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)
After a busy night in the National Hockey League, we are back with quiet three-game slate with no teams playing on a back to back. Let's jump in and take a look at some fo 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 - SJ
Proj Pts FD - 14.96 DK - 3.74
Despite the road matchup and small slate, Vasilevskiy is the top option today if you are paying up on FanDuel and he also comes with a bit of a discount on DraftKings. He is first in the league with 11 wins to give him an incredible 11-1-1 record and he is second in the league with 437 shots allowed which works out to an average of 33.6 per game. The Sharks are tied for 9th in shots for per game(32.7) and 21st in goals scored per game.(2.69) On the other hand, Tampa is tied for 10th in shots allowed per game (32.8) and 7th best in goals against per game.(2.73) The Sharks are currently listed as tiny favorites to win this game, but with the Lightning's high powered offense and surprisingly good defense, I think Vasilevskiy could have a monster performance here, so fire him up in all formats this evening.
Also Consider: Henrik Lundqvist(NYR) in GPP formats as he has been red-hot winning four straight and five of his last six starts and is a -140 home favorite vs. a Bruins team that is struggling on the road early in the season.
Opponent - MIN
Proj Pts FD - 15.91 DK - 4.56
The Maple Leafs are a tough team to target for DFS purposes, but one guy that we know is going to be involved in every game is the former #1 pick who is having a great start to the 2017-2018 season. In his sophomore season, Matthews is tied for fifth in goals(10), tied for fifth in points(19), and he is third amongst centers with 53 shots on goal. He plays on the #1 line and the top PP unit for the Leafs and he has a goal, two assists, and a whopping 15 shots on goal in his last three games. He offers huge upside on any given day regardless of his opponent so lock him into your tournament lineups and if you insist on playing cash games like yours truly, then he offers a safe floor for those as well.
**Update - Matthews is dealing with an upper-body injury an will not play tonight. I would recommend turning to Nazem Kadri for the Leafs who could see some extra ice-time
Opponent - TOR
Proj Pts FD - 11.3 DK - 3.26
It was a tough choice here between Eric Staal and Koivu, but I definitely want exposure tonight against the Maple Leafs and their awful looking 29th ranked defense which gives up 3.63 goals per game. I decided on Koivu because he plays on the #1 PP unit and Staal doesn't. There is very little safety here, but if the Wild do go off tonight then look for this guy to be a large part of the action. He had two assists three games ago and he does have eight shots on goal in his last three games. Stack him with his linemates and maximize your upside in GPP formats.
Stack with: Mikael Granlund, Nino Niederreiter
Also Consider: Brayden Point(TB)
Opponent - SJ
Proj Pts FD - 19.1 DK - 5.56
The Russian superstar is second in the league in points with 23, first in goals with 14, and he has fired 58 shots on goal through 15 games. The Lightning's top line seems unstoppable most nights and Kucherov also plays on the #1 PP unit which ranks second overall. This line will be popular tonight, but they are very dangerous to fade on a tiny slate like this. Lock and load Kucherov with confidence in all formats.
Stack With: Steven Stamkos, Vladimir Namestnikov
Opponent - SJ
Proj Pts FD - 9.68 DK - 2.72
While the Lightning's #1 line steals all the attention, the second line has been very good in their own regards to start the season and this young man looks like he's not going anywhere soon. He has a goal in each of his last three games to go along with an assist, seven shots, and three blocks and he plays on the #2 PP unit with his linemates. While the Sharks have a good defense, Tampa's offense is the best in the league(3.87 goals scored per game). Lock Gourde into your cash game lineups and stack him with his linemates to go contrarian in your GPP lineups.
Stack with: Brayden Point, Ondrej Palat
Opponent - BOS
Proj Pts FD - 9.97 DK - 2.89
In order to fit Tampa's #1 line in GPP's today, we need some value to fill our lineups with and this guy plays on the #1 line and the #1 PP unit for the Rangers. Last game, the young winger had a PP goal, an assist, and two shots on goal so he could be on the verge of a hot streak. Buchnevich looks like a solid GPP play this evening.
Stack with: Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider
DEFENSEMEN
Opponent - BOS
Proj Pts FD - 12.69 DK - 3.82
I recommended this veteran workhorse on Monday and he performed well as he tallied a PP goal, an assist, two shots and a block and he is now on a five-game point streak with three goals and five assists. He plays on the #1 PP unit for the Rangers and he is an elite play in all formats against an average Bruins defense.
Opponent - TOR
Proj Pts FD - 11.68 DK - 3.51
Like I said earlier, the Leafs are ranked 29th on defense and here we have a guy who logs a ton of ice time while also killing penalties and he also quarterback's the #1 PP unit for the Wild. He has a goal, an assist, seven shots, and six blocks in his last two games and he offers the safety and the upside that we look for in all formats. Lock and load Suter this evening.
Also Consider: Brendan Dillon(SJ) as a punt play to help fit in so more expensive options. He has limited upside but has averaged 2.6 DK/8.8 FD points over his last four games
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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