Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8), from Russia, pauses on the ice in the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Dallas Stars, Thursday, Nov. 19, 2015, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Welcome back for another exciting day of hockey action. Saturday brings us two afternoon matchups but for the purpose of this article, I will be only covering the 10-game main slate. There are six teams(BUF, PIT, SJ, FLA, WSH, MIN) tonight who are playing on back to back nights with five of them on the road which could present some excellent fantasy opportunities. Let's jump 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 - CAR
Proj Pts FD - 17.55 DK - 4.39
Bishop is exactly what the Stars needed to take the next step to get back to the playoffs. he had a down year last season with the Lightning and Kings as he dealt with injuries but has rebounded in a big way as he has gone 4-1 with a 1.93 GAA and .929 save %. The only hesitation in using him in GPP's is the upside has been somewhat limited as the Stars have been excellent at suppressing shots as Bishop has only faced 26 per game. The Stars are currently comfortable -135 home favorites which have him as my top cash game play of the night between the pipes.
Opponent - ARI
Proj Pts FD - 15.46 DK - 3.87
We can't talk about hot starts for teams looking to rebound without touching on the Blackhawks and Corey Crawford. Since winning the Stanley Cup in the 2014-15 season the Hawks were eliminated in the first round in back to back years and missed the playoffs altogether last season. With the help of Corey Crawford who has posted an elite .947 save % early in the season, they are back on track to get to the postseason. The Hawks are big favorites tonight(-155) on the road in Arizona facing a team that ranks dead last in defense and third to last in offense and what I like most is Crawford is facing a crazy high 34 shots per game. I normally avoid road goalies in cash games but Crawford is an elite play in GPP formats tonight.
Also Consider: Sergei Bobrovsky(CBJ)
Opponent - CAR
Proj Pts FD - 16.98 DK - 5.1
Seguin was at it again on Thursday night as he broke a 3-3 tie in the third period then followed that up with another goal which ended up being the game-winner. The price is going up but until he cools down I will be using him on a nightly basis in all formats. After all, he leads the league in shots(six per game) giving him an extremely high floor and he skates on a line with another star(no pun intended) in Jamie Benn who has scored 25+ goals in four straight seasons and is heating up with three in his last four games.
Stack with: Jamie Benn, Alexander Radulov
Opponent - PIT
Proj Pts FD - 17.72 DK - 5.22
While Seguin is my top guy in cash games, you would be crazy to not get some exposure to the Lightning's top line. With 27 points between them, Stamkos and Kucherov sit #1 & #2 in league points and for Stamkos, he has tallied a point in all eight games this season including five multi-point efforts. While it seems like a tougher matchup vs. the defending Stanley Cup champs, don't worry as they have been horrible defensively this season and are one of four teams to allow more than four goals per game to this point.
Stack with: Nikita Kucherov, Vladislav Namestnikov
Opponent - OTT
Proj Pts FD - 10.42 DK - 3.14
If you are not a fan of either of the top centers I listed, by all means, roll out Auston Matthews who has tallied six goals in seven games but in a tougher matchup, I prefer to go with a bit of value from the Leafs. Nazem Kadri has held a steady mid-tier price on both sites this season and has been a huge asset offensively with four goals and four assists while centering the second line and top powerplay unit. He also makes an excellent cash game play as well with a high floor as he is averaging over three shots per game.
Stack with: Patrick Marleau, Leo Komarov, James Van Riemsdyk(PP)
Also Consider: Brock Nelson(NYI), Kyle Turris(OTT)
Opponent - FLA
Proj Pts FD - 18.09 DK - 5.27
While Stamkos and Kucherov lead the league in points, it is Ovechkin who has the edge when it comes to goal scoring. Even after picking up his 10th goal in a win over Detroit last night he has seen his salary drop $500 on DraftKings today making him the top play at the position. After three straight 50+ goal seasons, Ovi had a bit of a down year last season scoring just 33 and averaging under four shots per game. He has shown early on he is back in vintage form and not only has the elite upside but is also firing the puck at an elite rate as well as he is averaging 5.8 shots per game. I would reserve him to GPP only on FanDuel but with the salary drop and matchup vs. the Panthers, he is in play in all formats on DraftKings.
Stack with: Jakub Vrana, Evgeny Kuznetsov
Opponent - ARI
Proj Pts FD - 22.12 DK - 6.23
After a red-hot start back with the Blackhawks this season, Saad has been quiet over the last four games with just one goal and a -3 rating. This has brought his price back down into the mid $6K range on both sites and should also help with his overall ownership for tournament formats. Even with the recent struggles, he is averaging over three shots on net per game which gives him a stable floor and we know the upside is there as he has shown excellent chemistry with Jonathan Toews and Richard Panik. The Hawks get a terrific matchup tonight vs. the Coyotes who sit with the league's worst defense as they have given up 4.3 goals per game this season.
Stack with: Richard Panik, Jonathan Toews
Opponent - BUF
Proj Pts FD - 7.96 DK - 2.36
The Bruins got Patrice Bergeron into the lineup for the first time this season and he more than proved his worth but picking up a goal and three assists in a blowout win over the Canucks. Rookie Anders Bjork joined Bergeron and Marchand on the top line and didn't disappoint as he scored two goals and added an assist. If he continues to get the nod on the top line his price will start to rise quickly making now the time to get on board as he gives you very cheap exposure to the Bruins top offensive players. Not only is he a top play in cash games to help fit in one or two superstars(Ovi, Seguin, Stamkos, Kucherov) you can also stack him with Bergeron and Marchand in tournament formats.
Stack with: Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand
Also Consider: Mike Hoffman(OTT), Jeff Skinner(CAR), Tomas Hertl(SJ)
Opponent - VEG
Proj Pts FD - 15.78 DK - 4.72
When looking at the top of the defensive ranks this season we are still waiting for the defending Norris winner Brent Burns to get back on track. His struggles make the decision very easy at the top and it's Alex Pietrangelo who is leading all defense in fantasy points per game on both sites with 10 points through eight games including four multi-point efforts. He is currently getting all the ice-time in St. Louis as well averaging 26:34 per game and is not only a high upside play but has also provided excellent cash game value as well with 34 shots and 13 blocks on the season.
Opponent - CBJ
Proj Pts FD - 10.36 DK - 3.19
For value, I will once again be leaning on Jake Muzzin of the Kings who has picked up a point in five straight games and sits in a tie for the team lead in powerplay points(3). He isn't generating an elite floor with 10 blocks and 17 shots but with a steady mid $4K price tag on both sites, he is in play in all formats.
Also Consider: Justin Faulk(CAR) for GPP & Joel Edmundson(STL) as a punt cash game play
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
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