Who to start · 2026-27
Lawson Crouse vs Mark Kastelic
In 2026-27, Mark Kastelic scored 1.31 fantasy points per game under ESPN default scoring to Lawson Crouse's 1.25.
Crouse had 7 points in 21 games; Kastelic had 7 in 20 games.
This week Crouse has no games left; Kastelic has no games left.
Lawson Crouse has the better number in 11 of the 22 stats both are ranked on.
Crouse's biggest edges: Ice time per game 15:09, Ice-time share 24.9%, Hardest shot 86.3.
Kastelic's biggest edges: Luck Meter +11, Faceoffs won 52, Goals above expected −0.6.
In standard categories (G, A, +/-, PPP, SOG, HIT), the default in Who Should I Start, Lawson Crouse rates ahead, -0.9 to -2.0 in summed category z-scores.
Role trend over the last 5 games: Crouse is steady, On-ice xGF/60 3.07 (was 2.67); Kastelic is cooling, On-ice xGF/60 1.46 (was 2.69).
- • Crouse, last 10 games (Oct 24–Nov 14): 1 G, 2 A, 0 PPP, 15 SOG.
- • Kastelic, last 10 games (Oct 22–Nov 14): 2 G, 0 A, 0 PPP, 19 SOG.
Utah Mammoth · Boston Bruins · Who should I start? · Compare other players
Fantasy value: your scoring
Under Standard (6 categories), Lawson Crouse has the edge (Crouse wins 5, Kastelic wins 1 of 6 categories).
| Category | Crouse | Kastelic |
|---|---|---|
| Goals / game | 0.10 | 0.15 |
| Assists / game | 0.24 | 0.20 |
| Plus/minus / game | 0.14 | 0.05 |
| Power-play points / game | 0.05 | 0.00 |
| Shots on goal / game | 1.62 | 1.40 |
| Hits / game | 2.52 | 2.00 |
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: Crouse vs Kastelic
Every event between them in NHL play-by-play, 2022-23 to 2026-27: games against each other, faceoffs, shots on goal, hits and penalties. Regular season and playoffs.
Crouse 1G 0A, 14 SOG · Kastelic 2G 1A, 8 SOG
Crouse's offensive zone 1–0 · neutral 0–0 · Crouse's defensive zone 0–0 (2025-26)
Crouse blocked 0 of Kastelic's shots; Kastelic blocked 1 of Crouse's.
On the ice against each other (Crouse's side)
5:32 at 5-on-5 over 2 games, 2025-26 to 2026-27, from Crouse's side
- Shot attempts
- 6–8
- 42.9%
- Expected goals
- 0.8–0.1
- 84.1%
- Goals
- 0–0
Games against each other
| Date | Score | Crouse | Kastelic |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-08 | UTA 1–6 BOS | 0G 0A 1S | 0G 1A 1S |
| 2025-12-16 | UTA 1–4 BOS | 0G 0A 0S | 0G 0A 0S |
| 2025-10-19 | UTA 3–2 BOS | 0G 0A 1S | 0G 0A 1S |
| 2024-11-21 | UTA 0–1 BOS | 0G 0A 2S | 0G 0A 0S |
| 2024-10-19 | UTA 2–1 BOS | 0G 0A 3S | 0G 0A 1S |
| 2024-03-01 | ARI 5–3 OTT | 0G 0A 4S | 0G 0A 1S |
| 2023-12-19 | ARI 4–3 OTT | 0G 0A 1S | 0G 0A 0S |
| 2023-01-12 | ARI 3–5 OTT | 1G 0A 2S | 1G 0A 3S |
| 2022-10-22 | ARI 2–6 OTT | 0G 0A 0S | 1G 0A 1S |
Faceoffs: Crouse vs Kastelic
Model: Lawson Crouse wins 32.0% of draws against Mark Kastelic 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.
| Crouse at | OZ left | OZ right | NZ left (att.) | NZ right (att.) | Centre | NZ left (def.) | NZ right (def.) | DZ left | DZ right |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 31% | 32% | 32% | 33% | 32% | 32% | 33% | 33% | 34% |
| Road | 30% | 31% | 31% | 32% | 32% | 31% | 32% | 32% | 33% |
Head-to-head 2025-26: Crouse 1–0 (100.0%). Blended with the model: 32.1%. The record is a bit unusual for this matchup (z 1.5); 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
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
Lawson Crouse
3games (0 left)
0.0proj. ESPN default pts
- Wed, Nov 11 @ VGKOpp allows 8th-fewest FP to LWLikely vs Carter Hart (.895)
- Thu, Nov 12 vs STLB2B
- Sat, Nov 14 vs SJSOpp allows 3rd-most FP to LWLikely vs Yaroslav Askarov (.890)
Mark Kastelic
2games (0 left)
0.0proj. ESPN default pts
- Thu, Nov 12 vs MTLOpp allows 8th-most FP to CLikely vs Jacob Fowler (.926)
- Sat, Nov 14 vs MINOpp allows 2nd-fewest FP to CLikely vs Jesper Wallstedt (.926)
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 Lawson Crouse or Mark Kastelic in fantasy hockey?
- In 2026-27, Mark Kastelic scored 1.31 fantasy points per game under ESPN default scoring to Lawson Crouse's 1.25. Crouse had 7 points in 21 games; Kastelic had 7 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, Lawson Crouse or Mark Kastelic?
- On 2026-27 numbers, Lawson Crouse leads in 11 of 22 stats where both qualify, from scoring and power-play production to on-ice shot share and NHL EDGE tracking.
- How have Crouse and Kastelic done against each other?
- In 9 games against each other in our data, Crouse's team went 4–5. Crouse had 1 points (1 goals) and Kastelic had 3 (2 goals).
- Who wins more faceoffs, Crouse or Kastelic?
- Against each other, Crouse has won 1 and Kastelic 0 of their 1 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 →