Daily Fantasy Hockey Picks for DraftKings, FanDuel, & DraftPot - 12/21/15

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Welcome to the daily fantasy hockey picks article for DraftKings, FanDuel, and DraftPot for Monday, December 21st, 2015.With Christmas coming to us on Friday, we have a bit of a different schedule this week in the NHL. We have 8 games on Monday, 10 on Tuesday, and 9 games following Christmas on both Saturday and Sunday. The Washington Capitals are the only team playing on back to back days as they destroyed the Rangers 7-3 on Sunday afternoon. The Carolina Hurricanes and the Pittsburgh Penguins are playing a 3rd game in 4 nights on home ice. Lets now take a look at some core plays for Monday night.

Goaltenders

Jaroslav Halak - New York Islanders vs. ANH *Probable*
DraftKings - $7,400 FanDuel - $8,600 DraftPot - 4.32 DPPG

After a disappointing game last Tuesday giving up four goals on 16 shots he bounced back Saturday stopping 28 of 29 shots in Arizona. Unfortunately, the team was shutout and he didn't record the win. He has been excellent on the season for the Isles with a 9-6 record and .922 save % to go with two shutouts. He gets a home matchup as a -145 favorites vs. the Ducks on Monday who rank dead last in offense.

Braden Holtby - Washington Capitals @ CAR *Probable*
DraftKings - $8,200 FanDuel - $10,000 DraftPot - 6.70 DPPG

He will be a GPP play for a few reasons. First, he is playing on back to back nights after stopping 33 of 36 shots in 7-3 win over the Rangers yesterday. Second, he isn't confirmed yet as of writing this so be sure to monitor the situation following morning skate. Holtby has been elite so far this year and has helped the Caps to 50 points atop the NHL standings. They own the leagues 3rd ranked offense to go along with the #1 defense. If starting he will be an elite GPP option on Monday.

Also Consider - Semyon Varlamov - Colorado Avalanche vs. TOR

CENTER

Nicklas Backstrom - Washignton Capitals @ CAR
DraftKings - $6,300 FanDuel - $6,100DraftPot - 3.05 DPPG

The Caps top line is red hot at the moment and has carried the Caps to #3 ranking on offense. Backstrom has been the setup guy for his linemates and has posted 12 points in his last 10 games including 10 assists. He doesn't take a ton of shots but with the powerplay and overall offense riding high at the moment, he is safe in any format on Monday.

Stack with - TJ Oshie, Alex Ovechkin, John Carlson

Mark Sheifele
DraftKings - $4,800 FanDuel - $6,200 DraftPot - 3.50 DPPG

He has been an extremely consistent fantasy option for the Jets this season. He has recorded 12 goals & 10 assists with a +11 rating. He carries a high floor as he averages 15.1 iCorsi/60 which has produced 87 shots on goal this year. Over his last 10 games he has 9 points and has been averaging over 3 shots a game. He is safe in all formats.

Stack with - Drew Stafford, Mathieu Perreault, Nikolaj Ehlers

Also Consider - Nathan Mackinnon - Colorado Avalanche vs. TOR

WINGERS

Vladimir Tarasenko - St. Louis Blues @ PHI
DraftKings - $8,000 FanDuel(RW) - $8,100 DraftPot - 4.40 DPPG

Tarasenko has been absolutely incredible lately with goals in five straight and seven of his last eight games. He sits tied for 2nd in the NHL with 21 goals and 5th with 36 points. He has been extremely consistent and safe in all formats for DFS as he averages 22.3 iCorsi/60 which has helped produce a whopping 122 shots on goal this year. The Blues travel to Philadelphia Monday night to face the Flyers who own the leagues 19th ranked defense.

Stack with - Paul Stastny, Alex Steen

Gabriel Landeskog - Colorado Avalanche vs. TOR
DraftKings - $6,800 FanDuel(LW) - $7,100 DraftPot - 3.90 DPPG

The Avs captain has seen his price drop below $7K after a cold stretch at the start of December. He has now broken out of that slump and provides nice value, especially in a matchup at home vs. the Leafs on Monday night. He has pick up four points in his last four games and has helped the Avs to a five game win streak. He is safe in all formats tonight.

Stack with - Matt Duchene, Nathan MacKinnon

Jeff Skinner - Carolina Hurricanes vs. WSH
DraftKings - $4,400 FanDuel(LW) - $5,600 DraftPot - 5.15 DPPG

He will be a GPP play only on Monday as he is on a tough matchup vs. the leagues #1 team in the Capitals. If you want to go against the grain and stack a team that will be low owned with huge upside it's the Canes. Don't play him and Holtby in the same lineup but if you think the Caps streak will end you need Skinner in your lineup. He has picked up 11 points in his last 10 games including two hat tricks and two goal game. Great contrarian GPP play.

Also Consider - Blake Wheeler - Winnipeg Jets @ EDM

DEFENSE

John Carlson - Washington Capitals @ CAR
DraftKings - $6,800 FanDuel - $6,600 DraftPot - 4.68 DPPG

If you are paying up for a D man tonight and stacking the Caps Carlson makes an elite choice. The Caps are on fire right now and sit tied at the top of the standings. They own the #3 offense and #2 PP in which Carlson plays a huge role. He has 26 on the season including 9 in his last 10 games. He has also added 82 shots on goal and 69 blocks shots giving him a nice floor to go with the huge upside.

Ryan Suter - Minnesota Wild @ NSH
DraftKings - $5,900 FanDuel - $4,200 DraftPot - 2.95 DPPG

Suter has been a rock on the point for the Wild this year with 24 points and a +6 rating to go with 77 shots on goal. He adds the upside of blocks on DraftKings as he gets nearly two a game. He is a bargain on FanDuel where his price remains just over $4K and makes a great option in any format Monday night.

Also Consider - Kevin Shattenkirk - St. Louis Blues @ PHI

***All advanced stats in this article are sourced from www. puckalytics.com***

***All goaltender and team line combination information is provided by www.leftwinglock.com***

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