NHL DFS: The Point Shot – Main Slate – 11/23
Top Goalies Juuse Saros (NSH) Saros is a good value option in a great spot against the floundering Blues tonight. Nashville has shown to be one of the stronger teams in the NHL, let alone the Western Conference and I expect a good effort from their backup tonight. Martin Jones (SJ) Jones is a good floor play in net against the Canucks who have come crashing back down to earth of late. He’s as close to a lock for a win as there is tonight with shut out upside, even though he likely won’t see a ton of shots. Roberto Luongo (FLA) Look for high upside from Luongo tonight against the shot-heavy Hurricanes. Bobby Lou will look to bounce back after a poor effort in his last start. Others I like: Marc-Andre Fleury (VGK), Semyon Varlamov (COL) Key Three Skaters Tyler Seguin (DAL) Seguin has caught fire of late and should feast on the Senators who have been decimated by centers all season, but more so over the last month. Logan Couture (SJ) Vancouver has allowed the second-most fantasy point to centers over the last month (22 goals, 31 assists) and Couture has points in four of his last five games against them, including three goals. Cam Atkinson (CBJ) Atkinson has a goal in each of his last five games with seven tallies in all over that span. He has two goals and two assists in his last four games against the Leafs and should produce tonight in a high-paced game. Favorite Line Stacks Avalanche First Line: Landeskog – MacKinnon – Rantanen Stars First Line: Benn – Seguin – Radulov Sharks Second Line: Hertl – Couture – Meier Blue Jackets First Line: Panarin – Dubois – Atkinson Value Line Stacks Maple Leafs Second Line: Marleau – Kadri – Kapanen Lightning Second Line: Johnson – Point – Gourde Top Positional Plays Center Aleksander Barkov (FLA) Evgeni Malkin (PIT) John Tavares (TOR) Brayden Point (TB) Jonathan Toews (CHI) Ryan Johansen (NSH) Sebastian Aho (CAR) David Krejci (BOS) Steven Stamkos (TB) Wing David Pastrnak (BOS) Phil Kessel (PIT) Mitch Marner (TOR) Filip Forsberg (NSH) Patrick Kane (CHI) Patric Hornqvist (PIT) Evander Kane (SJ) Timo Meier (SJ) Nikita Kucherov (TB) Mike Hoffman (FLA) Defense Seth Jones (CBJ) Morgan Rielly (TOR) Brent Burns (SJ) Roman Josi (NSH) Dougie Hamilton (CAR) Erik Karlsson (SJ) Brent Seabrook (CHI) Victor Hedman (TB) Kris Letang (PIT) Keith Yandle (FLA) Torrey Krug (BOS) Ryan Ellis (NSH) Thomas Chabot (OTT) Value Jaccob Slavin (CAR) Jake Gardiner (TOR) Zach Werenski (CBJ) Erik Johnson (COL) Aaron Ekblad (FLA) Good Luck!!
NHL DFS: The Point Shot – Early Slate – 11/23
*NOTE: The Flames – Golden Knights game is only included on the DraftKings Early Slate Top Goalies Carter Hutton (BUF) As the Sabres have been rolling, so too has Hutton, obviously, winning each of his last six games, five that he’s started. He’s allowed more than three goals in just one of those games and stopped at least 29 shots in three. The Canadiens have come back down to earth as well going 4-4-2 their last 10 games. Mikko Koskinen (EDM) He’s been solid and he’s underpriced against a lacking offensive team in the Ducks. If Cam Talbot is in net, I’m fine with him as well. Also consider: Marc-Andre Fleury (VGK), Key Three Skaters Jack Eichel (BUF) I made the mistake of backing Carey Price and the bad Montreal defense the other night and paid for it big time. I won’t make that same mistake today, even is Price sits and Niemi starts. The Sabres are rolling right now, which is odd to say, but they’ve won seven games in a row and Jack has points in four straight games. Look for him to take advantage of Montreal’s struggles defending up the middle (they’ve allowed the third-most fantasy points to centers over the last month) and for Buffalo to continue rolling. Connor McDavid (EDM) The Ducks have allowed a ton of production to centers this season and McDavid is, well, he’s Connor McDavid. He has points in four straight (three goals, five assists), and has eight points (one goal, seven assists) in his last four games against the Ducks. There isn’t much to think about here. Taylor Hall (NJ) The Devils got Nico Hischier back from injury in their last game and it made a difference as Jersey scored five goals in a victory against Montreal. Hall had a goal and an assist in that game after not recording a point in any of his three prior outings. The Islander have allowed the second-most fantasy points to left-wingers (12 goals, 11 assists) over the last four weeks putting Hall in a great spot to produce today. Favorite Line Stacks Devils First Line: Hall- Hischier – Palmieri Sabres First Line: Skinner – Eichel – Pominville. Ristolainen would be the defenseman to correlate with here if you were to pivot Pominville out. Skinner, Eichel, and Risto all skate on the top power-play unit. Jets Second Line: Connor – Little – Laine. Connor and Laine have combined for six goals over their last two games and Connor has chipped in with three assists. Little offers nice value at the center spot allowing you to pay up for the more expensive wingers. Golden Knights First Line: Marchessault – Karlsson – Smith Wild First Line: Zucker – Staal – Granlund. They’ve been skating well after going through a cold spell, specifically in their last game combining for six points. Value Line Stacks Capitals Second Line: Vrana – Eller – Connolly Red Wings First Line: Abdelkader – Larkin – Mantha Top Positional Plays Players not included in “key three”, “favorite line stacks”, or “value line stacks” sections. Center Mark Scheifele (WPG) Nico Hischier (NJ) Sean Monahan (CGY) Nicklas Backstrom (WAS) – Only if you pair him up with one of his wingers, preferably Ovechkin. Mikael Backlund (CGY) Mathew Barzal (NYI) – Paired up with Anders Lee or Josh Bailey. Wing Alex Ovechkin (WAS) Blake Wheeler (WPG) – Makes for a dynamic, but expensive duo with Scheifele. Kyle Palmieri (NJ) – Playable as a one-off as he’s generally a one-dimensional goal scorer. Leon Draisaitl (EDM) – Extremely productive of late skating with McDavid. Anders Lee (NYI) Matthew Tkachuk (CGY) Brendan Gallagher (MTL) Johnny Gaudreau (CGY) Josh Bailey (NYI) Max Pacioretty (VGK) Sam Reinhart (BUF) Tomas Tatar (MTL) Defense Matt Dumba (MIN) Rasmus Ristolainen (BUF) John Carlson (WAS) Dustin Byfuglien (WPG) Mark Giordano (CGY) Oscar Klefbom (EDM) Shea Theodore (VGK) Jeff Petry (MTL) Mike Green (DET) Value Darnell Nurse (EDM) Matt Niskanen (WAS) Brandon Montour (ANA) Jacob Trouba (WPG) Noah Hanifin (CGY) T.J. Brodie (CGY) GOOD LUCK!!
NHL DFS: The Point Shot – 11/21
We have a massive 14-game slate tonight in the NHL leading into Thanksgiving. These slates can tend to overwhelm some people because there are so many directions to go. To simplify things, we should look at these slates like a Friday MLB slate, for example. The first thing I do is look at the games/teams and eliminate at least a handful of them pretending they’re not there when considering skaters to roster. Below is the full slate of games with a few of the games/teams (highlighted in RED) that I will be avoiding tonight from a skater perspective: Islanders at Rangers Canadiens at Devils Stars at Penguins Blackhawks at Capitals Maple Leafs at Hurricanes Flyers at Sabres Bruins at Red Wings Panthers at Lightning Blues at Predators Senators at Wild Golden Knights at Coyotes Canucks at Ducks Jets at Flames Avalanche at Kings Top Goalies Connor Hellebuyck (WPG) Against the Flames, Helly has allowed an average of two goals against in his last four starts. We’re getting a nice price on him on DK tonight and he’s in play on FD as well. These two teams have been pretty even over their last 10 matchups and are both going well right now. I like Helly to get enough offensive support here en route to his fifth win in a row. Frederik Andersen (TOR) Andersen has won each of his last three starts and should see plenty of work tonight against the Hurricanes. Carolina averages the most shots (40.1) per game while Andersen has seen at least 37 shots in four of his last five starts. The upside here is extremely high, especially considering how good the Leafs have been on the road. However, whenever a goaltender is expected to see the volume that I think Andersen sees tonight, there’s always that possibility that they get lit up, just keep that in mind. Devan Dubnyk (MIN) Believe it or not, there is some risk here against Ottawa. The Senators lead the league in goals per game while also allowing the most goals per game. Minnesota has done a good job limiting high-danger scoring chances while allowing low percentage shots. Similar to Andersen this is a spot that can blow up in front of us, but with Minnesota playing down of late, I expect them to come out fired up at home where they are 6-2-2 while Ottawa is just 2-5-1 on the road this season. Semyon Varlamov (COL) On the opposite side of the spectrum, Varly isn’t someone I expect to see the volume that Andersen will see. However, even in a road matchup, Varly faces the Kings who average the least amount of goals per game right at two. His salary is a bit high considering the workload I project for him, but considering how tough of a time the Kings have had scoring, I like the “safety” of Varly tonight. Carey Price (MTL) (Gulp) Price has been good against the Devils the last three times he’s faced them stopping 80 of 85 shots over that span and Montreal is 6-2-1 over these two teams’ last nine matchups. The Devils have been sputtering with just six goals in their last three games but will get top-line center Nico Hischier back tonight after a four-game absence. Price will look to bounce back after a poor effort in his last start in which he allowed five goals to the Capitals who have always seemed to give him a hard time. In his two starts prior to that, Price stopped 79 of 83 shots faced in two road games against the Canucks and Flames. Price will always be a hard guy for me to trust, but taking into account his projected workload (the Devils average 33.1 shots per game and Montreal allows 32 shots per game) the upside is there for the former Vezina and Hart Trophy winner. Others I like: Tuukka Rask (BOS), John Gibson (ANA) Key Three Skaters Filip Forsberg (NSH) The Blues are a mess right and they’ve just fired head coach Mike Yeo to cause more dismay, at least in the short term. The Predators come in as one of the better teams in the NHL right now with a 7-3 record at home and a 7-2-1 record over their last 10 games. Forsberg has long been a Blues killer. Over his last 10 games against St. Louis, the former Washington Capitals draft pick has 10 goals and 11 assists. Over his last four games, he has three goals and 15 shots. Jack Eichel (BUF) The Sabres are playing well right now, especially their top line which is centered by Eichel. Over his current three-game point streak, Jack has a goal, four assists, and 19 shots. The Flyers have allowed 16 goals and 22 assists to centers over their last 11 games and Eichel has five goals and two assists in eight career games against Philly with an average of 3.8 shots per game. Mark Scheifele (WPG) Scheifele has been red-hot with nine goals and eight assists over his last 11 games. The Flames have struggled against centers of late allowing 14 goals and 32 assists to the position over their last 13 games. As a force at even strength and on the power play (four goals, five assists), the first-line center for the Jets finds ways to contribute seemingly every night. Favorite Line Stacks Predators First Line Forsberg – Johansen – Smith With Forsberg being the high-dollar player, and I highlighted a bit why up top, Johansen and Smith slide in as great complimentary pieces at even strength and on the power play. Smith has moved up to the top line in the absence of Viktor Arvidsson after Kevin Fiala proved that he couldn’t do the job and has responded with four points in his last five games to go along with 23 shots. Johansen is very steady while manning the top line of one of
NHL DFS: The Point Shot – 11/17
Top Goalies Mikko Koskinen (EDM) Koskinen is a good correlation play with the Oilers’ skaters and presents as a great value on DK ($7,500). He’s won four of his five starts this season and has good upside against Calgary tonight. Scott Darling (CAR) In a good spot at home, Darling is in good position to pick up a win as a value on both DK and FD. While Carolina limits shots against in most cases, Darling won’t need much to pay off his salary tonight. Pekka Rinne (NSH) The Kings are playing their second game in as many nights and have averaged the least amount of goals per game to this point. Rinne is the goalie I feel the most comfortable paying up for in a soft matchup where I expect a win. Others to consider: Matt Murray (PIT), Carey Price (MTL) Key Three Skaters Connor McDavid (EDM) There’s nothing to be sneaky about here. McDavid is the clear top play for me on this slate provided his matchup and history against the Flames. in 12 games against Calgary, McDavid has nine goals and six assists. The Flames have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to centers over the last four weeks. McDavid is the first guy I’m locking in tonight. Evgeni Malkin (PIT) Malkin walks into a good road matchup against the Senators, a team that has allowed the most fantasy points to centers over the last month. Malkin has now gone back to back games with points after a bit of a dry spell and should produce in this juicy matchup. Mike Hoffman (FLA) Hoffman is playing great right now riding a 14-game point streak and is priced well as someone that I’m locking in. With a high volume of shots (11.92 shots per 60) and 1.52 goals per 60, the sniper should be able to take advantage of his opportunities tonight. He has three goals in his last six games facing the Rangers and is very affordable on both sites, especially FD at $5,700. Favorite Line Stacks Panthers Second Line Huberdeau – Trocheck – Vatrano Huberdeau and Trocheck have given the Rangers fits of late. In his last nine games against the Rangers, Huberdeau has three goals and eight assists. Trocheck has also been impressive with four goals and six assists over his last 10 games against the Blueshirts. Vatrano slides in at a good value on both sites with three or more shots in five of his last six games. Trocheck and Huberdeau also see added upside skating together on the top power-play unit. Oilers First Line Draisaitl – McDavid – Caggiula Leon Draisaitl has moved up to the McDavid line and is red hot of late. He has four goals and an assist in his last five games with four or more shots in four of those contests. McDavid is McDavid and I touched on him a bit above. Nothing to overthink there. Caggiula is simply a value plugin to fit McDavid and Draisaitl in but has shown flashes of upside, specifically skating with McDavid. Others to consider: Sharks First Line: Meier – Couture – Pavelski Value Line Stacks Hurricanes Second Line Ferland – Aho – Teravainen These three skaters have developed tremendous continuity at both even strength and on the power-play. Ferland is among the leaders in high-danger scoring chances per 60 and shots per 60. Aho has points in each of his last three games and will take advantage of the weaknesses up the middle for Columbus. Teravainen also has points in each of his last three games and can make a difference in so many ways with his ability to pass the puck and shoot. This line is extremely affordable considering how productive they’ve been. Predators First Line Fiala – Johansen – Forsberg With the Kings playing their second game in as many nights, the Predators who are dangerous at home are in a great spot, especially with their first line. You’ll be paying for Forsberg here but otherwise, Johansen and Fiala present great value on both sites. Top Positional Plays Center Aleksander Barkov (FLA) Patrice Bergeron (BOS) Elias Pettersson (VAN) Mikael Backlund (CGY) Matt Duchene (OTT) Mika Zibanajad (NYR) Alex Galchenyuk (ARI) Wing David Pastrnak (BOS) Patric Hornqvist (PIT) Evgenii Dadonov (FLA) Phil Kessel (PIT) Johnny Gaudreau (CGY) Evander Kane (SJ) Matthew Tkachuk (CGY) Brendan Gallagher (MTL) Craig Smith (NSH) Mark Stone (OTT) Chris Kreider (NYR) Defense Kris Letang (PIT) Mark Giordano (CGY) Dougie Hamilton (CAR) Erik Karlsson (SJ) Jaccob Slavin (CAR) Thomas Chabot (OTT) Keith Yandle (FLA) Ryan Ellis (NSH) Oscar Klefbom (EDM) Torrey Krug (BOS) Kevin Shattenkirk (NYR) Oliver Ekman-Larsson (ARI) T.J. Brodie (CGY) GOOD LUCK!!
NHL DFS: The Point Shot – 11/16
Top Goalies Laurent Brossoit (WPG) As a substantial home favorite against a team that has a tough time scoring goals, Brossoit sticks out as a popular option tonight in all formats. He’s priced up where he should be on DK, where they actually give a shit about adjusting goalie pricing, but he’s a crazy value option on FD at just $7,400. Phil Grubauer (COL) Grub is confirmed to start tonight against his former team and will look to bounce back from his last start when he allowed seven goals. Prior to that start, Grub had won three and a row and stands in a good spot tonight against the visiting Captials. Corey Crawford (CHI) Crawford was locked in in his last start stopping all 28 shots he saw against a dangerous Blues offense. Tonight, facing the Kings who are dead last averaging two goals per game, Crawford should build off of his last outing and parlay that into a good performance tonight. Key Three Skaters Nathan MacKinnon (COL) I’ll go more in-depth below, but MacKinnon is easily the first skater I’m locking in tonight against the Caps who have especially struggled with the center spot. David Pastrnak (BOS) Pasta has seven goals in his last seven games and a total of 17 on the season. He’s fourth among forwards with 12.95 shots per 60 and first in goals per 60 (2.97). He’s matchup proof and has proven that he is the go-to guy on one of the best lines in hockey. He has four goals in his last five road games as well. Mitch Marner (TOR) Marner has been one of the more consistent skaters in the league this season and has really benefited from skating with John Tavares, who endorsed him thoroughly before signing with Toronto in the offseason. The Ducks have allowed the third-most fantasy points to right-wingers over the last four weeks. Has points in three straight with a goal and five assists over that span. At all strengths, Marner is seventh in points per 60 (4.05) and first in primary assists per 60 (2.75) among all forwards while seeing nearly 20 minutes of ice time per game. Favorite Line Stacks Avalanche 420 Line Landeskog – MacKinnon – Rantanen This line is rolling right now and at home against a leaky defensive team, I love the potential output we can see here. The Caps have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to centers on the season, including 27 goals and 29 assists in 18 games. MacKinnon has points in four of his last five games (three goals, five assists) and 21 shots over that span. Additionally, Washington has allowed 24 points to left-wingers in their last 12 games putting Landeskog in a plus matchup. Mikko Rantanen is second in points per 60 (3.81) and first in primary assists per 60 (2.33) among forwards in 5v5 situations. Over his last two games he has two goals, three assists, and five shots. As always look for these three to make an impact on the top power-play unit. Jets First Line Ehlers – Scheifele – Wheeler Nik Ehlers has flourished on this line, and why not when you’re skating with guys like Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler? Scheifele has four goals and three assists in his last three games and should take advantage of the struggles Buffalo has with the center spot. Wheeler, one of the better playmaking wingers in the league has an 11-game point streak going and 21 assists on the season, 13 of which have come on the power-play. A worth pivot down for salary purposes would be to go with Winnipeg’s second line of Bryan Little, Kyle Connor, and Patrik Laine, who I go into more detail on below. Maple Leafs First Line Hyman – Tavares – Marner Marner, who I mentioned above is in a great spot with John Tavares centering him. JT had another productive night last night and now faces the Ducks who have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to centers over the last month. Tavares is third in high-danger scoring chances per 60 (7.75) and eighth in goals per 60 (1.98) among fowards while averaging 3.79 points per 60 in all situations. Hyman is a good value plug in here who has flashed offensive ability and sees time killing penalties, where he’s scored shothanded goals, and sees time on the second power-play unit. Top Positional Plays Players not included in “key three” or “favorite line stacks” sections. Center Nazem Kadri (TOR) – Kadri has stepped in on the second line and been solid in the absence of Auston Matthews. Kadri also sees time on the top power-play unit. William Karlsson (VGK) – Wild Bill and the Knights have shown signs of offensive light of late, specifically in their last game when they had six goals. None of those goals came from the first line, but tonight the top trio should be productive at home. Anze Kopitar (LA) – The Blackhawks have allowed the third-most fantasy points to centers over the last four weeks. Kopitar has 10 points in his last nine games against the ‘Hawks and at $4,900 on DK, he’s the cheapest he’s been in over three years. Jonathan Toews (CHI) – In his last eight games against L.A., Toews has five goals and four assists. He has nine goals on the season and is priced well on DK at $5,600. Patrice Bergeron (BOS) – He’s had points in five straight games centering one of the more productive lines in hockey. Jack Eichel (BUF) – Jack has no points in each of his last two games suggesting that he’s due as he hasn’t gone pointless in more than two straight games all season. He’s sixth among centers in shots per 60 (10.67) in 5v5 situations. Wing Jonathan Marchessault (VGK) – March has been cold in his last two games but with his shot volume and ability to score,
NHL DFS: The Point Shot – 11/15
Top Goalies Roberto Luongo (FLA) Generally going against Columbus on the road is a risky proposition and tonight is no different. However, the Jackets are dealing with a team-wide illness that has caused players to miss some games of late, most recently Cam Atkinson last week and tonight word is that Artemi Panarin will not play. Bobby Lu has won each of his last four starts allowing a total of six goals and seeing 30-plus shots in three of those contests. He’s a good value on both DK and FD tonight. Devan Dubnyk (MIN) The only issue I have with Dubnyk tonight is that I’m not sure he’ll see enough work to pay off his salary ($8,400 on DK, $8,800 on FD) on either site. With that said, this was a concern I had last night with Marc-Andre Fleury, but he ended up seeing 29 shots en route to a shutout. We obviously can’t expect or predict a shutout on any given night, but I think Dubnyk has the best chance of accomplishing the task. Expect a win here. Pekka Rinne (NSH) I have similar concerns with Rinne that I mentioned with Dubnyk tonight. With that said, I’m fine paying for him on DK at $7,900 but there is no chance in hell that I’ll pay $9,200 for him on FD. He’s 5-1-1 in his seven starts against Arizona and Nashville has shown to be a very good road team thus far. Others to consider Thomas Greiss (NYI), Frederik Andersen (TOR) Key Three Skaters Steven Stamkos (TB) Stamkos has gone back to back games without a point but prior to that had seven points over a four-game stretch, including four goals and three assists. Against the Penguins, Stammer has 10 points (three goals, seven assists) over his last six regular-season games. The Pens have tightened up on D a bit, but are still susceptible to allowing a lot of production to high-powered offenses with a lot of scoring chances in a high-paced environment. For my money, Stamkos is just too inexpensive on DK ($6,800) for the opportunities he should see. Sean Couturier (PHI) Over the last four week the Devils, usually a stingy defensive team, have allowed the most fantasy points to centers. The numbers include 19 goals and 37 assists over a 12-game span. After a slow start to the season, Couts has come around, specifically over his last four games. Over that stretch, he has at least one point in each game while accumulating three goals and four assists. Mikael Granlund (MIN) Granlund went goes through these stretches where he simply cannot be stopped and we’ve seen it each of the last two season. Well, right now Granlund is quietly one of the hotter skaters going. Over his last 13 games, Granlund has nine goals, six assists, and 23 shots. Over that span he’s added four power-play points, which is worth noting as Vancouver have been one of the more penalized teams on a game by game basis averaging over 10 penalty minutes per contest. Also, they’re playing their third game in four nights, all of which are road affairs. Granlund has 13 points in 16 career games against the Canucks and Vancouver have allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to right-wingers over the last month. We’ve said before that the Wild are a major pain in the ass night after night as pinpointing where the scoring will come from is always a challenge. Granlund seems like a slam dunk play tonight. Favorite Line Stacks Islanders First Line Lee – Barzal – Bailey In the last 10 matchups between the Islanders and Rangers, the Isles have average 3.9 goals per game. At home tonight I see the Islanders having their way with the Blueshirts again. Mathew Barzal, in five games against the Rangers last season, had three goals and seven assists. He’s accumulated 16 points this season and has four (one goal, three assists) over his last three contests. Josh Bailey has three goals in his last three games and has 18 points on the season. Anders Lee is a force down low, something that the Rangers will have a tough time handling with undersized defensemen. I expect these three skaters to lead the charge for the Isles tonight. Flyers Third Line Giroux – Couturier – Konecny As mentioned before I really like Couturier tonight, especially with the news the Nico Hischier will miss tonight’s game. Claude Giroux has four goals and five assists in his last six games and the Devils have allowed 12 goals to left-wingers over the last 12 games. Konecny has four goals in his last five games against the Devils and holds good value skating on this line. All three of these guys are also together on the Flyers’ top power-play unit. Panthers First Line Dadonov – Barkov – Hoffman The Blue Jackets are a mess right now and, as of now have two guys (Panarin and Bobrovsky) missing tonight’s game with an illness that seems to be trapped with the team. Barkov has three goals in his last three games and over his last eight against the Blue Jackets, he’s lit the lamp five times and dished out three assists. Mike Hoffman has been producing every night of late with at least one point in 13 straight games since being bumped up to this unit. Evgenii Dadonov has points in each of his last 12 contests with seven goals over that span. He and Barkov skate on the Panthers’ top power-play unit while Hoffman sees his man-advantage time on the second unit. Predators First Line Fiala – Johansen – Forsberg With Vik Arvidsson out for the foreseeable future, look for Kevin Fiala to take advantage of being moved up to the top line. He has points in each of his last four games (one goal, three assists) and will benefit from more open ice chances with teams shifting their focus
NHL DFS: The Point Shot – 11/14
Top Goalies Connor Hellebuyck (WPG) With the Caps playing their second game in as many nights, this seems to me like a spot where Helly and the Jets will take advantage. We know that the Jets are a better team at home and with Helly playing better of late than he did earlier in the season, I expect him to pick up a victory while posting a solid save number. Marc-Andre Fleury (VGK) I don’t worry about Fleury picking up a win because, in a good spot at home with Fleury playing well, a win seems in some ways like a foregone conclusion. I worry about the upside the MAF can bring with him and thus the amount of shots he’ll see. The Knights do a good job of limiting opponents shots (26 per game, lowest in the league) and the Ducks (25.5 shots per game) hold the lowest average amount of shots per game of any team. While Fleury, again, should be solid and pick up a win, I wouldn’t expect a high volume of shots thus limiting his upside. Other to consider: Semyon Varlamov (COL) Key Three Skaters Vladimir Tarasenko (STL) Tarasenko and the Blues highlight the slate with the national game as they take on the Blackhawks in Chicago tonight. Tarasenko, not someone who’s afraid of the spotlight has four goals and 20 shots in three games against Chicago this season. The Blackhawks have allowed the second-most points to right-wingers this season. The Blues are near the top in the league in goal per game and Tarasenko, the best scorer on the team should be a productive skater tonight. Mark Scheifele (WPG) Scheifele has been hot of late, specifically over his last two games with three goals and three assists. He has nine goals and 10 assists on the campaign with 40 shots. The Caps come into Winnipeg playing their second game in as many nights and have already struggled against the center spot recently. Over the last four weeks Washington has allowed 16 goals and 20 assists in 12 games putting Scheifele in a great spot tonight to produce. Mikko Rantanen (COL) We love the 420 line at home and Rantanen has been a major part of their production. He leads all forwards this season with 4.44 points per 60 minutes at even strength while also leading in primary assists per 60. His 16:41 of even strength ice time per game leads all wingers and is ninth among forwards overall. Using Rantanen is a good way to get exposure to one of, if not the best line in hockey at a more than fair salary. Favorite Line Stacks Blues First Line Schwartz – O’Reilly – Tarasenko Jaden Schwartz provides a ton of value to a line with Tarasenko and O’Reilly, two guys who you’re going to have to spend a pretty penny on. Schwartz has three points in his last two games and has been moved up to the top power-play unit further increasing his value. The Blackhawks have really struggled with the center spot of late allowing the fifth-most fantasy points over the last four weeks. O’Reilly comes in with five goals over his last five games and has connected well with Tarasenko. I mentioned Vlad above but I’ll further emphasize that he’s my favorite play of the night. Jets First Line Ehlers – Scheifele – Wheeler The Jets’ “newish” top line with the shift of Ehlers to the top along with mainstays Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler has been productive suggesting that the speed element that Ehlers brings has made a difference. The young left-winger has a goal in each of his last three games and four in his last seven games after starting the season with no goals in his first nine contests. Wheeler, the team captain, has points in each of his last 10 games (two goals, 17 assists) showing to be more of a facilitator down low. Scheifele is the glue that holds this line together and has been productive of late, which I noted before. He and Wheeler both skate on the Jets’ top power-play unit while Ehlers sees his time on the second unit. Others to consider Avalanche First Line Landeskog – MacKinnon – Rantanen: One of the better lines in the league shouldn’t be overlooked, even in a matchup that, on paper is a tough one. Boston has been stingy defensively and Jaro Halak has been great between the pipes, but this line at even strength and on the power-play has proven that they can produce with the best of them, especially at home. Capitals Second Line Vrana – Backstrom – Oshie: Using the Caps second line is a good way to save some salary while still bringing some upside. Backstrom and Oshie correlate well together at even strength and also on the top power-play unit. Vrana fits in as a decent value play. Top Positional Plays Plays not included in “key three” or “favorite line stacks” sections. Center Jonathan Toews (CHI) – Toews has four goals in three games against the Blues this season and comes in with a great price, especially on DK. William Karlsson (VGK) – Wild Bill is showing some signs of life after a slow start with four points in his last three games. Tyler Bozak (STL) – He’s a salary-saving pivot off of O’Reilly, centers the second line, and skates on the top power-play unit. Evgeny Kuznetsov (WAS) – If you’re not a believer in Hellebuyck like I am tonight, Kuzie’s value is very good, especially on DK. He has points in seven of his last eight games. David Krejci (BOS) – Good value and has points in each of his last four games. Wing Jonathan Marchessault (VGK) – His price has dropped to points we haven’t seen in a while on DK. For a site that boosts high-volume shooters, Marchessault (16 shots in
NHL DFS: The Point Shot – 11/12
Top Goalies Henrik Lundqvist (NYR) The Rangers and Henrik will host the Canucks tonight at home where they are 5-3 on the season. Vancouver comes in 5-4-2 on the road, but have been one the more surprising teams to this point. Lundqvist has a .921 save percentage and has 30 or more saves in five of his last six games and has won three of his last four starts. Pekka Rinne (NSH) Rinne has won each of his last three regular season games against the Ducks and was more than stout against this team two years ago in the Western Conference finals. Rinne has allowed just two goals in his last three starts (94 shots, 31.3 per game) and leads the Preds into Anaheim as Nashville is 8-0 on the road this season. Key Three Skaters Sebastian Aho (CAR) Aho has a good matchup ahead of him against the Blackhawks who have allowed the second-most fantasy points to centers over the last four weeks. Aho, who has 20 points (four goals, 16 assists) in 17 games has gone 12 straight contests without a goal. I believe that narrative changes tonight against a Chicago team that have allowed 23 goals to centers this season. Viktor Arvidsson (NSH) Arvidsson has gone back on IR and is OUT tonight. Arvy skated in 19 minutes and added an assist on Saturday returning to action after missing two games with an injury. He has two goals and two assists over his last three games against the Ducks and six points in six career regular season games against them. His involvement on the top line, top power-play unit, and penalty kill help boost his upside as he’s arguably the Preds most skillful forward. Chris Kreider (NYR) Kreider has been a streaky player in terms of performance and effort and as a Ranger fan, he’s been a major pain in the ass. He’s going well right now, though with four goals in his last six games and draws a good matchup with Vancouver who has allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to left-wingers. Kreids will drive you nuts or make you jump for joy and while he’s going well, I want to look for him to produce. He’s a great value on DK at $5,900 and FD at $6,100 considering he also skates on the top power-play unit, which I’ll get to in a bit. Favorite Line Stacks Hurricanes’ First Line Ferland – Aho – Teravainen This line has been dangerous all season and not only correlate well at even strength but also on the power play. Chicago has had trouble defending the center spot, which I noted when discussing Aho, but Ferland has been a pleasant surprise coming over from Calgary in the offseason. Ferland is among the leaders at forward in the league in high-danger chances per 60 minutes (first), shots per 60 (second), and Corsi-for per 60 (seventh) at even strength. Teravianen fits in here with a good value salary and has three points (all assists) over his last two games. Predators’ First Line Forsberg – Johansen – Arvidsson Forsberg has been a productive player against the Ducks, including in the 2017 Western Conference finals, a series in which the Preds won before going to the Stanley Cup Finals and falling short to the Pittsburgh Penguins. In that series, Forsberg had four goals in the six games with 25 shots. In 12 regular season games against the Ducks, Forsberg has seven points (two goals) and 34 shots, so it would seem that he ramps up his play a bit against Anaheim. I mentioned Arviddson above, and want to add that he is a huge factor on this line and its production. Along with being the most skillful player on the line, Arvy adds an energy that Forsberg and Johansen simply don’t add in all situations, including the power play and penalty kill, in which he’s combined for eight shorthanded goals over the last two season prior to this one. Speaking on Johansen, the Ducks have allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to the center position over the last four weeks, including 12 goals and 20 assists in just 11 games over that span. As one of the more productive line in the league over the last couple of season, Forsberg, Johansen, and Arvidsson all skate together on the top power-play unit, one that is struggling but could find some success against the Ducks who are middle of the road with their penalty kill. Colton Sissons has replaced Arvidsson on the top line tonight Rangers’ First Power-play Unit Zibanajad – Kreider – Pionk Over his last three games, Zib has two goals, two assists, and 13 shots. He’s seeing heavy minutes on the power play where he has five points this season. Kreider, who I mentioned above have been playing well of late, but on the power play, he’s logged two goals and an assist this season seeing an average of over three minutes per game on the man advantage. Neil Pionk has made an impact after of late. After being a healthy scratch for two consecutive games early in the season, Pionk has responded with productive ice time since. Over his last four games, he has three goals and eight shots. With the man advantage this season, Pionk has averaged a shade over two minutes per game but has a power-play goal (two games ago) and five power-play assists. The Canucks average the sixth-most penalty minutes per game suggesting that the Rangers, who are two for their last five on the power play should see some opportunities tonight. Top Positional Plays Players not included in “key three skaters” or “favorite line stacks” sections. Center Tyler Seguin (DAL) – As expected and I mentioned a few nights ago, Seguin was due to regress back to his mean considering the volume of shots he delivers. He’s done that with goals in each of his last two games could get there again tonight against the
NHL DFS: The Point Shot – 11/9
Top Goalies John Gibson (ANA) Gibby has been rock solid and gets a good home matchup tonight against the Wild who are playing their second game in as many nights. Expect Gibson to see a good amount of shots as teams are averaging over 36 shots per game against Anaheim this season. Jimmy Howard (DET) Howard has been seeing a good amount of volume (30 or more shots in six of his last seven) and has allowed more than two goals in just one of his last four home starts. The Rangers are just 2-4-1 on the road this season and average just 2.67 goals per game, 27th in the league. Howard is in a good spot in all formats tonight considering his matchup and salary. Also consider: Frederik Andersen (TOR) Key Three Skaters Patrik Laine (WPG) Laine has four goals in his last two games and after a long rest, he gets a chance to continue burying the puck against the Avalanche. In his last seven games against the Avs, Laine has four goals and 19 shots. The young sniper leads all forwards with 14.28 shots per 60 minutes in all situation. He’s a nice value on DK at $6,300 and a more than viable option on FD at $8,100. Vladimir Tarasenko (STL) The Blues host the Sharks who are playing in their second game in as many nights and Tarasenko comes in with points in each of his last five games including four goals and three assists over that span. In his last six games against the Shark, the Russian has five goals, an assist, and 22 shots. While San Jose has been good against opposing right-wingers, there’s no stopping Vlad when he’s hot like he is right now. Dylan Larkin (DET) Larkin is a speedy centerman who should eat the Rangers, who are slow up the middle, up tonight in a home matchup. The young center has points in five of his last six games and the Rangers have allowed 14 goals and 28 assists in 15 games to centers this season. Larkin’s time on the top line and top power-play unit coupled with his bargain salary on both sites makes him a sold floor, high upside play tonight. Favorite Line Stacks Blues First Line Schwartz – O’Reilly – Tarasenko A motivated Ryan O’Reilly has proven to be a difficult matchup for opposing teams over the years. Match that with a hot Vlad Tarasenko and the value of Jaden Schwartz along with his ability to score and you have a dangerous line tonight. Matched up against the Sharks playing in their second game in as many nights, this is a trio that could put up a crooked number just as they did in their last game when they combined for three goals and two assists against the normally stingy Carolina Hurricanes. Red Wings First Line Helm – Larkin – Mantha Larkin drives this ship with his speed and playmaking ability and is flanked by young Anthony Mantha and veteran Darren Helm. Mantha has gone scoreless in each of his last three games but did have goals in back to back games prior to that and is a good value on both sites. Helm is a guy that you can throw in to complete this stack as a gritty player down low. Larkin and Mantha are the difference makers here, though against a Ranger team that has shown weakness defensively against speed and size. Larkin and Mantha also skate together on the top power-play unit. Devils First Line Hall – Hischier – Palmieri These three continue to prove themselves as one of the better lines in hockey and the one constant for the Devils offense. Toronto has shown to be very giving in the high-paced tempo that they play and that plays right into the hands of Hischier and Hall who are great skaters. Hischier generates a ton of high-danger scoring chances and Hall has points in 11 of his last 12 games. Palmieri is proving once again that he’s a goal scorer that can be relied upon with 10 tallies on the season. Maple Leafs First Line Hyman – Tavares – Marner This line has combined for three goals and six assists in their last three games. Tavares and Marner see elevated upside with time on the Leafs’ top power-play unit while Hyman fills the third leg of this line at a great value. With Tavares’ 8.75 high-danger scoring chances per 60 minutes (first among forwards), Marner’s ability to distribute the puck from the wing with 2.64 primary assists per 60 (first), and Hyman’s ability to fight for pucks on both ends, this line truly has everything. I would expect this game to see some goal, especially from the Toronto side and this is the line I would expect to do the bulk of the damage. Others to consider: Avalanche first line (Landeskog – MacKinnon – Rantanen), Jets first line (Ehlers – Scheifele – Wheeler) Top Positional Plays Players not included in “key three” or “favorite line stacks” sections Center Evgeny Kuznetsov (WAS) – Columbus has allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to centers over the last four weeks. Logan Couture (SJ) – Couture has 16 points (six goals, 10 assists) on the season and has points in nine of his last 10 games. Pierre-Luc Dubois (CBJ) – The Caps have allowed 23 goals and 25 assists to centers in 14 games this season. Mika Zibanajad (NYR) – Zib has a goal and three assists in his last four games and the Red Wings have allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to centers this season. Nazem Kadri (TOR) – Centering the second line of late, Kadri has four goals and an assist in his last six games. Mark Scheifele (WPG) – He has 11 points in his last 11 games against Colorado. Boone Jenner (CBJ) – Centers the second line for Columbus and has
NHL DFS: The Point Shot – 11/8
Top Goalies Jaroslav Halak (BOS) He’s clearly outplayed Tuukka Rask this season. Halak has seen at least 40 shots against in each of his last two games and on the season has stopped 219 of 230 shots he’s seen for a .952 save percentage. He’s a favorite play tonight at home against the Canucks and can be played in all formats. Carey Price (MTL) In his last five games against the Sabres, Price has allowed just nine goals. In those games, he’s seen 38, 39, 30, 45, and 36 shots against for an average of 37.6 shots per game. While he has struggled a bit this season, the Sabres offense has struggled even more averaging just 2.87 goals per game (22nd in the league). Price’s salary is affordable on both sites tonight in a good matchup at home. Andrei Vasilevskiy (TB) If willing to pay up, Vasilevskiy has righted the ship of late allowing just three goals in his last two games while stopping 33 and 34 shots in each game respectively. Late last season Vasi was victimized by the Isles allowing six goals on 41 shots. To me that was nothing more than a blip and I would expect him to be strong in between the pipes at home tonight. Others to consider: Darcy Kuemper (ARI), Marc-Andre Fleury (VGK) Key Three Skaters Steven Stamkos (TB) Over his career, Stamkos has played 31 games against the Islanders and has 13 goals and 20 assists to go along with 90 shots over that span. The Isles, who have been solid against centers this season, catch the Lightning captain at the wrong time. He has four goals, four assists, and 20 shots over his last five games after a slow start to the season. This home matchup should work well in his favor. Brad Marchand (BOS) Marchand is a gritty player with some talent skating on one of the best lines in the league. The problem with him sometimes is that he takes himself out of the game with stupidity because he’s a head-case. Marchand leads the league in penalty minutes with a staggering 45, including a 14-minute meltdown the other night. The matchup on paper couldn’t be much better for Marchand. The Canucks have allowed the second-most fantasy points to left-wingers this season, including 12 goals and 26 assists. With three goals in his last five games, let’s hope Marchand can keep his composure and perform at a high-level tonight, which I think is likely in the home matchup. Sebastian Aho (CAR) The Blackhawks are a mess and will be with a new head coach for the first time in a long time when they host the Hurricanes. One of Chicago’s deficiencies has come against the centers as they have allowed the third-most fantasy points to the position. Aho has gone without a point in each of his last three games, but still has four goals and 13 assists on the season and is averaging more than four minutes of power-play time per game. The Hurricanes have not been shy about getting pucks to the net and should continue that trend tonight with Aho leading the charge. Favorite Line Stacks Lightning First Line Miller – Stamkos – Kucherov This line has woken up over their last four games with a total of seven goals and eight assists over that span. Stamkos and Kucherov obviously lead the charge and are aided by J.T. Miller on left-wing. All three of these guys share time on the power play and with the Islanders averaging the sixth-most penalty minutes per game (10.8) and boasting a penalty kill (79.5) that is tied for 17th in the league, this line should get some opportunities in that regard as well. Hurricanes Second Line Ferland – Aho – Svechnikov We talked about Aho and he’s a more household name than the others on this line, but they’ve been very good. Ferland came over from Calgary in the offseason and has been a force up front. He is second among all NHL forwards with 8.24 high-danger scoring chances per 60 minutes, while also being third in shots per 60 (13.57). Svechnikov holds great value and much like Ferland is not afraid to get into the scoring areas down low. He’s currently sixth among forwards in high-danger scoring chances and comes in at just $4,100 on DK and $3,500 on FD. Aho and Ferland see time on the top power-play unit together while Svechnikov sees his work on the man advantage coming on the second unit. Canadiens First Line Tatar – Danault – Gallagher The Sabres are one of the worst teams at defending the center which will aide Danault, the general weak link of this line. Tatar came over in the offseason in the Max Pacioretty trade and has been nothing short of great with five goals and eight assists thus far. Gallagher is now arguably Montreal’s best player and if not best player he’s at least their best forward. He generates a ton of high-danger chances, shoots a ton, and has five goals in his last 10 games against Buffalo. Tatar and Gallagher see power-play time on the top unit while Danault doesn’t see any ice time with the man advantage. Others to consider: Bruins first line: Marchand – Bergeron – Pastrnak Golden Knights first line: Marchessault – Karlsson – Smith Top Positional Plays Players not mentioned in “key three skaters” or “favorite line stacks” sections Center Patrice Bergeron (BOS) – Vancouver have allowed 20 goals and 25 assists to centers thus far. Bergeron sees the bulk of the ice time at the position for the Bruins in all situations. Alex Galchenyuk (ARI) – Galch has points in four of his six games this season, he’s very cheap, and he draws what has been a very good matchup for centers this season. Jack Eichel (BUF) – Montreal has allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to centers. Brayden Point
