Happy Sunday NHL DFS fans! A short four game slate awaits us tonight, so let’s dive right into each matchup and breakdown who we should be targeting when building our lineups.
NSH @ TBL
For some reason, Vegas has the Tampa Bay team total sitting at 3.4, the highest total on the slate. The Lightning are a powerhouse offence, but are they really going to score three goals against one of the best defensive teams in the league? Yes the Sabres lit them up at home yesterday, but let’s call that luck. I’ll probably nibble at this matchup a bit a look for some value.
Let’s start with the home team. The lightning are at home, so that gives them a slight edge. J.T. Miller is a lock for me in all formats. He’s playing with Stamkos and Kucherov five-on-five and on the top power play. At $6500 on FanDuel, sign me up!
Yanni Gourd has been a pleasant surprise this season, averaging just over 11 fantasy points per game (FPPG) on FD. At $5700, i’ll take it. I’d even go as far as playing a winger/winger stack with Miller/Gourd in cash games, but don’t go crazy trying to make that work.
On the flip side, Eeli Tolvanen made his NHL debut yesterday night. The rookie played 13 minutes and looked pretty good. He didn’t register a point, but it won’t take him long to change that. He’s skating on the top line and on the top power play unit. He’s $3300 on DK, so his ownership will be sky high on this slate.
Ryan Johansen doesn’t take many shots per game, so the possibility that he put up a zero is high, but there’s no reason for him to be $4900 on DK tonight. That is just too cheap. He’s a GPP play for sure, but I wouldn’t rule him out in cash games either.
If you want to complete the PP stack, P.K. Subban is the way to go. The former Norris Trophy winner is going to get the opportunity to score goals and rack up points. His price tag is also very reasonable across all sites.
NJD @ MTL
As a Habs fan, it’s extremely hard to talk bad about them, but let’s face it-- they are just #NotGood. They are a slightly better team at home, but don’t they that fool you into thinking they can do some damage tonight.
The Devils are lead by Taylor Hall, so i’m all in on him in cash games. Doesn’t matter what his price tag is, he’s worth spending up to have him in your lineup. I’d pair him with Nico Hischier, who joins Hall on the top line. They don’t play on the same power play unit, but Hischier has a really soft price tag on both DK and FD, so i’ll take it.
On defence, Sami Vatanen joins Hall on the top PP unit and is under $5K on FD. I’m not a fan of paying up for defenceman, so Vatanen is a nice option to consider. Will Butcher has been on a nice little run of late, racking up nine points in his last ten games. At $3600 on DK, I would definitely think about it. The one problem with Butcher is that he is very dependant on picking up points to hit value. He doesn’t block shots and doesn’t take very many either, so he’s more of a GPP play in my books.
As of right now, Cory Schneider is expected to get the start, but we’ll probably know more about who gets the guard the blue paint tonight closer to lock. Schneider is $7700 on FD, so if he does get the start, that’s the spot to use him. On DK, both goalies are priced at $8300, which is way too high for my liking.
WSH @ PIT
Here is a matchup that you’ll want to have some exposure to. Crosby Vs. Ovechkin is always fun to watch, but tonight, you won’t be able to fit both into your lineup. I like Pittsburgh quite a bit here, especially is Braden Holtby gets the start. The former Vezina winner has been terrible this season. He looks lost out there, so there’s a good chance the Penguins fill the net by the end of the night.
Phil Kessel has found his way back onto Malkin’s wing, so i’m in love with trying to fit Malkin/Kessel into my cash game lineup. Malkin is matchup proof at this point, and he should have no problem feeding Kessel all night, but five-on-five and on the PP.
Crosby and Guentzel do offer some value at a reasonable price, but i’m just not a fan of paying a premium to roster Guentzel. Could you stack Pittsburgh’s top line in a GPP? Sure, but that’s as far as it would go forme.
Even though i’m not a fan of paying up for defenseman, Kris Letang is in a nice spot tonight. He’s affordable on DK, so that’s where I would use him.
On the flip side, how can you ignore Ovechkin. The Capitals captain can score goals from anywhere on the ice, and there’s a good chance that he scores one tonight. If you don’t want to play Taylor Hall or Phil Kessel, than you can pay up for Ovi on FD. Kuznetsov is going to be feeding him the puck all night, so those two are a nice mini-stack option to consider in a GPP.
If you really want to get creative, Tom Wilson is $4300on FD and is expected to skate on the top line. It’s not a pretty play, but It will help you fit those high price superstars into your lineup.
COL @ ANA
It was announced earlier today that Varlamov is done for the season with a lower-body injury and Erik Johnson is expected to miss six weeks with a fractured patella. This isn’t good news for the Avs who are trying to lock up a playoff spot. These are big injuries to big players, so i’ll probably target ANA in this matchup.
The Ducks top line of Getzlaf, Perry and Rakell is where you should be looking. Perry doesn’t join Rakell/Getzlaf on the top PP unit, but that’s a smapp price to pay. At home, Ryan Kesler will have the mission of trying to slow down MacKinnon and company, so Getzlaf’s line should have a ton of room to work out there. Perry has the best price tag of the three, so if you want to use him as a single bullet, go ahead.
On the blue line, Cam Fowler is where it’s at! He’s playing close to 25 minutes a night and is the QB on that top PP unit. At $4700 on FD, it’s just cheap enough for me to give him a look.
John Gibson is an interesting play here. Colorado should come out quite desperate tonight, and that could catch Anaheim off guard. You never want to start a goalie who has to face Colorado’s top line, but we need to take the risk here. If Ryan Miller gets the start here, abandon the project immediately!
As for Colorado, If you want to stack the entire top line, go for it. Honestly, you can’t blame anyone who wants to try that strategy. If you want to fade Pittsburgh and go with Colorado in a GPP, do it!
I’ll say this about Jonathan Bernier-- he’s not as bad as people think he is. When Varlamov missed extended time earlier in the season, Bernier stepped up and helped his team stay in the hunt for a playoff spot. He can do the job, but I don’t think his team can walk out of Anaheim with a win, and in cash games, it’s all about the win.