Welcome back hockey fans. Tonight we get a big 12-game slate in daily fantasy hockey that includes three teams playing on back to back nights and four teams playing a third game in four nights. There is a ton to talk about so 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 - PHI
Proj Pts FD - 18.71 DK - 4.68
Allen has been tremendous all season for the Blues and comes into tonight's matchup on a bit of a heater having won three straight home games in which he has allowed two or fewer goals in each. That pushes his record to 7-2-1 with a .921 save % and he should be able to build on that tonight as the Blues are big(-180) home favorites to a Flyers team that is playing a back to back and third game in four nights on the road. The Flyers have also been struggling lately coming off a shutout to the Hawks last night and have lost four of their last five games. Lock Allen into your lineups in all formats.
Opponent - TOR
Proj Pts FD - 16.1 DK - 4.03
After a night where we had some tough decisions to make at the goalie position, we get multiple options tonight. In cash games, I will be splitting my lineups with Allen and Jonathan Quick who comes into tonight leading the league with a .942 save %(of goalies with 5+ starts) and has been a huge part of the Kings ranking #1 in defense allowing just two goals per game. There may be a little risk to this pick as he faces a Leafs team that ranks inside the Top 3 in offense but he will be at home and the Leafs are playing on a back to back and the third game in four nights on the road in California. The floor and ceiling are high for Quick as he has faced 32+ shots on the season while the Leafs fire 30+ shots per game. He is a great option in all formats.
Also Consider: Tuukka Rask(BOS) as a low-owned GPP play
Opponent - NYR
Proj Pts FD - 17.76 DK - 5.23
He is now the most expensive option at the center position on both sites and he has earned it as he leads the league with 24 points. The incredible point streak came to an end two games ago but he started a new one last game with a two-goal, three-point performance against the Florida Panthers. Not only does he provide a ton of upside with his linemates but he also gives us a safe floor in cash games as he is firing 3+ shots on goal per game. Until the Lightning and Stamkos fall off completely, I will be rolling him out in all formats, especially on a big slate where there is a ton of value.
Stack with: Nikita Kucherov, Vladislav Namestnikov
Opponent - VEG
Proj Pts FD - 12.74 DK - 4.02
Sinc returning to the Bruins lineup, Bergeron has provided a spark but has had some inconsistent fantasy performances when with points in two of his five games. It just so happens that both of those games were multi-point performances giving him a huge ceiling for GPP formats. The fact he also comes at a discount in the mid-tier and is averaging over four shots per game brings him into the cash game conversation as well if you are planning to build a more balanced lineup. It also helps that the Bruins face a Vegas team in the middle of a road trip having lost two straight and have given up six goals in each game.
Stack with: Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak
Opponent - PHI
Proj Pts FD - 11.76 DK - 3.45
The narrative is strong with this pick as Brayden Schenn will be facing the Flyers for the first time since coming over in a trade in the offseason. He is having a terrific start to the year for the Blues as he has recorded 11 points through 13 games, eight of which have come at 5 on 5 where he struggled in past years with the Flyers. It probably helps that he centers a line with elite goal scorer Vladimir Tarasenko and he is also getting just over 19 minutes of ice-time per game. The shot volume isn't where I would like for cash games(2.7 per game) but the upside and price make him a top GPP play at the center position for me tonight.
Also Consider: Vladimir Tarasenko, Jaden Schwartz
Opponent - NYI
Proj Pts FD - 17.43 DK - 5.07
The huge success of the Lightning combo of Kucherov and Stamkos has helped provide a bit of a discount for Ovechkin giving him near elite PTS/$ value in the upper tier. He gives us everything we are looking for when paying up as the floor is about as high as it can get as he leads the league with 61 shots on goal and then add the upside as he is an elite goal scorer chasing his ninth 40+ goal season and already has put 10 in the back of the net. All things considered, he is worth paying up for in all formats today.
Stack with: Evgeny Kuznetsov, Nicklas Backstrom(PP)
Opponent - ARI
Proj Pts FD - 14.75 DK - 4.31
Speaking of high floors and shot volume, Evander Kane sits just one shot back of Ovi this season with 60 and he has also provided a nice ceiling with a balanced attack of six goals and six assists in his 12 games played. His price has taken a jump back into the $7K range on DraftKings(14% of cap) but on FanDuel in the lower $6K range(11% of cap) he is much better play and safe in all formats. It also helps that he gets an elite matchup vs. the Coyotes who rank dead last in defense this season having given up 4.3 goals per game.
Stack with: Jack Eichel, Jason Pominville
Opponent - CGY
Proj Pts FD - 11.95 DK - 3.54
Hornqvist made the jump to the top line with Sidney Crosby and Conor Sheary last night and didn't disappoint scoring his fourth goal of the season and also provided us with seven shots on goal. If he continues to skate on that top line and powerplay unit we can fully expect the price to start going up fast so jumping on him now is the optimal play. He is safe in all formats until further notice.
Stack with: Sidney Crosby, Conor Sheary
Also Consider: Tyler Toffoli(LAK)
DEFENSEMEN
Opponent - PHI
Proj Pts FD - 14.2 DK - 4.23
Opponent - PHI
Proj Pts FD - 11.31 DK - 3.33
Like the Kings, the Blues are a team I love to turn to for my defense and tonight you can go high or low depending on your lineup construction. In a more balanced lineup, I think it is worth paying up for Pietrangelo who provides not only a high floor with a nice balance of shots and blocks but he also provides a ton of upside as he is averaging a point per game. If you are looking to pay up for multiple high-upside forwards, and there are a ton, I think it's a great idea to roll out Joel Edmundson. He doesn't provide much, if any, offensive upside but is an elite shot blocker and is averaging 3.4 DK/11.6 FD points per game.
Opponent - DAL
Proj Pts FD - 7.66 DK - 2.26
Another player who has a very similar mold as Edmundson is Josh Morrissey of the Jets. He gets a little less ice-time overall but has recorded multiple blocked shots in all but one game this season and is still averaging 2.7 DK/9.2 FD points per game. He is in play as a punt option on both sites but his best value comes on DraftKings where he is $400 less than Edmundson. For cash games, I love pairing the two of them to get exposure to the Lightning, Capitals, and Penguins.
Also Consider: Alec Martinez(LAK)
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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