NHL DFS: The Point Shot – 1/15
UPDATES HIGHLIGHTED IN RED Key Three Skaters Artemi Panarin (CBJ) Panarin, with all of the contract and trade speculation surrounding him, has been able to put the noise aside and produce on the top line for the Jackets. Panarin has four goals in his last three games and against the Devils in his last 10 games, Panarin has four goals and 10 assists. The Jackets should come out clicking at home as they host the Devils on a back to back with major questions defensively coming in. Aleksander Barkov (FLA) Barkov is looking ahead to this matchup against Montreal, one that he’s faired well in. Over his last 10 games against the Habs, the Panther captain has seven goals and seven assists. He’s looking to get out of a bit of a funk, one that has him with just a goal and an assist over his last four games. Against the Canadiens, playing in their second road game in as many nights, this seems like the right opportunity for Bark to produce. Sebastian Aho (CAR) While he’s red hot with five goals in his last two games, one of which was an empty netter, the Rangers have been a funnel of late against centers. They have allowed the most fantasy points to the position over the last four weeks, specifically 22 goals and 25 assists over the 11 games span. Favorite Line Stacks Blue Jackets First Line Panarin – Dubois – Atkinson The Devils come in, playing their second game in as many nights and have really struggled on the road this season. New Jersey has allowed 3.87 goals per game on the road, fourth-most in the league, which has led to a 5-15-3 record in enemy territory. Conversely, the Blue Jackets average the sixth-most goals scored per game at home this season right around 3.50 and have scored 18 goals in their last three home efforts. Panarin, who I touched on has had success of late and has really hurt the Devils in his last 10 games against them. Dubois has points in five of his last seven games and even with the Devils handling the center position well of late, PLD should find some space to make plays for himself, Panarin, or right-winger Cam Atkinson. Atkinson, who leads the Jackets with 26 goals and is second to just Panarin in points with 46 is fourth in the league in shots per 60 with 12 (12.34 at home) and ninth in goals per 60 at 1.80. Columbus has won three straight and seven of their last 10 and will come in ready for the Devil’s who they’ve beaten in each of these two teams last five matchups. Predators First Line Forsberg – Johansen – Arvidsson The Capitals face a tough test in the second game of a back to back traveling to Nashville to take on the Preds and their 15-7 home record. Nashville is suddenly healthy, pretty much with only Kyle Turris, they’re second line center still missing in action. Johansen, Forsberg, and Arvidsson are picking up where they had left off before the injuries started to come into play as one of the better lines in the league at even strength and on the power play. Forsberg, who the Caps basically gave away a few years back has four goals in his last three games and has five goals and two assists in his last six games against them and in just 30 games under his belt this season has been one of the best goal scorers in the league averaging 1.92 goals per 60, seventh among NHL forwards. Arvidsson has eight goals in his last nine games and Johansen points in three straight games. Hurricanes First Line Ferland – Aho – Teravainen This line will more than likely not show up as a complete unit when digging into morning skate and practice sessions of late as you’ll see Micheal Ferland penciled in on the ‘Canes second line. Much like Carolina’s last game, I would expect Ferland to end up skating with Aho and Teravainen for the majority of the game. In Carolina’s last game, that proved to be true as these three skaters were together over 16 percent of the time in even strength situations. Ferland, Aho, and Teravainen were a unit earlier this season and were very productive before Ferland wound up missing time due to injury. Ferland is eighth in the league in high-danger chances per 60 and has five points in his last two games. Aho, who I highlighted above has been hot and Teravainen has four points in his last two games and two goals in his last three against the Rangers. To further aid this line’s upside, all three skate together on the top power-play unit and should have some success against the Rangers who average the most penalty minutes per game and have struggled with the 26th-ranked penalty kill. Panthers First Line Vatrano – Barkov – Dadonov The Panthers have had a hell of a time of late against Montreal losing seven straight to the Canadiens. Still, I like the matchup that Barkov, Huberdeau, and Dadonov have in front of them. Barkov has good history against Montreal, Huberdeau has been skating well even with just one goal in his last four games, and Dadonov has three goals in his last four games against Montreal. I wouldn’t expect the Panthers to be a popular stack tonight, but they have the upside in them to bury the net and put up a crooked number against anyone, especially a team like the Canadiens and their smoke-in-mirrors defense. Vatrano has been replaced on the top line in favor of Huberdeau. Value Line Stacks Ducks First Line Silfverberg – Getzlaf – Rakell Penguins Second Line Pearson – Malkin – Simon Kings Second Line Iafallo – Carter – Leipsic Blue Jackets Third Line Foligno – Jenner – Anderson Top Positional Plays Center Tyler Seguin
NHL DFS: The Point Shot – 1/14
UPDATES HIGHLIGHTED IN RED Key Three Skaters John Tavares (TOR) Tavares draws a great matchup against the Avalanche who have allowed the most fantasy points to centers over the last four weeks. Tavares has three goals in his last four games and remains near the top in most offensive categories including shots per 60, points per 60, and goals per 60. Patrice Bergeron (BOS) The Canadiens have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to centers over the last four weeks. Bergeron has been the glue to the top line for years now and finds himself leading the charge against the defensively soft Canadiens. He’s recorded points in three of his last four games against the Habs and should find his way onto the scoresheet tonight. Vladimir Tarasenko (STL) Vlad is starting to show some signs of life in what’s been a dreadful season for him and the Blues. He does, though, have three goals over his last four games and is still a very good value play, especially on DK as his upside is always prevalent with his high shot volume. Favorite Line Stacks Bruins First Line Marchand – Bergeron – Pastrnak It’s no secret at this point that this is one of the more dangerous lines on the slate and in the entire league. The Canadiens, although better of late, have shown to have issues defending the center and both wing positions all season. This line accounts for the vast majority of offense the Bruins produce and I see that being the case tonight. Maple Leafs First Line Hyman – Tavares – Marner Hyman returned a couple of games ago and re-joined Tavares and Marner, who have been out of their minds all season. Both JT and Marner are among the league leader in most offensive categories and it really hasn’t mattered who the opponent is, but tonight the Leafs face the Avs who have been very suspect on defense over the last month. Over that span, 12 games, Colorado has allowed the most fantasy points to centers and fifth-most to right-wingers. Hyman is a good enough value to slide in here but Tavares and Marner continue to be the focal point. Blues First Line Schwartz – Schenn – Tarasenko I like the upside that these three skaters bring as they all have displayed the ability to score in bunches. I don’t see anyone going with these guys and their salaries make it easier to pair up with one of the more expensive stacks on the slate. Top Positional Plays Center Nathan MacKinnon (COL) John Tavares (TOR) Auston Matthews (TOR) Jack Eichel (BUF) Evgeny Kuznetsov (WSH) Ryan O’Reilly (STL) Nazem Kadri (TOR) Eric Staal (MIN) David Krejci (BOS) Wing Alex Ovechkin (WSH) Mikko Rantanen (COL) Jeff Skinner (BUF) Patrick Kane (CHI) Mikael Granlund (MIN) Brendan Gallagher (MTL) Kasperi Kapanen (TOR) Travis Konecny (PHI) Patrick Marleau (TOR) Jake DeBrusk (BOS) Nino Niederreiter (MIN) Defense Morgan Rielly (TOR) Torey Krug (BOS) John Carlson (WSH) Rasmus Ristolainen (BUF) Tyson Barrie (COL) Alex Pietrangelo (STL) Shea Weber (MTL) Value Jake Gardiner (TOR) Erik Johnson (COL) Ryan Suter (MIN) Colton Parayko (STL) Ivan Provorov (PHI) Charlie McAvoy (BOS) Top Goalies Tuukka Rask (BOS) Mackenzie Blackwood (NJ) Frederik Andersen (TOR) GOOD LUCK!!
NHL DFS: The Point Shot – 1/13
Key Three Skaters Artemi Panarin (CBJ) Panarin has owned the Rangers with points in nine of his last 10 games against them. Over that stretch, he has 10 goals, five assists, and 28 shots. He has three goals in his last two games and the Jackets have won three of their last four. Brayden Point (TB) He’s on fire with five goals and two assists in his last three games and looking back even further, Point has eight goals in his last eight games. Point has two goals and four assists in his last four games against the Isles. Sean Monahan (CGY) Monny has goals in three of his last four games against Arizona and has points in six of his last seven games overall. The Flames have won six of their last seven games and a lot of that has to do with the play of Monahan. Favorite Line Stacks Blue Jacket First Line Panarin – Dubois – Atkinson Panarin has had a lot of success against the Rangers, which I highlighted above, and Cam Atkinson has as well. The Rangers have allowed a lot of production to centers of late leading to the play of Dubois in this stack and at a good value. Lightning Second Line Johnson – Point – Kucherov Point and Kucherov are red-hot and Johnson fits in nicely here. Even though the Lightning are playing their second road game in as many days, I like their chances to produce here. Flames First Line Gaudreau – Monahan – Lindholm This line has carried the Flames virtually all season long with some added production coming from Matthew Tkachuk (second line). Expect Gaudreau, Monahan, and Lindholm to show up in a big way at home. Value Line Stacks Flames Second Line Tkachuk – Backlund – Frolik Blue Jackets Third Line Foligno – Jenner – Anderson Canucks First Line Goldobin – Horvat – Boeser Ducks First Line Sprong – Getzlaf – Rakell Top Positional Plays Center Mark Scheifele (WPG) Aleksander Barkov (FLA) Steven Stamkos (TB) Mika Zibanajad (NYR) Wing Blake Wheeler (WPG) Mike Hoffman (FLA) Anders Lee (NYI) Patrik Laine (WPG) Jonathan Huberdeau (FLA) Matthew Tkachuk (CGY) Kyle Connor (WPG) Josh Bailey (NYI) Defense Seth Jones (CBJ) Mark Giordano (CGY) Alex Edler (VAN) Victor Hedman (TB) Jacob Trouba (WPG) Keith Yandle (FLA) Value Cam Fowler (ANA) T.J. Brodie (CGY) Oliver Ekman-Larsson (ARI) Zach Werenski (CBJ) Aaron Ekblad (FLA) Top Goalies Sergei Bobrovsky (CBJ) Connor Hellebuyck (WPG) Mike Smith (CGY) GOOD LUCK!!
NHL DFS: The Point Shot – 1/12
Key Three Skaters David Pastrnak (BOS) Pasta, who hasn’t recorded a point over his last three games faces off against Toronto, a team he’s had great success against. In 14 games against the Leafs, the Bruins right-winger has 10 goals, eight assists, and 52 shots. On the season, Pasta is seventh in shots per 60, ninth in goals per 60, and 13th in points per 60 among NHL forwards. Brendan Gallagher (MTL) Gallagher, who is among the league leaders in shots per 60 and high-danger scoring chances per 60 has goals in back to back games and draws a good matchup. Colorado has allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to right-wingers over the last month, including 12 goals and 11 assists over the 12-game stretch. Gally should have plenty of chances in this home matchup tonight. Brayden Point (TB) The young center for Tampa continues to be overlooked in some respects but he’s been as good as anyone in the league at the center position this season. Facing Buffalo in their second game in as many nights, Point will look to stay hot as he has 2 goals and an assist in each of his last two games. Favorite Line Stacks Lightning Second Line Johnson – Point – Kucherov I expect this line to control the game in Buffalo tonight with Point and Kucherov obviously the focal points of this line. Tyler Johnson is a good compliment at even strength but doesn’t skate with Point and Kucherov on the power-play. Stars First Line Benn – Seguin – Radulov Tyler Seguin has been more aggressive in the offensive zone of late and it’s shown with points in seven straight games including six goals and five assists over that span. Radulov has points in four of his last five games with multi-point efforts in three of those contest. Benn, who continues to be the “value” piece of this line on DK at $5,800 is still a presence down low as he showed the other night against the Flyers with a goal on four shots. All three of these skaters are the focal point of the Dallas offense at even strength and on the power play where they should have opportunities against the Blues and their sub-par penalty kill. Bruins First Line Marchand – Bergeron – Pastrnak One thing that Toronto does, along with score a lot of goals, they allow a lot of scoring chances and the Bruins first line generates a ton of offense at even strength and on the power play. Bergeron, who is the glue of this line controls the puck and distributes it well to Marchand who is the grit here and Pastrnak who is the most talented player on the Bruins. Marchand has points in each of his last four games against Toronto with multiple points in three of those games. Bergeron for his career has enjoyed facing Toronto with 24 goals and 38 assists in 65 games against the Leafs. If Boston wants to hang with Toronto and keep pace with them in this game, this line will need to be the one producing. Value Line Stacks Canadiens First Line Tatar – Danault – Gallagher Maple Leafs Third Line Marleau – Kadri – Nylander Lightning First Line Palat – Stamkos – Killorn Wild First Line Granlund – Koivu – Zucker Top Positional Plays Skaters not included in “key three”, “favorite line stacks”, and “value line stacks.” Center Nathan MacKinnon (COL) – Montreal has tightened up somewhat against centers but have still allowed 13 goals and 18 assists to the position over their last 13 games. Tyler Seguin (DAL) – He’s been more aggressive in the offensive zone of late and it’s shown with points in seven straight games including six goals and five assists over that span. William Karlsson (VGK) – Chicago has allowed the second-most fantasy points to centers over the last four weeks. Logan Couture (SJ) – He’s gone pointless in his last three but should get back on track against Ottawa, one of the worst defensive teams in the league, especially on the road. John Tavares (TOR) – He’s been one of the best at the position this season, of course, and has three goals in each of his last three games. I, personally can’t wait to see JT and Patrice Bergeron battle all night. Wing Nikita Kucherov (TB) – Back on track with points in back to back games, 2 goals and 2 assists in his last four against Buffalo. Jonathan Marchessault (VGK) – Six goals and three assists in his last seven games against Chicago who have allowed a boatload of production to wingers. Mitch Marner (TOR) – Four goals and 13 assists on 30 shots in his last 11 games against Boston. Vladimir Tarasenko (STL) – Continues to be a great value on DK and has five goals in his last eight games against Dallas. Mikko Rantanen (COL) – Three goals and three assists in his last three games with 13 shots over that span. Jeff Skinner (BUF) – Continues to score goals at a ridiculous rate as he’s top five among forwards in goals per 60. Tampa has allowed 13 goals over the last four weeks (10 games), the third-most in the league over that span. Timo Meier (SJ) – Dealing with a lot of bad luck of late with no goals in his last 10 games despite averaging 14.07 scoring chances per 60, fourth-most in the league over that time frame. His luck will turn tonight against a weak Ottawa defense. Gabriel Landeskog (COL) – 7.05 high-danger scoring chances per 60 over his last 10 games resulting in 1.36 goals per 60 over that span. Defense Erik Karlsson / Brent Burns (SJ) – Pick one. Ottawa has allowed the second most fantasy point to defensemen over the last four weeks and these guys… well… they’re good. And, don’t forget, the
NHL DFS: The Point Shot – 1/11
Key Three Skaters Jeff Skinner (BUF) Skinner hits the ice against the Hurricanes, the team he was drafted by and played for during his first eight seasons in the league, for the first time since being traded to Buffalo in the offseason. Things didn’t end to nicely between Skinner and Carolina, to say the least, but it has worked out for Skinner. He’s second in the league in goals per 60 (2.23) and 12th in the league in scoring chances per 60 (11.13) and is second to Alex Ovechkin for the league lead in goals. With three goals in his last three games the left-winger comes in riding high and I would expect some extra motivation against the ‘Canes playing their second game in as many nights. Sean Monahan (CGY) Monny was kept off the scoresheet in his last game, but look for him to get right back on track here tonight. Florida, who just played through overtime in Edmonton last night have been gashed by centers over the last four weeks with 17 goals and 24 assists surrendered to the position over the last 12 games, including last night. Look for Monny to lead the Calgary charge tonight. Patrik Laine (WPG) Laine has not looked himself lately with just one goal in his last 10 games but this is a good spot for him to snap out of his funk. The Red Wings have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to right-wingers over the last four weeks, including 14 goals against in their last 13 games over that span. I’m looking for Laine to bust out tonight against the Wings who he’s scored five goals in his last five games against. Favorite Line Stacks Flames First Line Gaudreau – Monahan – Lindholm With Monny, Johnny Gaudreau, who’s been one of the hottest players in the league over the last month and Elias Lindholm this Flames line has been producing as well, if not better than any line in the game over the last few weeks. They do it at even strength, they do it on the power play, and they do it at home. Florida has questions defensively against all of the forward positions and especially in net skating in their second game in as many nights on the road. Jets First Line Connor – Scheifele – Wheeler The Red Wings have allowed the third-most fantasy points to centers, third-most fantasy points to left-wingers, and sixth-most fantasy points to right-wingers over the last four weeks. The Jets first line of Scheifele, Wheeler, and Connor have been clicking of late with the value of Connor making the hefty salaries of Wheeler and Scheifele easier to offset considering some of the other top lines in the league. However, this can and has at times caused some hefty ownership to be attached to these three skaters and I would expect such a scenario tonight. Much like Calgary, they score at even strength, score on the power play, and are productive at home. Value Line Stacks Flames Second Line Tkachuk – Backlund – Frolik Ducks First Line Sprong – Getzlaf – Rakell Top Positional Plays Players not listed in “key three”, “favorite line stacks”, or “value line stacks” sections. Center Evgeni Malkin (PIT) – Significant $1,000 discount between him and Sidney Crosby. Dylan Larkin (DET) – The Jets have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to centers over the last four weeks. Jack Eichel (BUF) – Expected to play tonight. Skated full speed in practice yesterday on the first line with Skinner and Tage Thompson. I like the pairing with him and Skinner a lot and you can add Thompson in there as well is you need some value in your last wing spot. Sebastian Aho (CAR) – His upside is always there with his ability to generate shots and create space at even strength and on the power play. Aleksander Barkov (FLA) – Should bounce back after a sub-par game tonight in a good matchup. Bryan Little (WPG) – Points in each of his last three games (two goals, two assists) and a great value to pair up with Laine. Wing Jake Guentzel (PIT) – Points in each of his last four games and gelling well with Crosby. Teuvo Teravainen (CAR) – Great chemistry with Aho on the top line and top power-play unit. Jonathan Huberdeau (FLA) – Tremendous value on DK at under $6,000. Gustav Nyquist (DET) – The winger to pair with Larkin in a sneaky spot. Jakob Silfverberg (ANA) Sam Reinhart (BUF) Thomas Vanek (DET) – Dirt-cheap punt play skating on the second line and top power-play unit. Tage Thompson (BUF) – Assuming that Eichel plays and this line sticks, Thompson, who skated with Eichel and Skinner on the first line at practice yesterday, is a great value at $2,600 on DK and $3,700 on FD. Defense Mark Giordano (CGY) – Florida has given up a lot of production to defensemen all season long and have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to the position over the last four weeks. Jacob Trouba (WPG) – His minutes have seen an uptick and so has his production in the absence of Dustin Byfuglien while his salary on both sites has pretty much stood pat. Rasmus Ristolainen (BUF) – Always a solid floor and good matchup against Carolina. Kris Letang (PIT) – The matchup is tough but he’s recorded points in seven of his last eight games. Cam Fowler (ANA) – He’s a good value skating on the top power-play unit and has seen close to four minutes in such situations over his last two games since returning from injury. Jaccob Slavin (CAR) – Two goals and two assists in his last six games. The Hurricanes defensemen continue to play musical chairs with production from seemingly someone different every night, but Slavin’s value and production have both been rock solid all season. T.J. Brodie (CGY) – Correlates well at even
NHL DFS: The Point Shot – 1/9
Key Three Two Skaters With a short slate tonight, I’ve decided to lay out the two skaters I like the most rather than three, and more than likely the two skaters that I will be locking in. Sean Monahan (CGY) Monahan is among one of the hottest skaters going right now and draws a matchup against the Avalanche that couldn’t be much better. Monny has points in each of his last five games with two goals and five assists over that span and the Avs are coming off of a 7-4 loss to the Jets just last night. Colorado had allowed the third-most fantasy points to centers over the last four weeks before last nights game against the Jets in which centers Mark Scheifele, Bryan Little, and Andrew Copp combined for three goals and two assists. The Flames are rolling right now and Monahan has been one of the skaters leading that charge. Ryan Johansen (NSH) Chicago has allowed the most fantasy points to the center spot over the last month and Nashville’s first line, which is finally healthy now for the first time in what seems like forever, is led by Johansen who comes in at a great value on both sites in this road matchup. Johansen, who also skates on the Preds top power-play unit, has points in three of his last four games against the Blackhawks. Favorite Line Stacks Flames First Line Gaudreau – Monahan – Lindholm This line has been everything that the Flames could have asked for this season as one of the best lines in the league. Led up the middle by Monahan, wingers Johnny Gaudreau and Elias Lindholm have been out of their minds. Gaudreau, who has shown great chemistry with Monahan in the past, has goals in five straight games and points in nine of his last 11 games overall. He has six goals and three assists in his last 11 games against Colorado. Lindholm, who came over from Carolina in the offseason, has 20 goals and 30 assists with points in four of his last five games. The Flames and this line stay hot tonight. Consider adding in Mark Giordano, who skates with these three on the top power-play unit for a four-player stack. Predators First Line Forsberg – Johansen – Arvidsson Forsberg and Arvidsson are in the midst of shaking off the cobwebs since returning from injury and I think this is a spot where they can get going in a big way. With Johansen centering, this trio has shown how dangerous they can be, especially in good matchups. The Blackhawks have allowed the second-most fantasy points to right-wingers, fifth-most fantasy points to left-wingers, and most fantasy points to centers over the past month. Others Flames Second Line: Tkachuk – Backlund – Bennett Blackhawks First Line: Saad – Toews – Kahun Top Positional Plays Center Nathan MacKinnon (COL) – If fading the Flames side of this game, the logical play would be to pay up for the Colorado side led by MacKinnon. Matt Duchene (OTT) – One of the more gifted, young players who is good enough to take a game over on his own. Ryan Getzlaf (ANA) – Very cheap in a good matchup at home. I would expect the Ducks to score at least three goals and I have a hard time thinking Getzlaf is not involved. Wing Patrick Kane (CHI) – Seven goals in his last six games. Mikko Rantanen (COL) – The first guy to look at if pairing someone with MacKinnon. Mark Stone (OTT) – Four goals and three assists in his last six games. Craig Smith (NSH) – Five goals in his last five games and a good value option for Nashville skating on the second line. Daniel Sprong (ANA) – Dirt cheap skating on the first line with Getzlaf and has goals in two of his last four games. Alex DeBrincat (CHI) – Has three goals in his last five games skating on the third line but is seeing time on the top power-play unit. Defense Mark Giordano (CGY) – Colorado has allowed the third-most fantasy points to defensemen over the last four weeks. Roman Josi (NSH) – Josi plays a huge roll in the Preds offense and has a good matchup against the Blackhawks. Cam Fowler (ANA) – Top power-play minutes and should see close to a full work load in his second game back. Brandon Montour (ANA) – With Cam Fowler back, he sees a slight dip. Ryan Ellis (NSH) – Continues to be a value pivot off of Josi. T.J. Brodie (CGY) – Similar to Ellis, but at a lower level, Brodie is a good value pivot off of Giordano. The only negative aspect here is that he doesn’t see any power play time. Erik Johnson (COL) – Rather than paying up for Tyson Barrie, I prefer the value that Johnson brings to the table. Top Goalies John Gibson (ANA) Juuse Saros (NSH) GOOD LUCK!!
NHL DFS: The Point Shot – 1/8
UPDATES HIGHLIGHTED IN RED Key Three Skaters Patrik Laine (WPG) Laine has five goals and six assists in his last eight games against Colorado. Laine has a goal in each of his last three home games against the Avs. Colorado has been very shaky defensively of late and Laine is due to bury at least one as the young Fin has just one goal in his last nine games. Evgeni Malkin (PIT) I prefer the discount of Malkin over Crosby tonight in just as good of a spot. The Panthers have allowed 15 goals and 20 assists to centers over their last 12 games and Malkin has skated well against them. He has three goals and two assists in his last two games against the Panthers and has points in five of his last six games overall. Logan Couture (SJ) I know the Sharks played just last night, but they’re playing well and Couture has owned Edmonton. In his last five games against the Oilers, Couture has five goals and three assists and this is a good matchup overall as the Oilers have allowed 20 goals and 19 assists to centers in their last 11 games, attributing to the eighth-most fantasy points allowed to the position over the last month. Favorite Line Stacks Jets First Line Connor – Scheifele – Wheeler After a red hot stretch, Mark Scheifele has gone a bit cold. This is a good “get right” spot for Scheifele as the Avs have allowed the most fantasy points to centers over the last four weeks and Scheifele has four goals and 10 assists in his last 10 against Colorado. Right winger Blake Wheeler has also had success against Colorado with five goals and seven assists in his last four games against. Kyle Connor has contributed with goals in back to back games against Colorado and all three skaters see time together on the top power-play unit. Golden Knights First Line Marchessault – Karlsson – Smith Pacioretty Wild Bill, Marchessault, and Reilly Smith haven’t been blowing the doors off of people this season as they did last making them very affordable as a line in a great matchup. The Rangers have allowed 18 goals in their last three games largely due to piss poor defense up the middle. Karlsson should have his way through the neutral zone setting up scoring chances for himself as well as Marchessault and Smith. Speaking of Marchessault, he’s due for some production here and it happens tonight against the leaky Rangers defense. Smith has been going through a funk scoring, but he’ll look to build on his recent history against the Rangers as he’s scored three goals in his last three games against the blue shirts. Pacioretty has been moved up to this line with Reilly Smith out of the lineup per this morning’s skating session. Over his last two games, Max has 6 shots and a goal in each of his last two games after missing a little over a week. Penguins Second Line Simon – Malkin – Hornqvist Malkin and Hornqvist have long been skating together over the years and have formed great chemistry. Dom Simon has slid onto this line at a great value and found good production with two goals and two assists in his last three games. Horn has goals in three of his last four games against Florida with one coming on the power-play. Malkin and Horn skate on the top power-play unit and should see some opportunities tonight against Florida’s 18th-ranked penalty kill. Value Line Stacks Islanders First Line Lee – Nelson – Ho-Sang Eberle Lee has three goals and three assists against the Hurricanes in his last four games and ranks second among NHL forwards in high-danger scoring chances per 60. Nelson draws a good matchup against Carolina who have been weak of late against the center and Ho-Sang continues to be a value play that’s hard to ignore seeing time on the top power-play unit. Eberle returned a game ago with a goal and should see some opportunities tonight on the top line. Penguins Third Line Pearson – Brassard – Kessel They’ve generated a lot of scoring chances late and the production potential relative to their collective salary is something to consider in a game that should have some goals. Blue Jackets Second Line Anderson – Wennberg – Duclair Josh Anderson has four goals in his last seven games against Tampa and two tallies in his last three games overall. Duclair is skating with more confidence of late, seeing time on the top power-play unit, and is a great value. Wennberg continues to put these guys in position to score goals, it’s just up to the wingers to capitalize on those opportunities. Blues Second Line Fabbri – O’Reilly – Perron O’Reilly has six points in his last five games and Perron has points in seven straight (three goals, seven assists). Both skate together on the top power-play unit where they’ve combined for six goals and 13 assists this season. Fabbri, a great value option, is expected to be back tonight skating in place of Alex Steen on this line who will not play. Top Positional Plays Players not included in “key three”, “favorite line stacks”, and “value line stacks” sections Center Nathan MacKinnon (COL) – Much like the Avs, the Jets have allowed a ton of production to centers of late. Mathew Barzal (NYI) – Eight goals and three assists in his last seven games. Over their last 13 games, Carolina has allowed 13 goals and 30 assists to centers. William Karlsson (VGK) – His five-game scoreless streak should come to an end tonight against the Rangers who have allowed 18 goals in their last three games. Brayden Point (TB) – Three goals and three assists in his last three games against the Blue Jackets. Sidney Crosby (PIT) – I mention him because he’s owned Florida of late,
NHL DFS: The Point Shot – 1/4
Key Three Skaters Nathan MacKinnon (COL) MacKinnon continues to make his case as the best center in the NHL recording points seemingly every night. He’s has points in seven straight games and should take advantage of a soft Rangers defense at home who just allowed seven goals at home to the Penguins their last time out. There’s not much more to be said here, folks. Much like every other night, Mac is an elite play here. Ryan Johansen (NSH) The wheels continue to fall off for Detroit defensively, especially against centers as they’ve allowed the second-most fantasy points to the position over the last four weeks. Johansen, who centers the top line and skates on the top power-play unit for the Preds has points in each of his last three games recording a goal and four assists over that span. The Preds are starting to get healthy and have been one of the better road teams in the league this season. Look for that to continue tonight in Detroit. Cam Atkinson (CBJ) Cam has fared well of late with five goals and three assists in his last five games and continues to be one of the higher volume wingers in the league. Back on November 17th, the right-winger recorded a hat trick and added assist against the Hurricanes in Carolina on five shots. Carolina put forth an inspiring effort last night in a 5-3 victory in Philadelphia but looked to wear down a bit in the third period allowing three goals in the final 14 minutes of that period. With fresh legs, Columbus should be able to dictate the pace here giving Atkinson scoring opportunities. Favorite Line Stacks Avalanche First Line Landeskog – MacKinnon – Rantanen While it looked like Coach Bednar had shuffled this line around moving Landeskog down before the Avs last game, for some ungodly reason, as we all could all have expected, that didn’t last long as 420 hit the ice together over 31 percent of the time during their last game after all. They should eat the Rangers alive at both even strength and on the power play. Predators First Line Hartman – Johansen – Arvidsson With Arvidsson back, this line is almost complete as the Preds just wait for the return of Filip Forsberg. Until then, though, we can take advantage of the value that Ryan Hartman brings to the ice as he’s more than held his own while the Preds have endured a slew of injuries. That value along with the mid-range value of Johansen makes this line very affordable and potentially effective against the leaky defense of Detroit. Dallas Stars First Line Benn – Seguin – Radulov After a pathetic, piss poor showing last night in St. Louis against the sorry Blues, without their best player nonetheless, the Capitals travel to Dallas to take on the Stars who have scored 12 goals over the first three games of their current homestand. Seguin has points in three straight, Radulov has points in two of his last three, and Benn has goals in back to back games. I would expect Washington to start backup Phoenix Copley who has been decent but has had matchups against the Coyotes, Rangers, and Senators (twice) to exploit. I expect the first line for the Stars to come in and beat up on the Caps. Value Line Stacks Blue Jackets Second Line Duclair – Wennberg – Anderson Jets Second Line Connor – Little – Laine Penguins Second Line Simon – Malkin – Hornqvist Coyotes First Line Panik – Stepan – Keller Top Positional Plays Players not mentioned in “key three”, “favorite line stacks”, or “value line stacks” sections. Center Dylan Larkin (DET) – Emerging as one of the better scorers and high volume shooters from the center position. He has two goals, an assist, and 19 shots in his last four games. Mika Zibanajad (NYR) – The Avs have given up the most fantasy points to centers over the last month. Pierre-Luc Dubois (CBJ) – Three goals and two assists in his last three games and has the benefit of skating with two dynamic wingers. Paul Stastny (VGK) – Filling the role that Vegas thought he would when they signed him in the offseason before missing time due to injury. Since returning to the lineup, the veteran has five goals and four assists in 11 games. Nico Hischier (NJ) – Arizona has allowed 19 goals in their last 12 games to centers. Wing Artemi Panarin (CBJ) – Points in five straight games. Jonathan Marchessault (VGK) – Four goals and five assists in his last 10 games against the Ducks. Phil Kessel (PIT) – After not joining in on the seven goal barrage the other night against the Rangers, look for Kessel to make a mark in this game as he ranks in the top 10 in points per 60 minutes. Jake Guentzel (PIT) – Five goals in his last five games skating on the top line with Crosby. Chris Kreider (NYR) – Amazingly he was one of the only Rangers that showed up the other night barely missing two goals, one of the post and one that Matt Murray made a great save on. He’s been skating very well and scoring the puck with five goals in his last six games. Craig Smith (NSH) – Goals in back to back games and points in each of his last four. Defense Roman Josi (NSH) – Detroit has allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to d-men over the last four weeks. Kris Letang (PIT) – Points in each of his last five games with two goals and six assists over that span. John Klingberg (DAL) – His playmaking ability on the back end puts him in a good spot against the Caps who saw Alex Pietrangelo dance around them all night last night. Zach Werenski (CBJ) – After a brutal stretch offensively,
NHL DFS: The Point Shot – 1/3
Key Three Skaters Mathew Barzal (NYI) Barzal, fresh off of being named to his first all-star game, comes into this matchup against Chicago red hot. The young center has six goals and three assists in his last five games and should continue his recent success. The Blackhawks have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to centers over the last four weeks, including 20 goals and 24 assists over the 13-game span. David Pastrnak (BOS) Pasta and the Bruins return home after a quick two-game road trip in which Pasta had a goal and two assists. The Bruins will host the Flames tonight who played last night in Detroit and will undoubtedly have some tired legs under them. The Bruins’ right-winger continues to be one of the more deadly high-volume shooters in the league and should see plenty of chances against the recently shaky netminding of the Flames. Sebastian Aho (CAR) Aho, like Barzal and Pastrnak, was also named to his first all-star game last and walks into a good matchup this evening. Aho has had great success against the Flyers in the past, including six goals and six assists in his last 10 games against the team from Philly. The Flyers have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to centers over the last four weeks, so look for Aho to produce tonight. Favorite Line Stacks Bruins First Line Marchand – Bergeron – Pastrnak With Bergeron back fully healthy, Marchand playing well, and the Bruins back home facing the Flames on the second leg of a road back to back, the B’s first line leaps off the page for me tonight. The goaltending of Calgary has been shaky of late to say the least and they’ve been bailed out by their offense. Calgary has allowed 11 goals in their last three games, most recently three last night to the Red Wings who are 25th in the league in goals per game. Bergeron, Marchand, and Pastrnak have long been a cohesive trio and I would expect them to take control of this game early tonight. Islanders Second Line Beauvillier – Barzal – Bailey Barzal leads this line and has been hot as I mentioned above. Bailey has cooled off a bit with just two points in his last four games after recording a game in six of his eight previous outings. His ability to distribute the puck and efficiency shooting it make him a solid piece of this line on the right wing. Anthony Beauvillier has shown flashes of the promise that made him a high prospect for the Isles but hasn’t done it consistently. He does have 11 goals this season, though and comes in as a solid value on DK ($3,800) and FD ($5,100). Blues First Line Schwartz – Schenn – Tarasenko These three skaters have been invisible over their last five games combining for one goal (Tarasenko) and one assist (Schenn) but they’re too good to keep that up. All three of them skate together at even strength and on the top power-play unit and I would expect them to come in with low ownership in a high-upside spot at home. Value Line Stacks Islanders First Line Lee – Nelson – Ho-Sang Ho-Sang is a value plugin tonight and should attract a lot of ownership on both sites. He’s penciled in on this line and on the top power-play unit. Hurricanes First Line McGinn – Aho – Teravainen The focus here is on Aho and Teravainen who have skated together at even strength and on the power-play for the majority of the season. McGinn is a guy to plug in to complete the line if you need the value, but not a must. Kings Second Line Kovalchuk – Carter – Toffoli The Kings aren’t a high-scoring team but they have been able to blindside some teams coming into their building this season. Carter and Kovalchuk can still score the puck and Toffoli is not shy about firing the puck on net. All three skate together on the top power-play unit as well and virtually no one will have this combo as I’d expect Vasilevskiy to be the chalk netminder tonight. Capitals Third Line Burakovsky – Eller – Connolly These guys have shared the ice with each other a lot over the last couple of years and have shown good cohesiveness. The Caps are very deep and thus goals can come from any line on any given night. Taking a shot with the third line for a combined $10,400 of salary on DK is a calculated but tempting risk against the Blues who have allowed the most goals per game of any team at home this season. Top Positional Plays Players not included in “key three”, “favorite line stacks”, or “value line stacks” sections. Center Aleksander Barkov (FLA) – Has six goals and seven assists in his last 10 games against Buffalo. Brayden Point (TB) – Points in each of his last seven games and could play with a little extra motivation after being snubbed from the all-star team. Elias Pettersson (VAN) – With his hat trick last night, Pettersson now has five goals in his last four games. Nicklas Backstrom (WSH) – Assists in each of his last four games. Don’t expect much in terms of goal scoring but he’s still one of the best passers at the position. David Krejci (BOS) – Centers the second line and is a good value play. Wing Alex Ovechkin (WSH) – Either as a one-off or paired up with Backstrom, Ovie is as rock solid of a play as there is tonight. Johnny Gaudreau (CGY) – Five goals in his last seven games against the Bruins. Returns back to Boston where he played college hockey at Boston College. Nikita Kucherov (TB) – On fire with points in each of his last 11 games. Over that span, the all-star has seven goals and 16 assists to go along with 36 shots.
NHL DFS: The Point Shot – 1/2
Key Three Skaters Sean Monahan (CGY) The center position has given the Red Wings trouble all season, and specifically over the last four weeks as they’ve allowed the second-most fantasy points to the position over that span. Monny has eight assists in his last three games, highlighted by a five-helper performance in his last time out. Calgary will look to avenge an 8-2 ass kicking in Detroit the last time they played there (November of 2017). Monahan is the best center in the league that nobody talks about and I love the play tonight. Logan Couture (SJ) Colorado has been destroyed by the center spot over the last month allowing the most fantasy points to the position over that span. During the 12-game stretch, pivots have scored 23 goals and dished out 30 assists. He comes in with just three points in his last six games but stands in a good spot to produce tonight. While Couture may have just two points in his last four games at Colorado, he’s directed 13 shots to the net over that four-game stretch. San Jose has averaged 3.7 goals per game in their last nine against the Avs and backup goaltender Phil Grubauer has already been confirmed for tonight. Phil Kessell (PIT) He’s buried three goals in his last three games and has burned the Rangers with points in nine of his last 10 games against them, including six goals and 10 assists. Among all forwards this season, Kessell is 10th with 3.91 points per 60 minutes. While he may be skating on the third line, that won’t hurt his production as he’ll be the go-to scoring option on that line. Kessell is especially dangerous on the power play skating with the first unit where he has scored seven of his 17 goals and dished out 13 of his 29 assists this season. The Rangers have been a very undisciplined group in the first season under David Quinn taking 9.4 penalty minutes per game, 10th-most in the league and has just a 77 percent success rate on the penalty kill which is fifth-worst. The Penguins have averaged over four goals per game in their last 9 against the Rangers including scoring six, four, five, and three goals in their last four games at Madison Square Garden respectively. Favorite Line Stacks Flames First Line Gaudreau – Monahan – Lindholm Most don’t talk about this line right away when bringing up the best lines in the league, but the truth is that they’ve been extremely productive. Along with Monahan and the goal scoring ability of Elias Lindholm, Johnny Gaudreau who has nine goals and seven assists in his last nine games is the focal point here. All three skaters are on the top power-play unit together and should eat Detroit up. Canucks Second Line Goldobin – Pettersson – Boeser Pettersson and Boeser highlight this line with the value of Nik Goldobin coming in handy. The Senators have been one of the worst defensive teams all season, especially against the center position (Pettersson) and right-wing (Boeser) spots. Pettersson and Boeser see power-play time on the first unit with Goldobin skating on the second unit. Center – Wing Combos I Like As you all should know by now, I lock in two center-wing combos in my lineup every night. With a lot of shuffling on some lines looking ahead to tonight, I’ll give you guys a few combos that I really like. Avalanche MacKinnon – Rantanen; Skating together on the first line and top power-play unit. These two will be the focal point of the first line, more so now with Landeskog dropped to the second line. Sharks Couture – Meier; Love the chemistry these two have former. They’re both high-volume shooters in a good matchup. The only negative here is that they don’t skate together on the same power play unit, but the bulk of their production should come at even strength. Penguins Malkin – Hornqvist; Skating together on the second line and top power-play unit. Both skaters have had success recently against the Rangers. Stars Seguin – Benn; Both are discounted a bit on DK and are skating together at even strength and on the power play. Top Positional Plays Players not mentioned in “key three”or “favorite line stacks” Center Connor McDavid (EDM) – Still producing with shitty players on his line. Dylan Larkin (DET) – He’s a star in the making and has a good test tonight against Monahan who could be a bit lacking defensively. Nathan MacKinnon (COL) – He hasn’t loved this matchup (six goals, four assists in his last nine against San Jose), but it’s impossible to not consider Mac, especially on home ice. Evgeni Malkin (PIT) – Should be a popular play, especially on DK as the 11th-highest priced center. He has 15 points (five goals, 10 assists) in his last 12 games against the Rangers. Bo Horvat (VAN) – Very underrated young player. Like him but would like him more if he were skating with some better scoring talent. Nick Schmaltz (ARI) – Great DK value and a good matchup against the Oilers who have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to the position over the last four weeks. Derick Brassard (PIT) – Centers the third line for the Pens and is dirt cheap. Mikael Backlund (CGY) – Centers one of the more productive second lines in hockey. Wing Mikko Rantanen (COL) – Ranto is third in the league in points per 60 (4.41) and fourth in primary assists per 60 (2.06). He’s expensive for basically being a playmaker (second in the league with 45 assists) rather than an elite goal scorer, but he can still bury the puck as he’s done so 17 times this season, eight of which have come on the power play and has lit the lamp 10 times in 18 home games. Patric Hornqvist (PIT) – Horn is 10th in
