On every game day this season, THN Fantasy will highlight players and goalies for fantasy managers to stream or roster for the rest of the season. The recommended players and goalies are rostered in less than 50 percent of Yahoo leagues and can be selected in standard fantasy leagues and/or for daily fantasy games.
Alexis Lafreniere, LW/RW, NYR vs. EDM (44% rostered) – FanDuel $4,900
A pretty quiet start to the Rangers’ season so far and their offense comes and goes, having been shut out in both of their losses. Against a team with poor goaltending, I like the odds of Lafreniere scoring a point given his shot volume with 16 shots through four games. I’m not sold on him as a season-long hold, but he’s a fine streaming option.
Will Smith, C/RW, SJ vs. CAR (42% rostered) – FanDuel $5,300
Tough matchup because the Canes don’t allow a ton of shots, but Smith and Macklin Celebrini are the engine that drives the Sharks offense. They can be boom or bust, but a boom performance provides immense upside; Smith and Celebrini notched three assists apiece in their previous game, all on the same scoring plays.
Logan Stankoven, C/RW, CAR at SJ (37% rostered) –
FanDuel $4,900
Jackson Blake, RW, CAR at SJ (9% rostered) – FanDuel $4,200
I think Stankoven is progressing quickly to season-long hold as the Canes’ No. 2 center, while Blake is a good play for goals against a team with poor defense and goaltending. Blake played 19:27 in his previous game and so far has provided 11 shots in two games. The Canes should dominate this matchup, having won their seven previous matchups.
Cutter Gauthier, LW, ANA vs. PIT (37% rostered) –
FanDuel $5,800
Beckett Sennecke, RW, ANA vs. PIT (7% rostered) – FanDuel $4,700
With Gauthier you get good shot volume (14 shots in two games) and with Sennecke you get a young player with a ton of potential playing first-line minutes (18:19 TOI/GP). The Pens cooled off considerably with a 6-1 loss following two straight wins, and this is a particularly late start for East teams given the 7:30 p.m. local start time. Gauthier and Sennecke both play PP2.
Jared McCann, C/LW, SEA at MTL (32% rostered) – FanDuel
$5,500
Matty Beniers, C, SEA at MTL (13% rostered) – FanDuel $4,900
I still don’t think the Habs defend particularly well and McCann, the Kraken’s most reliable goal scorer with 30-goal, 200-shot potential, and Beniers, who has three points in two games, should both be good under-the-radar plays. The two linemates on both L1/PP1 are putting up good possession numbers and – we’ll see if this holds – but Beniers is getting a lot more offensive-zone deployment on face-offs early in the season. He started in the o-zone less than 50 percent last season.
Zachary Bolduc, RW, MTL vs. SEA (29% rostered) – FanDuel $4,500
Bolduc’s ice time is really creeping up and I don’t think he’ll be a value play for much longer. He’s scored a goal in three straight games with 10 shots on goal, playing 13:34 in the season opener to 16:42 in his most recent game. Expected starter Joey Daccord is always strong early in the season so the matchup may be difficult, but so Bolduc’s line has been excellent.
Marco Rossi, C, MIN at DAL (29% rostered) – FanDuel $5,400
So far, Rossi has maintained his 1C role between Matt Boldy and Kirill Kaprizov. If he weren’t in that spot I’d probably be less inclined to recommend him against a tough defensive team with excellent goaltending. The Wild’s top line is an offensive buzzsaw that should be able to generate offense no matter who they’re matched up against.
Jack Roslovic, C/RW, EDM at NYR (3% rostered) – FanDuel $4,400
No news yet on when Roslovic will make his Oilers debut, but it’s sooner than later. The expectation is that Roslovic will get a chance to play in the top six, which is a great spot to be in for any fantasy asset. If you’re willing to take a chance on Roslovic, he may be worth picking up now as a speculative add.
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