The Avalanche get a key top-six forward back in their lineup as they slowly get back to full strength. Lehkonen is expected to play on the top line and on the top power play unit.
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.
Forwards
Rickard Rakell, C/RW, PIT at NYI (25% rostered)
Rakell tallied an assist in their previous game and the Pens are sticking with their stacked top line with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin playing together. Bryan Rust is traveling on their road trip but he's not expected to play, which leaves Rakell's spot on the top line safe for now. In their four meetings last season, only one game featured less than seven (!) goals.
Artturi Lehkonen, LW, COL vs. SEA (53% rostered)
Casey Mittelstadt, C, COL vs. SEA (46% rostered)
Lehkonen is set to return and should be rostered in the majority of leagues. He's expected to skate L1 and PP1 for the Avs in what will likely be a win for the Avs against the struggling Kraken.
Mittelstadt retains his fantasy value because he's also expected to play PP1. When the Avs get back to full strength - Valeri Nichushkin is expected to return in a couple weeks - Mittelstadt will also benefit from having better wingers to play with, giving him plenty of value for the rest of the season as well.
Gabriel Vilardi, C/RW, WPG vs. UTA (32% rostered)
Vilardi has scored seven points in his past six games and this is a matchup the Jets should have no problems scoring. Utah's defense is severely depleted, and after a hot start they've lost seven of their last nine games and allowed at least three goals in every single game.
Sean Monahan, C, CLB at SJ (28% rostered)
Monahan's undisputed role as the Jackets' top center, combined with a high-volume shooting pace makes him an ideal matchup against one of the league's worst defensive teams. The Jackets and Sharks have engaged in some high-scoring matches recently, but Monahan should have the edge over all the Sharks' centers, especially Macklin Celebrini, who has struggled in the dot. The Jackets are averaging 3.55 goals per game (11th) this season while the Sharks are allowing the sixth-most shots per game (31.8).
Yegor Sharangovich, C/RW, CGY at MON (28% rostered)
This is a chance for 'Sharky' to get hot. He scored his first goal of the season in his fifth game following a return from injury, and he's one of the few legitimate scoring options the Flames have. Usually a winger on the top line, Sharangovich is now centering a line with Jonathan Huberdeau and Anthony Mantha on his wings; it doesn't seem like much, but it's arguably the Flames' most high-upside offensive line.
Don't expect the lines to stick, though, because they're trying everything they can to get their anemic offense going. I like this matchup for Sharangovich because it looks like he's heating up and the Habs have been horrendous defensively lately, allowing 17 goals in their past three games.
Marco Rossi, C, MIN vs. LA (14% rostered)
Rossi's on a three-game assists streak and while the Wild broke up their lines for a brief period against the Leafs, they inevitably go back to Rossi between Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello. The Kings are playing the second game of a back-to-back while the Wild have won three in a row.
Conor Garland, RW, VAN at ANA (12% rostered)
The Canucks should dominate this matchup offensively; the only question is how hard it will be to beat Lukas Dostal. Garland is quietly having the best season of his career, seeing a significant uptick in overall ice time and power play usage. He's not a creative playmaker or a fearsome shooter, but he's been getting on the board with a lot of consistency this season. He notched two helpers and played 20:06 in a 3-2 win against the Sharks on Saturday.
Dylan Holloway, LW, STL vs. TB (4% rostered)
With the Blues riddled with injuries, I'm intrigued by what Holloway will do. He's playing L2 with Jordan Kyrou and PP2, and his ice time is creeping up to 19 minutes per game after averaging less than 16 minutes in the first seven games of the season. His offensive ceiling isn't high, but he gets shots, hits and wins faceoffs.
Jesperi Kotkaniemi, C, CAR vs. PHI (1% rostered)
Jack Roslovic, C, CAR vs. PHI (1% rostered)
This is a pure matchup play and I like it. The Flyers are expected to start rookie Aleksei Kolosov, who will be making just his second career start, and the Canes' offense has been flying.
Kotkaniemi is on a three-game points streak mostly thanks to Martin Necas' incredible play, while Roslovic is just reaping the benefits of playing the third wheel on the top line. Roslovic's ice time is limited, but as long as he's getting shots and playing with Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov, he's worth streaming in this matchup.
Defensemen
Justin Faulk, D, STL vs. TB (38% rostered)
Colton Parayko, D, STL vs. TB (42% rostered)
With Philip Broberg out up to six weeks, it's now up to Faulk and Parayko to provide offense from the blueline. Both players are expected to play PP1 in a rare two-defensemen setup, with Faulk likely setting up Parayko for some one timers. Tampa's PK has struggled in the early going, ranked 24th in efficiency.
Jared Spurgeon, D, MIN vs. LA (4% rostered)
Spurgeon is not synonymous with fantasy hockey but he plays a lot of minutes, and that means more chances to score points. He notched two assists against the Leafs, including the overtime winner, and while he's behind Brock Faber on the power play depth chart, I do wonder if the Wild might mix it up every now and then. If Spurgeon doesn't score points, he's usually good for a few blocks.
Timothy Liljegren, D, SJ vs. CLB (1% rostered)
Liljegren didn't get a lot of chances to show his chops against the Canucks since they received only two power plays, but he remains the QB on PP1. The Jackets' PK is very average, so I'm intrigued by this matchup. Liljegren played 16:57 in his Sharks debut and managed only one shot on goal, and Jake Walman is always a threat to take back the job on PP1, so consider Liljegren a high-risk, high-reward streaming play because there's a chance he does absolutely nothing.
Honorable mention:
Alex Laferriere, RW, LA at MIN (45% rostered)
Matthew Knies, LW, TOR vs. BOS (40% rostered) - L1, PP1
Logan Cooley, C, UTA at WPG (36% rostered) - L1, PP2
JJ Peterka, LW/RW, BUF vs. OTT (35% rostered) - L1, PP1
Josh Norris, C, OTT at BUF (27% rostered) - L2, PP1
Ryan Hartman, C/RW, MIN vs. LA (8% rostered) - L3, PP2
Jean-Gabriel Pageau, C, NYI vs. PIT (4% rostered) - L1, PP1
Adam Gaudette, C, OTT at BUF (1% rostered) - L4, PP2
Owen Power, D, BUF vs. OTT (37% rostered) - L1, PP2
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