Fantasy Weekend Rundown: Stream Rodrigues, Compher, Johnston

Happy New Year’s Eve. Saturday promises to be a busy slate yet again with 12 games, starting at 1 p.m. ET all the way through with staggered starts from 3 p.m. ET. A few matchups will be worth watching, including Sabres-Bruins, Wild-Blues, Leafs-Avs and two all-Canadian matchups with Canucks-Flames and Jets-Oilers.

With Jan. 1 falling on a Sunday this year, note that Sunday’s games will start earlier than usual, so be sure to set your lineups early while you nurse a hangover. Only the Sabres-Senators matchup will start at its usual time.

Here’s your final weekend rundown for 2022.

The Sabres’ top line has been absolutely electric, with Jeff Skinner currently on a four-game goal streak. He’s well on pace for his sixth 30-goal season, and this is after he scored 21 goals in 112 games from 2019 to 2021. The Bruins used Pavel Zacha on the second line after David Krejci was briefly injured, but upon Krejci’s return, it’s been Taylor Hall who was demoted to the third line. The 31-year-old former MVP will find his fantasy value capped in that role playing with Charlie Coyle, who’s not a very good playmaker, and the third winger has been Trent Frederic or Craig Smith, who don't have much offensive upside, either. Zacha’s on a three-game point streak, and he’ll have some sneaky value playing with David Pastrnak.

We shall see what Ukko-Pekka Luukonen and Craig Anderson are really made of facing the Bruins, who will be a tough test during an impressive five-game winning streak, while Jeremy Swayman is working back into the ration. That will boost Swayman’s fantasy value, which hurts Linus Ullmark’s a little bit since they have an inverse relationship. Only one of them can be the starter, after all.

This is the ultimate toilet bowl game of Saturday’s slate. The Hawks are 4-20-4 after starting the season 4-2-0, and they just can’t score. They’ve scored more than two goals just nine times in those 28 games. Nevertheless, the Jackets should have no problem with this one, even without Patrik Laine. Not having their top shooter in the lineup certainly hurts. But on most nights, if you’re looking for a streaming play, whoever’s their No. 1 center that night – it’s been Jack Roslovic recently – is usually a decent choice, with Johnny Gaudreau still producing at a point per game. Kirill Marchenko is a value play in the deepest of leagues. Despite his immense talent, he doesn’t get enough playing time, and there’s one other overlooked rookie winger who’s a far better bet in Jonatan Berggren (see Senators at Red Wings below).

OK, so the Preds beat up the Ducks, but it’s against tough teams that they should be measured against. They’ve lost eight of their past 11 despite Juuse Saros’ best efforts, who remains one of the league’s best goalies, but his fantasy value is hindered by a team that can’t score or defend consistently. They’re trying everything, rotating Thomas Novak and Juuso Parssinen – neither are reliable streaming options with John Hynes’ line juggling – and playing Matt Duchene, Ryan Johansen and Mikael Granlund all on separate lines.

Meanwhile, the Knights have had numerous players step up, and lately, it’s been Michael Amadio, who’s on a five-game point streak playing on the top line. Chandler Stephenson is an under-the-radar MVP in fantasy with C/LW/RW eligibility and the ability to contribute in all categories. His versatility and offensive skill make him a fixture in Vegas’ top six, and no matter the roster situation, he will have immense fantasy value. The other notable is defenseman Daniil Miromanov, an offensively-gifted KHL import who doesn’t play a lot at even strength but adds some playmaking ability to the power play. He’s a good, cheap streaming play for some potential points.

The only two players really worth their salt in fantasy on the Flyers are Travis Konecny and Scott Laughton, who has been like a Konecny-lite this season. Both offer up a good but unspectacular diet of points, shots and hits, though Konecny’s ceiling is obviously higher being the more talented player and playing more minutes.

The big fantasy story behind the Kings right now is Pheonix Copley, their third-string goalie who has somehow saved their season and managed to beat the Avs, Knights, Flames and Bruins. It’s not that Copley’s incredible, but he’s just making the saves he’s supposed to, unlike Jonathan Quick and Cal Petersen, whose demotion to the AHL put the nail on the coffin for his fantasy value this season. Look for Copley to keep getting the starts, and he’s shaping up to be a long-term hold if he keeps this up. The Kings, amazingly, still have a good shot at the division title, thanks to a terrible Pacific.

Erik Gustafsson has filled in nicely for John Carlson, who has no return date set and it doesn’t look like his return is imminent. The Habs have been getting blown out lately, but how can they win when more than half their defense is comprised of rookies on a nightly basis? They have one reliable scoring pair – Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, obviously – and nothing else to speak of. Despite the Caps’ success, they don’t offer up many fantasy options beyond the usual suspects. They have high-risk wingers in Anthony Mantha and Sonny Milano, who are either scoring goals in bunches or doing nothing at all.

The Coyotes are on the road, which means this should be an easy one for the Lightning. There’s still a swagger to the two-time defending champs, even though they don’t strike fear into the opposition’s hearts like they used to due to the league’s parity. However, interesting to note Anthony Cirelli has moved up to the second line, bumping Nick Paul down to the third. Paul had good chemistry with Steven Stamkos, but playing on separate lines now means Paul’s fantasy value dips while Cirelli’s goes up. Cirelli plays a lot but very much in a two-way matchup role, but like Paul, he could see a slight bump in his offensive production.

It’s not wise to start Jordan Binnington against any team with a good offense because there’s no telling how good the team in front of him will be. He’s been consistently hung out to dry, though the Blues’ goal support has at least kept the games close, largely thanks to Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou. The Wild’s goaltending has been quite good recently, but you still get the sense that it’s incredibly streaky with an aging Marc-Andre Fleury and a talented yet inconsistent backup in Filip Gustavsson. The Wild's key to this game is Joel Eriksson Ek, who is questionable with an undisclosed injury. That’s going to hurt their PP1, but it may provide a boost for Sam Steel or Frederick Gaudreau, who are miscast as top-line centers but will get a chance to share the ice with Kirill Kaprizov.

This is a big test for both teams, and it’s somewhat concerning the Leafs’ goaltending is starting to look a little vulnerable. They’ve lost once in their past four games, but they’ve also allowed 13 goals in their past three games. Ilya Samsonov and Matt Murray can be insanely streaky, so I’d be really shy about starting them in this matchup, even with Morgan Rielly back in the lineup. Calle Jarnkrok, however, is enjoying the high life playing on a line with Mitch Marner and John Tavares. They helped Jarknrok score a point in four consecutive games and nine total points in his past eight games. The Avs are without a lot of their top players, but J.T. Compher and Evan Rodrigues have played vital roles and continue to be excellent streaming plays due to their versatility and top-six roles.

As mentioned earlier, rookie winger Jonatan Berggren remains of very high interest to me. His offensive skill is undeniable. An assist against the Sabres on Dec. 29 pushes him to three points in his past four games and 12 points in 21 games overall. That’s valuable in deep leagues because Berggren is surely overlooked, and his roles in both even strength and on the power play have really increased. It’ll be interesting to see what the Wings do when Jakub Vrana, Robby Fabbri and Tyler Bertuzzi inevitably return to the lineup. Michael Rasmussen has been an interesting addition to their top line. He’s a hulking forward but isn't known for his offense, though his recent production could fool anyone with six points in four games. I like Rasmussen’s usage under Derek Lalonde, but with Dylan Larkin just coming back from a hand injury and so many options on the wings, Rasmussen seems like a risky play.

The highlight for the Sens has been Tim Stutzle. He's looking like the best player among the top three picks of the 2020 class. He’s playing himself into keeper status and perhaps supplanted Josh Norris as their No. 1 center. Either way, a Stutzle-Norris pairing down the middle next season should be formidable.

The Sharks are nothing without Timo Meier and Erik Karlsson. They’ve got some players who can hide some holes on their roster, but James Reimer hasn’t shown the ability to steal games lately, and I’d be terrified facing the Stars offense. Jake Oettinger has been mostly excellent all season, allowing more than two goals just once in his past eight games. Worth noting that rookie Wyatt Johnston has five points in his past five games. He is talented but streaky, like many other young players. He’s a fine streaming option as long as he has the hot hand.

Elias Pettersson is so good, he made career minor leaguer Lane Pederson somewhat relevant in fantasy with three points in six games. The Canucks had a debacle of a game against the Jets, thoroughly outplayed in just about every facet, and the incident between J.T. Miller and third-string Collin Delia only showcases just how disconnected everyone is on that team. That’s not a good sign as they go through what might be the toughest part of the schedule, and it isn’t easy to see Bruce Boudreau working his second-half magic this season like he did last season. Thatcher Demko is also apparently not close to returning, which means Spencer Martin will continue to be the streaming option.

It's also tough because Jonathan Huberdeau looks far more dangerous now than ever. The Flames are too deep, and ice time continues to be a luxury, but who knew Huberdeau would find better chemistry with Nazem Kadri and Milan Lucic? These aren’t the guys you expect Huberdeau to excel with, but that’s their second line now with Dillon Dube looking like an excellent complementary player on the top line next to Elias Lindholm.

The Jets will be missing a big piece of their defense if Josh Morrissey is not available. He’s quietly put together a Norris-caliber campaign, and it’s offset the injuries to Nate Schmidt and Logan Stanley. He's also covering up for Neal Pionk, who doesn’t look as comfortable as he did last season. Scoring depth is an issue, and playing Mark Scheifele with Pierre-Luc Dubois and Kyle Connor was a short-lived experiment, which should make Stuart Skinner’s job a lot easier. The Oilers should have a big advantage on home ice with the last change, negating some of Rick Bowness’ tendency to hard-match lines, and Connor McDavid has absolutely shredded the Jets throughout his career with 47 points in 26 games. The only team McDavid has scored more points against is the Canucks (59 points in 36 games), but on a per-game basis, the Jets allow more points.

The Canes won 4-1 in their last meeting, and we shall see if Pyotr Kochetkov’s injury is serious because Antti Raanta has started four straight games. It might actually work out in their favour; if Kochetkov isn’t 100 percent when Frederik Andersen returns, they can simply go with Raanta-Andersen until Kochetkov is ready, and hopefully by then, Andersen and Raanta will have played games to allow the Canes to determine their pecking order.

The Devils’ goaltending situation is also one to keep an eye on because while Vitek Vanecek still has the edge, Lindy Ruff’s quick trigger makes it a dicey situation. The Devils clearly still like Mackenzie Blackwood, but it’s shaping up to be one of those “win and you’re in” situations. The Devils are a good team, but they’re not in the Bruins’ tier even though they were neck-and-neck through the first two months of the season.

Fantasy managers have long been waiting for Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafreniere to break out, but it just seems like it will never come. Lafreniere’s situation is direr because he had more lofty expectations and was recently made a healthy scratch. Meanwhile, Kakko’s been playing quite well but just doesn’t have the points to show for it. The Rangers are a win-now squad laden with veterans, which makes it difficult for young players to get quality ice time and improve.

The Panthers have an interesting player in Eetu Luostarinen, who is playing opposite Matthew Tkachuk and has drawn praise from his team. The versatile Finn has four points in his past six games and 19 points in 37 games this season. Luostarinen may not be a good streaming option against the Rangers, but when the Panthers' offense is in a groove, Luostarinen is a name to remember as a value play.

The Sharks have more scoring talent, which tips the scales way in their favour. This will be the second of three meetings this season, with the Hawks winning the first game 5-2, but remember that was when the Hawks started off red-hot and the Sharks had just returned from the Global Series in Prague. Kaapo Kahkonen should draw the start, like their first meeting this season, setting up a potential revenge game.

This should be an exciting, high-scoring affair between two teams with elite young talent. Both teams might be a little weary having played the night before, which usually means fatigue and defensive lapses. Of the four games on Sunday, this is the one fantasy managers should focus on for streaming options.

The Kraken are starting to crack a little bit. Their offensive outburst at the beginning of the season seemed really unsustainable due to the high shooting percentage, and now their goaltending woes feel much like the ones they had last season. This will be just the third meeting between the two teams, with the series split 1-1-0 with an average margin of victory of three goals. Hudson Fasching might be an intriguing play here on Mathew Barzal’s right wing, having scored an assist in consecutive games. Fasching’s usage is the only reason he should be favored over the more talented Aatu Raty, who has a goal in three games but is stuck playing fourth-line minutes and mop-up duty on the power play with the second unit.