NHL DFS: The Point Shot – 2/27
I’m taking more of a cash game/single entry approach to my articles from here on out so there could be a better understanding of how to construct lineups with the information provided. *Note: All pricing references are based on DraftKings pricing. Key Three Skaters My top three skaters on the slate Nathan MacKinnon (COL) MacKinnon continues to show flashes but has yet to return to the dominance that we saw from him earlier in the season. Perhaps a matchup with the Canucks will help as Vancouver has allowed the third-most fantasy points to centers over the last four weeks, including 15 goals, 35 assists, and 129 shots over the 13-game span. Mac has enjoyed success in this matchup with five goals and seven assists in his last six games against the Canucks. Sean Monahan (CGY) The Devils have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing centers over the last four weeks. Some of the numbers include 21 goals and 26 assists over the 14 games. Third on the team in points, Monny has just two of them over his last five games, but I expect that to change in this good matchup. Steven Stamkos (TB) After a horrible start to the season, possibly the worst start of his career, Stamkos has 67 points now in his last 52 games. The Lightning captain has points in eight of his last nine games with multi-point efforts five times over that span. Stammer has taken control over the first line as the primary scoring option as he’s flanked by wingers who could be categorized as secondary scorers in Ondrej Palat and J.T. Miller. The 11th-year pro has four goals in his last two games against the Rangers and has lit the lamp 15 times in 30 road games this season. The Rangers are playing for pride at this point but I don’t see anyone slowing down Stamkos tonight. Top Positional Plays Outside of the Key Three highlighted above Center Auston Matthews (TOR) – Ninth in goals per 60 at 5 v 5 and has five goals in his last six games while averaging over four shots per game over that span. Elias Pettersson (VAN) – The Avs have been better of late against centers, but still show some weakness defending the position. Pettersson is a good value considering the upside he brings with him against a spotty defensive team. Nico Hischier (NJ) – As the 14th-highest priced center on the slate, Hischier is a great value with goaltending a major question mark for the Flames night in and night out. Dylan Strome (CHI) – Since being traded to Chicago, Strome has 37 points in 39 games solidifying the second line at a great value. Brayden Point (TB) – In a good spot, similar to Stamkos, but skating with Kucherov he’s not the primary scorer on his line. Productive, yes, but paying for him over Stamkos is tough for me tonight. Willie Nylander (TOR) – Edmonton has allowed 19 goals and 23 assists in their last 12 games to centers. Wing Mikko Rantanen (COL) – Reunited with MacKinnon, Ranto has points in each of his last four games and has 12 points in his last seven games against Vancouver. Brock Boeser (VAN) – The Avs have allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to right-wingers over the past four weeks. Johnny Gaudreau (CGY) – Like Monny, Gaudreau has just two points in his last five games. That pace will not last for long. Mitch Marner (TOR) – Over their last 12 games the Oilers have allowed 12 goals and 14 assists to right-wingers. Matthew Tkachuk (CGY) – At $5,700, he’s too cheap on the second line and top power-play unit. Andreas Johnsson (TOR) – Skating well with AM34 recording points in each of his last three games and seeing time on the top power-play unit in the absence of Nazem Kadri. Ondrej Palat (TB) – Correlation with Stamkos at even strength and on the power play at a great value. Kyle Palmieri (NJ) – The Devils’ leader in goals is in a good spot at a nice value tonight. Corey Perry (ANA) – Perry is a great value in a good spot as the Blackhawks have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to right-wingers over the past month. Jimmy Vesey (NYR) – Taking advantage of top-line minutes with a goal and an assist in each of his last two games. Jakob Silfverberg (ANA) – Four goals in his last four games against Chicago and the Hawks struggle against right-wingers. Defense Mark Giordano (CGY) – New Jersey has struggled against d-men allowing the fifth-most fantasy points to the position over the past month. Morgan Rielly (TOR) – Points in each of his last four games as he continues to lead defensemen in points per 60 at 5 v 5. Tyson Barrie (COL) – Leads all defensemen in high-danger scoring chances per 60 at 5 v 5 and has a goal and five assists over his last four games against Vancouver. Oscar Klefbom/ Darnell Nurse (EDM) – Toronto has allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to defensemen over the past month. You’re really splitting hairs between these two as they are both great options. Value ($4,500 or less) Cam Fowler (ANA) Erik Johnson (COL) Ryan McDonagh (TB) Troy Stecher (VAN) Rasmus Andersson (CGY) Center – Wing Combo’s My favorite Center-Wing combos, listed in order to consider starting your cash/single entry contests with. Colorado Avalanche: Nathan MacKinnon – Mikko Rantanen Toronto Maple Leafs: Auston Matthews – Andreas Johnsson Tampa Bay Lightning: Steven Stamkos – Ondrej Palat Calgary Flames: Sean Monahan – Johnny Gaudreau Top Goalies Frederik Andersen (TOR) – Expect him to win and see at least 30 shots as he has in five of his last seven games. John Gibson (ANA) – Gibby has won three of his last four starts against Chicago seeing 27, 37, 40, and 44 shots in those four games allowing 2, 2, 3, and 2 goals. Semyon
NHL DFS: The Point Shot – 2/22
UPDATES HIGHLIGHTED IN RED I’m going to start taking more of a cash game/single entry approach to my articles from here on out so there could be a better understanding of how to construct lineups with the information provided. Check out the podcast on today’s slate as we give a lot of thoughts on tonight’s slate as well as some lineup construction thoughts. *Note: All pricing references are based on DraftKings pricing. Key Three Skaters My top three skaters on the slate Johnny Gaudreau (CGY) Johnny Hockey comes into tonight running a bit cold after being on a tear for the better part of the season. At home in a great spot against the Ducks, who have allowed the most fantasy points to left-wingers over the last month I would expect him to be productive tonight as the Flames look to improve their 19-5-5 record at home. Dylan Larkin (DET) The other night I said that Larkin would dominate the game against Chicago and he did just that with two goals, an assist, and nine shots. Larkin ended up being a popular play against the Hawks which made a ton of sense given the slate and the matchup. Tonight, in another good matchup, Larkin will likely be lower owned due to his salary and other centers on the slate that come in cheaper in good spots as well. However, the Wild have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to centers over the last four weeks and Larkin has five points (one goal, four assists) and 13 shots in his last three against Minnesota. While Larkin may be pricey and low owned, he still makes for a more than adequate play tonight in all formats. Jonathan Marchessault (VGK) At home tonight, Vegas’ and Marchessault are all extremely underpriced against the Jets who have been peppered with shots allowing 36.66 shots per 60 at 5 v 5, second-most in the league over the past month. Marchessault had four goals and three assists on 23 shots in the five-game Western Conference Finals last season against the Jets. At $5,600, March comes in as the 11th-highest priced winger on the slate tonight. Top Positional Plays Outside of the Key Three highlighted above This position is loaded tonight with some high-priced, mid-priced, and value options all worth consideration. Center Sean Monahan (CGY) – The Ducks have allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to centers over the last four weeks, notably allowing 17 goals and 18 assists to the position over the 10-game stretch. Pierre-Luc Dubois (CBJ) – PLD brings some value to a very expensive line (Panarin and Atkinson) at $6,200. The Sens are clearly preparing to unload on some of their top skaters, notably Matt Duchene, Mark Stone, and Ryan Dzingel who were all healthy scratches last night. PLD has just two points in his last four games, but Torts relies on him and pushes him in every offensive situation. In a soft matchup tonight, we should see some good production from PLD. Dylan Strome (CHI) – His price continues to be very friendly and in a good home matchup Strome will likely continue his strong play which has seen him record points in eight of his last nine games. Boone Jenner (CBJ) – Great value on the second line for Columbus and part of one of the better value lines on the slate. With the Duchene acquisition, it’s unclear as of now whether Boone will stay put, move to the third line, or move to wing. There is a lot to consider here with him but he’s still in play as a nice value. William Karlsson (VGK) – Like Marchessault, Wild Bill is underpriced on the top line for Vegas in a spot where I expect them to come out firing. Winnipeg has been middle of the road against centers of late but, as I mentioned above when discussing Marchessault, the Jets have been giving up a ton of shots and scoring chances. Matt Duchene (CBJ) – Being traded to Columbus gives him a pretty substantial boost, immediately in the lineup against his former team tonight. Wing Cam Atkinson (CBJ) – Eighth in the league in shots per 60 and third in goals per 60 at 5 v 5 this season. In his last seven games against Ottawa, Cam has six goals, four assists, and 24 shots. Alex Debrincat (CHI) – Skating on the second line, “The Cat” continues to be white-hot with eight goals and 12 assists in his last 11 games. Mikko Rantanen (COL) – Ranto has fallen off after being near the top in points for the better of half of the season. His price is low enough ($6,600) in a good matchup where I feel good about considering him as a one-off. In his last six games against Chicago, he has five goals and three assists. Anthony Mantha (DET) – Mantha has been skating with a lot of urgency of late, specifically in his last three games with 20 shots, two goals, and four assists over that span. Nick Foligno (CBJ) – Skating on the second line, with Boone Jenner and Josh Anderson, Foligno is just $4,300 and skating on the top power-play unit. Josh Anderson (CBJ) – More of an upside play than Foligno as he’s more of a scorer. Anderson has five goals in his last eight games but is $1,000 more than the aforementioned Foligno. Patrik Laine (WPG) – Big boost for this line as a whole and specifically Laine with Ehlers back. Ehlers’ speed should open up some more scoring opportunities for the “Laine Traine” Defense Zach Werenski (CBJ) – Werenski had two goals and six shots in this matchup earlier in the season and is due to make it onto the scoresheet as he’s gone four games without a point. T.J. Brodie (CGY) – I prefer the price discount with Brodie considering how involved he is offensively with the first line at even strength. Sees a dip for me being moved down to
NHL DFS: The Point Shot – 2/21
I’m going to start taking more of a cash game/single entry approach to my articles from here on out so there could be a better understanding of how to construct lineups with the information provided. Tonight we have a bigger 11-game slate to sort through with some interesting matchups on the docket. Key Three Skaters My top three skaters on the slate Auston Matthews (TOR) Matthews comes in with two goals and two assists on 13 shots in his last three games against the Capitals. Washington has been gashed by centers allowing the most fantasy points over the last four weeks including 28 goals, 26 assists, and 138 shots over that span. Over his last four games, Matthews has four goals and three assists and as the go-to scoring option on the second line, should have plenty of chances to produce. Mika Zibanjad (NYR) Zib and the Rangers host the Wild who are in the midst of a brutal tailspin. They’ve lost each of their last five games allowing at least four goals in each of their last four. Minnesota has allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to centers over the last four weeks highlighted by 12 goals and 30 assists over the 12-game stretch. The Rangers’ first-line center come in with eight goals and two assists in his last eight games and has recorded points in 12 of his last 16 contests. Mark Stone (OTT) The Devils give up a good amount of production to right-wingers and Stone has points in six of his last seven games with multiple points in four of those and eight points in his last three games against New Jersey. He leads the Sens in points this season (62) and is a great one-off option considering how he fills the stat sheet with 28 goals, 34 assists, 145 shots, and 53 blocks in over 20 minutes per game while being effective on the power play with five goals and 17 points with the man advantage. *Much like Duchene, there’s word surfacing that Stone could be a healthy scratch as well. Top Positional Plays Outside of the Key Three highlighted above Center Logan Couture (SJ) – Couture a goal and an assist in each of his last two games and draws a matchup with the Pens which has been favorable for centers. Pittsburgh has allowed the second-most fantasy points to the position over the last four weeks. Steven Stamkos (TB) – Hard to ignore the Lightning and Stamkos specifically as he has points in nine of his last 10 games with multiple points in five of those games. Matt Duchene (OTT) – Amidst the trade speculation, Duchene said he’s playing tonight despite some saying that Ottawa will healthy scratch him taking every precaution necessary to see that he doesn’t get injured. With that said, if Duchene plays, this is a great matchup as the Devils have allowed 33 points to centers in their last 11 games. We’ll have to stay tuned on his status. Ryan Johansen (NSH) – In the Kings’ last nine games, they’ve allowed 16 goals and 12 assists to centers. RyJo is a good value centering a dynamic line and has five points in his last four games against the Kings. Mathew Barzal (NYI) – The team leader in points draws a good matchup here against the Oilers who have allowed the third-most fantasy points to centers over the last month. The second game of a back to back doesn’t worry me here as the Islanders are 9-0 on the back end of back to backs. Wing Evander Kane (SJ) – In a game that should see a lot of scoring, give me the guy who shoots more than anyone on either team and can create mismatches with his speed all game long. Joe Pavelski (SJ) – Seven points (three goals, four assists) in his last three games. Should see some opportunities on the top line and top power-play unit against Pittsburgh who has allowed 10 goals in their last two home games. Mats Zuccarello (NYR) – Zucc, unfortunately, will not be a Ranger much longer as he’s basically guaranteed to be traded before Monday’s deadline. He’s been playing well over the past month recording 14 points in 11 games. The Wild have allowed a lot of production to right-wingers over the last couple of weeks. Kasperi Kapanen (TOR) – Skates with Matthews at even strength and makes paying for AM34 easier with the value he brings. Kapanen draws a good matchup against Washington who has allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to right-wingers over the last month. Ondrej Palat (TB) – Good value, like Kapanen above paired up with a high-priced center (Stamkos). Bobby Ryan (OTT) – Correlates well with Duchene on the top line and top power-play unit. The New Jersey native has points in each of his last six games against the Devils. *Ryan was sick this morning, he seems to be a game-time decision, just to add more fun to the Senators carousel. Brendan Gallagher (MTL) – The Flyers have allowed 11.85 high-danger chances per 60 over the last month and Gally is fourth among all skaters in that category over that span. Chris Kreider (NYR) – A discount from Zucc if you need the saving, also skating on the top line and top power-play unit with Zibanajad. Defense John Carlson (WSH) – Toronto has allowed the most fantasy points to d-men over the last month and Carlson comes in with points in each of his last three games including one goal, four assists, and seven shots over that span. Erik Karlsson (SJ) – I’ll take the discount with EK over Brent Burns tonight against the Pens who have allowed the second-most fantasy points to defensemen over the last four weeks. Keith Yandle (FLA) – Carolina has allowed nine goals to defensemen over the last month, tied for the most over that span. Dougie Hamilton (CAR) – Leads all defensemen this season in shots per
NHL DFS: The Point Shot – 2/20
I’m going to start taking more of a cash game/single entry approach to my articles from here on out so there could be a better understanding of how to construct lineups with the information provided. With that being said, we have four games on the slate tonight and I’ll help you sort through the options on the table tonight.
NHL DFS: The Point Shot – 2/19
UPDATES HIGHLIGHTED IN RED Key Three Skaters Steven Stamkos (TB) Stammer is on fire with points in 15 of his last 17 games and he owns the Flyers. In 31 career games, the Lightning captain has 23 goals and 17 assists. More recently he has five goals and eight assists against Philly in his last five contests against them. While the Flyers have been playing well, Tampa rides into Philly with a ton of momentum after decimating the Blue Jackets 5-1 in Columbus last night. Vladimir Tarasenko (STL) Tarasenko is red hot with eight goals in his last six games and now has 19 points in nine games since the all-star break after a quiet first 48 games of the season. The Blues are playing with a lot more urgency these days and specifically Tarasenko who’s skating more aggressively and looking for his shot in any opportunity. He’s averaging 10.20 shots per 60 at 5 v 5 this season and should have some chances against Toronto as the Leafs have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to right-wingers over the last four weeks. Aleksander Barkov (FLA) Bark has killed the Sabres with five goals and four assists in his last six games against them and is coming off a huge effort with a hat trick and an assist. That effort broke a three-game pointless drought, but prior to that Bark had points in four consecutive games. Expect him to see a ton of minutes as usual en route to another productive night. Favorite Line Stacks Florida Panthers Huberdeau – Barkov – Vatrano Huberdeau (four goals, 10 assists in his last 10 games against Buffalo) and Barkov (five goals and four assist in his last six games against Buffalo) have been major thorns in the side for the Sabres, as have the Panthers overall averaging 3.5 goals per game against them over their last 10 meetings. Vatrano has three goals in his last five games and is not afraid to shoot the puck. He often finds open ice to navigate with Barkov and Huberdeau drawing more attention from opposing defenses. St. Louis Blues Schenn – O’Reilly – Tarasenko All three of these guys have played very well since the all-star break came to an end and should benefit from playing in a high-paced game tonight. All three are assets on the top power-play unit as well and are not going to kill your salary cap, especially with the value that Brayden Schenn brings with points in 11 of his last 13 games. Minnesota Wild Zucker Parise – Staal – Coyle The Ducks are still struggling big time defensively but not quite like what we had seen over the few weeks prior to Randy Carlyle’s firing. Nevertheless, the Wild host the Ducks who are 11-18-1 on the road this season and are looking to break a slump of their own. Minnesota has lost their last four games and is coming off of a shutout on home ice. I like the value that Zucker, Staal, and Coyle bring while getting top power-play unit correlation from two of them (Zucker and Staal). Parise slides into this spot, according to the Wild replacing Zucker who moves down to the second line. This line is still very formidable but will cost you a bit more with the price difference between Parise and Zucker. Sneaky Stack Dallas Stars Benn – Seguin – Radulov With a lot of options tonight, teams in “better” spots, and some higher totals, no one will look to the Stars here against a good Nashville team. The Stars are 18-8-2 at home but have been limited offensively. With that being said, Dallas has gone back to the top line of Benn, Seguin, and Radulov, a line which has often provided the only source of offense. Seguin, who always comes in with a ton of upside due to his high shot volume has goals in three of his last six against the Predators and Nashville has allowed 12 goals to centers in their last 11 games. Benn and Rad join Seguin coming in very underpriced at $5,000 and $6,000 respectively. You get full correlation with this line at even strength and on the power play and should get them under 12 percent or so. Favorite Game Stack Tampa Bay Lightning vs Philadelphia Flyers Each of the last five games these two teams have played has combined for seven or more goals and over the last two meetings, the Lightning has averaged 3.8 goals per game with the Flyers at 3.5 goals per game over that same stretch. as we stand, both backup goalies are expected to start, recently acquired Cam Talbot for Philly and Louis Domingue for the Lightning, but regardless of the goalie situation I think this game has some goals. Some skaters in this game are red-hot and others have had success in this matchup over the years. This game has all of the makings of going to the moon. Lightning to Stack First Line: Johnson – Stamkos – Palat I mentioned above that Stammer is hot and he kills the Flyers. Johnson and Palat on his wings, with Palat correlating on the top power-play unit, bring value to a game with a lot of high-priced options. This is the preferred line for me considering the value attached to it. Second Line: Gourde – Point – Kucherov While I may prefer the Stamkos line, it would be impossible to not mention this line. Kuch is out of his mind right now with multiple points in each of his last five games. Point had two goals in the blink of an eye last night and has five goals with four assists in his last six games against the Flyers. Gourde is a fine option to slide in at just $4,500 on DK with the high salaries of Kuch and Point, but not a necessity as I’m good with rolling Kuch and Point
NHL DFS: The Point Shot – 2/15
Key Three Skaters Jack Eichel (BUF) Jack is on pace to have his best season of his career from a points standpoint for an improved Sabres team. Again the Rangers in 11 games, Buffalo’s captain has four goals and seven assists. With 61 points on the season, Eichel has points in six straight games and brings a lot of upside with him considering how often he shoots the puck. When taking into account both even strength and man-advantage situations, Eichel is fifth in the league with 11.74 shots per 60, second among centers. Jack has flashed as a playmaker, more so this season than any other with a career-high 43 assists and is fourth among centers in total assists per 60. When you combine all of that along with how good he’s been at home (11 goals, 18 assists) in 27 games, Jack is in a very good situation tonight. Patrice Bergeron (BOS) The Bruins lost David Pastrnak for at least a couple of weeks which is no secret by now but the Bruins and Bergeron have not slowed down a bit. PB34 has points in five consecutive games and has accumulated four goals and five assists over that span. It’s been no secret that picking on the Ducks is something worth considering no matter who their opponent may be a. With a tremendous effort in his debut on Monday against the Canucks, Kevin Boyle minded the net en route to a 35-save shutout. This, however, is not the Canucks playing on a back to back. This is the Bruins and Patrice Bergeron who have scored four or more goals in three of their last four games. Look for the Bruins to come out and control this game tonight with Bergeron being at the forefront. Zach Parise (MIN) There’s not much of a revenge narrative here for Parise as it’s been years since he left the Devils, the team that drafted him for his hometown Wild in the summer of 2012. After a couple of injury-riddled seasons, Parise is back and playing some of the best hockey he’s played since signing with Minnesota. His 23 goals are the most since the 2015-16 season (25) and he still has time to surpass that number. The Devils have putrid defensively of late, specifically allowing 19 goals in their last four games, 13 in their last two which both came on the road as they travel to Minnesota tonight. New Jersey allows an average of 3.97 goals per game on the road, third-most in the league. Parise has three goals and 21 shots over his last five games and I would expect a productive night from him tonight. Favorite Line Stacks Buffalo Sabres Skinner – Eichel – Pominville Jeff Skinner and Jack Eichel have played together for the majority of the season, outside of a few games here and there where they were split up, for some ungodly reason. Skinner is taking advantage as he heads into free agency with 34 goals, the most he’s had since 2016-17 (37), a number he will likely surpass when all is said and done. Paired up with Eichel at even strength and on the power-play has proven productive in spot this season. Pominville, the veteran who saw some time with Eichel and Skinner earlier this season is back with them and has been good with three goals and 14 shots over his last six games at a great value. His value makes his lack of power-play correlation acceptable in this case making the Sabres top line much more affordable than they should be. The Sabres’ success is more or less predicated on the scoring of their top line as they aren’t blessed with depth scoring among the second, third, and fourth lines outside of Sam Reinhart, who’s third on the team in points. Boston Bruins Marchand – Bergeron – Heinen This line stack has been heavily owned over the last week or so, specifically with the value of Danton Heinen highlighted and producing. Bergeron and Marchand’s expensive salaries are offset with that value that Heinen has brought with him and the production has been staggering. I mentioned Bergeron above, but Marchand has been a machine with three goals and nine assists over his last five games and Heinen has three goals and three assists over his last five contests. Now, with Heinen’s salary jumping from $2,900 earlier in the week to $3,900 in his last game, and now $5,200 tonight this line is getting a little expensive. While we may not see this line at 40-plus percent across the board tonight, they’ll still be popular is a very good matchup against the sorry ass Ducks. Minnesota Wild Parise – Granlund – Coyle I really like how the Wild have put this line together and hope it sticks. Minnesota’s hand was somewhat forced here with the Mikko Koivu injury and thus we have Mikael Granlund manning the center spot on a line where all three skaters have experience playing center. Granlund is reasonably priced at $5,800 and has points in back to back games. Charlie Coyle brings a lot of value at $4,600 but does not have the power-play correlation with Granlund and Parise as he’s penciled in on the second unit. I still like his chances to produce here as the Devils have allowed the most fantasy points to right-wingers over the last four weeks. For my money, the production on this line starts with Parise, the most expensive player on the line. The value of Granlund and Coyle makes it easier to pay for Parise in a potential smash spot at home tonight. Top Positional Plays Center Connor McDavid (EDM) – Don’t ask “why?” Sebastian Aho (CAR) – The Oilers have been PUTRID against centers over the last four weeks. Nico Hischier (NJ) – He’s scuffling a bit but as one of the only offensive options and plenty of high-danger scoring chances for the Devils, he
NHL DFS: The Point Shot – 2/14
Key Three Skaters Patrick Kane (CHI) Kane continues to be on fire with points now in 15 consecutive games. The Devils have been a nightmare defensively of late and worse on the season in road games allowing 3.93 goals per game in enemy territory, the third-most in the league. Against right-wingers, over the past month, the Devils have surrendered the most fantasy points including nine goals and 21 assists to go along with 87 shots over the 12-game span. Over the past month, Kane is 10th in the league in points per 60 in 5 v 5 situations averaging 1.58 goals per 60 and 2.21 assists per 60. When looking at all situations, Kane is third in points per 60 with 5.47 while averaging 1.99 goals per 60 and 3.48 assists per 60 which says how good the Blackhawks power-play has been now 12th in the league overall with a 21.1 percent success rate. This works against the Devils, generally a good team on the kill, but factoring in how bad they’ve been on the road and the power-play success of the Blackhawks over their last six games (28.5 percent), Kane is simply in too good of a spot here. Sean Monahan (CGY) The Flames simply did not put forth the effort that we have come accustomed to seeing from them this season in their last game on Tuesday against the Lightning, a very good team in their own right. Whether it can be attributed to the travel coming from Vancouver to Florida or just having an off-night, it was simply put, a piss-poor showing in all facets from the number three team in the Western Conference. Even with the poor effort, Monahan was able to pot to goals, one of which came on the power play. That broke a five-game goal-less drought for Monny who’s tied for first on the team with 29 goals and second with 65 points. The Panthers have had a very disappointing season dealing with injuries and lackluster play from some of their more reliable skaters over the last couple of seasons. In their last 11 games, the Panthers have allowed 13 goals, 13 assists, and 83 shots to centers, including two goals and an assist to Stars center Tyler Seguin on Tuesday night in what was a 3-0 shutout loss on home ice. Simply put, Monahan has been on of the best centers in the league this season ranking eighth in points per 60 and has been equally stout on the road coming in 9th in points per 60 away from the Saddledome. Look for the Flames to come out inspired tonight starting with Monny leading the charge. Mark Scheifele (WPG) After a bit of a dry spell, Scheifele has bounced back in his last two games with three goals and two assists. He’s in a good spot to continue filling up the scoresheet against the Avalanche tonight, a team that has been in a tailspin of late losing each of their last eight games. Scheifele has been a monster on home ice this season delivering 19 goals and dishing out 24 assists for a total of 43 points in 30 games. The Avs have let centers take advantage of them over the last four weeks allowing 12 goals and 22 assists to the position over the 10-game span. Look for Scheifele and the Jets to control the tempo at home tonight. Favorite Line Stacks Chicago Blackhawks Caggiula – Toews – Kane This line has created a lot of chances of late and have capitalized being led by Kane and Jonathan Toews, two guys that have been playing together for a very long time and have enjoyed a ton of success over their career. While it’s been a down year for Chicago overall, the Hawks have turned things around offensively since coming out of the all-star break. Caggiula’s offers some nice value here even if he doesn’t correlate on the power-play with the two vets. The Devils have been putrid on the road and that was evidenced as they allowed eight goals to the Blues on the road on Tuesday night. Winnipeg Jets Connor – Scheifele – Wheeler Connor has been an unheralded stud for the Jets this season coming in third on the team in goals, third in points, and tied for second on the team in power-play goals. Scheifele, as I mentioned before, has pushed aside his brief dry spell and looks like he’s primed to finish the season strong. Blake Wheeler, one of the best playmaking wingers in the league leads the Jets in points with 68 of them and is second in total assists per 60 and third in primary assists per 60. The goals have been coming of late for the Jets’ captain as he’s lit the lamp in three of his last six games. The last time these two teams faced each other, a game that came in Winnipeg, the Jets totaled seven goals with this line accounting for three goals and totaling five assists. Flames First Line Gaudreau – Monahan – Lindholm This line continues to drive the Flames’ bus and after a poor effort against the Lightning on Tuesday night, I would expect them to come out with a lot of fire. All three skaters correlate on the top power-play unit which in this case is a positive against the 21st-ranked penalty kill of the Panthers. With the West to East travel and poor effort behind them, I expect the Flames, led by this line, to take advantage of a disappointing Panthers team. San Jose Sharks Meier – Couture – Pavelski While the Caps have played well offensively of late, with their performance on Tuesday being an outlier, they’ve been dreadful defensively over their last four weeks. Over that span they’ve allowed the most fantasy points to centers and fourth-most to right-wingers. Insert Logan Couture and Joe Pavelski, two skaters who are third and fouth on the Sharks respectively
NHL DFS: The Point Shot – 2/12
Key Three Skaters Cam Atkinson (CBJ) Atkinson is seventh among forwards in goals per 60 and third in shots per 60 on the season. He’s hit a bit of a dry spell in terms of goals over the last month or so, but he’s still getting shots at an 11.95 per 60 clip. In a matchup that he’s had success in over the years and against a Caps team on the back end of a back to back after an inspiring win last night, I’ll look to Cam at home. Vladimir Tarasenko (STL) After a putrid start to the season for the Blues and a lot of bad luck for Tarasenko, he’s turned his game on over the last month. In 12 games over the last four weeks, the aforementioned month’s span, Tarasenko is fourth in goals per 60, averaging over 10 shots per 60, and 14th in total points per 60. The Devils have allowed the most fantasy points per game to right-wingers of any team in the league over the past month, including nine goals, 16 assists, and 78 shots over the 11-game stretch. John Tavares (TOR) After a bit of a cold spell, Tavares has ramped up his play of late with a goal and an assist in three of his last four games. In 5 v 5 situations he’s now second among forwards in points per 60 at 3.15, first in goals per 60 at 1.79, and fifth in high-danger scoring chances per 60. The Leafs can be somewhat unpredictable in determining where their scoring is going to come from at times, but JT is a safe bet to produce in a game that could go to the moon tonight. Favorite Line Stacks St. Louis Blues First Line Schenn – O’Reilly – Tarasenko Over the past month, the Blues have turned up their game in all facets, especially offensively. In 5 v 5 situations over their last the Blues are second in high-danger scoring chances per 60, eighth in goals scored per 60, and first in shots per 60. O’Reilly has points in nine of his last 11 games, Schenn is a great value on left-wing, and Vlad Tarasenko has woken up with points in each of his last eight games, including seven goals and five assists over that span. The Blues have one seven of their last eight and have beaten some pretty good teams in the process, including the Predators twice, the Lightning in Tampa and the Blue Jackets in Columbus. The Devils are just 3-6-1 in their last 10, 7-17-3 on the road, and have lost nine of their last 10 against the Blues. This line sees full power-play correlation as well aiding their upside. Columbus Blue Jackets First Line Panarin – Dubois – Atkinson The Capitals are playing very well right now, I hate to say from an offensive standpoint but they’re still a bit inconsistent on the defensive end. The defending Stanley Cup Champs have allowed the most fantasy points to centers over the last month, making Pierre-Luc Dubois a desirable option at just $5,800 on DK. He may have just one point in three games against the Caps this season, but in those three games he’s generated eight shots and of late he’s been producing with points in five of his last seven games, including four goals and four assists over that span. Cam Atkinson, who I mentioned above kills the Capitals. In 24 career games against them, he has 10 goals, seven assists, and averages over three shots per game. Panarin, the subject of much trade speculation after he said last week that he’ll definitely be testing free agency in the offseason, hasn’t let that affect his play as he has points in 10 of his last 12 with eight goals and 10 assists while recording multiple points in seven of those efforts. Much like the Blues, this line sees time on the top power-play unit together and will get their opportunities against the 23rd-ranked penalty kill. The Caps just played last night thus making this a good opportunity for Columbus (14-11-2 at home) to get off to a fast start in their own arena. Colorado Avalanche First Line Landeskog – MacKinnon – Rantanen This game has bananas written all over it. The pace at which these two teams play screams scoring chances and I when considering that the Maple Leafs get scoring from everywhere and anywhere, I’ll lean on 420, the predominant source of offense for the Avs, at home. While Toronto has been good on the road with a 17-7-2 record, they’ve played in some high scoring affairs as they’ve allowed three goals per game in enemy territory. The Avalanche average over three goals per game at the Pepsi Center and are looking to turn things around after what has been a brutal stretch that has seen them lose seven straight games. 420 has been uncharacteristically cold of late, thus Colorado has struggled, but they are too good to not break out and in a spot where their ownership should be down, the fast pace that this game should have attached to it will work well in their favor. Favorite Game Stack Calgary Flames at Tampa Bay Lightning Taking a book out of SD’s thinking, there is a potential monster game tonight in Tampa between two of the best teams in the NHL, the Flames and the Lightning. It’s strength against strength here, folks. The Lighning have been incredible at home (21-5-2) while the Flames have been stout on the road (17-10-1). Tampa averages 4.11 goals per game at home, second-most in the league. Calgary averages 3.14 goals per game on the road, ninth in the league while allowing just 2.43 goals per game in enemy territory. Over the past month, the Lightning have allowed a ton of high-danger scoring chances per 60 in 5 v 5 situation, top-five in the league as a matter of fact while Calgary
NHL DFS: The Point Shot – 2/11
Key Three Skaters Evander Kane (SJ) Over the last month, Kane has been one of the most lethal and aggressive scorers in the league. Over the past 11 games, Kane has eight goals and five assists on 54 shots, that’s 4.90 shots per game. The Canucks have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to left-wingers over the last four weeks and I expect Kane to continue to shoot, shoot, and shoot some more on his way to lighting the lamp at least once. Anze Kopitar (LA) Over his last six games, Kopitar has been on fire with four goals and five assists in 20 plus minutes of ice time in each contest. The Capitals have been horrific against centers over the last month allowing the most fantasy points to the position over that span of any other team in the league including 28 goals and 26 assists over the 11-game stretch. Kopitar has fared well against the Eastern Conference over his career averaging nearly a point per game and has 15 points in 16 career games against the Caps. I expect him to produce tonight in a spot where most won’t consider him, even on such a short slate. Sidney Crosby (PIT) While the Pens can be very frustrating to roster at times they can be incredibly frustrating to fade as well. Crosby faces a red-hot Flyers team tonight but has burned this team over his entire career. In 64 regular season games against Philly, the Pens captain has 39 goals and 55 assists for a total of 94 points. While I may like Carter Hart tonight (spoiler alert), on a short slate, it’s hard to not like Sid and his proven track record in this matchup. Favorite Line Stacks Flyers Voracek – Couturier – Lindblom Over the last six games, this line has combined for nine goals and 12 assists as the Flyers are the hottest team in hockey. While the salaries of Couturier and Voracek has spiked a bit, Lindblom continues to be a good value option here. I expect the Flyers to push the pace in this game and for it to work in their favor on home ice as they’ll look to avenge a poor showing against their state rivals in the playoffs last season. Canucks Goldobin – Pettersson – Boeser I like this game a lot tonight and expect scoring from both sides. With the said, the scoring from San Jose can be scattered around at times as they have talent from top to bottom and thus are one of the better teams in the NHL. The Canucks have two of the brightest young players in the league skating on this line in Pettersson and Boeser, have Bo Horvat centering the first line, and some nice role players but that’s about it. If Vancouver is going to score, and I think they will, it’ll have to come through this line. Along with Pettersson (points in six of his last seven games), Boeser (points in seven of his last eight games), Nikolay Goldobin, a great value, skates on this line at left-wing and correlates on the top power-play unit as well making for some serious upside from this line. Sharks Kane – Hertl – Donskoi Much like the Flyers above, there is some value on this line with Donskoi who has points in back to back games. Kane, who I touched on above, and Hertl have been out of their minds of late. Hertl has six goals and four assists over his last five games and has had recent success against the Canucks. Over his last seven games against Vancouver, Hertl has five goals and four assists. Top Positional Plays Center Claude Giroux (PHI) – The Pens have allowed the second-most fantasy points to centers over the last four weeks and Giroux has multiple points in two of his last four games. Logan Couture (SJ) – 10 goals and four assists in his last 10 games against the Canucks. Evgeny Kuznetsov (WSH) – On fire with points in six of his last seven games with five goals over that span. Wing Joe Pavelski (SJ) – Good pairing with Couture on the top line and top power-play unit. Alex Ovechkin (WSH) – Hard to ignore on this slate. You’re either all in or fading completely in my opinion, I’ll be doing that latter. Phil Kessel (PIT) – Hasn’t recorded a point in each of his last four games. As a result, he’s extremely underpriced on DK. James van Riemsdyk (PHI) – Great value in a game that could go to the moon and skating back on the top line and top power-play unit. Dustin Brown (LA) – Cheap winger to pair up with Kopitar at even strength and on the power play. Patric Hornqvist (PIT) – Way too cheap at $4,700 on DK even skating on the third line. His ice time on the top power-play unit and his ability to generate high-danger scoring chances make him a valid option.. if not fading the Pens (I’ll get to that). Tom Wilson (WSH) – I hate the guy with a passion, but on the first line, $4,600 is simply to cheap to ignore. Defense Brent Burns (SJ) – Very hard for me to fade Burns here, especially with all of the value at hand. Kris Letang (PIT) – Points in four of his last six games and he’s so heavily involved on offense that if this game blows up it’s impossible to think that he won’t be involved. Shayne Gostisbehere (PHI) – Love Ghost in this spot against the Pens who have allowed the most fantasy points to the position over the last four weeks, including six goals and 26 assists over the 10-game span. Drew Doughty (LA) – The Caps have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to the position over the last four weeks. Doughty, who skates more than any other d-man in the league
NHL DFS: The Point Shot – 2/7
Key Three Skaters Artemi Panarin (CBJ) The Coyotes are in a bad way right now with a lot of players hurt and in the midst of a four-game losing streak. The Jackets just busted out of a five-game losing streak with a 6-3 victory in Colorado the other night and Panarin contributed with an assist. That was Panarin’s fifth straight game with a point as he’s compiled two goals and six assists on 14 shots over that span. The Coyotes have allowed the second-most points to left-wingers over the last four weeks, including 12 goals and 13 assists over the 11-game stretch putting Panarin in a good spot to register at least one point in his sixth straight contest. Tyler Seguin (DAL) The streaky Seguin is on fire of late with five goals in his last five games and he’s fired 21 shots over that span. This is a game that I don’t particularly love to have a ton of scoring with two very solid defensive teams, but I love the upside of Seguin here in a spot where I don’t think he’ll be very popular. The Preds have allowed the third-most fantasy points to centers over the last four weeks, notably 19 goals and 16 assists over the 10-game span. The 122 shots allowed to the position is third-most of any team over that span and that plays right into the hand of Seguin who averages the 10th-most shots per 60 among NHL forwards. Eric Staal (MIN) With Mikko Koivu out for the season, the Wild are suddenly very thin at the center ice position. Staal comes in without recording a point in each of his last two games, but prior to that had a four-game point scoring streak which saw him compile three goals and four assists. Edmonton has been a disaster defensively, including melting down the other night at home against Chicago. Over the last four weeks, they’ve allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to the position with 21 goals and 22 assists surrendered over that span. Staal will see top power-play minutes against the league’s 30th-ranked penalty kill. Edmonton also averages nearly 10 penalty minutes per game which is fourth-most in the league and have lost six straight games. Staal is third on the Wild in points and is a great mid-range center on home ice tonight. Favorite Line Stacks Blue Jackets First Line Panarin – Dubois – Atkinson The Jackets were playing like shit, to put it politely, leading John Tortorella to come out and blast them publicly before briefly shuffling lines around heading into their last game. Well, that didn’t last long as the “Cannon Line” ended up skating together nearly 20 percent of the time at even strength. There’s full power-play correlation here as Panarin, first on the team in points, Atkinson, first on the team in goals, second in points, and Dubois, third on the team in points, should ride the momentum off of their last game, a 6-3 win in Colorado to dominate the gameplay against the floundering Coyotes. It’s worth noting that the Coyotes have been solid defensively throughout the season, however, they’ve tailed off a bit of late allowing five goals in each of their last two games and this will be their third game in four nights returning home after a long six-game road trip. Wild First Line Zucker – Staal – Granlund Staal, who I mentioned above, should be centering Jason Zucker and Mikael Granlund on the top line tonight and moving forward for the Wild. Both wingers are tremendous value plays on DK tonight with Zucker, who’s third on the team in goals coming in at $4,500 and Granlund, second on the team in points coming in at $5,300. There isn’t full power-play correlation here with Zucker seeing his time on the man advantage on the second unit, but Staal and Granlund provide that full correlation on the top unit. Zucker’s salary alone is enough for me to ignore the lack of power-play time with his even strength linemates in a spot where Minnesota should light the lamp quite a bit. Flames First Line Gaudreau – Monahan – Lindholm This line has been one of, if not the best line in hockey with all three skaters ranking in the top 30 in points per 60 among forwards (Gaudreau 2nd, Monahan 15th, Lindholm 28th) and correlate on the top power-play unit as well, a unit that ranks eighth in the league with a 23.8 percent success rate. In these two teams’ last matchup on December 31st in Calgary, the Flames controlled the gameplay with three goals in the first period, two in the second, and three more in the third period en route to an 8-5 victory. In that game, a game started by Aaron Dell, Gaudreau had two goals and two assists, Lindholm has a goal and two assists, and Monahan dished out five helpers. We likely see Martin Jones in net tonight so I wouldn’t expect a thrashing from Calgary’s offense here, but with these three skaters controlling the game so well at home, I can’t see them laying an egg here. They’re expensive but the upside is as high as you’ll find tonight from a full line. Jets First Line Connor – Scheifele – Wheeler Montreal has been playing very well of late winning seven of their last 10 games, however, the competition level hasn’t been to the quality of the Winnipeg Jets. Of their last seven wins, the Habs have beaten the Ducks, Oilers, Devils, Panthers, and struggling Avalanche. The Jets come in winners of seven of their last 10 in their own right and with the top line quiet of late, this is a good spot for them to bust out in a big way. Value Line Stacks Senators First Line Dzingel – Duchene – Ryan Full power-play correlation here as well boosting this lines upside. They were flying last night and should have their way with a
