Carolina Hurricanes Vs. Buffalo Sabres
This game has some potential to go off, but there’s no need to pay up for a ton of players in this matchup. There is some value to target to help you build a winning lineup on this short slate.
Jack Eichel and Jeff Skinner are two players that are worth paying up for if you want to be different from the pack. The Hurricanes were in action last night, and although they were decent, Tampa Bay didn’t have their best game and still found a way to score goals and win. The Sabres are rested and their top line can do a ton of damage.
Tage Thompson is a nic single bullet option in cash games if you need the salary relief. He joins Eichel and Skinner on the top line and is only $2600 on DraftKings.
We know that Carolina is first in most fancy stat categories, but they can’t seem to score goals. It should be no different tonight. Carter Hutton is a nice GPP play because of the high volume of shots he could face tonight. If you want to use him in cash games too, that’s fine.
On the flip side, there really isn’t much to like. Svechnikov is still a bargain at $3900 on FanDuel, but he’s skating on the third line. He’s proven this season that he can score with limited minutes, so if you need the salary relief, you can use him in cash games.
Detroit Red Wings Vs. Winnipeg Jets
This is the game most people will be targeting tonight. The Red Wings are #NotGood and the Jets top line is going to be extra chalk on this short slate. If you want to fade them in GPP, that’s fine, but you shouldn’t do the same for cash games.
Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler form the Jets top line and the trio sticks together on the top power play unit. Wheeler and Scheifele are coming off a monster game on Tuesday, so their ownership should be quite high on this slate.
If you want to try and beat the high ownership, Patrik Laine and Bryan Little make a nice mini-stack that won’t set you back as much as the top line. They don’t play together on the same power play, but you still get exposure to the top unit via Laine.
On the blue line, Josh Morrissey is the obvious choice. He’s $4700 on FanDuel and he’s expected to see a ton of minutes with dustin Byfuglien still out of the lineup. Another player who’s going to be extra chalky, but hard to fade at that price point.
Laurent Brossoit is confirmed to get the start for the Jets tonight. He’s hasn’t done too bad this season-- posting a 8-1-1 record with a 2.11 GAA. He’s $7900 on DraftKings, which is actually quite reasonable considering how elite his matchup is. Again, another chalk play, but there’s no need to get cute at the goaltending position in cash games.
For Detroit, there isn’t much to line. Dylan Larkin isn’t a bad option on a short slate like this one, but $6500 is just too high of a price tag. Anthony Mantha offers some value at $4600 on FanDuel, but he’s skating on the second line and second power play unit, so his upside is limited. If you are choosing between the two, Mantha offers the most value.
If you aren’t ready to jump on the Winnipeg Jets train tonight, Jimmy Howard is an excellent GPP goalie option. His record isn’t pretty, but he’s been better of late and there’s a good chance that he faces over 40 shots, so if he can limit his goals against to two or less, he could still provide some value. Very risky play, but one that could win you a GPP.
Florida Panthers Vs. Calgary Flames
You can’t stop the Calgary Flames top line, you can only hope to contain them. Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan have been on fire as of late and they have an elite matchup against a mediocre Florida team that is playing on back-to-back nights.
You won’t be able to pay up for WPG1 and CGY1, so you’ll have to choose one or the other. Gaudreau is the most expensive forward on both sites, but he’s been so hot, it’s hard to fade him. You can use him as a single bullet in cash games if you can find the salary to roster him. Elias Lindholm is the cheapest of the three, so if you can’t afford Gaudreau, Lindholm is a nice second option.
On the back end, Mark Giordano is the second most expensive defenceman on FanDuel, so I’d limit my exposure to him in cash games. There are lots of good cheap defenceman available on this slate that will allow you to pay up for elite forwards.
Assuming he starts for Calgary, David Rittich is $8000 on FanDuel and has the second best matchup on this slate. He’s been a nice surprise for the Flames this season and he should continue to have success against a below average Florida team
For the Panthers, there is some value to target. Florida’s top line will probably matchup with Calgary's top line, so that makes Florida’s second line a nice option to consider. The Flames second line isn’t bad, but they aren’t as good as the top line. Mike Hoffman and Evgenii Dadonov are skating on the second line together and on the top power play unit. They are expensive to roster, but their ownership should be quite low because of that. You can roll with the duo in cash games if needed.
Pittsburgh Penguins Vs. Anaheim Ducks
On paper, the Penguins are a far better team than the Ducks, but Pittsburgh has the third best matchup on this short slate, so that might help drive their ownership down. This matchup would be a lot better if John Gibson doesn’t get the start, but that doesn’t seem likely.
For Pittsburgh, their second line is where all the value is. Tanner Pearson and Dominik Simon are both below $4000 on DK and both are skating with Evgeni Malkin. You can stack all three in a GPP and still have money left over to roster some elite talent. If you want to roll with Simon and Pearson in cash games, that works too.
If you want to stack the power play, Crosby, Guentzel and Letang is the way to go. Crosby and Guentzel also play together five-on-five, so that’s a mini-stack worth considering.
In goal, Matt Murray is the second most expensive goalie on DK, but his matchup is second only to Brossoit. At $8300, he’s more of a GPP option, but if you have the extra salary to roster him in cash games, that’s fine too.
On the Anaheim side, there isn’t much to like outside of Ryan Getzlaf and Rickard Rakell. You can roster the duo on DK for less than $11,000. That is some serious value. The Penguins have a ton of fire power and Murray has been exception since returning from injury, but Pittsburgh can still give up goals. If you want to roll with a Getzlaf-Rakell-Cam Fowler power play stack in a GPP, go ahead.
If you want to get extra dangerous, John Gibson is the perfect GPP candidate on this slate. He’s going to face a ton of shots because the Ducks aren’t a great team, but he’s already shown this season that he can steal a game for his team. He’s $7100 on DK, which is crazy value. If you want to go extra contrarian, it starts with Gibson.