Fantasy Hockey: Weekly Strength of Schedule and Streaming Targets — Week 13
Identifying the players with four games each week and filling your roster with those players can increase your chances of winning your fantasy hockey matchup. That’s why our Weekly Schedule tool is so helpful!
I took that weekly schedule and combined it with a Team Defense Score I created using key defensive metrics to find which teams/skaters have the best schedule this week.
How it Works:
- Team Defensive Ratings are given on a scale of 0-100, with 0 being the best possible defensive team and 100 being the worst. For context, CBJ currently grades as the worst defensively, with a rating of 92.16. Carolina is the best, with a rating of 12.46.
- SCORE: The sum of all of the Defensive Ratings that the team will face this week.
- AVG Opponent: The Average Defensive Ratings that the team will face this week.
- Strength of Schedule is determined by the sum of defensive ratings, because we want players that play the most games but also have the easiest matchups.
- Light Nights: A night in the NHL with eight or fewer games.
Week 13 – Strength of Schedule
Week 13 Opponent Ratings
Team Ratings are based solely on defensive metrics and goaltending quality in order to identify the best matchups for skaters. They are in no way a reflection of overall team quality. The lower the rating, the better the team is defensively = worse skater matchup.
Week 13 Streaming Targets
- SOS = Strength of Schedule Rank (1 good, 32 bad)
- Light = No. of games on Lighter days (Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun)
Winnipeg Jets
The Jets have unquestionably the best streaming schedule this week, as they’re one of only four teams that have four games, and they also have the easiest average opponent rating (64.6) of all 32 teams this week.
High-owned Options: Nikolaj Ehlers (LW – 71%), Gabriel Vilardi (C/RW – 62%)
Nino Niederreiter (RW) – 27% Owned
If you’re in a league that counts shots on goal, Niederreiter provides a solid floor and solid offensive upside. The 31-year-old winger has scored 12 goals with 10 assists (22 points) in 35 games this season, quietly putting him on pace for a career-high in goals (28) and his third 50-plus point season. His line with Adam Lowry and Mason Appleton has built great chemistry and earned the coaching staff’s trust, so Niederreiter will see consistent minutes.
Cole Perfetti (C/LW) – 21% Owned
Perfetti is more of a flashy option than Niederrieter but doesn’t have the same stability. Perfetti’s ice time fluctuates, evidenced by the 9:52 TOI he played on Saturday. However, he’s putting together a nice offensive season and has four points (1G / 3A) and 18 shots (3.0 per game) in his last six games.
Alex Iafallo (LW/RW) – 5% Owned
I would only consider Iafallo in deep leagues, but he’s in a spot in the Jets’ lineup where he should produce. Iafallo skates on the second line and the top power-play unit, so you’d think he’d be picking up points on a consistent basis. That has not been the case, though; he has just three points (2G / 1A) in his last 20 games.
Calgary Flames
Calgary ranks in the middle of the pack in average opponent rating this week, but have the second-best schedule overall thanks to their four games.
High-owned Options: Elias Lindholm (C – 64%) Nazem Kadri (C – 54%), Blake Coleman (C/RW – 51%)
Jonathan Huberdeau (C/LW) – 30% Owned
This is admittedly a tough sell. Huberdeau snapped a 12-game pointless streak with an assist on Saturday and hasn’t scored a goal since November 20th (18 games). Still, during that time, he’s averaging around 17 minutes per game and was recently bumped back to the top line with Elias Lindholm. His shot volume is also coming back a bit after averaging just 1.3 SOG/gm from Nov.22 to Dec.14. In his last six games, Huberdeau has 18 SOG (3.0 per game). If you don’t want to waste a pick-up on him, I get it!
Yegor Sharangovich (C/LW) – 27% Owned
In his first 16 games with the Flames, Sharangovich was pretty quiet. However, he’s been hot since mid-November, scoring nine goals with eight assists (17 points) in his last 20 games. He’s also on that top line with Lindholm and the top power-play unit, so he’s likely the better option than Huberdeau, even though 29.5 percent of the money that he makes.
Mikael Backlund (C) – 25% Owned
No one will mistake Backlund for an offensive superstar; he has just two seasons over 50 points in his 15-year career. However, he plays monstrous minutes (18:59 ATOI) and loves to shoot the puck (2.5 SOG/gm). It’s unlikely he puts up big numbers, but he has yet to go more than two games without a point since the start of November, tallying 15 points (8G / 7A) in 26 games. So you’ll at least get something out of him.
Chicago Blackhawks
Similar to the Flames, the Blackhawks’ schedule isn’t the easiest this week, but they have four games, and they’re one of only six teams with at least two games on light nights.
Philipp Kurashev (C) – 3% Owned
Kurashev has recently become a mainstay on Bedard’s wing and the top power-play unit, so he’s the obvious target from Chicago. He’s played at a high level as of late, posting three goals with six assists (nine points) while averaging 18:46 TOI/gm over his last 11 games.
Washington Capitals
Washington’s schedule is a bit of a gauntlet this week; they have the Penguins, Devils, Hurricanes and Kings. However, they’re only one of two teams with three light-night games, so streaming their skaters will help maximize games played this week, and they have some strong options.
High-owned Options: Tom Wilson (RW – 61% Owned)
Dylan Strome (C) – 26% Owned
The Capitals’ best line is when Strome centres their top line with Alex Ovechkin and Tom Wilson. That trio has the best underlying 5v5 metrics on the team, and it’s not even close. Strome has cooled off recently, with just one assist in his last four games, but he has 11 points (5G / 6A), including five power-play points, while averaging 18:38 TOI/gm in his previous 14 games. The issue heading into the week with Strome is that he was centring the third line, and Evgeny Kuznetsov was on the top line in Monday’s practice.
Evgeny Kuznetsov (C) – 11% Owned
The 2023-24 has been a struggle for Kuznetsov, who is pointless in his last nine games while posting a minus-6 rating and just 10 shots on goal. He only made this list because he was on the top line with Ovechkin and Wilson in Monday’s practice. Maybe that’s what he needs to get going again? With the demanding schedule, it may not be worth taking the gamble.
Anthony Mantha (RW – 4% Owned)
Mantha could be the player to stream from the Capitals. He’s found a consistent role in the Capitals’ offence, skating on the second line with Connor McMichael and on the top power-play unit. He’s started to look much more like the player we saw in his early days in Detroit, scoring eight goals with four assists (12 points) and 2.1 SOG/gm in his last 16 games. His 15:17 ATOI over the last five games is an encouraging sign that he’ll continue to see strong usage this week.
Anaheim Ducks
The Ducks only have three games this week, but all three are on light nights and they’re 14th in average opponent rating (52.8). Additionally, their week doesn’t start until Wednesday, so you can stream some players in Monday’s Winter Classic and move on from them for some Ducks on Wednesday.
High-owned Options: Mason McTavish (C/LW – 55%)
Trevor Zegras (C) – 43% Owned
Zegras has played well since returning from injury, and with Leo Carlsson out, he should continue to see robust usage. Zegras has one goal, two assists and 10 SOG (2.5 per game) while playing 17:45 ATOI in four games since returning. He’s in the top-6 and on the top power-play unit, so he’s one of the best options in Anaheim this week.
Troy Terry (RW) – 37% Owned
The caveat with Terry is that he is day-to-day right now. He may not play this week. However, if he’s in the lineup on Wednesday, he’s a great streaming option with matchups vs. Toronto and Detroit on-tap. Before getting hurt, Terry was starting to heat up, too, scoring four goals with five assists (nine points) in his last 11 games.