Daily Fantasy Hockey Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings 2/5/17

Hello DFSR fans and welcome to a tiny three-game slate in the NHL. The Super Bowl is on today, of course, so all three games are being played early. We have some great plays lined up for you, so let's dive right in.

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.

GOALIES

Henrik Lundqvist FD - $8700 DK - $8000
Opponent - CGY
Proj Pts FD - 17.99 DK - 4.5

Today looks to be a decent day for choosing a goaltender. When it is a tough day, I will say that I give you the best of the worst option. Well, today it is more like the best of the best and my top choice is the future Hall of Famer King Henrik. The Rangers welcome the Calgary Flames and their below average 19th ranked offense to town today and New York is currently listed as -150 favorites according to Vegas. Lundqvist hasn't had the best year so far by his standards, but he stood on his head last game in Buffalo as he turned aside 36 of 37 shots for the victory. He also should have plenty of support today, as the Rangers are ranked #2 on offense. King Henrik is a great play in all formats today.

 

 

 

Also Consider: Al Montoya or Carey Price (MTL)

 

 

CENTERS

Jeff Carter FD - $7700 DK - $7200
Opponent - WAS
Proj Pts FD - 14.1 DK - 4.32

There are those times where he have to choose a guy no matter who he is up against on a certain day. Today is one of those days, because Carter and the Kings travel to D.C. to face the Capitals and their #1 ranked defense. Carter has three goals and 16 shots on goal in his last two games. Yes, you read that correctly. That is eight shots per game. Yesterday in Philly, Carter scored the King's only goal for his team. Do not fade this guy today and lock him into every single one of your lineups in all formats.

Stack With: Tyler Toffoli, Tanner Pearson

 

 

 

Nicklas Backstrom FD - $6800 DK - $6700
Opponent - LA
Proj Pts FD - 11.22 DK - 3.98

When you have a guy who plays on the top line and #1 powerplay unit with Alex Ovechkin, then we have to strongly consider him. He is way too cheap considering his production this season and until his price rises, he will be in most of my lineups every single game the Caps play. In his last two games, the Swedish star has two goals, two assists and five shots on goal. He scored a powerplay goal yesterday vs. Carey Price and the Habs, which is very tough to do. This gives us exposure to Ovechkin and we can build a very comfortable lineup today. Backstrom is a great play in all formats on this small three-game slate.

 

Stack with: Alex Ovechkin, T.J. Oshie

 

 

 

 

 

WINGERS

Chris Kreider FD - $6400 DK - $6200
Opponent - CGY
Proj Pts FD - 11.43 DK - 3.62

There is very little value at the lower tier of the Winger position today and we have exposure to Ovechkin already,  so I am going to give you two decent mid-range plays. Let's start with Kreider who plays on the Rangers' top line and #1 powerplay unit.  He's not a flashy player by any means, but he seems to be his team's most consistent player lately. Kreider has a goal in each of his last two games to go along with six shots on goal while averaging 18 minutes of ice time. There isn't much upside here, but from a safety perspective, I think he is a great play today against the Flames and their 17th ranked defense.

Stack with: Mats Zuccarello, Mike Zibanejad

 

 

 

Alexander Radulov FD - $6800 DK - $5800
Opponent - EDM
Proj Pts FD - 10.89 DK - 3.48

Here we have the complete opposite of safety, but his upside is always sky high. Radulov doesn't shoot the puck often (1.94 per game,) but he's one of the best play-makers in the league. I watched this guy play against the Capitals yesterday as he scored a goal on three shots and added an assist as well. He was on a mission yesterday and if he did that damage against the Caps and their #1 ranked defense, imagine what he can do today against the Oilers who are playing in their fourth game in six days. I love stacking the Habs' top line in GPP's today as they play much better on home ice.

Stack with: Max Pacioretty, Alex Galchenyuk

 

 

 

Also Consider: Justin Williams (Wsh) (GPP)

 

 

DEFENSEMEN

Matt Niskanen FD - $5000 DK - $4800
Opponent - LA
Proj Pts FD - 9.21 DK - 3.05

As always, we want exposure to the Capitals' and their powerful offense. Niskanen took John Carlson's job from him as the d-man on Washington's #1 powerplay unit. This is enough to convince me based on his cheap prices. Okay, I'll give you more. He has three assists, nine shots on goal and four blocked shots in his last three games. Start Niskanen with confidence in all formats today against the Kings.

 

 

Deryk Engelland FD - $3200 DK - $3100
Opponent - NYR
Proj Pts FD - 5.86 DK - 1.73

Before you laugh at me, please hear me out. I dug to the very bottom to find us a guy who saves us a ton of money, so we can fit the top two centers into our lineups today. This is going to be as cheap as you're going to get this guy as long as he keeps performing like this. In his last three games, Engelland has a goal, an assist, 7 shots on goal and nine blocks. That is way too much production at almost minimum salary on both sites. You will almost never find safety at these prices, but this guy is an exception. He plays big minutes on the Flames' penalty kill unit, which means a ton of shot blocking opportunities and he has averaged 19 minutes of ice time in his last three games. Lock Engelland into your second D spot in your cash game lineups and thank me later.

 

 

 

 

 

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.