Who to start · 2025-26
Casey Cizikas vs Nathan MacKinnon
Blending 2025-26 with 2026-27 so far, Nathan MacKinnon projects to 3.08 fantasy points per game under ESPN default scoring to Casey Cizikas's 0.87.
Cizikas had 18 points in 81 games; MacKinnon had 127 in 80 games.
This week Cizikas has 2 games left with 1 soft and 1 tough matchups; MacKinnon has 2 left with 1 soft and 1 tough matchups. In ESPN default points scoring we project MacKinnon for 5.9 to Cizikas's 1.6 over the games left.
Nathan MacKinnon has the better number in 29 of the 36 stats both are ranked on.
Cizikas's biggest edges: Hits 153, Blocked shots 57, Shorthanded points 2.
MacKinnon's biggest edges: Power-play share 79.5%, Offensive-zone time 46.6%, Power-play time per game 4:13.
Head to head on the dot, MacKinnon leads Cizikas 25–20.
In standard categories (G, A, +/-, PPP, SOG, HIT), the default in Who Should I Start, Nathan MacKinnon rates ahead, +14.0 to -2.0 in summed category z-scores.
Role trend over the last 5 games: Cizikas is cooling, ixG/60 0.04 (was 0.93); MacKinnon is cooling, On-ice xGF/60 2.51 (was 3.88).
- • Cizikas, 2026-27 so far: 9 GP, 1 G, 1 A, 0 PPP, 7 SOG.
- • MacKinnon, 2026-27 so far: 10 GP, 6 G, 10 A, 2 PPP, 44 SOG.
New York Islanders · Colorado Avalanche · Who should I start? · Compare other players
Fantasy value: your scoring
Casey Cizikas
-2.0
category z-score total
Nathan MacKinnon
+14.0
category z-score total
Under Standard (6 categories), Nathan MacKinnon has the edge (Cizikas wins 1, MacKinnon wins 5 of 6 categories).
| Category | Cizikas | MacKinnon |
|---|---|---|
| Goals / game | 0.12 | 0.64 |
| Assists / game | 0.10 | 0.96 |
| Plus/minus / game | 0.14 | 0.43 |
| Power-play points / game | 0.00 | 0.30 |
| Shots on goal / game | 0.91 | 4.38 |
| Hits / game | 1.68 | 0.68 |
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 scoring choice is shared with Who Should I Start: saved on this device, and on your account when you are signed in.
Head-to-head: Cizikas vs MacKinnon
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.
Cizikas 2G 3A, 13 SOG · MacKinnon 5G 13A, 79 SOG
Cizikas's offensive zone 3–3 · neutral 9–9 · Cizikas's defensive zone 8–13 (2017-18 to 2024-25)
Cizikas blocked 3 of MacKinnon's shots; MacKinnon blocked 0 of Cizikas's.
On the ice against each other (Cizikas's side)
3:35 at 5-on-5 over 2 games, 2025-26, from Cizikas's side
- Shot attempts
- 1–1
- 50.0%
- Expected goals
- 0.0–0.0
- 5.3%
- Goals
- 0–0
Games against each other
| Date | Score | Cizikas | MacKinnon |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-12-04 | NYI 6–3 COL | 1G 0A 1S | 0G 0A 6S |
| 2025-11-16 | NYI 1–4 COL | 0G 0A 0S | 0G 0A 3S |
| 2025-01-28 | NYI 5–2 COL | 0G 1A 1S | 0G 1A 7S |
| 2024-10-14 | NYI 6–2 COL | 0G 0A 1S | 0G 1A 5S |
| 2024-01-02 | NYI 4–5 COL | 0G 0A 2S | 1G 2A 7S |
| 2023-10-24 | NYI 4–7 COL | 0G 0A 0S | 1G 0A 8S |
| 2022-10-29 | NYI 5–4 COL | 0G 1A 0S | 0G 2A 4S |
| 2022-03-07 | NYI 4–5 COL | 1G 0A 1S | 1G 2A 9S |
| 2022-03-01 | NYI 3–5 COL | 0G 0A 1S | 1G 0A 5S |
| 2020-01-06 | NYI 1–0 COL | 0G 0A 0S | 0G 0A 7S |
| 2019-02-09 | NYI 4–3 COL | 0G 1A 3S | 0G 0A 3S |
| 2018-12-17 | NYI 4–1 COL | 0G 0A 3S | 0G 1A 6S |
Latest 12 of 14 meetings.
Faceoffs: Cizikas vs MacKinnon
Model: Casey Cizikas wins 53.8% of draws against Nathan MacKinnon on average (L shot vs R shot). Opposite-handed, so they are both strong or both weak at every dot and the dot barely matters.
| Cizikas at | OZ left | OZ right | NZ left (att.) | NZ right (att.) | Centre | NZ left (def.) | NZ right (def.) | DZ left | DZ right |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 54% | 53% | 55% | 54% | 54% | 55% | 54% | 56% | 55% |
| Road | 52% | 52% | 53% | 53% | 54% | 53% | 53% | 55% | 54% |
Head-to-head 2023-24 to 2024-25: Cizikas 1–6 (14.3%). Blended with the model: 53.3%. The record is unusual for this matchup (z -2.1); pair-specific edges are about ±2 points, so the model carries most of the weight.
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, Luck & trend, NHL EDGE tracking continue below
Every stat, side by side (continued)
Transition, turnovers & faceoffs
Usage
Special teams & discipline
This week's schedule
Oct 19 to Oct 25. 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 cover the games left: Edgehalla's rest-of-season rates per game, adjusted for each opponent's scoring allowed, in ESPN default points.
Scored in ESPN default points (G 2, A 1, PPP 0.5, SHP 0.5, SOG 0.1, HIT 0.1, BLK 0.5). Use your league's scoring
Casey Cizikas
3games (2 left)
1.6proj. ESPN default pts
- Tue, Oct 20 vs ANA
- Thu, Oct 22 vs LAK0.9 pts
- Sun, Oct 25 @ DAL0.7 ptsOpp allows 8th-fewest FP to CLikely vs Jake Oettinger (.899)
Nathan MacKinnon
4games (2 left)
5.9proj. ESPN default pts
- Mon, Oct 19 @ PHIOpp allows 12th-most FP to CLikely vs Joseph Woll (.899)
- Tue, Oct 20 @ NJDB2B
- Fri, Oct 23 vs TBL2.5 ptsOpp allows 4th-fewest FP to CLikely vs Andrei Vasilevskiy (.912)
- Sun, Oct 25 @ NSH3.4 pts
Similar matchups
FAQ
- Should I start Casey Cizikas or Nathan MacKinnon in fantasy hockey?
- Blending 2025-26 with 2026-27 so far, Nathan MacKinnon projects to 3.08 fantasy points per game under ESPN default scoring to Casey Cizikas's 0.87. Cizikas had 18 points in 81 games; MacKinnon had 127 in 80 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, Casey Cizikas or Nathan MacKinnon?
- On 2025-26 numbers, Nathan MacKinnon leads in 29 of 36 stats where both qualify, from scoring and power-play production to on-ice shot share and NHL EDGE tracking.
- How have Cizikas and MacKinnon done against each other?
- In 14 games against each other in our data, Cizikas's team went 8–6. Cizikas had 5 points (2 goals) and MacKinnon had 18 (5 goals).
- Who wins more faceoffs, Cizikas or MacKinnon?
- Against each other, Cizikas has won 20 and MacKinnon 25 of their 45 head-to-head draws.
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 →