Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8), from Russia, pauses on the ice in the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Dallas Stars, Thursday, Nov. 19, 2015, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
After a long offseason of watching Alexander Ovechkin celebrate with the Stanley Cup in every way possible, the NHL is back. It starts with a small four-game slate that includes the Bruins traveling to Washington as the Capitals will raise the banner. Let's jump in and take a look at some of the top plays at each position.
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Opponent - MON
Proj Pts FD - 19.79 DK - 4.95
Andersen is coming off one of his best seasons in NHL as he posted a career-high 38 wins and finished fourth in the Vezina Trophy voting. He starts the 2018-19 season on home ice and the Leafs are currently the biggest favorites on the slate(-230) against a depleted Montreal Canadiens team that saw Alex Galchenyuk traded to the Coyotes, Max Pacioretty traded to the Vegas Golden Knights, and star defenseman Shea Weber out till mid-December following offseason knee surgery. While Andersen wasn't elite last season(9.18 save %, 2.81 GAA), he did face a league-high 33.5 shots per game giving him a high floor and in this matchup, he also has the best odds of all goalies to pick up the win. Fire up Andersen in all formats on this small slate.
Also Consider: Martin Jones(SJ) for GPP formats
Opponent - VAN
Proj Pts FD - 12.78 DK - 4.88
These smaller slates are a bit tricky when looking at it from a cash game perspective so I will be going a more balanced approach tonight starting with Sean Monahan. Despite the Flames struggles overall in 2017-18(37-35-10 record), the offense ranked 13th overall scoring 2.96 goals per game and was led by Gaudreau(84 pts) and Monahan(64) who are slated to start the year side by side on the top line. He also averaged just under three shots per game in and almost 19 minutes of ice-time giving him a nice floor and with a matchup against a projected weak team in Vancouver, he is safe in all formats.
Stack with: Johnny Gaudreau, Elias Lindholm
Opponent - ANA
Proj Pts FD - 9.1 DK - 3.38
Joe Thornton is back for his 21st season in the NHL and looking young as ever as the beard is finally gone. He is coming off a season where he averaged under two shots per game which makes it a little hard to roster him in cash games on FanDuel at $5,700 but on DraftKings, on a small slate, it makes a ton of sense as he is costing just over 8% of your salary cap in the low $4K range. While the floor isn't too high, he does get a ton of opportunity skating on the top line and powerplay unit with Evander Kane and Joe Pavelski and is an assist machine sitting 12th all-time(1,030) and just three away from tying Mario Lemieux.
Stack with: Joe Pavelski, Evander Kane
Also Consider: Elias Pettersson(VAN) as it appears the rookie will center the Canucks second line in his NHL debut
Opponent - MON
Proj Pts FD - 11.4 DK - 3.34
Marner is coming off back to back 60+ point seasons and is in a situation to build on those numbers this season. The Leafs went out and signed superstar John Tavares to Join Auston Matthews as an elite 1/2 punch up the middle and the good news for Marner is that he has spent time with both during the preseason. Marner only averaged 2.4 shots per game last year but I am willing to use him in cash games considering he gives us exposure to both Matthews and Tavares as they should all be together on the first powerplay unit. Stack all three together in GPP formats.
Stack with: John Tavares, Zach Hyman, Auston Matthews(check line combos prior to lineup lock)
Opponent - WAS
Proj Pts FD - 9.06 DK - 3.41
Opponent - WAS
Proj Pts FD - 7.45 DK - 2.99
The Bruins offer some value in their lineup with two youngsters coming off impressive rookie seasons and will get some added opportunity in the 2018-19 season. I list them together as they have shared time on the second line alongside David Krejci and Jake DeBrusk so we will have to keep our eyes peeled after the morning skate and for starting lineups but either way both have value. Heinen is coming off a 47-point campaign where he averaged over 15 min of ice-time while, in a smaller sample size, Donato was just as good with nine points in 12 games. Both will get time on the powerplay but Donato gets the edge as it looks like he will skate on the top PP unit with Marchand and Bergeron. Looking at their prices, I prefer Donato on FanDuel and Heinen on DraftKings as it stands right now.
Stack with: David Krejci, Jake DeBrusk at even strength(whoever start on 2nd line) and pair Donato with Marchand/Bergeron on #1 PP
Also Consider: Alex Ovechkin/Brett Connolly(WSH) who are projected to skate on the top line. Connolly's price makes it much easier to fit Ovi who is the best overall player on the slate
Opponent - CGY
Proj Pts FD - 8.75 DK - 3.55
If you are playing the stats and scrubs approach, Brent Burns is easily the top option on defense tonight as he not only has point upside(67 last year) but also averaged four shots per game. I prefer to leave him for GPP's and go a more balanced approach at the position and when doing so I look for a high floor generated from shots, blocks or both. Edler tied Kris Russell among full-time D-men last season with 2.9 blocks per game and put up his best offensive season(34 points) since the 2011-12 campaign. He will skate on the top pairing and powerplay unit and likely average close to 35 min per game and is a safe option in all formats.
Opponent - TOR
Proj Pts FD - 4.36 DK - 1.84
Finding a sub $4K player at any position can be the key, especially on this small of a slate. Tonight I will turn to Victor Mete of the Habs who spent yesterday's practice skating on the top unit with Jeff Petry. This likely means the second year NHLer will get an uptick in ice-time from last season(15.5 per game) and the Habs need him more than ever as they are without Shea Weber for a couple months. He only recorded seven points in 49 games last year but did block 71 shots so I am willing to take the risk at these prices and see what the kid can bring to the table in 2018-19.
Also Consider: Mark Giordano(CGY), Marc-Edouard Vlasic(SJ)
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Sheet for tonight:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1sPLhfSAUJwx4vME_PuyDWL78iW_FrMPiRt3v_RhVwJk/edit?usp=sharing