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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.
11 games on Saturday, March 15
* = confirmed
Ilya Samsonov, VGK at Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, BUF (12:30 p.m. ET)
Jacob Markstrom, NJ at Tristan Jarry, PIT (3 p.m. ET)
Logan Thompson, WSH at Alexandar Georgiev, SJ (5 p.m. ET)
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TB at Jeremy Swayman, BOS (7 p.m. ET)
Linus Ullmark, OTT at Joseph Woll, TOR (7 p.m. ET)
Vitek Vanecek, FLA at Sam Montembeault, MTL* (7 p.m. ET)
Pyotr Kochetkov, CAR at Samuel Ersson, PHI (7 p.m. ET)
Igor Shesterkin, NYR at Daniil Tarasov, CBJ (7 p.m. ET)
Jordan Binnington, STL at Filip Gustavsson, MIN (8 p.m. ET)
Justus Annunen, NSH at Darcy Kuemper, LA (8 p.m. ET)
Arvid Soderblom, CHI at Kevin Lankinen, VAN (10 p.m. ET)
Goalies
Vitek Vanecek, FLA at MTL (6% rostered)
With a weekend back-to-back Vanecek will either start in Montreal or Sunday on Long Island. His Panthers debut was excellent – a 21-save shutout against the Sabres, and it shows how playing on a good team can make so-so goalies look so good. I think the Panthers have been excellent – 16-6-0 since Jan. 14, the last time they lost consecutive games – while the Habs are 1-1-2 in their past four. The Habs are a tough out at home on Saturday nights but no doubt the Panthers have a pretty significant advantage.
If you’re looking for a win, I think Vanecek is a really underrated option if he gets the start. Even if he doesn’t, he should be a good option against the Isles on Sunday. The Panthers have the edge in virtually every category, and despite losing both of their previous matchups have beaten the Habs seven straight times dating back to 2022.
Ilya Samsonov, VGK at BUF (47% rostered)
Samsonov’s 15 wins in 26 games is deceptive; he hasn’t really been very reliable this season even when the Knights limit the opposition’s shots. He shut out the Pens but also allowed 13 goals in his three other starts. This is a matinee, which makes it difficult to predict, and also means an earlier than usual start for the visiting team from the West.
The Sabres will likely be without JJ Peterka and Josh Norris, which takes some bite out of their offense, but note Tage Thompson is red-hot. I think Samsonov will allow a few goals but the Knights are favored for good reason and should come away with the win. Samsonov is 5-1-0 all-time against the Sabres, but again his .899 SP and 2.84 GAA leave a lot to be desired.
Tristan Jarry, PIT vs. NJ (16% rostered)
We rode the Jarry hot streak last time and the danger now is not knowing when the music stops. He’s going for his fourth straight win and his save percentage has dipped with each game/ Expected Devils starter Jacob Markstrom hasn’t been sharp (15 goals allowed in four games) and the Devils offense is missing a couple key players, which is good for Jarry, but historically he hasn’t been sharp against them (6-8-2, .898 SP, 3.22 GAA).
Yes, I think Jarry has a chance to steal another game. If you’ve been rolling the dice with Jarry, this is like playing with found money and there’s no problem with rolling the dice again, but note the Pens are the underdog. The bigger concern is the Pens; they’ve been outplayed based on expected goals and have not provided much goal support.
Daniil Tarasov, CBJ vs. NYR (2% rostered)
Elvis Merzlikins is away from the team for personal reasons, which means Tarasov likely gets the start. He defeated the Rangers on the road in his previous appearance, allowing three goals on 35 shots (.914 SP) in a 7-3 win. That’s likely the path to the Jackets’ success – a lot of goal support – but it’s been difficult lately with four losses in their past five games, including two shutout losses.
The Rangers have lost four of their past five but scoring hasn’t been a problem. This is shaping up to be another high-scoring game, but note the Jackets’ excellent home record (20-7-4) and Tarasov’s been better at home (.901 SP) than on the road (.878 SP). I think the Jackets have a chance to win this game but not without Tarasov giving up a few goals.
Arvid Soderblom, CHI at VAN (4% rostered)
It would be very typical of the Canucks to beat the rival Flames in a comeback win only to lose to a team they should beat easily. Soderblom may get the start after Spencer Knight started their two previous games and lost both of them. Scoring is a big problem for the Hawks, and with Quinn Hughes back in the lineup for the Canucks, they’ll need to score a few goals to help Soderblom earn the win.
There’s some upset potential but the Canucks have won nine straight against the Blackhawks and dominated this matchup in the post Toews/Kane-era. Soderblom’s fantasy value will be mostly derived from saves.
Alexandar Georgiev, SJ vs. WSH (40% rostered)
This will be Georgiev’s seventh straight start and I think the Sharks will keep starting him until Yaroslav Askarov returns from injury. The Caps were shut out, 3-0, by the Kings in their previous game and I suspect they will come out stronger and better.
Pass. Georgiev can rack up the saves because I suspect the Caps will dominate possession and based on moneypuck.com’s odds as of Friday evening, they have the highest odds of winning. A win and a good save percentage seems unlikely for Georgiev, who has the second-worst save percentage (.876) among goalies with at least 20 games this season.
Samuel Ersson, PHI vs. CAR (20% rostered)
The Flyers snapped a five-game losing streak but I don’t think they’re playing well enough right now to pull off an upset. Ersson was in net for their win but allowed three goals despite facing just 20 shots (.850 SP). The Canes, meanwhile, have won six in a row and limited the opposition to just two goals or less in all six games.
Unless the Flyers can provide a lot of goal support against a stingy team, Ersson’s chances of winning aren’t good. The Canes have won 12 of their past 13 matchups.
Justus Annunen, NSH at LA (6% rostered)
The Preds are playing the second game of a back-to-back while the Kings are coming off a 3-0 shutout against the Caps. After a very good start to his Preds stint, Annunen is 2-3-0 with a .869 SP and 3.80 GAA since Jan. 31.
Annunen’s too unreliable to be a safe streaming option. The Kings offense may not be able to score many goals, but they should have no problems against the Preds.
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11 games on Saturday, March 15
* = confirmed
Ilya Samsonov, VGK at Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, BUF (12:30 p.m. ET)
Jacob Markstrom, NJ at Tristan Jarry, PIT (3 p.m. ET)
Logan Thompson, WSH at Alexandar Georgiev, SJ (5 p.m. ET)
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TB at Jeremy Swayman, BOS (7 p.m. ET)
Linus Ullmark, OTT at Joseph Woll, TOR (7 p.m. ET)
Vitek Vanecek, FLA at Sam Montembeault, MTL* (7 p.m. ET)
Pyotr Kochetkov, CAR at Samuel Ersson, PHI (7 p.m. ET)
Igor Shesterkin, NYR at Daniil Tarasov, CBJ (7 p.m. ET)
Jordan Binnington, STL at Filip Gustavsson, MIN (8 p.m. ET)
Justus Annunen, NSH at Darcy Kuemper, LA (8 p.m. ET)
Arvid Soderblom, CHI at Kevin Lankinen, VAN (10 p.m. ET)
Goalies
Vitek Vanecek, FLA at MTL (6% rostered)
With a weekend back-to-back Vanecek will either start in Montreal or Sunday on Long Island. His Panthers debut was excellent – a 21-save shutout against the Sabres, and it shows how playing on a good team can make so-so goalies look so good. I think the Panthers have been excellent – 16-6-0 since Jan. 14, the last time they lost consecutive games – while the Habs are 1-1-2 in their past four. The Habs are a tough out at home on Saturday nights but no doubt the Panthers have a pretty significant advantage.
If you’re looking for a win, I think Vanecek is a really underrated option if he gets the start. Even if he doesn’t, he should be a good option against the Isles on Sunday. The Panthers have the edge in virtually every category, and despite losing both of their previous matchups have beaten the Habs seven straight times dating back to 2022.
Ilya Samsonov, VGK at BUF (47% rostered)
Samsonov’s 15 wins in 26 games is deceptive; he hasn’t really been very reliable this season even when the Knights limit the opposition’s shots. He shut out the Pens but also allowed 13 goals in his three other starts. This is a matinee, which makes it difficult to predict, and also means an earlier than usual start for the visiting team from the West.
The Sabres will likely be without JJ Peterka and Josh Norris, which takes some bite out of their offense, but note Tage Thompson is red-hot. I think Samsonov will allow a few goals but the Knights are favored for good reason and should come away with the win. Samsonov is 5-1-0 all-time against the Sabres, but again his .899 SP and 2.84 GAA leave a lot to be desired.
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Tristan Jarry, PIT vs. NJ (16% rostered)
We rode the Jarry hot streak last time and the danger now is not knowing when the music stops. He’s going for his fourth straight win and his save percentage has dipped with each game/ Expected Devils starter Jacob Markstrom hasn’t been sharp (15 goals allowed in four games) and the Devils offense is missing a couple key players, which is good for Jarry, but historically he hasn’t been sharp against them (6-8-2, .898 SP, 3.22 GAA).
Yes, I think Jarry has a chance to steal another game. If you’ve been rolling the dice with Jarry, this is like playing with found money and there’s no problem with rolling the dice again, but note the Pens are the underdog. The bigger concern is the Pens; they’ve been outplayed based on expected goals and have not provided much goal support.
Daniil Tarasov, CBJ vs. NYR (2% rostered)
Elvis Merzlikins is away from the team for personal reasons, which means Tarasov likely gets the start. He defeated the Rangers on the road in his previous appearance, allowing three goals on 35 shots (.914 SP) in a 7-3 win. That’s likely the path to the Jackets’ success – a lot of goal support – but it’s been difficult lately with four losses in their past five games, including two shutout losses.
The Rangers have lost four of their past five but scoring hasn’t been a problem. This is shaping up to be another high-scoring game, but note the Jackets’ excellent home record (20-7-4) and Tarasov’s been better at home (.901 SP) than on the road (.878 SP). I think the Jackets have a chance to win this game but not without Tarasov giving up a few goals.
Arvid Soderblom, CHI at VAN (4% rostered)
It would be very typical of the Canucks to beat the rival Flames in a comeback win only to lose to a team they should beat easily. Soderblom may get the start after Spencer Knight started their two previous games and lost both of them. Scoring is a big problem for the Hawks, and with Quinn Hughes back in the lineup for the Canucks, they’ll need to score a few goals to help Soderblom earn the win.
There’s some upset potential but the Canucks have won nine straight against the Blackhawks and dominated this matchup in the post Toews/Kane-era. Soderblom’s fantasy value will be mostly derived from saves.
Alexandar Georgiev, SJ vs. WSH (40% rostered)
This will be Georgiev’s seventh straight start and I think the Sharks will keep starting him until Yaroslav Askarov returns from injury. The Caps were shut out, 3-0, by the Kings in their previous game and I suspect they will come out stronger and better.
Pass. Georgiev can rack up the saves because I suspect the Caps will dominate possession and based on moneypuck.com’s odds as of Friday evening, they have the highest odds of winning. A win and a good save percentage seems unlikely for Georgiev, who has the second-worst save percentage (.876) among goalies with at least 20 games this season.
Samuel Ersson, PHI vs. CAR (20% rostered)
The Flyers snapped a five-game losing streak but I don’t think they’re playing well enough right now to pull off an upset. Ersson was in net for their win but allowed three goals despite facing just 20 shots (.850 SP). The Canes, meanwhile, have won six in a row and limited the opposition to just two goals or less in all six games.
Unless the Flyers can provide a lot of goal support against a stingy team, Ersson’s chances of winning aren’t good. The Canes have won 12 of their past 13 matchups.
Justus Annunen, NSH at LA (6% rostered)
The Preds are playing the second game of a back-to-back while the Kings are coming off a 3-0 shutout against the Caps. After a very good start to his Preds stint, Annunen is 2-3-0 with a .869 SP and 3.80 GAA since Jan. 31.
Annunen’s too unreliable to be a safe streaming option. The Kings offense may not be able to score many goals, but they should have no problems against the Preds.
Remember to bookmark The Hockey News Fantasy site for stats, news, analysis, rankings, projections and more, including the Sleepers and Keepers fantasy hockey podcast!
Continue reading...
