Take advantage of an 11-game slate with plenty of goalies to pick up.
Expected Starters
(ranked by matchup)
James Reimer, DET vs. MTL (19% rostered)
Reimer’s the confirmed starter after Ville Husso allowed nine goals in two games and another strong start might force the Wings into a timeshare. Reimer’s coming off a loss but allowed just one goal against the Panthers, and his numbers so far have been incredibly strong. I wouldn’t take the Habs lightly, but the Wings have the edge, historically and currently, which puts Reimer in a strong position for a win.
Spencer Martin, CLB vs. DAL (1% rostered)
Elvis Merzlikins was pulled from his last start which means Martin might get the call. Martin was excellent in relief, stopping 34 of 36 shots. The Stars should be a more difficult opponent, but the Jackets are at home and, for now, the Stars offense is stagnant. The problem is Martin will have to allow fewer goals than Jake Oettinger to win, and that’s the most difficult part.
Samuel Montembeault, MTL at DET (10% rostered)
Montembeault relieved Jake Allen against the Lightning and should draw the start. The downside with Montembeault is that you never really know which version you’re going to get. When he’s good, he’s great, but this is a potentially difficult matchup and with Reimer at the other end of the ice, Montembeault’s odds aren’t good.
Louis Domingue, NYR vs. MIN (0% rostered)
The Rangers announced Jonathan Quick is dealing with an upper-body injury, leaving Domingue as the likely starter against the Wild with Dylan Garand as the backup. Both Domingue and Garand spent the entire season with AHL Hartford last season, and this will be Domingue’s fourth regular-season start in the NHL in three seasons. It’s a dicey play; this has the makings of another high-scoring matchup though the Rangers should have the edge as the better team and playing on home ice.
Magnus Hellberg, PIT at LA (4% rostered)
Hellberg stopped all 11 shots he faced after coming in for Tristan Jarry, and he might draw the start out of precaution. Hellberg’s career .888 SP doesn’t breed a lot of confidence and this is a tough matchup against the Kings despite their paltry 1-2-2 home record.
Mackenzie Blackwood, SJ vs. EDM (6% rostered)
Dare we make it two in a row for the Sharks?! Look, it’s tempting and it would be absolutely hilarious if the Oilers lost, but we’ve already got our trap game with the Flyers and the Oilers should be out for blood. With Blackwood, at best you’re just getting a really great save percentage.
Forwards (Add/Hold)
Sean Monahan, C, MTL at DET (36% rostered)
Folks, we’re slowly getting to Monahan being rostered in over 50 percent of leagues. Monahan’s assist against the Lightning stretched his point streak to six games and continues to have a fantastic season.
Nick Schmaltz, C/RW, ARI at STL (36% rostered)
With two assists, Schmaltz is right back at a point per game. He remains criminally underrated and under-rostered in all leagues.
Quinton Byfield, C/LW, LA vs. PIT (36% rostered)
Trevor Moore, LW, LA vs. PIT (33% rostered)
Byfield’s become a very popular add with six assists in his past three games. Both Byfield and Moore, who’s on a three-game point streak of his own, are worth streaming. Byfield will get more assists and plays L1, but generally speaking, Moore will play more minutes, shoot the puck more often and score more goals.
Jaden Schwartz, C/LW, SEA at COL (32% rostered)
Schwartz’s point streak is now at seven games and continues to spearhead a balanced Kraken attack. He will never be a top scorer but with really positive deployment on L2 and PP1, expect Schwartz to continue to be productive.
Wyatt Johnston, C, DAL at CLB (21% rostered)
Johnston’s scored just a goal in his past four games but continues to play second-line minutes and generate scoring chances. You keep waiting for that avalanche of points to come, and if you stick with Johnston long enough, it will come.
Marco Rossi, C, MIN at NYR (16% rostered)
It was a quiet game for Rossi with zeros across the board, and while Joel Eriksson Ek will always take the spotlight, Rossi’s getting the best deployment with Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy on his wings. As long as Rossi stays in that spot with PP1, he’s worth holding.
Cole Perfetti, C, WPG vs. NSH (4% rostered)
Perfetti’s second goal of the season against the Blues stretched his points streak to four games, giving him nine points in 12 games on the season. He was a popular pick for a breakout season and despite a slow start he’s making good on it now.
Forwards (Stream)
Taylor Hall, LW, CHI at TB (33% rostered)
Hall’s scored a goal in two straight games since returning from injury without having to play with Connor Bedard. Incredible. Hall’s unreliable in fantasy but he’s on a hot streak and the Lightning give up a fair amount of goals.
Ilya Mikheyev, LW/RW, VAN at OTT (14% rostered)
The Canucks always seem to be very potent offensively in Ottawa. Mikheyev has been a fantastic addition to Elias Pettersson and Andrei Kuzmenko’s line. The Canucks are playing the Sens in the second half of their back-to-back following Wednesday’s Battle of Ontario.
Thomas Novak, C, NSH at WPG (11% rostered)
Novak’s scored four points in his past three games and he can be a notoriously streaky scorer. He’s the No. 2 center behind Ryan O’Reilly with PP2 minutes. The Jets are usually stout defensively but so far this season are allowing an uncharacteristic 3.33 goals per game.
Matias Maccelli, LW, ARI at STL (7% rostered)
Nick Bjugstad, C, ARI at STL (6% rostered)
The point streaks are now at nine games for Maccelli and seven games for Bjugstad, forming one of the hottest lines in the league right now, ranking 23rd in the league in expected goals percentage, according to MoneyPuck.com. It’s doubtful the Blues can keep the Coyotes off the board, especially since Clayton Keller always plays so well against them.
Alex Barré-Boulet, C, TB vs. CHI (1% rostered)
Yahoo’s been far too slow adding LW eligibility for ABB. He’s playing fourth-line minutes but remains productive with two points in three games and seven points in 11 games on the season. The matchup is also very good but C is such a deep position there may be better options.
Oliver Wahlstrom, RW, NYI at BOS (1% rostered)
Wahlstrom drew into the lineup in Bo Horvat’s absence and skated 13:32 playing on the top line with Mat Barzal and Anders Lee. This is how the Isles should be deploying Wahlstrom, who was drafted to be a scorer. The minutes are limited but there’s offensive upside with a top-six role.
Defensemen (Add/Hold)
Erik Gustafsson, NYR vs. MIN (21% rostered)
That’s four points in two games since Gustafsson took over for Adam Fox. Roster him now until Fox returns.
Brock Faber, MIN at NYR (5% rostered)
Quality defensemen are always hard to find but I’m continually intrigued by Faber. He’s scored three assists in four games and depended upon heavily by Dean Evason. He’s got multi-category value, too, with a steady diet of blocked shots.
Defensemen (Stream)
Mattias Ekholm, EDM at SJ (15% rostered)
Not sure if Ekholm will get any chances to block shots or hit anybody because the Oilers should dominate puck possession. However, that means Ekholm has a good chance to also extend his points streak to three games. He’s been underperforming all season.
Calen Addison, SJ vs. EDM (5% rostered)
This will be Addison’s third NHL team though he’s only ever played for the Wild. Acquired on Wednesday via trade, Addison immediately leaps to the top of the Sharks depth chart and provide offense from the blueline. He’ll likely be their quarterback on the power play, which had previously relied on five forwards or Kyle Burroughs, who was very miscast and scored zero power-play points in 107 career games. Look, I know the Sharks are bad, but the Oilers’ goaltending has been worse, which means the Sharks should be able to score a few goals, right?
Mason Lohrei, BOS vs. NYI (1% rostered)
The league upheld Charlie McAvoy’s four-game suspension, which means he’ll the game. Lohrei was assigned to AHL Providence on Tuesday but expect him to return. He’s scored two points in three games and doesn’t look out of place; there’s an outside chance Lohrei stays with the big club all season if his strong play continues.
Braden Schneider, NYR vs. MIN (1% rostered)
If you need some help in banger categories, Schneider’s great. He’s playing a bit more with Fox out of the lineup, and the Wild put 40 shots on the Rangers last time with Schneider getting six blocks.
