Who to start · 2025-26
Devon Toews vs Noah Dobson
Blending 2025-26 with 2026-27 so far, Noah Dobson projects to 1.92 fantasy points per game under ESPN default scoring to Devon Toews's 1.40.
Toews had 24 points in 68 games; Dobson had 47 in 80 games.
This week Toews has 3 games left with 1 soft matchup; Dobson has 3 left with 2 soft matchups. In ESPN default points scoring we project Dobson for 6.0 to Toews's 4.5 over the games left.
Noah Dobson has the better number in 21 of the 34 stats both are ranked on.
Toews's biggest edges: Turnover Ledger /60 +0.039, High-danger chances 56.8%, Scoring chances 59.7%.
Dobson's biggest edges: Goals above expected +1.4, Luck Meter +25, Blocked shots 188.
In standard categories (G, A, +/-, PPP, SOG, HIT), the default in Who Should I Start, Devon Toews rates ahead, +5.2 to +2.0 in summed category z-scores.
Role trend over the last 5 games: Toews is steady, On-ice xGF/60 2.74 (was 3.77); Dobson is steady, −1:43 TOI a game.
- • 2026-27 so far: 9 GP, 2 G, 5 A, 3 PPP, 12 SOG.
- • 2026-27 so far: 8 GP, 0 G, 2 A, 0 PPP, 17 SOG.
Colorado Avalanche · Montreal Canadiens · Who should I start? · Compare other players
Fantasy value: your scoring
Devon Toews
+5.2
category z-score total
Noah Dobson
+2.0
category z-score total
Under Standard (6 categories), Devon Toews has the edge (Toews wins 4, Dobson wins 2 of 6 categories).
| Category | Toews | Dobson |
|---|---|---|
| Goals / game | 0.11 | 0.10 |
| Assists / game | 0.40 | 0.37 |
| Plus/minus / game | 0.67 | -0.13 |
| Power-play points / game | 0.13 | 0.06 |
| Shots on goal / game | 1.56 | 2.03 |
| Hits / game | 0.45 | 1.07 |
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: Toews vs Dobson
Every event between them in NHL play-by-play, 2021-22 to 2025-26: games against each other, faceoffs, shots on goal, hits and penalties. Regular season and playoffs.
Toews 4G 4A, 28 SOG · Dobson 1G 5A, 22 SOG
Toews blocked 1 of Dobson's shots; Dobson blocked 0 of Toews's.
On the ice against each other (Toews's side)
9:00 at 5-on-5 over 1 games, 2025-26, from Toews's side
- Shot attempts
- 11–8
- 57.9%
- Expected goals
- 0.5–0.4
- 54.4%
- Goals
- 1–0
Games against each other
| Date | Score | Toews | Dobson |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-11-29 | COL 7–2 MTL | 1G 0A 4S | 0G 0A 2S |
| 2024-01-02 | COL 5–4 NYI | 1G 0A 4S | 0G 1A 1S |
| 2023-10-24 | COL 7–4 NYI | 0G 1A 1S | 0G 2A 1S |
| 2022-12-19 | COL 1–0 NYI | 0G 0A 6S | 0G 0A 4S |
| 2022-10-29 | COL 4–5 NYI | 0G 1A 5S | 1G 0A 5S |
| 2022-03-07 | COL 5–4 NYI | 1G 0A 3S | 0G 2A 5S |
| 2022-03-01 | COL 5–3 NYI | 1G 2A 5S | 0G 0A 4S |
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
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 NYI | 56 | +1.1 | −0.10 | – (too few games together) |
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
Devon Toews
4games (3 left)
4.5proj. ESPN default pts
- Mon, Oct 19 @ PHIOpp allows 4th-most FP to DLikely vs Joseph Woll (.899)
- Fri, Oct 23 vs TBL1.4 ptsOpp allows 11th-fewest FP to DLikely vs Andrei Vasilevskiy (.912)
- Sun, Oct 25 @ NSH1.5 pts
Noah Dobson
3games
6.0proj. ESPN default pts
- Tue, Oct 20 vs SJS2.0 pts
- Fri, Oct 23 @ CHI2.1 ptsOpp allows 3rd-most FP to DLikely vs Spencer Knight (.902)
- Sun, Oct 25 @ WPG1.9 ptsOpp allows 12th-most FP to DLikely vs Stuart Skinner (.888)
Similar matchups
FAQ
- Should I start Devon Toews or Noah Dobson in fantasy hockey?
- Blending 2025-26 with 2026-27 so far, Noah Dobson projects to 1.92 fantasy points per game under ESPN default scoring to Devon Toews's 1.40. Toews had 24 points in 68 games; Dobson had 47 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, Devon Toews or Noah Dobson?
- On 2025-26 numbers, Noah Dobson leads in 21 of 34 stats where both qualify, from scoring and power-play production to on-ice shot share and NHL EDGE tracking.
- How have Toews and Dobson done against each other?
- In 7 games against each other in our data, Toews's team went 6–1. Toews had 8 points (4 goals) and Dobson had 6 (1 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 →