Allan Fabrykant The NHL has presented us with a Thursday night, nine-game slate. We will go for a position by position breakdown tonight. There are some intriguing plays and strong stacks to consider, let’s get into it!
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10/17 NHL DFS Centers
Mika Zibanejad (FD $7,600 | DK $7,800) – He will highlight the top line of the Hudson River Rivalry that is set to take place tonight. Unfortunately for the Devils, they have yet to win a game this season. They are giving up the second-highest goals allowed per game in the league at 4.5 goals allowed, keeping them steadily in the last place. In just three games, Zibanejad has scored eight points (four goals, four assists), giving him the highest points per game this season by far.
Paul Stastny (FD $5,400 | DK $6,200) – Member of the biggest line lock of the night, Stastny and Company will be going up against the lowly Sens, who are settling at third-last in the league with one win and four losses to start the season. With the game in Vegas, Ottawa will need a prayer and that might not even do it. Stastny’s price has remained relatively cheap despite being on the highest producing line on his team and bagging six points in his last three games (three goals, three assists).
Honorable Mention: Sean Couturier
10/17 NHL DFS Wingers
JT Miller (FD $5,600 | DK $4,700) – Miller has been on fire to start the season and has proven to be one of the Canucks’ best offseason pickups. Miller leads the team in scoring given that he scored six points in his last three games (three goals, three assists). Miller has been averaging around 18 minutes of ice-time per game but given his recent performances, it wouldn’t be a surprise if that increased. Not to mention he appears on the Canucks deadly top power-play unit. Finally, Miller will be playing against the Blues, who have had a rather mediocre start to the season and have coughed up a fair amount of goals, 3.33 per game to be exact. I wouldn’t be surprised if Miller got on the end of one of them.
David Pastrnak (FD $8,500 | DK $7,500) – Pastrnak is simply an elite winger, if you’re looking for a low-owned play with a safe floor Pastrnak is your guy, as he leads the Bruins with 10 points in six games, followed by his linemates Marchand and Bergeron. Last game, Pastrnak lit up one of the league’s best in John Gibson for four goals en route to his team’s 4-2 win over the Ducks last Monday.
HM: Nick Schmaltz
10/17 NHL DFS Defensemen
Alexander Edler (FD $5,800 | DK $6,300) – Vancouver’s lead power powerplay defenseman has registered four points in his last three games and has averaged a whopping 25 minutes of average ice-time throughout the season. It is clear coach Travis Green has faith in the veteran Swede and given the leakage, the Blues have been prone to thus far this season, Edler holds value as a stack option alongside the Canucks’ top line (Miller, Pettersson, Boeser)
Jacob Trouba (FD $5,800 | DK $6,000) – Much like his teammate, Zibanejad Trouba hit the ground running in his first three games of the season with a goal and three assists while averaging 24 minutes of ice-time per game. Trouba carries a price tag on the higher end but works well in a Rangers stack alongside Buchnevich, Panarin and Zibanejad, given that they all play together on the Rangers top power play unit.
HM: Shea Theodore, Ryan Ellis
10/17 NHL DFS Goalies
Pekka Rinne (FD $8,700 | DK $8,000) – Rinne is a perfect 4-0-0 to start the season and will have one of the best offensive teams in front of him with a CF% of 51.48. The Preds also lead the league in goals and have the sixth-highest shots per game total in the league. Rinne will be pricey but if you’re looking for a safe play between the pipes Rinne is the way to go.
Carter Hutton (FD $8,500 | DK $7,800) – Hutton has been as good as Rinne if not better. He too holds a perfect 4-0-0 record and holds an extremely low 1.74 GAA. The Kings shoot a lot but don’t turn the offensive production into goals nearly enough, as they are currently hovering around the middle of the league in goals per game while posting the second-most shots on goal per game in the league. Furthermore, the Kings have started the season on the back foot with a 2-4-0 record and look to be starting Jonathan Quick, who holds an abysmal stat line at 0-3-0, a GAA of 6.44 and a Save Percentage below .800.
HM: Alexander Georgiev
10/17 NHL DFS STACKS & CASH PLAY OF THE NIGHT
Vegas Golden Knights 2 – This line should be an auto-lock tonight. Stat-wise this line is far and away the most intriguing option and with that will come the super high ownership, especially in cash. This is the good kind of chalk and given the price of some of their player such as Stastny and Theodore, they are surprisingly stackable with other strong options tonight.
HM: New York Rangers 1 (Zibanejad, Panarin, Trouba), Buffalo Sabres 1 (Reinhart, Eichel, Olofsson)
10/17 NHL DFS Game Stacks
Vancouver vs St. Louis – Both of these teams are very offensive-minded, with both teams averaging over three goals a game. The optimal game stack would be Vancouver’s top line alongside St. Louis’ second line, and alternatively their first line. Statistically, these two teams are very evenly matched and this game could turn into a shootout.
10/17 NHL DFS Punts
Calle Jarnkrok (FD $3,600 | DK $3,500) – Jarnkrok will be playing on Nashville’s top line and although Kuemper has had his moments to start the season. The Preds are leading the league in goals with 4.67 per game, one of which came from Jarnkrok last game. Over his past three games, Jarnkrok has had four assists and has steadily been seeing an increase in ice-time each and every game. If Forsberg is held out of tonight’s contest the winger will be set to see even more ice time. The fact that he plays on the Preds’ top power play unit only adds to his value.
Quinn Hughes (FD $4,000 | DK $3,700) – Quinn has had his moments this season but has largely been overshadowed by the success of his defensive teammate Alexander Edler. In a pinch, Hughes still provides excellent value as he has registered three points in his first five games while averaging 20 minutes of ice time per night and playing on the Canucks second power-play unit. Hughes is the future of Vancouver’s defensive core and will definitely be in the mix when considering low owned Canuck plays tonight. Hughes pairs well alongside Tanner Pearson.
HM: Sean Walker
