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
Scott Wedgewood, COL at OTT (15% rostered)
Wedgewood will get the start in the second half of a back-to-back. It’s his third start in four games only because Mackenzie Blackwood was ill last week, but Wedgewood has filled in quite admirably with a win against the Stars. He’ll be going for his fifth straight win but it’s a difficult matchup since the Sens are so strong at home (20-9-2).
I think Wedgewood is the right play for managers who want to get a win, but the Sens offense is really tough and he’ll certainly allow a few goals. Avs-Sens games have been typically very high-scoring matchups with an average of 9.8 goals (!) scored per contest in their past seven matchups dating back to 2021. The Avs are 6-0-1 in those games and have not lost in regulation to the Sens since Jan. 16, 2019.
Click for the full list of streaming options for goalies.
Defensemen
Justin Faulk, STL vs. VAN (33% rostered)
Faulk continues his hot run with two points in Nashville on Tuesday, extending his points streak to four games. The veteran defender has really stepped up his offense lately thanks to an excellent power play on the Blues. He’s playing on a red-hot unit with Dylan Holloway and Jake Neighbours. The drawback is the Canucks PK is very, very good, but no defenseman on the waiver wire is hotter than Faulk right now.
Luca Cagnoni, SJ vs. CAR (0% rostered)
A fourth-round pick from 2023, Cagnoni is yet another example of an undersized, supremely skilled offensive defenseman that’s in vogue these days. In his first pro season, the 5-foot-9 Cagnoni leads the Sharks’ minor-league affiliate in scoring among defensemen and ranks third overall in rookie scoring in the league with 47 points in 56 games.
Cagnoni's expected to make his NHL debut and has already been tasked with quarterbacking their top power play since neither Timothy Liljegren nor anyone else on the roster has been able to do so adequately. I’m not sure how many chances the Sharks' power play will get, or if they’ll even touch the puck very often against a dominant puck-possession team in the Canes, but Cagnoni is worth considering in very deep leagues.
Click for the full list of streaming options for defensemen.
Forwards
Logan Cooley, C, UTA vs. BUF (40% rostered)
Cooley should be a good play with a two-game points streak against a poor defensive team. He snapped a six-game drought and assisted on Utah’s long goal in a loss against the Oilers. The Sabres should be a much easier matchup, and Cooley has three assists in three career games against the Sabres.
Taylor Hall, LW, CAR at SJ (5% rostered)
Not sure what it is about the Sharks, but something about them gets Hall going. He’s scored 15 goals and 33 points in 38 career games against them, including a goal and an assist in two games earlier this season as a member of the Hawks. He’s carrying a three-game points streak into a matchup where the Canes should dominate.
While Rod Brind’Amour’s line juggling can be frustrating at times, Hall’s playing on a line with Jack Roslovic, who’s also had success against the Sharks in the past, and PP1 with Sebastian Aho. Rookie netminder Georgi Romanov is expected to make his first career NHL start for the Sharks.
Nils Hoglander, LW, VAN at STL (1% rostered)
Hoglander’s got the plum assignment on L1 with Elias Pettersson, who’s back on track with eight points in his past seven games, and Brock Boeser on the opposite wing. Hoglander is not an outstanding offensive talent but he’s good at driving to the net and retrieving pucks, and often draws assists on Pettersson and/or Boeser's goals. It’s translated to a goal and six assists in his past eight games despite limited ice time because Hoglander doesn’t play much special teams. Jonathan Lekkerimaki, who replaced the injured Conor Garland on the power play Tuesday against the Jets, is a sneaky play for points in deep leagues.
Click for the full list of streaming options for forwards.
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