Who to start · 2026-27
Mikael Granlund vs Sidney Crosby
In 2026-27, Mikael Granlund scored 2.38 fantasy points per game under ESPN default scoring to Sidney Crosby's 1.46.
Granlund had 22 points in 19 games; Crosby had 13 in 20 games.
This week Granlund has 1 game left with 1 soft matchup; Crosby has no games left. In ESPN default points scoring we project Granlund for 2.4 to Crosby's 0.0 over the games left.
Sidney Crosby has the better number in 11 of the 16 stats both are ranked on.
Granlund's biggest edges: Luck Meter +16, Net penalties drawn /60 +0.62, Turnover Ledger /60 +0.017.
Crosby's biggest edges: High-danger chances 59.4%, Scoring chances 57.0%, Offensive-zone start % 75.8%.
Head to head on the dot, Crosby leads Granlund 33–28.
In standard categories (G, A, +/-, PPP, SOG, HIT), the default in Who Should I Start, Mikael Granlund rates ahead, +3.1 to -1.5 in summed category z-scores.
Role trend over the last 5 games: Granlund is surging, 9 P in last 5 (0.95/GP before); Crosby is rising, ixG/60 1.58 (was 1.00).
- • Granlund, last 10 games (Oct 24–Nov 14): 4 G, 10 A, 7 PPP, 18 SOG.
- • Crosby, last 10 games (Oct 22–Nov 14): 3 G, 4 A, 2 PPP, 18 SOG.
Anaheim Ducks · Pittsburgh Penguins · Who should I start? · Compare other players
Fantasy value: your scoring
Under Standard (6 categories), Mikael Granlund has the edge (Granlund wins 4, Crosby wins 2 of 6 categories).
| Category | Granlund | Crosby |
|---|---|---|
| Goals / game | 0.32 | 0.30 |
| Assists / game | 0.84 | 0.35 |
| Plus/minus / game | -0.05 | -0.35 |
| Power-play points / game | 0.58 | 0.15 |
| Shots on goal / game | 1.79 | 2.00 |
| Hits / game | 0.16 | 0.60 |
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: Granlund vs Crosby
Every event between them in NHL play-by-play, 2017-18 to 2026-27: games against each other, faceoffs, shots on goal, hits and penalties. Regular season and playoffs.
Granlund 4G 8A, 36 SOG · Crosby 9G 13A, 48 SOG
Granlund's offensive zone 1–3 · neutral 7–14 · Granlund's defensive zone 20–16 (2017-18 to 2026-27)
Granlund blocked 1 of Crosby's shots; Crosby blocked 0 of Granlund's.
On the ice against each other (Granlund's side)
8:33 at 5-on-5 over 3 games, 2025-26 to 2026-27, from Granlund's side
- Shot attempts
- 5–17
- 22.7%
- Expected goals
- 0.3–0.6
- 29.9%
- Goals
- 1–0
Games against each other
| Date | Score | Granlund | Crosby |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-11-08 | ANA 5–2 PIT | 1G 3A 3S | 0G 1A 2S |
| 2025-12-09 | ANA 4–3 PIT | 0G 0A 2S | 0G 1A 0S |
| 2025-10-14 | ANA 4–3 PIT | 0G 1A 2S | 0G 2A 3S |
| 2025-04-05 | DAL 3–5 PIT | 0G 0A 2S | 3G 1A 5S |
| 2025-01-27 | SJS 2–1 PIT | 1G 0A 3S | 1G 0A 2S |
| 2024-11-16 | SJS 3–4 PIT | 1G 0A 2S | 1G 0A 6S |
| 2024-03-14 | SJS 3–6 PIT | 0G 2A 2S | 0G 1A 3S |
| 2023-11-04 | SJS 2–10 PIT | 0G 0A 2S | 0G 1A 1S |
| 2023-02-28 | NSH 1–3 PIT | 0G 0A 4S | 1G 0A 4S |
| 2022-04-10 | NSH 2–3 PIT | 0G 1A 0S | 2G 1A 5S |
| 2022-03-15 | NSH 4–1 PIT | 0G 0A 1S | 0G 1A 3S |
| 2019-03-29 | NSH 3–1 PIT | 0G 0A 1S | 0G 0A 5S |
Latest 12 of 17 meetings.
Faceoffs: Granlund vs Crosby
Model: Mikael Granlund wins 42.3% of draws against Sidney Crosby 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.
| Granlund at | OZ left | OZ right | NZ left (att.) | NZ right (att.) | Centre | NZ left (def.) | NZ right (def.) | DZ left | DZ right |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 45% | 39% | 46% | 40% | 43% | 46% | 40% | 47% | 41% |
| Road | 44% | 37% | 45% | 38% | 42% | 45% | 38% | 46% | 40% |
Head-to-head 2023-24 to 2026-27: Granlund 23–31 (42.6%). Blended with the model: 42.3%. The record is normal luck for this matchup (z 0.0); 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
Mikael Granlund
3games (1 left)
2.4proj. ESPN default pts
- Wed, Nov 11 vs NSH
- Sat, Nov 14 vs NYIOpp allows 6th-fewest FP to CLikely vs Semyon Varlamov (.899)
- Opp allows 4th-most FP to Cvs Devin Cooley (.914)
Sidney Crosby
2games (0 left)
0.0proj. ESPN default pts
- Wed, Nov 11 @ SJSOpp allows 2nd-most FP to CLikely vs Yaroslav Askarov (.890)
- Sat, Nov 14 vs OTTOpp allows 10th-fewest FP to CLikely vs Linus Ullmark (.939)
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 Mikael Granlund or Sidney Crosby in fantasy hockey?
- In 2026-27, Mikael Granlund scored 2.38 fantasy points per game under ESPN default scoring to Sidney Crosby's 1.46. Granlund had 22 points in 19 games; Crosby 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, Mikael Granlund or Sidney Crosby?
- On 2026-27 numbers, Sidney Crosby leads in 11 of 16 stats where both qualify, from scoring and power-play production to on-ice shot share and NHL EDGE tracking.
- How have Granlund and Crosby done against each other?
- In 17 games against each other in our data, Granlund's team went 7–10. Granlund had 12 points (4 goals) and Crosby had 22 (9 goals).
- Who wins more faceoffs, Granlund or Crosby?
- Against each other, Granlund has won 28 and Crosby 33 of their 61 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 →