November 9 Fantasy Hockey Streamers: Nick Schmaltz, Bobby McMann, Niko Mikkola and More
Five NHL teams with good matchups and the players on those teams who are most involved in the action.
Alex Ovechkin is on the way to catching Wayne Gretzky in career goals, sitting around 30 goals short of the record. I don’t have anything against Ovechkin, but I don’t really like the idea of Gretzky being topped because The Great One has always been the best hockey player my entire life, end of story.
We argue about the best in every sport, at every position, and in every era. The only absolute is that Gretzky is the greatest hockey player. Ovechkin topping him in goals doesn’t necessarily change that, but it opens the conversation, and it’s just another thing to add to the debate list; I’m tired of debating.
Focusing on fantasy, let’s look at five teams with good matchups on Saturday and the players on those teams who are most involved in the action. Not everyone listed below will be available, but it’s good to compare usage across the same team.
I try not to list injured players, but always check actives/inactives before game time to ensure everyone in your lineup is playing. Stats are from NHL.com.
Florida Panthers vs. Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers rank just 26th in shots per game allowed, but they are fifth in most goals allowed per game. Goals are better than shots, so we’ll target the Flyers today.
Florida’s Top Shooters and Time on Ice
Forwards (Shots/Average Ice Time)
- Carter Verhaeghe (55/19:04)
- Sam Bennett (45/17:23)
- Sam Reinhart (39/20:01)
- Anton Lundell (35/18:50)
- Evan Rodrigues (29/16:23)
- Matthew Tkachuk (28/17:17)
- A.J. Greer (20/12:09)
- Eetu Luostarinen (18/16:44)
Defenders
- Gustav Forsling (23/22:43)
- Aaron Ekblad (19/22:48)
- Niko Mikkola (19/20:57)
- Dmitry Kulikov (12/20:18)
Los Angeles Kings vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
Columbus has given up 14th-most shots per game and eighth-most goals per game. They’re more of a middling matchup but still one to pursue on Saturday.
Los Angeles’ Top Shooters and Time on Ice
Forwards
- Kevin Fiala (44/17:02)
- Adrian Kempe (42/18:31)
- Warren Foegele (37/14:52)
- Trevor Moore (35/16:54)
- Alex Laferriere (35/15:45)
- Quinton Byfield (33/17:30)
- Phillip Danault (27/17:32)
Defenders
- Brandt Clarke (30/18:28)
- Vladislav Gavrikov (20/23:36)
- Mikey Anderson (18/21:51)
- Joel Edmundson (16/20:50)
- Jordan Spence (19/18:33)
Ottawa Senators @ Boston Bruins
Boston has allowed the 13th-most shots per game and ninth-most goals per game. It’s another middling profile, but it’s good enough for us to target the Bruins.
Ottawa’s Top Shooters and Time on Ice
Forwards
- Brady Tkachuk (46/18:09)
- Claude Giroux (28/18:51)
- Drake Batherson (27/17:45)
- Tim Stutzle (25/19:24)
- Noah Gregor (23/13:05)
- Josh Norris (23/18:47)
- Nick Cousins (22/11:06)
Defenders
- Thomas Chabot (33/23:07)
- Jake Sanderson (24/24:27)
- Travis Hamonic (20/17:03)
- Nick Jensen (19/20:39)
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Montreal Canadiens
Montreal is allowing the sixth-most shots and the most goals per game. There’s not a much better team to target early this season.
Toronto’s Top Shooters and Time on Ice
Forwards
- John Tavares (46/16:44)
- William Nylander (45/18:11)
- Mitch Marner (36/21:25)
- Matthew Knies (32/17:51)
- Bobby McMann (26/13:16)
- Max Pacioretty (23/12:41)
- Nicholas Robertson (18/12:30)
- Max Domi (17/14:37)
Defenders
- Oliver Ekman-Larsson (30/21:29)
- Morgan Rielly (29/21:10)
- Jake McCabe (12/21:39)
- Christopher Tanev (6/19:15)
Utah Hockey Club @ Nashville Predators
The Predators are 12th in shots per game allowed and sixth in goals per game. They’ve been a team to consistently target all year.
Utah’s Top Shooters and Time on Ice
Forwards
- Dylan Guenther (38/16:20)
- Clayton Keller (37/19:32)
- Barrett Hayton (32/16:51)
- Nick Schmaltz (29/18:22)
- Lawson Crouse (27/15:08)
- Logan Cooley (26/15:34)
- Alexander Kerfoot (24/15:48)
- Matias Maccelli (22/13:46)
Defenders
- Mikhail Sergachev (25/25:38)
- Ian Cole (10/20:11)
- Michael Kesselring (19/20:05)
- Juuso Valimaki (12/17:41)
