How to use rest, travel and back-to-backs with Schedule Edge

What it tells you

Schedule Edge lists games from today through the next six days. Each card shows each side’s rest (back-to-back, days of rest or first game), kilometres travelled and time-zone change, its change in win probability, and an “Edge” badge for the favoured team when the net effect is at least one point. Chips explain each cause.

The effects come from a four-season study: a team on the second night of a back-to-back against a rested opponent loses about 9.3 points of win probability, and about 3.5 more after a trip of over 1,000 km. A time-zone shift of two or more hours on short rest costs about one point. When the start model gives the backup goalie at least a 50% chance, the backup effect is added in proportion to that chance.

• Games Per Week shows this week and the following week for all 32 teams: games, off-night games, home games, back-to-backs and the nightly schedule, plus a season grid of games per week.
• Weeks run Monday to Sunday. An off-night is a date with fewer than 10 NHL games.
• A table on Schedule Edge shows back-to-back win rates by season, and the backup-goalie split on second nights.

Step by step

1. 1

   Step 1: Start with games per week

   Open NHL Games Per Week and note which teams have four games and the most off-night games this week and next.

   NHL games per week →
2. 2

   Step 2: Target off-night volume

   Prefer players whose extra games fall on off-nights, when your lineup has open slots.

3. 3

   Step 3: Open Schedule Edge for the days ahead

   Each day lists its games sorted by the size of the edge. Look for the Edge badge and the rest and travel line for each side.

   Open Schedule Edge →
4. 4

   Step 4: Apply it to close starts

   When two players or goalies are close, favour the one facing the tired team, and fade goalies on the second night of a back-to-back.

5. 5

   Step 5: Confirm goalies

   The backup term depends on who starts. Check Starting Goalies before lock; a confirmed starter removes the backup penalty.

   Starting goalies today →

In category leagues

Win probability matters most for goalie wins, and the edge flows into other Edgehalla tools: the Category Week Planner and Streamer Finder include the schedule edge in goalie wins, and Streamer Finder applies a small schedule factor to skaters too. For skaters, games played is the bigger lever. Extra games add to every counting category at once, from shots to hits, so a four-game week is the cheapest category edge there is.

Do not chase plus/minus or goals on schedule edges alone; the effect is on team win probability, and individual scoring is noisier.

In points leagues

In points leagues, use Games Per Week to keep your lineup full every night, especially on off-nights, and use Schedule Edge to break ties between goalies, where a win is worth the most points.

A rested goalie at home against a team on its second night, travelling, with its backup likely in net, is about as good as schedule spots get.

Tactics that win

• Fade second-night goalies

  Backups start most second nights. Even a starter on a back-to-back gives up win probability.

• Start against tired teams

  A rested opponent of a travelling back-to-back team is a good start in a close call.

• Use the season grid for the playoffs

  The Games Per Week grid shows every week, so you can roster teams with heavy fantasy-playoff schedules early.

• Combine with expected starts

  Pair the Edge badge with the Goalie Start Planner to find a likely starter in a favourable spot.

Mistakes to avoid

• Treating small edges as big

  An edge of one or two points is a tiebreaker, not a reason to start a worse player.

• Counting busy-night games

  A fourth game on a 14-game night may not fit your lineup. Count off-night games.

• Ignoring the starter

  The backup effect is weighted by its chance. If the starter is confirmed, that part of the edge disappears.

• Overrating travel on normal rest

  Travel matters most on back-to-backs; on normal rest it is shown as context only.

Frequently asked questions