2025-26 NHL Fantasy Hockey Week 24 Primer And Pickups

This will be the last fantasy hockey head-to-head primer for the 2025-26 season and covers the rest of the regular season, which will end next Thursday, April 16. Given only seven of the 16 playoff spots have been clinched, and as many as nine teams still in the wild card race, expect a frantic and exciting finish. This is also the part of the season where lineups can be difficult to predict; teams whose fates have already been decided may rest certain players or give rookies extended auditions.

The Sharks and Kraken are two teams still in the wild card race and have a league-high seven games remaining, though it’s going to be exhausting playing that many games in just 11 days. (I do feel the risk of injury right before the playoffs has been heightened for most teams with such a cramped schedule). The Sharks, in particular, should offer up the most plentiful streaming options due to their deeper offensive lineup and easier schedule.

The final regular season games for each team have been highlighted in yellow in the schedule matrix below with 10 teams finishing their season on Tuesday, 10 on Wednesday and 12 on Thursday. If your head-to-head league plays until the very last day of the season – I don’t recommend this kind of setup – note you’ll have fewer and fewer options as the season closes, meaning a player you wish to stream on Thursday may have to be picked up a day or two before the actual game. One more note: The Islanders made a surprising coaching change Easter Sunday firing Patrick Roy and naming Peter DeBoer as head coach for the rest of the season and beyond.

The Isles may have a favorable schedule with all games remaining played at home, but they do not play in Week 24 until Thursday and also close out the season on the earliest possible day on the next Thursday. It's no coincidence the Isles made the coaching switch soon after losing to the Canes on Saturday in a game in which they were totally and completely outplayed. The break will give DeBoer a chance to get in a skate or two and implement changes, but that’s also a cause for concern for fantasy managers because it’s uncertain what lineup changes, if any, he will make.