Who to start · 2026-27
Declan Carlile vs Pontus Holmberg
In 2026-27, Pontus Holmberg scored 1.44 fantasy points per game under ESPN default scoring to Declan Carlile's 1.44.
Carlile had 6 points in 20 games; Holmberg had 13 in 20 games.
This week Carlile has no games left; Holmberg has no games left.
Pontus Holmberg has the better number in 20 of the 30 stats both are ranked on.
Carlile's biggest edges: Faceoffs won 0, Net penalties drawn /60 0.00, Offensive-zone start % 50.0%.
Holmberg's biggest edges: Plus/minus +2, Transition attempts /60 1.14, Assists 7.
In standard categories (G, A, +/-, PPP, SOG, HIT), the default in Who Should I Start, Pontus Holmberg rates ahead, -1.0 to -2.1 in summed category z-scores.
Role trend over the last 5 games: Carlile is cooling, −1:43 5v5 TOI; Holmberg is cooling, ixG/60 0.49 (was 1.13).
- • Carlile, last 10 games (Oct 22–Nov 14): 0 G, 1 A, 0 PPP, 12 SOG.
- • Holmberg, last 10 games (Oct 24–Nov 14): 4 G, 4 A, 1 PPP, 16 SOG.
Pittsburgh Penguins · Tampa Bay Lightning · Who should I start? · Compare other players
Fantasy value: your scoring
Under Standard (6 categories), Pontus Holmberg has the edge (Carlile wins 4, Holmberg wins 2 of 6 categories).
| Category | Carlile | Holmberg |
|---|---|---|
| Goals / game | 0.15 | 0.30 |
| Assists / game | 0.15 | 0.35 |
| Plus/minus / game | -0.45 | 0.10 |
| Power-play points / game | 0.00 | 0.05 |
| Shots on goal / game | 1.35 | 1.60 |
| Hits / game | 0.80 | 0.85 |
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: Carlile vs Holmberg
Every event between them in NHL play-by-play, 2025-26 to 2025-26: games against each other, faceoffs, shots on goal, hits and penalties. Regular season and playoffs.
Goals each scored with the other picking up an assist (as teammates).
On the ice together
70:52 at 5-on-5 over 28 games, 2025-26
- Shot attempts
- 62–58
- 51.7%
- Expected goals
- 2.2–2.0
- 52.1%
- Goals
- 3–2
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
Chemistry as teammates
How their expected-goal share at 5v5 changed together vs apart (shrunk for sample size), and how closely their DraftKings points moved game to game (raw, that season only; for forward linemates the typical value is about .28).
| Season | 5v5 min together | xG% lift | xGF/60 lift | DK correlation (raw) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 TBL | 74 | +0.5 | −0.14 | – (too few games together) |
This week's schedule
Nov 9 to Nov 15. 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
Declan Carlile
2games (0 left)
0.0proj. ESPN default pts
- Wed, Nov 11 @ SJSOpp allows 5th-most FP to DLikely vs Yaroslav Askarov (.890)
- Sat, Nov 14 vs OTTOpp allows 10th-fewest FP to DLikely vs Linus Ullmark (.939)
Pontus Holmberg
3games (0 left)
0.0proj. ESPN default pts
- Wed, Nov 11 @ BUFOpp allows 2nd-most FP to RWLikely vs Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (.867)
- Thu, Nov 12 @ CBJB2B
- Sat, Nov 14 vs DETOpp allows 15th-fewest FP to RWLikely vs Daniil Tarasov (.931)
Player data stories
How the game changed, told through the numbers.
- In 2022-23, Four NHL Players Wore a Number in the 90s for Every One in No. 9 The count was 53 to 13, and the incomplete 2025-26 rosters show the same split, 51 to 12.
- The 1,000-Game Club Had Its Biggest Year. Getting In Is No Easier. Seventeen players reached 1,000 NHL games in 2025-26, more than in any season before, in the biggest league the NHL has had.
- Only 14 NHL Defencemen Still Score Like Ken Daneyko A stay-at-home defenceman stays back to defend and leaves the scoring to others.
- How Much Lighter Did the NHL Really Get? Teams write down NHL weights.
Similar matchups
FAQ
- Should I start Declan Carlile or Pontus Holmberg in fantasy hockey?
- In 2026-27, Pontus Holmberg scored 1.44 fantasy points per game under ESPN default scoring to Declan Carlile's 1.44. Carlile had 6 points in 20 games; Holmberg had 13 in 20 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, Declan Carlile or Pontus Holmberg?
- On 2026-27 numbers, Pontus Holmberg leads in 20 of 30 stats where both qualify, from scoring and power-play production to on-ice shot share and NHL EDGE tracking.
2026-27 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 →