Hello everyone and welcome to a busy Saturday in the NHL world. This evening we have a busy 11 game slate with a lot of teams playing either their second game of a back to back or their first game of a back to back. Also we have Columbus, and St. Louis playing their 3rd game in 4 nights. We have some good picks lined up for today so let's get at it.
Hockey is back and with it come our NHL projections which help inform these picks every night. When you purchase a DFSR NHL subscription to our base hockey projections you also get access to our brand new NFL DFS suite of tools including full projections, optimal NFL lineups and our Player Lab, which includes filters to help you create NFL lineups for FanDuel and DraftKings for any format. It’s a set of tools well beyond anything we’ve ever had, and something we feel will help our users *ahem* tackle the NFL season.
If you want to see the numbers behind our projections, create linueps with a single click, or research as deeply as your heart desires, click the button below to test out yourself.
Opponent - TOR
Proj Pts FD - 20.87 DK - 5.22
Yes I am aware that the Maple Leafs scored 6 goals last night in Philadelphia, but Pittsburgh is an entirely different beast. The Flyer's goalies wouldn't be able to stop a slow rolling beach ball right now and their Defense is about as good as the team from the Mighty Ducks movie when they first hit the ice. If you don't remember then watch it again. Great movie. The Leafs will probably be good in the future, but there is and will be growing pains. They are mostly just a bunch of young pups yet. The Current Stanley Cup Champions are too good to let a below average team walk all over them, and I expect them to dominate the Leafs right from puck drop today. The Vegas line just opened for this game and the Pens are a massive -225 favourites to win. Murray has excelled at every level he has played at and is 100 % healthy after breaking his hand at the World Cup of Hockey earlier this fall. In the three games he's started this year he is 3-0 with a shutout and only 4 goals against on 93 shots. Lock the stud goalie into your cash game lineups this evening.
Also Consider: Roberto Luongo for your tournament lineups.
Opponent - TOR
Proj Pts FD - 16.43 DK - 5.38
This is an easy choice. When I start studying the NHL slate for the day I look for a player that I call a must play, or in my words, a dumb fade. Sid the Kid is easy to call a must start vs the young Leafs squad who if he really wants to tonight, could make them look very silly. He has played 8 games this season so far and has played like a man possessed as he's scored 9 goals (3 PP) to go along with 2 helpers and 29 shots on goal. As I stated yesterday the leafs are in the bottom three in the NHL in shots allowed and goals allowed. I will have a lot of exposure to the Peguins today and so should you. Crosby is an elite play in all formats.
PP Stack With: Evgeni Malkin, Patric Hornqvist, Phil Kessel
Opponent - BUF
Proj Pts FD - 8.72 DK - 2.68
I wrote this guy up yesterday and he delivered with an assist, 2 shots, and a blocked shot. In the last two games he has averaged just under 22 minutes of ice time and he is still priced the same. He is now on a 5 game point streak, and tonight him and the Devils play at home against the Sabres who they played last night. We all know that home and home games can get ugly at times, and it's a smart idea to choose players who play on the #1 power play unit and Zajac is a great choice today in all formats. He is simply to cheap to ignore, and until his price goes up, I will be locking him into my lineups daily.
Stack with: Taylor Hall, P.A. Parenteau
Also Consider: Claude Giroux
Opponent - CAR
Proj Pts FD - 18.39 DK - 5.66
Okay so listen to me please. I would honestly be willing to fade Alexander the Great tonight on a large slate like this but the winger position isn't all that great at the top end from what I can see, so here he is. There is enough value which you will see shortly, so we should be able to fit both Crosby and Ovechkin into our cash game lineups. He is always a tough fade. If you can get a better balanced lineup without him in it then feel free to try, but there aren't too many great matchups tonight at first glance. For his standards Ovi has had an average year so far but still has 7 goals (2 pp,) 4 assists, and 54 shots on goal. Yes that's how amazing he is. The Hurricanes are not a very good hockey team especially in their own end as they give up 3.38 goals per game which is 5th worst in the league, and that could spell disaster tonight against a very powerful Capitals squad. They beat the Black-hawks in OT last night, but Ovechkin only played 17 minutes, so he will be fresh and ready to go tonight. Play him everywhere with confidence.
PP Stack with: T.J. Oshie, Nicklas Backstrom, Marcus Johansson
Opponent - ANA
Proj Pts FD - 12.13 DK - 3.66
Neal is a streaky player and he's right in the middle of a hot streak right now, and when this happens, he shoots the puck a ton, and makes things happen, and he plays on the Predators top line and top Power-Play. Anaheim is pretty good defensively but Neal has a high floor as he's fired 48 shots on goal already this year to go along with 4 goals and 4 assists. He may not have much upside today but seems like a safe cash game play to me.
PP Stack with: Ryan Johansen,
Opponent - ARI
Proj Pts FD - 7.32 DK - 2.78
Here is the reason why we can fit Ovechkin into lineups this evening. His price is ridiculously cheap and he plays on the 2nd line and the #1 PP unit. He doesn't need to do much to reach value here but always has upside as Boston can score goals in bunches. Also the Coyotes are 2nd worst in goals allowed with 3.62 so Spooner makes for a great value play today.
Stack with: David Backes, David Krejic
Opponent - TOR
Proj Pts FD - 13.89 DK - 4.73
This is another easy pick for me. Sorry Leafs fans but until your team gets better in their own end, I will continue to pick on them. Like I mentioned earlier, they give up a lot of shots and goals per game. Letang is fully healthy now after offseason surgery, and he's back to his old self. He plays on the Pen's lethal #1 PP unit, and averages around 26 minutes of ice time per game. No more info needed. Lock him and load him in all formats tonight.
Also Consider: A whole bunch of cheap guys. Too many to mention
I'm not even going to recommend a 2nd D man because since FanDuel added block shots, so many guys have great value now. Pick a low priced guy who gets a decent amount of ice time, (preferably PP time also,) blocks shots and fires a few pucks at the net.
Hockey is back and with it come our NHL projections which help inform these picks every night. When you purchase a DFSR NHL subscription to our base hockey projections you also get accessto our brand new NFL DFS suite of tools including full projections, optimal NFL lineups and our Player Lab, which includes filters to help you create NFL lineups for FanDuel and DraftKings for any format. It’s a set of tools well beyond anything we’ve ever had, and something we feel will help our users *ahem* tackle the NFL season.
If you want to see the numbers behind our projections, create linueps with a single click, or research as deeply as your heart desires, click the button below to test out yourself.
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