On every game day this season, THN Fantasy will highlight players and goalies for fantasy managers to stream or roster for the rest of the season. The recommended players and goalies can be used in standard fantasy leagues or for daily fantasy games.
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Tom Wilson, RW, WSH at PHI (47% rostered)
Given Wilson’s four-game goal streak to start the season and how this matchup has traditionally been very physical, I expect him to provide fantasy value in multiple categories. In 43 career games against the Flyers, Wilson has racked up 22 points and 121 penalty minutes, more than any other team he’s faced in his career. I’d be shocked if Wilson comes away from this game with a bunch of zeroes, which happened way too often last season.
Anton Lundell, C/RW, FLA vs. MIN (44% rostered)
This might be your last chance to take advantage of both Lundell, who’s on a four-game points streak and notched two assists against the Knights in their last game, and Sam Bennett, who’s now rostered in 50% of leagues. Aleksander Barkov is expected to return on the Panthers’ road trip before they head to Finland for the Global Series.
It’s unclear how the lines will look upon Barkov’s return because Lundell has exceeded expectations and using him as a matchup-dependent third-line center seems like a waste of his abilities. Either way, Lundell’s a great streaming option even though the Wild’s goaltending has been excellent with Filip Gustavsson in net.
Mikael Granlund, C/RW, SJ at ANA (28% rostered)
I feel like Granlund’s a must-start with a three-game assist streak and a good matchup against the rival Ducks, who are allowing a league-high 35.4 shots per game. The only reason they haven’t allowed as many goals as they should’ve is the play of Lukas Dostal. Granlund is sure to play a ton of minutes and win a lot of draws. And note that he scored three points in two games against the Ducks last season. Even if you don’t have space on your roster, Granlund and Lundell are the two I’d consider making space for.
Josh Norris, C, OTT at UTA (21% rostered)
Norris has scored three goals in three games, and not only is he a strong streaming option against a Utah defense that’s missing a key player in Sean Durzi, he’s also a good rest-of-season hold. Playing behind Tim Stutzle has not really negatively affected Norris’ fantasy value.
Jake Neighbours, LW/RW, STL vs. WPG (16% rostered)
Connor Hellebuyck is expected to start, so good luck trying to beat him. But the Blues are coming in hot with consecutive wins over the Isles and Canes, with Neighbours scoring a goal in both games. He’s been slow to get going and his ice time has yo-yoed, but he remains locked in on L2 with Pavel Buchnevich and PP1 with Robert Thomas.
Conor Garland, RW, VAN at CHI (10% rostered)
Garland assisted on Nils Hoglander’s goal (honorable mention below) in a 3-0 win against the Flyers on Saturday and he’s averaging 18:51 per game this season with second-line minutes and PP2. That’s four minutes more than what he averaged last season. If Elias Pettersson can wake up, Garland’s fantasy value will get a big boost.
Morgan Frost, C, PHI vs. WSH (7% rostered)
Frost is expected to be Philadelphia’s L1 and PP1 center even though the lines were jumbled at practice due to Scott Laughton’s absence, who was away awaiting the birth of his child. The Flyers offense hasn’t been exciting, but Frost will play with either Matvei Michkov or Travis Konecny on his wing. He remains the center with the most upside on their team.
Max Pacioretty, LW, TOR at CLB (4% rostered)
I do wonder all the time how much Pacioretty has left in the tank, but sitting out two straight games as a healthy scratch definitely provided a little extra motivation, and he responded with a goal against the Lightning on Monday. He’ll play on a scoring line with John Tavares and Nick Robertson and see minutes on PP2. The Jackets are expected to have Elvis Merzlikins back in net, who might not be able to improve their 3.60 GA/GP or 26th-ranked PK.
Drew O’Connor, LW, PIT at CGY (2% rostered)
We are 100% playing the matchup here. With Anthony Beauvillier moved off Sidney Crosby’s line — finally — O’Connor moves back up, and he’s been moderately productive so far with four points in seven games, three of which were scored in the past three games. His ice time will surely increase on the top line, and the good thing is he’s averaging close to two shots per game.
Brett Howden, C, VEG vs. LA (0% rostered)
We’re starting to dig really deep here, and odds are you won’t have to with 32 teams in action. But it’s worth noting Howden moved up to Tomas Hertl’s line last game and responded with a goal, replacing Tanner Pearson, who had stepped in for the injured Victor Olofsson. Howden finished with 17:15 in ice time with three shots, two faceoff wins and three blocks for multi-category coverage.
Zach L’Heureux, LW, NSH vs. BOS (0% rostered)
Call it a hunch as the 27th overall pick in 2021 prepares for his NHL debut. A high-energy player who plays a bit like an unpredictable pinball, L’Heureux has scored 53 points with 201 PIM in 70 games in the AHL. He’s brought in to provide some much-needed jump for the winless Preds, and while he’s expected to play limited minutes on the fourth line, I think if you’re looking for some hits and PIM, L’Heureux might be a sneaky option. I have no doubt he’ll want to make his presence felt early and often.
Defensemen
Philip Broberg, D, STL vs. WPG (25% rostered)
Broberg’s indomitable points streak continues, now sitting at six games. The Blues have found a formidable second pairing in Broberg with Justin Faulk, who was a highly recommended pickup earlier in the season and remains worth rostering. This may not be a high-scoring affair, but you have to keep rolling the dice with the hot hand.
Brayden McNabb, D, VEG vs. LA (14% rostered)
I generally like McNabb as a streaming play because he’s usually good for a few hits and blocks. I like him slightly more than usual in this matchup, however, because he’ll be skating with Shea Theodore rather than Zach Whitecloud as the Knights switch up their “D” pairings. Theodore’s offensive ability will give McNabb a better chance to register a point, and I think they’ll be relying a lot on this pairing after Noah Hanifin-Alex Pietrangelo in a key divisional matchup. Nic Hague and Whitecloud will be on the third pair.
Honorable mentions:
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Casey Mittelstadt, C, COL at SEA (32% rostered) – L2, PP1
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Cole Perfetti, C/LW, WPG at STL (19% rostered) – L2, PP2
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Stefan Noesen, LW/RW, NJ vs. TB (18% rostered) – L3, PP1
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Alex Laferriere, RW, LA at VEG (18% rostered) – L3, PP1
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Nick Foligno, LW, CHI vs. VAN (8% rostered) – L1, PP1
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Nils Hoglander, LW, VAN at CHI (3% rostered) – L2, PP2
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Andreas Athanasiou, C, CHI vs. VAN (1% rostered) – L2, PP2
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Jake Walman, D, SJ at ANA (15% rostered) – L1, PP1
