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 night of daily fantasy hockey. There was a lot going on last night and if that Vegas game didn't get your blood pumping, I am not sure what will. After an emotional pre-game ceremony, they came out absolutely flying, scoring four goals in the first period and beating the Coyotes 5-2 to extend their winning streak to three to begin the new franchise.
Tonight we get a smaller five-game slate but it's not short of some juicy matchups. Let's dig in and take a look at some of the top plays 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 - CGY
Proj Pts FD - 17.05 DK - 4.26
Tonight I will be siding with both California teams goaltenders and it starts with Jonathan Quick who is a -140 favorite as the Flames come to town. He has impressed to start the season winning both starts, allowing just one goal with a .983 save % and one shutout. He now faces a Flames team that routinely ranks in the middle of the pack when looking at offensive numbers and his playing their third game in five days and second on the road in California. Quick is my #1 option in all formats today.
Opponent - NYI
Proj Pts FD - 17.33 DK - 4.33
John Gibson has been a little more inconsistent to start the 2017/18 campaign as he has gone 1-1-1 with a 3.05 GAA and .906 save % but he gets a plus matchup and is a great GPP play. He faces an Islanders team that struggled on the road last year and has already lost their first game away from the Island this season. They have also struggled offensively with just over 2.5 goals per game and when looking for upside in goalies we want shots against and the Islanders are averaging just over 34 per game.
Also Consider: Frederik Andersen(TOR)
Opponent - NJ
Proj Pts FD - 15.67 DK - 4.56
The Leafs are off to a red-hot start winning their first three games and the bulk of the offense can be credited to their young leader, Auston Matthews. He has scored two goals and added three assists and was the hero in Monday night's game with a ridiculous shot that beat Anton Forsberg for the overtime winner. In that game, Matthews also recorded a season-high six shots on goal and is coming off a rookie season in which he averaged just under 3.5 per game giving him a very high floor. The Leafs are the biggest favorites(-200) of the night and Matthews is safe in all formats.
Stack with: Zach Hyman, William Nylander
Opponent - PIT
Proj Pts FD - 10.56 DK - 3.03
Alexander Ovechkin is easily the top choice on the Capitals if you can afford him but if you are looking to save some salary, no one has benefited more from Ovi's hot start than Evgeny Kuznetsov. He has been the setup man for the sniper and has already recorded eight assists through three games as he looks to rebound from a somewhat down 59 point season. He is hard to trust in cash games with just two shots on the season but the upside is too much to pass up on a five-game slate.
Stack with: Alex Ovechkin, Jakob Vrana
Also Consider: Ryan Spooner(BOS)
Opponent - COL
Proj Pts FD - 16 DK - 4.68
It has been a tough go offensively for the Bruins without Patrice Bergeron to start the season and this was clear on Saturday afternoon as the Avalanche came into their barn and shut them out. Bergeron has been ruled out once again tonight and that thrusts most of the pressure on the back of David Pastrnak who signed a huge offseason contract to stay in Boston. He is coming off a career season in which he scored 34 goals and recorded 70 points, 24 of which came on the powerplay. He was also a high volume shooter as he averaged just under 3.5 shots per game and is equalling that total so far this season. I look for the Bruins to go into Colorado tonight and bounce back in a big way led by their top line. He is my top cash game winger of the night and with Ovechkin off to a hot start, I feel Pastrnak will also be lower owned with tons of upside for GPP formats.
Stack with: Brad Marchand, Riley Nash
Opponent - WAS
Proj Pts FD - 12.34 DK - 3.68
Phil the Thrill isn't off to the most productive start for fantasy with just one goal and one assist but if he keeps shooting the goals will come no doubt. He has recorded at least four shots in all three games and also gets the luxury of playing with one of the games best centers, Evgeni Malkin and he also joins superstar Sidney Crosby on the top powerplay. I am not thrilled about the matchup as the Capitals are one of the league's top teams but the shot volume and talent around him are more than enough to consider him in all formats.
Stack with: Evgeni Malkin, Carl Hagelin, Sidney Crosby(PP)
Opponent - CGY
Proj Pts FD - 10.71 DK - 3.09
Tyler Toffoli is always near the top of my list for cash games as he routinely comes with a value price. He does lack overall upside as the Kings are not a powerful offensive team but the shot volume is what puts him into consideration and through two games this season he has tallied 12 shots and put one in the back of the night. If he keeps firing the puck the way he is there will definitely be more goals to come and he gets a great home matchup tonight vs. the Flames who continue their California road trip.
Stack with: Jeff Carter, Tanner Pearson
DEFENSEMEN
Opponent - CGY
Proj Pts FD - 11.17 DK - 3.36
Opponent - LA
Proj Pts FD - 11.5 DK - 3.48
Take your pick of these mid-tier defense options who are facing each other tonight or better yet, play them together. Doughty has yet to record a point in the Kings first two games but is averaging 3.5 shots and three blocks per game which gives him a very high floor for cash games. It is a very similar story for Giordano to start the year as he has just one assist in three games but has tallied 10 blocks and nine shots. Both are elite cash game plays on DraftKings around the $5K range but Doughty is the easy pick on FanDuel at a big discount.
Opponent - NJ
Proj Pts FD - 7.59 DK - 2.22
If it's salary relief you are after, Ron Hainsey is my top value play at the position. He is skating on the top unit with Morgan Rielly and has benefited from the Leafs hot offensive start and has assists in back to back games while skating over 20 minutes per game. He isn't getting a whole lot of powerplay time which caps his upside but at a low to mid $3K price tag on both sites, he should be considered on a nightly basis.
Also Consider: Nikita Zaitsev(TOR), Brandon Carlo(BOS)
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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View Comments
what about Jespel Bratt of NJ???
Lol so much hype on bratt. The kid is shooting 100% don't expect that to keep up.
Definitely a nice value play who is skating on second line and PP unit but agreed that regression is coming sooner than later.