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.
Mason Lohrei, BOS at OTT (16% rostered)
Lohrei’s back in fantasy’s good graces again snapping a four-game drought with his fifth goal of the season. The goal was bound to come after Lohrei’s shot volume increased dramatically after taking over the power play, and the Senators have been defensively porous at times, allowing 35 shots in six of their past 11 games, including three where they allowed more than 40. That usually bodes well for the opposition offense.
Matt Roy, WSH at LA (12% rostered)
On nights where there aren’t many quality defensemen available, I like to default to Roy, who has a high floor and fills multiple categories. Ranked sixth in the league among defensemen with a plus-27 rating, Roy has also registered a shot in nine straight games and blocked 15 shots in his past five games. This will likely be a grind-it-out game, which means Roy should at least help in both hits and blocked shots.
Alex Vlasic, CHI at SJ (12% rostered)
This is a good matchup between two teams that don’t defend very well, which means the potential for a high-scoring game. Vlasic continues to quietly produce points, scoring four points in his past seven games. He doesn’t put a lot of shots on net but he’s generally quite good in blocks and hits, giving him multi-category value.
Artyom Levshunov, CHI at SJ (5% rostered)
All things considered, it was a pretty good NHL debut for the highly-touted Russian defenseman. Playing with steady veteran Alec Martinez, Levshunov registered three shots and two blocks, which is a hint at the multi-category value he can provide. I think his fantasy upside is limited due to his inexperience, but given the amount of time he’s getting and his role on PP2, I think it won’t be long until he scores a point.
Jamie Drysdale, PHI vs. TB (2% rostered)
Still really hard to figure out the Flyers defense at times but note Drysdale has now scored a goal in consecutive games. He’s been underwhelming since coming over from the Ducks, but if there’s a defenseman to target on the Flyers’ blue line right now, it’s Drysdale. He’s a risky, flavor-of-the-week play, but it’s thin on defense. He’s expected to play PP2 and share duties with Emil Andrae.
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