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)
It's time to get ready for a very busy night in the National Hockey League. There are 12 games on the schedule including four teams(LA, VAN, ANH, ARI) who are playing on a back to back and third game in four nights. Let's dig in and take a look at some of the top plays at each position and then be sure to check out the projections and all-new lineup optimizer for both FanDuel and DraftKings.
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Opponent - ANA
Proj Pts FD - 19.68 DK - 4.92
Price has been outstanding lately winning five straight and seven of his last 10 games(2 shutouts) with a .941 save while facing over 30 shots per game. That isn't even the first thing that stood out which easily makes him my top target tonight. The Habs are home favorites tonight facing a free-falling Ducks team that went into last night losers of 15 of their last 17 games and are currently down to the Leafs 4-1 in the third period and will be playing on a back to back and third game in four nights on Tuesday. They may not take a lot of shots(27.1 per game) but rank 30th overall on offense scoring just 2.3 goals per game. Fire up Price in all formats.
Opponent - ARI
Proj Pts FD - 17.74 DK - 4.43
I will likely be siding with Price on DraftKings for just $100 more but if you need an extra $500 wiggle room on FanDuel, Pekka Rinne is an interesting option tonight. He has struggled lately winning just four of his last 10 starts while recording a sub .900 save % but is still on of the best goalies in the league with the 3rd best defense and the 12th best offense in front of him. This game is also one of just four games on the slate with a low 5.5 Vegas Total and on top of that, the Preds are huge -290 home favorites against a Coyotes team playing on a back to back and third game in four nights all on the road. I am not as worried about the recent performance as we have a large enough sample size showing Rinne's elite ability between the pipes. He is in play in all formats.
Opponent - CBJ
Proj Pts FD - 17.29 DK - 5.19
There are a ton of high-end centers in great spots on this slate tonight but the one I will be building around is Nathan MacKinnon. His price is down after dealing with a foot injury that held him out of the All-Star game but he returned last Saturday and while he didn't record a point he did tally four shots on goal which is on par with his 11.8 shots/60 and 19.3 iCorsi/60 on the season. He and the Avs now get an elite matchup against a Blue Jackets team that has dropped five straight games while struggling defensively giving up 19 goals. He has a nice floor for cash games with the shot volume and also has multi-point upside for GPP's. It is a lot closer on DraftKings where McDavid is just $200 more and facing the Blackhawks(30th on defense) but the $600 discount on FanDuel is enough for me to put him as my #1 center tonight.
Stack with: Mikko Rantanen, Gabriel Landeskog
Opponent - VAN
Proj Pts FD - 13.05 DK - 3.96
No matter which high priced center you start with on DraftKings tonight, Kuznetsov makes a terrific second center. While the price has been lower recently, it is still too low for a player with seven points and 30 shots in his last 10 games and skates on the second line and top powerplay unit for Top 10 offense. The Caps also get a nice matchup tonight against a Canucks team that is playing on a back to back and third game in four nights on the road. He is a GPP only play on FanDuel but safe in all formats on DraftKings tonight.
PP Stack with(2 or 3 of): Alex Ovechkin, TJ Oshie, Nicklas Backstrom, John Carlson
Also Consider: Ryan O'Reilly(STL) who has been a beast lately with 12 points in his last 10 games with 38 shots on goal and faces a Panthers team that ranks 29th in overall defense
Opponent - EDM
Proj Pts FD - 21.8 DK - 6.33
While McDavid and Mackinnon are neck and neck for my top center, Patrick Kane is mine and the projection systems top overall play. He went into the All-Star break on a tear with points in nine straight and 16 of his previous 17 games and picked up where he left off with five points and eight shots in his first two games out of the break. To put this all into perspective, he is averaging 8.0 DraftKings/30.7 FanDuel points per game over his last 10 games and now gets an elite matchup against the Oilers who have dropped five straight while allowing a whopping 24 goals. I love building around Kane in cash games and love doing a stars and scrubs game stack for GPP 's with him and McDavid together.
Stack with: Jonathan Toews, Alex DeBrincat(PP)
Opponent - LA
Proj Pts FD - 13.23 DK - 3.75
I don't normally write up Devils players, especially with Taylor Hall out of the lineup but looking at the FanDuel PTS/$ rankings, Blake Coleman stands out in a big way. He has been very consistent for fantasy lately with nine points, 29 shots, and nine blocks over his last 10 games for an average of 4.3 DraftKings/15.7 FanDuel points per game. While the Kings sit middle of the pack in defense on the season, they are playing on a back to back and third game in four night on the road and have given up 17 goals over their last four games. Stack Coleman with his linemates for a very low owned value stack tonight or fire up Coleman in cash games on FanDuel.
Stack with: Jesper Bratt, Miles Wood
Also Consider: Vladimir Tarasenko(STL) who has been much better lately with 11 points in his last 10 games with 29 shots on goal. Best value on DraftKings
Opponent - SJ
Proj Pts FD - 12.35 DK - 3.65
If you are looking for a mid-range option who checks off all the boxes, look no further than Jacob Trouba of the Jets. He skates around 22-23 minutes per game on the top pairing and second powerplay unit, has provided a steady floor lately with a balance of shots(22) and blocks(22) over his last 10 games combined with upside as he has multi-point efforts in two straight and seven points in those 10 games. Trouba is in play in all formats.
Opponent - EDM
Proj Pts FD - 9.32 DK - 2.73
In his 14th season in the NHL, Keith is definitely not the player he once was racking up 40-60 points but he is still providing fantasy value at a discounted price. He comes into tonight with three or more combined shots/blocks in four straight and seven of his last 10 games which has given him an average of 3.1 DraftKings/10.9 FanDuel points per game. That is more than enough of a floor to warrant a low to mid $4K price tag putting him squarely in teh cash game conversation tonight.
Also Consider: Andy Greene(NJ) as a punt play
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