There are eight teams playing back-to-back over the weekend. It's your last chance to catch up on goaltending in the final week of fantasy hockey and the East wild card race is really heating up.
Saturday, April 6. 11-game slate.
* = confirmed
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TB* at Alex Nedeljkovic, PIT* (1 p.m. ET)
Sergei Bobrovsky, FLA* at Linus Ullmark, BOS* (3:30 p.m. ET)
Scott Wedgewood, DAL* at Petr Mrázek, CHI* (3:30 p.m. ET)
Connor Hellebuyck, WPG* at Marc-André Fleury, MIN* (4 p.m. ET)
Joel Hofer, STL* at Devin Cooley, SJ* (6 p.m. ET)
Samuel Ersson, PHI* at Jet Greaves, CLB* (7 p.m. ET)
Ilya Samsonov, TOR* at Samuel Montembeault, MTL* (7 p.m. ET)
Jake Allen, NJ* at Anton Forsberg, OTT* (7 p.m. ET)
Kevin Lankinen, NSH* at Semyon Varlamov, NYI* (7:30 p.m. ET)
Calvin Pickard, EDM at Jacob Markström, CGY* (10 p.m. ET)
Casey DeSmith, VAN* at Cam Talbot, LA* (10 p.m. ET)
Streaming Options
(ranked by matchup)
Scott Wedgewood, DAL at CHI (11% rostered)
The Stars are one of many teams playing back-to-back over the weekend. Regardless of whether Wedgewood or Jake Oettinger gets this start, the Stars will be heavily favored. It's likely that Wedgewood gets this start, leaving Oettinger to face the Avs on Sunday, but the Stars are one of the few teams who don't mind playing their backup against the stronger team.
The Stars are on a franchise-record eight-game winning streak with a good chance to push it to nine games against the Hawks. If Wedgewood starts, he's a top streaming option.
Joel Hofer, STL at SJ (14% rostered)
If Hofer doesn't get this start, he'll get the one on Sunday against the Ducks -- either opponent will provide a streaming opportunity. Hofer wasn't sharp in his previous start against the Sharks in a 4-0 loss, and this is a potential revenge game.
The Blues offense peppered Juuse Saros with 47 shots in a 6-3 loss against the Preds; if they replicate that kind of offensive performance against the Sharks, it's about as close as you can get to a guaranteed win. Hofer has been an excellent backup this season and deserves to be trusted.
Alex Nedeljkovic, PIT vs. TB (21% rostered)
If the Pens make the playoffs, Nedeljkovic is a big reason why. He's won five of his past seven starts and allowing an average of 2.29 goals per game -- good enough to even give an anemic Pens offense a chance, even if it has come alive recently.
At first glance, this is an intimidating matchup; the Lightning are 11-2-1 since March 1 and boast MVP candidate Nikita Kucherov. But there are plenty of stats that suggest Nedeljkovic and the Pens might be able to pull this one off. Nedeljkovic has been very good at home this season (8-2-2, .921 SP, 2.32 GAA), has put up good numbers against the Lightning in his career (2-2-2, .930 SP, 2.32 GAA) and the Pens have won five of their past six meetings. This is going to be close, but if you need a start, I don't mind rolling the dice with Nedeljkovic in this spot. I find a blowout loss for the Pens unlikely.
Calvin Pickard, EDM at CGY (18% rostered)
I don't like the goalie but I do like the matchup, but perhaps a little less than usual. The Oilers are playing the second half of a back-to-back and already made their statement with a 6-2 win against the Avs. The Battle of Alberta will bring out the best in the Flames, and even in a pyrrhic victory it's another feather in their cap in a storied rivalry.
Pickard has had some trouble with better opponents, and I'm just concerned that his win may be tarnished by a high GAA or low save percentage. If you're looking for a win, Pickard's a viable option, but don't expect any spectacular numbers to go with it. It would just be a big bonus if that were the case.
Kevin Lankinen, NSH at NYI (2% rostered)
Lankinen getting the start means Juuse Saros gets the Devils on Sunday. Past history says the Preds should win this matchup and I tend to agree; the Preds have been one of the league's best teams in 2024 while the Isles have needed a lot of help from other teams losing to claim the third spot in the Metro.
Lankinen's prone to the occasional blowup but I do like his prospects of winning. I'm not sure he can get you a good save percentage, but he's made some stellar starts so far this season. I don't mind rolling with Lankinen here if you need a start.
Jake Allen, NJ at OTT (32% rostered)
I'm ready for the Sens to be bad again. The thing about the Sens is that once they lose, it just tends to snowball. They put together a nice five-game winning streak but stumbled against the Wild and then proved in a 6-0 loss to the Panthers why they're at the bottom.
The Devils actually aren't too much better with a disappointing season of their own, but I certainly do like their chances of winning a lot better. Allen may be reverting back to the Allen we've known, but the Devils can also provide ample goal support. If you're streaming Allen, you're not necessarily looking for anything but a win.
Casey DeSmith, VAN at LA (42% rostered)
DeSmith is a fine goalie but the Kings are an opponent the Canucks just really have a lot of trouble with. Their suffocating defensive style is like kryptonite to the Canucks' transition offense, and their past matchups have generally been low-scoring grinds.
From a fantasy perspective, that's good for DeSmith because it ensures his goals against will be kept relatively low, but that's outweighed by relatively fewer saves and a low save percentage. I think resting two of their past three games bodes well for DeSmith, but it's unlikely he'll get a lot of goal support to pull off a win if he's still not sharp.
Semyon Varlamov, NYI vs. NSH (22% rostered)
This is expected to be a schedule start for Varlamov, but confirmation will come since Ilya Sorokin has won two straight and the Isles are not playing a back-to-back. This is an odd matchup to have this late in the season because the Isles and Preds don't clash very often.
That's why it's surprising to learn that the Preds have won 10 (!) straight matchups against the Isles, and some of the games have not been particularly close. In fact, the Preds are 23-11-0 all-time against the Isles.
The biggest challenge facing the Isles, who have plenty of incentive as they wake up Saturday morning sitting third in the Metro, is the play of Juuse Saros, who's incredibly hard to beat. Varlamov's career .894 SP and 3.30 GAA against the Preds doesn't breed a lot of confidence. While I don't default to past history very often, it's hard to get a feel for this game, so I default to the numbers. And the numbers say this isn't a favorable matchup for Varlamov.
Samuel Montembeault, MTL vs. TOR (21% rostered)
I like the prospect of a good save percentage from Montembeault, but that's about it. The Leafs have quietly put together a stretch of strong play and Ilya Samsonov, the expected starter, has been surprisingly good lately. Saturday nights in Montreal are intimidating for any team, but there's just no denying the Leafs are the better team. They've won four straight against the Habs.
Samuel Ersson, PHI at CLB (34% rostered)
The Flyers scare me, and not in a good way. They've lost six in a row despite outshooting their opponents by an average of 12.5 per game during that span, the best mark in the league. They're trying hard, but they lack finish and they've run into a string of backup goalies playing very well, and that trend may continue even though the Jackets are expected to start either third-string Jet Greaves or veteran minor leaguer Malcolm Subban.
It would just be a very Flyers result to play hard, outshoot their opponent but somehow lose. It's been a successful season in many ways, but perhaps a playoff berth just isn't meant to be. John Tortorella was inspiring in his recent press conference -- he's the pick-me-up I need when the (fantasy hockey) life gets tough -- but sometimes teams just hit a wall. Start Ersson at your own risk, but I'm not confident he can snap out of his funk right now with some tough performances, little goal support and tough luck.
Joonas Korpisalo, OTT vs. NJ (52% rostered)
I had a feeling the Sens might implode soon and Korpisalo was pulled after allowing four goals on 17 shots. There's a chance Anton Forsberg starts in this matchup but I don't think it'll change the outcome very much, and the Sens' back-to-back ensures Korpisalo will get this game or Sunday's against the Caps. It's hard to have faith in any Sens goalie especially now that their winning streak is over.
Editor's note: Forsberg does indeed get this matchup. I'm less confident in him that Korpisalo, and I already don't like the matchup for the Sens.