Daily Fantasy Hockey DFS Value Update – December 27

I will mention that I generally do not pick two players playing against each other in the same game for a daily fantasy hockey lineup. The same applies for a goalie and a player from opposite teams. You might see two players among the “value picks” from opposite teams, but that doesn’t mean you should take them both. No matter the value, you’re also likely cannibalizing points, so any gains made below a certain price point – the point where production and cost intersect – can be lost if production declines overall as well.

There are many things that determine value: The player’s history (both short and long-term), the price, recent production, opponent, line matching at even-strength, power play time and injuries are just some of the factors to consider. The “Top Value” doesn’t necessarily mean the cheapest player, either.

Finally, as far as goalies go, it’s the one position I’ll pay through the nose for if I really like the match-up. The same applies for back-ups with good match-ups. In a given night, with a full slate of games, I won’t have more than three different goalies across all my lineups, usually two. I’ll name the goalies I like specifically in the match-ups they appear in.

Here is today’s slate of games (and DraftDay values). Reminder: check Left Wing Lock for up-to-the-minute information on starting goalies.

Games are color-coded as follows:

Green means load up. Yellow means grab a couple of players. Red means value plays only.

Ottawa Senators at Boston Bruins

This is Game 40 this season for the Senators, yet tonight’s game is the first meeting between these two division rivals.

Boston has been fairly prolific this month on the power play, scoring nine goals in 27 opportunities with the man advantage in 10 December games. They’re not getting to the power play very often, but when they do, they’re taking advantage of their opportunities.

Ottawa, meanwhile, has been rolling along with a lowly 79.6-percent penalty kill efficiency in December and an 80-percent efficiency in their last four games. In their December games, the Sens are allowing 3.8 power plays per game, meaning their discipline will have to be spot on if they want to stay in this game tonight.

Keep an eye on who will start tonight in net for the Bruins:

Bruins have recalled Svedberg from Providence. Don't know why but check back later.

— Joe McDonald (@JoeyMacHockey) December 27, 2013

I expect a low-scoring game, but for the Bruins to come out on the right side of it.

Michael Clifford

Michael Clifford was born and raised in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada and is a graduate of the Unviersity of New Brunswick. He writes about fantasy hockey and baseball for XNSports and FantasyTrade411.com. He can be reached on Twitter @SlimCliffy for any fantasy hockey questions. Follow @SlimCliffy !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');

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