Chicago Blackhawks right wing Patrick Kane celebrates after scoring his goal during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Edmonton Oiler,s Sunday, Nov. 8, 2015, in Chicago. The Blackhawks won 4-2. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
It was quite an opening night in the NHL and it started with the Leafs trampling over the Jets in Winnipeg and walking away with a 7-2 win. We then witnessed the Penguins banner and Stanley Cup ceremony as they opened at home but unfortunately for them, they fell short in a high scoring 5-4 loss. We then got treated to the famous "Battle of Alberta" but it ended up fairly one-sided as defending Hart Trophy winner, Connor McDavid put on a one-man show scoring all three Edmonton goals in a 3-0 shutout win. Then in the late game, the Flyers went cross country to San Jose with their new-look youth movement but were lead by veteran Wayne Simmonds and his hat-trick taking down the Sharks 5-3.
Can anything top night one? Well, to start off we get double the games tonight(8) so I believe there is a very good chance you will be entertained once again. Let's jump right into the top picks at each position.
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 lineups with a single click, or research as deeply as your heart desires, click the button below to test out yourself.
Opponent - COL
Proj Pts FD - 17.72 DK - 4.43
Tonight the chalk in net will most likely fall on King Henrik's shoulders but it makes a ton of sense. The Rangers will open the season at home and are currently big -200 favorites facing the Avalanche. Yes, those Avalanche who finished last season as the league's worst team with 48 points and not surprisingly they also ranked dead last in offense scoring just over two goals per game. For Lundqvist, he posted a career-low .910 save % in his 12th season but still managed to record 30 wins for the fourth straight and 11th time in his Hall of Fame career and I fully expect a rebound in 2017/18. He is safe in all formats, especially on FanDuel where he is fifth most expensive option.
Opponent - ARI
Proj Pts FD - 13.96 DK - 3.49
If Lundqvist's early season struggles or age scare you at all, you can easily turn to John Gibson tonight. He continued to elevate his game last season and finished 5th overall in save %(.924) and goals against average(2.22). The only issue is that the Ducks have a very good defensive team and Gibson faced under 30 shots per start but I am not too concerned about that tonight. He faces a Coyotes team who wasn't as bad as the Avs(no one was close to that bad) but still were not a good team. They finished near the bottom of the standings and more importantly were the 27th ranked offense scoring just 2.33 goals per game. Looks for the Ducks to roll in game one at home making Gibson and elite choice in all formats.
Opponent - ARI
Proj Pts FD - 9.34 DK - 2.72
I am going away from the top options at the center position tonight as there as some tough matchups and projected lower scoring games. I realize anything can happen but at least for cash games, I will be taking a value approach tonight. First I turn to Rickard Rakell who will be centering the Ducks second line and could get some extra run tonight as Ryan Getzlaf is dealing with an early-season injury and likely won't be 100%. In his third full season, Rakell continued to grow his game last year with a career-high 51 points with a +10 rating and recorded 8.6 shots per 60 minutes of ice time. With his mid-tier price tag, he is safe in all formats tonight facing the Coyotes and their third-worst defense(3.15 GA/G) last season.
Stack with: Andrew Cogliano, Jakob Silfverberg
Opponent - BUF
Proj Pts FD - 8.87 DK - 2.71
Drouin was traded to the Habs in the summer and then signed to a large contract worth over five million dollars a year. With that kind of contract, it's clear they are expecting him to be a major contributor this season as they finished middle of the pack in offense last year. He will be centering the top line between Max Pacioretty and Brendan Gallagher and will also get a ton of powerplay time. Drouin looked good with the Lightning last season, especially when Stamkos was out and finished the season with 21 goals and 53 points and was a fairly high volume shooter with 2.5 shots per game(8.3 shots per 60). The Habs open on the road but get a plus matchup vs. the Sabres who finished in the bottom third of the league in defense last season(2.82 goals against per game).
Stack with: Max Pacioretty, Brendan Gallagher
Opponent - PIT
Proj Pts FD - 16.47 DK - 4.77
It wasn't quite the 106 point performance he posted two years ago, but Patrick Kane still posted elite numbers last season with 34 goals and 89 points and played every game. He is one of the expensive players at the position I am willing to build around almost every game he steps on the ice as he is a volume player and finished with 292 shots(3.5 per game) last season. The Blackhawks projected lines look a little different this season but he makes everyone around him better and for stacking in tournaments, it helps as his wingers are both in the punt value range. No matter who he plays with, he is an elite play in all formats.
Stack with: Ryan Hartman, Nick Schmaltz
Opponent - COL
Proj Pts FD - 11.71 DK - 3.37
The Rangers are big favorites(-200) tonight and having a piece of their offense would be a smart idea. They get the best matchup of the night facing the Avs who not only ranked as the worst offense last season but also the worst defense as they allowed 3.37 goals per game and 31.7 shots per game. Kreider will start the season on the top line and powerplay unit and is another player coming off a career year as he posted 53 points. He is in play in all formats with his mid-tier price but is even more attractive of a play on DraftKings in the low $5K range.
Stack with: Mika Zibanejad, Pavel Buchnevich
Opponent - LA
Proj Pts FD - 8.78 DK - 2.48
The Flyers impressed last night as they traveled across the country to play the Sharks and it was the second line that led the way in the scoring department. Weal scored early in the first period on a powerplay and while that was his only point, he watched his linemate, Wayne Simmonds, pot three goals in a 5-3 win. Weal is undersized but has tremendous speed and is clearly not afraid to dig in the corners and gives it 100% effort every shift. The Flyers look like a team on the way up and as long as Weal continues to skate on the second line and get some powerplay time, he will be an elite play in fantasy, especially considering his punt price on both sites. Take advantage as the price won't be this low for long.
Stack with: Nolan Patrick, Wayne Simmonds
DEFENSEMEN
Opponent - COL
Proj Pts FD - 10.84 DK - 3.28
Shattenkirk is now with his third team in less than eight months after being traded in February from the Blues to the Capitals as they attempted to break their playoff curse. Well, that didn't happen and he moved on and signed with the Rangers in the summer and will be their top D man going into this season. The Rangers are hoping he continues to grow his game both defensively and for us as fantasy players, offensively as well as he is coming off a career year where he posted 56 points which was fourth among defensemen in 2016/17. I have already talked about the matchup with the lowly Avs so get him in your lineups in all formats.
Opponent - LA
Proj Pts FD - 9.69 DK - 2.87
Picking up right where I left off last season with my man crush on Flyer D man, Ivan Provorov. The former Brandon Wheat Kings star had a fantastic rookie season for the Flyers recording 30 points and the best part was his value price that stuck almost the whole season. He is back in that value range to start the 2017/18 season and while he didn't record a point last night, did get two shots on goal and blocked five for a productive fantasy night. He is also skating on the top unit to start the year and will get plenty of time on the powerplay. Like I said last season, until his price is in the mid $5K range, I will play him almost every night.
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.
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