Welcome to week 19 of the Fantasy Planner, getting you ready for next week's fantasy hockey action. (2/8 through 2/14).

Week 18 Matchups

Teams with 4 games:  Anaheim, Colorado, Edmonton, Nashville, NY Isles, Ottawa, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Jose, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Vancouver

Teams with 2 games:  Toronto

It's the final week before the long awaited Olympic break, so there are plenty of games crammed into the next seven days.  Toronto is the only team with just two games to play.  Vancouver isn't the only team wrapping up the remainder of their games on the road, as Nashville, Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, San Jose and Washington all will play out the schedule away from home.  The Thrashers especially drew the short straw with road games against Colorado and Chicago, and now, without Kovalchuk.

Meanwhile, the Blackhawks ought to finish things up with some points, as they feature home games with Dallas and Atlanta and wrap up with Columbus on the road.

Who's Hot

The Canes are on Fire!

Look out Edmonton and Toronto, the Hurricanes have been putting points on the board.  Perhaps these guys know the firesale will be starting soon and they want to put on a pretty face for market.  Here's some players of note that have heated up recently:

• Eric Staal (F) - 9 goals and 12 points in his last 8 games
• Joni Pitkanen (D) - 12 points in 12 games
• Jussi Jokinen (F) -  (see Waiver Watch below)
• Matt Cullen (F) - 6 points in 6 games

Who's Cold

Penguins Gone Cold

The big boys are still scoring, but the 2nd tier of Penguin offense has dried up lately:

• Bill Guerin (F) - 5 games, no points
• Jordan Staal (F) - just broke a 6 game drought with a goal in Buffalo
• Brooks Orpik (D) - Not that you were counting on him to score, but he's gone 6 games without a point and has just 2 PIMS in 2010.

Waiver Watch

Here are a few names who may be available in your league and are worth a look:

Jussi Jokinen (F - CAR)

Jokinen has 16 points in his last 13 games and is still available in most leagues (but it won't last long).  If you remember, Jokinen got hot down the stretch last season and was a major goal scoring factor in the playoffs.  He's now averaging over 20 minutes a game and saw 9+ minutes on the power play in their last game against Calgary.

Kurtis Foster (D - TAM)

You may have already missed the boat on Foster, but check your league to see if he's open.  If you remember, Foster had just emerged as a fantasy factor a couple seasons back when he snapped his leg on an icing touch up.  After a long-hard road, it seems he's back to form and is once again a factor.  He's been putting up good numbers for the past 2 months and figures to be strong down the stretch.  He's up to 10 points in his past 12 games and runs the show on the Bolts power play.

J.S. Giguere (G - TOR)

Fantasy owners have been dropping Giggy consistently over the past couple months; however, with a trade to Toronto, everything changes.  Not that Toronto is any better defensively than Anaheim, but the key is Giguere goes from a backup for the Ducks to The Man for the Leafs.  He'll get as many starts as he can handle.  And when Giguere is motivated, he has proven to be a strong option in net.  Grab him quick.

David Booth (F - FLA)

Booth started the season on fire before he met up with Mike Richards elbow and sat out a couple months.  He's been back for two games now in limited action, and is set to move back up to the first line with Stephen Weiss at any moment.  Don't be surprised to see him start to punch in the goals next week.

Welcome to week 18 of the Fantasy Planner, getting you ready for next week's fantasy hockey action. (2/1 through 2/7).

Week 18 Matchups

Teams with 4 games:  Boston, Buffalo, Carolina, Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Washington

Teams with 2 games:  NY Isles

The Islanders have cooled off a bit on the fantasy front over the past week.  Don't expect great things from them next week either, as they're the only team in the league with just 2 games to play.

Sooner or later, the misery of the Flames has to come to end, and they couldn't ask for a better schedule this week to make that happen.  Calgary has four Eastern Conference matchups, mostly against non-playoff teams: Philly, Carolina, Florida, and Tampa Bay.  Look for Iginla and company to snap out of their funk and put some points on the board.

Who's Hot

All Things Capitals

If there's an available Capital, you may want to take a chance on him, going as deep as Mike Knuble.  The Caps have been unstoppable lately, scoring at a frantic pace, averaging about 5 goals a game.  In addition to the obvious stars (Ovie, Backstrom, Semin and Green), there is still plenty of scoring down the roster.  Fleischman has 11 points in 10 games.  Knuble has 6 points in 8 games.  Even Brendan Morrison has 8 points in 9 games.

Who's Cold

All Things Flames and Rangers

As I mentioned already, the Flames have a pretty nice schedule next week, but it's hard to ignore how hurting they are, particularly on the fantasy front.  The Rangers are even worse.  Here are a few pointless streaks worth crying over:

• Daymond Langkow - 6 games
• Rene Bourque - 5 games
• Jay Bouwmeester - 1 point in his last 12 games
• Marian Gaborik - 4 games (only 1 goal in his past 11 games)
• Brandon Dubinsky - 4 games

Waiver Watch

Here are a few names who may be available in your league and are worth a look:

Antero Niittymaki (G - TAM)

If you are facing injury woes in net for the next couple of weeks, you may want to roll the dice on Niittymaki as a short term fix.  Mike Smith is still hurt, and Niittymaki has been on a bit of a hot streak.  He's won three of his last 4, which is rare for Tampa.  His numbers on the season are actually quite strong, .914 save percentage and a winning record.  Just don't put faith in a Lightning netminder to lead your team come playoff time.

Cody Franson (D - NAS)

The rookie defenseman is starting to emerge as a fantasy threat with his recent play in Nashville.  Over the past 6 weeks, he's contributed with multiple points 3 times.  His playing time for the Predators is also climbing.  He started the season hovering around 12 minutes a game.  In January, he's averaged over 15 minutes and is seeing regular power play time.  With Ryan Suter's play being a bit inconsistent this season, we may see Franson emerging as the #2 defenseman in Nashville soon.

Welcome to week 17 of the Fantasy Planner, getting you ready for next week's fantasy hockey action. (1/24 through 1/31).

Week 17 Matchups

Teams with 4 games:  Calgary, Detroit, LA, New Jersey, NY Isles, NY Rangers, Phoenix, St. Louis, Washington

Teams with 2 games:  Boston, Philadelphia, San Jose

Look for the Capitals to have a big week, not that they needed the help.  They've got 3 of 4 at home, facing off against NYI, Anaheim, Florida, and Tampa Bay.  Ovechkin could have the scoring lead by this time next week.

On the other side, don't expect much production out of the Bruins over the next 7 days, as they play at Buffalo and then home to LA the next day.

Who's Hot

Phil Kessel (F - TOR)

He's still in a goal-scoring funk, but at least he's back on the scoresheet.  After a horrible dry spell, Kessel is now riding a 7 game point streak, with 1 goal and 7 assists over that span.  He's still seeing prime time on the power play and he's getting his shots.  He had 8 a few days ago against Atlanta.  Look for Kessel to start putting pucks in the net again soon.

Who's Cold

Andy Greene (D - NJ)

A month ago, Greene was a hot commodity on the blueline.  He's gone stone cold.  He finally registered one assist last week after going a painful nine game draught with nothing on the board.  He's still a key player for the Devils on defense, but don't expect him to help your team down the stretch.

Tim Thomas (G - BOS)

Just when we thought it was safe to accept Mr. Thomas as a top-tier goalie, he's gone and proved us wrong again.  Thomas is having a mediocre season, and lately, it's gotten worse.  He's lost 4 of his past 5 starts and is allowing 3+ goals against per game over the past 2 weeks.  I don't recommend dropping him, but you'd better have a backup plan for the remainder of the season if he's one of your top 2 goalies.

Waiver Watch

Here are a few names who may be available in your league and are worth a look:

Rick DiPietro (G - NYI)

I certainly would not recommend pinning the hopes of your team on the health of Rick DiPietro, but he is back and seems to be playing well, so there is little risk in putting him on your bench if he is available.  The Islanders have suddenly become a relevant team, and DiPietro is arriving just in time to benefit.

Guillaume Latendresse (F - MIN)

Check your waiver wire.  Latendresse is going fast.  It took a few weeks for him to find his place after arriving in Minnesota in late November, but for the past month, he's been money for the Wild.  He has contributed 3 multi-point games in January, including a four point performance against the Penguins.  He has 7 goals and 5 assists in 10 games this month.

Jack Hillen (D - NYI)

Who is Jack Hillen?  Good question.  Up until now, fantasy owners haven't paid much attention to the second year defenseman.  But he's a defenseman with 5 points in his past 6 games, so maybe it's time we found out.  Hillen logs big minutes for the Islanders, who are one of the hottest teams in the league right now, so maybe it is worth taking a risk on him at this point.

Welcome to week 16 of the Fantasy Planner, getting you ready for next week's fantasy hockey action. (1/18 through 1/24).

Week 16 Matchups

Teams with 4 games:  Atlanta, Buffalo, Carolina, Columbus, Dallas, Florida, New Jersey, NY Isles, Ottawa, Philadelphia, San Jose, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Toronto

Teams with 2 games:  Calgary

It's a pretty full schedule in the NHL this week, with the Flames as the only team playing less than three games.  Calgary is at San Jose and then returns home to face Chicago.  If you're banking on Kiprusoff, you may want to look to your bench this week.

Half the teams in the league are looking at four games this week, but the most favorable schedule probably belongs to Atlanta.  They face Florida, Toronto, Carolina, and Tampa Bay.  In case you're keeping track, that's the four worst teams in the East.  A decent showing could put the Thrashers in the playoff picture by next week, as they're currently only two points out.  Look for Pavelec to have a big week.

The Flyers may also be looking at a big week, as they have all four games at home, including mathcups with the Hurricanes and Columbus.

Who's Hot

Mike Green (D - WAS)

No surprise that Green would be on the hot list.  He is the top fantasy defenseman in the NHL.  Lately, he's really hit his stride.  Green has 14 points in his last 11 games, including 6 goals.  Those numbers are almost unheard of for a defenseman in the past decade, but it's come to be expected from the Capitals star.

Jonas Hiller (G - ANA)

Just when it seemed the Ducks were ready to write off the season, in steps Hiller and turns things around.  (Prior to last night), he was riding a 5 game win streak and has won 10 of his last 13.  His GAA is under 2 in the month of January.  Hiller has pretty much claimed the #1 job back in Anaheim.

Who's Cold

John Tavares (F - NYI)

Tavares really seems to have hit the wall midway through his rookie campaign.  Over his past 15 games, Tavares has managed to tally just 2 lousy points.  It may be time to move on and draft him again next season.  Then again, don't be surprised to see him storm back down the stretch after getting some rest during the Olympic Break.  If you drop him, I'll pick him up.

Ryan Whitney (D - ANA)

Whitney climbed as high as 16th among defensemen just a few weeks back.  However, in the past nine games, he hasn't shown up on the scoresheet.  Unless you count his -6 over that span.  Hang on to him, he'll be back on track soon.

 Rangers Offense

You have to really feel for Henrik Lundqvist.  He practically goes two straight games without letting up a goal and he has no wins to show for it.  Will someone in a Blue Shirt please score a goal for this guy?

Waiver Watch

Here are a few names who may be available in your league and are worth a look:

Josh Bailey (F - NYI)

The scoring has been wildly inconsistent coming from the island this season.  Early on, fantasy owners jumped all over Matt Moulson.  Tavares and Okposo have heated up at times, but have been inconsistent lately.  Seems like the flavor of the month is now Josh Bailey.  Bailey is currently riding a 7 game point streak.  During that run, he's racked up 3 goals and 8 assists.  This is only Bailey's second season, so it's hard to know whether we should expect this run to continue.  Given the logo on his shirt, I'd grab him for the short term and trade him for value.

Steve Sullivan (F - NAS)

Check your waiver wire, as Sullivan is still available in about half the leagues on CBS.  He's back to a point a game pace in January.  Sullivan is a proven fantasy performer, and should be on a roster.

Welcome to week 14 of the Fantasy Planner, getting you ready for next week's fantasy hockey action. (1/11 through 1/17).

Week 15 Matchups

Teams with 4 games:  Calgary, Detroit, Minnesota, NY Rangers, Pittsburgh, Washington

Teams with 2 games:  Buffalo, Colorado, NY Isles

The Rangers get the prize for most favorable schedule this week, with three home games and one away matchup at St. Louis.  Calgary is looking good as well, with 3 of 4 in their own barn.

May be a good week to rest your Sabres and Avalanche.  Both of Buffalo's games this week are on the road.  Colorado plays at Calgary and home against New Jersey, not exactly a formula for strong fantasy numbers.

Waiver Watch

Here are a few names who may be available in your league and are worth a look:

Blake Wheeler (F - BOS)

With all respect to Brady & Moss, all of a sudden, Blake Wheeler is the hottest thing in Boston.  His 26 points on the season mean that he's probably available in your league.  In the past three games, he's racked up 4 goals and 3 assists.  Even through this hot streak, he's still only averaging 16 minutes a game.  Keep an eye on his ice time.  If he starts to get in the action a little more, he could become a decent depth forward.

Patric Hornqvist (F - NAS)

Hornqvist has been on a hot streak for almost a month now.  His totals are still unimpressive, due to a very slow start, but with 15 points in his last 12 games, he's definitely worth consideration.  He's seeing top minutes in Nashville and registered 7 shots on goal in their last game.

Denis Grebeshkov (D - EDM)

Grebeshkov emerged as a viable fantasy defenseman last season, registering 39 points; however, this season has been interrupted by various injuries.  He seems to be healthy once again, and back to scoring.  He has 3 points in his last 2 games.  He won't last long on the wire.