Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov, right, of Russia, is congratulated by center Steven Stamkos after scoring against the Los Angeles Kings during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Nov. 9, 2017, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Michael Owen Baker)
Welcome back fantasy hockey fans. We have a very busy night in the National Hockey League with 12 games on the schedule so let's not waste any time and jump right into the top picks at every 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 - DAL
Proj Pts FD - 15.28 DK - 3.82
It hasn't been just the offense for the Lightning leading them to the best record in hockey. Their defense and goaltending have also been operating at an elite level as Vasilevskiy leads the league with a tremendous 13-1-1 record and has posted a 2.32 GAA and .930 save percentage. Tonight they are home to the Stars and sit as early -165 favorites and while the Stars have been dangerous on home ice, they have really struggled on the road going 3-6-1 while scoring just 2.5 goals per game. Vasilevskiy is my top goalie in all formats tonight.
Opponent - ARI
Proj Pts FD - 15.85 DK - 3.97
Lindgren is coming off a hard-luck overtime loss to the Blue Jackets on Tuesday but I am going right back to him tonight in GPP formats, especially on FanDuel where he is the 11th highest priced option between the pipes. If the Habs had any offense at all(ranked 30th) Lindgren would still be undefeated in Carey Price's absence as he still has yet to allow more than two goals against in a game and sits with an elite 1.39 GAA and .957 save percentage. He will be making his sixth straight start tonight and gets a much better matchup vs. the Coyotes who rank dead last in both offense and defense this season.
Also Consider: Jonathan Quick(LAK)
Opponent - DAL
Proj Pts FD - 17.19 DK - 5.06
The league leader in points(31) makes a great place to start your lineups tonight. He has recorded points in all but two games this season with a whopping 10 multi-point efforts with an average of 3.2 shots per game and is averaging an elite 5.5 DraftKings and 21.8 FanDuel points per game. While the Stars rank middle of the pack in defense overall, they have struggled on the road(3-6-1) allowing four or more goals in six of their last eight games away from the big D. Lock Stammer into your lineups in all formats tonight and pair him with his linemates to create a very high upside stack for GPP's.
Stack with: Nikita Kucherov, Vladislav Namestnikov
Opponent - BOS
Proj Pts FD - 13.48 DK - 4.28
If you are looking to go more balanced in cash games, I would strongly suggest starting your lineup with Anze Kopitar who comes in under $7K on both sites. He centers the top line in Los Angeles and is well on his way to an incredible bounce-back season after recording just 52 points with a -10 rating last season. With 11 points in his last 10 games, he now has nine goals and 22 points on the season(ranked 7th overall) and isn't just an upside play with 48 shots on goal.
Stack with: Dustin Brown, Alex Iafallo
Opponent - ARI
Proj Pts FD - 8.74 DK - 2.83
On the value end of things, I will be turning to Phillip Danault who centers the second line and powerplay unit for the Habs. Despite ranking near the bottom of the league in offense, Danault has provided excellent fantasy value with 11 points this season and has sen an uptick in shot volume lately as he has tallied 28 over his last 10 games. Not only does he comes with a high $4K/low $5K price tag, he gets an elite home matchup vs. the Coyotes who rank dead last in defense allowing 3.9 goals per game. All things considered, he is safe in all formats.
Stack with: Max Pacioretty, Andrew Shaw
Opponent - EDM
Proj Pts FD - 16.37 DK - 4.78
Outside of Nikita Kucherov, there is absolutely no reason not to rank Vladimir Tarasenko at the top of your list tonight or any night for that matter. He provides everything we are looking for from an elite priced player as he has recorded 13 points in his last 10 games with 49 shots on goal which isn't actually too far ahead of his season averages(1.2 points and 4.3 shots per game). Edmonton is another team that ranks middle of the pack when it comes to defense but Tarasenko is practically matchup-proof at this point and should not be avoided in any format.
Stack with: Jaden Schwartz, Brayden Schenn
Opponent - TOR
Proj Pts FD - 15.23 DK - 4.44
Hall has been up and down with the offense this season with stretches of no production but has already tallied five multi-point games and gets an elite matchup tonight. It is very likely this game reaches the over from a Vegas standpoint as both teams rank inside the Top 5 in offense but in the bottom 10 in defense. I won't be using Hall in cash games as I will be building around Tarasenko but he makes an excellent GPP pivot at a possible lower ownership.
Stack with: Nico Hischier, Kyle Palmieri
Opponent - OTT
Proj Pts FD - 12.12 DK - 3.59
From a value perspective, there is almost no better option on the wing than Patric Hornqvist. He was moved down to the third line with Connor Sheary and newcomer Riley Sheahan but that hasn't stopped his fantasy production. He may only have five points over his last 10 games but he has recorded a whopping 37 shots on goal and the opportunity for a high ceiling will always be there as he also skates on the top powerplay unit with Crosby, Malkin, Kessel, and Letang. He is an elite cash game play and in the right matchup is a great addition to a Penguins powerplay stack.
Stack with: Connor Sheary, Evgeni Malkin(PP), Sidney Crosby(PP), Phil Kessel(PP)
Also Consider: Mike Hoffman(OTT)
DEFENSEMEN
Opponent - EDM
Proj Pts FD - 10.56 DK - 3.09
With all the talent at the forward position in excellent matchups, I will be once again resorting to a value strategy at the defense position. It starts with Joel Edmundson of the Blues who has been one of my favorite all season. He isn't going to provide a ton of upside but has been playing his best offensive game lately with six of his seven points coming in his last 10 games. What he does provide game in and game out is elite shot blocking as he leads the league with 53 blocks on the season which gives him a very high floor.
Opponent - ARI
Proj Pts FD - 7.74 DK - 2.25
Benn's shot blocking isn't quite at the level of Edmundson's but he is getting close with 19 over his last five games and best of all he comes at punt prices on both sites making it possible to roster multiple high-end players. Despite the lack of powerplay time, he is skating with Weber on the Habs top unit and is a key penalty killer where most of those blocks come from. I will be using him in all formats once again tonight in a great matchup vs. the Coyotes.
Also Consider: Jacob Trouba(WPG) for cash games & Alex Pietrangelo(STL) for GPP's
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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NHL cheatsheet for today:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1qeTthBecY3qLiRKEbtEnShndwXbC2MtQ5NjCrrsCzcI/edit?usp=sharing
Odds will be updated again shortly