Who to start · 2026-27
Rickard Rakell vs Tommy Novak
In 2026-27, Rickard Rakell scored 1.71 fantasy points per game under ESPN default scoring to Tommy Novak's 1.71.
Rakell had 11 points in 20 games; Novak had 15 in 20 games.
This week Rakell has no games left; Novak has no games left.
Tommy Novak has the better number in 21 of the 34 stats both are ranked on.
Rakell's biggest edges: Transition attempts /60 2.36, Hardest shot 87.1, Hits 25.
Novak's biggest edges: Luck Meter +24, Goals above expected +1.5, Ascension score 79.
In standard categories (G, A, +/-, PPP, SOG, HIT), the default in Who Should I Start, Tommy Novak rates ahead, +0.2 to +0.1 in summed category z-scores.
Role trend over the last 5 games: Rakell is cooling, ixG/60 0.98 (was 1.25); Novak is steady, Line Watch: moved down a line Nov 7.
- • Rakell, last 10 games (Oct 22–Nov 14): 5 G, 2 A, 2 PPP, 24 SOG.
- • Novak, last 10 games (Oct 22–Nov 14): 5 G, 2 A, 1 PPP, 19 SOG.
Pittsburgh Penguins · Who should I start? · Compare other players
Fantasy value: your scoring
Under Standard (6 categories), Tommy Novak has the edge (Rakell wins 2, Novak wins 4 of 6 categories).
| Category | Rakell | Novak |
|---|---|---|
| Goals / game | 0.30 | 0.40 |
| Assists / game | 0.25 | 0.35 |
| Plus/minus / game | -0.15 | 0.10 |
| Power-play points / game | 0.20 | 0.25 |
| Shots on goal / game | 2.40 | 1.75 |
| Hits / game | 1.25 | 0.15 |
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: Rakell vs Novak
Every event between them in NHL play-by-play, 2021-22 to 2026-27: games against each other, faceoffs, shots on goal, hits and penalties. Regular season and playoffs.
Rakell 2G 5A, 19 SOG · Novak 0G 1A, 11 SOG
Rakell blocked 0 of Novak's shots; Novak blocked 1 of Rakell's.
Goals each scored with the other picking up an assist (as teammates).
On the ice together
164:29 at 5-on-5 over 23 games, 2025-26 to 2026-27
- Shot attempts
- 187–141
- 57.0%
- Expected goals
- 10.1–8.2
- 55.0%
- Goals
- 10–11
Games against each other
| Date | Score | Rakell | Novak |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-02-01 | PIT 3–0 NSH | 0G 2A 6S | 0G 0A 2S |
| 2024-12-19 | PIT 5–4 NSH | 1G 1A 2S | 0G 1A 3S |
| 2024-04-15 | PIT 4–2 NSH | 0G 0A 1S | 0G 0A 1S |
| 2023-03-30 | PIT 2–0 NSH | 0G 1A 2S | 0G 0A 2S |
| 2023-02-28 | PIT 3–1 NSH | 0G 1A 3S | 0G 0A 0S |
| 2021-11-22 | ANA 2–3 NSH | 1G 0A 5S | 0G 0A 3S |
Faceoffs: Rakell vs Novak
Model: Rickard Rakell wins 50.7% of draws against Tommy Novak 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.
| Rakell at | OZ left | OZ right | NZ left (att.) | NZ right (att.) | Centre | NZ left (def.) | NZ right (def.) | DZ left | DZ right |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 51% | 49% | 52% | 51% | 51% | 52% | 51% | 54% | 52% |
| Road | 50% | 48% | 51% | 49% | 50% | 51% | 49% | 52% | 50% |
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, Luck & trend, NHL EDGE tracking continue below
Every stat, side by side (continued)
Transition, turnovers & faceoffs
Usage
Special teams & discipline
Chemistry as teammates
How their expected-goal share at 5v5 changed together vs apart (shrunk for sample size), and how closely their DraftKings points moved game to game (raw, that season only; for forward linemates the typical value is about .28).
| Season | 5v5 min together | xG% lift | xGF/60 lift | DK correlation (raw) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 PIT | 79 | +0.3 | +0.15 | .33(−.54 to .86), 6 GP |
| 2025-26 PIT | 81 | +1.1 | +0.28 | .59(−.27 to .93), 6 GP |
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
Rickard Rakell
2games (0 left)
0.0proj. ESPN default pts
- Wed, Nov 11 @ SJSOpp allows 14th-most FP to RWLikely vs Yaroslav Askarov (.890)
- Sat, Nov 14 vs OTTOpp allows 11th-fewest FP to RWLikely vs Linus Ullmark (.939)
Tommy Novak
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 Rickard Rakell or Tommy Novak in fantasy hockey?
- In 2026-27, Rickard Rakell scored 1.71 fantasy points per game under ESPN default scoring to Tommy Novak's 1.71. Rakell had 11 points in 20 games; Novak had 15 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, Rickard Rakell or Tommy Novak?
- On 2026-27 numbers, Tommy Novak leads in 21 of 34 stats where both qualify, from scoring and power-play production to on-ice shot share and NHL EDGE tracking.
- How have Rakell and Novak done against each other?
- In 6 games against each other in our data, Rakell's team went 5–1. Rakell had 7 points (2 goals) and Novak had 1 (0 goals).
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 →