Chicago Blackhawks' Patrick Kane (88) during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the San Jose Sharks Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2015, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Welcome back hockey fans. Thursday once again brings us a big slate with 10 games on tap with just the Canucks playing on a back to back and they are also playing a third game in four nights. Let's dig in and take a look at some of the top plays at each position.
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Opponent - LA
Proj Pts FD - 17.3 DK - 4.33
After giving up five goals against Carolina, Dubnyk bounced back in a big way in his last two starts allowing just two goals on 66 shots picking up the win in both. For the season he is now 3-1-2 with a .944 save % and what is most impressive is that he is facing a whopping 38.8 shots against per game which really elevates his floor and ceiling. The Wild are on home ice tonight as -165 favorites and will face a struggling Kings team that is 2-6-1 on the season and have scored just 1.9 goals per game. All things considered, Dubnyk is my top goalie in all formats.
Opponent - VAN
Proj Pts FD - 15.72 DK - 3.93
Opponent - VAN
Proj Pts FD - 15.12 DK - 3.78
Raanta was scratched on Tuesday night with an illness but is projected to start tonight in an excellent matchup against the Canucks who are playing on back to back nights on the road and a third game in four nights. It has been a somewhat disappointing start to the season for Raanta who posted an impressive .930 save % in his first season with Arizona a year ago. This makes him a GPP only value option tonight and if he is unable to go fire up Darcy Kuemper. He filled in on Tuesday and was very impressive stopping 35 of 36 shots the Blue Jackets threw his way. Over two starts, he has stopped 61 of 64 shots for a .953 save %.
Also Consider: Ben Bishop(DAL) who is at home against a Ducks team that is scoring just 2.4 goals per game
Opponent - PHI
Proj Pts FD - 12.02 DK - 4.54
The Bruins top line has been absolutely dominant early in the season with a combined 19 goals and each has 13 or more points through the first nine games. Bergeron leads the way with 16 points with six coming on the powerplay(bonus on FanDuel). Not only do you get big-time upside with Bergeron but you also get a high floor as he is averaging over three shots on goal per game and gets a ton of ice-time(18.1 per game) as one of, if not the best two-way player in the league. If that is not enough to convince you tonight consider the Bruins get an elite matchup against a Flyers team that ranks 30th in the league in defense allowing 4.11 goals per game and have seen seven of their nine games hit the over this season. All things considered, Bergeron is my top center in all formats.
Stack with: David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand
Opponent - CHI
Proj Pts FD - 11.54 DK - 4.46
I was on the Zibanejad train on Tuesday and he didn't disappoint with two goals and two assists on five shots for 14 DraftKings/52.6 FanDuel points. While I don't expect that kind of performance tonight I do see him as a nice PTS/$ value with a very high floor as he skates on the top line and averages 4.4 shots on goal per game and face a Blackhawks team that allows just over 35 shots against per game and ranks 27th overall in defense allowing 3.7 goals per game. They have been better since Corey Crawford returned to the crease so I am really only looking at Zibanajed in cash if Crawford gets the night off and if not then he is GPP only tonight.
Stack with: Chris Kreider, Mats Zuccarello
Opponent - CBJ
Proj Pts FD - 9.6 DK - 3.78
With a price in the sub $6K range, Ryan O'Reilly stands out tonight if you are looking for value at the center position. The first thing that stands out is the shot volume(2.9 shots per game) which gives him a high floor right off the bat then consider he has received over 20 minutes of ice-time in six of the teams eight games this season. Then there is the upside as he has back to back multi-point games and 10 total points on the season skating on both the first and second line and top powerplay unit. The matchup also stands out as the Blue Jackets have been struggling defensively early in the season especially on the road as they are allowing 4.7 goals per game.
Stack with: David Perron, Vladimir Tarasenko(PP), Patrick Maroon(PP)
Opponent - NYR
Proj Pts FD - 14.96 DK - 6.02
There are three elite wingers at the top of the salary tonight and I already talked about Pastrnak and the Bruins above and for cash games, I am leaning Patrick Kane tonight as he comes at a discount from Ovi on both sites. The salary difference isn't the only thing that stands out however as Kane has matched Ovi with eight goals and 13 points this season and also leads the league with a whopping 48 shots on goal(5.3 per game) with a 26.2 iCorsi/60 rating. The Hawks are also home to the Rangers tonight who have yet to win on the road and rank 19th on defense allowing 3.3 goals per game. If you are paying up at the position and not pairing Pastrnak and Bergeron together, Kane is an elite alternative in all formats.
Stack with: Artem Anisimov, Brandon Saad
Opponent - STL
Proj Pts FD - 11.15 DK - 4.47
I mentioned on Tuesday that Atkinson would continue to make my articles as long as his price stayed in the mid-range and here we are again as his price dropped on both sites going into tonight's game. Columbus has struggled defensively early in the season which has put pressure on the offense and Atkinson has answered the bell with seven points in eight games. What stands out the most to me, however, is the shot volume as he has tallied three or more shots in every game and four or more in six of the eight(32 total) which elevates his floor for cash games. The upside will also be there tonight as the Blues are another team that has struggled allowing 3.6 goals per and 31.5 shots per game. Atkinson is an excellent play in all formats tonight.
Stack with: Artemi Panarin, Boone Jenner(PP)
Opponent - LA
Proj Pts FD - 9.39 DK - 3.76
Overall, the Wild sit near the bottom of the league in offense but have been much better on home ice scoring 3.2 goals per game. Tonight they get a plus matchup against a Kings team that is giving up 3.6 goals against per game and sit at the bottom of the conference standings. Jason Zucker checks off all the boxes when looking for a player who is viable in all formats as he is averaging 3.8 shots on goal per game with an above average 17.2 iCorsi/60 rating. There is also upside as he skates nearly 18 minutes per game on the top line and powerplay unit and has already tallied seven points in eight games.
Stack with: Eric Staal, Nino Niederreiter
Opponent - NYR
Proj Pts FD - 9.51 DK - 4.12
The offensive upside appears to have come and gone with Keith who is in his 14th season in the league but he is still providing fantasy value, especially with a price in the mid-range on both sites. He is still averaging over 24 minutes of ice-time between the top even strength and powerplay unit and coming into tonight he has tallied three or more blocks in four of his last five games and has recorded 2.5 DraftKings/8.0 FanDuel points in seven of his nine games on the season. At these prices in a matchup against the Rangers, that is more than enough to consider him in all formats.
Opponent - CBJ
Proj Pts FD - 5.15 DK - 2.32
In his second season in the league, Vince Dunn has been a steady fantasy producer after taking on a bit bigger role skating on the top line and powerplay unit for the Blues. He has tallied four points through his first six games but where he stands out most for fantasy is the shot department as he is averaging three per game with a 14.7 iCorsi/60. The decision is a lot closer on DraftKings where he is in the mid $4K range but on FanDuel he is a near lock in all formats in a home matchup against the Blue Jackets who rank 28th in defense.
Also Consider: Jamie Oleksiak(PIT) as a punt or Mark Giordano(CGY) in all formats
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NHL sheet for tonight:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wwFsOVDaE9IReNeC2A87wgi0VIrZO4M6LSppZepcNS4/edit?usp=sharing