Note that some of the games have earlier starts today than the typical 7 PM Eastern puck drop. That means there are staggered starts for DFS games as well. I haven’t included any players from the early games because there are not any players I like except possibly Tampa’s Nikita Kucherov. Considering it’s New Year’s Eve, and there is also the World Junior game between Canada and the United States, it’s probably not worth having to sit by a laptop from 4 PM to 7 PM.
Edmonton, Florida, and San Jose all played last night and are playing tonight as well. Particularly, I like Calgary’s spot at home against Edmonton tonight. Calgary is also one of the heavy favorites on this slate, with Tampa Bay, Detroit, and Pittsburgh heavily favored as well.
Play in the $2 entry, $6000 guaranteed Sniper contest tonight!
As always, check Left Wing Lock for goalie confirmations.
Players will be in order of perceived value, by position, and there should be enough to mix-and-match for each type of game available on Draft Kings. Some positions might only have a few plays, some might have several. It all depends on the day, the matchups, and the price.
Remember: players are in order of value, not necessarily in cost. Just because Sidney Crosby is $8000 one day doesn’t mean he’s a better value than Andrew Shaw at $4000.
Cash Games
| Centre | Wing | Defense | Goalie |
| MacKinnon (COL) – $6000 | Marchand (BOS) – $4700 | Daley (DAL) – $4400 | Howard (DET) – $7400 |
| Bergeron (BOS) – $6700 | Scott Hartnell (CBJ) – $5100 | DeKeyser (DET) – $3100 | Fleury (PIT) – $8800 |
| Zetterberg (DET) – $6300 | Hudler (CGY) – $4800 | Hamilton (BOS) – $4900 | |
| Seguin (DAL) – $9300 | Benn (DAL) – $6900 | Scandella (MIN) – $4400 | |
| Coyle (MIN) – $3700 | Abdelkader (DET) – $4100 | Redmond (COL) – $3000 | |
| Malkin (PIT) – $8700 | Voracek (PHI) – $7400 | ||
| Vermette (ARI) – $4600 | Maroon (ANA) – $3200 | ||
| Schenn (PHI) – $4300 | Pominville (MIN) – $6800 | ||
- Pittsburgh had Malkin and Crosby skating together yesterday at practice. If they do indeed play together, starting one of them is a good idea. If they do not, I would avoid both. Pre-game warmups will dictate that.
- Charlie Coyle has seen his role increase quite a bit with the injury to Mikael Granlund.
- It seems like a good night to spend at center (Seguin, Zetterberg, Malkin, Bergeron, etc) and save on the wing.
- I will be hard-pressed to use a goalie not named Jimmy Howard in cash games.
Guaranteed Prize Pools/Tournaments
| Centre | Wing | Defense | Goalie |
| Granlund (CGY) – $2900 | Gaudreau (CGY) – $5700 | Brodie (CGY) – $4700 | Varlamov (COL) – $6800 |
| Sheahan (DET) – $3400 | Hudler (CGY) – $4800 | DeKeyser (DET) – $3100 | Lehtonen (DAL) – $7500 |
| Bergeron (BOS) – $6700 | Tatar (DET) – $5000 | Hamilton (BOS) – $4900 | |
| Crosby (PIT) – $9100 | Marchand (BOS) – $4700 | Pouliot (PIT) – $2500 | |
| Malkin (PIT) – $8700 | Smith (BOS) – $4200 | Barrie (COL) – $4100 | |
| Duchene (COL) – $5200 | Jurco (DET) – $3000 | ||
| MacKinnon (COL) – $6000 | |||
| Talbot (COL) – $2600 | |||
- If Malkin/Crosby are together, they could be a great duo stack. Again, we won’t know until pre-game warmups.
- If I’m stacking from Detroit, it’s the second line; anyone playing away from Jagr would be the ideal play, and that means Sheahan-Tatar-Jurco.
Slim’s Pickins (bargain plays)
Markus Granlund (CGY-C, $2900) – Playing with Hudler/Gaudreau does have its perks.
Bryan Rust (PIT-W, $2500) – Apparently the third wheel on the top line with Malkin/Crosby.
Derrick Pouliot (PIT-D, $2500) – Still on the top power play unit (for now) in Pittsburgh.
Good luck!
