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

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There are 8 games in the NHL tonight on a busy Thursday night with three teams(Arizona, Chicago, Ottawa)playing in back to games and two teams(FLA, TB) playing their 3rd game in 4 nights. It is still early in the season but we are starting to see what makes some of these teams tick. If we pay attention to the matchups and monitor the line combinations we can take advantage of some values early in the year. Lets dig in!

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

Brian Elliott - St. Louis Blues @ EDM **CONFIRMED**
DraftKings - $7,500 FanDuel - $8,300
He will be starting in goal Thursday night in a matchup vs. the Oilers who have only scored 3 goals so far in their first 3 games. Elliott is 2-0 with .905 save % and is a beneficiary of a very strong defense in front of him who is limiting teams to only 20 shots per game. The relief in salary gives room to roster some top forwards Thursday.

Roberto Luongo - Florida Panthers vs. BUF *PROBABLE*
DraftKings - $7,000 FanDuel - $8,400
In a matchup at home vs. the rebuilding Sabres onThursday, Luongo presents some nice value at his current salary. He is 1-1 with a .972 save % on the year and the Panthers are allowing over 40 shots a game giving Luo a nice floor in fantasy.

Also Consider - Scott Darling - Chicago Blackhawks

CENTER

Sidney Crosby - Pittsburgh Penguins vs. OTT
DraftKings - $7,900 FanDuel - $9,000
A better play on DK where he isn't the top center in salary. He didn't pick up his first shots of the season until his third game reserving him to GPP play only tonight. With the slow start for the Pens, the coaches will be looking to shake up the liens and create some chemistry. Be sure to check line combos followign morning skate and see who is playing with Sid. His line mate and him would make a nice stack tonight that could possibly be low owned.

Kyle Turris - Ottawa Senators @ PIT
DraftKings - $5,900 FanDuel - $5,900
He comes in at a nice discount as his price hasn't quite adjusted to the talent level and production yet. He is playing nearly 19:00 a game and logging top PP time as well. He started the season with back to back multi point games before being shutout in a matchup vs. the Candiens. Look for Turris to get back on track vs a Pens team who has struggled to start the season.

Also Consider Tomas Plekanec - Montreal Candiens

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WINGERS

Vladimir Tarasenko - St. Louis Blues @ EDM
DraftKings - $7,200 FanDuel(RW) - $8,200
He has put up 2 goals and 2 assists to start the year on a Blues team who looks impressive all around. He gets top minutes, both even strength and on the powerlay. He carries a high floor for cash games as he takes over 4 shots per game and has multi point upside against the defensively challenged Oilers.

Patrick Hornqvist - Pittsburgh Penguins vs. OTT
DraftKings - $5,900 FanDuel(RW) - $7,300
He is a value on DK where his salary is much lower than on FD. The Pens have started the year off slow and could move Hornqvist up on the top lien with Crosby to try and create some offense. As with Crosby, he should be used in GPP formats only as there has been no consistency or floor so far in 2015.

Jonathan Drouin - Tampa Bay Lightning @ vs. DAL
DraftKings - $4,500 FanDuel(LW) - $4,600
As long as he is playing with Stamkos on the top line and his salary stays this low I will be using him almost every game.He has produced 1 goal and 3 assists in 4 games so far and is getting around 15:00 ice time. This should continue to rise as he develops and matures into a complete NHL player.

DEFENSE

Victor Hedman - Tampa Bay Lightning vs. DAL
DraftKings - $4,900 FanDuel - $6,000
He is priced as a top defenseman on FD but a great value on DK at $4,900. He is the lightning's top defenseman and he plays 23:00 a game. He will be looking for a bounce back game after a poor showing vs. the Red Wings last tie out. He has 4 points on the season to go with a +4 rating. Great play in any format on DK and a GPP play on FD tonight.

Ryan Suter - Minnesota Wild @ ARI
DraftKings - $4,200 FanDuel - $4,300
He makes a terrific cash game play on both sites at this salary. His upside is limited on a team like the Wild who rank near the bottom of the league in shots attempted per game. He does present a nice floor as the teams top D man who has started the year with 3 points in 2 games. Get him in your cash game lineups tonight.

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