Daily Fantasy Hockey Picks for DraftKings and FanDuel - 10/09/15

The NHL season is here and we’ll be bringing you picks 3-4 days a week for the bigger slates to start. We are also beta-testing a new NHL projection system.

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Welcome to the first installment of daily fantasy hockey picks. The first thing to know when playing DFS hockey is that choosing your goalie is very important. In most cases, especially cash games, it is smart to pay up for the best goalie who is the biggest favorite to win on any given night. If you are going to play multi lineups in GPP formats you can start to stray away from the top guys and pick some lower end goalies and stack your forwards and defense. Another thing I watch closely when looking for value picks in DFS hockey is to watch the line combinations as new guys jump up the depth chart and start playing with superstars. The pricing on these players doesn't catch up fast enough and close to minimum priced players can be found nightly with plenty of upside.

The two sites I will be making picks for will be DraftKings and FanDuel. Here is the breakdown of the points for each site:

DraftKings:
Goal(3 Pts)                                                   Goalie Win(3 Pts)
Assist(2 Pts)                                                 Goalie Save(.2 Pts)
Shot(.5 Pts)                                                  Goal Against(-1 Pt)
Short Handed Point Bonus(1 Pt)             Shutout Bonus(2 Pts)
Shootout Goal(.2 Pts)
Hat Trick Bonus(1.5 Pts)
Blocked Shot(.5 Pt)

Fanduel:
Goal(3 Pts)                                                    Goalie Win (3 Pts)
Assist(2 Pts)                                                 Goalie Saves(.2 Pts)
+/-(1 Pt)                                                        Goal Against(-1 Pt)
PIM(.25 Pts)                                                Shutout Bonus(2 Pts)
Power Play Point Bonus(.5 Pts)
Shot(.4 Pts)

There is no difference in goalie scoring between the two sites but there is a significant difference in forward/defense points. On DraftKings you get awarded points for short hand points, blocks, shootout goals, and can receive a hat trick bonus. FanDuel has none of these categories but awards powerplay points, +/-, and penalty minutes. More than anything this affects how I choose my defense. On DraftKings I look for defense who block a lot of shots while on FanDuel I really concentrate on +/- more than anything as it is worth 1 point either way.

GOALIES

Henrik Lundqvist - New York Rangers @ CBJ*Confirmed Starting*
DraftKings - $8,100 FanDuel - $9,200
He is the most expensive goalie on the slate and one of the best goalies in the NHL. He stopped 32 of 34 shots in the Rangers opening night win at Chicago. He helped the Rangers to the best road record in the NHL last season and they are 11-1 in their last 12 road games dating back to last year. The game is a pickem with an over/under of 5. The Rangers beat the Blue Jackets 3 out of 4 times last year. Lundqvist is in a great spot to get a win and be the top goaltender Friday Night.

Jimmy Howard - Detroit Red Wings vs. TOR *Confirmed Starting*
He will get the start in the Red Wings home opener Friday night vs. the Maple Leafs. The Red Wings are one of the biggest favorites of the night as -180 favorites but will be without star two way player Pavel Datsyuk. This shouldn't hamper them too much as they always seem to play the Leafs well at home. Look for the Red Wings to come out firing and get the win to kick start the season.

CENTER

Henrik Zetterberg - Detroit Red Wings - vs. TOR
DraftKings - $6,200 FanDuel - $7,100
In a slate where you can find lower end value you can fit Zetterberg in nicely with a top goalie. The Red Wings are big favorites vs. the Leafs in their home opener and will look to get off to a strong start. Zetterberg had 6 points against the Leafs last season. He will be paired with rookie Dylan Larkin(look below), and with his low price they make a nice stack on a short slate.

Dylan Larkin - Detroit Red Wings vs. TOR
DraftKings - $3,400 FanDuel(RW Only) - $3,000
He is minimum salary on both sites and will be starting his NHL career on the first line with Henrik Zetterberg and Justin Abdelkader. He should see some powerplay time as well and the Red Wings sit as -180 favorites. He is a near must play on a short slate and will aid in getting the top goalie in your lineup with some top scoring talent as well.
Also Consider John Tavares - New York Islanders(DK-$7,600 FD-$8,500)

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WINGERS

Patrick Kane - Chicago Blackhawks @ NYI
DraftKings - $7,300 FanDuel(RW) - $8,400
On a short slate it is usually tough to get all the top guys in your lineups but with so many bargains early in the season you can load up. Kane started the season with an assist vs. the Rangers and will look to build on that Friday night. He has two new linemates in Artem Anisimov & Artemi Oanarin(say those names 5 times fast)and will be looking to build on the early chemistry they have shown. The should be one of the highest scoring on the slate and no better exposure to it than Kane.

Ryan Strome - New York Islanders vs. CHI
DraftKings - $4,500 FanDuel(RW) - $5,000
If you don't want to spend up on Tavares but exposure, Strome makes a great option. He will start the year on the Isles top line with Tavares & Lee and has a great shot at racking up points this season if he can stay there. He picked up 50 points last year to go with a +23 and will be looking to start off the year strong on his quest to becoming a better player in the NHL. Get some exposure before his price rises.

Rick Nash - New York Rangers @ CBJ
DraftKings - $6,700 FanDuel(LW) - $8,300
He returns to the play the team that drafted him 1st overall back in 2002 and shouldn't have a problem getting up for this one. He is an elite goal scorer and the Rangers should be able to put up some goals against a CBJ team that ended last season with a -14 goal differential.

Justin Abdelkader - Detroit Red Wings vs. TOR
DraftKings - $4,200 FanDuel(LW) - $4,800
A third Detroit Red Wing in the write. You can probably almost put together my lineup for Friday night. DETROIT STACK!! LOL. He is on the top line with previously discussed Zetterberg & Larkin in a game that should present some scoring vs. the Leafs. Stacking all 3 players in cash games isn't always the best strategy but in GPP it could pay off big time especially on FanDuel where PP points are awarded.

DEFENSE

Duncan Keith - Chicago Blackhawks @ NYI
DraftKings - $4,800 FanDuel - $6,000
He logged the most minutes(25) on the team in their opening loss to the Rangers on Wednesday. He put up 2 shots and 2 blocks. He gets a bit friendlier matchup Friday vs. the Islanders in a game that should see more offense. While he is the 2nd highest priced D man on FanDuel he is the 6th highest on DraftKings and can easily be fit into a lineup in any format Friday.

Jacob Trouba - Winnipeg Jets @ NJ
DraftKings - $4,200 FanDuel - $4,300
He comes in as one of the lower priced D men on the slate and presents some value on both sites. The Jets opened the season on the road and Trouba was a +3 with 4 blocked shots and logged 21 minutes of ice time. He should have another opportunity for 20+ minutes of ice tie Friday on the road vs. the Devils.

Also ConsiderBrent Seabrook - Chicago Blackhawks (DK-$3,800 FD-$4,600)

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