Fantasy Hockey: Weekly Strength of Schedule and Streaming Targets — Week 4

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

Last Week’s Streaming Targets (Results)

Ryan Hartman (MIN) – GP:4, G:5, A:2, SOG:15, Hit:2
Dylan Strome (WSH) – GP:4, G:4, A:0, SOG:8, Hit:0
Mike Matheson (MTL) – GP:4, G:2, A:2, SOG:8, Hit:1
Erik Haula (NJD) – GP:4, G:3, A:0, SOG:10, Hit:2
Sean Monahan (MTL) – GP:4, G:2, A:1, SOG:9, Hit:0
Marcus Johansson (MIN) – GP:4, G:0, A:3, SOG:12, Hit:1
T.J. Oshie (WSH) – GP:4, G:0, A:1, SOG:12, Hit:6
Calen Addison (MIN) – GP:4, G:0, A:2, SOG:5, Hit:2
Josh Anderson (MTL) – GP:4, G:0, A:0, SOG:5, Hit:11
Ondrej Palat (NJD) – GP:4, G:0, A:0, SOG:7, Hit:4
Tomas Hertl (SJS) – GP:4, G:0, A:0, SOG:7, Hit:6
Dawson Mercer (NJD) – GP:4, G:0, A:0, SOG:2, Hit:1

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. For context, CBJ currently grades as the worst defensively, with a rating of 92.16. Carolina is the best, with a rating of 12.46.
SCORE: The sum of all of the Defensive Ratings that the team will face this week.
AVG Opponent: The Average Defensive Ratings that the team will face this week.
Strength of Schedule is determined by the sum of defensive ratings, because we want players that play the most games but also have the easiest matchups.
Light Nights: A night in the NHL with eight or fewer games.

Week 4 – Strength of Schedule

Light Night Strength of Schedule

Week 4 Opponent Ratings

Team Ratings are based solely on defensive metrics and goaltending quality in order to identify the best matchups for skaters. They are in no way a reflection of overall team quality. The lower the rating, the better the team is defensively = worse skater matchup.

Week 4 Streaming Targets

SOS = Strength of Schedule Rank (1 good, 32 bad)
Light = No. of games on Lighter days (Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun)

Arizona Coyotes (SOS: #1 | Light: 1)

The Coyotes have the best schedule this week, with four games (1 light night) and an average Opponent Rating of 66.2 (2nd easiest in Week 4). Arizona also plays three of its four games on home ice, where they have been much better offensively since the beginning of last season. The Coyotes have averaged 3.1 goals per game at home and just 2.4 goals per game on the road.

Nick Schmaltz (C/RW) – 37% Owned

Schmaltz enters Week 4 on a four-game point streak, picking up one goal and four assists during that time. Unsurprisingly, Schmaltz is over a point-per-game on the season, as he’s posted 17 goals and 28 assists (45 points) in his last 40 regular season games. When healthy, Schmaltz is one of the most underrated and under-appreciated fantasy assets. He’s the top streaming option this week.

Logan Cooley (C) – 36% Owned

Cooley’s NHL career got off to a quick start, picking up two assists while averaging 19:28 TOI/gm in his first two games. He’s cooled off since, with just two assists in his last five games, and his ice time has dropped considerably. He was dropped to the third line on Friday and played just 11:33 TOI. Still, he’s flashed brilliant skill and is still on the Coyotes’ top power-play unit.

Barrett Hayton (C) – 8% Owned

Shockingly, Hayton is still searching for his first point of the season. Hayton has been a fixture on the top line and top power-play unit, where his linemates (Schmaltz and Keller) have combined for 16 points. Hayton has the fifth-most shots of any player without a goal this season, so you have to think it’s coming soon. His usage (20:00 ATOI) makes him a more reliable streaming option than Cooley.

Matias Maccelli (LW) – 6% Owned

If you’re looking for goals this week, look somewhere else. However, if you’re looking for steady point production, Maccelli could help. He’s shooting a lot more than last season, but Maccelli’s shot volume still leaves plenty to be desired. That said, he’s locked into a top-6 role with the Coyotes and is a terrific playmaker. Maccelli has eight goals and 16 assists (24 points) in his last 27 regular season games.

Dallas Stars (SOS: #2 | Light: 1)

The Stars finally get to play this week. Through three weeks, they’ve played a league-low six games but have four this week (1 light night) and an average opponent rating of 54.4 (7th easiest).

Tyler Seguin (C/RW) – 28% Owned

In the limited action this season, Seguin has one goal and two assists (three points) in six games. His usage has been very consistent with last season when he had 50 points (21G / 29A) in 76 games, and his 7.1 on-ice SH% suggests that there are better days ahead. Hopefully, some easier matchups this week will help him increase the uninspiring shot volume we’ve seen from Seguin so far this season.

Matt Duchene (C/RW) – 27% Owned

Duchene is skating with Seguin at 5v5 and on the second power-play unit and has just two assists in six games. Unlike Seguin, he’s been playing quite a bit. Duchene leads all Stars’ forwards in even-strength TOI this season and is a slightly better streaming option as a result.

Wyatt Johnston (C) – 19% Owned

After a strong rookie season, Johnston has picked up two goals and three assists (five points) in six games to begin the 2023-24 season. The most encouraging sign for Johnston has been the increase in TOI and shot volume. He’s averaging two more minutes per game so far this season, and that’s resulted in 1.3 more shot attempts per outing. Dating back to the middle of last season, Johnston has 15 goals and 13 assists (28 points) in his previous 42 games, more than Duchene (24 pts) and Seguin (22) during that time.

Vegas Golden Knights (SOS: #3 | Light: 1)

Vegas has the third-best schedule this week, thanks to their four games (1 light night) and 10th-easiest average opponent rating (53.5).

Chandler Stephenson (C) – 51% Owned

Rostered in more than half of Yahoo leagues, it’s unlikely that Stephenson is available in your league, but he’s a terrific option if he is. Stephenson has been held off the scoresheet in three straight games but still has seven points (2G / 5A) in nine games this season. His usage (L2 + PP1 – 19:47 ATOI) makes him the most valuable among Golden Knights’ streaming options.

William Karlsson (C) – 39% Owned

Karlsson is looking like the version of himself we saw in the Golden Knights’ inaugural season when he had 43 goals and 78 points in 82 games. Karlsson is on a heater right now, as he’s tied for the team lead with 10 points (3G / 7A) in their first nine games. The 31-year-old is making the most of his third-line role, but it’s been largely fuelled by a 17.8 on-ice SH%. This run won’t last forever, but it’s worth latching onto for this week, at the very least.

Ivan Barbashev (C/LW) – 37% Owned

While Karlsson is making the most of a limited role, Barbashev has failed to produce despite playing on the top line with Jack Eichel and Jonathan Marchessault. However, the Golden Knights seem content to keep him in that spot, so there’s a chance he’s a solid streamer this week. With that said, he’s averaging just 1.3 SOG/gm and has yet to pick up an assist in nine games so far, so there’s not much to suggest he’s going to produce like he did after being traded to Vegas last season.

Philadelphia Flyers (SOS: #4 | Light: 2)

The Flyers are one of the best targets this week because they have the fourth-best schedule overall but the best “light night” schedule in the league. They have two “light night” games (tied for most this week), and they’re both against the Buffalo Sabres, who are the 10th-easiest matchup according to our team rating.

Owen Tippett (RW) – 36% Owned

Tippett’s early-season results won’t jump off the page, but he’s due for better days ahead. Tippett is averaging an impressive 3.9 SOG/gm and 7.6 shot attempts/gm but is shooting just 3.2 percent. He had a career 9.8 SH% before this season, so with this shot volume, it’s still reasonable to expect he’ll score 30-plus goals this season. Additionally, he’s posted four assists in eight games with a 6.2 on-ice SH%. He’s due for positive regression, and it could kick in this week, given the great matchups.

Sean Couturier (C) – 24% Owned

After missing 135 games over the last two seasons, Couturier looks healthy and is playing well so far this season. Couturier has scored two goals with five assists (seven points) in eight games while averaging 2.3 SOG/gm and 19:34 TOI/gm. Couturier will play big minutes at 5v5 and on the top power-play unit, making him a reliable streaming option this week.

Cam Atkinson (RW) – 20% Owned

Like Couturier, Atkinson also looks like his vintage self after missing all last season. Atkinson averages 4.5 shot attempts per game and has picked up eight points (5G / 3A) in eight games. His 23.8 SH% and 12.5 on-ice SH% suggest he’s been fortunate thus far but he provides a solid floor and is a good streaming candidate thanks to his usage (L1 & PP1 – 17:24 ATOI) and shot volume.

Joel Farabee (LW) – 5% Owned

Farabee enters the week on a five-game point streak, having scored three goals and two assists in the process. Farabee’s minutes have dropped this season, but his shot volume has increased. While he won’t maintain a 23.5 SH% the bump in shot volume is a welcomed sign. Farabee is an essential part of the Flyers’ middle-6 and second power-play unit and is one of the better deep-league streamers this week.

Bobby Brink (RW) – 4% Owned

Brink might be a better option than Farabee, though. They play together at 5v5, but Brink sees the valuable top power-play usage. The 2019 second-round pick has six points (2G / 4A) in seven games and has four points (2G / 2A) in his last two games. Brink hasn’t been afraid to shoot (4.1 shot att/gm), and that’s good news because he has a deadly release.

New Jersey Devils (SOS: #5 | Light: 2)

The Devils are more of a weekend target, as their first game doesn’t come until Thursday. However, they have the third-easiest average opponent rating (62.7) this week and two light night games (Friday and Sunday). With that said, they failed us last week because their offence is so concentrated to their stars that there aren’t many scraps left for their waiver-wire options.

Erik Haula (LW) – 21% Owned

Haula is the only reasonable Devil streamer because of his shot volume. He’s averaging 2.7 SOG/gm through seven games, and that provides him with a decent floor if he fails to get on the scoresheet. I would target players with better usage, especially on the power-play before Haula.