(AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Welcome back hockey fans. Tuesday brings us a monster 13-game slate tonight which includes eight games with a high 6.5 total so get ready for a ton of offense. Let's dig in and take a look at some core plays at each position then head over and check out the projection system and lineup optimizer.
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Opponent - VAN
Proj Pts FD - 17.02 DK - 12.2
Bishop was pulled after allowing three goals on 15 shots in Edmonton on Saturday but I am not concerned about the 11-year vet whatsoever. For starters, before that loss, he had held opponents to two or fewer goals in seven straight and has been much better on home ice with a .941 save %(.909 save % on the road). Tonight, he and the Stars are -150 home favorites against a Canucks team who has lost six of their last seven games while scoring just 2.3 goals per game. Bishop is an excellent play in all formats.
Opponent - TOR
Proj Pts FD - 17.96 DK - 13.02
Speaking of struggling teams, the Vegas Golden Knights are at home tonight against the Leafs who have dropped five straight and seven of their last 10 scoring two or fewer goals in five of them. Fleury has been up and down recently giving up four or more goals four times in the last 10 games but leads the league with 10 wins overall and is coming off a 33-save shutout against the Flames on Sunday. Vegas opens as a -150 favorite and like Bishop, Fleury is in play in all formats.
Also Consider: Tuukka Rask(BOS) as a GPP pivot off the two mentioned above who are likely higher owned
**If you have the salary, you are obviously spending up for one of Connor McDavid or Nathan MacKinnon who are both averaging an incredible 19 DK/23 FD fantasy points per game and both get plus matchups. If you are looking for a more balanced route, especially in cash games, check out the options below.**
Opponent - MIN
Proj Pts FD - 20.31 DK - 16.25
The first stop when looking at PTS/$, especially on FanDuel, is Jack Eichel. While the offensive production hasn't been consistent he has seven multi-efforts and has tallied three or more points four times already. One thing that has been consistent for Eichel is the shot volume as he has 19 shots over his last four games and is averaging 3.6 shots on goal per game on the season. More good news as he has also been much better on home ice with 18 points in 10 games and face a Wild team that ranks 23rd in road defense(26th overall). Eichel is my top PTS/$ center in all formats.
Stack with: Victor Olofsson, Sam Reinhart
Opponent - NYI
Proj Pts FD - 11.82 DK - 9.32
Unfortunately for the Penguins, they are going to be without Sidney Crosby for over a month but this does open up some value. McCann is one player that is getting more playing time now centering the second line and top powerplay unit and he has also been red-hot with points in five of his last six games. The matchup is not ideal against the Islanders second-ranked defense but the price is right on both sites to give McCann consideration in all formats.
Stack with: Dominik Kahun, Evgeni Malkin(PP), Jake Guentzel(PP)
Also Consider: Claude Giroux(PHI) as a mid-range option on DraftKings with a high PTS/$ floor with 35 shots over his last 10 games
Opponent - TOR
Proj Pts FD - 14.26 DK - 11.69
Opponent - TOR
Proj Pts FD - 13.66 DK - 11.08
I talked about the Leafs struggles above with Fleury but the real issue recently has been the defense that has given up a whopping 20 goals over their last four and rank 25th defensively on the road for the season. This brings us to the Golden Knights offense that broke out of a slump on Sunday scoring six goals against the Flames and have been much better on home ice scoring 3.6 goals per game(2.5 per game on the road).
The offense has been very top-heavy this season and these two wingers cover both top lines and powerplay units. I list them over everyone else as they are the best cash game options of the bunch both sitting Top 10 in shot attempts per game. Pacioretty is my top choice of the two as he enters tonight as one of only four players averaging over four shots on goal per game and has also added 20 points in 22 games. You can play them as one-offs, you can stack them with linemates for a GPP stack, or stack them together to cover both lines. They are in play in all formats.
Stack Pacioretty with: Cody Eakin, Mark Stone
Stack Marchesseault with: William Karlsson, Reilly Smith
Opponent - OTT
Proj Pts FD - 13.09 DK - 10.68
Opponent - OTT
Proj Pts FD - 8.29 DK - 6.49
There is most definitely a path to paying up for a top stack or multiple top players tonight and for me, it starts with the Red Wings. They are going nowhere fast overall but come into tonight having scored three or more goals in four of their last five games with a nice share of the damage coming from the second line. Athanasiou has four goals and 14 shots over his last four games and is averaging right around three shots per game over the last couple of weeks. He is a player I will consider in all formats. Fabbri plays the wing across from Athanasiou and while he has no floor he comes at sub $4K prices on both sites, has points in four of his last five games, and has been getting time on the top powerplay unit.
Stack with: Valtteri Filppula, Dylan Larkin(PP)
Also Consider: Brendan Gallagher(MON) in all formats with his elite shot volume(12.3 shots and 22.6 shot attempts per 60 minutes)
Opponent - WPG
Proj Pts FD - 19.83 DK - 15.77
It is almost a coin flip when deciding to pay up for Josi or Hamilton tonight as both have provided very high, consistent floors for cash games and a ton of upside for GPP as well. You really can't go wrong with either but I lean Josi tonight who is at home against a Jets team that has won on the rod this year(7-3) but has struggled defensively(21st in road defense). On top of that, Josi has been scorching hot with 11 points and 51 combined shots/blocks over his last 10 games for an average of 15.7 DK/18.5 FD points per game. Fire up Josi in all formats.
Opponent - VAN
Proj Pts FD - 14.33 DK - 11.45
The price is climbing and for good reason as the second-year pro is making huge strides with his game in almost every area. After recording 33 points in 82 games in his rookie season, he has already tallied 14 through 21 games this year and posted a very impressive +11 rating which means nothing for fantasy but says a lot about his improved defensive game. For fantasy, we are buying low on a player who comes in with eight points and 51 combined shots/blocks over his last 10 games for an average of 13.2 DK/15.4 FD points per game. Excellent play in all formats.
Also Consider: Nate Schmidt(VEG) in all formats, especially on FanDuel in the mid $4K range or Rasmus Ristolainen(BUF) as a high PTS/$ cash game play
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