Neil’s Fantasy Hockey Playoffs 3 Stars

I’m a fantasy hockey guy and Gonos asked me if I’d like to share a little 2013 Play-Offs talk here so you readers can hit the ice and enjoy the greatest tournament in sports!  Here are your 2013 Fantasy Hockey Playoffs 3 Stars to help you win:

3rd Star: Fantasy Hockey on Twitter

There are a number of dedicated Fantasy Hockey Twitter-heads out there and I’ve compiled a list of both the best NHL Beat Writers for each team, but also a list of Fantasy Hockey Twitter Accounts you should be following.

Here are my rapid fire Twitter Shout Outs:

@SlimCliffy – This guy is my go to Fantasy Hockey colleague, who follows in TraderX’s footsteps in being an approachable fella on the Twitter answering all your questions and giving out advice.

@theTonyM – Let me introduce you to Mr. Daily Fantasy Hockey.  Tony writes for my site and Fantasy Trade 411 and is Slim’s radio partner on their Podcast, Sports Counseling with the Doc and Slim.

@ChrisWassel THW – I hope he doesn’t skip the Fantasy Hockey Playoffs because his Devils are out, but Chris is an industry veteran whose work is all over the internet and is one of the best in the Fantasy Hockey Community.

These are my go to guys at The Fake Hockey who are always looking to help out and talk puck: Mat Fargas, Brad Palmer and John Mullin.  I highly recommend following all of them.

2nd Star: Matchup Knowledge

Here are three resources to help you crunch the numbers, find the upsets and map out a plan to assemble your team.

Yahoo! Puck Daddy’s Team Previews:
Eastern Conference – Western Conference

RotoWorld’s Round 1 Previews:
Eastern Conference – Western Conference

TSN’s Scott Cullen’s 2013 Play-Off Payoff Preview

1st Star: Fantasy Hockey Playoffs Strategies

Here are my top 3 Strategies to help you win your pool or league.

1. Pick a few teams that you think will go deep and load up on their players.  This season it is likely that the Penguins and Blackhawks top talents will be spread out amongst the league, especially if you’re in a bigger format, so selecting Tyler Kennedy might not be the best move.  If you think the Rangers are going to put it together and get to the Conference Finals, than Rick Nash is a great target.

I map out the 4 teams that I think will reach the Conference Finals and load up on their players, last season I loaded up on Kings and Bruins in one pool and Blues, Coyotes and Devils in the other.

2. Gutsy, gritty, tough guys excel in the 2nd season when the physicality goes up and the whistle often gets tucked in the Ref’s back pocket.  Players who sacrifice their body for their team and bring the warrior mentality to the ice often make a difference when it counts.  Mike Richards is a great player, but in May he is one of the best players.

If a player is “Soft” and shies away from the dirty areas of the ice, I might pass him over for a guy who grinds it out.  Last season, Radim Vrbata was a scoring machine, but I took Shane Doan ahead of him in my play-off pool.

3.  Stick to your guns and go big or go home!  If you believe the Blues are going to go through to the Conference Finals then by all means load up on the Blues.  You can’t saturate your talent across more than 4 teams and win, I have never seen that happen.  I won both my play-off pools last year and didn’t have one similar player, but I went with the hand that was dealt to me and drafted accordingly.

If you have a high pick this year, then the Malkin, Crosby, Toews, Kane and Neal picks are right there for the taking, but if you’re lower in the order, maybe going Ovechkin and Backstrom with back-to-back picks is your answer.  But no matter what, stick to your guns and go big!

Please find all the Fantasy Hockey Links you’ll need at my site The Fake Hockey and if you’re new to fantasy hockey, get out there and get involved to make the greatest tournament in sports a little more fun!

I’m a Loyal Leafs, Cubs, and Cowboys fan for decades. I wear the C for The Fake Hockey, in addition to contributing to The Fake Baseball and The Fake Football in more of a Timmy Try Hard role.  You can also find my weekly fantasy baseball preview here at davidgonos.com and can reach me on Twitter @naparker77.