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 chof360 leagues and can be selected in standard fantasy leagues or for daily fantasy games.
14 games on Saturday, February 22
* = confirmed
Filip Gustavsson, MIN at Cam Talbot, DET (12:30 p.m. ET)
Stuart Skinner, EDM* at Samuel Ersson, PHI (1 p.m. ET)
Logan Thompson, WSH at Alex Nedeljkovic, PIT (3 p.m. ET)
Igor Shesterkin, NYR at Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, BUF (5:30 p.m. ET)
Joey Daccord, SEA at Sergei Bobrovsky, FLA (6 p.m. ET)
Jake Oettinger, DAL at Jake Allen, NJ (6 p.m. ET)
Mackenzie Blackwood, COL at Juuse Saros, NSH (6 p.m. ET)
John Gibson, ANA at Jeremy Swayman, BOS* (7 p.m. ET)
Frederik Andersen, CAR at Joseph Woll, TOR (7 p.m. ET)
Sam Montembeault, MTL* at Linus Ullmark, OTT (7 p.m. ET)
Petr Mrazek, CHI at Elvis Merzlikins, CBJ (7 p.m. ET)
Eric Comrie, WPG* at Joel Hofer, STL (7 p.m. ET)
Karel Vejmelka, UTA at Darcy Kuemper, LA (9 p.m. ET)
Kevin Lankinen, VAN at Adin Hill, VGK (10 p.m. ET)
Elvis Merzlinkins, CBJ vs. CHI (36% rostered)
The Jackets will have both captain Boone Jenner, who’s making his season debut, and breakout star Kirill Marchenko back in the lineup. That does not bode well for the Hawks, who do not have the means to stop the Jackets offense or have enough talent to potentially outscore them. Merzlikins has not been particularly good this season (.895 SP, 2.99 GAA), but he’s been able to rack up 19 wins thanks to good goal support.
If you’re looking for a win, Merzlikins is a good choice. If the Jackets can dominate puck possession, they should be able to keep goals against to a minimum. A good save percentage would just be a bonus for a matchup the Jackets should easily win.
Eric Comrie, WPG at STL (4% rostered)
Joel Hofer, STL vs. WPG (6% rostered)
This could’ve been a Binnington-Hellebuyck rematch after the 4 Nations final, but I imagine both teams want to give their starters a rest after a taxing tournament. Comrie’s confirmed to start, and I think there’s a good chance the Blues will counter with their own backup. Hofer certainly has more potential but Comrie is having the better season, especially over the past two months where he’s 2-1-1 and a .937 SP, not to mention the Jets are the far superior team.
I’m going with Comrie in this matchup even though the Jets are on the road, and note the Blues are 12-14-2 at home. Could Hofer steal this game? Yes, but Comrie has the better support even without Josh Morrissey, who’s still recovering from illness. Comrie should get the win and provide a modest save percentage.
John Gibson, ANA at BOS (15% rostered)
Lukas Dostal, ANA at BOS (38% rostered)
I’m going against the grain here but I think either Gibson or Dostal is worth streaming against the Bruins, who will be without top defenseman Charlie McAvoy. Both Ducks goalies had strong performances going into the break and they should be well-rested despite having to travel cross-country. The Bruins have been really inconsistent all season and this is the type of lazy matinee game where they might lose some focus, especially with some key players just returning from 4 Nations.
I think there’s a chance of an upset but what I’m looking for from Gibson and/or Dostal is a lot of saves and a high save percentage. This is their first meeting this season after splitting the season series last season.
Jake Allen, NJ vs. DAL (38% rostered)
I haven’t been enamored with Allen’s play as the Devils’ starter, though it’s generally been very good and he shut out the Habs just prior to 4 Nations. This is a tough matchup, however, and with an earlier than usual start. The Devils were stumbling prior to the break and it remains to be seen if they can get back into their winning rhythm. Given the number of options for Saturday, sitting Allen is a conservative but prudent move. He has a very good career record against the Stars (12-7-1, .915 SP, 2.40 GAA) but he’s also struggled at time this season at home.
You can start Allen if you don’t have any other options, but don’t bank on an exceptional performance. The Devils are the underdog and they can win if both Allen has a strong start and their offense can score against Jake Oettinger.
Alex Nedeljkovic, PIT vs. WSH (23% rostered)
Nedeljkovic was brilliant heading into 4 Nations with three wins and eight goals allowed in five games, but it may be difficult to keep the well-rested Caps off the board; they were one of the few teams that did not have a single representative at 4 Nations. The Pens are expected to have Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust back in the lineup to help provide some goal support, but even at full strength their offense has been really meek.
The Pens are definitely the underdog and Nedeljkovic has a chance to pull off a win. However, the 4 Nations break may have disrupted his rhythm and he faces a stiff challenge. I think he can rack up the saves and offer a nice save percentage, but not the win.
Samuel Ersson, PHI vs. EDM (24% rostered)
I would stay away from Ersson against such a tough offensive opponent and matinee games tend to be more unpredictable, but it’s worth noting Ersson’s game has really picked up. He had a .929 SP or higher in four of his five starts prior to 4 Nations, and stopped 32 of 33 shots in a win against USA for Sweden. I think there’s some good late-season fantasy vlue in Ersson beyond this start with his strong play.
Don’t ask for a win, but Ersson’s strong performances lately means he could offer a ton of saves and a good save percentage. The only way he’ll earn a win is if the Oilers’ goaltending crumbles.
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