Monday kicks off with an eight-game slate in the championship week of the fantasy hockey season. Laurent Brossoit is expected to start in a key clash between the Jets and Kings.
Monday, April 1. Eight-game slate.
* = confirmed
Justus Annunen, COL* at Daniil Tarasov, CLB* (7 p.m. ET)
Tristan Jarry, PIT* at Igor Shesterkin, NYR* (7 p.m. ET)
Semyon Varlamov, NYI* at Samuel Ersson, PHI* (7 p.m. ET)
Alex Lyon, DET* at Andrei Vasilevskiy, TB* (7 p.m. ET)
Sergei Bobrovsky, FLA* at Ilya Samsonov, TOR* (7 p.m. ET)
Stuart Skinner, EDM* at Jordan Binnington, STL* (9 p.m. ET)
Cam Talbot, LA* at Laurent Brossoit, WPG* (9 p.m. ET)
Philipp Grubauer, SEA at Mackenzie Blackwood, SJ* (10:30 p.m. ET)
Streaming Options
(ranked by matchup)
Justus Annunen, COL at CLB (17% rostered)
This was a scheduled start for Annunen, who was perfect going 22-for-22 in a relief appearance against the Preds after Alexandar Georgiev was pulled. With a back-to-back coming up, it also ensures Annunen will get another start, most likely on Friday against the Oilers. You could keep Annunen for that start, but I wouldn't recommend it, so feel free to drop him after tonight.
However, for now, Annunen's a great play against the Jackets. Boone Jenner is not expected to play and the Avs' goal support should be enough to get Annunen the win even if he's not sharp.
Philipp Grubauer, SEA at SJ (33% rostered)
Assuming the Kraken don't break from their rotation, expect Grubauer to start against the Sharks. Not only is this a favorable matchup, it also means Joey Daccord will likely start Wednesday against the Kings, leaving Grubauer to start against the Ducks. That's two very good starts for Grubauer, so if you stream him in this matchup, be sure to hang onto him until Friday.
True, Grubauer doesn't breed a lot of confidence, but he allowed just two goals in his previous start against the Ducks in a win. It would be a little surprising to see the Kraken lose to the Sharks, who don't have much offensive firepower and the Kraken are generally quite good in their own end and limiting scoring chances.
Laurent Brossoit, WPG vs. LA (27% rostered)
Brossoit is expected to start with Connor Hellebuyck slumping, and Rick Bowness insists starting Brossoit against the Kings was the plan all along. The Jets have lost six straight, which is definitely concerning, but the good news is that the Kings tend to be a low-scoring team.
That means Brossoit can potentially offer up a win with really good peripheral stats, either a low goals against or a high save percentage. Brossoit has been particularly good at home this season with a 8-1-0 record and .930 SP. I don't mind streaming Brossoit in this start, and my biggest worry would be the team in front of him, not Brossoit's performance.
Semyon Varlamov, NYI at PHI (23% rostered)
Varlamov's been much better than Ilya Sorokin, though Sorokin will start Tuesday in the Isles' back-to-back. I like the matchup for the Isles, but their offense has been quite paltry with Patrick Roy really mixing up the lines, and their defensive efforts are still too inconsistent for either Varlamov or Sorokin to be a reliable play.
I think Varlamov will rack up the saves and post a good save percentage, but I'm not convinced either team has the edge in this matchup. Varlamov's a risky play because of the Isles' play, not because the Flyers are a particularly intimidating opponent. Even though they are very good at outshooting their opponents, they lack an elite finisher.
Joseph Woll, TOR vs. FLA (51% rostered)
Ilya Samsonov shut out the Sabres in their previous game, but I think the Leafs go back to Woll, who allowed just one goal on 24 shots in a 5-1 win against the Caps. The Leafs are either looking to establish a rotation or figure out who to go with as their No. 1 down the stretch.
This a tough matchup for Woll, but I'm pretty confident that you can at least get a good save percentage out of this matchup. A win will be difficult, but based on the way both teams have been playing lately, I think the Leafs have the edge. The Panthers have lost six of their past eight with only one win in regulation.
Editor's note: Interesting the Leafs are going with Samsonov, but it makes sense after the shutout win against the Sabres. This makes me think the Leafs will go with the hot hand and not a rotation. This is a tough matchup for Samsonov but could be worth the start since he's playing well and the Panthers are slumping.
Samuel Ersson, PHI vs. NYI (40% rostered)
The problem with this matchup is that someone has to win. Both teams are struggling right now with Ersson losing three straight with 13 goals allowed. I suspect the Isles will go back to Ilya Sorokin after the short-lived Semyon Varlamov experiment, but this matchup has such a wide variety of outcomes that it's difficult to trust Ersson (or Sorokin, for that matter).
Ersson did shut out the Isles earlier this season with 25 saves in a shootout win on Nov. 25, but it's hard to see another low-scoring game between the two teams. Though neither team possesses an elite superstar, this may just be the type of matchup where the goals come easily for both teams. If you're willing to take the risk with Ersson, you might end up with a win, but the downside (poor save percentage, lots of goals against) is pretty high.
Editor's note: Early indications are the Isles are going with Varlamov, not Sorokin. It doesn't change how I feel about Ersson in this matchup either way and, in fact, the Isles might actually be better off with Varlamov. Patrick Roy would know.
Alex Lyon, DET at TB (36% rostered)
Lyon was excellent with 36 saves in his previous start against the Panthers, but his personal losing streak continues and he finishes March without a single win in 10 appearances.
The Wings have lost four straight, including two shutout losses, and I'm not confident with a slumping Alex DeBrincat and a less-than-100-percent Dylan Larkin that they have the firepower to compete against the Lightning, who have flipped a switch and look more like a Cup contender right now than at any other point this season.