Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (34) skates during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Washington Capitals, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Welcome back for another big night in daily fantasy hockey. With just four nights left in the regular season we are going to be treated with three more big slates and it starts tonight with 12 games. Everyone should be well rested as there are no teams playing on a back to back. Let's jump right into the picks.
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 - OTT
Proj Pts FD - 19.19 DK - 4.8
This pick should mean a lot to all of you because of the fact that I'm a Habs fan and not a Bruins fan "gulp." The Finnish net-minder has always been one of the best in the league and lately he's been pretty darned good. He has basically taken his team on his back as he's won his last four starts. During those four starts, the veteran has recorded two shutouts while allowing only three goals in those four games, to go along with a .972 save percentage. The Bruins are trying to prove a point as they cruise into the post-season, so start Rask witih confidence in all formats.
Opponent - NJ
Proj Pts FD - 17.2 DK - 4.3
It is tough this time of the year when choosing a goalie, especially when their team has clinched a playoff berth. What we need to do though, as we should do all the time, is pick on weak offenses and in this situation, it doesn't matter who the goalie is because Murray and Fleury are both very capable of shutting down a weak Devils squad. The young Canadian net-minder has won his last three games while allowing only six goals in the process. New Jersey owns the league's second worst offense, so look for Murray and the Penguins to cruise to a fairly easy victory today. He can have poor performance though, so he isn't the safest play, but I like him as a low-owned GPP play.
Also Consider: Pekka Rinne
Opponent - TB
Proj Pts FD - 15.7 DK - 4.48
I can still remember my Grandfather's words. "Don't fix what ain't broken." That's exactly the case with Matthews as he has been a regular here over and over again. He's way too cheap for his current production and even though he only was held pointless last game, he was on a nine game point streak prior to that. The Capitals shut Matthews and the Leafs down which they do to almost every team, so we will give the young man a mulligan. Today, the Leafs face-off against the Lightning who are ranked right around the league average on defense at 14th overall. Look for the rookie to have a bounce back performance this evening and he is a great play in all formats.
Stack With: Michael Nylander, Zach Hyman
Opponent - OTT
Proj Pts FD - 16.17 DK - 4.78
After Matthews, the center position isn't the best today, but have no fear, my friends, this guy is as steady as rock for fantasy purposes. He has three goals and 16 shots on goal in his last three games which display his upside potential as well as safety. The Bruins welcome the Senators who are ranked a respectable 9th overall on defense, but they will be playing their third game in four nights, which means that they will be tired. The Bruins are battling the Leafs for the second spot in the Atlantic Conference, so look for Bergeron and the Bruins to have a productive evening.
Stack with: Brad Marchand, David Backes
Opponent - CBJ
Proj Pts FD - 10.85 DK - 3.13
This pick isn't for the faint of heart from a safety perspective because the little man (Ha sorry Bryan) doesn't shoot the puck very often and the Jackets are good defense team (3rd overall.) On that note, he has four assists and four shots in his last two games and he plays on a line with the future super-star Patrick Laine. The Jets have been firing on all cylinders lately as they've won their last five games, so if you want to take down a large tourney or two, look for Little to be low owned today. Stack him with his line-mates and see what happens, my friends.
Stack with: Patrick Laine, Blake Wheeler
Opponent - ANA
Proj Pts FD - 0 DK - 0
Wow, this young man has been outplaying his veteran line-mate, Patrick Kane, lately and I'm not worried about the Hawks resting him because he is still very young. The young Finn is on a five game point streak with six goals and an assist to go along with 21 shots on goal. The Ducks aren't a cake-walk matchup, but Panarin and his team can score goals on anyone. Roster this guy in all formats this evening.
Stack with: Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews (PP)
Opponent - COL
Proj Pts FD - 11.97 DK - 3.55
Oh my goodness, this guy may be my favorite overall play today. We have to pick on Colorado because they are an awful hockey team. There's no if's and's or but's about it. The Avalanche are ranked dead last defensively and they just want this season to end already. Parise has two goals, two assists and seven shots on goal in his last two games and he plays on the #1 line and #1 PP unit for the Wild. He also has 68 blocked shots in 67 games, so that adds a bit of safety to the American winger. Parise is an elite play in all formats against a weak Colorado squad.
Stack with: Eric Staal, Charlie Coyle
Opponent - TOR
Proj Pts FD - 10.68 DK - 3.11
This is the first time I've recommended this dude this year. Welcome to my article Ondrej. He is much cheaper than his line-mate Kucherov and he has been playing rather well lately. He has a goal, two assists and 10 shots on goal while averaging 21 minutes of ice-time. The young man plays on the #1 PP unit as well as the top line in Tampa Bay and from a PTS/$ perspective he is a great play in all formats this evening.
Stack with: Nikita Kucherov, Jonathan Drouin (PP)
Opponent - FLA
Proj Pts FD - 11.26 DK - 3.38
This young man has been enjoying life without Shattenkirk in town as he is now the Boss on Defense in St. Louis. He is almost always on the ice and he has points in four of his last five games. In 78 games played, he has 13 goals, 31 assists, 173 shots on goal and 156 blocked shots. The Panthers are ranked 16th on defense, but they've called it quits for the year and they've been playing some bad hockey recently. Pietrangelo is a great play in all formats.
Opponent - NYI
Proj Pts FD - 11.04 DK - 3.27
I think Chris has mentioned this guy a time or two this season but I haven't so here we go. Faulk is in a good spot today as him and the 'Canes play the Islanders and their weak 26th defense. Faulk has a power-play goal, eight shots and two blocks in his last two games while averaging 24 minutes of ice-time. He plays on Carolina's #1 PP unit and #1 penalty kill unit. He offers a ton of safety as well as massive upside today against the Islanders.
Also Consider: Andrej Sekera (EDM)
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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