Daily Fantasy Hockey Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings 3/13/18

Welcome back hockey fans. Tuesday brings us a seven-game slate full of great plays and includes five teams(CAR, LA, MON, OTT, WPG) who are playing the second of a back to back. Let's dig 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.

GOALIE

Pekka Rinne FD - $9100 DK - $7800
Opponent - WPG
Proj Pts FD - 14.54 DK - 3.64

Since the calendar turned to 2018, Pekka Rinne has been arguably the best goaltender in the league with an elite 18-2-1 record and .934 save % with four shutouts. He has helped get the Preds leap the Vegas Golden Knights for the top spot in the Eastern Conference as the playoffs are just around the corner. Tonight he gets a matchup vs. the Jets who will be playing the second of a back to back on the road and they are currently down 2-1 in Washington. Rinne will also offer some upside as the Jets sit mid-pack when looking at shots per game and the Preds sit 20th overall in shots against so fire up him up in all formats tonight.

Tuukka Rask FD - $9000 DK - $8200
Opponent - CAR
Proj Pts FD - 14.56 DK - 3.64

I see no reason to go away from Rinne in cash games but for GPP's I like the possible ownership gap and upside that Tuukka Rask presents tonight. He has won seven of his last 10 starts but has struggled to a .895 save % and that alone will have a ton of game log chasers paying up for Vasilevskiy or Rinne(FanDuel). Take advantage as the Bruins get a terrific matchup vs. the Hurricanes who rank 27th overall on offense and will be playing the second of a back to back and rank Top 5 in shots for giving Rask some added upside.

Also Consider: Kari Lehtonen(DAL) in GPP formats

CENTERS

Tyler Seguin FD - $8500 DK - $7500
Opponent - MON
Proj Pts FD - 17.93 DK - 5.21

I normally reserve Seguin when the Stars are playing on home ice but tonight he stands out as a top play and makes a tough fade. He has been red-hot lately with points in eight of his last nine games and not only has big upside but also provides a very high floor with 40 shots in those games and sits second in the league with 277 shots on the season(4.0 per game). The other part of the equation is the matchup vs. the Habs who are not only playing on a back to back but went into Monday night's game losers of four straight giving up 16 goals are currently down 4-1 to the  Blue Jackets. Lock Seguin into your lineups in all formats.

PP Stack with: Jamie Benn, Alexander Radulov

Eric Staal FD - $7600 DK - $6900
Opponent - COL
Proj Pts FD - 16.15 DK - 4.59

He was held without a point in his last game but has been scorching hot lately with 11 goals and 15 points over his last 10 games with a whopping 38 shots on goal giving him an elite ceiling for GPP's and floor for cash games. What I like most tonight is that not only are the Wild better at home but the Avs have really struggled on the road lately losing eight of their last 10 away from Denver while giving up 4.1 goals per game. He is a great play on his own or as a part of a stack with Granlund and Zucker who he skates with on the top line and top powerplay unit.

Stack with: Mikael Granlund, Jason Zucker

Riley Nash FD - $5600 DK - $5600
Opponent - CAR
Proj Pts FD - 10.47 DK - 2.99

If you are looking for a value play at the position, I will once again be relying on Riley Nash of the Bruins. He has been skating on the top line with Marchand and Pastrnak since Bergeron went down with injury and has filled in admirably with points in five of seven games including three multi-point efforts. He doesn't provide a ton of safety with low shot volume but the price has started to come back down($300 less than last game on DK) making him playable in all formats.

Stack with: Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak

WINGERS

Johnny Gaudreau FD - $7700 DK - $7100
Opponent - EDM
Proj Pts FD - 13.75 DK - 3.98

This will be the third slate in a row I have been on the picks article and will be writing about Johnny Hockey. I talked about how he was heating up and that narrative continues as he extended his point streak to four games vs. the Islanders on Sunday and has two multi-point efforts in there as well. He has been surprisingly better on the road this season but considering he gets another near elite matchup vs. the Oilers 29th ranked defense I will be playing him on home ice. The Flames have yet to beat the Oilers this season(0-3) but have scored eight goals in their last two meetings and Gaudreau has picked up three points in those games. He is safe in all formats.

Stack with: Micheal Ferland, Sean Monahan

J.T. Miller FD - $5900 DK - $5500
Opponent - OTT
Proj Pts FD - 11.24 DK - 3.16

The Lightning get one of, if not the best offensive matchups of the night as they are home to the Senators who are playing the second of a back to back on the road and rank 30th overall in defense. We are definitely going to want some exposure to the Bolts offense and for cash games, I love turning to the second line and it starts with J.T. Miller tonight. He came over in a trade from the Rangers at the deadline and has averaged a point per game with his new team. There is a little risk as the shot volume isn't great but combine the value and matchup and I am willing to roll the dice.

Stack with: Brayden Point, Yanni Gourde

Brendan Gallagher FD - $6800 DK - $5200
Opponent - DAL
Proj Pts FD - 12.94 DK - 3.76

If you are looking to head out to left field and separate yourself in GPP formats tonight consider Brendan Gallagher. The Habs offense has been pretty terrible all year but if you are going to pick one of them it is Gallagher who leads the team with 24 goals and 41 points and the matchup vs. the Stars isn't quite as bad as it looks. They do rank Top 10 in road defense on the season but have struggled a bit lately losing four of their last five away from Dallas. Chances are, on a seven-game slate, the Habs will be very low owned and if they go off for multiple goals can be a GPP winning stack.

PP Stack with: Alex Galchenyuk, Jonathan Drouin, Paul Byron

DEFENSEMEN

Ryan Ellis FD - $5500 DK - $5700
Opponent - WPG
Proj Pts FD - 15.36 DK - 4.44

From a PTS/$ perspective, there is no player at any position who tops Ryan Ellis tonight. He is extremely underpriced considering the fantasy production he has been providing in every area lately. Over his last 10 games, he has flashed elite upside with 11 points and has also added a ton of safety with 32 shots and 22 blocks for an average of 5.2 DraftKings/18.5 FanDuel points per game. On top of that, he gets an elite matchup vs. the Sens who are playing on a back to back and rank 30th overall on defense. Fire up Ellis in all formats tonight.

Travis Hamonic FD - $3600 DK - $3300
Opponent - EDM
Proj Pts FD - 7.27 DK - 2.12

If you are playing Ellis and a few top priced players in cash games today, you are going to need a punt play on defense. I will be once again turning to Travis Hamonic of the Flames who has provided just enough value lately to pay off his punt price. He has nine shots in his last two games and 21 over his last 10 with 19 blocks and has also added three points. He doesn't get any powerplay time but still averages over 20 minutes of ice-time as he is a staple on the second pairing and gets a ton of penalty kill time.

Also Consider: Jake Muzzin(LAK), Ryan Suter(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.