Daily Fantasy Hockey Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings 3/15/18

Welcome back hockey fans. Tonight have nine games on tap with five teams(WAS, NYI, NSH, DET, COL) 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 - $9300 DK - $8400
Opponent - ARI
Proj Pts FD - 14.04 DK - 3.51

I wrote about him the other night as my top goalie and he didn't let us down stopping 32 of 33 shots the Jets put his way as he extended his win streak to nine games. He is now 19-2-1 since January 1st  and while the price took a big jump tonight it's for a good reason, as he gets a much better matchup vs. the Coyotes and their 30th ranked offense. Despite being on the road, I trust Rinne in all formats tonight.

Connor Hellebuyck FD - $8500 DK - $8500
Opponent - CHI
Proj Pts FD - 16.83 DK - 4.21

It's very close at the top for goalies tonight so if you don't want to roster Rinne who is on the road, consider Connor Hellebuyck. He is at home tonight where he has been near elite all season with a 23-5-2 record while recording a .921 save % and four shutouts. He also looked really good two nights ago as he stepped in for Hutchinson in the first period and completely stopped the bleeding vs. the Preds stopping all 30 shots he faced. Tonight, he gets a terrific matchup vs. a struggling Blackhawks team that has dropped nine of their last 10 games and sit in the basement of the Central Division.

Also Consider: Tristan Jarry(PIT) in GPP formats

CENTERS

Evgeni Malkin FD - $9300 DK - $7800
Opponent - MON
Proj Pts FD - 17.47 DK - 5.1

The Penguins are playing a back to back on the road tonight but combine that with the high salary and the fact that it was the secondary scoring that pitched in last night and we get a high upside GPP play tonight. Malkin has been red hot with 17 points over his last 10 games and is in a dead heat with Nikita Kucherov for the NHL point lead with 87 on the season. He has also provided excellent shot volume with 34 shots in those 10 games(3.1 per game on the season) and is best stacked with the Penguins top powerplay as they rank #1 in the league and Malkin sits fifth in powerplay points(33).

PP Stack with: Patric Hornqvist, Sidney Crosby, Phil Kessel

Anze Kopitar FD - $7500 DK - $6900
Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 14.88 DK - 4.27

Even with the Penguins on a back to back, it will be hard to avoid them for GPP formats but for cash games, I prefer taking the discount with Kopitar. He has been very consistent lately with points in five straight and eight of his last nine games with 23 for an average of 4.8 DraftKings/17.9 FanDuel points per game. He also gets an elite matchup vs. a struggling Red Wings team that has dropped seven straight games while giving up 28 goals(4.0 per game) and now rank 21st overall in defense. All things considered, Kopitar is my top center of the night from a PTS/$ perspective.

Stack with: Dustin Brown, Alex Iafallo

Also Consider: Nazem Kadri(TOR)

WINGERS

Patrik Laine FD - $8300 DK - $7400
Opponent - CHI
Proj Pts FD - 15.84 DK - 4.62

My partner in crime here at DFSR, Ryan, has been preaching this superstar for weeks and tells me there is still some room on the bandwagon. I mean how can you not be a fan of this kid. He is not even 20 years old yet and with 16 goals in his last 13 games, is just one back of Alex Ovechkin with 41 on the season which should make the Rocket Richard race very interesting down the stretch. He has also provided a very high floor lately with 36 shots in his last 10games so fire him up in all formats and enjoy!

Stack with: Paul Stastny, Nikolaj Ehlers

Vladimir Tarasenko FD - $7700 DK - $6600
Opponent - COL
Proj Pts FD - 14.54 DK - 4.25

If you are looking to make a pivot in GPP's tonight, consider Vladimir Tarasenko. He has struggled a bit with just 20 points in 28 games in the new year but has seen his salary drop into the mid-range on DraftKings at nearly a season-low which opens up some opportunity and he could also be under-owned. The good news is that the shot volume has remained intact as he has 31 shots over the last 10 games and 267 on the season(3.9 per game) and he also has two multi-point games in his last 10.

Stack with: Brayden Schen, Jaden Schwartz

Sam Reinhart FD - $5300 DK - $5500
Opponent - TOR
Proj Pts FD - 12.29 DK - 3.58

For value tonight, I will be turning to Sam Reinhart in the mid $5K range on both sites. The offense hasn't been super consistent but he does have nine points over his last 10 games with two multi-point efforts and like I talked about recently with O'Reilly, he is doing this on a Sabres team that ranks dead last in offense. The floor has also been elevated recently as he is averaging just under three shots a game since the All-Star break. Considering the matchup vs. the Leafs who are playing on a back to back, I will consider Reinhart in cash games and stack him with his linemates in GPP formats.

PP Stack with: Ryan O'Reilly, Evan Rodrigues

DEFENSEMEN

Ryan Ellis FD - $5700 DK - $6200
Opponent - ARI
Proj Pts FD - 15.62 DK - 4.51

If you are paying up at defense tonight, you really can't go wrong with either of the Predators top guys. Personally, I will have exposure to both in GPP formats but for cash games, I will take the discount with Ellis. After getting injured during the Stanley Cup Final and spending six months recovering from knee surgery, he has been just as good as ever with 23 points in 31 games and for fantasy has been a PTS/$ darling averaging a point per game over his last 10 with 35 shots and 21 blocks. Fire him up in all formats tonight.

Thomas Hickey FD - $4200 DK - $3500
Opponent - WAS
Proj Pts FD - 8.36 DK - 2.39

For my value punt of the day, I will be turning to Thomas Hickey of the Islanders. He doesn't get any powerplay time which limits his overall ice-time and upside but he has been consistent enough to consider in cash games with six points, 12 shots, and 23 blocks over his last 10 games good for an average of 3.1 DraftKings/10.8 FanDuel points per game.

Also Consider: Morgan Rielly(TOR)

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.