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 hockey fans. Saturday starts off with a two-game afternoon slate with the Blues visiting the Flyers and then the Oilers visiting the Stars. For the purpose of this article, we will be turning our attention to the seven-game main slate starting at 7:00 p.m. ET tonight. 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 - 14.56 DK - 3.64
This guy was my top goalie in my most recent article two nights ago, but Mother Nature decided to have a little fun which ultimately decided on the Panthers/Bruins game being postponed due to inclement weather. Rask has been brilliant lately as he has won six games in a row to go along with a 0.99 GAA and a .963 save % in those six games. The Hurricanes and their 19th ranked offense and 26th ranked powerplay are definately nothing to be afraid of, so with all things considered, Rask is my top cash game goalie this evening.
Opponent - OTT
Proj Pts FD - 14.86 DK - 3.71
The young Russian has been blazing hot lately as he is 5-0-1 in his last six games while allowing only five goals and earning an insane three shutouts during that span. The Senators and their 28th ranked offense host the Lightning this evening and Vasilevskiy has recorded two of his most recent shutouts on the road, so an away game doesn't scare me here. Vasilevskiy is a great GPP play and if for some reason Rask doesn't play, then he is my top goalie in all formats.
Also Consider: Frederik Andersen(TOR)
Opponent - MIN
Proj Pts FD - 15.12 DK - 4.42
Even though this young star had a tough matchup against the Blue Jackets last game, he still came through with an assist and a whopping seven shots on goal, which now gives him two goals, seven assists, and 17 shots in his last four games. The Wild are ranked 14th defensively, but they are worse away from home and the Avalanche have been playing some good hockey recently. Mackinnon is usually a GPP only play for me, but center is a tough position today and he has been phenomenal lately, so he is a great play in all formats.
Stack with: Mikko Rantanen, Gabriel Landeskog
Opponent - VAN
Proj Pts FD - 16.32 DK - 4.67
The former #1 pick has been as steady as a rock this season and tonight he and the Leafs take on the Canucks who are bad at this thing we call hockey and they ranked 27th defensively. Matthews has three goals in his last three games, 17 shots in his last four, and he has 36 blocks in 32 games which is very impressive for a top line forward. The Leafs spread their ice-time around quite a bit, so Matthews' upside is slightly limited, but he offers a ton of safety on any given night with his contribution in all areas.
Stack with: William Nylander, Patrick Marleau(PP)
Opponent - CAR
Proj Pts FD - 7.88 DK - 2.33
This young man has been a pleasant surprise for the Bruins this season and he's been playing well lately as he has two goals, three assists, five shots, and nine blocks in his last four games. Nash centers the #3 line for the Bruins and sees very little powerplay time, but he is surrounded by two very talented linemates which makes him a very intriguing GPP play this evening.
Stack with: David Backes, Danton Heinen
Also Consider: Brayden Point(TB)
Opponent - OTT
Proj Pts FD - 16.79 DK - 4.95
I love watching this guy play and he scored his team's only goal against Carey Price who was absolutely sensational last game. Well, the Lightning travel to Ottawa tonight to fire shots against the Senators goalie and their pathetic 28th ranked defense(They have allowed five goals as I write this). The Russian superstar is first in the league with 57 points, tied for first with 26 goals, and he is sixth amongst wingers with 144 shots on goal, so don't think twice and lock him and load him in all formats.
Stack with: Steven Stamkos, Vladislav Namestnikov
Opponent - COL
Proj Pts FD - 11.12 DK - 3.26
If we want to take down a large tourney or two, we need to seperate ourselves from the masses and this guy recorded three assists last game and he has a whopping 17 shots in his last three games which means that he should be due for a goal or two very shortly. The Avalanche are ranked 21st defensively and the Wild have Parise and Niederrieter back(I have a headache after spelling that guy's name), so look for them to score a few goals today and for this guy to be a large part of it.
Stack with: Nino Niederreiter, Mikko Koivu
Opponent - NAS
Proj Pts FD - 10.16 DK - 2.88
This guy was recently promoted to the top line and the #1 powerplay unit and it has paid dividends for him and the Kings as he has two goals, two assists, and seven shots in his last two games. The Predators have a top-10 defense, but they haven't been playing well lately, especially away from home, so at these cheap prices, fire Pearson up in all formats.
Stack with: Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown
Also Consider: Rickard Rakell(ANA), Johnny Gaudreau (CGY)
DEFENSEMEN
Opponent - OTT
Proj Pts FD - 10.83 DK - 3.34
Like I mentioned earlier, Ottawa does not do well at this thing we call hockey and this stud defenseman has points in nine of his last 11 games (with three of those being multi-point efforts) and he has 11 shots and nine blocks in his last three. Hedman has safety and upside written all over him as he plays on the lethal #1 powerplay unit for the Lightning, so lock him and load him in all formats against a weak Ottawa defense.
Opponent - MIN
Proj Pts FD - 7.39 DK - 2.11
Honestly, this may be the first time that this guy has ever made it to a fantasy hockey article, but if he keeps his recent success going, then this may not be his last. Colorado was lacking defensemen, so they brought this guy over from Dallas this off-season and he has a goal, nine shots, and 14 blocks in his last three games, and a crazy 41 blocks in his last eight. Blocked shots equal safety, so fire Nemeth up in your cash game lineups folks.
Also Consider: Jared Spurgeon(MIN)
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 Sheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1f5qE8ZeTBvn5c2GqUS2MwwgKrHT_CaW6EGXZOJ17N1s/edit?usp=sharing
what the colors mean on the spreadsheets