Columbus Blue Jackets' Sergei Bobrovsky, of Russia, plays against the Philadelphia Flyers during an NHL hockey game Sunday, Jan. 8, 2017, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
Welcome back to another big night in the national Hockey League. We get 12 games on Thursday and we should expect some high scoring with eight of the top 10 offenses in action with all 10 of the bottom defenses as well. Let's jump right into the top picks from the projection system.
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 - FLA
Proj Pts FD - 18.34 DK - 4.58
It seems every time I write up the article goalie Bob is right at the top of the projections. It makes perfect sense as he is one of the best goalies in the league who sits 2nd in GAA(2.08), 4th in Save %(.929) and leads the league with 37 wins. He also comes in red hot winning five straight and seven of his last 10 starts with an elite .944 save % and three shutouts. He gets a plus matchup tonight at home as -165 favorites vs. the Panthers who rank 25th in offense and have lost seven of the last 10 games. He is safe in all formats.
Opponent - WPG
Proj Pts FD - 18.22 DK - 4.55
There are definitely goalies in better positions than Greiss tonight but with my second goalie on most nights I like to find a low owned, high upside GPP play. Greiss is in that spot tonight as the Islanders are -135 favorites to the struggling Jets who have lost four straight and six of their last 10 games. He definitely comes with some risk as he has been up and down lately but faces 30+ shots per 60 minutes and is coming off a 30 save win in Carolina the other night. The price is also nice as he is $500 cheaper than Bob on DraftKings and $1,200 cheaper than Holtby on FanDuel.
Also Consider: Jonathan Quick(LAK)
Opponent - WPG
Proj Pts FD - 13.81 DK - 4.64
He is priced about where he should be on FanDuel but comes at a terrific value on DraftKings at just $7K. He comes in hot with points in five of his last six games and nine points in his last 10 games with 36 shots on goal for an average of 4.3 DK/15.41 FD points per game. He gets a little boost tonight at home vs. the Jets who have lost four straight giving up 18 goals in the process.
Stack with: Josh Bailey, Anders Lee
Opponent - CAR
Proj Pts FD - 11.93 DK - 3.57
Staal hasn't been as relied upon for offensive this season with the Wild as they are a much more balanced team than the Hurricanes were in seasons past. He has still been impressive with 53 points and a +7 rating, his highest since the '08-'09 season. He comes into tonight red hot as he has scored four goals in his last three games with nine shots on goal. It will be only his second ever game against his old team so expect him to be ramped up and ready to stretch that goal streak out.
Stack with: Nino Niederreiter, Charlie Coyle
Opponent - TOR
Proj Pts FD - 8.55 DK - 2.58
If you are looking for value at the center position, consider the ex-Moose Jaw Warrior tonight. He has spent the last four games on the top line with Kucherov and Palat and has received 20 + minutes of ice time in each of the last three games. He has rewarded the Bolts for the move as he comes into tonight with three goals in his last two games while also providing a high floor with three or more shots on goal in four of his last six games. He is safe in all formats vs. the Leafs coming off a 7-2 loss a couple days ago.
Stack with: Nikita Kucherov, Ondrej Palat
Opponent - VAN
Proj Pts FD - 14.95 DK - 4.94
There are some excellent plays at the top of the wingers tonight(Kucherov, Ovi, Kane) but I will dig a little deeper to try and grab some lower ownership with similar upside. Enter Tyler Seguin, at least on DraftKings where he is the 9th most expensive winger and an excellent PTS/$ play. He gets a plus matchup against the Canucks who rank 23rd in defense and have lost eight of their last 10 games. Seguin has seen his +/- dip big time this season but the offensive pace is right there with previous years as he comes in with 67 points. He has also been hot recently with 11 points in his last 10 games with a whopping 37 shots for a high floor.
Stack with: Jason Spezza, Remi Elie
Opponent - BUF
Proj Pts FD - 11 DK - 3.17
Time is definitely running out on the Kings season and it is crucial they find some offense and soon. They sit four points out of the Western Conference wild card and have lost two straight coming into tonight. As they have all season look for the Kings to turn to their top line to get things going tonight. Carter is a bit over priced with his current form to build around but Pearson is in a great spot in the mid $5K range. He has provided upside lately with seven points in his last 10 games and also provided a high floor with 32 shots on goal.
Stack with: Jeff Carter, Tyler Toffoli
Also Consider: Brandon Saad(CBJ)
DEFENSEMEN
Opponent - TOR
Proj Pts FD - 13.73 DK - 4.56
With both Karlsson and Burns in play tonight, it makes sense to pivot down to Hedman who will be lower owned with a higher PTS/$. He gets a plus matchup at home vs. the Leafs who rank 19th in defense and are coming off a 7-2 loss to the Panthers two nights ago. Over his last 10 games, Hedman has been very consistent with 11 points (seven on the powerplay) with 26 shots on goal and 16 blocks. He is safe in all formats.
Opponent - WPG
Proj Pts FD - 8.78 DK - 2.62
From a PTS/$ perspective, de Haan sits right near the top of the rankings tonight. He has been getting a bit more powerplay time lately which adds some upside to his already high floor at a mid $3K price tag on both sites. He is coming off back to back four-block games and has 23 over his last 10 games with five points. He is an excellent salary relief option for your second D position.
Also Consider: Shayne Gostisbehere(PHI)
Hockey is back and with it comes 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.
image sources
Week 12 DraftKings and FanDuel cash game NFL plays.
DraftKings and FanDuel Week 11 cash game NFL plays
Week 10 NFL cash game picks for DraftKings and FanDuel
Daily Fantasy DraftKings and FanDuel NBA Picks & Projections Playing NBA DFS Nightly? Join one…
Week 9 NFL DFS plays for DraftKings and FanDuel
Packed slate of NBA action on FanDuel and DraftKings