Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8), from Russia, pauses on the ice in the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Dallas Stars, Thursday, Nov. 19, 2015, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
After an unusually slow night on Tuesday, we are back with a massive slate on Wednesday with 13 games on the ice including five with a massive 6.5 total. Get ready for another high-scoring night in fantasy hockey with my core plays at each position. Let's get started.
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Opponent - ANA
Proj Pts FD - 22.12 DK - 16.61
It has been a 60/40 split in goal for the Coyotes this season with Raanta getting the nod at home on Wednesday in a great matchup. The Coyotes open as -150 favorites in one of just three games with a 5.5 total on this huge 13-game slate and face a Ducks team that has dropped eight of their last 11 road games while scoring just 2.3 goals per game. Raanta has been consistent all season(5-2-2/.926 save %) and has been red-hot lately coming off back to back wins vs. the Kings where he saved 74 of 76 shots he faced. All things considered, Raanta is my favorite goalie in all formats tonight.
Opponent - OTT
Proj Pts FD - 20.23 DK - 15.17
The Bruins are the only team playing on a back to back tonight and on the road which always raises some red flags in terms of targeting goalies but hear me out. First of all, the Bruins are an elite team both at home and on the road and have one of the best goalie duos in the league. Rask has been a little up and down this season but after losing two straight on the road earlier this month, he bounced back in a big way beating Toronto and New Jersey on the road holding them to just three combined goals and has won four straight overall coming into this one. The Bruins are also -165 favorites tonight as they take on the Senators and their 25th ranked offense. I am very high on Raanta and feel he is clearly the best cash game option tonight but feel Rask is an excellent GPP pivot.
Opponent - COL
Proj Pts FD - 23.61 DK - 18.43
Opponent - EDM
Proj Pts FD - 23.48 DK - 18.81
The center position is very deep tonight and if you are paying up you really can't go wrong with Connor McDavid or Nathan MacKinnon who are going head to head for the second time in two weeks. MacKinnon got the better of the Avs in the first meeting as he went OFF for a hat trick and while also adding three assists. Those big games have been the norm this season as he is averaging nearly two points per game and his 21 powerplay points lead the league and have helped the Oilers to the #2 unit in hockey with the man advantage.
Not to be outdone is Nathan MacKinnon who is on the same planet as McDavid as he enters the night with 15 points in his last 10 games and is 6th overall with 33 on the season. What stands out most with MacKinnon is the crazy shot volume as he is averaging five shots per game in his last 10 and is 4th overall in the league(Ovi, Pacioretty, Forsberg top 3) in shot attempts per 60 minutes of ice-time(23.3).
Overall, I give the slight edge to MacKinnon who is cheaper on both sites, is on home ice, and provides a higher floor with shot volume. Either way, both are elite plays in all formats.
Stack McDavid with: Leon Draisaitl
Stack MacKinnon with: Andre Burakovsky, Cale Makar(GPP)
Opponent - CGY
Proj Pts FD - 20.75 DK - 16.45
If it's a more balanced you are after, which makes a ton of senses in cash games, consider Jack Eichel. From a PTS/$ perspective, he is right at the top with McDavid and MacKinnon as he has caught fire again with 13 points in his last 10 games with 37 shots on goal for an average of 17.4 DK/20.1 FD points per game but at a near $1000 discount on both sites. Eichel also gets the better matchup of the three at home vs. the Flames who have dropped seven of their last eight games and have given up five or more goals in two of their last three road games. All things considered, Eichel is my favorite center on this slate, at least from a cash game perspective.
Stack with: Victor Olofsson, Sam Reinhart
Opponent - CBJ
Proj Pts FD - 12.14 DK - 9.26
The reason I led off with elite-priced McDavid and MacKinnon and also mention Ovi in the winger section is because this huge slate presents a ton of value plays to tie it all together even in a cash game lineups. I am a bit of a homer here as a Flyers fan but it has been a great start for the teams 2017 first-round pick. He tallied three points in his first two games and while held off the scoresheet in his last two he has recorded seven shots on goal. The key here is that he is getting a ton of opportunity centering the top line and powerplay unit. He is in play in all formats, especially on FanDuel at the low $4K range.
Stack with: Claude Giroux, Travis Konecny
Also Consider: David Krejci(BOS) skating on the top line with David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand with Patrice Bergeon out
Opponent - FLA
Proj Pts FD - 20.93 DK - 17.14
Opponent - FLA
Proj Pts FD - 13.2 DK - 10.4
Opponent - FLA
Proj Pts FD - 13 DK - 10.16
The Caps sit right at the top of the implied goal projections in the system and present a ton of options with their deep, Top 5 ranked offense, especially at the wing position. Let's start with Ovi is my top pay up on this slate despite the slight drought over the last 10 games in terms of points(6). The good news is that he provides an elite floor with shot volume and does have 47 shots in those 10 games and also leads the league with a ridiculous 26.3 iCoris/60(shot attempts).
Playing the opposite wing on the top line is Tom Wilson who is an excellent PTS/$ target, especially on FanDuel under $5k. He has eight points and 25 shots over his last 10 games for an average of 11.2 DK/13.8 FD points per game. The price on Vrana has started to come up and for good reason, as he is having a career-best start to the season with 11 goals and 19 points while also providing a high PTS/$ floor averaging 2.8 shots per game backed up by an elite 21.7 iCorsi/60.
With an elite matchup against a Panthers team that has given up 13 goals in their last three games and ranks 23rd in road defense on the season, all three of these players can be considered in all formats.
Opponent - WPG
Proj Pts FD - 14.97 DK - 11.83
The Sharks are on my shortlist of teams to target tonight in a matchup vs. the Jets 18th ranked road defense in one of the five games with a 6.5 total. After a breaking out and posting a career-high 66 points last year, Timo Meier got off to a slow start but there is a lot of good news in terms of fantasy. First of all, the early struggles have brought his price down below $6k on both sites and now is the time to buy as he is trending in the right direction. He comes into this game with six goals and six assists over his last 10 games with 27 shots and an 18.3 iCoris/60. This is a buy-low spot and Meier is in play in all formats.
PP Stack with: Logan Couture, Evander Kane, Kevin Labanc
Also Consider: Andrei Svechnikov(CAR) who comes in red-hot with points in eight straight(12 total) and now gets a plus matchup against a Rangers 29th ranked defense
Opponent - NYR
Proj Pts FD - 18.73 DK - 14.96
John Carlson has been on another level this season and he gets an excellent matchup but the price makes it hard for cash games so I will drop down to the next tier with Dougie Hamilton. He has been having a career-best start to his season as well with 25 points in 24 games but it's the consistent floor he provides that stands out the most. He comes into this game with a combination of 58 combined shots and blocks over his last 10 games for an average of 15.8 DK/18.2 FD points per game. Fire up Hamilton in all formats in this plus matchup tonight.
Opponent - ANA
Proj Pts FD - 11.53 DK - 9.47
From a PTS/$ perspective, the system absolutely loves Jakob Chychrun especially on FanDuel in the sub $4K range. He isn't going to provide a ton of upside(9 points in 25 games) on the 26th ranked offense but what he does give us is a consistent floor for cash games. He has a combined 42 shots/blocks in his last 10 games and is averaging just over 3.6 per game on the season and now gets a plus home matchup against the Ducks. He is also in play in all formats with most of my exposure coming on FanDuel.
Also Consider: Mark Giordano(CGY), Cale Makar(COL), Brett Pesce(CAR), Adam Pelech(NYI)
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