Who to start · 2025-26
Noah Ostlund vs Shane Pinto
Blending 2025-26 with 2026-27 so far, Shane Pinto projects to 1.68 fantasy points per game under ESPN default scoring to Noah Ostlund's 1.13.
Ostlund had 27 points in 60 games; Pinto had 46 in 72 games.
This week Ostlund has 2 games left with 1 soft and 1 tough matchups; Pinto has 3 left with 1 soft and 1 tough matchups. In ESPN default points scoring we project Pinto for 5.0 to Ostlund's 2.2 over the games left.
Shane Pinto has the better number in 24 of the 36 stats both are ranked on.
Ostlund's biggest edges: Offensive-zone start % 63.2%, Ascension score 92, On-ice PDO 1030.
Pinto's biggest edges: Forecheck xG /60 0.40, Draw Equity /100 +0.042, Hits 94.
In standard categories (G, A, +/-, PPP, SOG, HIT), the default in Who Should I Start, Shane Pinto rates ahead, +1.9 to +0.6 in summed category z-scores.
Role trend over the last 5 games: Ostlund is surging, ixG/60 0.99 (was 0.61); Pinto is cooling, ixG/60 0.74 (was 1.14).
- • 2026-27 so far: 9 GP, 2 G, 4 A, 1 PPP, 20 SOG.
- • 2026-27 so far: 9 GP, 1 G, 5 A, 2 PPP, 14 SOG.
Buffalo Sabres · Ottawa Senators · Who should I start? · Compare other players
Fantasy value: your scoring
Noah Ostlund
+0.6
category z-score total
Shane Pinto
+1.9
category z-score total
Under Standard (6 categories), Shane Pinto has the edge (Ostlund wins 1, Pinto wins 5 of 6 categories).
| Category | Ostlund | Pinto |
|---|---|---|
| Goals / game | 0.20 | 0.24 |
| Assists / game | 0.33 | 0.41 |
| Plus/minus / game | 0.32 | -0.03 |
| Power-play points / game | 0.10 | 0.13 |
| Shots on goal / game | 1.46 | 1.95 |
| Hits / game | 0.09 | 1.61 |
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
Noah Ostlund and Shane Pinto have no head-to-head events in our data yet (regular season and playoffs since 2019-20).
Faceoffs: Ostlund vs Pinto
Model: Noah Ostlund wins 37.2% of draws against Shane Pinto 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.
| Ostlund at | OZ left | OZ right | NZ left (att.) | NZ right (att.) | Centre | NZ left (def.) | NZ right (def.) | DZ left | DZ right |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 36% | 38% | 37% | 39% | 37% | 37% | 39% | 38% | 40% |
| Road | 35% | 36% | 36% | 38% | 37% | 36% | 38% | 37% | 39% |
They have not faced each other on a draw in the seasons we track.
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
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
Noah Ostlund
2games
2.2proj. ESPN default pts
- Wed, Oct 21 vs PHI1.3 pts
- Sat, Oct 24 @ WSH1.0 ptsOpp allows 7th-fewest FP to CLikely vs Logan Thompson (.912)
Shane Pinto
3games
5.0proj. ESPN default pts
- Wed, Oct 21 vs FLA1.6 ptsOpp allows 12th-fewest FP to CLikely vs Akira Schmid (.892)
- Sat, Oct 24 vs NYR1.5 ptsOpp allows 5th-fewest FP to CLikely vs Dylan Garand (.948)
Similar matchups
FAQ
- Should I start Noah Ostlund or Shane Pinto in fantasy hockey?
- Blending 2025-26 with 2026-27 so far, Shane Pinto projects to 1.68 fantasy points per game under ESPN default scoring to Noah Ostlund's 1.13. Ostlund had 27 points in 60 games; Pinto had 46 in 72 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, Noah Ostlund or Shane Pinto?
- On 2025-26 numbers, Shane Pinto leads in 24 of 36 stats where both qualify, from scoring and power-play production to on-ice shot share and NHL EDGE tracking.
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 →