Thursday fantasy hockey tips: NHL picks, matchups, more
Of the 20 teams in action, only the Carolina Hurricanes (played Wednesday) and the San Jose Sharks (play Friday) are part of back-to-back sets.
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All times Eastern.
7 p.m., KeyBank Center, Watch live on ESPN+
Eichel coming back to Buffalo will be an intriguing situation for a few years still, as the the fortunes of both clubs will remain tied to his trade for the foreseeable future. While the Sabres are a fun upstart story to start the campaign, they’ve cooled off a bit of late. But the Knights have showed no signs of slowing down from their 12-2-0 record. Definitely roll with your Vegas players, including the reunited line of William Karlsson, Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith. While the focus will be on Eichel, this second line has been just as hot.
7 p.m., PNC Arena, Watch live on ESPN+
The Oilers have some big skates to fill with Kane missing the next three to four months recovering from getting his wrist cut by a skate blade. This will be the first chance to see what the team does. There is no easy answer here, as Kane’s combination of physical play and skill can’t be replaced by Kailer Yamamoto, Jesse Puljujarvi or Dylan Holloway. But someone is going to get extended play on a line with Leon Draisaitl and that’s worth watching. Holloway is the only one without a long track record of opportunity, so perhaps this is his chance to shine. On the other side, the Canes are likely without Frederik Andersen for the second of back-to-back contests, so we could get our first look at Pyotr Kochetkov in the crease this season. He’s a promising young goaltender, but the Connor McDavid and the Oilers probably isn’t an ideal matchup.
7 p.m., Little Caesars Arena, Watch live on ESPN+
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Mired in three consecutive losses, the Rangers appear to be reuniting one of their best lines from last year’s playoffs to deepen the depth chart. Filip Chytil, Alexis Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko are back together to form the team’s third line and leaving a dangerous top six still above them. Jimmy Vesey slides into a spot with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider, while Vitali Kravtsov returns to the second line with Vincent Trocheck and Artemi Panarin. It’s the kind of sea change to a depth chart that will either spark a team or have them back to the drawing board by the second period.
10:30 p.m., Crypto.com Arena, Watch live on ESPN+
Petr Mrazek should be back between the pipes for the Blackhawks for the first time since an Oct. 21 injury, but the Kings remain a top-10 team for goals per 60 minutes at five-on-five. But the Kings are also ranked 25th for goals against per 60 at five-on-five. Both teams are likely trying to get their offense going. The Blackhawks have just three goals over their past three games, which included beating these Kings 2-1 in overtime last Thursday. The Kings, meanwhile, had a solid offensive showing against the Panthers last Saturday, but that is sandwiched by one-goal efforts (mind you, efficient one-goal efforts, as they earned three points in the standings).
Owen Tippett, W, Philadelphia Flyers (1.8%): His low rostership suggests deep league, but Tippett has longer-term appeal, so we’ll pull him into this tier. First-line duty? Check. Top power-play unit? Check? Five points in six games? Check.
Jack Roslovic, C, Columbus Blue Jackets (46.5%): Jakub Voracek hitting the shelf for some time opens up two roles: Top-six winger and top power-play unit. Roslovic will be first up for the latter of the roles, so should see looks on the advantage. The Blue Jackets (finally) scored a power-play goal in Finland last week, so maybe this ultra-talented-on-paper unit can get going.
Evan Rodrigues, C/W, Colorado Avalanche (8.1%): If we still don’t have Valeri Nichushkin back on the ice, Rodrigues will get top power-play minutes.
Gabriel Vilardi, C, Los Angeles Kings (64.1%): One last Vilardi recommendation here for old time’s sake, as he’s been a staple recommendation since the dawn of the season. He’s evolved beyond being a mid-tier fantasy asset and is a lock in your lineup now.
See also:
Alexis Lafreniere, W, New York Rangers (25.5%)
Lawson Crouse, W, Arizona Coyotes (4.3%)
Brandon Saad, W, St. Louis Blues (2.3%)
Adam Ruzicka, W, Calgary Flames (0.0%): Jonathan Huberdeau is questionable for this contest and Ruzicka may take his place again after posting an assist on Tuesday with Tyler Toffoli and Elias Lindholm. Somewhat surprisingly, Ruzicka also got top power-play time as basically a direct replacement for Huberdeau.
Nathan Bastian, W, New Jersey Devils (0.2%): A role he played at times last season, Bastian is getting looks on the top power play as a physical presence in front of the net. He’s also picked up five non-power-play points in his past five games.
Nikita Soshnikov, W, New York Islanders (0.0%): As the Islanders continue to tinker to find the key that unlocks Mathew Barzal‘s offense, Soshnikov is getting looks on the top line with Barzal and Anders Lee. Certainly the Coyotes are a prime target to showcase some extra offense.
See also:
Blake Coleman, W, Calgary Flames (5.8%)
Stefan Noesen, W, Carolina Hurricanes (0.5%)
Vinnie Hinostroza, W, Buffalo Sabres (0.2%)
Jimmy Vesey, W, New York Rangers (0.3%)
Charlie McAvoy, D, Boston Bruins (70.4%): With McAvoy expected to return tonight, noting he went through the same routines as Brad Marchand did at practice before the latter’s surprise return to the lineup.
See also:
Ben Chiarot, D, Detroit Red Wings (36.4%)
Jake Sanderson, D, Ottawa Senators (10.9%): Increasingly, Sanderson is getting top power-play looks alongside Thomas Chabot as a two-defender unit.
See also:
Josh Brown, D, Arizona Coyotes (6.6%)
Caleb Jones, D, Chicago Blackhawks (2.8%)
Kaapo Kahkonen, G, San Jose Sharks (1.6%): This feels like a trap, right? Confirmed early and going up against the worst team in the NHL for five-on-five scoring, logic suggests Kahkonen is a free win here. I don’t know if I have the fortitude for it, but this is a great place to start if you need a streamer.
Adin Hill, G, Vegas Golden Knights (27.3%): Thompson, Thompson, Hill, Thompson, Hill. If the Golden Knights are big braining us all and actually following this pattern, this game would be the final beat of the third time through the pattern. Meaning its a full moon and Hill’s crease in Buffalo. In all seriousness, I’ll take either Knights goaltender in this one.
Anton Forsberg, G, Ottawa Senators (16.0%): Already confirmed as the starter, I’m still skipping this one. The Devils pepper opposition goalies too much.
Carter Hart, G, Philadelphia Flyers (81.9%): He’ll probably be fine here in a matchup against the 31st team in the league for goals per game, but two things: Hart was ill on Tuesday and the wheels could come off in this game. The Flyers and Blue Jackets are 31st and 32nd in the NHL for shot attempts against per 60 minutes. If the goaltenders don’t stand on their heads here, this could get ugly.