Who is better, Jesperi Kotkaniemi or Teddy Blueger?

On 2026-27 numbers, Jesperi Kotkaniemi leads in 2 of 2 stats where both qualify, from scoring and power-play production to on-ice shot share and NHL EDGE tracking.

How have Kotkaniemi and Blueger done against each other?

In 17 games against each other in our data, Kotkaniemi's team went 10–7. Kotkaniemi had 4 points (2 goals) and Blueger had 6 (1 goals).

Who wins more faceoffs, Kotkaniemi or Blueger?

Against each other, Kotkaniemi has won 8 and Blueger 12 of their 20 head-to-head draws.

Who to start · 2026-27

Jesperi Kotkaniemi vs Teddy Blueger

Jesperi Kotkaniemi

Hurricanes · Centre

Teddy Blueger

Maple Leafs · Centre

SurgingOn-ice xGF/60 2.80 (was 1.98)

Steady4% of 5v5 TOI with top players (was 53%)

In 2026-27, Jesperi Kotkaniemi scored 1.12 fantasy points per game under ESPN default scoring to Teddy Blueger's 0.63.

Kotkaniemi had 5 points in 10 games; Blueger had 2 in 12 games.

This week Kotkaniemi has 1 game left; Blueger has 1 left with 1 tough matchup. In ESPN default points scoring we project Kotkaniemi for 0.9 to Blueger's 0.7 over the games left.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi has the better number in 2 of the 2 stats both are ranked on.

Kotkaniemi's biggest edges: Luck Meter +69, Ascension score 70.

Head to head on the dot, Blueger leads Kotkaniemi 12–8.

Role trend over the last 5 games: Kotkaniemi is surging, On-ice xGF/60 2.80 (was 1.98); Blueger is steady, 4% of 5v5 TOI with top players (was 53%).

• Kotkaniemi, last 10 games (Oct 3–Oct 22): 2 G, 3 A, 0 PPP, 10 SOG.
• Blueger, last 10 games (Oct 3–Oct 22): 1 G, 1 A, 0 PPP, 11 SOG.

Carolina Hurricanes · Toronto Maple Leafs · Who should I start? · Compare other players

Fantasy value: your scoring

Jesperi Kotkaniemi

0.0

category z-score total

Teddy Blueger

0.0

category z-score total

Dead even under Standard (6 categories) (Kotkaniemi wins 0, Blueger wins 0 of 6 categories).

Per-stat breakdown under Standard (6 categories)
Category	Kotkaniemi	Blueger
Goals / game	0.20	0.08
Assists / game	0.30	0.08
Plus/minus / game	0.40	-0.17
Power-play points / game	0.00	0.00
Shots on goal / game	1.00	1.00
Hits / game	1.20	1.08

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: Kotkaniemi vs Blueger

Every event between them in NHL play-by-play, 2018-19 to 2025-26: games against each other, faceoffs, shots on goal, hits and penalties. Regular season and playoffs.

KotkaniemiBlueger

10Team record in 17 meetings7

4Points in those games6

Kotkaniemi 2G 2A, 27 SOG · Blueger 1G 5A, 17 SOG

8Faceoffs against each other12

Kotkaniemi's offensive zone 5–6 · neutral 3–5 · Kotkaniemi's defensive zone 0–1 (2019-20 to 2025-26)

1Hits on each other2

0Shots blocked by the other1

Kotkaniemi blocked 0 of Blueger's shots; Blueger blocked 1 of Kotkaniemi's.

On the ice against each other (Kotkaniemi's side)

2:36 at 5-on-5 over 1 games, 2025-26, from Kotkaniemi's side

Shot attempts: 2–2; 50.0%
Expected goals: 0.1–0.0; 94.3%
Goals: 1–0

Games against each other

Games between Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Teddy Blueger
Date	Score	Kotkaniemi	Blueger
2026-03-04	CAR 6–4 VAN	0G 0A 0S	0G 0A 1S
2025-01-10	CAR 2–0 VAN	0G 0A 1S	0G 0A 0S
2024-10-28	CAR 4–3 VAN	0G 1A 2S	0G 0A 0S
2024-02-06	CAR 2–3 VAN	0G 0A 3S	0G 0A 2S
2023-12-09	CAR 3–4 VAN	0G 0A 1S	0G 0A 0S
2023-03-11	CAR 0–4 VGK	0G 0A 1S	0G 1A 3S
2023-01-14	CAR 2–1 PIT	0G 0A 1S	0G 0A 0S
2022-12-22	CAR 4–3 PIT	0G 1A 2S	0G 1A 2S
2022-12-18	CAR 3–2 PIT	0G 0A 3S	0G 0A 0S
2022-11-29	CAR 3–2 PIT	0G 0A 0S	0G 0A 0S
2022-03-13	CAR 2–4 PIT	0G 0A 3S	0G 1A 0S
2020-08-07 · PO	MTL 2–0 PIT	0G 0A 0S	0G 0A 0S

Latest 12 of 17 meetings.

Faceoffs: Kotkaniemi vs Blueger

Model: Jesperi Kotkaniemi wins 47.8% of draws against Teddy Blueger on average (L shot vs L shot). Same-handed, so the dot decides who is on his strong side; the gap between the left and right dots is the real matchup.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi's predicted win % against Teddy Blueger at each dot, in Kotkaniemi's attacking direction, at home and on the road.
Kotkaniemi at	OZ left	OZ right	NZ left (att.)	NZ right (att.)	Centre	NZ left (def.)	NZ right (def.)	DZ left	DZ right
Home	56%	39%	57%	40%	48%	57%	40%	58%	41%
Road	54%	38%	55%	39%	47%	55%	39%	57%	40%

Head-to-head 2023-24 to 2025-26: Kotkaniemi 3–3 (50.0%). Blended with the model: 47.8%. The record is normal luck for this matchup (z 0.1); pair-specific edges are about ±2 points, so the model carries most of the weight.

Kotkaniemi faceoffs · Blueger faceoffs · how the model works

Every stat, side by side

Season values; bars are percentiles at each player's position (longer is better). Click a stat for its explainer.

KotkaniemiBlueger

Fantasy box score

10
Games played
12
2
Goals
1
3
Assists
1
5
Points
2
0
Power-play points
0
0
Shorthanded points
0
10
Shots on goal
12
12
Hits
13
4
Blocked shots
4
+4
Plus/minus
−2
6
Penalty minutes
2
19
Faceoffs won
42

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)

KotkaniemiBlueger

Transition, turnovers & faceoffs

Usage

Special teams & discipline

−0.51
Net penalties drawn /60
0.00

Luck & trend

NHL EDGE tracking

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

Jesperi Kotkaniemi

3games (1 left)

0.9proj. ESPN default pts

Tue, Oct 20 @ VAN
Opp allows 5th-most FP to CLikely vs Leevi Meriläinen (.917)
Thu, Oct 22 @ EDM
Opp allows 9th-fewest FP to CLikely vs Devon Levi (.887)
Sat, Oct 24 @ STL0.9 pts
Opp allows 16th-most FP to CLikely vs Joel Hofer (.921)

Teddy Blueger

4games (1 left)

0.7proj. ESPN default pts

Mon, Oct 19 vs SJS
Opp allows 4th-most FP to CLikely vs Yaroslav Askarov (.883)
Tue, Oct 20 @ CBJB2B
Opp allows 3rd-most FP to CSchedule edge −9.3 win%Likely vs Jet Greaves (.883)
Thu, Oct 22 vs NYR
Opp allows 6th-fewest FP to CLikely vs Dylan Garand (.915)
Sat, Oct 24 @ EDM0.7 pts
Opp allows 9th-fewest FP to CSchedule edge +1.8 win%Likely vs Tristan Jarry (.873)

FAQ

Should I start Jesperi Kotkaniemi or Teddy Blueger in fantasy hockey?: In 2026-27, Jesperi Kotkaniemi scored 1.12 fantasy points per game under ESPN default scoring to Teddy Blueger's 0.63. Kotkaniemi had 5 points in 10 games; Blueger had 2 in 12 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, Jesperi Kotkaniemi or Teddy Blueger?: On 2026-27 numbers, Jesperi Kotkaniemi leads in 2 of 2 stats where both qualify, from scoring and power-play production to on-ice shot share and NHL EDGE tracking.
How have Kotkaniemi and Blueger done against each other?: In 17 games against each other in our data, Kotkaniemi's team went 10–7. Kotkaniemi had 4 points (2 goals) and Blueger had 6 (1 goals).
Who wins more faceoffs, Kotkaniemi or Blueger?: Against each other, Kotkaniemi has won 8 and Blueger 12 of their 20 head-to-head draws.

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 →