Daily Fantasy Hockey Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings 3/8/18

Hello hockey fans and welcome to another exciting day of NHL action here at DFSR. This evening, we have a massive 12-game slate on tap for us with only two teams(BUF,PHI) playing on consecutive nights, so almost everyone should be well-rested and ready to go. There are some weak defenses to go along with some high-powered offenses hitting the ice today, so let's not waste any more time and dive right into the picks.

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 - $9100 DK - $8200
Opponent - ANA
Proj Pts FD - 14.76 DK - 3.69

Elite goalies realize when it is time to shine and this veteran superstar is more than ready to carry his team on his back as the Preds look to make a deep playoff run again this season. Rinne is a terrific 17-1-1 in his last 19 games to go along with a stifling .928 save %, 2.29 GAA, and seven shutouts. The Ducks have been playing better of late, but they still own the league's 19th ranked offense and Rinne most recently earned a shutout against a solid Stars offense, so I'm not the least bit concerned this evening. Rinne is equivalent to a brick wall right now and he is an elite play and my top goalie in all formats.

Andrei Vasilevskiy FD - $9200 DK - $8500
Opponent - NYR
Proj Pts FD - 14.29 DK - 3.57

If all you are worried about when rostering a goalie is earning the 12 points on Fanduel and four points over at Draftkings for the win then this is your guy but I will warn you that he could very well allow more than a couple of goals in the process. It helps a great deal when you play for the league's #1 powerhouse of an offense, but the young tender has allowed 10 goals in each of his last two victories. On a positive note, he faced a whopping 92 shots in those two games and the Lightning are listed as -270 favorites against the Rangers and their 24th-ranked offense. Personally, I will be using Rinne in 100% of my lineups in all formats, but if for some reason you don't like him, then Vasilevskiy is a solid cash game play this evening.

Also Consider: Roberto Luongo(FLA), Sergei Bobrovsky(CLB)

CENTERS

Connor McDavid FD - $9200 DK - $8100
Opponent - NYI
Proj Pts FD - 19.41 DK - 5.51

If this matchup wasn't incredibly juicy then I wouldn't be quite as excited as I am about this guy but I don't think I will be able to fade him this evening against the Isles and their pathetic league-worst defense. "McJesus" has been playing very well lately as he has three goals, six assists, and 21 shots during his current five-game point streak to give him 80 points in only 66 games. The superstar center also boasts a solid shot per game average of 3.35, so all things considered, McDavid is an elite play and my top center in all formats this evening.

Stack with: Leon Draisaitl, Milan Lucic

Aleksander Barkov FD - $7600 DK - $7300
Opponent - MON
Proj Pts FD - 16.79 DK - 4.78

The former second-overall pick in the 2013 NHL entry draft has already set a new career-high in points with 66 this season and he still has 19 games remaining. Barkov looks like he belongs in the show for many years to come and he is currently on a seven-game point streak where he has five goals and 12 points. He also has 209 shots to go along with 51 blocks which gives him an elite floor and the matchup against the Canadiens and their 29th ranked road defense gives him a ton of upside. If you can't afford McDavid today then make sure Barkov is locked into your lineups in all formats, my friends.

Stack with: Evgenii Dadonov, Nick Bjugstad

Matt Duchene FD - $5900 DK - $5300
Opponent - BUF
Proj Pts FD - 9.34 DK - 2.72

Just when we were ready to give the Sabres a tiny bit of respect, they go and get blown out 5-1 against an average Flames team. The Flames could have made it 12-1 but they just floated around for most of the second half. Duchene will be licking his chops this evening as the Sabres and their 27th ranked defense now travel to Ottawa on short rest. The veteran has been playing some solid hockey lately as he has two goals, an assist, nine shots, and two blocks in his last two games and he recorded three assists against this same team only a month ago. The prices are cheap so hop on this guy's bus now before it fills up and take a seat at the front, right beside yours truly.

Stack with: Mike Hoffman, Ryan Dzingel, Mark Stone(PP)

WINGERS

Patrik Laine FD - $7800 DK - $7300
Opponent - NJ
Proj Pts FD - 13.91 DK - 4.09

I was alone on the warning track in center field when recommending this young stud last game but he made me look smart as he went wild and scored a hat-trick against the Rangers to go along with four shots and a block. The sophomore sensation is on a blazing hot nine-game point streak with an insane 13 goals and six assists and he has seven goals, one assist, and a whopping 13 shots in his last three. Laine now has 38 goals(two behind Alex Ovechkin) and 66 points which are only three behind his rookie total with 16 games remaining. The Devils aren't much of a threat with their 19th ranked defense so all things considered, Laine is an elite play and my top winger in all formats.

Stack with: Paul Stastny, Nikolaj Ehlers

Brad Marchand FD - $7800 DK - $7600
Opponent - PHI
Proj Pts FD - 14.87 DK - 4.31

I was seriously thinking of mentioning Taylor Hall here, but we are starting to sound like a broken record with him and the Jets are ranked fifth defensively so I'm going to throw you a changeup this evening. Enter Brad Marchand, who went nuts last game with five points to give him four goals, four assists, and nine shots in his last three. The veteran now has 66 points in only 51 games to go along with a solid shot per game average of 2.70 and while the Flyers own the league's 12th ranked defense, they just finished allowing five goals to the Penguins so they should be exhausted. Fire up Marchand in all formats and reap the rewards this evening.

Stack with: David Pastrnak, Riley Nash, David Backes(PP)

Yanni Gourde FD - $5500 DK - $5500
Opponent - NYR
Proj Pts FD - 11.63 DK - 3.28

I like the entire second line for the Lightning as they offer a tremendous amount of value each and every night. Enter Gourde who has two goals, two assists, six shots, and two blocks in his last two games, and he has benefited greatly with the addition of fellow winger, J.T. Miller. The Rangers are about to get blown out of the water by the Lightning, so fire up Gourde in your cash games and stack him with his linemates in your tournament lineups.

Stack with: Brayden Point, J.T. Miller

Also Consider: Taylor Hall(NJ), Jordan Eberle(NYI)

DEFENSEMEN

Kris Russell FD - $3900 DK - $4200
Opponent - NYI
Proj Pts FD - 9.43 DK - 2.79

There are quite a few elite players hitting the ice today so value is as important as ever and let's start with this guy who leads the league with a painful 199 blocks which work out to an amazing 3.11 per game. What also impresses me about Russell is that he has managed to record 21 points and 78 shots as well so lock the veteran tough guy into your cash game lineups and spend elsewhere.

Mike Reilly FD - $3500 DK - $2900
Opponent - FLA
Proj Pts FD - 5.15 DK - 1.52

The Canadiens are a dumpster fire right now and have mailed it in this season so they are giving guys like this youngster a chance to show what he is made of. He was traded from the Wild at the deadline and he has actually shown upside lately as he has four assists and four shots in his last three games while averaging around 20 minutes of ice-time during that span. At these low prices you can lock and load Reilly in all formats.

Also Consider: Torey Krug(BOS), Ryan Ellis(NSH)

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.