Daily Fantasy Hockey Picks for DraftKings, FanDuel & DraftPot- 1/2/16

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Welcome to the daily fantasy hockey picks article for DraftKings, FanDuel, & Draftpot for Thursday, January 2nd, 2016. There are nine games on the main slate tonight as there are three afternoon games Saturday. There are no teams playing on back to back nights but three teams(BUF, PIT, WSH) are playing a third game in four nights and could be playing with tired legs.

Lets take a look at some top plays and value plays for tonight.

Goaltenders

Braden Holtby - Washington Capitals @ CBJ *Probable*
DraftKings - $8,400 FanDuel - $10,800 DraftPot -  7.02 DPPG

The Capitals are playing a 3rd game in four nights so it isn't a guarantee he will be starting. If he does start he makes a great GPP play on Draftkings where he will cost only 18% of your salary cap vs. 20% on FanDuel and 23% on DraftPot. He has been playing fantastic this year going 24-4-1 with a .934 save percentage. If it Grubauer starting, he makes a great value at a much cheaper cost. Check for an update following the Caps morning skate.

Antti Niemi - Dallas Stars vs. NSH *Likely*
DraftKings - $7,100 FanDuel - $8,400 DraftPot -  4.98 DPPG

It looks like Niemi will get the start on Saturday night over Kari Lehtonen. He is coming off a 33 save win vs. the Predators on New Years Eve and has a 16-6-3 record with .919 save % on the season. His price on DraftKings is the same as Lehtonen and $200 more on FanDuel. The Stars are one of the biggest favorites on the board making Niemi safe in all formats.

Also Consider - Jake Allen - St. Louis Blues @ TOR

CENTER

Nathan Mackinnon - Colorado Avalanche vs. CGY
DraftKings - $6,700 FanDuel - $7,700 DraftPot - 3.75 DPPG

He remains a nice value across the industry making him a tremendous play in a great matchup tonight. The Avs destroyed the Flames 6-3 back in November where MacKinnon recorded three points. He is coming off a quiet game vs. Chicago after a hat trick the game before in San Jose. Look for MacKinnon to get back on the score sheet tonight.

Stack with - Jarome Iginila, Alex Tanguay, Carl Soderberg

Joe Thornton - San Jose Sharks vs. WPG
DraftKings - $4,900 FanDuel - $5,300 DraftPot -  4.03 DPPG

The projection system likes him a little better on DraftKings tonight but he is a great play on all sites. He is riding a 7 game point streak and has 11 points in in his last 10 games. Five of those points have come on the powerplay where Big Joe has helped give the Sharks the leagues 5th best man advantage. They host the Jets tonight who have struggled on the road. He is safe in any format and a great salary relief option.

Stack with - Joe pavelski, Patrick Marleau, Logan Couture

Also Consider - Nicklas Backstrom - Washington Capitals @ CBJ

WINGERS

Jamie Benn - Dallas Stars @ NJ
DraftKings - $8,600 FanDuel(LW) - $11,100 DraftPot -  4.58 DPPG

He is still affordable on DraftKings and DraftPot but is now over $11K on FanDuel making him strictly a GPP play. Benn is having an MVP like season with a league leading 24 goals and he sits 2nd in points with 52 on the year. He has been extremely consistent all year and has 12 points in his last 10 games with 29 shots on goal. Look for the offense to continue as the Stars visit the Devils tonight.

Stack with - Tyler Seguin, Patrick Sharp, Jason Spezza

Filip Forsberg - Nashville Predators @ CAR
DraftKings - $5,800 FanDuel(LW) - $7,900 DraftPot -  3.80 DPPG

He makes a great GPP play as the Preds offense isn't one of the most powerful in the NHL ranked right in the middle. The Preds are also on the road Saturday night but get a great matchup vs. the Hurricanes ranked 23rd in goals against per game. Forsberg has provided a nice floor lately with seven points in his last 10 games and has fired an average of three shots on goal in that time. He gets nearly 3:00 of ice time on the #1 powerplay unit where he has recorded 12 points this year. He should be a nice low owned option for tournaments tonight.

Stack with - Mike Fisher, James Neal

Elias Lindholm - Carolina Hurricanes vs. NSH
DraftKings - $3,800 FanDuel(RW) - $4,400 DraftPot -  2.73 DPPG

If you are looking to roster more than one superstar tonight you will need some salary relief. Lindholm provides value for your lineup while providing a very affordable salary across the industry. He is coming off back to back games with points and has six points in his last 10 games with 23 shots on goal. He plays on the top line with Eric Staal and Kris Versteeg and gets time on the #1 powerplay unit.

Stack with -  Eric Staal, Kris Versteeg

Also Consider - Alex Ovechkin - Washington Capitals @ CBJ

DEFENSE

Kris Letang - Pittsburgh Penguins vs. NYI
DraftKings - $5,800 FanDuel - $6,000 DraftPot -  4.70 DPPG

The salary is starting to climb again as he has five points in his first four games back from injury. He has also fired 12 shots on goal in that time and should definitely help the Penguins climb up the ranks in the Metropolitan Division. The Pens host the Islanders tonight which is a potentially high scoring game. Letang should be used in GPP only on Saturday tonight and he proves the consistency is for real.

Erik Johnson - Colorado Avalanche vs. CGY
DraftKings - $5,400 FanDuel - $4,400 DraftPot -  3.93 DPPG

The price is getting up there but he is currently in his best offensive streak of the season. He has recorded six points in his last five games with 10 shots on goal. His value is best on DraftKings and DraftPot where his close to 3 blocks per game are considered bonus points. He makes a great option in any format.

Also Consider - Olli Maatta - Pittsburgh Penguins vs. NYI

***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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