(AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Welcome back hockey fans. Thursday is a huge night with 11 games on the slate and we can most certainly expect some high scores with a whopping seven games sitting with a 6.5 Vegas total. Let's jump in and take a look at some core plays at each position and for even more make sure to check out the projection system and lineup optimizer.
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Opponent - CBJ
Proj Pts FD - 18.11 DK - 13.31
The Coyotes narrowly missed the playoffs a year ago and have built off that with a hot start to this season going 9-4-2. They rank second overall defensively and largely due to the play of their #1 goalie, Darcy Kuemper who has not only won seven of his 10 starts but also leads the league with an elite .940 save %. The only knock on him is that faces under 30 shots per game but I am willing to accept that tonight considering the plus matchup against the struggling Blue Jackets who have lost five straight while scoring just nine goals and rank 30th overall offensively(2.3 goals per game) on the season. Fire up Kuemper in all formats.
Opponent - MON
Proj Pts FD - 16.69 DK - 13.29
It hasn't exactly been the start to the season Hart or Flyers had hoped for but in the short term, I am going to chalk it up to a ton of travel early on. The good news is that he did end the five-game losing streak and has stopped 66 of 70 shots in back to back wins with the most impressive on Tuesday against Carolina(saved 33 of 34). The matchup is not exactly much better tonight as the Habs have been excellent on the road but I love the upside as they are averaging over 34 shots per game. The projected low ownership, upside, and sub $8K price tag on both sites make him one of my favorite GPP plays at the goalie position tonight.
Also Consider: Petr Mrazek(CAR) in a great spot at home against a Rangers team playing on a back to back and third game in four nights
Opponent - CHI
Proj Pts FD - 16.5 DK - 11.53
Opponent - CHI
Proj Pts FD - 15.43 DK - 11.05
It's going to be a high-scoring night with seven games with a monster 6.5 total so let's jump into one of those games. The Canucks are on the road tonight but face a Blackhawks team that has struggled to start the year(4-7-3) and have given up three or more goals in six of their last nine games. What stands out even more is that the Canucks rank 5th overall in scoring chances per 60 while the Hawks have given up the second-most scoring chances per 60. Pettersson is my top target as he not only has better shot volume(16.9 shot att per 60) but has more upside as well as he sits 6th overall(3rd among all centers) with 20 points, nine on the powerplay. If you need the extra saving, Horvat is most definitely in play as well as he has been red-hot with 12 points over his last 10 games while averaging 3.5 shots per game. Both are in play in all formats.
PP Stack with: Brock Boeser, J.T. Miller, Quinn Hughes
Opponent - CBJ
Proj Pts FD - 9.38 DK - 7.3
Opponent - CBJ
Proj Pts FD - 12.67 DK - 9.52
On the cheap, I am looking at a pair of Coyotes centers who have been consistent all season and get a plus matchup against the Blue Jackets 30th ranked road defense. Neither provides a very high floor but Dvorak has the edge in that category getting a bit more ice-time centering the top line and powerplay unit with Phil Kessel but Schmaltz has shown more upside leading the team with 14 points over his first 15 games. Both are very cheap in a plus matchup and despite the lower floor, I will give consideration in all formats as it allows us to load up elsewhere with multiple studs on the slate tonight.
Stack with: Clayton Keller, Phil Kessel
Opponent - MIN
Proj Pts FD - 19.53 DK - 15.99
The price is still rising on Kane but he continues to rate out well from a PTS/$ perspective, especially on FanDuel where he is $1,500 cheaper than Ovechkin. The shot volume has been right there with Ovi as well as he comes into tonight with 45 shots in his last 10 games while averaging over 19 shot attempts(Corsi) per 60 minutes on the season. The upside is there as well as he has averaged a point per game to start the year and is now a staple on the top line and powerplay unit. Add the matchup against the Wild who are 2-8 on the road and rank 23rd in road defense and you have a great play in all formats.
Stack with: Logan Couture, Kevin Labanc
Opponent - NYR
Proj Pts FD - 15.54 DK - 11.1
Down in the next tier, we get another player in Svechnikov who feels a bit underpriced based on early-season production. It starts with the high floor as he has averaged three shots per game with a 16.2 iCorsi/60(shot attempts) on the season. The offensive upside has come in streaks as he has 15 points on the season with seven multi-point efforts. The Canes are one of my top teams to target tonight in a matchup against the Rangers who rank 26th on defense and are playing on a back to back and third game in four nights. Svechnikov is in play in all formats as one of my top PTS/$ values.
Stack with: Sebastian Aho, Warren Foegle
Also Consider: Alexander Ovechkin(WSH) as an elite play in all formats if you have the salary to spend or Brady Tkachuk/Anthony Duclair(OTT) as values with high shot volume
Opponent - FLA
Proj Pts FD - 22.77 DK - 17.3
If paying up at the position, John Carlson is the clear top choice as he has not only been the best fantasy D-man in the league but arguably the best overall player to start the season. He checks every single box as he averages over 25 minutes of ice-time and with a combined 4.4 shots/blocks per game he has one of the highest floors out there. Then there is the elite upside as he is currently Top 5 in overall points with 23 on the season and pairing him with Ovi is by far my favorite two-player stack to build around tonight.
Opponent - LA
Proj Pts FD - 10.62 DK - 8.29
Upside is not a word I will use with Zaitzev but if we are stacking Ovi and Carlson in a lineup we are going to need some punt values. The good news is that Zaitsev sits high in our PTS/$ rankings and it is almost exclusively due to his shot-blocking. He has tallied three or more in 10 of his 14 games and sits 3rd overall with 42 on the season. I love the savings in all formats but with a lack of upside, I will have most of my exposure to Zaitsev in cash games.
Also Consider: Ryan Pulock(NYI) as a mid-range value in all formats or Alexander Edler(VAN) who is averaging 5.0 shots/blocks per game
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