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)
Welcome back hockey fans. I am excited to finally be back writing hockey after a week away at the Daytona 500 and a huge thanks to my partner in crime, Ryan Couckuyt, who filled in for me while I was gone. Tonight, we have a big 11-game slate with three teams(CGY, OTT, DAL) playing back to back and five teams(OTT, CGY, LA, NSH, WAS) playing a third game in four nights. 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 - NYI
Proj Pts FD - 18.67 DK - 4.67
I will be taking on some risk with my goalies tonight and it starts with Frederik Andersen. The risk is the fact the Islanders have a Top 10 offense this season even on the road but I am not too concerned as Andersen has been playing terrific lately. He has won five of his last six starts and has gone 7-2 in his last 10 games played with two shutouts and an elite .934 save %. On top of that, he has huge upside thanks to seeing over 36 shots against per game. The Leafs are huge -225 favorites tonight and will counter the Islanders with a Top 10 home defense. Roll out Andersen in all formats.
Opponent - CGY
Proj Pts FD - 15.74 DK - 3.94
The risk in this pick is the fact that the Coyotes sit in the basement of the NHL with just 17 wins and 44 points on the season. There is, however, a lot to like about Raanta tonight and it starts with the fact he has been playing at a near elite level recently. Over his last nine starts, he has gone 6-2-1, with a .938 save % and is coming off a shutout vs. the Oilers. The other risky part is that the Flames are in the thick of a playoff race(two points behind wildcard) and have a Top 10 offense on the road but have been struggling recently losing three straight and four of their last five games and will be playing on a back to back and third game in four nights. All things considered, Raanta makes a cheap, high-upside GPP pivot on this large slate.
Also Consider: Andrei Vasilevskiy(TB)
Opponent - NYI
Proj Pts FD - 16.16 DK - 4.62
Matthews has been extremely consistent all season averaging just less than a point per game and offers everything we could ask for tonight. He is averaging three shots on goal per game giving him a very manageable floor for cash games and has a ton of upside with 14 multi-point games on the season. He will have a great shot at #15 tonight as he gets an elite matchup vs. the Islanders 31st ranked defense that is allowing a whopping 3.6 goals and 36 .1 shots per game. He is my top player overall and a safe play in all formats.
Stack with: Zach Hyman, William Nylander
Opponent - OTT
Proj Pts FD - 12.72 DK - 3.62
Ryan talked last game about my man crush on Brayden Point as I am a big Moose Jaw Warriors fan and he came through once again with two goals giving him points in five straight and 52 points on the season. Tonight is another great night to target the Lightning as they face off against the Senators who have given up 32 goals in their last eight games and rank 30th on defense for the season. Point doesn't give us an elite floor with just 2.6 shots per game but has a huge ceiling skating alongside the league leader in points, Nikita Kucherov.
Stack with: Alex Killorn, Nikita Kucherov
Opponent - BUF
Proj Pts FD - 11.34 DK - 3.26
If you are looking for a GPP pivot with projected low ownership on this big slate, consider Dylan Larkin. In his third season with the Red Wings, he has seen the goal scoring go down(nine on the season) but has been a terrific setup man with 35 assists and is now just one point away from tying his career-high in points with 45. The Red Wings are a nice target overall tonight despite their struggling offense as they get a plus matchup vs. the Sabres and their 29th ranked defense. I don't trust Larkin in cash games but will have some Detroit stacks in GPP's to pair with some big names to separate myself.
Stack with: Tomas Tatar, Andreas Athanasiou
Opponent - MIN
Proj Pts FD - 16.6 DK - 4.83
It has been an incredible run he has been on lately as he extended his point streak to 19 games last time out vs. the Blue Jackets. Over those 19 games, he has recorded a whopping seven multi-point games for a total of 27 points and has also provided elite shot volume with 78 shots(4.1 per game). Tonight he is in a terrific spot to extend that streak to 20 vs. a Wild team that goes from the #1 defense at home to the #31 defense on the road as they are allowing 3.6 goals per game away from Minnesota. Fire up him up in all formats and continue to reap the benefits.
Stack with: Nico Hischier, Kyle Palmieri
Opponent - CBJ
Proj Pts FD - 15.01 DK - 4.42
Giroux has been a huge part of the Flyers surge lately as they have won seven of their last 10 games and now sit third in the division just three points behind the Capitals for first place. Giroux has tallied points in six of his last seven games with four multi-point efforts and now has 13 points over his last 10 games while skating over 19 minutes per game. He isn't getting the shot volume we would like for cash games but he makes a nice GPP pivot with so many names up top and the matchup is a good one as the Blue Jackets drop from a Top 10 defense at home to middle of the pack on the road.
Stack with: Sean Couturier, Travis Konecny
Opponent - WAS
Proj Pts FD - 12.01 DK - 3.44
Finally getting a shot as a full-time player, Dadonov has performed quite well this season with 37 points in 49 games while mostly skating on the top line. He comes in with points in four of his last five games and has provided a fairly high floor lately with 30 shots over his last 10 games. What I like most is that he comes to us in the mid $5K range on both sites and could be under-owned facing the Capitals but keep in mind they go from a Top 10 defense at home to 29th on the road.
Stack with: Aleksander Barkov, Nick Bjugstad
DEFENSEMEN
Opponent - CBJ
Proj Pts FD - 13.53 DK - 4.11
Ghost Bear has been an absolute beast lately with 14 points in his last 10 games(five multi-point efforts) and has also provided a steady floor with 27 blocks and 25 shots on goal. He skates on the top pairing and quarterbacks the #1 powerplay unit for the Flyers who are quickly making their way to the top of the division. I also mentioned with Giroux that the Blue Jackets drop from the 9th ranked defense at home to 16th on the road so play the Ghost in all formats tonight.
Opponent - TOR
Proj Pts FD - 9.85 DK - 2.9
From a PTS/$ perspective, I am all over Ryan Pulock tonight who is skating on the second pairing and second powerplay unit for the Islanders. The upside is somewhat capped as he has just four points in his last 10 games and 19 on the season but the floor is high(for the price) as he has 21 blocks and 31 shots in those previous 10 games. All things considered, he is in play for me in all formats especially on FanDuel under $4K.
Also Consider: Kris Russell(EDM)
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.
image sources
Daily Fantasy DraftKings and FanDuel NBA Picks & Projections Playing NBA DFS Nightly? Join one…
Week 9 NFL DFS plays for DraftKings and FanDuel
Packed slate of NBA action on FanDuel and DraftKings
Thursday night NBA picks for DraftKings and FanDuel
Daily Fantasy NFL Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings - Week 8 Sunday 10/27/24 Now’s…
A main slate of NBA DFS action on FanDuel and DraftKings.
View Comments
NHL sheet for today:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1fG6oE-1YXvGvRuN2NlMDFJ4WcJY26cXa1g9t0P2qMB4/edit?usp=sharing
Your picks are great Chris, and I haven't lost since I started using them. Awesome job.