Daily Fantasy Hockey Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings 2/15/18

Hello hockey fans and welcome to another day of exciting NHL action. Today, we have 11 games on tap and 13 of the league's 15 worst defenses are in action, so expect a pile of goals to be scored. Let's get started with some picks, shall we?

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.

GOALIE

Pekka Rinne FD - $8800 DK - $8200
Opponent - CGY
Proj Pts FD - 14.98 DK - 3.74

The Vezina Trophy race is heating up and this guy is letting everyone know that he is still an elite goalie as he is 5-0-1 in February and 29-8-4 this season to go along with a .927 save %, a 2.31 GAA, with five shutouts. The Flames have been playing some decent hockey lately, but they're still ranked 22nd in offense and this is their last game of a lengthy six-game road swing against Eastern Conference teams, so I can't see them putting up much of a fight this evening. What makes Rinne even more intriguing, is the fact that he has faced the Flames twice this season while allowing only two goals to go along with a shutout. All of these things considered, Rinne is an elite play and my top goalie in all formats.

Andrei Vasilevskiy FD - $9400 DK - $8400
Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 13.58 DK - 3.4

The young star hasn't been at his best lately as he's allowed nine goals in his last three games, but he still leads the league with 33 wins and seven shutouts while facing the fourth-most shots in the league. The Wings are ranked 25th offensively and Vasilevskiy has already faced them twice while earning two victories, a .935 save % and only four goals allowed. While I will be using Rinne in cash games, I like this guy as a lower owned GPP option.

Also Consider: Matt Murray(PIT)

CENTERS

Sidney Crosby FD - $9100 DK - $7600
Opponent - LA
Proj Pts FD - 14.87 DK - 4.38

Uh Oh, Sid looks like he could be at the beginning of a blistering hot streak again as he has two goals, five assists, and 14 shots in his last four games, and he has points in 14 of his last 16. The Kings are normally not a team to pick on as they own a top-five defense, but they've looked bad lately as they've allowed 11 goals in their last two games, so you can bet on the Penguins doing their best to exploit their weaknesses. The Penguins are on a roll, especially at home, so Crosby is an elite play in all formats on Draftkings and a solid GPP play over at Fanduel.

Stack with: Bryan Rust, Dominic, Simon

Ryan O'Reilly FD - $6500 DK - $6200
Opponent - OTT
Proj Pts FD - 11.68 DK - 3.43

Superstar Jack Eichel is injured, so this guy took over his role as the #1 center and he has been blazing hot lately in his new gig as he has two powerplay goals, two assists(both short-handed), 11 shots, and three blocks in his last two games. The Senators are bad at hockey and they own the league's second-worst defense, so look for O'Reilly and the Sabres to go wild this evening and lock him and load him in all formats.

Stack with: Sam Reinhart, Kyle Okposo(PP)

Kevin Hayes FD - $5600 DK - $3800
Opponent - NYI
Proj Pts FD - 10.41 DK - 2.94

Hey everyone, guess what? We get to pick on the Islanders and their league-worst defense this evening. Enter Hayes, who is on a three-game point streak with two goals and three assists to go along with 10 shots and four blocks. He plays on the #2 line and the #2 powerplay unit for the Rangers and he is a solid play on Fanduel and a terrific play over at Draftkings where he is $1800 cheaper.

Stack with: Michael Grabner, J.T. Miller

WINGERS

Nikita Kucherov FD - $8900 DK - $7900
Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 19.24 DK - 5.6

Winger is absolutely loaded at the top today and it starts with the veteran superstar, who has three goals and three assists during his current four-game point streak and he leads the league with 72 points in only 57 games. We know this guy has an incredibly high ceiling, but his floor is also at an elite level as he has 25 shots in his last five games and the Wings are ranked 10th worst defensively. With all of these things considered, Kucherov is an elite play in all formats.

Stack with: Alex Killorn, Steven Stamkos(PP)

Taylor Hall FD - $8100 DK - $7500
Opponent - CAR
Proj Pts FD - 17.09 DK - 4.94

Holy Mackerel, this young man is playing like he is possessed lately as he is on an incredibly long 15-game point streak where he has 11 goals and 13 assists, which puts his upside through the roof. What makes Hall even more appealing this evening is his elite floor as he has 21 shots in his last five games and he is third amongst wingers with an average of 3.71 shots per game. The Hurricanes are ranked 15th in defense, but it doesn't matter, this guy is matchup proof and is an elite play in all formats, so fade him at your own risk(not recommended).

Stack with: Nico Hischier, Kyle Palmieri

Reilly Smith FD - $6200 DK - $6400
Opponent - EDM
Proj Pts FD - 9.22 DK - 2.73

The Oilers are a mess right now as they've allowed a whopping 21 goals in their last five games, so things could get ugly in Vegas this evening as the Golden Knights own the league's second-best offense. Smith has three goals, nine assists, and 19 shots in his last five games and he plays on the #1 line and the #1 powerplay unit, so fire him up in all formats against a weak Oilers team.

Stack with: Jonathan Marchessault, William Karlsson

Also Consider: Sebastian Aho(CAR)

DEFENSEMEN

Marc-Edouard Vlasic FD - $4800 DK - $4900
Opponent - VAN
Proj Pts FD - 8.59 DK - 2.74

The veteran workhorse has been as steady as a rock lately for the Sharks as he has two assists, seven shots, and nine blocks in his last four games while averaging 24 minutes of ice-time. The Canucks are ranked 25th defensively and Vlasic logs time on the #2 powerplay unit, so he has the perfect mix of safety and upside that we are looking for, therefore making him a solid play in all formats.

Kris Russell FD - $3900 DK - $3700
Opponent - VEG
Proj Pts FD - 9.31 DK - 2.86

Value is important at defense and that is especially the case this evening as there are a ton of good options in the mid to high tiers at the forward positions. Enter this guy, who leads the league in total blocks(168) and blocks per game(3.05), which is huge from safety standpoint and he has shown some upside lately with a goal and two assists in his last three games. Lock Russell into your cash game lineups and also consider him for your GPP lineups this evening at these dirt cheap prices.

Also Consider: Rasmus Ristolainen(BUF)

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.