Fantasy hockey has a strong Week 16 schedule. The lightest nights have at least four games, 19 different teams make a light-night appearance, and there are 13 four-game streamers.
Four-Game Streamers
Jake Middleton, D, MIN | 41% Yahoo
Consider Middleton if you need a defenseman who contributes to the physical categories. The Wild take on the Avalanche and Flames next week, who rank in the top 10 in shot creation, so that should keep him busy on the shot-blocking front. The return of Brock Faber should elevate his five-on-five game as well.
JJ Peterka, LW/RW, BUF | 36% Yahoo
Peterka started the season as one of the Sabres’ most reliable producers. But his game seriously declined in mid-November, and that trend continued into the next month. After a tough stretch, he is finally back on track. The Sabres’ defensive game is still suspect in his minutes, but they’re generating more offense lately and have the results to match. Peterka’s shot creation and playmaking could be handy during a busy week.
Via HockeyStatCards
Anton Lundell, C/RW, FLA | 33% Yahoo
Carter Verhaeghe slipping down to the third line isn’t ideal for the Panthers, but it benefits Lundell, who generally doesn’t have a top-six-caliber winger at his side. That line with Jesper Boqvist has outscored opponents 6-3 and is coming off a strong Thursday night performance against the Red Wings. Florida plays on three light nights next week, so these pickups are all the more valuable. Plus, the Panthers will match up against a couple of defensively-flawed teams while on their California swing.
Leevi Merilainen, G, OTT | 25% Yahoo
I talked a lot about injury replacements last week, but one has emerged since. Merilainen is thriving in the Senators’ starting goal, which is exactly what this team needed with Linus Ullmark sidelined with injury. Ottawa was surging in front of Ullmark and started to spiral without him, with seven losses in nine games. But Merilainen has stepped up to give the Senators a chance to win most nights. After Thursday’s outing against the Capitals, he has seven quality starts in his past nine appearances. He’s now up to 6.2 goals saved above expected and is rocking a .930 save percentage.
Adam Fantilli, C, CBJ | 18% Yahoo
Fantilli is doing the most to earn his nickname “Andrei Fantillov” between Kirill Marchenko and Dmitri Voronkov. The new-look top line isn’t performing to the high bar they set with Sean Monahan — the Blue Jackets are generating a little less in their minutes and allowing a bit more back, but they’re still outscoring opponents 7-4. Columbus is on the rise, and the up-and-coming forward is contributing.
Mason Lohrei, D, BOS | 2% Yahoo
With Charlie McAvoy sidelined, Lohrei is getting the bump to the top power-play unit. He has a lot of offensive skills, and sometimes opportunity on the man advantage can get a player going. Something as simple as building confidence can trickle into even-strength play.
Matias Maccelli, LW, UTA | 1% Yahoo
The concern-o-meter started revving up for Utah’s second line when Dylan Guenther went down with an injury. But with Josh Doan’s promotion back to the NHL level, the combination has some juice again. The line of Maccelli, Barrett Hayton, and Doan crushed their minutes against the Islanders last Saturday with a 13-4 edge in shot attempts and 65 percent of the expected goal share. They built on that with an even better performance against Montreal — 11-2 shot advantage and a 95 percent (!) expected goal rate. And now, with two first-period goals for Maccelli against the Rangers on Thursday, this combination is making an impact on the scoresheet.
Matthew Poitras, C, BOS | 1% Yahoo
Morgan Geekie, eligible to play all three forward positions, is a solid choice for managers wanting to benefit from the Bruins’ schedule. But today’s choice is Poitras, who scored in his first game back from the AHL. He could be the spark the Bruins were missing.
Logan O’Connor, C/RW, COL | 0% Yahoo
This is pretty much as deep of a pick as it gets, but stick with me for a second. Mikko Rantanen shifted to center on Thursday night to replace Casey Mittelstadt, who was demoted down to the fourth line. If the Avalanche keep Rantanen and Nathan MacKinnon on two different lines, the wealth spreads to the second line, which includes O’Connor and Joel Kiviranta alongside Rantanen. And if you believe in the “Fantasy Trends” boost, this section was written before puck-drop on Thursday night — and O’Connor scored before the column was filed.
The Avalanche’s fantasy schedule is one of the most favorable, with three light nights next week, but their real-life NHL schedule is difficult. After taking on the Oilers last night, Colorado has three straight meetings with playoff teams in the Central Division in Dallas, Minnesota, and Winnipeg. They end Week 16 with games against the Bruins and Rangers, two middling Eastern Conference teams. The latter could be the best to target from a strength-of-schedule perspective, but expect their elite core to shine against their rivals.
Honorable mentions: William Eklund (SJS); Pavel Dorofeyev (VGK); Alex Iafallo (WPG); Nick Paul (TBL), Samuel Girard (COL)
Light-Night Performers
Monday is not a light night for a change, so remember to set your lineups early! The Bruins-Sharks matchup kicks off the matinee slate (no, I don’t understand why San Jose is playing at 10 a.m. PST, either), and there are a handful of potential pickups, like Poitras and Eklund, to sneak into your roster.
Logan Stankoven, C/RW, DAL | 22% Yahoo
Stankoven is more than just a light-night pickup — this gives me an excuse to talk about him. His production underwhelmed over the past couple of months, but he seems to be clicking lately with Jamie Benn and Matt Duchene on the second line. He is coming off one of his best games of the year, earning a season-high 4.94 game score against the Maple Leafs. If this is a sign of what’s to come, maybe he can finally match the consistency his veteran linemates have surprisingly brought.
Tanner Jeannot, LW/RW, LAK | 8% Yahoo
The Panthers are one of the most physical teams in the league, which makes Jeannot an option when Florida is in town next Wednesday. The winger doesn’t thread the needle in any other fantasy capacity, but he brings a physical edge. So, this could be a good opportunity to bolster the hit category on a light night.
Morgan Frost, C, PHI | 5% Yahoo
It’s always good to play alongside a team’s best playmaker. Frost hasn’t spent much of his time with Travis Konecny — less than 27 percent of his five-on-five minutes just past the season’s midpoint — but he is scoring more alongside the winger. According to tracking from AllThreeZones, Konecny has created one of the highest rates of primary shot assists, scoring chance assists and high-danger passes. And that seems to be helping Frost boost his shot volume and expected goal generation in their minutes together.
Via AllThreeZones
Taylor Hall, LW, CHI | 4% Yahoo
Is it too early to operate with the deadline in mind? It may be almost two months away, but teams could also get busy ahead of the 4 Nations Face-off pause. The clock may be ticking on Hall’s time in Chicago. Expect his production to increase if a playoff team acquires him to play a top-six role.
Honorable mentions: Anders Lee (NYI); Filip Chytil (NYR); Blake Coleman (CGY); Samuel Ersson (PHI)
(Top photo of JJ Peterka: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
