Every Tuesday and Thursday, THN Fantasy expert Jason Chen will highlight his best picks 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.
Click for the full list of streaming options for goalies, defensemen and forwards.
Goalies
Joel Hofer, STL at NSH (9% rostered)
The Blues may continue rolling with Jordan Binnington, but I think they might split their two games on the road. Regardless, Hofer might be tasked with keeping the Blues’ seven-game winning streak alive against the Preds, whom they defeated 4-1 on March 23. The Preds won’t go down without a fight – another loss and they might be eliminated from playoff contention – but the Blues have a huge upper hand.
Hofer should be a great play for saves, a good save percentage and a win. Should he get the nod, he’s the best streaming option on a busy Thursday. Hofer is 2-0-0 with a .906 SP against the Preds this season.
Jakub Dobes, MTL at PHI (9% rostered)
The Habs have lost three straight and Dobes came in relief for Sam Montembeault in a 6-1 loss to the Blues, but with a back-to-back, expect Dobes to start. This should be a good matchup; the Flyers have been the league’s worst team over the past month – 2-10-1 since March 1 – and recently called up Aleksei Kolosov because their usual tandem – Samuel Ersson and Ivan Fedotov – has been awful. The Habs shouldn’t have any problems providing goal support and Dobes has been stronger on the road with a 5-2-1 record, .922 SP and 2.19 GAA.
The Flyers might come out strong after getting embarrassed in consecutive games, but they don’t have a roster good enough to compete. Barring a poor performance by Dobes, he’s in line for a win and a good save percentage. The Flyers are averaging a league-worst 1.69 goals per game in March.
Calvin Pickard, EDM at SEA (10% rostered)
It’s the second game of a back-to-back with travel for the Oilers, and even without their top two players, I like this matchup for Pickard. He’s won three of his past four starts with strong stats on the road (11-3-0, .914 SP, 2.41 GAA) and already beaten the Kraken twice this season, allowing four goals on 46 shots (.913 SP).
The Kraken offense has been surprisingly good in March, ranking seventh with 3.50 goals per game thanks to a strong power play, which gives me some pause. However, their own goaltending has run into some issues lately, and the Oilers are 12-2-0 all-time against the Kraken. I’m not sure if Pickard will offer a good save percentage, but I do think a win is likely.
Click for the full list of streaming options for goalies.
Defensemen
Philip Broberg, STL at NSH (11% rostered)
Broberg’s coming off a career game with a goal and three assists against the Habs, and this is a good matchup for the Blues, who defeated the Preds rather easily on March 23, 4-1. Broberg’s fantasy value is siphoned from his ‘D’ partner Justin Faulk, who’s been excellent and now rostered in half of Yahoo leagues. The Blues are averaging close to five goals per game during their seven-game winning streak.
Click for the full list of streaming options for defensemen.
Forwards
JJ Peterka, LW/RW, BUF vs. PIT (48% rostered)
Peterka’s three-game goal streak was snapped but he did manage to score an assist against the Sens to keep his points streak alive. This is a good matchup for the Sabres, who rank 10th in goals per game at home and face a Penguins team whose goaltending is in tatters once again, allowing seven goals against the Lightning in their last game.
Bryan Rust, RW, PIT at BUF (46% rostered)
The Pens’ issue is keeping pucks out of their net, not scoring. Rust carries a three-game points streak into this matchup with four goals and two assists, and the Pens’ top line remains their only real scoring threat. Rust is averaging over 20 minutes over the past two months.
Patrik Laine, LW/RW, MTL at PHI (43% rostered)
This is a good matchup for one of the league’s best power play merchants, who’s scored basically half his points this season with the man advantage. The Flyers PK ranks a pedestrian 17th this season, but since March 1 when they’re a league-worst 2-10-1, they rank 28th with 10 goals allowed on 33 penalty kills. The Flyers are carrying three goalies right now but none are good options for them.
Fabian Zetterlund, LW/RW, OTT at DET (19% rostered)
It’s time for Zetterlund to make an impact. Promoted to L1 a few games ago, Zetterlund’s been quiet but played 18:09 against the Sabres, the most ice time he’s received as a Senator, finishing with five hits and five shots. With the Wings struggling to win games and expected to start third-string Alex Lyon, this is a great opportunity and matchup for Zetterlund to finally score his first point for his new club.
Matt Coronato, RW, CGY vs. DAL (7% rostered)
The Stars are playing the second half of a back-to-back and expected to start Casey DeSmith, which should make scoring a lot easier. Coronato’s on a four-game points streak with four goals and two assists playing L2 with Jonathan Huberdeau and PP1.
Click for the full list of streaming options for forwards.
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