Fantasy Hockey 2025-26: Weekly Strength of Schedule and Streaming Targets — Week 4
Finding an edge in fantasy hockey often comes down to maximizing your man games — and targeting players with favourable matchups. Our Fantasy Hockey Strength of Schedule tool helps you do precisely that.
Each week, we evaluate every NHL team’s upcoming slate using three key factors:
- Games Played: More games mean more opportunities for fantasy points.
- Strength of Schedule (SOS): Based on opponent difficulty, the higher the score, the easier the matchups.
- Light Nights: Nights with eight or fewer NHL games, when it’s easier to fit extra players into your active lineup.
By combining these three components, the tool highlights which teams — and streamers — are best positioned for fantasy success this week.
If you’re looking for a full breakdown of every team’s upcoming schedule, check out our Fantasy Hockey Strength of Schedule Tool — updated daily to show which teams have the most games and valuable light-night matchups each week.
Week 4 Strength of Schedule
Week 4 Streaming Targets
The NHL’s “Frozen Frenzy” returns this week! On Tuesday, October 28, all 32 teams will be in action with staggered start times, giving fans wall-to-wall hockey from 6:00 PM to 1:30 AM ET.
Because every team plays on Tuesday, this week’s schedule is a little unusual, with just two games on Monday, one on Wednesday, and three on Friday. As a result, Light Nights (low-volume days) and streaming opportunities are extremely limited.
Let’s take a look at the four teams that have two Light Nights, the most of any team this week.
Columbus Blue Jackets
The Blue Jackets have the No. 1-ranked schedule this week. They’re one of 11 teams with four games and have the seventh-easiest average opponent rating. They’ll take on the Sabres (TUE), Maple Leafs (WED), Blues (SAT), and Islanders (SUN). They have a bunch of solid streaming targets, but most of them are already rosterd in about 30% of leagues.
Sean Monahan (C – 37% Rostered)
Monahan has struggled to find the back of the net early in 2025-26, going goalless through his first eight games. It hasn’t been due to a lack of opportunity, though. He’s averaging 2.75 shots on goal and 4.0 shot attempts per game, some of the best shot volume of his 15-year career.
Given his career 13.9 shooting percentage, Monahan would be expected to have roughly three goals by now, which would translate to a 31-goal, 31-assist pace over a full season. The underlying metrics suggest that positive regression is coming.
Skating on the Blue Jackets’ top line and first power-play unit, Monahan is a great streaming option that could turn into a long-term asset. However, he’s only available in 63% of leagues.
Dmitri Voronkov (LW – 30% Rostered)
Available in roughly 70% of leagues, Voronkov stands out as one of the best streaming options this week. His 2.4 hits per game make him a fixture in most banger formats, but he’s starting to show legitimate standard-league value as well.
The 6-foot-5, 234-pound winger has recently been skating on the Blue Jackets’ top line and top power-play unit, and he’s making the most of it, riding a four-game point streak with three goals, two assists, nine shots on goal, and 11 hits over that span.
Voronkov has been held off the scoresheet just once in eight games this season, totalling nine points (5G, 4A) so far. While most of his production has come at 5v5, his recent promotion to PP1 should only help boost his overall fantasy profile moving forward.
Boone Jenner (C/LW – 29% Rostered)
The Blue Jackets’ second line got off to a slow start, but they’ve started to find their rhythm over the past week. Jenner, more valuable in banger format, has quietly put together six points (2G, 4A), 13 shots on goal, 33 shot attempts, and 18 hits across his last seven games.
Without significant power-play exposure, Jenner’s offensive ceiling remains modest, but his consistency shouldn’t be overlooked. Over the last five seasons, he’s averaged roughly a 30-goal, 25-assist pace per 82 games.
If he’s still available in your banger leagues, Jenner offers excellent category coverage, and there’s even room for a small scoring uptick if he starts hitting the net more consistently. For context, he’s connected on 59.3% of his shot attempts over his career, compared to just 41% this season, suggesting his early struggles are likely an outlier.
Kent Johnson (C/LW/RW – 19% Rostered)
As mentioned earlier, the Blue Jackets’ second line turned in a strong week, and Johnson played a key role in that success. He posted one goal and two assists across three games, bouncing back after recording just one point in his first five.
The trio of Johnson, Jenner, and Adam Fantilli continues to post excellent underlying numbers dating back to the second half of last season, making them a legitimate threat to produce on a nightly basis.
Johnson’s low shot volume will always cap his ceiling a bit, but he’s been quietly productive over a larger sample, scoring 26 goals and 35 assists (61 points) in his last 76 games. With multi-position eligibility and good underlying metrics, Johnson is a solid streaming option this week, and he’s the most readily available of the Blue Jackets’ top-6.
New York Islanders
The Islanders’ matchups aren’t nearly as good as the Blue Jackets, but they’re the second-best among teams with two Light Nights. Their two light nights aren’t until Friday and Sunday, though, so you could wait to add them later in the week.
Anders Lee (LW – 16% Rostered)
Lee may be skating on the Islanders’ third line, but that trio has posted strong underlying metrics, and he’s been quietly productive to start the season. Despite averaging just 14:24 of ice time per game, Lee has racked up two goals and six assists (eight points) through eight games, while contributing 2.9 shots and 1.3 hits per game.
The veteran winger offers reliable category coverage and remains a consistent scoring threat thanks to his steady shot volume. Even in a reduced role, Lee has shown he can still produce, making him a solid short-term streaming option, especially if it’s only two games over the weekend.
Kyle Palmieri (RW – 7% Rostered)
Palmieri has long been a reliable streaming target — he’s almost always available and consistently provides strong shot volume. This season, that volume has reached another level, driven by a jump to over 20 minutes of ice time per game.
He’s averaging 6.1 shot attempts and 3.1 shots on goal per game, giving him one of the more underrated workloads among widely available forwards. With that kind of usage and volume, Palmieri has a great chance to chip in a couple of goals for fantasy managers this week.
Jonathan Drouin (LW/RW – 5% Rostered)
Drouin is the complete opposite of players like Lee and Palmieri. He’s a crafty playmaker who can help in the assist and power-play categories but offers very little in terms of shot volume or goal-scoring upside.
Over the last four seasons, Drouin has scored just 33 goals (15 per 82 games) but tallied 94 assists (41 per 82), a clear reflection of his pass-first game. He’s currently seeing heavy minutes in the Islanders’ top-six and on the power play, making him a viable specialist streamer if you’re chasing helpers or PP production, just be aware of his limitations.
If all three of Lee, Palmieri and Drouin are gone by Friday, your desperation weekend streamers are Emil Heineman (14%), J-G Pageau (6%), Anthony Duclair (3%), and Simon Holmstrom (1%).
Detroit Red Wings
The Red Wings have had a rollercoaster start to the season. They’ve beaten some great teams and have been blown out by bad teams, so it’s hard to say what’s going to happen this week. They’ve got a couple of great matchups on the board, though, making them strong targets. They’ll travel to St. Louis (TUE), Los Angeles (THU), Anaheim (FRI), and San Jose (SUN) this week.
Emmitt Finnie (C/LW – 38% Rostered)
Finnie’s role in Detroit continues to expand rapidly. The seventh-round rookie started the season with no power-play time, but has already worked his way onto the top unit. After averaging just over 14 minutes per game in his first four outings, he’s now logged 18:30+ in four of his last five games.
He enters the week riding a four-game point streak (3G, 2A) and has eight points (4G, 4A) across his last eight games. While his 23.5 shooting percentage isn’t sustainable long-term, it’s entirely possible he stays hot in the short term. Finnie also offers plenty of banger league appeal, laying 2.8 hits per game so far.
With his increased usage, top-unit deployment, and recent production, Finnie ranks among the best streaming options available this week.
Marco Kasper (C/LW – 12% Rostered)
If Finnie isn’t available, Kasper is a solid fallback streaming option. Expectations were high for him after a strong finish to last season, but the early returns have been underwhelming. Still, he’s centring the Red Wings’ second line alongside talented wingers, so his production should begin to trend upward.
Kasper has been on the ice for five goals this season but has only recorded a point on one of them, a sign that some positive regression is coming. His 6.7 on-ice shooting percentage is well below sustainable levels, suggesting the points should start to follow soon. He’s a buy-low or short-term streaming target worth monitoring this week.
Anaheim Ducks
Anaheim only has three games this week, but two of them are on light nights. Similar to the Islanders, both of them come on Friday and Sunday, so you can wait to add them until the weekend. Matchups with Detroit and the Devils are good, not great, but your options are very limited.
Leo Carlsson (C – 40% Rostered)
It’s likely Carlsson’s strict center-only eligibility that’s keeping his roster percentage down, because he’s been excellent to start the season. He has nine points (3G, 6A) in eight games while averaging over 19 minutes per night. There are no red flags suggesting his production is unsustainable either. Dating back to last season, Carlsson has nearly been a point-per-game player over his last 40 contests (14G, 24A — 38 points), which translates to a 29-goal, 49-assist (78-point) pace over a full season. The odds he’s available are slim, but if he is, he’s a must-add.
Troy Terry (RW – 16% Rostered)
Terry enters Week 4 as hot as anyone, having scored goals in three straight games and posting six points (3G / 3A) in his last four games. Terry has been wildly under-appreciated over the last five seasons, averaging 66 points (28G / 38A) per 82 games. He’s a great streaming option that has long-term upside if he keeps up this production.
Frank Vatrano (C/LW – 38% Rostered)
Vatrano is heavily rostered, specifically in banger formats. But, he remains available in 62% of leagues. He has just one assist in eight games, and his usage is way down (12:55 ATOI), but he’s still a volume hound. He is averaging 2.4 SOG, 3.8 shot attempts and 3.4 hits per game. His strong peripherals make him a name worth considering, even with modest usage in the Ducks’ middle-6.
Some other names to consider are Mikael Granlund (36%), who has been great to start the season, but is currently dealing with an injury. So you’ll want to make sure he’s healthy before picking him up. Chris Kreider (33%) has been battling an illness, so you’ll also have to monitor his status before using an add on him. Beckett Sennecke (8%) has cooled down after a blistering start and has seen his usage decline a bit in recent games. We’ve seen the upside, but his floor isn’t as stable as the other Ducks‘.