The Weekend Stream: Week 4
A Forward, A Defenseman, and Goalie to Stream For Oct. 31-Nov. 2
After the jam-packed Frozen Frenzy on Tuesday (all 32 teams played), the NHL will be busy with 21 games this weekend, including 13 on Saturday. Looking at TJ Stats’ Fantasy Hockey Schedule Summary for this weekend, the Red Wings and Islanders have the most advantageous schedules fantasy-wise from October 31st to November 2nd (both have schedule scores of 3.1).
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.
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