Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (34) skates during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Washington Capitals, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
After a day off on Friday, the NHL returns for a huge Saturday that starts with a four-game afternoon slate followed by a nine-game main slate. In this article, I will be looking at some of the top plays at each position for both slates so let's not waste any more time and jump right in.
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Early Slate
Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 16.37 DK - 4.09
It hasn't been the start to the season Rask had hoped for as he has given up eight goals in his first two starts but he has a terrific matchup to turn it around. The Bruins are at home Saturday afternoon and are, by far, the biggest favorites(-270) on the slate facing a Red Wings team that is really missing Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk as they have scored just nine goals in their first four games(2.3 per game). On a regular sized slate, I likely wouldn't consider Rask until I see more from him but considering the other options today, he is my top goalie in all formats.
Main Slate
Opponent - NYI
Proj Pts FD - 16.04 DK - 4.01
The Predators have gotten off to a good start this season and a big part of that has reigning Vezina Trophy winner Pekka Rinne. He is coming off a shutout against one of the best teams in the league in the Jets and has only allowed five total goals through three starts(.946 save %, 1.67 GAA). He will now face an Islanders team that is still looking to establish an identity with John Tavares leaving in free agency in the offseason. The Preds are the biggest favorites(-235) on the slate and considering the talent and matchup he is my top goalie in all formats.
Opponent - MON
Proj Pts FD - 19.18 DK - 4.8
With Matt Murray suffering a concussion and out of the lineup for a while, Casey DeSmith steps in as the teams top goalie. He made his first start of the season on Thursday and impressed saving 37 of 39 shots against the Golden Knights in a 4-2 victory. He now gets another plus matchup against the Habs who shipped two of their best players in Max Pacioretty and Alex Galchenyuk out of town in offseason trades and in their absence they have scored just seven goals through three games. If you are looking to go a more balanced approach and want to save some salary at the goalie position, DeSmith is an excellent PTS/$ value in all formats.
Early Slate
Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 13.09 DK - 4.78
You can't go wrong building around either of the top two centers(McDavid the other) this afternoon but on a small slate, I will take the discount with Patrice Bergeron. When healthy, he is one of the best in the business and not only does he provide a high floor as he averages over three shots per game and is elite on both ends of the ice but he also has provided a ton of upside on one of the best lines in hockey. He was held off the scoresheet in the Bruins opener but has since put together three straight multi-point games and sits with eight total points(three on the powerplay) in four games. Fire up Bergeron in all formats.
Stack with: Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak
Main Slate
Opponent - WAS
Proj Pts FD - 16.47 DK - 6.58
Even at an $8K price tag on both sites, Matthews is nearly impossible to avoid at this point. He is on a historic pace having recorded multiple goals in three straight and four of his first five games and has multiple points in all five games to start the season becoming just the 12th player in history accomplish that feat. Three of those goals and five of those points have come on the league-leading powerplay(FanDuel bonus) as the Leafs have scored seven times in 14 chances with the man advantage. The floor is also very high as Matthews has three or more shots on goal in each game and has an elite 17.5 iCorsi/60. This matchup is one to get exposure to tonight as it has a slate-high 7.0 Vegas Total as the Leafs faces a Caps team that has allowed 3.8 goals per game so far. If you are building around one player tonight, you cannot go wrong with Auston Matthews in any formats.
Stack with: Patrick Marleau, Kasperi Kapanen
Opponent - FLA
Proj Pts FD - 6.36 DK - 3.23
The Canucks 2017 fifth overall pick spent all of last season in the Swedish Elite League where he tallied 56 points in 44 games. He is now a rookie in the NHL joining the Canucks and has carried the offense through the first week and a half as he has recorded a point in each of the team's first four games with two multi-point efforts and seven points total(three on the powerplay). After getting just over nine minutes of ice-time in his first game the Canucks have given him 16+ in each of the last three games. He currently skates on the second line and top powerplay unit and makes an excellent mid-range option in all formats against the Panthers who are without their top goalie.
Stack with: Nikolay Goldobin, Loui Eriksson
Early Slate
Opponent - VEG
Proj Pts FD - 10.04 DK - 4.67
I mentioned it in chat the other night but will reiterate it again here. Getting exposure to Flyers games is never a bad idea as their game totals have been 7, 7, 10, 11 to start the season as their defense has struggled forcing the offense to carry the load and they have done just that scoring an average of four goals per game. A big part of the offense so far has been Wayne Simmonds who has tallied tow multi-point games so far and has also recorded four shots in each game which gives us a very high floor at a mid-range price. He skates on the third line but joins Giroux, Couturier, and Voracek on the top powerplay unit. All things considered, he is a top play at the wing position in all formats.
Stack with: Mikhail Vorobyev, Scott Laughton
Main Slate
Opponent - CHI
Proj Pts FD - 13.52 DK - 5.56
While Tarasenko has only scored twice on the season so far he has been putting on a shooting clinic thus far leading the league with a crazy 6.7 shots per game and out of this world 30.4 iCF/60. We can look at those stats two different ways and say yes the shot totals at that level are not at all sustainable but on the other hand we can say that the goals have to start coming in bunches. Either way, he comes at a discount from some of the other top wingers and also gets a top matchup against a Blackhawks team that has allowed 4.5 goals per game without their starting goalie Corey Crawford. Fire up Tarasenko in all formats tonight.
Stack with: Ryan O'Reilly, Patrick Maroon
Opponent - CBJ
Proj Pts FD - 9.15 DK - 3.59
Johnson was held out of the Bolts first game of the season with an upper-body injury but made it back on Thursday against the Canucks and while he didn't record a point, he tallied three shots on goal on just over 18 minutes of ice-time. He is coming off a productive season where he recorded 50 points and skates on the second line and powerplay unit with Brayden Point and Yanni Gourde and at a sub $5K price tag on both sites, he is an excellent PTS/$ value in all formats.
Stack with: Yanni Gourde, Brayden Point
Early Slate
Opponent - LA
Proj Pts FD - 3.52 DK - 1.86
With a small slate and some top forwards in good matchups, I will be employing a double value strategy at the defense position. It starts with the Senators rookie Maxime Lajoie who is off to a hot start with five points in his first four games. Not only has he given us upside on a surprising offensive start for the Sens but he has also provided a nice floor for cash games with 12 shots, nine blocks and is also getting over two minutes of ice-time on the powerplay. The matchup doesn't jump off the page against the Kings but at these prices on this slate, Lajoie is in play in all formats.
Main Slate
Opponent - FLA
Proj Pts FD - 8.74 DK - 3.49
From a PTS/$ perspective, the choice is pretty easy at the defense position on the main slate. Edler is coming off a season where the price was continually in the mid-range while he provided a very high floor averaging 2.5 shots and 2.9 blocks per game. He has carried over that same value into this season as he already has 10 shots(2.5 per game) and a whopping 24 blocks(six per game) through the team's first four games. He has also provided some upside with two multi-point games as well. All things considered, he is a top play at the position in all formats in a matchup vs. the Panthers.
Also Consider: Morgan Rielly(TOR), Henri Jokiharju(CHI)
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NHL sheet for Saturday(4 game/9game slate):
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1LD3bn2ZJSe46BDkFP92ykq0VaV8komyuRUTRv6VmJB8/edit?usp=sharing