Daily Fantasy Hockey Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings 12/28/16

Hello and welcome to another Wednesday of NHL action. Today we have an awesome five game slate, and Pittsburgh is the only team playing in back to back games, but that shouldn't be a factor as everyone should be well rested from the holiday break. We have some great picks for you today so let's get started.

Hockey is back and with it come our NHL projections which help inform these picks every night. When you purchase a DFSR NHL subscription to our base hockey projections you also get access to our brand new NFL DFS suite of tools including full projections, optimal NFL lineups and our Player Lab, which includes filters to help you create NFL lineups for FanDuel and DraftKings for any format. It’s a set of tools well beyond anything we’ve ever had, and something we feel will help our users *ahem* tackle the NFL season.

If you want to see the numbers behind our projections, create linueps with a single click, or research as deeply as your heart desires, click the button below to test out yourself.

GOALIES

Matthew Murray FD - $9300 DK - $8400
Opponent - CAR
Proj Pts FD - 18.53 DK - 4.63

Today's slate is slightly difficult from a goalie perspective because we have Carey Price playing on the road in Tampa Bay where the Habs notoriously struggle from year to year, and they are much better at home. A large majority of the rest are simply just bad, they have bad matchups, and/or their teams aren't very good. But have no fear my friends, Pittsburgh is playing tonight and with Fleury getting the nod in Jersey last night, it looks like the young star Matthew Murray will get the start tonight. The Pens beat the Devils 5-2 last night and their league-best offense is on fire. Obviously, Goal support shouldn't be a problem today, and although Carolina isn't a terrible team anymore, their offense still isn't good as they rank 18th in the NHL in that category. Okay enough carrying on. Murray has been sensational this season with a 13-4 record, 2 shutouts, and a .928 save %. Yes I know he gave up six goals in his last game but guess what? Columbus is scoring a million goals on everyone lately, so we can easily ignore that game, and Murray is by far my favorite play in cash games today, and I think we can roll him out in a few tourney lineups as well. If for some reason, the Pens start old man Fleury today, then start him with confidence as well.

 

 

Frederik Andersen FD - $9100 DK - $7400
Opponent - FLA
Proj Pts FD - 13.65 DK - 3.41

Since we have our safest goalie figured out today, let's present to you the former Duck (not the animal), Mr. Frederik Andersen. The Swedish tender and his Maple Leafs have been quite good lately, and now they travel to Florida to face their 23rd ranked offense. Andersen shut out the Avalanche by stopping all 38 shots and then stopped 31 of 32 shots in Arizona last game to give him two wins in a row. I know those teams are bad, but that's huge confidence for Andersen to win in back to back road games. Florida is currently listed as a -125 favorite this evening with a 5.5 total, so this pick isn't for the faint of heart as his floor is low, but Andersen has massive upside potential, so if you want to try and take down a large tourney today then this is your man.

 

 

CENTERS

Evgeni Malkin FD - $8600 DK - $7600
Opponent - CAR
Proj Pts FD - 16.92 DK - 5.05

This could actually be an exciting game today as we have Pittsburgh's #1 ranked offense and #2 ranked power-play going up against Carolina's #1 ranked penalty kill and #10 ranked offense. I could have easily mentioned Crosby here, and he makes a terrific play, but the Russian superstar is $600 cheaper on FanDuel and $1,000 cheaper on DraftKings and he provides you with close to the same amazing production as Sid the Kid. Chris recommended both stars yesterday and they didn't disappoint one bit. Malkin scored a goal and added an assist to go along with three shots on goal. He averages  19 minutes of ice time and 3.1 shots per game, so he has a high floor to go along with an unlimited ceiling. Play him with confidence this evening.

PP Stack With: Sidney Crosby, Patrick Honrqvist, Phil Kessel

 

 

 

Auston Matthews FD - $7000 DK - $7700
Opponent - FLA
Proj Pts FD - 16.1 DK - 4.88

Wow what an exciting race for the Calder trophy this season as we have Matthews, Laine, and even Mitch Marner competing toe to toe for the crown and they are entertaining fans in a huge way on a nightly basis. Coach Babcock spreads his ice time around a lot, and messes with his lines just to make DFS people angry, but one guy that he doesn't mess with is their current #1 overall draft pick. Matthews has two goals and an assist to go along with 14 shots in his last three games and he has points in five of his last six games. We need to have exposure to this game in Florida tonight as both teams spend a ton of time in their opponents zone. Matthews plays on one of Toronto's top two scoring lines as well as their #1 PP unit, and he's a great play in all formats on FanDuel, and a decent play on DraftKings.

PP Stack with: Nazem Kadri, Leo Komarov, William Nylander

 

 

 

Brian Boyle FD - $3900 DK - $4100
Opponent - MON
Proj Pts FD - 8.43 DK - 2.53

I gave you a high priced guy and a mid-value guy, and now I present to you Brian Boyle who probably has no business being surrounded on a line with Jonathan Drouin and Tyler Johnson. But because of injuries to Stamkos, and Callahan, the Lightning needed to bump somebody up, and Boyle has fit in well because of his size and ability to snipe a goal from anywhere. Since claiming his new role he has averaged 19 minutes of ice time while scoring four goals (2 PP,) an assist, and 17 shots on goal. Montreal isn't as strong on the road as they are at home, and because of the amount of ice time he is getting, and opportunity combined with his very low prices around the industry, I like Boyle in all formats today.

Stack with: Jonathan Drouin, Tyler Johnson

 

 

 

WINGERS

Vladimir Tarasenko FD - $8800 DK - $7900
Opponent - PHI
Proj Pts FD - 17.95 DK - 5.71

Let's start the wing position off with a guy who in case you didn't know, is pretty darned good. He is our projection system's favorite winger today from a raw points perspective and it's not even close. Philly is an exciting team to watch because they score a ton of goals, and they allow a ton of goals as evident by their 23rd ranked defense, so expect a back and forth shootout tonight in the city that is home to a massive Budweiser factory. I toured it once but don't remember much about it and I'm not quite sure why. Anyways, Tarasenko has 16 goals, and 22 assists to along with 126 shots on goal this year which is awesome. Because of his large shot volume and the fact that he plays on the top line and #1 PP unit, he has a high floor, and he also has hat-trick upside on any given day, so play him in all formats.

Stack with: Jori Lehtera, Alex Steen

 

 

 

Jakub Voracek FD - $7300 DK - $7000
Opponent - STL
Proj Pts FD - 15.06 DK - 4.65

And here we have the second highest projected winger today, and even though St. Louis has been great on defense in recent seasons, they have been awful this year as they rank a lowly 24th overall. Their goaltending has been bad also, and that's not good news as the go up against the Flyers' 7th ranked offense today. Voracek was held off of the scoresheet last game, but look for that to change today. He offers a higher floor that most players in the league with his 3.42 shots per game, and he average 20 minutes of ice time per game. Remember ice time equals opportunity, and he always offers massive upside as he plays on Philly's top line and #1 PP unit. Lock him and load him.

Stack with: Claude Giroux, Michael Raffl

 

 

 

Jaromir Jagr FD - $5500 DK - $5200
Opponent - TOR
Proj Pts FD - 10.32 DK - 3.19

The ageless wonder continues to set a great example for all of mankind, as he keeps turning back the clock on a daily basis. He is aging very well, and tonight he and the Panthers welcome the Maple Leafs and their 15th ranked defense to town. Jagr has five assists in his last three games, and 17 shots on goal in his last five games and he averages 17 minutes of ice time per game this season. He is too cheap on both sites as he plays on the #1 line and #1 power-play unit with the Russian star Alexander Barkov, and he is well rested from the Christmas break, so play him in all formats today.

Stack with: Alexander Barkov, Seth Griffith

 

 

 

 

DEFENSEMEN

Jeff Petry FD - $4900 DK - $4900
Opponent - TB
Proj Pts FD - 12.5 DK - 3.76

Today is a mid-value kind of day at this position because I found two guys who are must starts today in all formats because of the huge opportunities opened up because of injuries on their respective teams. Andrei Markov will remain out for the Habs for at least a few more games, and he may have already lost his job on the #1 PP unit because of this guy. Petry has four goals, two assists, 26 shots on goal (wow,) 7 blocked shots and has averaged 24 minutes of ice time in his last 5 games. Enough said. Do not fade him in any way shape or form today folks.

 

 

 

Justin Schultz FD - $5000 DK - $5400
Opponent - CAR
Proj Pts FD - 11.71 DK - 3.44

Same situation, different team, and this guy plays for the league's #1 offense. Schultz was promoted to Pittsburgh's top power-play unit since Letang has been injured and it has made him look like a superstar. He has two goals, three assists, 10 shots on goal, 10 blocked shots, and has averaged 24 minutes of ice-time since taking over Kris Letang's duties and he scored a goal last night in New Jersey. Time to take a breath. Look for a Schultz to chip in with a point or two tonight, and he is also a must play in all formats.

 

 

 

Also Consider: Aaron Ekblad(FLA)

 

 

 

Hockey is back and with it come our NHL projections which help inform these picks every night. When you purchase a DFSR NHL subscription to our base hockey projections you also get accessto our brand new NFL DFS suite of tools including full projections, optimal NFL lineups and our Player Lab, which includes filters to help you create NFL lineups for FanDuel and DraftKings for any format. It’s a set of tools well beyond anything we’ve ever had, and something we feel will help our users *ahem* tackle the NFL season.

If you want to see the numbers behind our projections, create linueps with a single click, or research as deeply as your heart desires, click the button below to test out yourself.