In this post, I am going to focus on the evening slate, with all games starting at 6 p.m. or later. In addition to my normal Sleeper Picks, I am also going to include a BetMGM parlay for this evening’s slate. For those in Missouri, where sports gambling went live this week on December 1st, you can get up to $1,500 paid back in bonus bets if you don’t win by inputting the promo code: GOALIEBET. More information about the promo and other promos (including Fanatics and FanDuel) can be found here.

Hence, let’s go into our BetMGM parlay pick and Sleeper picks for week nine for today’s NHL slate.

Week Nine BetMGM Parlay

• Toronto Maple Leafs spread (-1.5) over Montreal Canadiens, +170

• Los Angeles Kings moneyline over Chicago Blackhawks, -200

• Over 6.5 goals between Winnipeg Jets and Edmonton Oilers, -105

• +690 payout

In my first BetMGM parlay on Goalie Streamer, I’m focusing on two Canadian rivalry games and a Kings team sitting in third in the Pacific Division behind California rival Anaheim and the Las Vegas Golden Knights.

For the Leafs, Toronto is riding a hot offensive and defensive streak, scoring 16 goals in their last three games and allowing only 4.

The Canadiens will not have Sam Montembault in the net, who’s been struggling as of late, with only one win and one quality start in the last five. That said, this is a Montreal team that isn’t trending in the right direction, and they’re facing a streaking Maple Leafs squad on the road. I think Toronto easily covers in this one.

The Kings have lost three out of their last four, including their most recent contest to the Blackhawks. Los Angeles’ attack has been on a bit of a cold streak, with only four goals in their last three games. That said, their blue line has been solid, as they have only lost by one goal in two of their previous three losses. After a tough road defeat in Chicago, I believe the Kings bounce back at home in the rematch, with Adrian Kempe the key factor, as he was in their win against Vancouver.

Lastly, the Oilers and Jets are two squads that have been mostly offense as of late, with Edmonton scoring 22 goals in their last five games. The Jets will not have Connor Hellebuyck in the net, as he is on the Injured List due to knee surgery.

Furthermore, Stuart Skinner is projected to be in the net for the Oilers, but he can be a bit inconsistent, as illustrated by his 2.90 GAA and .887 save percentage this year. There will be a lot of goals in this game, which is why I picked the over 6.5 goals mark to complete this parlay.

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Sleeper NHL Picks for Week 9

Sleeper has a 60% on NHL picks with five or more selections, which explains why I have five this week instead of the typical three or four. I did make “flex” picks, which gives me some grace if I miss one pick (I would still make money, but the max payout is a little lower).

In terms of my “over picks,” I am going with over 0.5 points for New Jersey’s Jesper Bratt, over 0.5 points for Nashville’s Filip Forsberg, and over 2.5 shots for St. Louis’ Jordan Kyrou.

Bratt is on a bit of a cold streak, with zero points in his last two games. Before that, he had back-to-back two-point efforts against Buffalo and Philadelphia on November 28th and 29th. His production has been a little lower than expected, a product of his 7.8% shooting percentage. However, I like them against the Bruins and goalie Jeremy Swayman, who has 3.86 GAA and .857 save percentage in his last three games.

Nashville will be a massive underdog against Carolina (Hurricanes are -1.5 goal favorites), and Forsberg is on a cold streak, with zero points in the last four games. That said, he still is averaging over three shots a game with a shooting percentage over 10 percent.

It won’t be an easy matchup for the Predators with Brandon Bussi projected to be in between the pipes for Carolina. He has only allowed one goal in his last two starts and has a save percentage of .964 over his past two games. Still, I think he may experience some regression on Saturday in a “less hyped” matchup with Nashville, which Forsberg could benefit from. Hopefully, he can snap that pointless streak on Saturday.

Lastly, in honor of those in Missouri, I am going with St. Louis’ Kyrou to record more than 2.5 shots against the Senators in Ottawa. The Blues have been a disappointment this year, and Kyrou has had his share of on and off-ice issues (he was benched a game earlier this season). Still, Kyrou has been one of their better shot producers in the past three games, as he is averaging 2.3 SOG/G over that time frame.

A promising trend for the Blues is that Ottawa goalie Linus Ullmark, who’s the projected starter, has been a mess recently. He is allowing a 4.02 GAA and an .830 save percentage in his last two starts. Expect the Blues and Kyro to benefit from Ottawa’s leaky defense and goaltending as of late.

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For the under picks, I went with under 2.5 SOG for the Islanders’ Anders Lee and under 23.5 saves for Jakub Dobes, who’s going to start for the Canadiens in goal.

The Islanders have been great this year, as they are tied for third in the Metropolitan Division with 33 points. However, they have had their hands full with Tampa, especially Lee.

In their last game against the Lightning on December 2nd in Long Island, the Islanders beat the Lightning 2-1. However, Lee was shut out in terms of points and SOG. Anders is averaging 2.64 SOG/G this year, but I have a hard time seeing him hit that mark after getting shutout by the Tampa Bay blue line just four days ago, especially with the rematch in Tampa.

With a PDO of 989 and 65.2% IPP, I think Lee has a tough time getting involved in shooting and scoring opportunities in this one, much to the satisfaction of Lightning fans looking for revenge from their one-goal loss earlier this week.

My last Sleeper pick is Dobes, who’s producing a 3.11 GAA and .891 save percentage this year as the Canadiens’ backup goalie.

The deeper metrics don’t favor Dobes in this one. He has a GSAA of -2.53 and a GSAA/60 of -0.19. The GSAx is a little better at 0.2, but barely. He also has a 21% RBS%, which shows that he’s prone to awful outings from time to time, despite the high number of wins (9) for a backup.

The Canadiens will need a sterling performance from Dobes in this one, which means he needs to save more than 23.5 shots. I don’t see it happening tonight, especially with the Leafs looking like such a complete team recently.

Photo Credit: Jeff Roberson/AP

In this post, I am going to review the top goalies from weeks seven and eight, some that had disappointing stretches, and a streamer to pick up for the upcoming week of fantasy play.

Streaming for Week Nine

Per usual for these posts, I typically look at the streaming schedule via TJ Stats’ Fantasy Hockey schedule tool. Here’s what TJ’s team rankings look like for week nine.

The Sharks have the best schedule, with a 4.7 rating from TJ, including four games and three off-night games. The second-best schedule is Anaheim with a 4.6 mark. They have the same four-game, three-off-night slate, but are playing one back-to-back this week (they play tonight in St. Louis after losing to Chicago on Sunday). To avoid Sharks bias on this blog (I am a San Jose fan), I am going to focus on an Anaheim player to stream this week.

My streamer of the week is Olen Zellweger, a Ducks blue-liner who is rostered in 23% of Yahoo leagues.

Zellweger has four points in his last five games. For the year, has 10 points (5 goals) and is averaging 2.04 SOG/G in 26 games played. He is also proving to be a blocks machine, averaging 1.08 Blocks/G, and 0.42 Hits/G to boot.

The 22-year-old Canadian is on a bit of a heater shooting-wise to begin the season, sporting a 9.4% shooting percentage, significantly higher than expected, according to Dobber. His IPP is also a little low at 33.3%, which feels low, even for a defenseman. Thus, there could

On a positive note, his PDO and 5-on-5 shooting percentage are solid and stable, at 1,053 and 11.5%, respectively. Furthermore, Zellweger is getting second-line defenseman and power play duties, resulting in an average TOI of 18:31 and a PP TOI of 1:30. That’s pretty solid for a blue-liner available in 77% of Yahoo leagues.

Considering the Ducks are over-performing and tied for first in the Pacific Division with the rival Kings, I doubt Anaheim changes things up in a way that would negatively affect Zellweger’s ice time anytime soon. That makes him not just a nice streamer for this week, but also one with some season-long upside (especially given his youth).

Now let’s move on to analyzing our goalie “Studs and Duds” from weeks seven and eight.

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Stud: Dan Vladar, PHI (46% Rostered)

Samuel Ersson came into the season as the slight favorite, but Vladar has clearly become the goalie one in Philly now, with 16 starts to Ersson’s eight. However, based on the metrics, one can see why the Flyers have opted to utilize Vladar more in the net this season.

In his 16 games this season, the 28-year-old has 10 wins and 12 quality starts, for a quality start percentage of 75%. He also sports a 2.59 GAA, .906 save percentage, and GSAA of 4.11. The GSAx is also really high at 6.14, the inverse of what his GSAx was a season ago in Calgary (-6.23). He also hasn’t been hurt by Really Bad Starts too severely, but an RBS% of 25% is still higher than his mark a year ago (20%). Seeing some regression there would help him stave off Ersson as the Flyers’ leading goaltender.

Over the past five games, Vladar has four wins and four quality starts with a 2.46 GAA and .913 save percentage. He’s accumulated 30.9 FPTS in KKUPFL over the past two weeks, ranking him ahead of Toronto’s Joseph Woll (30.3 FPTS) and Utah’s Karel Vejmelka (24.3 FPTS).

He has 54% availability on Yahoo, so he’s not widely available in most 12-team formats, especially in category leagues with goalie scoring. However, he may be available in 10-team leagues or more shallow points formats, making him worth a stream for those looking for a goalie boost.

Dud: Frederik Andersen, CAR (51% Rostered)

Andersen leads the Hurricanes' goaltenders with 13 starts. However, that’s been more due to injury issues with Pyotr Kochetkov than Andersen’s play.

The Danish goaltender has only five wins this year, as well as a quality start percentage of 23%, which matches his Really Bad Start percentage. His GAA is 3.07, and his save percentage is .878, both mediocre marks. He also sports a GSAA of -6.32 and GSAx of -1.32, so even the expected metrics don’t paint the 36-year-old in a rosy light.

The last two weeks have been abysmal. He has zero wins and zero quality starts in his previous five games and has accumulated only 0.3 FPTS in KKUPFL formats in his last three starts. In the previous two weeks, he has had a GAA of 3.00, a save percentage of 0.836, and -3.34 GAA with a 66.7% RBS%.

Hence, Andersen is not trending in the right direction statistically, and it’s hard to see him get much better at his age. That could mean even fewer starts in the future for him, especially once Kochetkov returns healthy.

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Stud: Brandon Bussi, CAR (16% Rostered)

A reason why Andersen may be expendable is the emergence of Bussi, a former Bruins prospect whom the Hurricanes acquired off waivers in October. Even though things didn’t quite pan out for Bussi in the Boston organization, he’s been a rookie sensation for Carolina this season.

In eight starts, he has seven wins, a 63% quality start percentage, a 2.11 GAA, 1.75 GSAA, and a .907 save percentage. Over the past two weeks, he has five wins and three quality starts, with a 1.31 GAA, .927 save percentage, and 1.67 GSAA. The GSAA is a little low, but his 4.13 GSAx is a bit more encouraging and suggests Bussi may be in line for more quality starts down the road, especially after his first career shutout in his most recent start against Calgary.

The good thing about Bussi is that the Hurricanes are a quality team, sitting first in the Metropolitan Division with 34 points. That puts him in line for wins on a nightly basis, even when he doesn’t have his best stuff going. That is a profile worth streaming, especially for a goalie available in 84% of Yahoo leagues.

The only issue will be the pending return of Kochetkov, who likely will retake primary goalie duties when he’s healthy. That said, Bussi is showing that he can handle backup goalie duties, which should put Andersen’s tenure in Carolina in jeopardy.

Dud: Justus Annunen, NSH (1% Rostered)

It’s hard to get too worked up about a backup goalie on a bad team (the Predators rank last in the Central with 20 points). Still, even for the most desperate fantasy manager, Annunen is one to avoid on the waiver wire.

In eight games this season, the Finnish goalie has only one win, a quality start percentage of 25% and a Really Bad Start percentage of 63%. His GAA is 3.79, his save percentage is .847, and his GSAA is -8.49. In the last two weeks, he is 0-2-1 with a 3.00 GAA, .836 save percentage, and -3.34 GSAA. He’s also averaged 2.10 FPTS/G in KKUPFL in the last two weeks, not exactly sterling for a backup goalie.

It hasn’t been pretty this year for Annunen, and even with star goalie Juuse Saaros going through a down year (7-9-3, 3.08 GAA, .888 save percentage), it doesn’t seem like Annunen is going to be getting more starts or fantasy production anytime soon.

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Stud: Devin Cooley, CGY (4% Rostered)

After spending all of 2024-2025 in the AHL, Cooley has gotten his shot to back up Dustin Wolf in Calgary, and the 28-year-old American has made the most of his opportunity this year. In 10 games, the Flames’ backup goalie has three wins, an 80% quality start percentage, a 1.88 GAA, a .930 save percentage, and a GSAA of 8.13.

He’s been especially stellar recently, with three wins and five quality starts in his last five games played. Also, in the previous two weeks, he has sported a 1.99 GAA, a .926 save percentage, a 4.01 GSAA, an 8.05 GSAx, and has accumulated 31.8 FPTS in KKUPFL. His latter mark is better than Vladar, Washington’s Logan Thompson, Seattle’s Joey Daccord (23.4 FPTS), and St. Louis’ Jordan Binnington (23.1 FPTS), all primary goalies for their respective teams.

Cooley and Bussi actually had quite the goalie battle in their most recent starts on November 30th. Bussi earned the shutout and victory, but Cooley only gave up one goal and finished with 0.96 GAA and .941 save percentage in the Flames’ 1-0 loss.

Wolf seems entrenched as the primary goalie in Calgary, but Cooley should be a widely sought-after backup in fantasy. This is especially true when the Flames have four-game weeks or three-game weeks with back-to-backs on the slate (which is the case in week nine).

Photo Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Image

I plan on doing some ECHL content in the future (as well as AHL and WHL), mostly revolving around possible “dynasty league” players in the Minors or Juniors worth watching. Expect something next week about ECHL goalies, including Jack LaFontaine of the Mavericks, who earned the shutout and First Star on Friday night at Cable Dahmer Arena.

However, since this is a fantasy hockey blog, we’re going to look at the next two days of games and identify three players (a forward, a defenseman, and a goalie) to stream for the end-of-weekend slate.

Games for November 29th and 30th

It was a tough day for streaming yesterday, with 15 games on the slate. Thus, it was likely that some fantasy hockey managers left some scoring production on the bench (I know I did). It was nice to see the return of Ottawa’s Brady Tkachuk, who notched an assist in his return to the ice in St. Louis.

Saturday and Sunday’s games allow for more nuance in terms of streaming. We have 11 games today and four on Sunday, with the eight teams playing on Sunday holding the best schedule scores this weekend, via TJ Stats.

With many teams coming off Friday night games, there are plenty of opportunities for players to sneak some value against tired squads, especially on Saturday night. Thus, let’s look at players from the Ducks, Predators, and Sharks who should be worth streaming for teams trying to solidify their roto scoring or matchups over the next two days.

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Beckett Sennecke, RW, ANA (15% Rostered)

The 19-year-old rookie who was playing in the OHL last year with the Oshawa Generals is off to a stellar start in his NHL debut campaign. In 24 games played, he has 18 points (7 goals) and averages 0.75 PTS/G and 1.79 SOG/G. He’s also sporting an IPP of 75% and a PDO of 1012. Furthermore, for a rookie, he produces some sneaky banger value, with 0.96 Hits/G.

Sennecke has been on fire lately with six points in his last six games, including three assists in his previous three. According to Left Wing Lock, the Canadian rookie is getting second-line duty in Anaheim with Chris Kreider and Martin McTavish. Thus, it’s not a surprise that he’s become an assist machine, especially recently, with five assists in his last seven.

Fantasy managers looking for goals may get disappointed with Sennecke’s long-term outlook. His season shooting percentage is high at 16.3%, a sign that regression is on the horizon. In fact, he’s starting to see that shooting regression is happening, as he's shooting 7.1% in his last seven games.

While he may not be a dependable goal producer, Sennecke is a points machine whose stock is rising, especially with the Ducks thriving under first-year head coach Joel Quenneville. With 85% availability in Yahoo leagues, he should not just be streamed for Sunday’s game, but also be a hold long-term.

Nick Blankenburg, D, NSH (1% Rostered)

I benched Blankenburg yesterday in my KKUPFL league, thinking a regression game was coming after his one-goal, one-assist performance (8.75 FPTS in KKUPFL) on November 26th against Detroit. However, he made me look like an idiot with one assist, three shots on goal, and three blocks, good for 6.00 FPTS in KKUPFL.

The 27-year-old blue liner is producing solid output as a player available in 99% of Yahoo leagues. In 14 games, he’s averaging 0.71 PTS/G, 1.79 SOG/G, 1.00 Hits/G, and 0.93 Blocks/G. He also sports a 66.7% IPP and 962 PDO, pretty solid marks for a third-line defenseman.

Blankenburg has four points in his last three games. He is also averaging 0.67 PTS/G in his previous six games and 0.80 PPP/60 in his last ten, including a 10.5% shooting percentage over that same time frame.

The American blue liner has thrived as the Predators’ power-play quarterback, averaging 2:46 PP TOI this season. That alone should make him a more rostered player, even with the Predators sitting in last in the Central Division.

On a positive note, the Predators are averaging more shots forced (27.9 SF/G) than shots allowed (27 SA/G), which could hint at a future upward trend in goal production (-25 goal difference). It seems like Blankenburg is helping Nashville in that area and should continue to have a hand in it going forward, making him a player worth streaming.

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Alex Nedeljkovic, G, SJS (3% Rostered)

I’m a Sharks fan, so I feel like a homer having another San Jose goalie in this post. That said, this seems like a great matchup for the Sharks' backup, who’s been having a solid season after coming over from Pittsburgh this offseason.

In 10 games this year, the American goalie has three wins and is producing a 3.02 GAA and a .901 save percentage. He also has a GSAA of 1.28 and a quality start percentage of 40% (four total this year). All those metrics are around what he did a season ago with the Penguins.

Now, there are some metrics of concern. His GSAE is mediocre at -1.53. However, the good thing about Nedeljkovic is that he’s minimizing the Really Bad Starts, a trend for him the past two years. After sporting a 28.9% RBS percentage two seasons ago, he had an 18.4% RBS percentage last year with the Penguins and has a 10% RBS percentage with the Sharks. That’s what a club wants to see from their backup goalie.

The Sharks are coming off a 3-2 win in Vancouver on Friday. Thus, the squad may be a bit fatigued, and that should be a concern against a team like Vegas. However, the Golden Knights have been cold on the attack recently, with only five goals in their last three games. Furthermore, they have a -1 Goal Differential this year, so they’ve been a bit of a disappointment this season so far.

The Golden Knights have been inconsistent on offense, but they do a good job of getting shots, ranking second in the Pacific with 30.1 SF/G. The combination of a lot of shots from Vegas, their lackluster scoring efficiency, a Sharks blue line that gives up a lot of shots, and a solid backup goalie in Nedeljkovic should result in some solid fantasy production for those managers willing to stream the Sharks’ goaltender for tonight’s game.

Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

We got a full slate of games on Wednesday, with 15 games tonight. The only teams not playing are the Kings and Oilers. With no games on Thanksgiving, it makes sense that the NHL has a full slate today and on Friday (15 games).

In this post, I am going to share my Sleeper NHL picks, focusing on players from the Flames, Avalanche, Bruins, and Flyers.

Nazem Kadri, CGY, Over 0.5 Goals

Kadri has been on a hot streak, with seven points in his last four games. However, all seven of his points have been assists, and his shooting percentage over the previous 10 games is low as well, at 2.8% (he has only one goal over that time frame).

Tampa Bay has sported a tough blue line this year, especially recently. They have only allowed 2.71 GA/G and 24.1 SA/G in their last seven games. That said, the Flames are averaging 31.4 S/G over the previous two weeks, the third-highest mark in the NHL. Thus, it will be the Flames’ hot attack versus the Lightning’s brick wall defense in this one, especially with Andrei Vasilevskiy in the net.

Nonetheless, I like the Flames in this one and think Kadri, who’s due for a goal, will be able to find the net against a tough Tampa Bay team.

Gabriel Landeskog, COL, Over 2.5 Shots

Landeskog has been a bit frigid in terms of production this year, especially in the last two weeks (though that’s to be expected considering all the injury issues he’s dealt with over the past three seasons). He’s only averaging 0.32 PTS/G and 1.45 SOG/G in 22 games played. His five-on-five shooting percentage is also slightly lower than expected at 8.0%, according to Dobber. Furthermore, he has just one point in his last four games and is averaging 0.40 PTS/G in his previous ten.

The Sharks have been a nice story this year, as their 25 points tie them for fifth in the Pacific Division with the Edmonton Oilers. However, while goalie Yaroslav Askarov has been an absolute stud this year, the San Jose blue line gives up a lot of shots. They are allowing 31.1 SA/G, the highest in the Pacific and Western Division. On the flip side, the Avalanche produces the most S/G in the Western Division at 33.

Landeskog may not get points or find the net, but I think he will get three or more shots against the Sharks’ blue line, especially at home.

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David Pastrnak, BOS, Over 1.5 Points

Pastrnak has been a scoring machine for a Boston team that is third in the Atlantic Division with 26 points (behind only Tampa and Detroit). While the rest of the Bruins’ attack has been cold (six goals in their last three games), the 29-year-old Czech winger has three points in his previous three games and 10 points in his last seven. Over the previous two weeks, he has averaged 1.43 PTS/G, 3.6 SOG/G, and has five power-play points.

Much like Kadri and the Flames, Pasta and the Bruins go up against a scorching hot blue line in the Islanders, who are allowing just 1.86 GA/G over the past two weeks. Thus, picking Pastrnak to get two points seems a bit overzealous at the surface level, especially with Ilya Sorokin confirmed in the net for the Islanders (he’s overcome a cold start and been back to expected).

That said, the Islanders are averaging only 2.57 GF/G in that time frame, the same as the Bruins. I think Boston can impose their style on New York, and if that’s the case, Pastrnak is the most likely to produce, as evidenced by his 76.3% IPP this season.

Trevor Zegras, PHI, Under 1.5 Shots

It’s been a turnaround season for Zegras since coming over from Anaheim to Philadelphia this offseason. He is averaging a point per game and 2.38 SOG/G, and sports a PDO of 1,015 and an IPP of 80.8%, showing how involved he is in the Flyers’ attack. According to Left Wing Lock, Zegras is getting second-line duties and is on the first power play line, and his minutes (18:29 TOI; 2:38 PP TOI) illustrate that.

Zergas has scored points in his last six games, including three goals. His shooting percentage over that period is 14.3%, and he is averaging 3.5 SOG/G. Thus, he should be an easy over on the 1.5 SOG/G mark.

However, the Flyers are on the road against a tough Florida Panthers team that is 4-2 in their last six games. The Panthers are allowing a lot of shots in the past two weeks (28.8 SA/G), but they are also forcing a lot of shots too (30 SF/G). Conversely, the Flyers are averaging only 25 SF/G over the past two weeks, the ninth-lowest mark in the NHL.

I think Zegras suffers in this matchup and isn’t able to overcome that 1.5 SOG mark in Florida this evening.

Photo Credit: David Zalubowski/AP

The week wasn’t totally bereft of posts on Goalie Streamer. I wrote an Underdog Fantasy post with four player picks for Saturday’s slate.

I hit on the Seider over 2.5 shots pick. Unfortunately, my Geekie, Aho, and Bedard over points picks all fell flat, as they combined for zero points on Monday. I plan to do more picks posts in the future, though I think I'll do more of those DFS picks on Sleeper, which seems more NHL- and hockey-friendly than Underdog.

Most of you follow me here on Substack or Bluesky, but I have a dedicated Twitter account for Goalie Streamer that can be found here. In addition to sharing my posts from Goalie Streamer there, I will also be posting some hockey-related content on Twitter, whether it’s fantasy hockey, the NHL, WHL, ECHL, or AHL.

Streaming for Week Seven

Here’s how Week 7 looks schedule-wise via TJ Stats and his fantasy hockey schedule summary app.

Boston (5.1), Buffalo (4.9), and Carolina (4.8) have the best schedules this week, with not only four games, but four off-night contests to boot. Teams to avoid include Pittsburgh (1.9), Ottawa (1.7), Philadelphia (1.4), and Nashville (0.8). So if you’re looking for help on the waiver wire, go with the three above and try to avoid teams from the four below to maximize your streaming value.

Speaking of streaming, my streamer skater of the week is Mason Lohrei, a defenseman for the Bruins.

With injury issues to Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm, Lohrei has gotten extended time on the ice, including time on the Bruins’ primary blue line. He has eight points in his last seven games, and is sporting a shooting percentage of 18.2%, a PTS/60 of 2.3, and a PDO of 1,024 this season. Lohrei also provides some nice value with blocks, as he has 18 for the year and is averaging 1.20 per game.

Lohrei doesn’t get in the box much, as he is only averaging 0.13 PIM. Thus, those in extreme banger leagues where PIM is a scoring category may want to look for other options. For the season, the 24-year-old American is averaging 17:19 TOI and 1:37 PP TOI, not bad for a defenseman who is available in 96% of Yahoo leagues, as of Sunday.

Now, let’s move on to our goalie “Studs and Duds” from the previous two weeks.

Stud: Jeremy Swayman, BOS (85% Rostered)

The Boston goaltender has been a brick wall for the Bruins, who sit in first place in the Atlantic Division with 24 points. Swayman has five wins and five quality starts in his last five games. Over that time span, he also has a 2.37 GAA, .923 save percentage, and 3.97 GSAA.

A Tier 2 goalie going into the season, the 26-year-old goalie ranks ninth overall in KKUPFL scoring with 69.3 FPTS in 12 games played. He also sports a 2.99 GAA, a .902 save percentage, a 1.80 GSAA, and a Quality Start% of 75%.

The combination of Swayman’s solid goaltending, and him being between the pipes for one of the league’s better teams has made the American one of the better goalies in fantasy hockey to start the season, even with Jonas Korpisalo getting decent time as a backup (eight games).

Dud: John Gibson, DET (32% Rostered)

After spending his entire career with the Ducks, Gibson came over to Detroit to give Cam Talbot some help in the net. So far, it hasn’t been a friendly transition to Motown for 32-year-old goalie.

In 11 starts this year, Gibson only has four wins and a winning percentage of 36%. He sports a 3.31 GSAA and .875 save percentage with a -5.88 GSAA. His quality start% is medicore at 36% and his Really Bad Start percentage is close to that QS% at 27%. A nine percent difference between those two metrics isn’t an encouraging sign going forward for the former Anaheim goaltender.

The last two weeks haven’t been kind to Gibson. In four starts, he doesn’t have a win and he has only one quality start in his last five. Over the last two weeks, he has a 3.30 GAA, 0.876 save percentage, and -2.01 GSAA. Talbot has been better with a 2.82 GAA and .894 save percentage, as well as six wins in 10 starts.

If Gibson’s cold streak continues, the Red Wings may opt for the older Talbot in the net way more often going forward.

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Stud: Yaroslav Askarov, SJS (51% Rostered)

Not too long ago, I was talking about how Askarov was a dud, especially after a cold start to the season.

However, over the past two weeks, the Russian goalie has demonstrated why the Sharks acquired him from the Predators a couple of seasons ago.

In his last four starts, Askarov is 4-1 with 0.99 GAA, .971 save percentage, and 12.51 GSAA. Frankly, the 23-year-old has been elite between the pipes for San Jose, and his four wins and five quality starts in his last five games illustrates that.

The overall stat line has stabilized a bit for Askarov, who has accumulated 60.3 FPTS in KKUPFL, putting him ahead of other goalies like New Jersey’s Jake Allen and Edmonton’s Stuart Skinner. For the season, he sports a 3.00 GAA, .905 save percentage, and 2.95 GSAA. That puts him as one of the top 20 goalies in fantasy hockey right now.

The primary concern with Askarov is the Sharks blue line, which gives up a lot of shots. When Askarov is locked in, he’s going to produce a lot of saves. When he’s not, it’s going to get ugly, as was the case earlier in the year. That said, with the Sharks looking better than a year ago, he deserves to be rostered in more than 51% of leagues.

Dud: Calvin Pickard, EDM (10% Rostered)

The Oilers are treading water in the middle of the Pacific Division and Western Conference with 22 points. As has been the case with Oilers teams in the past, the goaltending has been good, but still suspect at times.

Skinner is doing fine with a 7-4-3 record in 14 starts and 2.77 GAA and .890 save percentage. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case for Pickard, Edmonton’s backup, who has been brutal this season in limited action.

In seven starts, Pickard has only two wins and one quality start. His GAA is 4.17, his save percentage is 0.830, and his GSAA -10.62. All those are below-average marks and explains why his rostered percentage is low at 10 percent.

It’s been particularly brutal over the past two weeks, as he is sporting a 5.26 GAA, 0.809 save percentage, and -6.00 GSAA. Oiler fans understand that Pickard, even as a backup, is a problem for Edmonton and their Stanley Cup hopes. However, with a barren goalie market, they will have to hold onto him for now.

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Stud: Jesper Wallstedt, MIN (14% Rostered)

The Wild have been a hot defensive team recently, with only two goals allowed in their last three games. While the blue line deserves credit, the Minnesota goaltending has also stepped up big time, especially Wallstedt, a 23-year-old rookie.

In his past three games, the Swedish goalie has three wins, two shutouts, a 0.67 GAA, a .978 save percentage, and 7.37 GSAA. Over a larger sample, he has four wins and five quality starts in his six appearances this season, complete with a 2.10 GAA, .924 save percentage, and 4.61 GSAA.

As a result of this stellar start, Wallstedt is now 14% rostered in Yahoo leagues. That makes him an ideal streaming candidate for those in dire need of goalie help.

He does still hold a backup role to fellow Filip Gustavsson, who has five wins this year as well as a 2.99 GAA, 0.898 save percentage, and GSAA of 0.23 this year. However, many of Gustavsson’s categories are down, including his 57.1% quality start percentage, which is an 11.9% decline from a year ago.

If this performance continues from the Wild’s primary goalie, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Wallstedt steal more starts going forward.

Dud: Charlie Lindgren, WAS (8% Rostered)

The Capitals are a mess. They sit in last place in the Metropolitan Division with 18 points and the team has seemed to show its age and decline, much like star player and future Hall of Famer, Alex Ovechkin. While the offense has been a problem (only 51 goals scored, tied for last in the division), the blue line has actually kept the Capitals competitive (48 goals allowed, tied for lowest in the division).

The goaltending for the Capitals has been strong, but that is mostly due to primary goalie Logan Thompson. The former Golden Knight has a 1.85 GAA, .924 save percentage and 11 quality starts in his 13 games played this season. His 72.6 FPTS are the sixth-best mark for goalies in KKUPFL this season.

It hasn’t been as rosy for Lindgren, the Caps’ backup.

The 31-year-old American goalie is on a cold streak, with zero wins and quality starts in his last four games. Over the past two weeks, he has only made two starts, and he has produced a 3.42 GAA, 0.870 save percentage, and -1.44 GSAA in those pair of outings. In five starts this year, he has a 3.59 GAA, .878 save percentage, and -2.86 GSAA with a 20% quality start percentage and 40% Really Bad Start percentage.

Lindgren hasn’t been terrible. That said, with Thompson so clearly entrenched as Washington’s main goalie, and the Capitals’ scoring struggles, he’s not even a great third goalie option. He won’t get many outings, the stats aren’t great, and it’s unlikely that he’ll steal any wins unless Washington’s attack turns it around soon.

By the time he does turn it around, he may not be around in the Nation’s Capital.

Photo Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

With a slate of 13 games on Saturday, I figured it would be a good idea to do an Underdog Fantasy Picks post.

In this post, I will focus on four players to pick on Underdog Fantasy and what “prop” to pick for their respective games today. For those who are looking to stream in fantasy over the next two days, below is the Fantasy Hockey Schedule Summary from TJ Stats, which shows the best teams to pick from if you’re looking for streaming options.

Vegas, Detroit, Minnesota, Tampa, and the New York Rangers are the best teams to stream this weekend, as all five teams have back-to-back games. The Golden Knights have the best schedule of the group, with a 2.0 score, thanks to contests against St. Louis and Minnesota, who are also coming off back-to-backs.

Now, let’s take a look at my Underdog Fantasy Picks for today’s games.

Morgan Geekie, BOS, Higher 0.5 Points

Geekie has seven points in his last five games, with two points in his previous game on November 13th at Ottawa. Over the last week of games (3), he is shooting 20% and averaging 1.67 PTS/G. His 26.1% Shooting% and 3.1 PTS/60 are high marks, but only slightly, according to Dobber Hockey’s Buy/Sell meter.

With that latter point known, things seemed primed for Geekie to have a solid performance against a Canadiens team struggling on defense. The Montreal blue line is giving up 4.00 GA/GP and 26.6 SA/GOP and has given up 4+ goals in five games and 5+ goals in two games in their past nine contests. While Boston is on the road, the Bruins should be hyped for this rivalry contest on Saturday evening, which should benefit Geekie.

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Mortiz Seider, DET, High 2.5 Shots

The shooting numbers haven’t been great for the Red Wings’ blue liners, as he is sporting a 5% Shooting%, 8.3% 5-on-5 Shooting%, and 1.1 PTS/60. That said, he is still averaging 2.35 SOG/G this season, and he gets considerable minutes as a first-line defensman (25:22 TOI) and power-play quarterback (3:47 PP TOI).

The Red Wings play a Sabres team that has allowed 4.33 goals per game in their past three contest as well as 34 shots per game over that same time span. In his past three games, Seider is averaging three shots per game and 7.1 shots per 60 minutes. Thus, while I question the scoring ability against Buffalo, I do believe Seider will get three or more shots off on goal.

Sebastian Aho, CAR, Higher 0.5 Points

Aho has been on a tear lately, having seven points in the last six games. The 28-year-old center has been one of the Hurricanes’ more dependable scorers, as he is averaging 0.41 goals per game and 1.06 PTS/G in 20:13 TOI and 3:08 PP TOI this season.

In Aho’s past four games, he’s averaging 1.25 PTS/G and has a Shooting% of 20%. That is a good matchup against an Edmonton blue line that has allowed 4.17 goals per game over its last six contests.

The Oilers have been a slight disappointment overall after reaching the Stanley Cup Finals a season ago. They sit in fourth place in the Pacific Division with 20 points, which isn’t bad, but still underwhelming considering the roster that returned. Could the Oilers turn it around? Sure, but I think Aho and the Hurricanes will get their fair share of scoring tonight.

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Connor Bedard, CHI, Higher 1.5 Points

After stagnating a bit last season after a promising rookie campaign in 2023-2024, Bedard has come out on fire this season. Not only has he led the Blackhawks to 20 points this year, but he is also averaging 1.53 PTS/G, 3.18 SOG/G, and an IPP of 81.3%.

Of course, some of the shooting metrics are pretty high, even for his talented standards. His Shooting% is 18.5% and his 5-on-5 Shooting% is 13.3%, which are much higher than his 11.8% and 9.2%, respectively, a season ago. He has also been on a particularly scorching tear in his last three games, with three goals, eight points, and a Shooting% of 37.5%. Obviously, that latter mark isn’t going to stay that high for much longer.

Nonetheless, Chicago faces a Leafs team that has given up 4.17 goals and 36 shots per game over its previous six. Considering how hot Bedard is playing and how crucial he is to the Blackhawks’ attack, it seems likely that Bedard has another multi-point effort in him at home on Saturday night.

Photo Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

Chicago, Toronto, and Seattle have the most advantageous schedules this week, all with ratings over four via TJ Stats. The Blackhawks have three off nights this week, making them an ideal team to target for fantasy managers looking for streaming help.

A streaming option for fantasy managers that should be available is Andre Burakovsky, a right winger for Chicago. He has five points in his last three games and has been benefiting from playing on the Chicago first line with Ilya Mikheyev and Connor Bedard.

With 17:05 TOI and 1:51 PP TOI, it’s surprising that Burakovsky is still available in 98% of Yahoo leagues. Then again, I get that some fantasy hockey managers may be dubious about his outlook, and he’s a harder pickup in shallower leagues (especially 10-team ones).

He’s only valuable in terms of scoring, as he doesn’t offer much in hits (5) or blocked shots (3). His 26.7% shooting percentage is also pretty fluky and due for regression, which could start this week with all four games on the road. However, his PDO and IPP numbers are pretty solid for a player of his rostered percentage, so I think fantasy managers should buy Burakovsky for now with the caveat that he should be an easy waiver when the shooting metrics go down (or if he loses first-line time).

That’s my streamer of the week. Now, let’s go into the goalie “studs” and “duds” from week four.

Stud: Tristan Jarry, PIT (38% Rostered)

It’s been a bit of a 180 for the Penguins this year, as they have gotten off to a great start this season (unlike a year ago). Pittsburgh’s 18 points ties them with New Jersey for the best mark in the Metropolitan division. While the team isn’t exactly young—featuring stars like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Erik Karlsson —they are playing excellent, watchable hockey over the first four weeks of the season.

Another encouraging development has been Jarry, who has been a stud after bouncing between the AHL and NHL last season. In his previous four games, he has four wins and three quality starts, and he’s produced a 2.01 GAA and a .929 save percentage in week four. For the season, his GAA is 2.35, his save percentage is .923, and he’s also sporting a GSAA of 4.85 and a GSAE of 5.42.

The improvement for Jarry this year has been his ability to limit the brutal outings. Over the past two seasons, his RBS (Really Bad Start) percentage was 25.5% in 2023-2024 and 22.2% in 2024-2025. This year it’s only 16.7%.

Suppose Jarry continues to limit these bad outings in the future (keeping that RBS below 21%). In that case, he should be a dependable fantasy hockey goalie, even if he is splitting time in the net with fellow Penguins goalie Arturs Silovs.

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Dud: Jordan Binnington, STL (79% Rostered)

Is the bottoming out finally happening for Binnington?

The Blues goalie flirted with significant regression last year, as his RBS was 25%, 11% higher than his 2023-2024 mark. He also saw his QS% drop by 4.3%, another discouraging sign regarding his fantasy outlook for this season. Still, with a 2.69 GAA, .900 save percentage, and 28 wins in 56 starts, it’s hard to ignore Binnington in fantasy drafts, especially with his name power.

Ranked No. 25 by Dobber in the preseason (Tier 3 status), Binnington has failed to live up to the preseason hype, even if it’s more measured than in previous seasons. His GAA is 3.21, his save percentage is .860, and his GSAA is -6.84.

The Canadian goalie has also been awful recently. He has zero wins and quality starts in his last four games, and he has a 3.99 GAA, 0.813 save percentage, and -5.41 GSAA over the past week (three starts). The Blues don’t have an easy slate either this week, with games against Edmonton, Washington, Buffalo, and Seattle looming (Washington and Buffalo are on the road).

The only saving grace for fantasy managers that roster Binnington is that Blues backup Joel Hofer has been pretty bad with a 5.16 GAA and 0.829 save percentage in five games. Nonetheless, a rebound from Binnington this week would be nice, or else managers who roster him may need to part with him sooner rather than later, especially since he’s only averaging 1.67 FPTS/G in KKUPFL points formats. That is the fifth-worst mark of qualified goalies, according to Dobber.

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Stud: Jonas Johansson, TBL (2% Rostered)

I know it’s hard for fantasy managers to roster a Tampa Bay goalie that’s not named Andrei Vasilevskiy. However, while Johansson is a clear backup, he’s making the case as a streaming option, especially for those in deeper leagues.

The Swedish goalie has been on fire recently, with three wins and four quality starts in his last four games. Johansson also had another stellar start on Sunday against Utah as he made 27 saves on 29 shots in a winning effort (the Lightning beat the Mammoth 4-2). In Sunday’s win, he also had a GAA of 2.00, a GSAA of 0.78, and a save percentage of 0.926, all worthwhile marks.

For the season, Johansson is sporting a 2.78 GAA, a 2.49 GSAA, and a .916 save percentage in four games played. The only blemish on his profile right now is a -2.79 GSAE. That lackluster mark hints that the 30-year-old may be due for some regression in other categories soon, especially as he garners more starts in net over the course of the season.

Even though he shouldn’t be a primary option on any fantasy roster, he could be a nice third goalie option for fantasy teams, though it won’t be an easy slate this week for him and the Lightning. They travel to Colorado and Vegas this week before finishing with a home game against Washington on Saturday.

Photo Credit: Rebecca Blackwell/Associated Press

With this in mind, I figured it would be good to do a quick post on three players to target this weekend for fantasy managers desperate for last-minute fantasy production before their Week 4 matchups (or scoring periods in roto) end. Thus, let’s take a look at three players (one forward, one defenseman, and one goalie) that fantasy managers should be looking to stream either tonight or early tomorrow morning.

Forward: Jonatan Berggren, RW, DET (0% Rostered)

The 25-year-old Swede is on third-line duties with the Red Wings, which has limited him to only 12:23 TOI this season through six games. However, it seems like he’s been off to a hot start and meshing well with a line that includes Andrew Copp and J.T. Compher. Berggren has two goals, two assists, four points, and 10 shots on goal this season, with all four of his points coming in the last four games.

Granted, there appear to be significant sustainability issues with Berggren’s start.

His 20% shooting percentage, 3.2 pts/60, and 100% secondary assist percentage are all categorized as “significantly higher than expected” by Dobber. Hence, Berggren should be seen as more of a “temporary” weekend streaming fix rather than a long-term one, especially with advantageous matchups against Anaheim and San Jose this weekend (Friday and Sunday).

I thought about Compher here, but the reason why I chose Berggren is that the Swede is getting more second power-play unit time, unlike Compher, who wasn’t in the power play in their last game against the Blues. Thus, for a weekend stream, I would rather ride the younger hot hand in Berggren over Compher.

Defenseman: Brenden Dillon, D, NJ (21% Rostered)

The Devils play the Sharks in San Jose on Thursday, so they have a late one (they’ve just started at the time of this writing). They continue their West Coast trip with visits to Los Angeles and Anaheim, but they get Friday off (they play the Kings on Saturday and the Ducks on Sunday). That schedule slate should help Dillon, who averages 18:31 TOI, but doesn’t get much, if any, power play time (0:01 PP TOI).

The Kings will be a tough matchup Saturday, but Sunday's game against the Ducks is more manageable. Dillon, who is getting second-line duty on the blue line with Simon Nemec, has been getting decent scoring production with two goals, three assists, and five points in 10 games. Furthermore, Dillon is averaging 2.40 hits/game and 1.80 blocked shots/game. Thus, he’s the kind of streamer who can boost a fantasy team’s banger categories over the weekend.

Like Berggren, Dillon’s shooting percentage is unsustainably high at 20%, as is 15.9% 5-on-5 shooting percentage, and 1.6 PTS/60. Still, his solidified role on the Devils' blue line and upside in the banger categories make Dillon worth a stream, especially with that game on Sunday.

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Goalie: Dan Vladar, PHI (25% rostered)

Primary Flyer goalie Samuel Ersson has landed on the IL. As a result, Vladar has earned more time in the net, and he seems to be gaining confidence, which could make the Philadelphia goalie situation one to watch when Ersson returns.

In six games played, the Czech goalie has four wins, five quality starts, a 1.67 GAA, a 4.20 GSAA, and a .939 save percentage. His GSAA above average/60 is also solid at 0.70, as is his GSAE at 2.93. In terms of KKUPFL points scoring, he ranks 12th overall with 43.5 FPTS, according to Dobber.

The 28-year-old was primarily a backup in Calgary, but he competed well in Training Camp and earned the Opening Night start for the Flyers over the incumbent Ersson. Thankfully for the Flyers, Vladar has put up “primary” worthy goalie metrics so far this season, making him an enticing fantasy option who’s still widely available in most leagues (available in 75% of Yahoo leagues).

The Flyers have home matchups against Toronto and Calgary this week. Both teams have underwhelmed this year, sitting at the bottom of the standings in the Atlantic and Pacific, respectively. New backup Aleksei Kolosov will likely get one of those starts, but Vladar, who had 33 saves on 34 shots in a 4-1 win over Nashville on Thursday, should succeed in net this weekend, whether it’s against the Maple Leafs or Flames.

Photo Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images

I probably won’t post a ton, but will try to focus more on goalies than skaters, to give the publication some clearer direction (which will help with posting and analysis). I will try to do a thorough piece on Sunday evening, and then maybe have a post on a light night during the week, to preview the upcoming weekend of games.

As illustrated in previous posts on this publication, I will primarily use stats from Dobber’s Frozen Tools, with some materials from TJ Stats, which offers hockey-related apps in addition to its baseball ones.

In this first post of the 2025-2026 season, I will look at the schedule ahead this week and share my goalie “studs” and “duds” through week three.

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Looking at Week Four (And a Goalie to Stream)

October 28th is “Frozen Frenzy” day, meaning all teams are playing. That doesn’t make things easy for streaming purposes. That likely means it will be a light-streaming day for managers who like to maximize their lineup with different pickups throughout the week.

For those who want to stream, Detroit has two off-night games on Friday and Sunday, giving them the best schedule of the week, according to TJ Stats. The Islanders have the same off-night schedule, though I like Detroit’s Anaheim and San Jose road slates over New York’s Washington and Columbus combo (the Islanders get the Blue Jackets at home at least).

In terms of the goalie situation, the Islanders may be the better option for goalie streaming purposes. New York has had some goalie issues with their primary goaltender, Ilya Sorokin, so far this season (more on that later). Thus, fantasy managers may eye backup David Rittich as an option, with two starts possible this week.

Rittich is only rostered in 3% of Yahoo leagues and sports a 2.01 GAA, a .939 save percentage, and a GSAA of 2.60. He’s also had quality starts in both of his appearances, making him an efficient option between the pipes when he’s in.

Now, let’s look at our three goalie “studs” and three “duds” from week 3 (all rostered data comes from Yahoo).

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Stud: Jakub Dobes, MON (42% Rostered)

It’s been a stellar start for the 24-year-old Czech goaltender, who’s coming off a pretty impressive 16-game campaign with the Canadiens.

Last season, Dobes went 7-4-3 with a 2.74 GAA, .909 save percentage, and 50% quality start percentage. As a result, Montreal has Dobes splitting time with incumbent starter Sam Montembault, and Dobes has been the one producing the much better numbers so far.

In five starts, Dobes has five wins, five quality starts, a GSAA of 6.00, a GAA of 1.77, and a save percentage of .940. Conversely, Montembault has two wins, one quality start, a GSAA of -7.00, a GAA of 3.82, and a save percentage of .842. Add that with a 60% Really Bad Start percentage (RBS), and it makes sense why some in Montreal are clamoring for the younger Dobes to take over as the primary starter.

I think it’s too early to give up on Montembault totally. However, fantasy managers with goalie needs should be picking up Dobes if he’s available on the waiver wire, though this week’s two-game slate for the Canadiens (tied for worst schedule this week, according to TJ Stats) doesn’t make him an ideal fit for those needing “immediate” production at goaltender.

Dud: Ilya Sorokin, NYI (93% Rostered)

Sorokin was identified as a Tier 1 goalie by Dobber and ranked sixth overall in their preseason Top 100 rankings. However, Sorokin has been anything but a Top-10 goalie so far this season in fantasy.

In six starts, the Russian goalie has only one quality start and two wins. He also is sporting a -4.30 GSAA, a .876 save percentage, and a GAA of 3.70. The Goals Saved Above Expected is only slightly below average at -0.45, and he does have a Quality Weeks% of 33.3, which hints at some positive regression soon. Still, for those who drafted Sorokin expecting him to carry your roster as your primary goalie, it’s been a rough go through the first three weeks (which I am experiencing in my KKUPFL league).

Stud: Alex Lyon, BUF (30% Rostered)

The Sabres have been a bit of a surprise this year. They have nine points, tying them for fourth in the Atlantic Division with Toronto and Ottawa and putting them ahead of Boston and Tampa Bay. It may just be a fast start, but it’s appreciated nonetheless by a tortured Sabres fanbase.

A key catalyst to the Sabres’ surprising start has been the play of Lyon between the pipes. According to Dobber, Lyon leads all goalies in KKUPFL points scoring with 48.9 points this year (a 6.99 FPTS/G mark), as of Sunday, October 26th. The 32-year-old Buffalo goalie’s fantasy points total is ahead of bigger names like Seattle’s Joey Daccord, Nashville’s Juuse Saaros, and Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck (who’s also the two-time reigning Vezina Trophy winner).

Lyon is also looking great in category formats as well, with three wins, six quality starts, a GSAA of 5.10, a GAA of 2.61, and a save percentage of .922. His 5.04 Goals Saved Above Expected is also solid, showing he’s been as legit as his stat line suggests. Buffalo has a three-game schedule this week with Columbus at home, Boston on the road (who play the previous night), and Washington at home. The Capitals (12 points) will be a tough test, but the Blue Jackets and Bruins (both eight points) should be more manageable matchups.

Dud: Dustin Wolf, CGY (96% Rostered)

Wolf was damn good last year in his first full season with the Flames. In 53 games, he collected 29 wins, and posted a 2.64 GAA, a .910 save percentage, and 56.6% quality start percentage.

It hasn’t quite been as smooth a start for the 24-year-old American goalie. In eight starts, he has only one win, and he is sporting a 3.68 GAA, a .875 save percentage, and 38% quality start percentage. His advanced data isn’t great either, as he has posted GSAA and GSAE of -5.60 and -6.1, respectively, so far this season.

This may be a rough stretch for Wolf and the Flames, who sit in the basement of the Pacific Division with only three points. However, it’s been a disappointing start for a Tier 1 goalie who was ranked No. 10 in Dobber’s preseason Top 100 goalie rankings. The Flames have a tough four-game road trip on the East Coast this week, with visits to Toronto, Ottawa, Nashville, and Philadelphia.

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Stud: Elvis Merzlikins, CBJ (14% Rostered)

Merzlikins was ranked as a Tier 4 goalie and 38th overall in the preseason, according to Dobber. In KKUPFL points leagues, he’s accumulated 29.4 FPTS, putting him ahead of goalies such as Anaheim’s Lukas Dostal (27 points), Edmonton’s Stuart Skinner (26.4 points), and Vegas’ Akira Schmid (24.9 points).

In terms of categories, the 31-year-old Latvian has collected three wins and three quality starts in four games played. He also sports a 2.96 GAA, a .914 save percentage, a 2.00 GSAA, and 2.72 GSAE. Those are all good numbers, though he doesn’t have a ton of starts due to fellow Blue Jackets goalie Jet Greaves, who’s been nearly as impressive in the same number of starts this year.

Greaves has only one win, but has three quality starts, a GAA of 2.79, and a save percentage of .902. He is also rostered in 36% of Yahoo leagues, which shows that fantasy hockey managers think Greaves has the better upside this year and could earn more starts once Merzlikins begins to fade.

Nonetheless, Merzlikins has produced, and he could be a good streaming option, even if he isn’t generating a ton of starts in a given week.

Dud: Yaroslav Askarov, SJS (18% Rostered)

The highly touted young Russian goalie was expected to gain more time in the pipes, especially after Mackenzie Blackwood was traded to Colorado last year. It’s been a bit better tonight against Minnesota, as he has 16 saves and is holding a one-goal lead in the third period after allowing three goals to the Wild.

Still, it’s not quite the start Sharks fans were hoping for from Askarov.

In five starts, Askarov has no wins, one quality start, a 4.51 GAA, and an .858 save percentage. His -6.20 GSAA and -3.48 GSAE are also lackluster marks that haven’t generated much encouragement among fantasy managers and frustrated Sharks fans. As a result, veteran Alex Nedeljkovic has been splitting time with Askarov between the pipes and may earn more starts if the 23-year-old rookie continues to struggle.

It’s not like Nedeljkovic’s stats are all that better (which makes sense as the Sharks’ blue line isn’t great). He also has one win and one quality start, and his 4.00 GAA and .874 GSAA are only nominally better. Still, Askarov needs to bounce back if he wants to establish himself as the primary goalie in San Jose, which makes him a fantasy liability at the moment.

Photo Credit: David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports

We’re a few days into Week 20, but that doesn’t mean managers can’t improve their rosters midweek. Here’s the remaining Week 20 schedule via TJ Stats’ schedule summary app (available via his Patreon).

In this post, I will look at four likely available goalies to target who could help boost managers’ fantasy performance for the remainder of this week.

Spencer Knight, CHI (21% rostered)

The Florida Panthers surprisingly traded Knight before the deadline in a deal that sent defenseman Seth Jones to Florida. Even though Knight wasn’t expected to be traded, he has already boosted a Blackhawks team in another rebuilding season. As of Wednesday, Chicago’s 45 points are good for last place in the Central Division.

Knight has been a breath of fresh air in the net for the Blackhawks. He won his debut start with Chicago on March 3rd against the Kings, saving 42 shots with a GAA of 1.00, SV% of 0.976, and GSAA of 3.16. That performance earned him his 13th win and 14th quality start of the season in 24 games played between Florida and Chicago.

In his last four games, the 23-year-old American goalie has a 4-0 record with a 1.75 GAA, 0.940 SV%, and 4.58 GSAA. Granted, he is now playing on a rebuilding team instead of on a squad competing for a Stanley Cup, which could affect his overall metrics for the rest of the season (2.34 GAA, 0.912 SV%, 58% QS%). However, he becomes the highest upside option in the net for the Blackhawks, as Peter Mrazek’s (10 wins, 3.46 GAA, 0.890 SV% in 33 GP) days look numbered, especially with younger options such as Knight and Arvid Soderblom available.

Knight will start tonight at home against Ottawa, which should be a good challenge for the young goaltender, especially with the Senators fighting for a playoff spot (the Senators have 65 points).

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John Gibson, ANA (15% rostered)

On one end, Gibson’s stats don’t look all that great. In his past four games, he has a 3.00 GAA, 0.887 SV%, a -0.97 GSAA, and 33.3% QS%. Those are a bit down from his overall numbers this year, which are pretty impressive. In 25 games, he only has nine wins, but his 2.76 GAA, 0.911 SV%, and 72.62 GSAA are all solid marks, especially for fantasy leagues that utilize category scoring.

A big reason why managers should consider streaming Gibson this week is that the Ducks are on fire on the offensive end.

They have 14 goals in their last three games and are coming off a 6-2 win over the Oilers on the road (the previous night). Anaheim moves westward tonight to British Columbia to play the Canucks, the second game of a back-to-back. While some offensive regression is to be expected, the Ducks recently beat Vancouver 5-2 at home on February 27th.

The Canucks offense has stagnated since trading away JT Miller, though they have had issues for most of the season. This year, their 165 goals scored mark is the fourth-worst mark in the Western Conference. They are still hunting for a postseason berth with 65 points, but they are trending in the wrong direction, which sets up an opportunity for the Ducks to collect two upset wins in a row.

Tonight is a prime opportunity for Gibson to collect a win and possibly quality start in Vancouver.

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Alex Lyon, DET (9% rostered)

The Red Wings’ fortunes have dramatically turned since Todd McLellan took over the reins as coach in Detroit. While McLellan’s familiarity with Cam Talbot was known, it seems like Lyon has also thrived in the net under his new coach.

Lyon has three wins and three quality starts in his last four games. Over that stretch, he has two wins, a 3.19 GAA, 0.886 SV%, and 0.42 GSAA. He had one bad start (RBS) during that four-game sample, which explains the weighed-down save and goals-allowed metrics.

Conversely, his overall numbers this year have been solid. In 24 games, he has 11 wins, 11 quality starts, a 2.71 GAA, .903 SV%, and 62.39 GSAA. Thus, there’s much to be hopeful about with Lyon, even with him as a primary backup in Detroit.

The Red Wings play a back-to-back on Thursday and Friday against Utah and Washington, respectively. Lyon likely will get that start at home against Utah, which will be a much more favorable matchup than on the road against Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals.

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Eric Comrie, WPG (4% rostered)

It isn’t easy playing behind a Vezina award winner like Connor Hellebuyck. After all, Hellebuyck gets most of the starts in Winnipeg, and rightfully so, especially with the Jets at the top of the Western Conference with 88 points.

However, Comrie may not be a bad option for managers looking for a one-start stream this week to boost their matchups.

The 29-year-old Canadian goalie has three wins and three quality starts in his last four games. He has had two wins in three starts over the past month, a 1.65 GAA, a 0.940 SV%, a 3.22 GSAA, and 66.7% QS%. The volume isn’t there to make Comrie a long-term option for a fantasy squad, even as a third goalie. However, when Comrie is in the net for Winnipeg, he produces fantasy-wise.

Winnipeg has a three-game week with back-to-back games on Thursday and Friday at Philadelphia and New Jersey, respectively. Both those squads have been inconsistent offensively, as the Flyers have a -25 goal differential this season, and the Devils have only collected six goals in their last three games.

Comrie should get a start in one of those games and could sneak a win and quality start in the process for fantasy managers, who likely should drop him immediately after he plays.

Photo Credit: Bill Smith | NHLI via Getty Images

This has been a bit of a new project, as I typically write about Kansas City Royals and fantasy baseball on Pitcher List. Looking to dive into a different area this baseball offseason, I began this publication hoping to get more into fantasy hockey, which I have played for about four years.

So far, I have written more here than in previous editions of this publication. However, with baseball season approaching and some other personal things going on, writing has fallen off, which explains the nearly month-long gap between posts.

I hope to get at least 1 to 2 posts a week until the end of the fantasy hockey season. After that, I may only write sparingly until draft season (typically August/September). I want to add a WHL aspect to this publication, especially since I probably watch as much WHL hockey as I do NHL. That said, I don’t want to move on from fantasy hockey-related content in the future. Regardless, it’s possible that this publication could look a bit different next season.

Anyway, I’ve gotten inspired to write a post again due to the Four Nations tournament, which has been as good as advertised. On the one hand, I enjoyed the first four games of the competition, especially last night’s Canda-USA game, in which three fights broke out in less than 30 seconds of action.

On the other hand, this has produced a particularly long layoff of games. As a result, Week 19 will last until March 2nd in Yahoo leagues, one of the most prolonged periods of the fantasy hockey season. The NHL Trade Deadline is March 7th, so Week 19 could be a fascinating period of fantasy hockey competition, especially since some teams may look to swing for a trade after players return from the Four Nations break.

Here’s a look at how schedules will fare in Week 19, based on TJ Stats’ Fantasy Hockey Schedule app (available through his Patreon).

In this post, I will examine four skaters on hot streaks worth paying attention to in Week 19, especially with the looming trade deadline and the league coming off an exciting Four Nations competition.

Sam Bennett, C, FLA (52% rostered)

Bennett is currently playing for Team Canada in the Four Nations. The team is reeling after a 3-1 loss to Team USA in Montreal on Saturday night, but a win against Finland in their final round-robin game could clinch a spot in the championship. How Bennett performs on the ice could be key to Canada’s chance of not just making the championship but winning a rematch against the USA.

Regarding fantasy hockey, Bennett has been on fire recently, with four points in his last three games before the break. The 28-year-old center has collected four goals and six points in his previous eight games, with an average of 0.75 PTS/G. He also averaged 4.8 SOG/G and had a shooting rate of 10.5% during that period.

Bennett is coming off an uneven fantasy campaign in 2023-2024.

In 69 games last season, he scored 20 goals and 41 points while averaging 0.59 PTS/G. His 82-game point pace was 49, and in addition to producing a +17 plus/minus, he also sported an SH% of 11.7%. Add that with 171 hits and 12 PPP, there was some thought in draft season that Bennett could be extremely valuable, especially if he could play more games in 2024-2025.

This season, he has shown some slight improvement, with this latest stretch possibly signifying a strong finish from him and the Panthers. He has scored 18 goals and collected 35 points in 55 games. His PTS/G is up to 0.64, and his 82-game point pace is 52, three points higher than a year ago. Conversely, he has seen some regression in SH% at 10.2%, PPP/GP at 0.11 (down from 0.17), and Hits/GP at 2.16 (down from 2.48).

Still, his numbers are worth having on a fantasy roster, especially at the center position (he is still available in 48% of Yahoo leagues). Furthermore, he is on a good primary line with Carter Verhaege and Matthew Tkachuk (though who knows about Tkachuk’s health after he went down in the third period of last night’s game). The line has a -1 plus/minus, but they sport an SF% of 54.3% and CF% of 55.2%. They’re generating the shots necessary together, which will only benefit Bennett’s fantasy outlook in Week 19 and beyond.

If he’s available, he’s worth picking up ASAP.

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Jason Zucker, LW, BUF (22% rostered)

It’s been a rough year for the Sabres, as they sit in last place in the Atlantic Division with 49 points (six points behind the Montreal Canadiens, who are second-to-last). As a result, it’s been less about winning for Buffalo recently and more about finding out who could be long-term pieces on the ice for this roster.

Zucker has undoubtedly made his case recently, and he can be one of those pieces despite his older age (33 years old).

It’s been a breakout season for Zucker, who played last season in Arizona and Nashville.

After producing 0.46 PTS/G and a 38-point 82-game pace in 69 games between the Coyotes (RIP) and Predators a year ago, he has boosted his PTS/G to 0.79 and his 82-game point pace to 65, a career-high if the season ended today. In 52 games, his plus/minus is +2 (up from -9 last year), and his 16:11 TOI is significantly higher than his 13:11 TOI in the previous season.

According to Left Wing Lock's most recent line data, Zucker has primarily been on the Sabres’ second line with Alex Tuch and Ryan McLeod. However, he also has seen some time with Tuch and Dylan Cozens. The Tuch-Cozens line may be more productive for Zucker, as they sport a CF% of 53.8%. That is much better than the Tuch-McLeod line, which has a 43.9% CF%. It will be interesting to see how Zucker’s line changes when the Sabres return from the break.

The left-winger has been on a hot streak shooting-wise that could be hard to sustain in the second half. His SH% for the season is 19.1% and 16.7% in his last six games. He also has been averaging 1.00 PTS/G in the previous three weeks and produced a 75% IPP, 12.9% 5-on-5 SH%, and CF% of 48.9%.

The CF% and SH% demonstrate regression coming for Zucker. That said, he should get plenty of scoring opportunities as long he stays on a line with Zuch and keeps getting time on the second power-play unit.

Considering he’s available in 78% of leagues, he may be worth a dart throw, especially since he has three home games this week against the Rangers, Ducks, and Canadiens, all of which are winnable.

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Mike Zibanejad, RW, NYR (79% rostered)

Zibanejad plays for Team Sweden and has a key role in the squad in the Four Nations. However, the team's championship outlook looks dim after their 4-3 loss to Finland on Saturday. Even though he is getting more attention due to the Four Nations, he has also turned things around recently after a frigid start to the season.

The arrival of JT Miller has helped Zibanejad, as the pair makes up the Rangers’ first line along with Artemi Panarin. In 46:09 TOI, the trio has a +1 plus/minus together, producing an SF% of 58.5%. Conversely, their CF% of 49.4% is significantly lower, which could mean that some point regression could be coming for the three after the break.

Zibanejad has seen some time on the Rangers’ third line with Chris Kreider and Arthur Kaliyev. They played together against the Blue Jackets in their final game before the break and produced a 52% CF%. Even though they had a -1 plus/minus on the ice, the line can create shots and scoring opportunities, so this trio may be worth watching when the Rangers get back to play.

Regardless of line, it’s hard to ignore what Zibanejad has been doing individually over the last three weeks.

He has eight points in his previous seven games, suitable for a 1.14 PTS/G mark. In addition to sporting a 12% SH% in that stretch, he is averaging 2.9 SOG/G, an 88.9% IPP, and collected five PPP. That is a big reason why his rostered percentage has jumped back to nearly 80% (it seemed to hover close to 70% not too long ago).

Some of Zibanejad’s other stats during this stretch may be cause for concern.

His PDO is 969, 5-on-5 SH% is 6.9%, ZS% is 47.5%, and CF% is 47.4%. Those are all pretty pedestrian numbers and a sign that Zibanejad is simply on a hot streak and due to regress to his season-long metrics, which have been pretty paltry for his standards and expectations. His PTS/G of 0.67 is 22 points lower than a year ago, and his 55-point 82-game pace is 18 points lower. Add that with a -24 plus/minus, and it makes sense why Zibanejad has been categorized as one of the most disappointing fantasy forwards this year.

Furthermore, with Zibanejad still the focus of Rangers trade talks, the Swedish forward could move to a place that would further deflate his fantasy value. February 26th is the trade deadline for most Yahoo formats, so exploring trading away Zibanejad in a package may be a worthy strategy for anyone currently rostering the Swede and looking to get some value in return.

I am not optimistic that Zibanejad will maintain this pace over the next three weeks of the fantasy hockey season.

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Morgan Rielly, D, TOR (75% rostered)

Rielly has been a frequent source of frustration for fantasy hockey managers this season. He gained a lot of interest in the draft season because he was the Leafs’ primary power-play quarterback and a first-line blue-liner. Unfortunately, the numbers haven’t been good this year, which has led to some changes in Rielly’s role in Toronto.

After producing a 66-point 82-game pace and averaging 0.66 PTS/G last season, his 82-game pace has regressed to 39 points, and his PTS/G has also declined to 0.47 PTS/G this season. His plus/minus has also declined -15 points (down from +7 last year), and his SOG/GP has also regressed from 2.40 last year to 1.69 this season. To make matters worse, Rielly isn’t providing much in banger categories, as he is only averaging 0.35 Hits/GP and 1.38 Blocks/GP, both significant declines from a year ago.

As a result, he’s been challenging to roster in most fantasy hockey formats, even with blue-liners being a fickle group. He also has seen his time on the ice dwindle, as his TOI is 21:30 (down from 23:44 last year). Additionally, his PP TOI is 2:10 (down from 2:39).

Regarding Toronto’s power play, they have recently opted for a first line consisting of all forwards and a second line where he is paired with fellow defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Ekman-Larsson has eaten much of Rielly’s time and role on the Maple Leafs’ blue line lately.

That said, Rielly has been on a hot streak in the last two weeks before the break, which has boosted his value and rostered percentage. He has four points in his previous games, suitable for a 0.67 Points/GP average. He also has three PPPs, a 60.2 ZS%, and a 50.6% CF% over that period. Hence, there may be some thought that Rielly could be due for a turnaround after the Four Nations break, and the Leafs have five games in Week 19, including two on off nights.

Rielly may be worth holding on for Week 19 and could be a drop afterward. Overall, he probably won’t sustain this production, and his 57.1% IPP over his most recent stretch gives me pause that Rielly is a rest-of-the-season option. However, he may be a candidate to trade away, especially with teams desperate for fantasy-scoring help on the blue line.

Photo Credit: Sam Navarro-USA Today Sports

I’m also considering shifting toward another hockey project on Substack, though it may not happen until next season. If that happens, this Substack will probably be fazed out by next season. However, at the very least, there will be posts here until the conclusion of the Fantasy 2024-2025 campaign.

Now that I have said that, let’s review some of the goaltending “studs” and “duds” from Week 15 of Fantasy Hockey.

Stud: Igor Shesterkin, NYR (99% Rostered)

Since returning from injury, Shesterkin has looked like his old Vezina-winning self. He has four wins and four quality starts in his last five games. During the previous three weeks, he has a 4-1-1 record, a 2.11 GAA, 0.920 SV%, a 3.04 GSAA, and a 66.7% QS%. As a result, the Rangers have climbed up a bit in the Metropolitan standings, as they sit in fifth place, just three points behind the fourth-place Columbus Blue Jackets.

Backup goalie Jonathan Quick has been on a cold streak for a while now. In his last nine games, he has a 1-4-2 record with a 3.96 GAA, 0.863 SV%, and 11% QS%. Thus, if the Rangers continue to get back into the Wild Card race, it’s likely that Shesterkin will continue to garner more starts in the net down the stretch, making him even more of an asset in the goal for fantasy managers.

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Dud: Filip Gustavsson, MIN (91% Rostered)

The Wild have been one of the better stories in hockey, and Gustavsson has been no exception to that rule. The 26-year-old Swedish goaltender has had a stellar year, with 18 wins, a 2.58 GAA, 0.914 SV, 71% QS%, and a 12.19 GSAA. He has maximized the strong performances and limited the poor ones in the net for Minnesota, as evidenced by his 16% RBS%. As a result, the Wild have hovered near the top of the Central division for most of the year.

However, the Wild has plummeted a bit over the past few weeks. They are now third in the division with 58 points (one point behind Dallas and seven behind Winnipeg). The Wild attack has gone cold, with only six goals in their last three games, and the blue line hasn’t been great either (14 goals allowed in three games). Gustavsson is also going through his funk, with zero wins and quality starts in his last four games. That has undoubtedly affected the Wild’s overall play over the past few weeks.

In his last seven games, Gustavsson is 2-4-1 with a 3.79 GAA, 0.891 SV%, 42.9% QS%, and -2.12 GSAA. His RBS% in the past three weeks is 28.6%, 12.6% higher than his season average. A big issue has been health on the blue line, as Brock Faber has missed considerable time. If the Wild gets healthier, it could help Gustavsson get back on track fantasy-wise.

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Stud: Jakub Dobes, MTL (34% Rostered)

The rookie goalie has been a key part of Montreal’s resurgence in the past month. Since getting called up, he has collected five wins and produced a 1.55 GAA, 0.940 SV%, a 5.27 GSAA, and a 60% QS%. That has given the Canadiens some insurance in the net when starter Sam Montembault needs a night off.

Dobes has a 50% QS% and a 1.90 GSAA in his last four starts. That is good, but nothing earth-shattering. He has done exceptionally well in even-strength situations with a 0.920 EV SV%. However, he only has a 0.792% SV% in the penalty kill. That SH SV% could be worth watching from Dobes. If he continues to struggle in those situations (or if his EV SV% regresses), the Canadiens may promote Cayden Primeau from the AHL, even though Primeau’s numbers (4.70 GAA and 0.836 SV% in 11 GP) haven’t been great at the NHL level.

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Dud: Charlie Lindgren, WSH (31% Rostered)

Lindgren has been on the IL and recently returned to the Capitals roster on Saturday, even though he didn’t start against the Penguins. However, Lindgren has demonstrated plenty of concerns, making him a “dud” for fantasy managers.

Even before the injury, the 31-year-old goalie showed signs of regression after a hot start to the season. He had zero wins, and only one quality start in his last five games. He also had a 2.85 GAA, 0.896 SV%, and a -0.50 GSAA in the previous three weeks. Surprisingly, he performed well in even-strength (0.915 EV SV%) and the penalty kill (0.923 SH SV%). However, he struggled in the power-play, giving up many short-handed goals to opponents (0.667 PP SV%). That feels fluky, but it stood out as a negative, nonetheless.

Another item of concern with Lindgren is his future in Washington. The Capitals obviously like the two-headed combo with him and Logan Thompson, but they must extend one after this season. Washington’s front office would like to do that sooner rather than later, but they worry that it could upset the locker room, according to a recent report from Capitals’ blog “Russian Machine Never Breaks” (RMNB). If Lindgren’s performance continues to regress, the rumors of Thompson being the extension candidate could get louder, only affecting Lindgren’s outlook in D.C.

Stud: Leevi Merilainen, OTT (30% Rostered)

Things looked bleak for the Senators after goalie Linus Ullmark went on IR due to a back injury on January 5th. However, rookie Merilainen has not just stepped up in Ullmark’s place but could have a place in the Ottawa goalie rotation for the remainder of the season.

The Finnish goaltender has six wins in nine games, with a 2.20 GAA, 0.917 SV%, 56% QS%, and a 3.67 GSAA. The Ottawa rookie has been even better in his last seven. He has a 71.4 QS%, a 1.85 GAA, 0.932 SV%, and 5.85 GSAA over the past three weeks. Merilainen has been incredibly impressive in the penalty kill in that sample, with a 0.932 SH SV%.

Ullmark seems to be back skating with the team, so it feels likely that Ottawa will send Merilainen back to the AHL. That said, if Ottawa fades a bit from the playoff race in the next month, they could trade either Ullmark or Anton Forsberg by the March Trade Deadline to give Merilainen more opportunities down the stretch.

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Dud: Tristan Jarry, PIT (9% Rostered)

It seems like the Jarry era in Pittsburgh is starting to end. On Wednesday, the Penguins placed the 29-year-old goalie on waivers, but he went unclaimed. Thus, he was assigned back to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in the AHL, with rookie Joel Blomqvist taking his place.

It’s been a rough year for Jarry as he has only eight wins in 22 games with a 3.26 GAA, 0.886 SV%, 36% QS%, and -8.90 GSAA. He also had zero wins and quality starts in his last four starts and a 40% RBS% in his previous five games. Thus, it makes sense why the Penguins have opted for Blomqvist and veteran Alex Nedeljkovic over Jarry in the net.

The Penguins will likely look to upgrade at goalie in the next month before the March Trade Deadline. If they look outside the organization for goalie help, fantasy managers should expect Jarry to be part of that package. A new home could give Jarry a fantasy boost, though it may be a while until that happens. He can rest on waivers comfortably for now, regardless of league format.

Photo Credit: Minas Panagiotakis/GettyImages

For some parts of the continent, especially up north, that’s probably nothing. However, that’s quite uncanny in Kansas City, even in the Winter around this time. All the shoveling around my house and neighborhood reminds me of my days when I lived in Spokane, Washington, for roughly 10 years (six as a kid and four for college). My time in Spokane was a big reason I love hockey, even though I live in a part of the country that is mostly NFL, MLB, and College Basketball-heavy.

Speaking of hockey, I wanted to do another set of Underdog Fantasy Champions picks, especially with 10 games scheduled for Tuesday. My last set of picks didn’t go so hot, as I only hit one of four. However, Shayne Gostisbehere of the Hurricanes went on the IR right after I made my picks, so I was fighting an uphill battle right out of the gate.

In this set of Underdog Fantasy picks, my category focus is on points. Based on recent statistical trends, I select two skaters who will surpass their points benchmarks and two who will fall short.

Let’s break down my Champions picks for January 7th, my first set of Underdog Fantasy picks in 2025.

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Patrick Kane, DET, Higher 0.5 Points

Kane has appeared to benefit from new head coach Todd McLellan’s arrival in Detroit. The former Blackhawk and Ranger weren’t ones I expected to benefit primarily from the coaching change, but I did expect the Red Wings to bounce back a bit thanks to McLellan’s coaching style.

The Red Wings are averaging 4.25 Goals/GP in their last four, and Kane has been a primary contributor to Detroit’s recent scoring surge. He has seven points in his previous four games, which include three goals, four assists, and four power-play points. The 36-year-old Detroit winger benefits from a 21.4% SH%, 10.4% higher than his season mark. However, the Wings get the Senators at home against Anton Forsberg in goal for Ottawa, who’s been up and down this season (4-7-0 record, 0.885 SV% in 12 GP).

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Justin Huberdeau, CGY, Lower 0.5 Points

I discussed Huberdeau as a hot skater to stream in a December 30th post. Thus, it seems funny that I would pick the “under” for him today, especially against a lackluster Anaheim Ducks team.

Huberdeau has been on a heater for the Flames in the last two weeks, with three goals in the previous five games. Unfortunately, his fantasy value has been tied to goals, as he has only four points total and one assist. He also has a crazy-high 37.5% SH% in his last five games. That is likely coming back down to earth, especially against a physical Anaheim blue line that consists of Jacob Trouba, Radko Gudas, and Jackson Lacombe. The Ducks have only allowed 2.33 goals in their last three games, which isn’t a good sign for the Flames and Huberdeau.

Dylan Holloway, STL, Higher 0.5 Points

As someone who lives in KC, I sometimes feel biased toward the Blues, especially since they’re essentially the “local” team and have the most coverage of any NHL team in this area. That said, Holloway has been on a heater over the past two weeks, and he needs to be targeted in all fantasy formats, whether season-long or in DFS.

The 23-year-old Blues winger has 10 points in his last six games, which includes four goals, six assists, and two PPP. His SH% is high, but nothing too crazy at 19% over those two weeks. He also has maintained his physical play style, with 17 hits and three blocks in the previous six.

St. Louis has a tough road contest in Minnesota against the Wild and Filip Gustavsson, who is 18-6-3 with a 0.926 SV% and 2.20 GAA. Despite the Wild’s tough blue line (2.00 Goals/G allowed in the last three), I like Holloway doing his part (90.9% IPP in the previous six) to get the Blues on the board in this matchup.

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Fabian Zetterlund, SJS, Lower 0.5 Points

The Sharks have been a rollercoaster of a squad this season. They have won two in a row (Tampa Bay and New Jersey) after losing their previous eight games. They depend a ton on rookie forward Macklin Celebrini and rookie goalie Yaroslav Askarov, who both have been critical in the Sharks’ past two wins.

Zetterlund, though, has been on the cold end fantasy-wise. He has only three points in his past six games, including no goals and a zero SH%. His 5-on-5 SH% is high at 10.9%, but his CF% in the past two weeks isn’t encouraging at 43.9%. Add that with a 50% IPP over that same period, and it’s hard to get too optimistic about Zetterlund’s fantasy outlook against a tough Vegas team (1.50 GA/GP in their previous five), even at home at the Shark Tank in San Jose.

Photo Credit: Lindsey Wasson | AP

Mostly, “banger” leagues tend to be category leagues where stats like hits and blocks are part of the scoring. In more “hardcore” banger leagues, penalty minutes can be a scoring category, though I have seen it scored on both the positive and negative end.

Whether a manager is in a specifically outlined “banger league” or not, hits and blocks are likely part of the scoring format, whether it’s a category or points league. Thus, this post can also be helpful for those managers whose teams are lagging in the hits, blocks, and even shots categories.

As I have done on this blog, I will share a table from Thomas Nestico of TJ Stats. He has an app (through his Patreon) that calculates the top “banger” targets from a specific period of play.

This post will look at the top “banger” performers from the past three weeks, specifically from December 14th to January 4th. There will be two sections and tables of data, with forwards and defensemen individually profiled. I will highlight three forwards and defensemen, but the table will list the top “banger” performers from each position. That gives fantasy managers other options if the three I write about aren’t available (or undesirable to pick up).

Let’s examine the top banger skaters from Week 13 of fantasy hockey play.

Forwards to Target

Courtesy of TJ Stats

Kiefer Sherwood, RW, VAN (42% Rostered)

Sherwood has been a popular "banger” darling, especially after collecting 234 hits (3.44 Hits/GP) and 27 points (0.40 PTS/GP) with the Nashville Predators a season ago. However, he has been even more physical and productive in his first season with the Canucks.

In 38 games, the 29-year-old American winger has 220 hits, averaging 5.79 Hits/GP. Thus, not only is he averaging 2.35 Hits/GP more than his rate a season ago, but he is also just 14 hits away from his 2023-2024 total with the Predators. He has also been productive in scoring and shooting. Sherwood has 12 goals and 19 points this season, averaging 2.03 SOG/GP with an SH% of 15.6%, slightly better than expected.

Sherwood does have zero points in his last four games, but he’s produced decent scoring numbers over the past few weeks.

In his previous 10 games, he has four goals and five points. He also sported an SH% of 16%, a five-on-five SH% of 11.6%, and an SOG/G mark of 2.5. Thus, the metrics over the past three weeks aren’t too out-of-character from what he’s done for the year, though I imagine the SH% will be tough to sustain, especially since he only had an SH% of 9.1% last year with Nashville.

The last four games may just be a cold stretch, and he could be due for a swing in the positive direction in the next couple of games (especially once the Canucks shed all the JT Miller and Elias Pettersson drama). For now, Sherwood is a nice target for managers who significantly need a boost in hits and want some shooting and scoring upside, even if those latter two categories will come in waves.

Ross Colton, LW, COL (18% Rostered)

Colton has recently lost some time on the top power-play line, which explains why his rostered percentage in Yahoo leagues is only 18%. Furthermore, he was demoted to third-line duties in the Avs’ most recent game against the Canadiens. He played with Arturri Lehkonen and Casey Mittelstadt against Montreal, and the trio accumulated 5:37 TOI.

Thus, Colton may be a temporary streamer who may be let go after Week 14 if the ice time doesn’t improve. Conversely, if the ice time does bounce back a bit, he is a productive player to utilize in “banger” league formats.

The 28-year-old American winger provides a lot of goals and shots but not much in assists.

In 23 games, he has 12 goals and is averaging 2.57 SOG/G. In his past nine games, he has collected three goals with a 17.6 SH% and 6.6% 5-on-5 SH%. Lastly, Colton also has sported a 1.8 SOG/G mark and a 53.7% ZS% and 53.2% CF%.

Unfortunately, his secondary assist% this season is zero, and he’s only collected one assist. His IPP% is 50% this year, but it’s 42.9% over the last three weeks. While he is putting himself in situations to generate shots (as evidenced by his ZS and CF percentages), his ability to be involved in point-collecting opportunities is regressing.

Colton may become a deep-league-only option as his role lessens in Colorado. I have seen in my leagues that he’s been recently dropped and available, a sign that managers already think he may not be worthy of a roster spot in 12-team leagues. That said, he’s averaging 2.39 Hits/G this year and has 19 hits in his last nine games. His blocked shots are also serviceable at 0.87 Blocks/G.

That’s not bad to have with his scoring upside, even if it may be hard to predict how his numbers will unfold, especially with a tough week coming up for Colorado against Florida, Chicago, Minnesota, and Winnipeg.

Max Pacioretty, LW, TOR (5% Rostered)

Auston Matthews returned from the IR last night against the Bruins, but it didn’t affect Pacioretty much.

The 36-year-old veteran stayed on the second line with John Tarveras and William Nylander, and the line accumulated 10:41 TOI. They didn’t score and had a -2 plus/minus. However, they produced an SF% of 50% and CF% of 43.8, demonstrating that they still generated many shot opportunities against Boston.

The Leafs left winger doesn’t offer a ton of upside in scoring and points. He has 12 points this season, averaging 0.19 Goals/G and 0.26 Assists/G. However, he is collecting many hits, evidenced by his 2.89 Hits/G mark. His secondary assist% is also high at 57.1%, and his IPP is 60%. That shows that Pacioretty benefits from being on a line with starts like Taveras and Nylander.

Pacioretty has been on a cold streak recently, which slightly deflates his value. He has zero points in his last three games, and in his past 11, he has three points. Over the past three weeks, his SH% has been paltry at 4.5%, but his 5-on-5 SH% is 9.7%, and his CF% is 50.4%.

Thus, I wouldn’t be afraid to take a flyer on Pacioretty, especially with his substantial hit numbers and Matthews back on the ice. The matchups are also favorable: two games against Philly this week, a road contest against Carolina, and a home game against Vancouver.

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Defenders to Target

Courtesy of TJ Stats

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Jake McCabe, D, TOR (11% Rostered)

I will stick with the Leafs in my first blue-liner profile, especially with a favorable schedule approaching.

McCabe provides everything one wants from a “banger league” defenseman. He’s averaging 2.03 Hits/G, 1.94 Blocks/G, and 1.06 SOG/G in 35 games this season. The points aren’t great, but he’s suffered from a significantly low 2.7% SH%. His 10.6% 5-on-5 SH%, 1019 PDO, and 70% secondary assist% hint that he could see a positive swing soon in scoring production, especially with the Leafs roster more at full stregnth.

Chris Tavev and McCabe were the primary blue-line pair against Boston. It wouldn’t surprise me to see them continue in that role, especially considering the recent struggles of Morgan Rielly. Rielly has zero points in his last seven games, and his 0.45 Points/G and 37-point 82-game pace aren’t significantly better than McCabe’s marks (0.31 Points/G and 26 points).

Due to Rielly’s skill and standing on the team, I don’t see Rielly ceding much power play duties to McCabe, who only has a PP% of 5.2%. However, McCabe is a nice streamer for managers who need consistent “banger” production from their blue liners.

Matt Roy, D, WAS (10% Rostered)

The Capital have a loaded blue line with Jakob Chychrun (27 points), John Carlson (24), and Rasmus Sandin (17). That said, Roy is a defenseman that offers significant “banger” value despite lagging behind those in points (8).

Roy is averaging 2.21 Hits/G and 1.66 Blocks/G in 29 games played this year. The past three weeks have been particularly rough for 29-year-old American defenseman, as he only has one point in his last 11 games. He also only has nine shots on goal, a -2 plus/minus, and a 48.6 CF% in that time. That’s rough to see, especially considering primary linemate Rasmus Sandin has four points in his last six games.

However, Roy’s “banger” numbers have been stronger than ever in the past three weeks.

Over the last 11 contests, he has collected 24 hits and 19 blocks. He is also averaging 17:58 TOI in even-strength scenarios and 1:31 TOI in penalty-kill situations. Thus, he’s getting plenty of time on the ice in Washington, even if he’s not involving himself too much in the scoring attack from the Capitals blue line (34.8% IPP).

He also has a 42.9% secondary assist% this season, surprising for someone with such a low IPP. Hence, while goals may not be plenty for Roy in his future, he has the potential to be a source of assists for fantasy managers when the Capitals attack is surging.

The Capitals have a great shot to collect plenty of points this week with matchups against the Sabres, Canucks, Canadiens, and Predators.

Sean Walker, D, CAR (6% Rostered)

The injury to defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere has put the Carolina blue line in a bit of a dilemma. Gostisbehere was Carolina’s primary power play quarterback and he thrived in the role with 18 PPP while averaging 3:45 PP TOI. His upper-body injury has put more pressure on others to pick up the slack in Carolina special teams situations.

Walker could be one of those who benefits, making him an ideal target for managers with a need in the “banger” categories.

The 30-year-old Canadian defenseman has lagged in scoring this year with only nine points and a 19-point 82-game pace this season. However, he is averaging 1.05 Hits/G and 1.03 Blocks/G, making him a balanced source when it comes to “banger” metrics.

Walker has demonstrated that balance in the past three weeks as well with 15 hits and 10 blocks. Furthermore, he’s provided an added fantasy scoring boost with four assists, 19 SOG, and a +3 plus/minus in his past 10 games. He has primarily been paired with Ty Smith, and they produced a 61.1% CF% in the Hurricanes’ last game against the Wild. That gives him some scoring upside, in addition to his consistent banger production. That makes him worth a flier for desperate fantasy managers, and he’s available in 96% of Yahoo leagues as of Sunday.

Carolina has a tough schedule in Week 14 with Tampa, Toronto, and Vancouver on the docket. However, they end Week 13 with a favorable matchup against Pittsburgh at home today. How Walker fares against the Penguins could determine if he is worth keeping for an extended period, or if he may be a one-game Sunday streamer.

Photo Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images

From a fantasy hockey end, the turn of the year can be a nice mid-point for fantasy hockey managers.

It can be a time for reflection and experimentation, especially regarding streamers and roster composition. However, it can also be a time of deflation, as, after the new year, teams are typically tempted to quit, especially if they’re looking forward to fantasy baseball draft season.

Thus, with January 1st and still months left to play in the fantasy hockey season, I wanted to share some “trends” fantasy managers should pay attention to in the 2025 portion of their respective seasons.

Stay Away From Rangers Players

As I have frequently said on this blog, it’s a tire fire in New York.

Rangers fans and fantasy hockey managers received gutting news on New Year’s Eve as New York placed goalie Igor Shesterkin on Long-Term IR. That means Jonathan Quick will get a majority of starts for the Rangers going forward in Shesterkin’s absence. However, he hasn’t played well as of late, as I categorized him as a “dud” in my most recent edition of goalie “Studs and Duds.”

The Shesterkin injury is just the tip of the iceberg for the Rangers. Forward Chris Kreider has been a healthy scratch recently, blue liner K’Andre Miller and Mika Zibanejad are on cold streaks, and the team is in the Metropolitan Division. Center Vincent Trocheck and wing Artemi Panarin are still productive, but there aren’t many bright spots for the Rangers, especially on a fantasy end.

Managers should stick with Trocheck and Panarin if they are rostering them. Any other Ranger, though, is a serious trade or drop candidate, even if their trade values are comically low right now.

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Pay Attention to Hall and Bertuzzi in Chicago

The St. Louis Blues took it to the Blackhawks at Wrigley Field in the Winter Classic on New Year’s Eve.

As a result, the vibes with Chicago aren’t great. They sit in last place in the Central Division, three points behind Nashville and 12 points behind Utah. Their 26-point mark is also the worst in all of hockey, two points worse than the San Jose Sharks, who have the second-worst mark (28 points).

There are a lot of flaws with this Blackhawks roster, and the team hasn’t shown much fire under interim coach Anders Sorensen, who took over for previous head coach Luke Richardson in early December. On a positive note, it does seem like the Blackhawks are finding the right linemates with franchise star Connor Bedard, who’s scored 33 points this season.

According to Left Wing Lock line combo data, Tyler Bertuzzi and Taylor Hall have recently become Bedard's primary linemates. In 87:05 TOI, the trio scored five goals and produced an SF% of 52.9% and a CF% of 52.2%. Thus, considering that kind of shot generation, it seems likely that Bertuzzi and Hall will stay on the first line with Bedard for the foreseeable future.

Individually, Bertuzzi has scored five goals in the past five games and has 19 points in 28 GP (including 12 goals).

As for Hall, the 33-year-old left wing has scored six points (a goal and five assists) in his last five. He has scored 20 points this year with eight goals and 12 assists. His IPP for the season is 83.3%, and unlike Bertuzzi, his shooting isn’t too crazy high at 11.3%.

Bertuzzi is only eight percent rostered in Yahoo leagues, while Hall is only four percent. I am not sure they would be great in category leagues with plus/minus. However, in points formats, Bertuzzi and Hall could be worthwhile Streamers as long as they stay together on this line with Bedard.

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Mackenzie Blackwood May Be A Dude For Colorado

When the Avs acquired Blackwood from San Jose, many experts thought he would simply be a better temporary option than Alexandar Georgiev, who had worn out his welcome in Colorado.

However, the Avs awarded Blackwood a five-year extension before the new year. The deal received mixed praise from hockey analysts, but there’s no question that Blackwood has performed well since making the move to Colorado.

Since becoming the Avs’ primary goalie, he’s 5-1 in his last six starts, with all six being quality starts. Blackwood has produced a 1.85 GAA, 0.936 SV%, and a 6.40 GSAA in those games played with Colorado. While the 28-year-old goaltender won’t put up those numbers for the rest of the season, his overall numbers (including those from the Sharks this year) look pretty solid.

What to do with Blackwood in keeper and dynasty formats may be a more challenging dilemma for fantasy managers. However, in standard redraft leagues, I think Blackwood is a safe bet for regular play in both points and category formats for the remainder of the season.

Buy Into the Canadiens’ Skaters

The Canadiens are hot right now. They have won six of their last seven, including significant road victories over Florida, Tampa Bay, and Vegas. Martin St. Louis’ squad is currently 17-17-3, and its 37 points rank sixth in a tough Atlantic division.

Winger Cole Caufield has been on a hot streak with four points in his last four games. He has 34 points for the season, and his 75-point 82-game pace is an improvement from his 65-point 82-game pace a season ago.

Caufield has been a Montreal skater to watch, but he’s rostered in 93% of leagues, so he’s likely unavailable (and I'm not sure managers who roster him would be willing to trade him). Conversely, center Jake Evans is even hotter, and he’s only rostered in five percent of Yahoo leagues.

The 28-year-old forward has eight points in his last seven games and has 10 goals and 23 points in 37 games with Montreal this season. His 0.62 PTS/G mark is 28 points higher than his PTS/G mark last season, and his 82-point pace so far this year is 51, a 13 point-improvement.

Evans’ 29.4% SH% and 14.2% 5-on-5 SH% will eventually fall back to earth at some point. However, he’s a strong-performing Montreal skater worth streaming, especially with the Canadiens’ attack on such a tear (31 points in seven games).

Patrick Laine has added a much-needed spark, especially in the power play (8 PPP). Rookie Lane Hutson has cooled a bit recently (zero points in his last three games), but he’s a worthwhile blue-line streamer (55% rostered) who can provide points (0.68 PTS/G) and blocks (1.27 Blocks/G).

Thus, there’s a lot to like in fantasy with many Montreal skaters now. Managers desperate for production shouldn’t be afraid to pull the trigger on any of the three I previously listed, especially since they may likely be available on waivers in most leagues.

Photo Credit: David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports

Thankfully, we have a more traditional schedule in Week 13, though there will only be one game on New Year’s Day. Here’s a summary of games, matchups, and which teams fare the best on a fantasy hockey end in Week 13 via Thomas Nestico of TJ Stats (subscribe to his Patreon if you haven’t already).

With 2025 just a few days away, this may be a time for a roster reset for fantasy hockey managers who may have had lackluster performances in Week 12. Conversely, managers who like to stream may desire to hit the waiver wire to mix their roster up, especially if they have players on teams near the bottom of TJ Stats’ schedule rankings.

Thus, let’s examine four skaters that fantasy managers may consider streaming off waivers for Week 13 of the fantasy hockey season.

Quinton Byfield, C, LAK (37% rostered)

The 22-year-old center has been on a tear for the Kings in the last two weeks. He has six points in his previous five games, including four goals.

Over that six-game span, he averaged 1.00 PTS/G, 3.0 PTS/60, 2.5 SOG/G, and accumulated a +6 plus/minus. He also has a 50% IPP, 21.7% SH%, and 12.6% 5-on-5 SH% in that sample. Byfield’s performance is a big reason why the Kings have been one of the hottest teams in hockey recently (they are second in the Pacific with 47 points).

Granted, there’s no question that Byfield has been on a tremendous heater in the past two weeks. His SH% in his past six games is 9.9% higher than his season average, and despite being a PP1 skater, he hasn’t produced much in the power play recently (zero points in his last six games) or overall this year (2 PPP). His 63.6% secondary assist rate for the season is higher than expected, which demonstrates that he’s benefitting from primarily playing with Warren Foegele (who has 22 points this year) and Tanner Jeannot in the wake of Trevor Moore’s injury.

The SH% from the past six games will ultimately stabilize. However, Byfield is in a situation where he should continue to benefit on a fantasy scoring end, even when that SH% regresses.

His CF% this season is 53.7%, his PDO is 1020, and his OZ Start% is 52.1%. His IPP in the past six games is also a 2.7 improvement from his mark for the year. Thus, Byfield may be getting better at involving himself in scoring situations on the Kings’ second line in even-strength situations.

Byfield has demonstrated that he’s more than a dynasty or keeper league darling, especially since he was the second overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. Over the past week, he’s seen a tremendous wave in demand on Yahoo, as he was the most-added center in fantasy on Sunday.

Thus, fantasy managers who need help at the center should scoop Byfield as soon as possible since he may not be available on waivers for long, regardless of league size.

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Jonathan Huberdeau, LW, CGY (39% rostered)

After scoring 30 goals and 115 points with the Florida Panthers during the 2021-2022 season, Huberdeau has struggled since moving north of the border to Alberta.

Over the past two seasons, the 31-year-old winger has scored 55 and 52 points, respectively. His PTS/G went from 1.44 in 2021-2022 to 0.70 in 2022-2023 and 0.64 in 2023-2024. Consequently, this draft season, fantasy expectations were much lower for Huberdeau, as Dobber ranked him 103rd in their Top 300 players rankings. 

Huberdeau has bounced back a bit this season, though his days of being as elite as he was in 2021-2022 may be behind him.

His 15 goals in 36 games have already tied a career-high in Calgary. Additionally, his 0.75 PTS/G and 62-point 82-game pace are better than anything he has done in the past couple of seasons with the Flames.

Over the last two weeks, the Calgary winger has shown a form that isn’t too far removed from what he demonstrated with the Panthers three seasons ago.

He has collected four goals and six points in his previous six games, with two power-play points to boot. The SH% is insane at 30.8%, but it’s not far from his 23.4% SH% for the season. For context, his SH% was 8.4% last year and 11.9% the season before. Hence, it will come down eventually, though Huberdeau is certainly doing his part to ensure it won’t be anytime soon.

It appears that Huberdeau has been a key part of the Flames’ scoring over the past two weeks, as evidenced by his 85.7% IPP, 64.2% IPP, and 51.4% CF%. For the season, his 5-on-5 SH% of 10.1%, 64.2% OZ Start%, 65.9% IPP, and 51.1% CF% are all encouraging marks and don’t deviate too much from what he has produced in the past two weeks.

Hence, even though regression may be coming soon for Huberdeau, his involvement in the Flames’ attack is a big reason why fantasy managers should be comfortable streaming him, especially if he remains on a line with Nazem Kadri and Martin Pospisil. The only drawback with Huberdeau’s profile is his secondary assist% is low at 16.7%. When the SH% dries up, so will his overall fantasy points production.

The Flames face the Canucks, Utah, and Nashville this week in Calgary. Thus, it’s likely that Huberdeau will continue this hot streak in Week 13, making him a worthy pickup for now.

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JJ Peterka, RW, BUF (32% rostered)

The Sabres are finally winning again. As a result, their players are looking much better for fantasy purposes, which couldn’t be said at the beginning of the month.

Peterka is one of those skaters from Buffalo whom fantasy managers should pick up off waivers, if available.

The 23-year-old German winger has eight points in his last seven games, which includes two goals and six assists. He also collected two PPPs and saw heavy time on the Sabres’ PP1 line, as evidenced by his 72.8% PP%.

In addition to averaging 1.14 PTS/G over the past two weeks, he is sporting a 15.4% SH%, a 61.5% IPP, a 10.7% 5-on-5 SH%, a 58.6% ZS%, and 51.9% CF%. The PDO is a bit low at 990, but his 4.0 PTS/60, 6.6 SOG/60, and 6.0 PPP/60 over the past seven games demonstrate the kind of fantasy potential Peterka sports both currently and in the long term.

For the season, Peterka’s 0.74 PTS/G and 61-point 82-game pace are an improvement from his 0.61 PTS/G and 50-point marks a season ago. He is finding more success with his shots, as his 13.9% SH% is 1.5% better than last year. Then again, he’s just getting more involved in the Sabres attack this year, as his 5-on-5 SH% is one percent higher, his OZ Start% is five percent higher, and his PP% is 16.4 % higher.

The 23-year-old German winger's scoring involvement has been growing. His IPP is only 57.8%, down eight from last year. His 51.9% CF% and 43.8% secondary assist% have also decreased considerably (1.5% and 10. %, respectively).

Therefore, his solid performance in those categories over the past two weeks could be a positive sign for Peterka and his outlook for the remainder of the season. That makes him an underrated streamer for Week 13, even with Buffalo’s demanding schedule against Dallas, Colorado, and Vegas on the road.

Cam Fowler, D, STL (22% rostered)

Not too long ago, I wrote about Fowler’s situation as a blue-liner in Anaheim to watch after the Ducks acquired Jacob Trouba from the Rangers.

He ended up being one worth watching, though he had to get traded to St. Louis to become more fantasy-relevant.

The Blues’ acquisition of Fowler was a little puzzling initially, especially since St. Louis already had Justin Faulk, Philip Broberg, and Colton Parayko on the blue line. However, Nick Leddy was placed on the IR, and Fowler has slid in as a first-line defenseman for St. Louis in both even-strength and power-play situations.

Fowler is paired with Parayko on St. Louis’ first blue line and serves as the Blues’ power-play quarterback, skating along with Dylan Holloway, Rob Thomas, Jordan Kyrou, and Pavel Buchnevich. The change of scenery and role in St. Louis has done wonders for Fowler in fantasy. He scored five points, one PPP, and averaged 0.71 PTS/G in his last seven games.

The 33-year-old Canadian defenseman remains more of a helper than a scorer with the Blues.

His 9.1% SH% over the past seven games is decent, but his SH% is only 3.4% for the season, down from 4.6% with Anaheim a year ago. He also has averaged 1.6 SOG/G, 4.1 SOG/60, and an 8.6% 5-on-5 SH% over the past two weeks. Hence, I am not sure Fowler should be a streaming target if fantasy managers only look for goals from defensemen on the wire (i.e., in roto or category leagues).

One metric worth watching is Fowler’s secondary assist%, which is 25%. That is considerably down from a year ago when it was 55.9% and even two seasons ago when it was 44.7%.

That low secondary assist% could be credited to lackluster pairings and performance in Anaheim. He has much more talent around him in St. Louis, and it’s paying off for Fowler, especially recently with his line movement.

In his past three games, he has had three assists and four points, and his minutes have been over the 21:00 TOI mark since December 17th. This demonstrates that Blues coach Jim Montgomery trusts Fowler and his ability to lead the Blues from the blue line in diverse ways.

St. Louis will have the marquee Winter Classic game at Wrigley Field on New Year’s Eve. They will also play Ottawa, coming off a game from the previous night, and Columbus on the road (the Blue Jackets have sketchy goaltending and defense).

A lot is in play for Fowler to continue to build his fantasy stock in Week 13 and sport a higher rostered percentage in leagues by next Sunday, especially in points formats where his profile shines even more.

Photo Credit: Jae C. Hong / Associated Press

As someone who will find any excuse not to watch NFL football, I’ll gladly welcome the packed Sunday NHL slate.

Even though Week 12 of the Fantasy Hockey season isn’t done, I wanted to reflect on the past two weeks and examine some goalies who stood out in good and bad ways. In this edition of “Studs and Duds,” I highlighted three goalies who have been exceptionally proficient in the last 14 days and three who have been underwhelming, to put it nicely.

Let’s break down the six goalies, their performances, and what fantasy hockey managers’ outlooks for them should be going forward, especially in Week 13.

Stud: Connor Hellebuyck, WPG, 100% rostered

Hellebuyck is having himself another Vezina-worthy campaign this season. He has collected 23 wins, has a GAA of 2.06, a 0.928 SV%, 79% QS%, and a GSAA of 23.20. Deemed as the top goalie in the preseason by Dobber, the American-born goalie has lived up to the hype and then some for a surging Winnipeg squad.

Thus, it’s not surprising that Hellebuyck has been a brick wall in the goal for the Jets over the past two weeks.

Hellebuyck has five wins and five quality starts in his last five games played. Over that five-game span, he has a shutout, a 1.80 GAA, 0.937 SV%, and a GSAA of 5.20. The only “slight” blemish for Hellebuyck in his past five games is that his SH SV% is only 0.857. That’s not bad; it's just not as “elite” as any of his other metrics in the past two weeks. However, he has made up for it with a 0.949 EV SV% in his previous five games.

For fantasy hockey managers who roster Hellebuyck, he’s pretty much like a “Ron Popeil Showtime Rotisserie Grill” in the sense that when he plays, you set him in your lineup and forget it (because he’s going to provide solid value, regardless of fantasy scoring format).

(See the video below if you don’t get the reference.)

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Dud: Alexandar Georgiev, SJS, 55% Rostered

After winning his debut start with the Sharks against St. Louis on December 12th, Georgiev has regressed to what he was earlier this season with Colorado, which is a mediocre goalie in fantasy.

In the last two weeks, Georgiev has lost all three of his starts and hasn’t produced a quality start.

In those three games, his GAA is 4.49, his SV% is 0.869, and his GSAA is -3.10. The 28-year-old goalie has actually been decent in even-strength situations (0.914 EV SV%), but he’s putting up awful numbers in short-handed (0.700 SH SV%) and even power-play situations (0.667 PP SV%). Granted, the San Jose blue line isn’t doing him any favors, but Georgiev isn’t doing much to help his trade value.

Regular backup goalie Vitek Vanecek was added to the IR after a stray puck hit him in the head before the Christmas break. As a result, goalie prospect Yaroslav Askarov was called up, and he had a solid performance against the Flames in his first start after the holiday layoff.

In San Jose’s 3-1 loss to Calgary, Askarov only allowed two goals on 32 shots and produced a 2.07 GSAA, 0.938 SV%, and GSAA of 1.20. The performance helped him earn Two-Star honors in the loss.

If Georgiev doesn’t turn things around soon, Askarov could earn more starts between the pipes for the Sharks, especially if Vanecek's injury lingers longer than expected. That will deflate Georgiev’s trade value and his fantasy value.

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Stud: Andrei Vasilevskiy, TBL, 99% Rostered

The Lightning are fourth in a tough Atlantic Division despite putting up 42 points so far this season. If they want to continue to progress on Boston, Toronto, and Florida in the division, they will need Vasilevskiy to continue his hot play in goal.

The Russian goalie has six wins and six quality starts in his last eight games for Tampa Bay. He has played four games over the past 14 days and accumulated three quality starts (a 75% QS%). Furthermore, he has collected three wins over those four contests and posted a GAA of 2.27, SV% of 0.932, and GSAA of 4.20.

That’s not quite Hellebuyck level, but it’s still pretty solid, especially for a goalie so highly rostered in fantasy.

Vasilevskiy is certainly making his case for Vezina's consideration.

He has 16 wins this year as the Lightning’s primary goalie (27 GP), and he is posting a GAA of 2.35, an SV% of 0.914, a QS% of 59%, and a GSAA of 10.00. Hellebuyck has the edge because the Jets lead the NHL with 53 points. However, if Tampa Bay can go on a run in the coming months, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Russian emerge as a budding favorite, significantly since the Lightning’s success will likely correlate with Vasilevskiy’s performance in goal.

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Dud: Ilya Sorokin, NYI, 95% Rostered

The Islanders don’t have a lot of goalie options beyond Sorokin at the moment.

Semyon Varlamov is on long-term IR after sustaining a lower-body injury on November 30th against the Capitals. New York recalled Marcus Hogberg to be the Islanders’ backup to Sorokin. Still, head coach Patrick Roy has been leaning on the 29-year-old goalie heavily in Varlamov’s absence (though, to be fair, he leaned on Sorokin heavily before Varlamov’s injury as well).

It seems like fatigue is getting to the Islanders’ primary goalie, who has played in 26 games this season.

Over the past two weeks, Sorokin is 2-3 in five starts. However, he hasn’t produced a quality start over those five games, and his Really Bad Start percentage (RBS%) is 60%. In addition, he has sported a 4.33 GAA, 0.837 SV%, and -7.70 GSAA in his past five outings. It’s a minor miracle that Sorokin got two wins after such a bad stretch.

For a Tier 1 goalie who was ranked No. 3 in the preseason at his position by Dobber, Sorokin is doing all he can for fantasy managers who roster him, especially considering how poor the Islanders are. Their 35 points are second-to-last in the Metropolitan division, two points ahead of the Rangers, who have totally tanked in the past month.

Sorokin has 11 wins this year and is posting a GAA of 2.96, an SV% of 0.897, a QS% of 58%, and a GSAA of -1.90. That’s still good enough for a goalie who can play regularly in fantasy, and his high usage by Roy makes him even more valuable in roto or category H2H formats.

However, this rough recent stretch could snowball for Sorkin and fantasy managers who roster him, especially if the Islanders start shedding their roster for “future assets” before the March Trade Deadline.

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Stud: Calvin Pickard, EDM, 17% Rostered

Stuart Skinner gets a majority of the starts in Edmonton between the pipes. It makes sense, considering that Skinner is 13-8-3 this year with 14 quality starts, a GAA of 2.89, and an SV% of 0.894. However, even though Pickard is the backup, he shouldn’t be slept on, especially in deep leagues where quality goalies are hard to stream.

In 12 games this year, Pickard has eight wins, a 2.37 GAA, a .902 SV%, a GSAA of 0.50, and a QS% of 67%. The 32-year-old Oilers backup has minimized bad starts (17% RBS%) in his limited number of outings, making him worthy of a streaming pickup for fantasy managers.

The Canadian goalie has only two starts for Edmonton in the last three weeks. However, he won both games and put up a GAA of 1.52, an SV% of 0.942, and a GSAA of 2.20. Pickard has been firm in even-strength situations, as his EV SV% was 0.941 in those two starts. His SH SV% was a little less impressive at 0.750. However, if the Oilers can avoid the sin bin, Pickard should be acceptable and productive as a fantasy goalie.

Pickard is scheduled to start against Anaheim on Sunday afternoon at the Honda Center. Although this is the Oilers' second game in a row, the Ducks are a much easier matchup than the Kings, whom Edmonton played in Los Angeles on Saturday night. Pickard should be in line for another solid performance and, hopefully, another win. 

Dud: Jonathan Quick, NYR, 13% Rostered

The Rangers are a tire fire right now, a phrase I’ve used about the Blueshirts more than once on this blog. I’ve purged a lot of Rangers from my fantasy rosters in the past few weeks, including Mika Zibanejad (trade), Chris Kreider (trade), and Will Cuylle (drop). I would suggest other fantasy hockey managers do the same (though I’m still holding onto Vincent Trocheck, who produced a 13-point performance in KKUPFL last night).

Quick can be added to that list of Rangers-themed “drops,” especially after his recent performance.

The 38-year-old veteran has zero wins and quality starts in his last five games. Over that five-game period, he has a 3.74 GAA, 0.845 SV%, and -5.30 GSAA. That’s pretty unacceptable in fantasy, especially for a backup who cedes a lot to primary Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin.

Shesterkin has struggled with New York this season for his standards. He’s 11-14-1 in 26 GP, has 17 quality starts, and has a GAA of 3.06 and SV% of .908.

That’s not bad by any means (except for the record). Still, it’s a major disappointment for a goalie categorized in the same tier as Hellebuyck and Vasilevskiy in the preseason.

One would think Quick would take advantage of Shesterkin’s up-and-down season. Unfortunately, Quick has only made 12 starts this year and has struggled with the limited opportunities he’s received over the past month. Thus, it’s hard to roster Quick right now, even as a deep-league third goalie option.

After some early success with the Rangers, Quick has shown his age and may be on his way out soon. This is especially true if the Rangers embrace rebuilding and look to younger options with more upside in the AHL, such as 22-year-old Dylan Garland.

Photo Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images

I initially thought I got the three-for-four threshold that would net me some money. However, the official scorer pulled a secondary assist for Vegas’ Mark Stone in the Golden Knights-Oilers game. Thus, I ended up coming up empty money-wise on those Saturday picks. Those are the breaks sometimes.

At some point next week, I will do a collective look at all of my Champions picks and see what my success percentage has been this season. Until then, I will share my Underdog Fantasy Champions picks for this week, with my focus on being on points as well as defensemen.

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Shayne Gostisbehere, CAR, Higher 0.5 Points

Gostisbehere has been on a cold streak recently, with zero points in his last four games. He also had a pretty ho-hum performance in the Hurricanes’ first game back from the holiday break, with his lone stat being a hit in 15:52 TOI. He lost some power-play time against the Devils on Friday, as his 42% PP was his lowest percentage of the season. That is something to watch in the long term, especially for those who roster Gostisbehere in their fantasy leagues.

However, Gostisbehere has been stellar for Carolina in the power play. He is second on the Hurricanes with 18 PPP this season (only one PPP behind leader Martin Necas). In a back-to-back game with New Jersey, I see Gostisbehere returning to where he was on the power play and breaking his scoring streak against the Devils in Raleigh.

John Carlson, WAS, Higher 0.5 Points

Carlson is also on a cold streak for the Capitals, with zero points in his last five games. Like the Carolina defenseman, the 35-year-old Washington blue-liner is the Capitals’ power-play quarterback. He leads defensemen in PP TOI with a 3:16 mark and has eight PPPs this season (in addition to 23 points overall).

Carlson’s SH% is 3.7% this year (5.7% last year), but his SOG/G is up at 2.4 (from 2.1 last year). He is also averaging 0.68 PTS/G and is on pace for 55 points over 82 games, a three-point improvement from last season. The Capitals will be going against a Maple Leafs team that just played in Detroit on Friday, and their 81.3% PK% over the past two weeks has been mediocre. Thus, this matchup could be a prime opportunity for Carlson and the Capitals offense (seven goals in the last three games) to snap out of the cold streak.

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Charlie McAvoy, BOS, Higher 0.5 Points

The Bruins blue liner has been on a tear. He has scored five points in his last six games, though his five-game points streak did end on Friday on the road against Columbus (Boston lost 6-2). McAvoy has been an assist machine lately, with five assists in his last six games and all his points coming in even-strength situations.

It’s been a down year for McAvoy. He’s only averaging 0.43 PTS/G (16 points total this year), and his 82-game points pace is 35, down from 52 a season ago. His SOG/G of 2.0 is slightly up from last year (1.8), but his SH% of 6.8% is 2.2% down. His PDO (1015) and CF% (49.3%) are roughly similar to what he did last year, so it seems like positive regression is finally coming to fruition after such a slow start. Despite the rough Friday night, McAvoy should get back into form in a return to the Garden, especially against the Blue Jackets, whom they played the previous night.

MacKenzie Weegar, CGY, Higher 0.5 Points

The Flames’ first game after the holiday break will be today, as they travel to San Jose. Restarting after the holiday layoff on the road (and in a late game to boot) doesn’t seem advantageous, but the Sharks are coming off a tough 6-3 loss against Vegas on Friday. They also may be short-handed, with Jake Walman not playing last night and questionable for tonight (following the Sharks on Gameday Tweets will be essential today).

Weegar is a second-line defenseman for the Flames, but he’s seen a lot of time on the power play for Calgary. He’s averaging 2:39 PP TOI this season and a 55.8% PP%, both significant increases from a season ago. The Canadian blue liner has scored 18 points this year and is averaging 0.53 PTS/G, and has eight PPP (0.24 PPP/GP). He should get plenty of scoring opportunities tonight against the Sharks, who averaged the third-most SH time (5:33) and been mediocre in the penalty kill (75.6% PK%) over the last month.

Photo Credit: Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers

On Thursday, the Detroit Red Wings announced they would be firing head coach Derek Lalonde and replacing him with former Sharks, Oilers, and Kings head coach Todd McLellan.

The Red Wings have been disappointed in various ways this season, thus explaining their low status in the Atlantic Division.

Their -23 goal differential is the worst mark in the division, and their -4.7 shot differential also ranks last in the Atlantic. The club has shown signs of life in the power play, as they rank tied for 10th in the league in power-play goals with 22 (along with the Capitals and Canucks). However, as JFresh Hockey’s team card pointed out, they’ve been lousy on both the offensive and defensive ends this season.

Even though the coaching change may help (it’s done wonders for the St. Louis Blues, but not so much for the Boston Bruins), McLellan has a lot of work ahead with this Red Wings team. This is especially true considering how tough the Atlantic Division is currently with the defending champion Panthers and the Maple Leafs, Bruins, and Lightning, who all have 40 or more points this season.

The Red Wings’ team outlook for the remainder of the season is still unclear. However, they have fantasy players who could benefit from the coaching change.

Despite having mixed results in his coaching tenures with San Jose, Edmonton, and Los Angeles, McLellan has been known for maximizing the skills and talents of his star players. That should give fantasy managers hope that Red Wings players who have gotten off to slow starts could be due to some positive fantasy regression under this new regime.

Let’s look at four players (three skaters and a goalie) who could benefit from McLellan taking over Detroit for the remainder of the 2024-2025 season.

Dylan Larkin, C, 90% rostered

The 28-year-old Red Wings captain has gotten off to a slow start to begin the season. In 34 games, Larkin has scored 12 goals and accumulated 26 points, which equates to 0.76 PTS/G. That latter is down from his 1.01 PTS/G mark last season, and his 63-point 82-game pace is nearly 20 points down from his 83-point 82-game pace a year ago.

Surprisingly, the shooting metrics aren’t all that different from what Larkin did in 2023-2024 with the Red Wings.

His 14.5 SH% is only 0.4 percentage points different from a year ago, and while his 9.4% 5-on-5 SH% is 1.5 points down from last season, it’s not a dramatic decline by any means. Conversely, he has increased slightly in PDO (from 1007 to 1010) and CF% (51.3% to 52.1%), showing he’s getting plenty of shooting and scoring opportunities this season. He’s just not cashing in with points as much as he did last year, as evidenced by his 0.35 G/GP and 0.41 A/GP, both down from 2023-2024.

I wonder if McLellan mixing up Larkin’s lines could have a positive impact for the remainder of the season.

This year, Larkin has been primarily grouped with Alex Debrincat and Lucas Raymond, as they have accumulated 184:25 TOI. The line has produced some good shooting numbers, as evidenced by their 50.8% SF% and 55.8 CF%. Unfortunately, the production has not produced positive points. They have a -5 plus/minus together this season.

Larkin, Debrincat, and Patrick Kane have been a more productive line recently, even though they have only accumulated 84:23 TOI together this season. They played primarily together in the Red Wings’ last game against St. Louis, which is a good sign that they may be more of a regular grouping from now on. For the season, that line has a +2 plus/minus, an SF% of 50.7%, and a CF% of 51.3%.

It will be interesting to see if McLellan will lean on that line and see if they can help the Red Wings break their scoring slump, as they have scored only four goals in their last three games. If McLellan can get that group going, then Larkin will not only be a productive fantasy player again but also live up to his high-rostered percentage.

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Vladimir Tarasenko, RW, 8% Rostered

Tarasenko may be more of a familiar “name” than a relevant fantasy player nowadays.

He’s currently a third-line winger for the Red Wings, only averaging 14:38 TOI and 1:37 PP TOI. His 6.9 SH% is down from 14.8% a season ago with the Senators and Panthers, and his 30-point 82-game pace is 29 points down from his 82-game pace in 2023-2024.

Even though Tarasenko’s best years are behind him, he could benefit from the coaching change, especially with a coach like McLellan, who knew Tarasenko’s skill set when the Russian was lighting it up with the Blues.

The 33-year-old winger’s 5-on-5 SH% is 8.9%, 1.7% down from a season ago. However, his SOG/60 is 7.2, only a 0.6 difference from last year. He has also been much better in power play, even though he sees less time with Detroit (34.6% PP%) than with Ottawa and Florida last season (40.3% PP%). His PP IPP of 66.7% is 10.4% better than what he did in 2023-2024. Furthermore, it’s 14.5% better than his even-strength IPP this season (52.2%).

It wouldn’t be surprising to see McLellan shift Tarasenko to more PP1 duties or utilize the PP2 group more often to maximize the Russian wing’s impact. Granted, Raymond has done a fine job in the power play, as evidenced by his own 82.4% PP IPP this season. Furthermore, the Red Wings' power play has actually been the bright spot for this Red Wings team this year, so maybe McLellan won’t rock the boat too much.

That said, fantasy managers should expect some fantasy boost from Tarasenko, just based on McLellan’s history. Considering Tarasenko’s available in 92% of Yahoo leagues, he’s worth a dart throw for the time being as a streamer, even if he hasn’t scored a point in his last eight games.

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Moritz Seider, D, 96% Rostered

With a rostered percentage of 96%, Seider is currently the most relevant Red Wings player in fantasy. Thus, fantasy managers who roster him are wondering if McLellan can help give him a boost for the remainder of the season.

In 34 games, Seider has accumulated four goals and 18 points. He’s averaging 0.53 PTS/G, which puts him in peculiar company among blue-liners.

According to Dobber, he’s tied with Calgary’s Mackenzie Weegar and Montreal’s Mike Matheson regarding PTS/G. He’s ahead of more well-known names like Vegas’ Alex Pietrangelo (0.52), Toronto’s Morgan Rielly (0.51), and Edmonton’s Darnell Nurse (0.48). However, he’s behind other defensemen like Florida’s Aaron Ekblad (0.56), New Jersey’s Dougie Hamilton (0.62), and Buffalo’s Owen Power (0.63).

Seider is pretty much doing what he did a year ago, statistically. His 43-point 82-game pace is one point better than his pace last year. His 6.1% SH% is 0.6 lower than a season ago. His 1.9 SOG/G is 0.3 points higher, and 40.9% IPP is also two percent better.

However, he also sees this improvement with much more ice time than in 2023-2024.

His 25:02 TOI is nearly three minutes more than his TOI a season ago (22:22), and his PP% of 59.7% is also higher than his 41.9% PP% in 2023-2024. Thus, while the slight improvement is encouraging, fantasy managers were expecting a much more significant spike in production this season with an increase in his role.

Seider is still significantly relevant in banger leagues.

He’s averaging 2.50 Hits/G and 2.26 Blocks/G, which is a huge plus considering his first-line duties in even-strength and power-play situations. He also has a secondary assist% of 57.1% and CF% of 48.6%, which shows he’s in the mix for accumulating points on a fantasy end, even if his shots aren’t finding the net.

Still, can McLellan get a little more scoring-wise from Seider, even if he’s more of a physically centered defenseman?

The talent is certainly there to be one of the better blue-liners in fantasy. In addition, his 18th ranking in Dobber’s Top 120 Defensemen in the preseason demonstrates serious long-term potential for the German defenseman.

Seider could be a nice trade target for those looking to improve their blue line, especially if McLellan can get the young Seider to mesh and buy into the new coach’s system sooner rather than later.

Cam Talbot, G, 45% Rostered

After coming from Los Angeles, Talbot had a solid start to the season with the Red Wings. However, he got injured and has struggled since returning, with zero wins and only one quality start in his last five games.

In his past three games, the 37-year-old goalie is not only 0-3 but has produced a 3.06 GAA, 0.897 SV%, -0.30 GSAA, and a 33.3% QS%. That isn’t much worse than Ville Husso over the last three weeks, as Husso produced a 1-2 record, a 2.76 GAA, 0.899 SV%, -0.10 GSAA, and 75% QS%. The Finnish goalie was recently demoted to Grand Rapids of the AHL a week ago.

Talbot provides the veteran presence between the pipes that the Red Wings need, especially since 32-year-old backup Alex Lyon has recently experienced his fair share of struggles. Lyon has produced a 4.53 GAA, 0.791 SV%, and -4.70 GSAA in his past two starts. Thus, fantasy managers who roster Talbot can feel good that he will continue to be the primary goalie in Detroit for the considerable future, even with the coaching change.

A benefit of the coaching change for managers who roster Talbot is that McLellan has direct experience working with Talbot. McLellan coached Talbot in Los Angeles and Edmonton, with their standout season together in 2016-2017, when the Oilers finished second in the Pacific Division with 103 points. Talbot won 47 games with a GAA of 2.39, SV% of 0.919, GSAA of 12.20, and QS% of 58.9%. Hence, McLellan likely has a tremendous amount of trust in Talbot from that time with the Oilers and Kings.

Now, is Talbot going to produce those kinds of numbers again suddenly? Likely not, especially since that was eight seasons ago.

That said, Talbot had a great season before the injury, and his overall numbers remain solid.

In 18 games, he’s sporting a 2.79 GAA, 0.912 SV%, 6.00 GSAA, and 61% QS%. He may be due for some regression, but he’s still an above-average goalie who can significantly and positively impact a fantasy team this season.

McLellan will continue to give Talbot his respect and plenty of opportunities for the remainder of the season to be in the net for the Red Wings, even if the expectations for this club are much different than those of the 2016-2017 Edmonton team.

Photo Credit: Rick Osentoski | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters

Despite the short week, there are some roster questions that fantasy managers might have as we begin Week 12 of the fantasy hockey season. With fewer games this week, it will be even more critical for fantasy managers to have productive performances from their players, whether in points or category-scoring formats. One off-day can seriously sink a fantasy team this week.

That said, here are three lingering questions that fantasy managers may have as we begin competition from December 23rd to December 29th.

Should Yaroslav Askarov Be a Must-Add Goalie?

The Sharks have been conservative with Askarov since acquiring him from Nashville on August 23rd.

San Jose started the season with Mackenzie Blackwood and Vitek Vanecek as the primary goalie combo. While the Sharks have been a sub-par team (which was to be expected under year two of this rebuild under GM Mike Grier), Blackwood and Vanecek have been serviceable, with the former being more so. That led to Blackwood (and forward Givani Smith) being traded to Colorado in a multi-player deal that brought over goalie Alexandar Georgiev, defenseman Nikolai Kovalenko, and future draft picks to San Jose.

Georgiev has continued to be the primary goalie with the Sharks, which has kept the talented Askarov in the AHL. However, an injury to Vanecek led to Askarov being called up again, and he thrived in the net against a hot Oilers team in Edmonton on December 21st.

The Sharks didn’t get the win, but Askarov stopped 39 of 42 shots in the effort, producing a GAA of 2.99, an SV% of 0.929, and a GSAA of 1.20. He’s only gotten one win in three starts with the Sharks this season, but all of his other metrics have been solid, as demonstrated in his player card via Dobber.

Askarov has yet to NOT have a quality start in the net at the NHL level this season, and his GAA of 2.30 and SV% of 0.928 are much better marks than Georgiev's (3.44 GAA, 0.875 SV%) and Vanecek (3.84, 0.885 SV%). Thus, with only an 11% rostered percentage in Yahoo, Askarov should, theoretically, be an easy add.

Unfortunately, it may be hard to pull the trigger on Askarov in fantasy, especially in re-draft leagues (he should be a no-brainer in keeper or dynasty formats).

Right now, Vanecek is expected to miss 2-3 weeks due to being hit by a puck while on the bench. Askarov will likely remain up with the Sharks over that timespan and receive a fair number of starts in the process. Conversely, Georgiev, an unrestricted free agent this offseason, will likely continue as the primary goalie, as San Jose will try to find a trade suitor for him before the March Trade Deadline.

Askarov may be worth picking up and riding for now (especially with the Sharks playing three games this week and next week). That said, fantasy managers may want to have two good goalie options available for regular play, as it is likely that Askarov will be sent back down to the AHL as soon as Vanecek, another trade candidate, is 100 percent.

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Is Kevin Lankinen a Drop With the Return of Thatcher Demko?

There’s no question that the Vancouver Canucks have greatly benefitted from Lankinen’s surprisingly effective 2024-2025 season thus far.

The Canucks are tied for fourth in the Pacific division despite having negative shot (-2) and goal (-1) differentials as of Monday, December 23rd. Vancouver certainly has firepower, but underwhelming seasons from Elias Pettersson and Jake DeBrusk haven’t helped with the Canucks’ scoring production this season.

Thankfully, Lankinen, who was acquired in free agency after last playing in Nashville, has kept the Canucks competitive thanks to his solid goalie metrics, which can be seen below.

Lankinen has been one of the top goalies in fantasy, even if he doesn’t have name recognition.

In 23 games this season, he has 14 wins (a 61% winning percentage), 14 quality starts (a 61% QS%), a 4.20 GSAA, a 2.61 GAA, and an SV% of .907. He’s also limited the bad outings, as demonstrated by his 13% Really Bad Start percentage. That has kept Vancouver in the hunt in the Pacific Division despite the disappointing start from their skater lines.

Hence, Lankinen should be an easy hold, right?

Unfortunately, that has become more complicated with the return of Thatcher Demko, Vancouver’s primary goalie a season ago.

Last year, Demko collected 35 wins and 30 quality starts (58.8% QS%) and posted a GAA of 2.45, SV% of 0.917, and GSAA of 21.53. The American goalie was unlikely to replicate that GSAA again in 2024-2025, but he’s seen regression in that category, and a few others, since returning to the ice on December 6th.

It’s only four games, but Demko has lagged a bit so far this year with the Canucks. He only has one win and two quality starts, and he’s also posted two really bad starts to boot. His GSAA is -1.50, his GAA is 3.18, and his SV% is 0.887. That pales to what Lankinen has done this season, even though it’s a smaller sample for Demko.

Here’s what the last two weeks have been like for the Canucks goaltenders, as they each have accumulated four starts in the previous eight games.

Lankinen has posted more quality starts in his four starts and significantly outperformed Demko in penalty kill situations (0.905 SH SV% to Demko’s 0.750% SH SV%). They’ve been pretty even in EV SV%, with Lankinen having a one-point edge. Demko has been better on close-range shots (0.841 SV% to 0.793 SV% on 1-15 ft shots), but Lankinen has been better in medium and long-range shooting situations.

The Finnish goalie has a 1.50-point advantage in GSAA over Demko over the past two weeks. Hence, even though Demko may decrease the number of starts Lankinen will receive for the rest of the year, fantasy managers should still expect Lankinen not just to receive a fair share of outings but quality ones as well for the remainder of the 2024-2025 season (if he stays in Vancouver).

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Is Seattle’s Kaapo Kakko Worth Streaming?

The Rangers fire sale continues this season as they traded 2019 second-overall pick Kakko to Seattle for defenseman Will Borgen and two future draft picks.

The deal is significant for Kakko, who gets a fresh start after struggling to receive consistent ice time with New York. The 23-year-old wing has scored five goals, accumulated 15 points, and averaged 0.45 PTS/G in 33 games. He’s also on pace for 37 points in 82 games, an improvement on his 26-point pace from last season.

Unfortunately, with the Rangers, Kakko only received 13:19 TOI and 1:00 PP TOI, equating to a PP% of 23.9%. However, he has produced some intriguing rate metrics, which is probably a big reason why the Kraken acquired him.

The goal rate isn’t high (0.15), but his SH% of 10% is decent, as his 5-on-5 SH% at 10.1%. He also has a PDO of 1043 and a 2.0 PTS/60 mark. Lastly, he’s produced an IPP of 65.2% and a Hits/G mark of 0.97. Thus, he has demonstrated that he can be heavily involved in point-creating opportunities when he’s on the ice, and he’s also a nice fit in banger-league formats.

Kakko scored his first Kraken goal on Sunday night against a tough Avalanche team in Colorado.

Regarding Kaako’s line outlook in Seattle, he saw second-line duties with Jaden Schwartz and Matty Beniers against the Avs. The group produced a SH% of 90% and CF% of 81.3%, signifying that this trio could be a potent trio for Seattle for the remainder of the season.

Unfortunately, the group only played together on Sunday at 10:20 TOI. The Kraken opts for a deeper four-line rotation, which deflates the TOI for many of its top forwards.

According to Dobber’s Seattle depth chart, only center Chandler Stephenson averages 18 minutes of ice time per game. Thus, it’s hard to imagine Kakko surpassing his 13:19 TOI average in his new surroundings in the Pacific Northwest. Kakko touching the 15:00 TOI mark for the rest of the season would be incredibly optimistic.

Nonetheless, if Kakko stays on this line with Schwartz and Beniers, he could be a sneakily productive right-wing option in deep-league formats. The Kraken only plays one game this week, so there should be no rush to pick him up if available (he is in 96% of Yahoo leagues).

Thus, he may be a better streaming target in week 13, especially with Seattle getting three games at home (Utah, Vancouver, and Edmonton).

Photo Credit: Nam Y. Huh/AP