Battles in the Penguins and Red Wings crease heat up.
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 can be used in standard fantasy leagues or for daily fantasy games.
11 games for Saturday, Nov. 2
* = confirmed
Casey DeSmith, DAL* at Spencer Knight, FLA* (12 p.m. ET)
Joonas Korpisalo, BOS at Samuel Ersson, PHI* (1 p.m. ET)
Petr Mrazek, CHI* at Darcy Kuemper, LA* (4 p.m. ET)
Daniil Tarasov, CLB* at Logan Thompson, WSH* (5 p.m. ET)
Philipp Grubauer, SEA at Anton Forsberg, OTT (7 p.m. ET)
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, BUF at Cam Talbot, DET* (7 p.m. ET)
Sam Montembeault, MON* at Alex Nedeljkovic, PIT* (7 p.m. ET)
Joseph Woll, TOR* at Jordan Binnington, STL* (7 p.m. ET)
Justus Annunen, COL at Juuse Saros, NSH (8 p.m. ET)
Connor Ingram, UTA* at Adin Hill, VEG* (10 p.m. ET)
Kevin Lankinen, VAN* at Mackenzie Blackwood, SJ* (10 p.m. ET)
Goalies
Justus Annunen, COL at NSH (45% rostered)
I'm certainly a little surprised Annunen is still rostered in less than 50 percent of Yahoo leagues, considering Kaapo Kahkonen wasn't particularly inspiring in his Avs debut, though it was a tough matchup against the Lightning. Annunen sat as a healthy scratch that game with Alexandar Georgiev serving as the backup, but I wouldn't read too much into it.
This will be Annunen's first start since Oct. 27 after Georgiev lost 5-2 against the Hawks on Oct. 28 and Kahkonen against the Lightning on Oct. 30. Annunen has a chance to extend his personal winning streak to five games and also get the upper hand for the starting job. Jared Bednar said the Avs aren't interested in carrying three goalies, so if Annunen turns in another fine performance, they might go with him as their No. 1 going forward. The Preds continue to struggle with two straight losses and mustered just three goals. Their vaunted offense now ranks 30th in the league in GF/GP and the Avs should also have no problem providing ample goal support.
Joel BlomqvistJoel Blomqvist, PIT vs. MON (7% rostered)
I thought the Pens got a little lucky in a 2-1 win against the Ducks, but they managed to snap their six-game losing streak nonetheless. I still don't think the Pens defend very well, but their goaltending has improved over the last little while. Blomqvist still looks like he has a chance to take over the starting job, and the Pens have dominated this matchup in the Sidney Crosby era, and it's one of the teams he relishes playing the most.
They've won four in a row against the Habs, who've scored more than three goals just three times in their past 10 matchups. This might be the start of a little hot streak for the Pens while the Habs are reeling with two straight losses and getting outscored 14-5 in those games.
Update: Nedeljkovic gets the start, which tells me the Pens plan on leaning on him for the time being.
Cam Talbot, DET vs. BUF (47% rostered)
A good start could give Talbot some rest-of-season fantasy value after Alex Lyon lost his previous start, 6-2, against the Jets, so Talbot might even be worth a speculative add. The Sabres are coming off a loss and playing the second game of a back-to-back with travel, so I do like the Wings' chances here. Their inconsistency bothers me, and so does Talbot's career numbers against the Sabres (1-3-2, .872 SP, 4.14 GAA), but it's the last game before a three-day break and a two-game road trip, so they'll be eager to snap a 0-2-1 slide here.
Samuel Ersson, PHI vs. BOS (20% rostered)
These matinee matchups are always kind of dangerous, but at least both teams are from the East, so they're similarly disadvantaged. I don't mind Ersson in this matchup, however, given his excellent play of late (43 of 44 saves, .977 SP), though note it's a revenge game for the Bruins after Ersson shut them out, 2-0, on Tuesday. The Bruins look absolutely lost, coming off an 8-2 defeat to the Canes. This feels a little like a trap game for the Flyers, and the Bruins are the favorites according to most sportsbooks.
Anton Forsberg, OTT vs. SEA (3% rostered)
I don't trust Forsberg very much but I do like the matchup more than usual because Philipp Grubauer as the other end of the ice. The Sens are playing the second half of a back-to-back with cross-border travel, but Forsberg should be fresh following a two-game break, and he was brilliant last season against the Kraken with a 39-save shutout in a 2-0 win. Historically, though, they've had some high-scoring games, including a 5-4 win and an 8-4 loss for the Sens.
Casey DeSmith, DAL at FLA (10% rostered)
Spencer Knight, FLA vs. DAL (5% rostered)
Based on ability, I'd pick Knight over DeSmith even though DeSmith has the far superior numbers so far. While neither team are technically on home ice, note the Panthers are the designated home team so they get last change. The past few Global Series have ended with sweeps, and I wouldn't be surprised if that's the case here. The odds are very close, and given how much talent is on either team, I'd actually shy away from this matchup.
Remember to bookmark The Hockey News Fantasy site for stats, news, analysis, rankings, projections and more, including the Sleepers and Keepers fantasy hockey podcast!
THN.com/FREE