Who to start · 2025-26
Alex Ovechkin vs William Nylander
Blending 2025-26 with 2026-27 so far, William Nylander projects to 2.36 fantasy points per game under ESPN default scoring to Alex Ovechkin's 1.84.
Ovechkin had 64 points in 82 games; Nylander had 79 in 65 games.
This week Ovechkin has 1 game left with 1 soft matchup; Nylander has 1 left. We project Nylander for 2.1 ESPN points to Ovechkin's 1.9.
Alex Ovechkin has the better number in 18 of the 34 stats both are ranked on.
Ovechkin's biggest edges: Hits 134, Plus/minus −5, Expected goals 49.8%.
Nylander's biggest edges: Goals above expected +7.0, Top skating speed 23.5, Turnover Ledger /60 +0.036.
- • 2026-27 so far: 1 GP, 0 G, 1 A, 0 PPP, 1 SOG.
- • 2026-27 so far: 2 GP, 2 G, 0 A, 0 PPP, 6 SOG.
Fantasy value: your scoring
Alex Ovechkin
1.84
fantasy points per game
William Nylander
2.36
fantasy points per game
Under ESPN default points, William Nylander has the edge.
| Points per game from | Ovechkin | Nylander |
|---|---|---|
| Goals (+2) | 0.73 | 1.05 |
| Assists (+1) | 0.43 | 0.67 |
| Power-play points (+0.5) | 0.11 | 0.14 |
| Shorthanded points (+0.5) | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Shots on goal (+0.1) | 0.29 | 0.25 |
| Hits (+0.1) | 0.16 | 0.02 |
| Blocks (+0.5) | 0.12 | 0.24 |
Per-game rates from the selected sample; blended mixes last season with this season, weighting this season more as games are played. Categories are scored as z-scores against qualified players at the same position. Your custom weights are saved in this browser only.
Head-to-head: Ovechkin vs Nylander
Every event between them in NHL play-by-play, 2017-18 to 2025-26: games against each other, faceoffs, shots on goal, hits and penalties. Regular season and playoffs.
Ovechkin 12G 5A, 82 SOG · Nylander 8G 8A, 62 SOG
On the ice against each other (Ovechkin's side)
3:58 at 5-on-5 over 1 games, 2025-26, from Ovechkin's side
- Shot attempts
- 3–7
- 30.0%
- Expected goals
- 0.0–0.1
- 31.1%
- Goals
- 0–0
Games against each other
| Date | Score | Ovechkin | Nylander |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-08 | WSH 4–0 TOR | 0G 0A 3S | 0G 0A 1S |
| 2025-12-18 | WSH 4–0 TOR | 0G 0A 4S | 0G 0A 1S |
| 2024-12-28 | WSH 5–2 TOR | 1G 0A 3S | 0G 0A 4S |
| 2024-11-13 | WSH 3–4 TOR | 0G 1A 4S | 1G 1A 2S |
| 2024-03-28 | WSH 1–5 TOR | 0G 0A 2S | 0G 0A 5S |
| 2024-03-20 | WSH 3–7 TOR | 2G 0A 2S | 1G 2A 3S |
| 2023-10-24 | WSH 1–4 TOR | 1G 0A 14S | 1G 0A 4S |
| 2023-01-29 | WSH 1–5 TOR | 0G 0A 6S | 1G 0A 2S |
| 2022-12-17 | WSH 5–2 TOR | 0G 0A 2S | 1G 0A 5S |
| 2022-10-13 | WSH 2–3 TOR | 0G 0A 4S | 0G 0A 7S |
| 2022-04-24 | WSH 3–4 TOR | 0G 0A 4S | 0G 0A 2S |
| 2022-04-14 | WSH 3–7 TOR | 0G 0A 1S | 2G 0A 4S |
Latest 12 of 20 meetings.
Every stat, side by side
Season values; bars are percentiles at each player's position (longer is better). Click a stat for its explainer.
Fantasy box score
Possession & shot quality (5-on-5 on-ice)
Transition, turnovers & faceoffs
Usage
Special teams & discipline
This week's schedule
Sep 28 to Oct 4. More games usually wins a weekly start/sit. Chips show how many fantasy points the opponent allows to the player's position (soft or tough), the Schedule Edge from rest and travel, and the likely opposing goalie with his save percentage. Projections use ESPN default points for the games left.
Alex Ovechkin
2games (1 left)
1.9proj. ESPN pts
- Fri, Oct 2 @ CAROpp allows 12th-fewest FP to LWLikely vs Brandon Bussi (.895)
- Sat, Oct 3 @ TBLB2B1.9 ptsOpp allows 6th-most FP to LWSchedule edge −13.3 win%Likely vs Andrei Vasilevskiy (.912)
William Nylander
3games (1 left)
2.1proj. ESPN pts
- Tue, Sep 29 vs MTLOpp allows 9th-most FP to RWLikely vs Jakub Dobes (.901)
- Wed, Sep 30 vs NYIB2BOpp allows 10th-most FP to RWSchedule edge −9.3 win%Likely vs Ilya Sorokin (.906)
- Sat, Oct 3 vs OTT2.1 ptsLikely vs Linus Ullmark (.891)
Similar matchups
FAQ
- Should I start Alex Ovechkin or William Nylander in fantasy hockey?
- Blending 2025-26 with 2026-27 so far, William Nylander projects to 2.36 fantasy points per game under ESPN default scoring to Alex Ovechkin's 1.84. Ovechkin had 64 points in 82 games; Nylander had 79 in 65 games. Check this week's games and your league's scoring in the fantasy panel above, since more games usually decide a weekly start.
- Who is better, Alex Ovechkin or William Nylander?
- On 2025-26 numbers, Alex Ovechkin leads in 18 of 34 stats where both qualify, from scoring and power-play production to on-ice shot share and NHL EDGE tracking.
- How have Ovechkin and Nylander done against each other?
- In 20 games against each other in our data, Ovechkin's team went 9–11. Ovechkin had 17 points (12 goals) and Nylander had 16 (8 goals).
2025-26 regular season from NHL play-by-play, shift charts and NHL EDGE, processed by Edgehalla. Head-to-head covers every loaded season (play-by-play from 2019-20; on-ice matchups from 2025-26).Compare other players →