Daily Fantasy Hockey Picks for DraftKings & FanDuel - 4/24/16

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Welcome back for another day of daily fantasy hockey, playoff edition. The first round is winding down with three teams(TB, PIT, SJ) already advancing to the next round. This leaves us with a small three game slate on Sunday with the Philadelphia Flyers, Florida Panthers and Minnesota Wild all facing elimination today. Buckle up for another exciting day of playoff hockey!

If you have any questions throughout the day be sure to join the conversation in the comments section below. Also, be sure to check LeftWingLock to get confirmation on all of the starting goalies for Tuesday. Now onto the picks.

Goaltenders

Thomas Greiss
Opponent - FLA
FD - 9300 DK - 8400

He was incredible in game five Florida stopping 47 of 48 shots he faced as the Islanders took a 3-2 lead with an overtime win. Even in the two losses in this series he hasn't given up more than two goals and has a .935 save % for the series. The Islanders can close out the series on Sunday night and we should expect another tight checking, low scoring battle with the better team coming out on top.

Antti Niemi
Opponent - MIN
FD - 7900 DK - 7600

There is no word yet who is starting for the Stars in game six but my thoughts are that Niemi is going to get another shot. The Wild are playing with some kind of heart right now without their best player in the lineup(Zach Parise) and are really starting to be a thorn in the back of the Stars. Niemi was awful in game five allowing five goals on just 24 shots as the Wild stayed alive with a 5-4 overtime win. It will be another wild atmosphere in Minnesota this afternoon but I see the Stars finally closing out the series on the back of a strong goaltending performance from whoever starts.

CENTER

John Tavares
Opponent - FLA
FD - 9200 DK - 7800

He was finally held pointless in the series but it didn't matter as the Islanders got a huge game from Thomas Greiss in a 2-1 double overtime win on Friday night. Tavares carried the torch for the offense in this series with three goals and four assists on 24 shots on goal. Look for another strong game on Sunday as he will attempt to put the team on his back in an attempt to eliminate the Florida Panthers on home ice in Long Island.

Stack with - Kyle Okposo, Alan Quine

Jason Spezza
Opponent - MIN
FD - 7200 DK - 6300

I really believe the Stars are getting sick of the Wild hanging around. I don't think anyone outside of a hardcore Minnesota Wild fan thought they had a chance in this series without Zach Parise. But here they are with a shot to take the Stars to seven games. The Stars are going to give it everything they got today to avoid a game seven in this hard fought series. Spezza has been a great fantasy pick in this series with three goals and two assists and if you are paying up for a goalie and top D men pivoting to the Stars second line is a very affordable option.

Stack with  - Patrick Eaves, Mattias Janmark

Also Consider - Nicklas Backstrom - Washington Capitals @ PHI

WINGERS

Jamie Benn
Opponent - MIN
FD - 8800 DK - 8300

If you go value at defense tonight I would suggest paying up for the Stars top line today. Benn has the Stars offense in the opening round with seven points(point in every game) despite not having Tyler Seguin back on the top unit. He will have to carry the load once again as it appears Seguin will miss another game on Sunday.

Stack with - Cody Eakin, Patrick Sharp

Marcus Johansson
Opponent - PHI
FD - 4900 DK - 4500

I think I have wrote about Johansson in every game of this series so far. Are you getting the point yet? If you are watching the series you understand that he gets a ton of opportunity at discount prices. He is hidden on the third line and lacks top minutes when the Caps are even stregnth but plays on the top PP unit with Ovi and Backstrom. He had picked up five points(four on the PP) in the first three games but has been held pointless in the last two as the Flyers have somewhat stayed out of the box and Michael Neuvirth has been all world. As a Flyers fan I just don't see the discipline or the incredible goaltending lasting much longer. I hope I am wrong!

Stack with on the PP - Alex Oveckin, Nicklas Backstrom, John Carlson

Also Consider - Wayne Simmonds - Philadelphia Flyers vs. WSH

DEFENSE

John Carlson
Opponent - PHI
FD - 6600 DK - 6200

Carlson has been of the top producing defensemen in the playoffs with six points in the series with five coming on the powerplay(most by a D man). He has been paying right around 25 minutes a game and has recorded 21 shots in the first five games. As mentioned above I don't think the Flyers discipline will continue which could lead to some juicy powerplay opportunities for the Caps on Sunday. If you are paying up for D, Carlson is your top choice today.

Calvin de Haan
Opponent - FLA
FD - 3000 DK - 4100

This is more of a punt play on DraftKings. With only three games our options are limited if we want to go cheap at defense. He provides a nice floor even without shot volume or offensive upside at all. His value comes with blocked shots. He recorded a game high eight in a double overtime win last game and now has 15 in the series. You only need a few points out of him as he allows room to stack some of the top lines today with much more upside than any D man today.

Also Consider - Shayne Gostisbehere - Philaelphia Flyers vs. WSH

Daily Updates Below:

***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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