It's the sprint to the finish line in your fantasy hockey league and you are looking for a player or two to give you an extra little boost down the stretch of the season.
Check out these three players, who are not only coming on strong, but who might still be available off the waiver wire in your fantasy hockey league.
Brian Rolston
It was only two months ago that Rolston was seemingly done professionally, having cleared both waivers and re-entry waivers for a Devils team that was going nowhere fast. My, how times have changed, for both the player and the team. With New Jersey captivating the league with an amazing 20-2-2 sprint to the wire, Rolston has also taken off in New Jersey since the trade of team captain Jamie Langenbrunner opened up a spot for him among the top six forwards. Rolston has scored ten goals, added ten assists, and totaled 20 points in his last 24 games since January 9. At a near point-per-game pace, he is going to provide some key scoring depth to any fantasy hockey roster. In addition, he is averaging three shots per game in that same span, while posting a +11 plus/minus rating, as well. For fantasy hockey leagues that count those statistics, those are pretty helpful numbers. Best part is, Rolston is likely still available to be had off waivers in most fantasy hockey leagues.
Andy McDonald
There's a good chance that McDonald is owned in more fantasy hockey leagues than Rolston, but there are still plenty of leagues that McDonald can be scooped up off waivers. McDonald was having a good start to the season until he suffered a concussion in December. After two months on the sidelines McDonald has come back to record 18 points (8-10-18) in 17 games, including another pair of goals with 23:28 worth of ice time last night against Columbus. Three of his last eight goals have come on the power play and he has 46 shots on goal in his last 17 games. His St. Louis Blues are not going anywhere this season, but McDonald---if available---could still help you down the stretch.
Ryan Callahan
Like McDonald, Callahan is most-likely owned in the majority of fantasy hockey leagues, but there will be some where he is still a free agent. Coming off a career-best four-goal, five-point outing against the Flyes on Sunday, the Rangers winger has 16 points (10-6-16) in 16 games since returning from a broken hand on February 1. Six of those goals have come on the power play (he has nine power play goals on the season), which makes him an even more sought-after commodity from a fantasy hockey point of view. Callahan also has taken 51 shots on goal, more than three per game in that span, which helps in leagues that count that statistic. Thinking long-term, Callahan really may have come into his own this season as an offensive player. He has scored 20 goals and produced 39 points in just 48 games despite missing two months with that hand injury.
Send your fantasy hockey questions/comments in to Jim at jimcerny@gmail.com.