Vegas Golden Knights goalie Marc-Andre Fleury plays against the Nashville Predators in the second period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
It's time to get ready for a busy night in the National Hockey League with 12 games on the schedule. Let's dig in and take a look at some of the top plays at each position and then be sure to check out our projection system and lineup optimizer to help you cash on DraftKings and FanDuel.
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Opponent - ARI
Proj Pts FD - 21.75 DK - 5.44
There are currently five teams who are -200 or greater home favorites tonight and for my top goalie, I will start with one of the two of them that also has a low 5.5 Vegas Total. Fleury is coming off a loss where he gave up four goals but has been fantastic on home ice this season with a 15-7-3 record, .921 save %, and 5 shutouts. He now gets a plus matchup against a Coyotes team that ranks 28th overall on offense and that he has already beaten twice this season saving 48 of 51 shots he has faced. Fire up Fleury in all formats on Tuesday.
Opponent - NYR
Proj Pts FD - 19.23 DK - 4.81
I have mentioned it many times that this has not been Hellebuyck's best season but he still provides a ton of upside. We saw it in his last start where he faced 36 shots, saving 35 of them in a 3-1 win over the Sabres. The shot totals are nothing new as he has faced 35.6 shots per game over his last 10 games and while his save % is slightly better on the road the Jets overall have been a beast at home with a 20-6-3 record. They now face a Rangers team that ranks 27th on offense and have the third-worst road record(9-14-2) in the league. I don't quite trust Hellebuyck in cash but think his upside makes him a fantastic GPP play tonight.
Opponent - OTT
Proj Pts FD - 16.47 DK - 4.78
If you have the salary to make it work, Patrice Bergeron is the pay up option at the position but I will be again taking a more balanced approach tonight, at least in cash games. It starts with Sebastian Aho who I have mentioned several times this season and for good reason as he has been very consistent. He has 12 points in his last 10 games and now has 24 goals and 63 points on the season, just two away from tieing a career high. he has also provided a high floor with 31 shots over those last 10 games supported but an above average 16.6 iCorsi/60 on the season. If that wasn't enough, he and the Canes get to face a Sens team that is giving up a league-high 3.7 goals per game. All things considered, Aho is a terrific play in all formats.
Stack with: Nino Niederreiter, Justin Williams
Opponent - NJ
Proj Pts FD - 15.36 DK - 4.38
Sticking in that mid-range of pricing tonight, we find Ryan O'Reilly who has been almost equally as consistent from a PTS/$ perspective. Over his last 10 games, he has tallied 11 points along with 34 shots on goal and while that shot volume hasn't been there all season(12.5 iCorsi/60), the matchup is on his side to keep trending up. He faces a Devils team that has a league-worst 7-17-3 road record while also ranking 27th on defense allowing 3.8 goals per game away from Jersey. Pairing him with Tarasenko is an excellent two-man stack in cash and add Schenn to complete the line stack for GPP formats.
Stack with: Brayden Schenn, Vladimir Tarasenko
Also Consider: Tyler Seguin(DAL) who has a high floor(11.4 shots/60, 19.2 iCorsi/60) and faces a 29th ranked Panthers defense
Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 18.73 DK - 5.16
You are probably shocked I didn't lead off with Patrick Kane but the matchup is not good(BOS rank 2nd defensively) and while he is always a GPP target, I will be going a different direction for cash games. Viktor Arvidsson is no stranger to my articles either and it starts with his floor for cash games as he has 40 shots in his last 10 games and an 11.02 shots/50 and 18.1 iCorsi/60 on the season. There is also a ton of upside here as he also averages 10.7 scoring chances per 60 minutes played and while he has been limited to 34 games, he has 32 points on the season. Facing a Red Wings team that ranks 23rd on defense, I will be using Arvidsson in all formats.
Stack with: Filip Forsberg, Ryan Johansen
Opponent - DAL
Proj Pts FD - 13.07 DK - 3.79
My value play of the night doesn't get the best matchup tonight as the Stars rank Top 5 defensively but at his current price and Top 6 role, Vatrano is checking all boxes. He has been very consistent lately with 10 points and 29 shots in his last 10 games and has crushed his career highs across the board with 19 goals and 30 points on the season. He is playing a big role in the Panthers offense skating with Huberdeau and Trochek and makes a nice value play on his own in cash games or as a part of a Florida line stack in GPP formats.
Stack with: Jonathan Huberdeau, Vincent Trocheck
Also Consider: Kasperi Kapanen(TOR) as a value play skating on a line with Auston Matthews and Patrick Marleau
Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 15.73 DK - 4.66
If paying up for a D man tonight, Roman Josi jumps off the page and checks all the boxes. It starts with the floor he provides for cash games as he comes in with 28 shots and 24 blocks over his last 10 games and with the upside he also provides(11 points in those 10 games), he has averaged 5.2 DraftKings/18.8 FanDuel points per game. He and the Preds now get a plus matchup against a Red Wings team that has struggled recently losing three straight while allowing 12 goals and have been much worse defensively on the road allowing 3.5 goals per game(23rd). Josi is in play in all formats.
Opponent - BUF
Proj Pts FD - 11.28 DK - 3.31
From a PTS/$ perspective, Ryan Pulock is a terrific play tonight for a couple of reasons. He has been very consistent lately with seven points in his last 10 games combined with 27 shots and 19 blocks for an average of 3.9 DraftKings/13.9 FanDuel points per game. The floor for cash games has been there all season as well as he is averaging 2.2 shots and 1.8 blocks per game on the season while averaging over 20 minutes per game. At a price under $5K on both sites, Pulock is in play in all formats.
Also Consider: Dougie Hamilton(CAR) or Jacob Trouba(WPG)
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