Welcome back hockey fans. Thursday night brings us a huge 12 game slate with just two teams(WSH, VGK) playing on a back to back. The other thing that stands out is that there are three games with a whopping 6.5 Vegas Total and only two games with a Total under 6.0 so get ready for some high-scoring games. Let's dig in and take a look at some of the top picks at each position.
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Opponent - VAN
Proj Pts FD - 18.44 DK - 4.61
Vasilevskiy is coming off a season where he posted a career-high 44 wins and .920 save % and picked up right where he left off in the Bolts first game of the season. They hosted the Florida Panthers and while the defense allowed an uncharacteristic 43 shots on goal, Vasi shut them down allowing just one goal and picking up his first win of the season while recording 10.4 DraftKings/ 41.6 FanDuel points. The Bolts are at home again tonight in a plus matchup against the Canucks who have gotten off to a hot start offensively but will most likely regress with the lack of talent throughout the lineup and also have a very long travel schedule going from B.C. to Florida. The Bolts are big favorites tonight and Vasilevskiy is easily my top goalie in all formats on this big slate.
Opponent - LA
Proj Pts FD - 18.26 DK - 4.56
The very first thing I noticed when researching this slate was the salary on Carey Price. He is 16th in salary on FanDuel and near minimum price on DraftKings which just seems silly considering he is one of the most talented goalies in the league. After one of his worst seasons as a pro(16-26-7 record), he has gotten off to a good start saving 44 of 48 shots(.917 save %) through two games(1.98 GAA) going 1-0-1. Much like last year, the Habs are not likely to provide a ton of offense in front of him which limits the win potential but at these prices, especially on DraftKings, I am willing to take the risk in GPP formats against a Kings team that has scored just seven goals in their first three games.
Also Consider: Sergei Bobrovsky(CBJ) in all formats
Opponent - BUF
Proj Pts FD - 15.76 DK - 6.07
There are definitely some tough decisions to make at the top of the center position tonight. John Tavares and Auston Matthews have been red-hot to start the season with 13 goals and 16 points between them. I would not blame you if you decided to go with either of them in cash games but for me, it is a Nathan MacKinnon night, at least on DraftKings where he comes at a slight discount. He hasn't been too bad either with four points through three games but where he stands out is in the shot department as he has already recorded 19. MacKinnon also doesn't have another superstar center to compete with for ice-time and is already seeing an average over 22 minutes per game. The Sabres have been good defensively through three games allowing just seven goals but I fully expect that to regress back somewhere in the range of last year where they allowed the third-most per game(3.39). Fire up MacKinnon in all formats.
Stack with: Gabriel Landeskog, Mikko Rantanen
Opponent - MIN
Proj Pts FD - 9.9 DK - 4.06
The Blackhawks offense has been en fuego to start the season scoring 15 goals in their first three games. Leading the way for that offense is Jonathan Toews who has scored in each of the first three games and has six points overall. What stands out for cash games, however, is the shot volume for the Hawks top center as he has 13 shots in those games while averaging right around 20 minutes of ice-time. The Hawks go on the road tonight to face a Minnesota Wild team that has struggled early in the season scoring just two goals while giving up six in their first two games. If you are looking to go wit ha more balanced approach in cash games, Toews is an excellent choice in the mid-range of pricing.
Stack with: Alex Debrincat, Dominik Kahun, Patrick Kane(PP)
Opponent - VAN
Proj Pts FD - 12.03 DK - 4.55
To get one of Matthews, Tavares, or MacKinnon in your lineups in any format you are going to need a value play and one that stands out at the center position is Brayden Point. While he didn't record a point in the Bolts home opener he did record two shots on goal and was second to Ryan McDonagh in ice-time(24:58) which is very promising moving forward. Like I mentioned in a previous article, he was given a ton of extra opportunity last year and impressed with a career-high 66 points and I fully expect similar production for him in 2018-19 centering the second line and powerplay unit. With a plus matchup at home as huge favorites, Point is in play in all formats on Thursday.
Stack with: Yanni Gourde, Tyler Johnson
Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 11.29 DK - 3.3
To get a piece of the Leafs explosive offense tonight I will be rostering Mitch Marner who comes at a discount from Tavares and Matthews and he also gives you exposure to both those players. He skates with Tavares on the team's second line and Matthews joins them on the top powerplay unit which is currently operating at a 50% rate. his role has dictated a ton of ice-time(19 min per game) and he has already been very successful with two goals and eight points, four coming on the powerplay which is a nice bonus on FanDuel. The matchup also stands out tonight as the Leafs will face a winless Detroit team that has given up 10 goals through three games. Marner is an excellent target in all formats.
Stack with: Zach Hyman, John Tavares, Auston Matthews(PP)
Opponent - FLA
Proj Pts FD - 9.72 DK - 4.02
Atkinson is a player you will hear a lot about once again this season as his price always seems to stick in the mid-range on both sites. He skates on the Blue Jackets top line and powerplay unit with dynamic winger Artemi Panarin which helps with the offensive upside and he also provides a very high floor with his shot volume. He averaged 3.8 shots per game a year ago and through three games this season he already has 14 shots on just over 19 minutes of ice-time per game. He gets a plus matchup tonight against the Panthers and is in play in all formats on both sites but his best value comes on DraftKings where his price dropped a full $500 from last game.
Stack with: Artemi Panarin, Pierre-Luc Dubois
Opponent - NYR
Proj Pts FD - 6.34 DK - 2.52
With an early-season injury to Joe Thornton and an overall lack of offense(five goals first three games), the Sharks have switched up the lines in an attempt to get things going. On Tuesday, they placed Kevin Labanc on the top line with Joe Pavelski and Evander Kane and it clicked in a big way as the three players combined for eight points in an 8-2 blowout win over the Flyers with Labanc picking up four assists. If he remains on the top line, he won't produce a ton of shots as Pavelski and Kane are both high volume shooters but he does give us exposure to both and at his price can be considered in all formats.
Stack with: Joe Pavelski, Evander Kane
Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 8.55 DK - 3.5
Getting exposure to the Leafs right now is never a bad idea and that is where I will start on the back end tonight. Morgan Reilly has been elite for fantasy to start the season as he has at least one point in all four games and is tied with teammate Auston Matthews for the league-lead with 10 total points. You can even take away the points and he has provided a high floor with 14 shots on goal and a 16.5 iCorsi/60(shot attempts per 60 minutes) while also adding seven blocked shots as well. He gets a ton of ice-time(20:57 per game overall, 1:52 on the PP) and will soon see his price go up into the top tier. For now, he is a terrific play in all formats.
Opponent - MIN
Proj Pts FD - 6.4 DK - 3.51
He may be an unknown to many but you are going to hear a lot more about him moving forward. Coming over from Finland, he joined the Portland Winterhawks in the WHL in the 2016-17 season and made a mark right away with 48 points and after being drafted in the first round(27th overall) by the Blackhawks in 2017, he went out and put up 71 points and was an elite +47 in his final WHL season. At age 19, he has carried that success over to the NHL with five points in his first three games while averaging just under 20 minutes per game on the top unit with Duncan Keith. He missed Wednesday's practice with an illness but is expected back in the lineup on Thursday and at these punt prices, is a top value play in all formats.
Also Consider: Zach Werenski(CBJ) or Ryan Suter(MIN) in all formats in the mid-range
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