Edmonton Oilers' Connor McDavid works for the puck against the Columbus Blue Jackets during an NHL hockey game in Columbus, Ohio, Friday, March 4, 2016. The Blue Jackets won 6-3. (AP Photo/Paul Vernon)
Happy Saturday my friends. Big day in store with a giant split slate starting with four early games starting at 1:00 p.m. ET followed by eight more games on the main slate tonight. For the following article I will provide you with at least one pick from each slate at each position. Let's get started.
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 - CAR
Proj Pts FD - 19.25 DK - 4.81
It's pretty clear for me today who is the top goalie on the early slate. The Rangers and King Henrik are big -190 home favorites to the Hurricanes and their 23rd ranked offense and poor 3-6-5 road record. Lundqvist has been up and down this season but beat this Canes team in Carolina earlier this week and should have no trouble doing it again today in New York. He is safe in all formats.
Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 19.89 DK - 4.97
Looking at the main slate tonight we have a very similar situation as above. The Penguins are big -210 home favorites to teh Red Wings and their 24th ranked offense. Like Lundqvist, Marc-Andre Fleury has also been up and down this season but still comes with big upside and is facing a ton of shots(34+ per 60 minutes) which also gives him a high floor.
Also Consider: Carter Hutton(STL)**GPP**
Opponent - BOS
Proj Pts FD - 15.04 DK - 4.88
He has only been back two games but the Sabres look like a different team. He has brought an energy to the ice and has helped the team win two straight games scoring a total of nine goals. He scored three of them and has added an assist and will look to keep up the momentum today in an afternoon matchup vs. the Bruins fourth-ranked defense.
PP Stack With: Evander Kane, Sam Reinhart
Opponent - ANA
Proj Pts FD - 16.14 DK - 5
From a PTS/$ perspective, he may not be an elite play with the high price but fading McDavid right now would be a mistake. He is running a seven game point streak and has recorded a total of 16 points over his last 10 games including nine on the powerplay. He leads the league with 34 points in 25 games and is easily on pace to crack the century mark this season if he can stay healthy. He would be only the fourth player to do so in the last five seasons. He should get a few added powerplay opportunities tonight as the Ducks lead the league in penalty minutes per game(12.46).
PP Stack with: Leon Draisaitl, Milan Lucic
Opponent - COL
Proj Pts FD - 13.97 DK - 4.36
If it is that PTS/$ value you are seeking tonight you better take a close look at Jason Spezza. He is centering the second line of Sharp and Eaves and has picked up points in two of his last three games. For the price, he is also providing a nice floor for cash games having recorded multiple shots on goal in six of his last seven games. He also plays on the powerplay that should see plenty of work tonight as the Avs take the third most penalty minutes per game(11.68).
Stack with: Patrick Sharp, Patrick Eaves
Opponent - NJ
Proj Pts FD - 9.28 DK - 2.72
The price is starting to climb and for good reason. He is now playing a top six role for the Preds, skating on a line with Filip Forsberg and Ryan Johansen. He is also getting heavy usage on the top powerplay unit. The good news is he is likely to remain in this role as long as he keeps producing. He has recorded a point in four of his last five games with 16 shots on goal. Even in a tough matchup he is safe in all formats on the small four game early slate.
Stack with: Filip Forsberg, Ryan Johansen
Opponent - ARI
Proj Pts FD - 15 DK - 4.82
The Blue Jackets own the league's #2 offense scoring 3.2 goals per game. A big contributor to their success has been the offensive outburst of Cam Atkinson. He has been red hot for an extended period with 13 points over his last 10 games to push his season total to 21 points in 22 games. He should have no problem keeping that run going tonight in an elite matchup vs. the Coyotes who rank 27th on defense allowing 3.14 goals per game.
Stack with: Brandon Dubinsky, Boone Jenner
DEFENSEMEN
Opponent - CHI
Proj Pts FD - 7.79 DK - 2.39
That's right another Flyer game on the schedule and another recommendation for Provorov. He has been providing excellent bottom tier value averaging 1.9 blocks and 2.4 shots on goal over his last 10 games. He has also contributed three points and there should be more to come in the future as he was an electric offensive player in Brandon in the WHL. For now, he makes a top PTS/$ play for cash games and a salary relief punt option for GPP's.
Opponent - WPG
Proj Pts FD - 9.55 DK - 3.01
Parayko has finally seen his offensive game start to come around. Over the last 10 games, he has been an elite playmaker with nine assists pushing his point total to 13 on the season. It's this output that the Blues are looking for from their young D man and we should continue to see somewhere near this level of production moving forward. Get him in your lineups as the value is high with a price tag right around $5K on both sites. It will soon go up!
Also Consider: Zach Werenski(CBJ)
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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