(AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Welcome back hockey fans. Saturday beings with an afternoon matchup between the Panthers and Jets but for this article, I will be looking at the big 11-game slate starting at 7:00 p.m. ET tonight. Let's jump in and take a look at some of the top plays at each position and then make sure to grab a copy of my DFS NHL cheatsheet where I highlight all my favorite targets for cash and GPP formats along with my top stacks.
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Opponent - BOS
Proj Pts FD - 18.31 DK - 4.58
The goalie position isn't anything special tonight so to start off I will be turning to the reigning Vezina Trophy winner. He missed a couple weeks with an undisclosed injury but returned to action on Thursday and was brilliant on the road in Tampa Bay stopping 42 of 43 shots to pick up his fourth win of the season. It also elevated his save % to .940 on the season, second to only the Bruins Jaroslav Halak. Tonight Rinne and the Preds are on home ice as -135 favorites against the Bruins who sit middle of the pack in offense and have been slightly worse on the road(3-2-2 record). All things considered, Rinne is my top goalie in all formats tonight.
Opponent - LA
Proj Pts FD - 16.68 DK - 4.17
After a rough start to the season for Bobrovsky, he is finally starting to turn it around. He came in against Detroit in the first period after Korpisalo got pulled and was impressive allowing just one goal on 24 shots and followed that up with a 44 save effort in a 4-1 win over the Sharks on Thursday. The Blue Jackets are only small -120 favorites tonight but digging a little deeper, the matchup is much better than it seems as they face a Kings team that has scored just 14 goals in their last eight games(1.8 per game). Given he is the fifth most expensive goalie on both sites with limited options in great spots, I am willing to trust him in all formats.
Also Consider: Marc-Andre Fleury(VGK) in GPP formats against the Hurricanes who have lost three straight and six of their last eight games
Opponent - TOR
Proj Pts FD - 16.04 DK - 6.02
Fro GPP formats it makes sense to pay up for McDavid against the Red Wings but with the price difference, I will be going back to Malkin in cash games for the third time this week. He has been terrific to start the season and after being held off the scoresheet on opening night he has tallied points in 10 straight games with five multi-point efforts. He is only averaging 2.5 shots per game on the season but has seen an uptick lately with 23 over his last seven games (3.3 per game) giving him a high floor to go with his upside. Fire up Malkin in all formats tonight.
Stack with: Phil Kessel, Sidney Crosby(PP), Patric Hornqvist(PP)
Opponent - STL
Proj Pts FD - 11.35 DK - 4.47
The decision on FanDuel is a lot closer as he sits in the $7K range but on DraftKings the decision is pretty simple tonight if you are looking for value at the position. He has not only provided a nice floor for cash games averaging over three shots on goal per game backed up by a 17.9 iCorsi/60 but he has also been a GPP play with 10 points in 12 games with three multi-point efforts. The matchup also stands out tonight as he and the Wild face a Blues team that has given up 18 goals in their last four games and rank 28th overall on defense.
Stack with: Charlie Coyle, Jason Zucker(PP), Mikael Granlund(PP)
Also Consider: Dylan Larkin(DET) who comes in with three straight multi-point games and is averaging 3.3 shots on goal per game
Opponent - CAR
Proj Pts FD - 12.61 DK - 4.88
After an incredible run for the expansion Golden Knights franchise, they have come out of the gates ice cold to start the 2018-19 season. A lot of the struggles have come on the offensive side of things but one player who hasn't skipped a beat is Jonathan Marchessault who skipped a chance to become a free agent and signed a six-year, 30 million dollar contract in the offseason. He is not only operating with a ton of upside averaging a point per game but he is also a nice play in cash games as he already has six games with four or more shots(4.5 per game on the season).
Stack with: William Karlsson, Reilly Smith
Opponent - PHI
Proj Pts FD - 9.6 DK - 4.52
Kane checks off every box tonight and it starts with his price that has dropped into the mid $5K range on DraftKings and the mid $6K range on FanDuel. I get that he skates on the third line for the Sharks but that is just way too cheap for a player who is averaging over four shots on goal per game with a ridiculous 23.8 iCorsi/60 rating. To top it off, he gets an elite matchup against a Flyers team that has given up four or more goals seven times and ranks 31st overall on defense. At these prices with this matchup, Kane is about as close to a lock as they come in all formats.
PP Stack with: Timo Meier, Tomas Hertl
Also Consider: Cam Atkinson(CBJ) who has seen a price drop, averages four shots per game, has 11 points in 12 games, and faces a Kings team that has given up four or more goals in seven of their last eight games
Opponent - VEG
Proj Pts FD - 8.08 DK - 3.55
Hamilton's price is at a season-high on FanDuel but after another five shot game on Friday, his price has dropped back into the mid $5K range on DraftKings. That is just too cheap for cash games given the production he is bringing to your lineup. Seven times in 13 games he has tallied four or more shots on goal and for the season he is averaging 4.4 per game with a 26.58 iCorsi/60 showing us that it might just be sustainable. He has also started producing some blocks as well as he has two in three of his last four games. The upside is limited but the floor is sky-high making him a prime target in cash games.
Opponent - LA
Proj Pts FD - 5.19 DK - 2.3
The floor for Murray doesn't really jump off the page as he is averaging just 1.2 shots and 1.4 blocks per game but the opportunity and upside is what he offers at a low price on both sites. For the season, he is averaging over 22 minutes of ice-time per game while skating on the second pairing and second powerplay unit. That upside has shown lately, as well, as he has tallied a point in three of his lst four games for the Blue Jackets who are on the verge of turning things around. While the floor is low he can be considered a punt play in all formats due to his price and opportunity.
Also Consider: Dennis Cholowski(DET) in GPP formats or Matt Dumba(MIN) in all formats
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