Minnesota Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk stops a shot during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the San Jose Sharks, Thursday, Jan. 5, 2017, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Hello hockey fans and welcome to an awesome six-game slate in the NHL. There are only two teams who are not playing in back-to-back games (Min, NJ,) so it will be an interesting slate to say the least. On that note, we have found some great picks today, so let's dive right in shall we?
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 - DET
Proj Pts FD - 19.36 DK - 4.84
Here we have a no-brainer pick to start off today's article, well at least for cash games, because he will be highly owned and it's obvious why that is. Dubnyk is in the running for the Vezina trophy and so far this season, he has a 30-9-3 record with a .934 save % and five shutouts. He has also won his last three games and 11 of his last 13. Detroit is not a good offensive team as they are ranked 26th overall in overall offense and dead last while having the man advantage. Dubnyk is a great play in cash games if you're playing the all day slate over at Fanduel and a great play in all formats in the early only slate on both sites.
Opponent - VAN
Proj Pts FD - 16.75 DK - 4.19
This choice is more about the team Buffalo is facing and not the actual goalie who will be between the pipes. The Sabres have been playing some decent hockey lately and they will be exciting to watch for years to come. Lehner allowed only one goal on a whopping 44 shots in a victory vs. the Maple Leafs last night. The Canucks are ranked 28th on offense and 26th on the penalty kill. The Sabres may start their backup Anders Nilsson today, but whoever they start makes a great play in all formats against a lowly Vancouver squad.
Opponent - VAN
Proj Pts FD - 12.88 DK - 4.24
This young man is possibly my favorite overall play today and it's easy for me to explain why. He has played in only 34 games this season and he has 13 goals, 13 assists, and 12 power-play points. He averages 4.03 shots per game, which is unreal and in his last three games, Eichel has a goal, 5 assists and 11 shots on goal. The Canucks are ranked 20th on defense, so look for Eichel and his team-mates to score a few goals this evening. He is a great play in every single format.
Stack With: Evander Kane, Sam Reinhart
Opponent - NYI
Proj Pts FD - 14.96 DK - 4.57
You may be thinking why I am recommending an Avalanche player here, but since FanDuel took away the plus/minus category, we don't have to worry about losing points when Colorado gets scored on, which happens often. The Av's have actually been scoring a few goals lately and Mackinnon anchors their #1 line and #1 power-play unit. This young star has a goal and seven assists in his last ten games while averaging 3.7 shots per game, which has safety written all over it. In his last four games, he has a goal and four assists for an average of 16.1 Fanduel points and 4.25 Draftkings points per game. The Islanders are ranked 23rd on defense, so Mackinnon has upside as well and makes a great play in all formats.
Stack with: Gabriel Landeskog, Mikko Rantanen
Opponent - SJ
Proj Pts FD - 9.11 DK - 2.81
Finding value is always important on any slate because we always want to fit as many high-priced players into our lineups as we can. The Sharks are ranked third best on defense, so this probably isn't the safest pick in the world, but we can't ignore what he has done lately. In his last five games, he has four goals, three assists, nine shots on goal and six blocked shots. That equals an average of 5.3 Draftkings points and 20 Fanduel points in those five games. He plays on the Devils' second line and #1 PP unit. He is tough to roster in cash games, but he can help you take down a massive tourney today.
Stack with: Michael Cammalleri, Taylor Hall (PP)
Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 14.72 DK - 4.46
This guy has become a star before our very eyes this season and he's still turning heads as we speak. He has 15 goals and 49 points so far this season while averaging 19 minutes of ice time per game. He had a hat-trick and four points against Vancouver four games ago. He was on a 12 game point streak and then went pointless in his last two games, but last game he got an assist while firing seven shots on goal. Today the Wild welcome the Red Wings and their 26th ranked defense to town. Granlund's line has been one of the best in the NHL this season and look for them to find the scoresheet today. He is a decent play in cash games, but where I really like him is in GPP's stacked with his linemates.
Stack with: Mikko Koivu, Jason Zucker
Opponent - MON
Proj Pts FD - 11.54 DK - 3.52
Most of the time, it's not a good idea to target players against Carey Price and the Canadiens, but they haven't been playing good hockey lately. Montreal has allowed 12 goals in their last three games and Carey Price has allowed 11 goals in his last three starts. Pastrnak has been absolutely unreal lately. He has five goals in his last three games and nine points in his last four while firing a whopping 19 shots on goal in those four games. Patrice Bergeron is one of the best defensive forwards in the league and his line will be sent out to stop Montreal's top line this evening. Pastrnak plays on the Bruins' second line, so look for them to have a ton of open ice to work with. He also plays on Boston's #1 PP unit. This guy is a great play in all formats.
Stack with: David Krejic, Frank Vatrano
Opponent - DAL
Proj Pts FD - 11.1 DK - 3.28
I love the fact that there are a ton of young players having awesome seasons so far and this guy is one of them. He scored a hat-trick yesterday and has five goals, an assist and 13 shots on goal in his last three games. The Dallas Stars are a bad defensive team (28th overall) and are ranked dead last while killing penalties. Ouch! Arvidsson plays on Nashville's top line and top power-play unit, so look for him to find the score-sheet again today. He shoots the puck a lot, so he is safe is all formats and has massive upside as well.
Stack with: Ryan Johansen, James Neal
Also Consider: Anders Lee(NYI)
Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 11.6 DK - 3.56
I love picking valued defensemen and today it starts with Spurgeon who is averaging big minutes lately. In his last two games, he has a goal on seven shots and has recorded eight blocks in his last three games. He doesn't seem to have too much upside but he's about as safe as it comes at this price range, so lock him into your cash game lineups.
Opponent - COL
Proj Pts FD - 7.48 DK - 2.24
It is always easy to pick a defenseman for GPP's. So Here is another safe play for your cash games and at these prices, he is very hard to ignore. De Haan was recently promoted to the top penalty kill unit for the Islanders and that means a ton of shot-blocking opportunities. This guy has blocked 137 shots which works out to an average of 2.6 per game. He is getting over 20 minutes of ice time in his last three games and has an assist, three shots on goal and 11 blocked shots. Start him with confidence today and feel very safe about it.
Also Consider: Roman Josi
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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