Fantasy Hockey 2025-26: Weekly Strength of Schedule and Streaming Targets — Week 23
Finding an edge in fantasy hockey often comes down to maximizing your man games — and targeting players with favourable matchups. Our Fantasy Hockey Strength of Schedule tool helps you do precisely that.
Each week, we evaluate every NHL team’s upcoming slate using three key factors:
- Games Played: More games mean more opportunities for fantasy points.
- Strength of Schedule (SOS): Based on opponent difficulty, the higher the score, the easier the matchups.
- Light Nights: Nights with eight or fewer NHL games, when it’s easier to fit extra players into your active lineup.
By combining these three components, the tool highlights which teams — and streamers — are best positioned for fantasy success this week.
If you’re looking for a full breakdown of every team’s upcoming schedule, check out our Fantasy Hockey Strength of Schedule Tool — updated daily to show which teams have the most games and valuable light-night matchups each week.
Week 23 Strength of Schedule
Week 23 Streaming Targets
Week 23 is fairly standard from a scheduling standpoint, with busy slates on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, and lighter nights on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. Depending on your roster, prioritizing Light Nights could be key.
Set your lineup early in the week, then check on the busy nights to see if you have any open roster spots. If you do, you may be able to maximize value by targeting players with more games or stronger matchups.
Below are the top teams and players to target based on three key categories:
- Most Light Nights (min. 3)
- Most Games
- Best Matchups (min. 4 games)
Most Light Nights
St. Louis Blues (4 games, 4 Light Nights)
The Blues are the only team in the NHL with four Light Nights this week, so if your lineup is packed on the busier nights, they should be a priority. The issue is that they don’t have many great streaming options, and the best ones are likely already rostered in competitive leagues.
Jimmy Snuggerud (RW – 33% Rostered)
Snuggerud is somehow still available in 67 percent of leagues, despite ranking T-18th in goals (7), T-29th in SOG (42), and T-32nd in points (15) in the month of March. He has been excellent, providing a strong floor with 3.2 SOG and 5.3 shot attempts per game, while also flashing significant upside, producing at a 44-goal, 51-assist pace. He’s the top streamer of the week if he is still available in your league.
Pavel Buchnevich (C/LW/RW – 24% Rostered)
Buchnevich was much hotter heading into the Olympic break than he has been since, but he has still picked up nine points (4G / 5A) in 15 games, which is enough to keep him in play as a streaming option. He is at his best when skating with Jordan Kyrou, as the duo averages 2.86 xGF/60 together compared to 2.58 xGF/60 without him. As long as he remains in the top-six with Kyrou and continues to see power-play time, he is a solid Light Night option.
Anaheim Ducks (4 games, 3 Light Nights)
The Ducks not only have the second-most Light Nights this week, but they also have one of the more favourable schedules, with matchups against Toronto, San Jose, St. Louis, and Calgary that should provide opportunities for offence.
Mikael Granlund (C/LW/RW – 32% Rostered)
Granlund has not typically been known as a goal-scorer, but he is producing at a 32-goal pace this season. That pace has been driven by a career-high 19.0 shooting percentage and a recent stretch of seven goals in his last five games. While he has shot 46.7 percent during that stretch, the more encouraging signs are the 3.0 SOG and 3.8 shot attempts per game he has averaged. If that volume continues, he has shown the ability to produce in bursts and could be a difference-maker this week.
Chris Kreider (LW – 26% Rostered)
Kreider has typically been a goal-heavy player with limited assist production, but that has changed somewhat this season, as he enters Week 23 with 22 goals and 24 assists in 67 games. While his production can be inconsistent, his role in the top-six and on the top power-play unit has remain steady. He continues to log meaningful minutes and has recorded 16 points (3G / 13A) in 17 games since the Olympic break.
Alex Killorn (C/LW/RW – 3% Rostered)
In deeper formats, Killorn has been producing well lately, with four goals and four assists (eight points) in his last 10 games. Like Kreider, he is consistently playing strong minutes, which gives him an opportunity to contribute on a nightly basis. With many of this week’s streaming options sitting in the double-digit roster percentage range, Killorn may be one of the few viable options in deeper leagues.
Colorado Avalanche (4 games, 3 Light Nights)
The Avalanche are the only other team with three or more Light Nights this week, but unlike the Blues and Ducks, there are very few true streaming options available, as most of their key players are already highly rostered.
Gabriel Landeskog (LW/RW – 39% Rostered)
Landeskog’s roster percentage has dropped below 40 percent, so there is a chance he was dropped last week when Colorado had no Light Nights. If he is available in your league, it is always worth considering a player skating alongside Nathan MacKinnon. Since returning from injury, Landeskog has two points (1G / 1A) while averaging 2.0 SOG, 1.3 hits, and 1.8 blocks over four games. Although he has been in and out of the lineup this season, he has still produced 17 points (5G / 12A) in his last 21 games, which translates to a 20-goal, 47-assist pace.
Most Games
Pittsburgh Penguins (5 games, 48.28 Avg Opponent Rating)
If you have available lineup spots on the busier nights, the Penguins are ideal streaming targets this week, as they are the only team with a five-game schedule. Injuries to Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have created some uncertainty, but there are still several reliable options to consider.
Anthony Mantha (LW/RW – 35% Rostered)
Mantha may not be widely available in competitive leagues, but he has cooled off slightly with just one goal and no assists in his last five games. If that has pushed him onto the waiver wire, he should be a priority add. Despite the recent dip, he still has 22 points (13G / 9A) in his last 24 games and ranks tied for 10th in goals over that span, which is difficult production to find on the waiver wire.
Yegor Chinakhov (LW/RW – 19% Rostered)
Chinakhov is more likely to be available and has been a steady contributor since joining the Penguins. He has not gone more than two games without a point and has recorded 26 points (14G / 12A) in 35 games. During that stretch, he is tied with players like Nathan MacKinnon and Macklin Celebrini in goals, and with William Nylander and Cutter Gauthier in points. His consistent shot volume—2.8 SOG and 6.0 shot attempts per game since the break—provides both a solid floor and upside.
Ben Kindel (C – 4% Rostered)
Kindel has generated strong shot volume this season, averaging 3.6 shot attempts per game over his last 12 games, but the production has not followed, with just two goals and one assist during that span. Even with Crosby and Malkin out, he logged only 13:57 of ice time in his last game, making him more of a deep-league option this week.
Best Matchups
Philadelphia Flyers (4 games, 71.0 Avg Opponent Rating)
The Flyers have the most favourable Average Opponent Rating this week, with games against Washington, Detroit, the Islanders, and Boston. While these teams can provide solid goaltending, they have struggled defensively, creating potential streaming value.
Noah Cates (C – 16% Rostered)
Cates is known more for his two-way play than his scoring, but since the Olympic break, he has recorded 15 points (7G / 8A) in 17 games. He has benefited from a 26.9 shooting percentage, which is likely to regress, but his recent increase in shot volume—2.3 SOG and 5.0 shot attempts per game—could help offset that regression.
Porter Martone (RW – 2% Rostered)
Martone is one of the more intriguing streaming options this week, and potentially for the rest of the season. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound winger was the No. 6 overall pick in 2025 and is widely considered the Flyers’ top prospect. He signed his entry-level contract on Sunday and is expected to make his NHL debut on Tuesday.
Martone spent one season at Michigan State, where he finished tied for second in the NCAA in goals (25) and tied for sixth in points (50). It remains unclear where he will slot into the lineup initially, but he has the skill set to make an immediate fantasy impact.
New Jersey Devils (4 games, 70.1 Avg Opponent Rating)
The Devils have one of the easier schedules this week, facing the Rangers, Capitals, and Canadiens twice.
Connor Brown (RW – 6% Rostered)
Brown has quietly been very productive since the Olympic break, with 15 points (5G / 10A) in his last 14 games. He has found a role alongside Jack Hughes and on the top power-play unit, which has led to four power-play points during that stretch after recording just three in his first 52 games. The line of Hughes, Brown, and Jesper Bratt has been generating offence at a high rate, averaging 3.51 xGF/60 and 35.5 scoring chances/60. Brown is also averaging over 19:30 of ice time and around 4.0 shot attempts per game, giving him both a reliable floor and recent upside.