Every Monday, NHL.com contributor Matt Sitkoff identifies waiver wire pickups, roster trends, schedule notes and a prospect to watch in fantasy hockey.

There is about a month left in the NHL season, meaning the fantasy playoffs are coming up fast in head-to-head leagues.

The Nashville Predators have hit a rough patch, so fantasy owners should be aware of potential buy-low candidates. They have lost six straight games; during that streak captain Shea Weber has one goal and a minus-9 rating. Rookie Filip Forsberg has one assist in his past six games and James Neal and Seth Jones (24 percent owned in Yahoo) each have been held without a point during the losing streak. Colin Wilson (38 percent) is also mired in a deep slump.

With the exception of Weber and Forsberg, who remain among the most valuable fantasy assets in the game, these are players to target if owners in your league cut them loose out of desperation.

WAIVER-WIRE WATCH

Mika Zibanejad, Ottawa Senators (18 percent) -- Lost in all the talk about goaltender Andrew Hammond coming in to save the season for the Senators has been the hot play of the 21-year-old center. The sixth pick of the 2011 NHL Draft has four goals, seven assists, 27 shots on goal, 26 hits and plus-3 rating in his past 12 games. Playing on the Senators' top line, with Bobby Ryan and Mike Hoffman, Zibanejad has set a career-high in goals (17) and points (36) this season. The Senators play four games this week, home against the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers sandwiching road games at the Montreal Canadiens and New York Islanders. With Ottawa in the middle of a playoff run we expect Zibanejad to continue his hot streak.

David Savard, Columbus Blue Jackets (10 percent) -- The 6-foot-2 right-shot defenseman is having a career season, with 10 goals, 25 five points and 57 penalty minutes. He has stepped up lately with four points, 14 shots on goal, 19 penalty minutes, nine hits and five blocked shots in his past eight games. He should see his power-play production increase with the recent trade of James Wisniewski; Savard's eight power-play points are third among Blue Jackets defensemen this season. Columbus has a busy week with four games schedule but they play the Carolina Hurricanes twice and the Edmonton Oilers, teams near the bottom of the standings, so expect a productive offensive week from Savard.

Michal Neuvirth, New York Islanders (11 percent) -- He made his first start with the Islanders on Saturday, making 15 saves in a shootout loss against the Florida Panthers. The 26-year-old was playing well before being traded by the Buffalo Sabres, including two victories in his last three starts with the Sabres; he had a .918 save percentage in 27 games with them. The Islanders have four games this week but they're two sets of back-to-backs, so expect to see Neuvirth have two starts this week.

ROSTER TRENDS

Spoiler's value -- A good fantasy owner pays attention to a good fantasy find no matter where their team is located in the standings. The teams not fighting for Stanley Cup Playoff position usually are great places to find hidden fantasy gems. Carolina Hurricanes forward Andrej Nestrasil has six points in his past five games, Buffalo Sabres forward Matt Moulson has four points in his past five games, and Arizona Coyotes forward Sam Gagner has four points in his past five games.

Strength of schedule -- With teams trying to make the playoffs, the strength of schedule is important to look at when making fantasy roster decisions. In the Eastern Conference the Pittsburgh Penguins play teams with a combined .445 winning percentage, the lowest of all contending teams. In the Western Conference the Vancouver Canucks play teams with a combined .466 winning percentage, which is the lowest of the Western Conference contenders. Check those teams for waiver-wire finds for the fantasy playoff push.

PROSPECT RUMBLINGS

Rickard Rakell, Anaheim Ducks (two percent) -- The acquisition of Jiri Sekac has helped Rakell boost his production. The 21-year-old has six points in his past 10 games, including his first career game-winning goal, scored against the Montreal Canadiens on March 4. He also has won 46.2 percent of his faceoffs this season. Rakell also has seen his power-play time increasing.