Every Tuesday and Thursday, THN Fantasy expert Jason Chen will highlight his best picks 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.
Click for the full list of streaming options for goalies, defensemen and forwards.
Goalies
Samuel Ersson, PHI vs. PIT (24% rostered)
A big advantage for Ersson in this matchup with the Pens potentially without Bryan Rust, who has not played since Feb. 7, and also Matt Grzelcyk, who left Sunday’s game and didn’t return. That’s two of the Pens’ more productive players out of the lineup; meanwhile, Ersson has a 2-1-1 record and .920 SP in February.
Ersson has a good shot at earning the win. His recent play has been very good though I’d hedge my bets a little bit against a good save percentage, mostly because Sidney Crosby alone feasts on the Flyers.
Connor Ingram, UTA vs. CHI (34% rostered)
Utah is essentially at full strength with Sean Durzi back in the lineup, missing only depth defenseman Robert Bortuzzo, who’s played sparingly this season. They have a huge advantage in every facet of the game, which bodes well for Ingram. He hasn’t been sharp, but he’s fared much better at home (.902 SP) than on the road (.861 SP), and allowed just two goals on 26 shots (.923 SP) in a win against the Hawks in their season opener.
Ingram is a good bet to get the win. He’ll have a healthy defense in front of him and good goal support. He hasn’t offered a strong save percentage all season so don’t look for it, but there’s a chance that Utah can really limit the high-danger chances and afford him easy saves all night.
Click for the full list of streaming options for goalies.
Defensemen
Jackson LaCombe, ANA at BUF (32% rostered)
LaCombe has come out firing following the 4 Nations break with three helpers in two games. He led all Ducks defensemen in ice time in consecutive nights over the weekend, averaging over 25 minutes per game. The Ducks grind out games so their offensive ceiling is capped, but LaCombe is emerging as their No. 1 defenseman and often used in scoring situations. The Sabres are allowing the fifth-most goals per game (3.38) and the 11th-most shots per game (29.1).
Click for the full list of streaming options for defensemen.
Forwards
Logan Cooley, C, UTA vs. CHI (45% rostered)
Utah’s offense is at full strength and Cooley looked good in his first game back from injury, scoring a goal against the Canucks on Sunday. He played just 13:44 as he was eased back into game action, but the reins should come off against a much lesser opponent in the Hawks. He’s playing PP1 and L1 with Clayton Keller.
Evgeni Malkin, C/LW, PIT at PHI (41% rostered)
Malkin scored three points in two games this past weekend and faces a Flyers team that’s certainly better but still a little shaky on defense and in net. He’s historically played well against the Flyers in his career (91 points in 75 games) and offers a lot of offensive upside even at his current age.
Marco Kasper, C/LW, DET at MIN (8% rostered)
Kasper scored a goal and an assist against the Ducks and now has 15 points in his past 20 games. He’s found a nice spot on L1 with Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond as a complementary player, though long term he’s likely their (very good) 2C. The downside is Kasper plays PP2 instead of PP1, but he’s been one of the best under-the-radar point producers over the past month.
Click for the full list of streaming options for forwards.
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