Should I start Nic Dowd or Teddy Blueger in fantasy hockey?

In 2026-27, Nic Dowd scored 0.67 fantasy points per game under ESPN default scoring to Teddy Blueger's 0.63. Dowd had 2 points in 12 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, Nic Dowd or Teddy Blueger?

On 2026-27 numbers they split 1–1 across 2 stats where both qualify.

How have Dowd and Blueger done against each other?

In 22 games against each other in our data, Dowd's team went 10–12. Dowd had 8 points (4 goals) and Blueger had 9 (2 goals).

Who wins more faceoffs, Dowd or Blueger?

Against each other, Dowd has won 19 and Blueger 10 of their 29 head-to-head draws.

Who to start · 2026-27

Nic Dowd vs Teddy Blueger

Nic Dowd

Golden Knights · Centre

Teddy Blueger

Maple Leafs · Centre

SteadyixG/60 0.06 (was 0.47)

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

In 2026-27, Nic Dowd scored 0.67 fantasy points per game under ESPN default scoring to Teddy Blueger's 0.63.

Dowd had 2 points in 12 games; Blueger had 2 in 12 games.

This week Dowd has 1 game left with 1 soft matchup; Blueger has 1 left with 1 tough matchup. In ESPN default points scoring we project Dowd for 1.0 to Blueger's 0.8 over the games left.

They split the 2 stats both are ranked on 1–1.

Dowd's biggest edges: Ascension score 35.

Blueger's biggest edges: Luck Meter −9.

Head to head on the dot, Dowd leads Blueger 19–10.

Role trend over the last 5 games: Dowd is steady, ixG/60 0.06 (was 0.47); Blueger is steady, 4% of 5v5 TOI with top players (was 53%).

• Dowd, last 10 games (Oct 4–Oct 22): 0 G, 1 A, 0 PPP, 3 SOG.
• Blueger, last 10 games (Oct 3–Oct 22): 1 G, 1 A, 0 PPP, 11 SOG.

Vegas Golden Knights · Toronto Maple Leafs · Who should I start? · Compare other players

Fantasy value: your scoring

Nic Dowd

0.0

category z-score total

Teddy Blueger

0.0

category z-score total

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

Per-stat breakdown under Standard (6 categories)
Category	Dowd	Blueger
Goals / game	0.00	0.08
Assists / game	0.17	0.08
Plus/minus / game	-0.42	-0.17
Power-play points / game	0.00	0.00
Shots on goal / game	0.33	1.00
Hits / game	1.83	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: Dowd vs Blueger

Every event between them in NHL play-by-play, 2018-19 to 2026-27: games against each other, faceoffs, shots on goal, hits and penalties. Regular season and playoffs.

DowdBlueger

10Team record in 22 meetings12

8Points in those games9

Dowd 4G 4A, 20 SOG · Blueger 2G 7A, 22 SOG

19Faceoffs against each other10

Dowd's offensive zone 5–1 · neutral 5–2 · Dowd's defensive zone 9–7 (2019-20 to 2026-27)

5Hits on each other0

1Shots blocked by the other1

Dowd blocked 1 of Blueger's shots; Blueger blocked 1 of Dowd's.

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

11:43 at 5-on-5 over 5 games, 2025-26 to 2026-27, from Dowd's side

Shot attempts: 10–14; 41.7%
Expected goals: 0.2–0.3; 39.5%
Goals: 0–1

Games against each other

Games between Nic Dowd and Teddy Blueger
Date	Score	Dowd	Blueger
2026-10-08	VGK 4–3 TOR	0G 0A 0S	0G 0A 0S
2026-04-07	VGK 2–1 VAN	0G 1A 2S	0G 1A 0S
2026-03-30	VGK 4–2 VAN	0G 1A 0S	0G 0A 1S
2026-01-21	WSH 3–4 VAN	0G 0A 0S	0G 0A 3S
2025-10-19	WSH 3–4 VAN	0G 0A 0S	1G 0A 2S
2025-01-25	WSH 1–2 VAN	0G 0A 1S	0G 0A 3S
2025-01-08	WSH 2–1 VAN	0G 0A 1S	0G 0A 1S
2024-03-16	WSH 2–1 VAN	0G 0A 2S	0G 0A 1S
2024-02-11	WSH 2–3 VAN	1G 0A 2S	0G 0A 0S
2022-04-09	WSH 6–3 PIT	0G 1A 1S	0G 1A 1S
2021-05-01	WSH 0–3 PIT	0G 0A 0S	0G 0A 0S
2021-04-29	WSH 4–5 PIT	0G 0A 1S	0G 0A 1S

Latest 12 of 22 meetings.

Faceoffs: Dowd vs Blueger

Model: Nic Dowd wins 49.2% of draws against Teddy Blueger on average (R shot vs L shot). Opposite-handed, so they are both strong or both weak at every dot and the dot barely matters.

Nic Dowd's predicted win % against Teddy Blueger at each dot, in Dowd's attacking direction, at home and on the road.
Dowd at	OZ left	OZ right	NZ left (att.)	NZ right (att.)	Centre	NZ left (def.)	NZ right (def.)	DZ left	DZ right
Home	50%	47%	51%	49%	49%	51%	49%	52%	50%
Road	49%	46%	50%	47%	49%	50%	47%	51%	48%

Head-to-head 2023-24 to 2026-27: Dowd 9–6 (60.0%). Blended with the model: 49.5%. The record is normal luck for this matchup (z 0.8); pair-specific edges are about ±2 points, so the model carries most of the weight.

Dowd 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.

DowdBlueger

Fantasy box score

12
Games played
12
0
Goals
1
2
Assists
1
2
Points
2
0
Power-play points
0
0
Shorthanded points
0
4
Shots on goal
12
22
Hits
13
7
Blocked shots
4
−5
Plus/minus
−2
9
Penalty minutes
2
58
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)

DowdBlueger

Transition, turnovers & faceoffs

Usage

Special teams & discipline

+0.41
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

Nic Dowd

3games (1 left)

1.0proj. ESPN default pts

Tue, Oct 20 vs TBL
Opp allows 3rd-fewest FP to CLikely vs Andrei Vasilevskiy (.884)
Thu, Oct 22 @ STL
Opp allows 16th-most FP to CSchedule edge −1.0 win%Likely vs Joel Hofer (.921)
Sat, Oct 24 @ CBJ1.0 pts
Opp allows 2nd-most FP to CLikely vs Jet Greaves (.883)

Teddy Blueger

4games (1 left)

0.8proj. ESPN default pts

Mon, Oct 19 vs SJS
Opp allows 6th-most FP to CLikely vs Yaroslav Askarov (.883)
Tue, Oct 20 @ CBJB2B
Opp allows 2nd-most FP to CSchedule edge −9.3 win%Likely vs Jet Greaves (.883)
Thu, Oct 22 vs NYR
Opp allows 4th-fewest FP to CLikely vs Dylan Garand (.915)
Sat, Oct 24 @ EDM0.8 pts
Opp allows 8th-fewest FP to CSchedule edge −1.0 win%vs Tristan Jarry (.873)

FAQ

Should I start Nic Dowd or Teddy Blueger in fantasy hockey?: In 2026-27, Nic Dowd scored 0.67 fantasy points per game under ESPN default scoring to Teddy Blueger's 0.63. Dowd had 2 points in 12 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, Nic Dowd or Teddy Blueger?: On 2026-27 numbers they split 1–1 across 2 stats where both qualify.
How have Dowd and Blueger done against each other?: In 22 games against each other in our data, Dowd's team went 10–12. Dowd had 8 points (4 goals) and Blueger had 9 (2 goals).
Who wins more faceoffs, Dowd or Blueger?: Against each other, Dowd has won 19 and Blueger 10 of their 29 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 →