Last week alternated: quiet night, busy night, repeat. This week doesn't. Every team in the league plays Tuesday, and Thursday and Saturday are nearly as full. 41 of the week's 50 games land on those three nights.
That makes streaming harder. A pickup who plays Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday will mostly sit behind the players you already have. The games that count are on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, and only two teams play more than one of them. So this is a week to decide your moves before Monday, not on the fly.
Quick hits
- This week: Minnesota (4 games, 2 on quiet nights), Colorado (3 games, 2 on quiet nights), then Buffalo and Florida (4 games each, 1 quiet)
- Next 2 weeks: Colorado, Minnesota, Florida
- Next 30 days: Colorado, Calgary, Florida
Every team, every night this week: see the full Week 3 grid.
Three nights have almost all the games
| Night | NHL games | Rosters with an open forward spot | With an open D spot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon Oct 12 | 3 | 98% | 99% |
| Tue Oct 13 | 16 | 0% | 0% |
| Wed Oct 14 | 2 | 98% | 99% |
| Thu Oct 15 | 11 | 43% | 58% |
| Fri Oct 16 | 2 | 97% | 100% |
| Sat Oct 17 | 14 | 10% | 18% |
| Sun Oct 18 | 2 | 99% | 100% |
| Mon Oct 19 (Week 4) | 4 | 89% | 97% |
Tuesday is as full as a night can be. Every team plays, so every player you own has a game and nobody has a spare lineup spot. A streamer's Tuesday game is worth nothing unless he's better than someone you already start. Saturday isn't much better: about one roster in ten has room for another forward.
Here's how the teams split:
- Two off-nights: Minnesota (Mon, Tue, Thu, Sun) and Colorado (Tue, Wed, Fri). That's the whole list.
- One off-night: New Jersey, Buffalo, Ottawa, Florida and Vegas (all Mon, Tue, Thu, Sat), plus Calgary, Carolina, Columbus, Pittsburgh, Boston, Montreal, Washington, Dallas and Anaheim.
- No off-nights: 15 teams play Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday only, and Los Angeles plays just Tuesday and Saturday.
Fill your D and your goalies this week
Some weeks you can get away with carrying an extra forward and running a D or a goalie short. Not this one. With every team playing Tuesday and almost every team playing Thursday and Saturday, all your D and both goalie spots will have someone available to start on the three biggest nights. An empty D or G slot on those nights is a start you don't get back, and there's no quiet-night trick that makes up for it.
So before you stream anyone, check that you have four D and two goalies who are healthy and playing. If you're a body short at either, that's your first add, ahead of any forward below.
One goalie worth a look: Dylan Garand (NYR, 34%). Igor Shesterkin is out for the season with a lower-body injury and Joonas Korpisalo is on IR too, so Garand is the Rangers' goalie now. He's started once and stopped 97% of the shots he's seen in two appearances, which is a tiny sample. The Rangers play Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday this week, and six times in the next two weeks. Goalie slots don't fill up the way skater slots do, so the busy nights don't hurt him.
The strategies
One add: grab a Wild player
Minnesota is the only team with four games and two of them on quiet nights (Monday and Sunday). That's about 2.4 usable games for a forward and 2.6 for a D, the best of any team this week. The Wild also have a strong two weeks (8 games) and month (15 games), so this add doesn't have to be a one-week rental.
- MIN: Eriksson Ek (57%, 3.5 power-play minutes a game), Coleman (17%, new from Calgary), Spurgeon (14%, D, 5 points in 5 games on 22 minutes a night), Määttä (0%, D, new from Calgary and playing 21.4 minutes, up 4.2 from last season)
A caution on Hartman (11%), who was on last week's holds list: his ice time is down about four minutes a game from last season. I'd look at the others first.
Two adds: Colorado Tue/Wed/Fri, then Carolina Sat/Sun
Colorado gives you Wednesday and Friday, and Carolina gives you Sunday. Together that's about 3.0 usable games for one forward spot, against 2.4 for the single Minnesota add.
- COL: Nelson (75%), Kadri (66%, 3.6 power-play minutes a game), Toews (47%, D, 5 points in 5 games), Landeskog (34%, 2.8 power-play minutes a game), Malinski (26%, D), Schwartz (9%)
- CAR: Ehlers (84%), Jackson Blake (49%), K'Andre Miller (28%, D), Hall (13%, 5 points in 6 games)
Two of those Avalanche names come with a warning. Nelson has 5 points in 5 games, but his power-play time is down to 1.5 minutes a game from 3.3 last season and his ice time is down 2.5 minutes. Schwartz has 6 points in 5 games while playing only 13 minutes a night. Both are scoring more than their roles say they should, so don't pay for the points.
Three adds: start with a Devil on Monday
If your league gives you three moves, add a New Jersey player for Monday, then run the Colorado and Carolina stream. That covers all four quiet nights and gets you about 4.0 usable games. Unlike last week, the third add earns a full extra game, so it's worth making if you have it.
- NJD (Monday): Hamilton (84%, D), Evangelista (46%, new from Nashville and getting 4.9 power-play minutes a game), Mantha (17%, new from Pittsburgh)
Spare bench spot: an Av and a Wild
Carry one of each and start whoever plays. Colorado goes Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday; Minnesota goes Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. Between them there's a game every night but Saturday, about 4.3 that fit a lineup.
Save an add if you can
In a week like this, a spare add is worth more than usual. The quiet nights are at the edges of the week (Monday and Sunday) and in the gaps (Wednesday and Friday), so a late move for a Sunday player, or to replace someone who gets hurt, can swing a matchup. If your third or fourth add would only buy a Tuesday or Saturday game, keep it.
Who's getting more opportunity
We're far enough into the season to look at this year's usage. Ice time and power-play time move before the points do, so they're the best early sign that a player's role has grown. These are players most leagues can still get, with this season's minutes a game and the change from last season. Samples are four to six games, so treat them as leads, not facts.
| Player | Team | Owned | Ice time | Power play | So far | This week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson Blake | CAR | 49% | 17.8 (+1.3) | 5.3 (+3.2) | 7 pts in 6 | 3 games |
| Luke Evangelista | NJD | 46% | 18.6 (+2.0) | 4.9 (+2.7) | 3 pts in 4 | 4 games |
| Zach Benson | BUF | 40% | 19.4 (+3.5) | 3.3 (+1.5) | 1 pt in 5 | 4 games |
| Viktor Arvidsson | DET | 21% | 18.4 (+3.8) | 4.2 (+2.2) | 4 pts in 5 | 3 games, no off-nights |
| Jack Quinn | BUF | 15% | 20.0 (+4.3) | 3.5 (+1.2) | 2 pts in 5 | 4 games |
| Ben Kindel | PIT | 13% | 17.9 (+2.8) | 3.5 (+1.7) | 4 pts in 5 | 3 games |
| Denton Mateychuk (D) | CBJ | 7% | 25.1 (+5.9) | 1.1 (+0.6) | 1 pt in 4 | 3 games |
| Kent Johnson | CBJ | 6% | 16.8 (+3.6) | 2.9 (+1.3) | 3 pts in 4 | 3 games |
| Kasperi Kapanen | EDM | 4% | 17.7 (+3.1) | 3.3 (+3.0) | 3 pts in 5 | 3 games, no off-nights |
| Ryan Shea (D) | EDM | 3% | 23.2 (+4.3) | 1.9 (+1.7) | 3 pts in 5 | 3 games, no off-nights |
| Noah Ostlund | BUF | 2% | 18.2 (+4.2) | 2.7 (+1.3) | 3 pts in 5 | 4 games |
A few I'd look at first:
- Jackson Blake is the one whose production matches his role: over five minutes of power-play time a game and 7 points in 6. He's also the Carolina half of this week's two-add stream.
- Buffalo has three names here (Benson, Quinn, Ostlund) plus Owen Power (39%, D) at 26 minutes a night. The Sabres play four times this week. Quinn at 15% owned and 20 minutes a game is the one most likely to be available.
- Arvidsson (new from Boston) and Kapanen are playing big minutes on teams with no off-nights this week. They're holds for the weeks ahead, not streams for this one.
- Mateychuk is playing 25 minutes a night for Columbus at 7% owned. The points aren't there yet, but that's top-pair ice time.
Teams to trim this week
If you need to drop someone to make a move, start here.
- Los Angeles plays twice, Tuesday and Saturday, the two fullest nights of the week. A fringe King gets you about 0.1 usable games. He's this week's easiest drop.
- Anaheim also plays only twice (Tuesday and Friday). Friday helps, but it's still two games.
- The 16 teams with no off-nights: Chicago, Detroit, Edmonton, Nashville, both New York teams, Philadelphia, Seattle, San Jose, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Toronto, Utah, Vancouver and Winnipeg all play Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday only, and Los Angeles makes sixteen. Their stars still start for you. Their depth players are the ones who'll sit, so a marginal player from one of these teams is a reasonable drop for a Wild or Avalanche player.
Don't drop anyone good because of one bad week. This is about the last spot or two on your bench.
Teams to target this week
Ranked by usable games for a forward.
| Team | Games | Usable (F) | Usable (D) | Options |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MIN | 4 | 2.4 | 2.6 | Eriksson Ek 57%, Coleman 17%, Spurgeon 14% (D), Määttä 0% (D) |
| COL | 3 | 2.0 | 2.0 | Nelson 75%, Kadri 66%, Landeskog 34%, Malinski 26% (D), Schwartz 9% |
| BUF | 4 | 1.5 | 1.7 | Benson 40%, Power 39% (D), Quinn 15%, Helenius 7% (flyer), Ostlund 2% |
| FLA | 4 | 1.5 | 1.7 | Jones 73% (D), Verhaeghe 39%, Ekblad 14% (D), Lundell 11% |
| NJD | 4 | 1.5 | 1.7 | Hamilton 84% (D), Evangelista 46%, Mantha 17% |
A few notes on those names:
- Florida's power play is giving more time to several players: Jones 6.7 minutes a game (up 3.1), Lundell 4.4 (up 1.7), Ekblad 4.0 (up 1.8), Verhaeghe 3.9 (up 1.2). Lundell has only 1 point in 5 games on over three shots a night, so he may still be cheap.
- Helenius, the 14th overall pick in 2024, has played 4 games for Buffalo at 14.1 minutes a night with 2.1 on the power play. Still a flyer, but he's in the lineup.
- The gap between first and third is big this week. A Wild forward gets about 2.4 usable games; a Sabre, Panther or Devil gets 1.5 from four games, because three of the four are on full nights.
The next two weeks
If you'd rather add once and hold through Oct 25:
| Team | Games | Usable (F) | Options |
|---|---|---|---|
| COL | 7 | 5.0 | Nelson 75%, Kadri 66%, Landeskog 34%, Malinski 26% (D), Schwartz 9% |
| MIN | 8 | 4.2 | Eriksson Ek 57%, Coleman 17%, Spurgeon 14% (D), Määttä 0% (D) |
| FLA | 7 | 3.7 | Jones 73% (D), Verhaeghe 39%, Ekblad 14% (D), Lundell 11% |
| MTL | 6 | 3.3 | Matheson 52% (D), Kreider 28%, Newhook 2%, Texier 0% |
| OTT | 7 | 3.0 | Chabot 65% (D), Giroux 21%, Pinto 15%, Yakemchuk 7% (D, flyer), Spence 2% (D) |
Kreider (new from Anaheim) has 4 points in 5 games for Montreal. In Ottawa, Chabot is playing 27.1 minutes a night, up 4.5 from last season, and Yakemchuk, the 7th overall pick in 2024, has played 5 games with 3.4 minutes a night on the power play.
The next 30 days
For a roster spot you want to set and forget through Nov 10:
| Team | Games | Usable (F) | Options |
|---|---|---|---|
| COL | 14 | 9.0 | Nelson 75%, Kadri 66%, Landeskog 34%, Malinski 26% (D), Schwartz 9% |
| CGY | 13 | 9.0 | Parekh 29% (D), Nemec 22% (D), Coronato 5%, Frost 3% |
| FLA | 14 | 8.7 | Jones 73% (D), Verhaeghe 39%, Ekblad 14% (D), Lundell 11% |
| MIN | 15 | 8.0 | Eriksson Ek 57%, Coleman 17%, Spurgeon 14% (D), Määttä 0% (D) |
| SJS | 15 | 7.6 | Trouba 62% (D), Marchment 28%, Toffoli 15%, Wennberg 4% |
Colorado is on top again, and Calgary is new to the list: 13 games with 9.0 usable, as many as the Avalanche. One name I've left out is San Jose's Orlov (8%, D). His power-play time is down to 0.6 minutes a game from 2.5 last season, so last year's numbers don't describe his role any more.
Holds for the next month
Players worth keeping rather than streaming, at every ownership level:
- Forwards: Bennett (75%), Kadri (66%), Verhaeghe (39%), Landeskog (34%), Lundell (11%)
- D: Jones (73%), Malinski (26%), Ekblad (14%)
That's Colorado and Florida again. Bennett is getting 5.3 power-play minutes a game, up 2.0 from last season, on a team with 14 games in the month.
How this works
- I drafted 1,800 fantasy rosters (150 simulated 12-team, 16-round Yahoo drafts) off ADP, with some noise and a few deep picks.
- Yahoo standard skater slots: 2 C, 2 LW, 2 RW, 4 D. Each night, a roster's playing skaters fill what they can, and a pickup's game counts only if he fills one more slot. That's a usable game. A roster only counts as having room when the schedule leaves a spot open, so on a night every team plays, the answer is none.
- Everything is in games, not points, because every league scores differently. The games that fit a lineup don't change.
- Ownership is Yahoo's percent owned this week. That's an average across leagues, not your league, which is why every team gets options at several levels.
- New this week: once a player has three games this season, his ice time and power-play time are compared with last season's. Scoring pace and second-half splits still come from last season until he has 20 games. Where this season's role is clearly smaller than last season's, I say so.
None of this knows who's free in your league or what your scoring rewards. It just tells you where the games that count are.
Do it for your own roster
The averages above are for a typical roster. Yours isn't typical. My Team now shows your open lineup spots night by night, every available player who'd fill them, and how many of your weekly adds are worth using now against saving for later. The schedule page shows every team's games and off-nights for any date range.
Check your wire, and good luck this week.