL (24% rostered)

I think Seguin deserves a special mention this week due to the Stars’ schedule. They’re the only team playing back-to-back Tuesday and Wednesday, and then play two more games at home after Thanksgiving. The timing’s pretty good, too, since Seguin has been on a hot streak with two goals and six points in his past five games.

Braeden Bowman, RW, VGK (7% rostered)

What a find Bowman has been for the Knights. He’s playing alongside Jack Eichel on both L1 and PP1, and the chemistry has been very good. Bowman’s a confidence offensive player who isn’t afraid to drive the net, shoot the puck or thread the needle with his passes, and his right-hand shot is an ideal replacement for Mark Stone.

Bowman’s scored a goal in three straight games, and I don’t really see him losing his spot any time soon. Even when William Karlsson comes back, Bowman has a chance to stay in his current spot. If you need offense in a pinch, Bowman’s a great under-the-radar pickup right now.

Jesper Wallstedt, G, MIN (44% rostered)

I’m very curious to see if the Wild are committed to a rotation or if they’re just playing the hot hand. Wallstedt has been very impressive lately with five straight wins, including three (!) shutouts. At this point, the Wild would be silly not to play him, and the question is what they do with their rotation when this hot streak inevitably ends. Filip Gustavsson has been playing a lot better, but we could see a rotation like we currently see with the Devils and Avalanche.

Jake Allen, G, NJ (35% rostered)

It was very interesting the Devils went right back to Allen following a 1-0 loss to the Panthers, but he ended up allowing six goals on 29 shots (.793 SP) against the Flyers. It put a damper on the prospect of Allen taking over the starting job, but I’m not sure this means he’s firmly back in a backup role. It’s only one bad start at a very volatile position, and I expect the Devils to keep rotating goalies until something drastic happens.

Eric Comrie, G, WPG (35% rostered)

Grab Comrie while you can because he won’t be around for much longer. He’ll get the bulk of the starts while Connor Hellebuyck recuperates from knee surgery, but with a sub-.900 career SP, don’t get your hopes up. The Jets will need to find a way to stay afloat until Hellebuyck returns.

The big risk to Comrie’s playing time is obviously Thomas Milic, a well-regarded prospect who’s been very good in the AHL this season. If the Jets aren’t impressed with Comrie – and I don’t see why they would be – they might give Milic a look, and if Milic plays well, he definitely has a chance to steal some starts. The Jets play the second half of their back-to-back Saturday in Nashville, and I wonder if that’s when we’ll see Milic’s first NHL start.

Kevin Lankinen, G, VAN (21% rostered)

Jiri Patera’s performance in an 8-5 loss to the Panthers likely reinforced the notion that Lankinen should be the only really seeing any playing time. The Canucks have a back-to-back on Friday and Saturday, and it’ll be interesting to see what they do. In the meantime, Lankinen’s great for high-volume starts and saves, but forget about wins or a good save percentage.

Short-term streamers (< 50% rostered on Yahoo)

Josh Doan, LW/RW, BUF (14% rostered)

Doan can shoot the puck and score goals, so at a bare minimum you’ll get plenty of shot volume. He’s playing L1 with Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch, and the Sabres have won four of their past five and having little trouble scoring. It seems like the Sabres really like this line, too, with Zach Benson playing L3 with Noah Ostlund upon his return. The Sabres’ lines can change at a moment’s notice, but Doan has plenty of value right now in such a great spot.

Philipp Kurashev, C/RW, SJ (6% rostered)

Whether it’s Kurashev or Tyler Toffoli, whoever occupies the left wing on Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith’s line will get a boost in fantasy value. Kurashev’s the lucky winner right now with two points in three games entering Sunday’s matchup against the Bruins. It’s unlikely Kurashev will stay in this spot long term, but Friday’s matchup against the porous Canucks might be a good play.

Nick Paul, C/LW, TB (4% rostered)

We shall see what news come out of Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point’s injuries, but if Point is out, I expect Paul to play in more offensive situations. He scored a goal in his season debut and played 18:33 in his second game. The Lightning have a soft schedule coming up facing the Flyers and Flames at home.

Danila Yurov, RW, MIN (2% rostered)

The Wild moved up Ryan Hartman to take Marco Rossi’s place, but Hartman ended up getting injured as well. With Joel Eriksson Ek playing with Matt Boldy, Yurov has been tabbed to center the top line between Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello.

This is a prime spot for Yurov, who will surely gain C eligibility soon, and he’s responded well in his new role. He notched three assists against the Knights and Canes, and also scored a goal Sunday against the Jets. Not sure how long Rossi and Hartman will remain out, but Yurov has immediate fantasy value in his current position.

Hampus Lindholm, D, BOS (10% rostered)

Lindholm will quarterback PP1 while Charlie McAvoy recovers from surgery, though he’s not expected to be out for very long. Lindholm is a safe option and I don’t think Mason Lohrei or Henri Jokiharju are a threat to take the job, and as long as Lindholm gets the minutes, his fantasy value should rise. He’s not an offensive defenseman or a particularly effective PP QB, but he can skate and pass and that’s all the Bruins need right now.

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