Each day throughout the NHL season I am going to be recommending players to target in your DFS lineups with the focus on tournament lineups (with DraftKings prices). I will try to avoid posting the obvious plays on a given night — for example Tyler Seguin is an automatic play for me every day he plays.
[Play the $50K Sniper Contest On DraftKings Tonight!]
Looking back at my several of my recommended plays last night…the Panthers did in fact score frequently on the Avalanche but Jonathan Huberdeau was held in check. The Jagr injury early into the game certainly did not help. Vincent Trocheck who I also mentioned turned in a great game scoring the first two Florida goals and adding an assist. Brett Connolly continued his hot streak for the Bruins with a goal in a 6-0 destruction of the tired Coyotes. I should have had more Bruins in my lineup that’s for sure. Jakob Silfverberg finally notched his first point of the season as the Ducks had a massive collapse against the Stars.
There are just three games on the slate today but there are certainly still value plays.
C – Sam Bennett – ($3,300) – CGY
Bennett has had a quiet start to the season with just one assist in eight games, but he hasn’t been in a prominent role as of yet. This morning in practice the struggling Flames shuffled their lines and it looks like Bennett will skate on a line alongside Johnny Gaudreau and Michael Frolik. The Flames need to bust out of their slump with a strong offensive output tonight. I do not think they will be able to fill the scoresheet versus the Senators tonight but I will not be surprised to see Johnny Hockey get on the board. Bennett gives you cheap exposure to Gaudreau, if the Flames do in fact role with the lines they had in practice.
RW – Mark Stone ($5,700) – OTT
Stone is my favourite play of the night and he comes in at a great price especially on this short slate. He has continued on his great pace from his strong rookie season with nine points in eight games this season. It is looking like rookie Shane Prince ($2,500) will skate on the top line next to Kyle Turris and Mark Stone again tonight as Mike Hoffman remains out of the lineup with an injury. It doesn’t matter if it is Jonas Hiller and his .872 save percentage or Joni Ortio‘s .900 save percentage in between the pipes for Calgary tonight. The Flames cannot keep the puck out of their net so I expect the Sens to score often. If the Senators score Mark Stone should be involved.
C – Mika Zibanejad ($4,400) – OTT
Again, I expect the Senators to score a few times tonight. I think they’ll be the highest scoring team on the slate tonight. Having Zibanejad in your lineups gives you exposure to their second line at a great price and the Sens second PP unit. If you are looking for another really cheap rookie forward Matt Puempel ($2,500) is expected to make his season debut tonight on the second line with Zibanejad and Bobby Ryan.
LW – Pascal Dupuis ($4,800) – PIT
It is great to see Dupuis back in the Penguins lineup after serious health problems kept him out of the lineup for the majority of last season. Dupuis is on a line with Sidney Crosby and Patrick Hornqvist. Despite Crosby’s slow start to the season everyone expects him to get it going and when he does he will not slow down. The Penguins vs the Capitals are both offensive-minded teams therefore several goals should be scored tonight. Rostering Dupuis gives you exposure to Crosby if you are nervous on paying for his $7,700 price tag tonight.
Other forwards I like tonight: E. Kuznetsov ($5,400), K. Turris ($6,100), D. Perron ($4,200), TJ Oshie ($5,900), E. Malkin ($7,000).
D – E. Karlsson ($6,800) – OTT
Again, I am picking on the Flames tonight and yes, Karlsson is the most expensive defenseman tonight but for good reason. Some people may try to overthink this and avoid the “obvious” play of Karlsson tonight but for me rostering the most dynamic offensive defensemen in the NHL against the lowly Flames is a must. Karlsson has eight assists in eight games this season and I expect him to continue his point-per-game pace tonight. It will not surprise me if he notches his first goal of the season.
D – Ryan Ellis ($3,600) – NSH
The Predators vs the Sharks is an interesting matchup tonight and I am not fully sure what to make of it. I do like Ellis at his price tag tonight though. He is averaging 2:15 of ice time a game on the powerplay this season. Ellis is an offensive-minded defenseman who has a good shot from the point. If you are looking for a cheaper play on the blueline tonight he is my favorite. Ellis is averaging a blocked shot a game so that .5points per block on DraftKings could be crucial on tonight’s short slate. I also like his teammate Seth Jones ($3,900) who is averaging 2:24 a game on the powerplay.
Other defenseman I like tonight: R. Josi ($5,900), K. Letang ($5,500), C. Ceci ($2,600)
For goaltending tonight I am leaning towards Pekka Rinne ($7,900) – NSH. With just three games it isn’t easy choosing a goalie.
Hope this can be a help to you guys tonight, let’s have a great night in DFS! Feel free to comment and ask questions below or on Twitter (@XNSports, @doshjaniels). Best of luck tonight!
Featured Image Credit: By Michael Miller (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
