Fantasy Hockey 2024-25: Weekly Strength of Schedule and Streaming Targets — Week 6

Identifying the players with four games each week and filling your roster with those players can increase your chances of winning your fantasy hockey matchup. That’s why our Weekly Schedule tool is so helpful!

I combined that weekly schedule with a Team Defense Score I created using key defensive metrics to find which teams/skaters have the best schedule this week.

How it Works:

Team Defensive Ratings are given on a scale of 0-100, with 0 being the best possible defensive team and 100 being the worst.
SCORE: The sum of all the Defensive Ratings the team will face this week.
AVG Opponent: The Average Defensive Ratings that the team will face this week.
The strength of the Schedule is determined by the sum of defensive ratings because we want players who play the most games but also have the easiest matchups.
Light Nights: A night in the NHL with eight or fewer games.

Week 6 – Strength of Schedule

Week 6 Streaming Targets

Pittsburgh Penguins

The Pittsburgh Penguins have the third-easiest schedule this week but the best schedule among teams with at least three Light Night games.

Bryan Rust (RW) – 42% Rostered

Rust returned to the Penguins’ lineup on Friday and immediately made an impact with one assist and five shots on goal in 18:17. In Sunday’s practice, he was back on a line with Evgeni Malkin and PP1, so he’s in the right spot to have a big week. In his last seven games, Rust has five points (3G / 2A) and 22 SOG.

Rickard Rakell (C/RW) – 33% Rostered

Things were better for Rakell when he was on a line with Sidney Crosby and Malkin, but he’s still with Crosby and on PP1, so it’s not all bleak. He’s been held pointless in his last two games but has 11 points (6G / 5A) and 42 SOG (3.0 SOG/gm) in his previous 14 games. With that kind of shot volume and elite usage, Rakell is an excellent streaming target.

Michael Bunting (LW) – 8% Rostered

It’s unlikely that Rust or Rakell are available in competitive leagues, so you might have to go down to Bunting. He’s had an awful start to the season; he’s been healthy scratched and has sometimes played down the lineup. However, he was back with Malkin and Rust in Sunday’s practice, putting him in a spot to get back on track this week. He has two goals, six shots and nine hits in his last three games, giving him banger-league appeal.

Drew O’Connor (LW) – 1% Rostered

O’Connor only makes the list because he’s skating on a line with Crosby. He’s found some success there in the past and is a desperate stream this week. He’s been awful in his last 10 games (playing down the lineup with inferior linemates than he will this week), failing to record a point with just 19 SOG and a minus-13 rating.

Carolina Hurricanes

The Carolina Hurricanes have the sixth-easiest schedule this week but the second-best schedule among teams with at least three Light Night games. The Hurricanes have been really sticky with their line combinations this season, but they put them in a blender in the third period against the Avalanche on Saturday. It’s tough to say how the lines will look this week, so you might want to wait and see how their lines look in Monday’s morning skate before potentially wasting a pick-up.

Jack Roslovic (C/RW) – 14% Rostered

If we knew the Hurricanes were going back to their old lines, Roslovic would be the unquestioned No.1 streamer of the week. He’s spent most of the last few weeks on a line with Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov, forming one of the most dominant lines in the NHL. The trio has scored 4.5 GF/60 on 4.0 xGF/60 and 40.7 SCF/60. It seems unwise to break that line up, but I’m not the head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes. Roslovic has nine goals and one assist while firing 34 shots on goal in his last 11 games.

Jordan Martinook (LW) – 1% Rostered

Martinook was one of the players who moved up the lineup in the third period on Saturday, playing on a line with Aho and Martin Necas. He’s played with Aho before, and if he remains there, he might make for an interesting stream this week. Offence isn’t the first thing you think of with Martinook, but he comes into the week on a three-game heater, scoring in every game (4G total) and adding one assist and 10 SOG.

Nashville Predators

The Nashville Predators have the ninth-easiest schedule this week but the third-best schedule among teams with at least three Light Night games. They have a great streaming schedule, but they don’t have many streaming targets. Their offence is so concentrated that 65 percent of their goals this season have come from only six players (Forsberg, Nyquist, Stamkos, O’Reilly, Marchessault, Josi).

Gustav Nyquist (LW) – 19% Rostered

Nyquist is the only one of those six players under 50 percent rostered. I’d feel better about Nyquist if he was still on a line with O’Reilly and Forsberg, but it doesn’t seem likely that they’ll go back to that, given the success that Stamkos has had on that line recently. Nyquist isn’t an exciting stream, but he’s got decent production and strong usage that can chip in offensively. He enters week 6 with eight points (5G / 3A) but just 11 SOG in his last 11 games.

Vegas Golden Knights

The Vegas Golden Knights have the 10th-ranked strength of schedule but make streaming targets because all four of their games are on Light Nights, so you’ll be able to get them into your lineup all week. Who the best streaming options are in Vegas will largely depend on Mark Stone’s availability. He missed their last game, and the Golden Knights have yet to provide an update on his status for Monday’s game.

William Karlsson (C) – 36% Rostered

Karlsson isn’t widely available but he’s been very productive since making his season debut on October 26th. The veteran centre has six points (2G / 4A) and 13 SOG in six games. Karlsson was eased back into the lineup but his usage has increased every game so far this season, topping out at 17:22 TOI in his last game.

Pavel Dorofeyev (LW) – 26% Rostered

I’ve been talking about Dorofeyev for a few weeks, but his roster percentage remains modest. Dorofeyev has incredible shot volume (3.3 SOG/gm) and gives him goal-scoring upside most waiver wire pickups don’t possess. The 24-year-old winger has scored eight goals with three assists (11 points) in his last 12 games.

Nicolas Roy (C/RW) – 8% Rostered

If Stone remains out this week, Roy would be the biggest beneficiary. Roy, who has often operated as a bottom-6 forward, is usually one of the first forwards called upon to move up when there’s an injury, and he’s had success. On Friday, he looked great in his first opportunity to do so, scoring one goal with one assist and three SOG in 20:36 TOI. He replaced Stone on the top line with Jack Eichel and Ivan Barbashev and also replaced him on PP1. Roy is a great option this week but check on Stone’s availability for Monday’s game before scooping him off the wire.