Welcome back hockey fans. We have another exciting night of DFS hockey on tap with nine games on the schedule including seven of the bottom 10 defenses. Let's dig in and take a look at some of the top plays at each position and make sure to check out our projection system and optimizer tool.
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Opponent - NYR
Proj Pts FD - 18.99 DK - 4.75
Buckle up ladies and gents! If you thought goalie has been a mess a lately, starting off with McElhinney probably won't shock you. Looking at the landscape of the position Matt Murray and Pekka Rinne have come down to Earth lately and both play on the road tonight, Andre Vasilevskiy will be taking a seat as the Bolts are on a back to back on the road and while Devan Dubnyk is in a great spot at home vs. Anaheim, he has been terrible lately.
That leaves us Curtis McElhinney who will never be in the conversation as one of the league's elite goalies but has a lot going for him tonight. He has been terrific lately winning eight of his last 10 starts with a .923 save % while facing 30 shots per game. He and the Canes are also -210 home favorites tonight against a rebuilding Rangers team that has struggled on the road(10-16-2) and rank 22nd in overall offense on the season. All things considered, McElhinney is my top goalie tonight in all formats.
Opponent - TB
Proj Pts FD - 12.78 DK - 3.19
Opponent - MIN
Proj Pts FD - 11.14 DK - 2.79
From a GPP perspective, you can almost go in any direction tonight but I am very intrigued by these youngsters having great starts to their careers. Carter Hart has won nine of his last 10 starts and through his first 20 starts already has 13 wins while posting an impressive .924 save%. The matchup is not great as the league's #1 team travels to Philly tonight but he should be very low owned, face a ton of shots, and have some win potential given the Bolts are running out their backup goalie, Louis Domingue.
Kevin Boyle is an undrafted goalie out of college and has stepped into the league earlier than he probably thought but has been great filling in for an injury-riddled goalie situation in Anaheim. The sample size is smaller but he has now made three starts and allowed just four goals on 89 shots he has faces(.955 save %). The win potential is the biggest risk here as the Ducks offense has struggled to score goals recently and for most of the season but they are playing a Wild team that will likely start Devan Dubnyk who has given up goals in bunches and sits with a 897 save % over the last 10 games.
Opponent - NJ
Proj Pts FD - 17.25 DK - 4.94
The decision at center tonight is pretty easy, at least on DraftKings, where Malkin leads all players in PTS/$ with a price that continues to hover in the mid $6K range. That is just way too cheap for a player producing at his level lately as he enters this game with points in seven straight with 16 over his last 10 games with 37 shots on goal. He and the Pens now have a plus matchup against the Devils who have been better on home ice(14th) but not nearly as good lately allowing over three goals per game in their last 10 home games. The decision is closer on FanDuel where I would probably reserve him for GPP only but on DraftKings, Malkin is my top center on the slate.
Stack with: Nick Bjugstad, Sidney Crosby(PP)
Opponent - NYR
Proj Pts FD - 17.03 DK - 4.92
Aho hasn't been quite on Malkin's level lately but pretty darn close with 12 points(four on the powerplay) over his last 10 games with 35 shots on goal while skating over 21 minutes per game. He is now two points clear of his career high set a year ago but has done it in 19 fewer games. He and the Canes now get a plus matchup against the Rangers who have given up 12 goals in their first three games on this road trip and rank 30th in road defense on the season. I love the idea of stacking Malkin and Aho together on DraftKings and on FanDuel if you need that salary relief Aho is a terrific pivot at a $900 discount.
Stack with: Nino Niederreiter, Justin Williams
Also Consider: Jack Eichel(BUF) in all formats with his high shot volume(11.7 shots/60, 18.5 iCorsi/60) and upside(62 points in 55 games)
Opponent - BUF
Proj Pts FD - 13.45 DK - 3.9
If you are a DFSR projections and optimizer user you have likely seen a ton of Frank Vatrano in lineups lately and will likely see him again tonight as he is currently the PTS/$ leader at the position. For his price, he has been terrific lately with nine points in his last 10 games with 24 shots on goal while skating on the top line with Barkov and Huberdeau. They now face a Sabres team that has given up four or more goals in five of their last eight games and rank in the bottom third in defense overall. Fire up Vatrano in all formats.
Stack with: Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau
Opponent - CBJ
Proj Pts FD - 13.57 DK - 3.91
Another solid option in the mid-range of pricing on both sites is Brendan Gallagher of the Canadiens. It starts with the elite floor he provides as he comes in with 43 shots in his last 10 games and sits with a 13.0 shots/60 and 24.2 iCorsi/60 on the season. He also provides us with some upside having tallied eight points over his last 10 games to give him 37 on the season and looking at his crazy 13.3 scoring chances per 60 rating, I think we are goign to see much more down the stretch. Fire up Gallagher in all formats.
Stack with: Jonathan Drouin, Phillip Danault
Also Consider: Jake Guentzel(PIT) skating top line with Sidney Crosby or Brayden Schenn(STL) in GPP formats as the floor is low but he has heated up with 13 points in his last 10 games while skating alongside Tarasenko and O'Reilly
Opponent - TOR
Proj Pts FD - 12.36 DK - 3.66
I will be venturing down into the second tier for my top defensemen tonight. Alex Pietrangelo has seen his price get near it's highest all season but he still seems cheap with the level of production he has provided lately. Over his last 10 games, he has given us a high floor with a nice balance of shots(22) and blocks(24) to go along with some upside as he tallied seven points in those games with two coming on the powerplay. He is in play in all formats at home vs. the Leafs tonight.
Opponent - TB
Proj Pts FD - 10.51 DK - 3.08
For value tonight, I will go back to Travis Sanheim who has seen his ice-time increase close to three minutes per game with the new regime and has been producing. Over his last 10 games, he has been averaging over 21 minutes per game and providing a very high floor with 20 shots and 29 blocks and has tallied three or more combined in 15 straight games. The matchup isn't ideal against the Eastern Conference leading Bolts but he is cheap on both sites and playable in all formats.
Also Consider: Keith Yandle(FLA) in GPP formats in a Panthers powerplay stack
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NHL sheet for tonight:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1LwelYf9IJY8hZzro2wTsaRhYaQ8m3-pXBCTpuVKjDlg/edit?usp=sharing