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 or for daily fantasy games.
10 games for Tuesday, April 15
Jake Allen, NJ at Jeremy Swayman, BOS (7 p.m. ET)
Anthony Stolarz, TOR at Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, BUF (7 p.m. ET)
Spencer Knight, CHI at Linus Ullmark, OTT (7 p.m. ET)
Jet Greaves, CBJ at Samuel Ersson, PHI (7 p.m. ET)
Vitek Vanecek, FLA at Andrei Vasilevskiy, TB (7:30 p.m. ET)
Logan Thompson, WSH at Ilya Sorokin, NYI (7:30 p.m. ET)
Karel Vejmelka, UTA at Jordan Binnington, STL (8 p.m. ET)
Ville Husso, ANA at Filip Gustavsson, MIN (8 p.m. ET)
Akira Schmid, VGK at Dustin Wolf, CGY (9 p.m. ET)
David Rittich, LA at Joey Daccord, SEA (10:30 p.m. ET)
Goalies
David Rittich, LA at SEA (11% rostered)
Rittich will likely get the start even though it’ll be his second appearance in as many nights. In a blowout win against the Oilers, the Kings pulled Darcy Kuemper – presumably for rest – with Rittich coming in to finish the game. The Kraken hold a 2-1 advantage over the Kings in their season series but Rittich has fared very well against them in his career with a 3-1-0 record, .923 SP and 1.97 GAA, including a 2-1 win on Nov. 23.
Rittich should be a good streaming option and his limited playing time should not hamper him despite playing for the second straight night. The Kings are on a roll with three straight wins and won seven of their past eight.
Jake Allen, NJ at BOS (16% rostered)
The Devils are having a lot of trouble scoring – just four goals in their past three games – and that’s the biggest cause for concern. Allen hasn’t played well recently (10 goals on 60 shots) but he’s generally been very good (.908 SP for the season) and he has already registered a win against the Bruins this season. The Bruins are playing the last game of their regular season and will be motivated to finish strong in a trying season; they’ve won three of their past five.
Allen is riskier than it looks on paper, and the two teams are trending in opposite directions. The Devils are still the favorite, but they will need to provide improved goal support for Allen to win. Given that the Devils have been quite good at limiting shots, Allen’s room for error is small. There’s a good chance this is one of those matchups where Allen gets the win but his peripheral numbers aren’t good.
Jet Greaves, CBJ at PHI (2% rostered)
Samuel Ersson, PHI vs. CBJ (15% rostered)
Greaves was named the NHL’s first star of the week with a perfect 3-0-0 record and just three goals against to keep the Jackets’ playoff hopes alive. He’s been on an absolute heater and it’s no fluke, having faced 93 shots. Ersson is on a hot streak of his own with three wins in his past four starts, but he’s also needed a lot of goal support to do so. The Jackets are slight favorites, according to NHL.com’s odds.
There’s more confidence in Greaves to keep goals against to a minimum, but note both teams have had no problems scoring lately. The Jackets offense is the better bet to provide goal support, which does not bode well for Ersson. The issue with hot streaks is you never quite know when it will end, but this late in the fantasy season, Greaves is worth rolling the dice just in case he can keep it going.
Karel Vejmelka, UTA at STL (45% rostered)
This is Vejmelka’s chance to put an exclamation point on a very good season. The Blues have lost three straight since their 12-game winning streak, while Utah has won four of their past five with an offense that’s averaging over five goals per game.
Utah’s defense has been quite good at limiting shots and Vejmelka’s done a good job of stopping most of them. This isn’t ideal for leagues that count saves, but Vejmelka has a good chance to secure the win in an upset. Utah leads the season series 2-1-0 though all three games have been close.
Akira Schmid, VGK at CGY (2% rostered)
Schmid has been much better than expected, allowing just two goals on 59 shots (.932), and the Knights come into this game having won four of their past five. The Flames must win their remaining two games to have a chance of making the playoffs and no doubt they will make a strong push.
The danger in streaming Schmid is that this is a relatively meaningless game for the Knights, who may rest a few key players. Schmid has been very good, but he’ll have to outduel Dustin Wolf at the other end of the ice. The Knights should still have the advantage and Schmid’s short track record is a risk. It’s unlikely he’ll be able to maintain his stellar save percentage but the Knights are favored and Schmid has a good chance to earn a win.
Spencer Knight, CHI at OTT (22% rostered)
Knight has just two wins in his past 10 starts but the Hawks are carrying over some momentum with three wins in their past five games, including Monday’s shootout win against the Habs, spoiling the Habs’ chance to clinch the final playoff spot. Knight has a.879 SP against the Sens in three career appearances against them, slightly lower than his .891 SP with the Hawks this season.
The Hawks may upset and the Sens may rest a few players since they’ve already clinched. However, given Knight’s record so far this season and the Sens’ ability to generate offense, it’s probably advisable to stay away from this start. Knight will be the underdog and allow at least a few goals.
Vitek Vanecek, FLA at TB (10% rostered)
The Panthers are already locked in as the third seed in the Atlantic, which means there’s little to play for. The defending champions lost 5-3 to the Rangers on Monday, but there seems to be no panic despite a string of not-so-good results. There’s a chance the Panthers rest a few players, thought not many because it’s the last game of their season and it’s a long break until their playoff opener on (presumably) Saturday; they’ll need to avoid getting rusty.
In a meaningless game for the Panthers against a rival that’s still jostling for the division title, it doesn’t feel like the Panthers will be putting their best foot forward. Vanecek’s play has improved since joining the Panthers, but that’s more a function of simply playing on a better team. He’s 1-4-2 with a .864 SP in seven career games against the Lightning, making him a very low-upside option.
Charlie Lindgren, WSH at NYI (45% rostered)
What worries is me is the Caps’ more lackadaisical play recently, losing three of their past four and allowing a lot more goals than usual. Lindgren has not been sharp, but what gives me hope is the Isles’ generally anemic offense. The Caps also lost their previous game on Long Island on April 6 when Alex Ovechkin scored his record-breaking 895th goal; Lindgren stopped just 18 of 22 shots.
This option looks good on paper but the Caps and Lindgren’s poor play does not bode well. Ilya Sorokin is expected to start and he’s won three straight games, including their last one against the Caps. Lindgren has a good chance to get the win, but the upset potential is higher than usual given the way the two teams have been playing.
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