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.
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C – Ryan Johansen ($5,400) – CBJ
It isn’t often we see Johansen on DraftKings at a price tag like this, in fact it is the lowest he has been priced this season. The lowly Blue Jackets face the Sharks tonight. While I think San Jose will get the win I expect the Blue Jackets to be able to provide some offense. Johansen, who missed a couple games due to illness, has six points in ten games this season. I won’t be able to pass up the opportunity to roster an elite player at this price is a decent matchup. I don’t expect any Columbus players to be highly owned. I also like LW – Brandon Saad ($5,500) and C – Alex Wennberg ($3,300) – if Wennberg does in fact return from a minor injury tonight.
C – Jori Lehtera ($4,000) – STL
Anytime the Blues are playing they make for a solid play. They are facing the Los Angeles Kings tonight. The Kings, who were defeated by the Blackhawks last night, could turn to Jhonas Enroth in net tonight to give Quick a much deserved rest. Enroth was excellent in his only start this season against the Sharks in October but if he is in fact starting I will still pick on him. Lehtera plays centre next to Vlad Tarasenko and Alex Steen. His price tag is great value for a 1st line centre. Lethera has two goals and six assists in eleven games this season. A stack of Lehtera & Tarasenko ($7,500) is very appealing.
RW – Joonas Donskoi ($2,500) – SJS
Donskoi provides excellent value at $2,500 tonight as he continues to skate alongside Jumbo Joe and Little Joe. The Sharks are facing the lowly Blue Jackets so they should be able to score goals tonight. I like several sharks tonight but my favourite play is Donskoi because he is so cheap. The first year forward has one goal in six games this season.
C – Connor McDavid ($5,700) – EDM & RW – Nail Yakupov ($4,300) – EDM
I like both McDavid and Yakupov a lot tonight as they are facing the struggling Flyers. McDavid has 12 points in 12 games and Yakupov has 10. Ever since Todd McLellan put Yakupov on McDavid’s wing they have been on fire. They both come in at very reasonable price tags tonight. The Flyers are coming off a 4-1 loss last night and now face the Oilers on a second leg of a back-to-back. These Western road trips are not easy on teams and I expect the Oilers, mainly McDavid, to take advantage of this.
Other forwards I like tonight: T. Seguin ($8,500), J. Benn ($8,000), J. Pavelski ($7,200) D. Krejci ($5,700), T. Hertl ($4,600), M. Zibanejad ($4,500), A. Tanguay ($4,000), L. Draisaitl ($2,600).
D – Cody Ceci ($2,700) – OTT
If you are looking for a cheap defensemen to roster I really like Ceci. The Sens are facing the Canadiens who are without Carey Price tonight. The young defensemen has one goal this season in eleven games. He skates on the 2nd power-play unit and averages 1.5 blocks per game. If you are looking for salary relief on the blueline Ceci is your guy.
D – Tyson Barrie ($4,700) – COL
Two of the worst teams in the Western Conference are facing off tonight as the Avs host the Flames. Neither team has been able to keep the puck out of their net so far this season. I will be rostering players from both sides but I like the Avalanche more in this matchup. The Flames are starting Kari Ramo, who they waived earlier this season. Ramo is sporting a 4.27GAA and a .868SV%. Barrie is one of my favourite plays on defense tonight. He anchors the PP1 unit with four forwards. It is very likely Colorado will score a few goals and Barrie has a good chance of contributing.
Other defence I like tonight: B. Burns ($6,400), TJ Brodie ($4,200), C. Parayko ($3,700), A. Larsson ($3,300).
G – Cory Schneider ($6,800) – NJD
The Devils are on the road facing the Islanders tonight who are again without their star forward John Tavares. The Islanders lines without Johnny T in the lineup have been…well, not good to say the least. Schneider backstopped the Devils to a 4-2 victory of the Isles on Saturday. He made 24 saves in the win. I really like him in GPP tonight as I do not think his ownership percentage will be very high.
Other goalies I like tonight: H. Lundqvist ($8,00), J. Allen ($7,400)
ALWAYS check the status of goaltenders before setting your lineups.
Featured Image Credit: By Lisa Gansky from New York, NY, USA (IMG_1292) [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
