On every game day this season, THN Fantasy will highlight players and goalies for fantasy managers 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.
Patrik Laine, LW/RW, MTL at BUF (45% rostered)
Laine generally doesn’t play a lot of minutes at even strength, so it’s a good thing the Sabres have taken the seventh-most penalties in the league. That assures Laine will get time on the power play, which is where most of his fantasy value comes from. He’s scored five points in his past three games, including three with the man advantage.
Logan Cooley, C, UTA vs. NJ (45% rostered)
Pretty soon Cooley will be rostered in over 50 percent of Yahoo leagues, so this may be your last chance. He’s on a three-game points streak since returning from injury with ice time that keeps ticking up, indicating Andre Tourigny is done easing him back into the lineup. A minor annoyance is Tourigny’s insistence on using Barrett Hayton on PP1 – he’s been good there, to be honest – even though Cooley is clearly the better offensive player. Nevertheless, Cooley’s play has been trending up and he’ll face either third-string Nico Daws, struggling interim starter Jake Allen or a potentially rusty Jacob Markstrom, who returns having last played on Jan. 22.
Matvei Michkov, RW, PHI at WPG (45% rostered)
Really tough test against arguably the league’s best team, but Michkov – who’s been featured in this space over the past week – has been putting his elite skills on full display. He’s scored three goals and five assists on 15 (!) shots in his past three games, and he looks unstoppable.
Pavel Buchnevich. © Connor Hamilton-Imagn Images
Pavel Buchnevich, C/LW/RW, STL vs. LA (43% rostered)
Brayden Schenn, C/LW, STL vs. LA (25% rostered)
I hesitated in recommending Buchnevich against the Caps, but when you’re hot, you’re hot. Buchnevich’s two assists pushed his points streak to five games. He’s been quite consistent every month but scoring at his highest pace yet with 10 points in eight games in February. The Kings, a normally stalwart defensive team, may be without veteran Drew Doughty and allowed six goals on Friday as they play the second half of a back-to-back.
Schenn’s either trying to show the Blues should keep him – he’s been in the rumor mill lately – or convincing a contender to trade for him. Either way, Schenn’s also been excellent with six points in his past five games. He’s been quite productive against his former team, too, with 10 goals and 20 points in 30 career games.
Evgeni Malkin, C/LW, PIT vs. BOS (41% rostered)
Mike Sullivan says pulling Alex Nedeljkovic and watching his outburst provided the Pens with a spark, but I’d argue Malkin’s four-point effort – including the GWG in OT to snap a four-game losing streak – was the bigger factor. He’s scored three goals and seven points in four games since the 4 Nations break, perhaps a much needed breather for the skilled veteran.
JJ Peterka, LW/RW, BUF vs. MTL (37% rostered)
Peterka’s goal gives him in three points in three games and this is another favorable matchup for the Sabres offense. They’ve been scoring goals with relative ease lately and should do the same against the Habs, who are expected to start backup Jakub Dobes, who has struggled after a hot start. Dobes ranked among one of the worst goalies in February.
Dmitri Voronkov, LW, CBJ vs. DET (34% rostered)
Adam Fantilli, C, CBJ vs. DET (31% rostered)
Boone Jenner, C/LW, CBJ vs. DET (25% rostered)
Kent Johnson, C/LW/RW, CBJ vs. DET (23% rostered)
It’s Stadium Series day so the Jackets are hosting the Wings in their first ever outdoor game. The Jackets have been featured plenty in this column so you know I’m a big fan; the issue is persuading you to think the same. Linemates Johnson and Jenner, in particular, have been very productive. Johnson’s on a four-game points streak and Jenner’s been excellent since making his season debut and collected three apples in his previous game. Center Cole Sillinger was injured last game so Jenner stepped back into the middle – meaning faceoff wins for him – and the addition of Justin Danforth adds a lot of speed to a line that’s already been dangerous on offense.
Conor Garland, RW, VAN at SEA (28% rostered)
Something weird is happening with the Canucks – Filip Chytil seems to have emerged as their top scoring center, with Garland and Dakota Joshua on his wings. In a 5-2 loss to the Ducks, Elias Pettersson didn’t take a single draw in the offensive zone at 5-on-5, while Chytil’s line took five of the nine total offensive-zone draws. Garland notched an assist to give him three points in his past two games – Garland and Joshua were excellent together last season, too – and he’s currently one of the Canucks’ top options on offense, though the downside is they’ve had trouble scoring goals lately.
Troy Terry. © Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Troy Terry, C/RW, ANA vs. CHI (22% rostered)
This is a really good matchup for the Ducks and Terry, who’s on a four-game points streak. He’s been a bit of a forgotten entity in fantasy even though he’s scored 29 points in his past 31 games. That stat alone should convince you to pick him up.
Teuvo Teravainen, LW/RW, CHI at ANA (15% rostered)
Not sure why Anders Sorensen thinks Andreas Athanasiou can somehow spark the Hawks offense, but I’m willing to bet that at some point they look to Teravainen’s line with Ryan Donato to generate offense. Teravainen’s on a three-game points streak and the Hawks offense showed some life with five goals against the Knights in their previous game, so hopefully that positive momentum continues.
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