Welcome back hockey fans. Today we have eight games in total with a five-game early slate(DraftKings) starting at 1:00 p.m. ET followed by a three-game main slate starting at 8:00 p.m. ET tonight. For the purpose of this article, I will be concentrating on the "normal" slate setup on DraftKings but the picks will carry over for FanDuel. Let's jump in and take a look at some of the top plays at each position on each slate.
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.
Early Slate
Opponent - CHI
Proj Pts FD - N/A DK - 4.65
There are a few ways to go at goalie on the early slate but for me, the choice is Quick. He isn't having his best season overall with a 25-23-2 record but has been much better as of late winning four of his last six starts and in those six starts has allowed more than two goals just once(.944 save %). Tonight he gets a plus matchup vs. a struggling Blackhawks team that has dropped 15 of their last 20 games and rank 20th in offense on the season and also offer Quick some upside as they average 34.7 shots on goal per game. He is safe in all formats.
Main Slate
Opponent - OTT
Proj Pts FD - 15.73 DK - 3.93
I don't normally play cash games on a small slate like this anyway so Raanta fits right into the mold and is my top goalie on the main slate. The Coyotes are the league's worst team with a 19-24-10 record but Raanta has been terrific, specifically lately as he has won four of his last five starts with two shutouts and a .946 save %. He and the Coyotes get a great matchup tonight facing the Senators who sit near the bottom of the Eastern Conference and rank 30thin defense when on the road.
Early Slate
Opponent - NYI
Proj Pts FD - N/A DK - 5.03
On a five-game slate, there is almost no way to fade Evgeni Malkin. He has been a man possessed and with 16 over his last 10 games now has 78 on the season just four back of Nikita Kucherov for the league-lead. He skates on the second line as the Pens spread out he, Crosby, and Kessel but all three join together on the team's top powerplay unit that ranks #1 in the league. Tonight, they get an elite matchup at home vs. the Islanders who own the league's worst defense allowing 3.53 goals per game. Fire up Malkin in all formats.
Stack with: Carl Hagelin, Patric Hornqvist at even strength
Opponent - MON
Proj Pts FD - 0 DK - 2.61
With Patrice Bergeron out of the lineup with a fractured foot, Riley Nash has been moved up to the top line with Marchand and Pastrnak and makes a terrific value play at a position that lacks them. He doesn't provide much shot volume but has shown upside in his first two games as the top center with back to back multi-point games and now has nine points in his last 10 games. Combine that and the matchup vs. the Habs 28th ranked road defense, and Nash is a great salary relief play in all formats.
Stack with: Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak
Main Slate
Opponent - NYR
Proj Pts FD - 0.94 DK - 0.58
If fading Malkin on a five-game slate is hard, fading McJesus on a three-game slate is practically impossible. He is the top option at any position tonight and comes in red hot with 13 points over his last 10 games and has been a shot machine with 40 in that time. He is doing his best to help the Oilers get back to the playoffs as he now has 77 points on the season and sits third behind Malkin and Kucherov. He should be able to add to that total tonight at home vs. a Rangers depleted team that ranks 35th in defense on the road.
Stack with: Milan Lucic, Anton Slepyshev
Early Slate
Opponent - STL
Proj Pts FD - 12.52 DK - 3.71
For some reason, FanDuel decided to leave out three key games today so I wanted to include a pick from their two-game early slate. Enter Jamie Benn who skates on the top line with Tyler Seguin and while he may be having his best season, has been heating up lately with points in three straight games and has provided a high floor with five or more shots in three of his last five games. The Blues broke out of a slump last time out vs. the Red Wings but overall have lost seven of their last eight games while giving up 30 goals. Lock Benn into your lineups in all formats, especially on FanDuel.
Stack with: Tyler Seguin, Alexander Radulov
Opponent - MON
Proj Pts FD - 0 DK - 0.37
If you are playing on DraftKings, Rick Nash is one of my top PTS/$ plays of the day. He got traded to the Bruins last week and has bee money since coming over with three points in his first three games and has also provided an elite floor with five shots in each of those games. He is skating on the second line with David Krejci and Jake DeBrusk and on the powerplay, he jumps up to the top unit with Marchand and Pastrnak adding to his upside. Then there is the matchup vs. the Habs who are playing on a back to back and third game in four nights and rank 28th in defense on the road.
Stack with: David Krejci, Jake DeBrusk, Brad Marchand(PP), David Pastrnak(PP)
Main Slate
Opponent - EDM
Proj Pts FD - 10.65 DK - 2.75
Coming over in the Rick Nash trade was Ryan Spooner and while he doesn't provide much of a floor, comes at a value price and may have earned himself some extra ice-time with his performance. In his first two games with the Rangers, he has five points and while I don't expect that pace to continue, he does get a top matchup vs. the Oilers who rank 30th in defense on home ice.
Stack with: To be determined
Early Slate
Opponent - STL
Proj Pts FD - 10.06 DK - 2.96
Back to the well once again with Johns as I will be looking for value at the defense position on both small slates. He is, by no means, an upside play with just 14 points on the season but does provide a high floor (for the price) as he has 30 blocks and 20 shots on goal over his last 10 games for an average of 3.3 DraftKings/11.2 FanDuel points per game.
Main Slate
Opponent - OTT
Proj Pts FD - 9.62 DK - 2.84
Almost anyone playing at home vs. the Senators is in play as they have the 30th ranked defense in the league. Enter Goligoski who comes in with a mid $4K value price tag on both sites and gives us a little of everything for fantasy. Not only has he provided a nice balance of shots(18) and blocks(26) over the last 10 games but he has also added some upside with seven points and now has 30 on the season. All things considered, he is in play in all formats.
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 updated:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1mrZhjIJ9hZem1-jpJBxyey4uCUs8E2jmjIVS_ThSqM8/edit?usp=sharing