Note: since this is a short three-game slate, both example lineups will be for GPPs. You can use them in cash games, but they do carry more risk than a traditional cash game lineup.

Pittsburgh Penguins Vs. Washington Capitals

The battle of Crosby vs. Ovechkin starts off Super Bowl weekend. The implied total for this game currently sits at 6.5, and we could see the over hit well before the end of the third period. Both teams have DFS appeal, so let’s take a look at which players from this game we should be targeting.

We start with the Washington Capital, who are -139 favourites and have the highest implied team total on the slate at 3.6. There’s a good chance we see Matt Murray go for the Penguins, and he has been a trash can for most of the season.

Washington’s top line does carry some appeal, but we will look to target their second line of Kuznetsov, Vrana and Oshie. Kuznetsov is more expensive on FD, but he’s only $4800 on DK. At that price, it’s impossible to say no to him.

John Carlson continues to be the most expensive defenceman to roster any time the Capitals are in action, which means we will look elsewhere today. He isn’t a bad play, but we can find better value elsewhere.

In goal, Ilya Samsonov is my top goalie option. The Penguins can score goals, but the rookie goalie has been exceptional this season, and that will continue tonight. His price tag is reasonable on FD, so that would be the best place to use him.

On the flip side, the Penguins do have some value that we can exploit. Malkin’s line will be popular, but it’s the top line of McCann Crosby and Simon that interest me.

Assuming you don’t believe that Samsonov will be elite (he will, but you do you), McCann and Simon are reasonably priced on both sites and play together on the second power play unit. If you have the salary to spend up, you can roll with Crosby and McCann and call it a day.

If you want just a piece of this game, Bryan Rust is $5800 on FD. That’s a pretty big discount for a player that’s been unstoppable this season. Vegas does have PIT scoring three goals in this game, so if you think that’s possible, but don’t want to put too many of your eggs in that basket, Rust as a single-bullet option is fine.

On defence, Kris Letang is the player to target. On DK, Letang is $1200 cheaper than Carlson, but I think they have similar matchups on paper. Over the last ten games, the veteran defenceman is averaging 11.7 FPPG, which isn’t elite, but considering his salary, that’s the right price point for that kind of production.

Columbus Blue Jackets Vs. Montreal Canadiens

Both teams are entering tonight playing back-to-back games, but neither team really hard to work hard for their win, so the fatigue factor shouldn’t be an issue in this one.Columbus has been the biggest surprise of the year, while Montreal tries to keep their playoff hopes alive. Both teams have some appeal for us, but only Montreal makes sense.

It took the Habs very little effort to keep one of the hottest offences in the league quiet, and they should be able to do the same against Columbus. I don’t believe that this game hits the implied total of six. If anything, this game ends 3-1 for either team. 

Montreal’s top line will be the line everyone wants to target, but we are going to focus on their second line of Ilya Kovalchuk, Nick Suzuki and Joel Armia. Danault’s line with most likely matchup with Dubois’ line, leaving Montreal’s second line with the better matchup. I’m not worried about Boone Jenner or Alex Wennberg slowing them down, and to make this matchup even more appealing, Kovalchuk and Armia play together on the “second” power play unit. Suzuki is listed as a winger on FD, so you can run a winger-winger stack with Kovalchuk for exactly $9000. I’d love to pair them with Armia, but I’m not using a triple winger stack unless you want to roll with Kuznetsov and Crosby at center as single bullet options. 

On the back end, Shea Weber is going to be the popular target, but Jeff Petry is the player we should all be targeting. He’s coming off a four point performance against the Panthers, and I can see him having another strong game today.

In goal, if Carey Price gets the start, he is an option to consider. As we mentioned earlier, he didn’t have to do much to pick up a shutout yesterday afternoon, so Claude Julien should be willing to roll him out there again this afternoon. He’s $8100 on DK, which is kind of expensive, but with so few goalie options to choose from, paying up for a goalie on a short slate isn’t the worst idea.

 

Vancouver Canucks Vs. Carolina Hurricanes

It’s rare that I flat out disagree with Vegas and their predictions, but I do not believe that James Reimer and the Carolina hurricanes should be -165 favourites over the Canucks. Vancouver does give up a lot of goals when they are on the road, but they also score a decent amount, so their 2.5 implied team total just seems off. Carolina is top-5 in GA/GP at home, and games Reimer does have a 2.29 GAA in his last ten sharts, but I’m just not ready to buy into the idea that they should be heavy favourties going into this contest. Maybe I’m completely wrong here, but I’m willing to put my money where my mouth is and play as many Canucks’ skaters as I can.

The Hurricanes are an above-average possession team, so trying to target their “weak” line is impossible. I’ll focus on playing players with skill, and no player has more skill than Elias Pettersson. He’s $6200 on DK, which isn’t really a discount, but it’s not the $7000+ salary that we are accustomed to seeing. His entire line makes a ton of sense to roster, especially Jake Virtanen, who is only $4400. There are a lot of reasonably priced winger on this slate, so you don’t have to fear paying up for top talent at center.

Quinn Hughes has been one of the best rookies this season, and yet his price tag on FD continues to be below $4500. This is another good spot to use him, and everytime I’m writing the playbook and the Canucks are in action, I will continue to write about him until he gets the respect he deserves.

We have no confirmation as to who will be the starting goalie for the Canucks this afternoon, but seeing as Markstron got the start yesterday, we should expect Demko to get the call in this one. If he does get the start, he is my favourite high risk/high reward goalie play on the slate. His $6800 price tag on DK mean he doesn’t need to do much to hit value. His last start against St. Louis was elite, and I expect him to be able to do the same today. Some people will be flocking to play $8300 Reimer on DK, but those people aren’t us. In Demko we trust!