Daily Fantasy Hockey Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings 10/20/17

TGIF hockey fans and welcome to another awesome day of NHL action here at DFSR. Today, we have a nice six-game slate ahead of us, so let's not waste any more time and get into my favorite picks of the day.

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.

 

GOALIE

John Gibson FD - $8300 DK - $8300
Opponent - MON
Proj Pts FD - 15.76 DK - 3.94

We have to take advantage of every situation that we can possibly find in the world of daily fantasy sports and this is a perfect example. The Montreal Canadiens are an absolute mess right now and this will be their third west-coast game in four nights, which is a very tough task for an east-coast team. The Canadiens have scored only 1.43 goals per game so far which is by far the worst in the entire league and the Ducks are a respectable 14th in the league with 2.83 goals allowed per game. Gibson has a save % of .923 and has allowed two goals or less in his last four games. He is an elite play in all formats this evening.

Chad Johnson FD - $7600 DK - $7600
Opponent - VAN
Proj Pts FD - 17.63 DK - 4.41

The Sabres aren't great and I understand that, but they are improving and this a great situation for them to get a win tonight as the Canucks are playing in back-to-back road games. Buffalo is currently -165 favorites according to Vegas and the Canucks are ranked 26th in the league with only 2.50 goals scored per game. Johson did give up five goals in an overtime loss to the Golden Knights in his last start on the road, so he's probably better served as a GPP option only, but this just too favorable of a spot to ignore Johnson this evening.

CENTERS

Sidney Crosby FD - $9200 DK - $8100
Opponent - FLA
Proj Pts FD - 18.1 DK - 5.29

There is very little value to be had at the center position today, so it's a smart idea to start our lineups with "Sid the Kid" and find value at other positions. He looks extremely motivated (as always) this year for the Penguins and he has shown the high upside to go along with the high floor that we expect from him every time he hits the ice. Crosby has four goals and five assists so far this season and has fired an average of 4.67 shots on goal in his last three games. He plays on the top line and the #1 PP unit and the Panthers have allowed a third-worst 4.00 goals per game. Crosby is an elite play in all formats.

Stack with: Jake Guentzel, Connor Sheary

Eric Staal FD - $6800 DK - $5700
Opponent - WPG
Proj Pts FD - 10.59 DK - 2.98

The Wild vs. Jets games are always aggressive, fun to watch and there are usually a lot of goals scored. The Jets have allowed the sixth most goals per game (3.83) and Staal has had a great start to the season. The eldest Staal brother has three goals, an assist and 14 shots on goal through only four games while averaging just under 20 minutes of ice-time per game. I'm not a fan of his current line-mates, but I like him as a cash game option and a solo GPP plug-in.

Stack with: Chris Stewart, Marcus Foligno

 

Also Consider: Nicklas Backstrom (Wsh) in GPP formats only.

 

WINGERS

Nikolaj Ehlers FD - $6700 DK - $6600
Opponent - MIN
Proj Pts FD - 15.78 DK - 4.46

This young Danish star has a bright future ahead of him and he's off to a terrific start so far in the 2017-2018 season. Through six games, Ehlers has five goals, two assists and a whopping 25 shots on goal and he plays on the top line and the #1 PP with his line-mates. Minnesota is ranked 7th in the league with 3.75 goals allowed per game, so look for Ehlers to be on the score-sheet this evening and fire him up in every single format.

Stack with: Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler

Evander Kane FD - $6500 DK - $6800
Opponent - VAN
Proj Pts FD - 14.15 DK - 4.2

Wow, does this guy like to shoot the puck or what? Evander has an average of 5.6 shots per game which is awesome for cash games and he has five goals and five assists while averaging 20 minutes of ice-time with 3:20 of that being on the PP. The Canucks are ranked 13th in the league with 3.17 goals allowed per game and they gave up six last night in Boston. Kane is one of my top overall plays in all formats today. Roster him with confidence.

Stack with: Jason Pominville, Jack Eichel

Kyle Palmieri FD - $5400 DK - $5200
Opponent - SJ
Proj Pts FD - 10.71 DK - 3.37

The sneaky little Devils are scoring goals this year as they are ranked 2nd in the league with 4.29 goals scored per game and they are coming off of a thrilling come from behind 5-4 overtime victory against the Senators last night. This guy scored a goal on six shots on net to go along with an assist in last night's game to give him three goals and four assists through six games. I can's see the Devils keeping this pace up, but at these reasonable prices and with the way the Devils are scoring, I think that we should fire Palmieri up in our GPP lineups this evening vs. the Sharks.

Stack with: Adam Henrique, Marcus Johansson

 

DEFENSEMEN

Ryan Suter FD - $5100 DK - $5300
Opponent - WPG
Proj Pts FD - 12.94 DK - 3.99

Ice time equals opportunity and I love rostering defensemen that see a ton of ice time especially on the powerplay and the penalty kill units, because there is a better chance that they contribute in every stat category, especially when it comes to blocked shots and shots on goal. Suter has three assists, 14 shots on goal and nine blocked shots through four games while averaging just under 25 minutes of ice-time per game. He is my top defensive play in all formats today against a vulnerable Winnipeg defense.

Michael Del Zotto FD - $3600 DK - $3600
Opponent - BUF
Proj Pts FD - 6.45 DK - 2.02

I have simply glanced past this guy so far this year because I honestly didn't think that he would be doing anything special from a fantasy perspective. Well, I was wrong as he has three assists, 12 shots and five blocks in his last three games while averaging an impressive 25 minutes of ice-time per game in those three games. The Canucks obviously see something in the veteran that I don't, but at these dirt cheap prices and his current production, I believe that we can use him as our second defensive spot for our cash game lineups.

 

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.