Below are game breakdowns and Optimal Lineups for tonight’s four-game NHL DFS slate.
VGK @ CAR
This game currently has the highest goal total of the night, with LV holding a slight advantage as the favourites in this game. Vegas is a team that plays better at home, but they are starting to become quite the team on the road. There’s a lot to love in this matchup, no matter what team you decide to pick.
Let’s start with Las Vegas. The Golden Knights don’t have a great power play, but the Hurricanes have a below-average PK, so in these kind of situations, it’s still ideal to pick on the team that can’t kill penalties. The value plays here are obviously Shea Theodore and Alex Tuch. Both players are around the $4K price range on FD and they both play together on the top PP unit. Obvious players like James Neal and William Karlsson are option to consider on this slate, but only Karlsson joins Tuch & Theodore on the top PP unit.
The Hurricanes currently have a team goal total sitting at 3.0, but i’m really not buying into that number. Marc Andre Fleury has proven that he can still play at a very high level and his numbers have backed that up. Despite being on the road, Fleury is a safe cash game option in my books. He’s too expensive to roster on DK, but he’s nicely priced on FD.
As for the Carolina Hurricanes, Teuvo Teravainen and Elias Lindholm are the only two players i’d considering plugging into my lineups. They won’t cost you a fortune to roster and they play together five-on-five and t=on the top PP.
VAN @ WPG
Vegas lines haven’t come out yet for this game, but when they do, they should favour Winnipeg by quite a bit. It also doesn’t matter who starts in net for Vancouver, seeing as both Markstrom and Nilsson aren’t that great.
The Jets first line of Kyle Connor, Patrik Laine and Blake Wheeler is worth considering in a GPP, or even in cash games. The trio also plays together on the top PP unit. Wheeler and Laine are going to cost you a bit, but there is so much value available on this slate in other places that you shouldn’t need to worry about spending up for those two.
As for Vancouver, Brock Boeser is the best player on the team, but that’s about it. He’s playing on a line with Sam Gagner and Thomas Vanek, two players who i’m really not a fan of in this contest. The Canucks have a decent power play, but they don’t generate enough shots per game (29th) and their PK is a mess (27th). If you want to go the GPP life, VAN1 is the only way to go, but I wouldn’t get my hopes up.
SJS @ ANA
Always remember the golden rule-- never play SJ1, ever. Not only can you find this on my twitter page (@Fuzzychris91), but you’ll probably be able to find a ton of people who have been burned by Pavelski- Thornton-(guy).
That being said, San Jose takes a ton of shots per game (9th) and their PP is really good (5th), so they can definitely score goals. The Ducks do have a pretty good PK, but they give up the fifth most shots per game in the league!
The best way to get exposure to some SJ1 and not get burned is to play Joe Pavelski and Brent Burns. It’s an obvious play on a short slate, but i’m really not sold on SJ doing much damage (unless for some reason Ryan Miller gets the start, but that doesn’t seem likely).
On the flip side, ANA1 is the line to target. Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Rickard Rakell all play together on the top line and top PP unit. Rakell & Getzlaf is the mini stack to go with, but they are too expensive to roster on DK, so only use them on FD. Cam Fowler joins the trio on the top PP unit, so if you want to go with a full PP stack, add Fowler to the mix.
NYR @ LAK
No team in the NHL gives up less goals per game than the Los Angeles Kings (2.43 GA/GP) and the New York Rangers are ranked 13th in GF/GP (2.96). Thirteenth is that bad, but the Kings are just an elite defensive hockey team, so let’s not expect the Rangers to do much damage in this one.
Assuming the LAK can confirm a goalie before 10:15 ET, Jonathan Quick is the best option of the night. He’s as elite as it gets on this slate and he’s just $100 more expensive than Fleury on FD.
As for scoring, people are going to want to play Dustin Brown, and my advice to those people is to NOT PLAY DUSTIN BROWN! For $1500 les on FD, you can roster Adrian Kempe, who’s found himself a spot on the top line and the top PP unit with Anze Kopitar and Brown. Last time I said nice things about him, he scored a goal, so let’s see if that magic continues tonight. He’s better priced on DK, but he’s still a bargain play at $4500 on FD.
On the blueline, Drew Doughty is going to see top PP minutes, but Jake Muzzin is a much affordable option who can rack up a bunch of fantasy points without scoring a goal. He’s also better priced on FD.