(AP Photo/Jim Mone)
Welcome back hockey fans. We have a big Saturday ahead of us that starts with four games in the afternoon but with only two of those games included on DraftKings, I will be concentrating on the nine-game main slate this evening. Let's jump in and take a look at some of the top picks at each position.
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Opponent - MIN
Proj Pts FD - 16.77 DK - 4.19
Vasilevskiy has picked up where he left off after posting a career-high 44 wins. He sits with a 3-1 record and in those four starts has yet to allow an opponent to score more than two goals in a game which give him a league-leading 1.48 GAA and .954 save %. He should be able to keep it rolling on Saturday night as the Lightning are favorites(-140) on the road against a Wild team who are coming off two straight wins but will be playing on a back to back and have struggled to put the puck in the net scoring an average of just 2.4 goals per game. Fire up Vasilevskiy with confidence in all formats.
Opponent - VEG
Proj Pts FD - 16.15 DK - 4.04
It's rare that I go with two goalies on the road but tonight it just feels right. John Gibson has been one of the best goalies in the league early in the season holding opponents to two or fewer goals in five of his six starts and facing just over 35 shots per game sits with an elite .948 save %. The matchup may not look great against the Golden Knights but it is not the 2017-18 season anymore and they have scored more than two goals just once in their seven games and rank 28th in offense(2.00 goals per game). The Ducks are currently underdogs in this game and I do prefer Vasilevskiy in cash but will be pivoting to Gibson in GPP formats at a lower ownership.
Also Consider: Martin Jones/Aaron Dell(SJ)
Opponent - CBJ
Proj Pts FD - 10.68 DK - 4.54
If you have the salary to pay up at the top, Auston Matthews is the clear choice tonight leading the league in points while averaging 3.1 shots per game on an explosive Maple Leafs team. For cash games, I like pivoting and going with a more balanced approach tonight and it starts with the Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews who has recorded a point in each of the teams first six games(10 total). Not only is he providing upside but has also given us a high floor on a nightly basis averaging 3.5 shots on goal per game. While the Blue Jackets don't appear to be a great matchup they have struggled early on ranking 25th on defense allowing 3.67 goals against per game. All things considered, Toews is my top PTS/$ value in all formats.
Stack with: Alex Debrincat, Dominik Kahun
Opponent - MIN
Proj Pts FD - 9.17 DK - 3.57
Johnson was held off the scoresheet on Thursday but had a good game overall recording four shots on over 18 minutes of ice-time and could have easily had multiple points. His opportunities will continue to come as he is skating on a line with sniper Nikita Kucherov and like Toews, has also provided a high floor averaging 3.5 shots on goal per game. On DraftKings, if I had to choose it would be Toews due to a similar price and slightly easier matchup but on FanDuel Johnson makes a ton of sense in the sub $6K range and is a terrific play in all formats.
Stack with: Nikita Kucherov, Ondrej Palat
Also Consider: Ryan O'Reilly(STL) in the mid $5K range on both sites skating with Tarasenko in a plus matchup against the Leafs
Opponent - NYI
Proj Pts FD - 11.13 DK - 4.95
There are definitely some more obvious choices at the top of the salary in Patrick Kane, Vladimir Tarasenko, and David Pastrnak but I am leaning towards Evander Kane for a couple reasons. It starts with the slight discount and ability to create a more balanced lineup, especially in cash games and after a season where he averaged 3.9 shots per game he is averaging 4.4 shots per game to start this season giving him a very high floor and PTS/$ rating. The second part of this pick is the matchup and while the Islanders have been a Top 10 defense(2.67 goals against per game) to start the season, they will be playing their third game in four nights on the road to close out a four-game road trip. At these prices, I will be using Kane in all formats Saturday night.
Stack with: Joe Pavelski, Kevin Labanc
Opponent - CHI
Proj Pts FD - 10.52 DK - 4.39
Atkinson is having a very consistent start to the season from a cash game standpoint averaging four shots on goal per game which gives him a floor of 2.0 DraftKings/6.4 FanDuel right off the bat. On top of that, he has also provided upside skating on the Blue Jackets top line and powerplay unit and has averaged a point per game thus far. Tonight, he and Jackets host the Red Wings who have a high flying offense but have struggled defensively ranking 29th as they have given up over four goals per game. This matchup has all the makings for a high-scoring game putting Atkinson in the conversation of a top play in all formats in the upper, mid-range of pricing.
Stack with: Artemi Panarin, Pierre-Luc Dubois
Also Consider: Craig Smith(NSH) in all formats in the mid-range, Kasperi Kapanen(TOR) skating top line wtih Auston Matthews
DEFENSEMEN
Opponent - VEG
Proj Pts FD - 7.82 DK - 3.23
Once again on a big slate, I will be going with a mid-range value approach to defense to help fit some stars(not the team) at the forward position. It starts with Cam Fowler of the Ducks who got off to a slow start on the offensive side of things but has rebounded with points in two straight games and will likely see more of that in the near future as he skates on the top line and powerplay unit. What he has been providing consistently is a high floor with 25 blocks on the season and he has tallied 3+ DraftKings and 11+ FanDuel points in five of his seven games. He is a safe play in cash games with upside for GPP's as well.
Opponent - MON
Proj Pts FD - 6.59 DK - 3.53
On DrafKings, Lajoie's price has hit s season-high $5,500 making him a GPP only play tonight. On FanDuel, however, he is still cheap enough that we can consider the rookie who has been a pleasant surprise for the Senators. He comes into tonight with seven points through his first six games with a nice balance of shots(18) and blocks(13). He is listed on the third unit at even strength but is getting over two minutes per game on both the powerplay and penalty kill which is more than enough opportunity for him to hit value a majority of the time.
Also Consider: Keith Yandle(FLA), Henri Jokiharju(CHI)
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