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 $40,000 Sniper Contest On DraftKings Tonight!]
After just one game on the schedule last night in the NHL all but four teams are in action tonight. With a twelve game slate I’d except some very high scores in DFS.
C – Ryan Johansen ($5,400) – CBJ
The Blue Jackets are hosting the Canucks tonight who ranked in the bottom third of the NHL in CF% (corsi for percentage). Johansen is an elite offensive mind in hockey and in this good matchup he should have his fair share of chances to get on the scoresheet. Johansen has eight points in thirteen games this season. If you are looking for a cheap mini-stack I would look at Boone Jenner ($3,900) who is likely going to play on Johansen’s wing tonight.
C – Claude Giroux ($6,700) – PHI
The Flyers vs the Avalanche will be the battle of two of the worst defensive teams in the NHL. With that you’d expect this to be a highly scoring affair. Anytime Colorado plays, with Patty Roy still coaching, I will stack against them. Giroux quietly has nine points in fourteen games. Giroux will likely play around twenty minutes which is ample time for him to do damage against a horrendous defensive team. Jakub Voracek ($6,300), if you want to trust him despite his less than ideal start with no goals in fifteen games, will be on Giroux’s wing and the two of them could rack up the points tonight.
RW – Valeri Nichushkin ($3,300) – DAL
Many people, including myself, will be loaded up on the very expensive Dallas 1st line tonight as they play the Leafs. Due to many people rostering the Seguin/Benn combo it is likely that Valeri Nichushkin will be overlooked. The young Russian struggled early this season but his play is much-improved as of late. Last time the Leafs played the Stars James Reimer had an incredible performance stopping 43 shots in the Leafs 4-1 win. I do not expect Reimer to do the same tonight. Dallas should be able to score a few goals tonight. They are certainly a “chalk” play but it is too hard to pass up on them tonight. Mattias Janmark ($2,900), Devin Shore ($2,500) and Radek Faksa ($2,600) are players at a super cheap price tag that could get in on the scoring tonight.
LW – Jason Zucker ($4,200) – MIN
With the Zach Parise injury, Zucker has been bumped up to the top line. The speedy winger has three goals and seven assists in thirteen games. He is going to get a chance to play with Mikko Koivu and Nino Niederreiter and on the top PP unit. Minnesota vs Winnipeg will be a very good game tonight and I expect both teams to get on the scoresheet. I am not a big believer in either Ondrej Pavelec or Michael Hutchison. Zucker and Nino ($3,600) make for a really inexpensive top line mini-stack.
Other forwards I like tonight: J. Tavares ($8,200), J. Benn ($8,100), N. MacKinnon ($7,500), S. Stamkos ($7,400), T. Toffoli ($5,900), N. Kucherov ($5,500), B. Horvat ($3,300), J. Donskoi ($2,700).
D – Kevin Shattenkirk ($4,800) – STL
Shattenkirk suffered a groin injury earlier this season which lead him to miss ten games. He returned to action this past weekend against the Predators. He played over nineteen minutes in his return and it is likely that he will see an increase in minutes tonight. The Blues take on the defensive-minded New Jersey Devils tonight. While I am high on Cory Schneider in season long/dynasty leagues tonight is not an ideal matchup. Despite losing several key players to injuries I like the Blues to score a couple goals tonight. Shattenkirk likely won’t remain at a $4,800 price tag for too long so I will hop on it while I can and hopefully reap the benefits that the offensive-minded defensemen is capable of.
D – Ryan Murray ($3,100) – CBJ
As I said earlier about his teammate Ryan Johansen, I like this matchup for the Blue Jackets. Murray has been playing exceptionally this season in the offensive end. He has seven points in fifteen games and has played over 20 minutes in five of his last six games. Murray logs 3:15 of PP time a game. It is hard to pass up being able to roster a defensemen who is offensive and plays on the PP at just a 3,100 price tag.
Other defensemen I like tonight: V. Hedman ($5,200), J. Klingberg ($5,200), J. Muzzin ($4,600), M. Rielly ($4,300), B. Hutton ($2,900) & E. Medvedev ($2,500) – if he returns from injury
G – Roberto Luongo ($7,500) – FLA
The Panthers face the lowly Flames at home tonight. Calgary has been struggling mightily this season to win games but their offence hasn’t been the problem. Tonight I think Luongo and the Panthers can halt their scoring and come up with a victory. The Panthers are currently at -145 (Pinnacle) so Las Vegas is liking their chance at a win. The two points you get for a goalie win could be crucial on a huge slate like this.
Other goalies I like tonight: P. Rinne ($8,000), B. Bishop ($7,400)
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!
Featured Image Credit: By Michael Miller (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
