Chicago Blackhawks right wing Patrick Kane celebrates after scoring his goal during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Edmonton Oiler,s Sunday, Nov. 8, 2015, in Chicago. The Blackhawks won 4-2. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Happy Valentines Day hockey fans. As a gift, the NHL is giving us a huge 11-game slate on Thursday night so let's jump in and take a look at some of the top plays at each position. After that, make sure to check out our projection system and lineup optimizer and if you are not a DFSR member yet, get your free trial today.
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Opponent - DAL
Proj Pts FD - 19.75 DK - 4.94
Despite there being 11 games on the schedule, no one goalie jumps off the page as the #1 option so I will be paying up for the biggest home favorite tonight. Vasilevskiy and the Lightning are -190 favorites tonight and while he isn't having his best season he is still fourth in save %(.925) and second in shutouts(4). Outside of Tyler Seguin, the Stars have struggled offensively this season especially on the road where they have scored just 15 goals in their last seven road games going back to the start of January and rank 29th in overall road offense. The win potential is high and the upside is also there as Vasi is facing over 31 shots per game on the season. He is my top goalie in both sites and in play in all formats.
Opponent - ARI
Proj Pts FD - 18.72 DK - 4.68
What stands out here is that Binnington's price continues to sit in the value range despite his tremendous start to his rookie campaign. He made it into lineups on Tuesday and while he didn't face a ton of shots(23) he made 20 saves for his sixth straight victory giving him a 10-1-1 record on the season with impressive 1.82 GAA and .927 save %. The Coyotes have been better recently scoring eight goals during their last two games but overall have struggled scoring just 2.6 goals per game on the season(28th). Binnington is our top PTS/$ option in net tonight and if you are trying to load up on skaters, he makes a great play in all formats.
Opponent - OTT
Proj Pts FD - 18.62 DK - 5.34
After sitting out with a strained oblique muscle, Dylan Larkin is back and has picked up right where he left off pre-injury. He has points in three of his four games back with 19 shots on goal and now has five or more shots on goal in six of his last eight games. That high floor is backed up by a 10.7 shots/60 and 18.02 iCoris/60 on the season while getting almost 22 minutes of ice-time per game. He and the Red Wings now get a terrific matchup against a Senators team that sits in the basement in terms of standings and also rank dead last in defense allowing 3.66 goals per game. Fire up Larkin in all formats.
Stack with: Gustav Nyquist
Opponent - WAS
Proj Pts FD - 16.7 DK - 4.72
The Sharks have been red-hot winning six straight and 13 of their last 16 games moving into the lead in the Western Conference and a ton of credit is on the offense who is averaging 4.4 goals per game in that time. Herlt is currently centering the second line with Kane and Donskoi and joins Couture and Pavelski on the top powerplay and enters tonight on absolute fire lately with 15 points over his last 10 games including five multi-point efforts(three straight). You wouldn't think of the Caps as a bad defensive team but they have been worse on the road ranked 24th overall so in the mid $6K range on both sites, I will be getting exposure to Hertl in all formats.
Stack with: Evander Kane, Joonas Donskoi
Also Consider: Anze Kopitar(LAK) in GPP formats or Matt Duchene(OTT) in all formats
Opponent - NJ
Proj Pts FD - 21.48 DK - 6.18
Opponent - NJ
Proj Pts FD - 17.17 DK - 4.92
They are likely going to be chalky but the Blackhawks are in an elite spot on home ice tonight against a Devils team that just gave up eight goals in St. Louis on Tuesday and rank 28th in road defense giving up 3.41 goals per game. It starts with Patrick Kane who enters tonight with a 15 game point streak in which he has nine multi-point games and 32 total points during the streak. Not only does he have monster upside but he also provides an elite floor averaging over four shots per game with a 19.2 iCorsi/60.
DeBrincat skates on the second line with Dylan Strome and Dominik Kahun and but gets a boost in value as he jumps up to the top powerplay line with Kane and Toews. He has also been red-hot lately with 16 points(6 on the PP) in his last 10 games while averaging 2.8 shots per game as well. All in all, I will be building around one or both of these players tonight in all formats.
Stack with: Dylan Strome, Jonathan Toews
Opponent - VAN
Proj Pts FD - 11.84 DK - 3.4
It is usually FanDuel that is late to the party in adjusting prices but tonight it is the opposite as Toffoli is a buy-low candidate on DraftKings. The Kings offense, overall, has been terrible but Toffoli has been excellent lately with points in five straight and eight of his last 10 games with three multi-point efforts and 28 shots on goal. The matchup isn't great as the Canucks are mid-pack in defensive rankings but are playing on a back to back and third game in four nights in California. He is a GPP only play on FanDuel but on DraftKings at $4,900, he can be used in all formats.
PP Stack with: Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar
Also Consider: Blake Wheeler and Kyle Connor(WPG) as a viable two-man stack in all formats or Josh Anderson(CBJ) as a high volume shooter in all formats
Opponent - COL
Proj Pts FD - 12.51 DK - 3.73
If you have the salary and looking to pay up at the position, Burns and Giordano are my top plays from a raw points perspective but I will be turning to a more balanced/value approach on defense tonight. It starts with Jacob Trouba of the Jets who is skating over 22 minutes per game on the top pairing and second powerplay unit and providing a tremendous floor for cash games. Looking at his last 12 games, he has tallied a combined four or more shots and blocks in 11 of those games while averaging 2.4 shots and 2.5 blocks per game while also adding eight points in that time. All things considered, he is an excellent PTS/$ in all formats.
Opponent - NJ
Proj Pts FD - 10.97 DK - 3.3
The Blackhawks are my top team to target tonight against a Devils team that really struggles on the road. Brent Seabrook comes to us in the sub $5K range on both sites and has been trending for fantasy lately with seven points in his last 10 games with a nice balance of shots(23) and blocks(24) for an average of 3.9 DraftKings/13.7 FanDuel points per game. His ice-time and opportunity aren't what they used to be but he is still paired with Duncan Keith on the top pairing and second powerplay unit. Seabrook is in play in all formats and for GPP formats you could also consider Erik Gustafsson who skates top powerplay unit.
Also Consider: Travis Hamonic(CGY) as a cheap cash game punt play or Drew Doughty(LAK) in all formats, especially on DraftKings in the mid $4K range
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