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This article will focus on NHL Daily Fantasy picks for both FanDuel and DraftKings. Using advanced hockey metrics, slate analysis, and line by line evaluation, this article will point you towards what we think are the best plays for the night! Good luck!
Friday 12/3 NHL Breakdown
Happy Friday and happy December! We have a very nice little 5 game slate tonight that starts at our normal 7pm Eastern time. This one looks pretty straightforward, so let’s get right into it.
Goalies
Connor Hellebuyck – Winnipeg Jets: The Jets and Hellebuyck get a home matchup with the Devils, who in their last five road games, have only been scoring 2.6 goals per game. Hellebuyck is much better at home, as are the Jets in general, giving up under 2 goals per game in their last five home games. The Devils can be a little feisty, but tonight, the Jets should be able to handle them.
Igor Shesterkin – New York Rangers: The Rangers have a very nice matchup at home against the Sharks tonight, and while the Sharks have been playing well, Igor has been a solid goalie for the Rangers. At home, he has posted a 1.8 GAA over his last five home games.
Bonus GPP Goalie Pick – John Gibson – Anaheim Ducks: John Gibson at home is always a solid play, especially because they never change his price. He usually comes in on the lower end of salary, and as long as that continues to happen, he should be a goalie to play in GPP. The Flames come into town tonight after a win against LA last night, and are on the back end of a traveling back-to-back. Gibson should see shot volume, and has a real shot for a win tonight.
Lines to Build Around
These lines are considered top plays for the night and can be considered the focal point of your builds. They will be listed by position in the following order: Center/Winger/Winger/Correlating Defenseman (if applicable).
Edmonton Oilers Power Play – Connor McDavid/Leon Draisaitl/Ryan Nugent-Hopkins/Zach Hyman/Tyson Barrie: It’s no secret that most nights that Edmonton is on a slate, you play them. Tonight is that and then some, as the Oilers take on the Kraken in Seattle. This unit gets to face a Kraken team that is giving up almost four goals per game on the season. Even at home, the Kraken have given up 3.6 goals against over their last five home games. This unit is high powered, and they should be dominant tonight. McDavid/Draisaitl/Barrie are the core pieces, and you can use RNH and Hyman for value if needed.
Winnipeg Jets 1 – Mark Scheifele/Kyle Connor/Blake Wheeler/Neal Pionk: The Jets have been in a little bit of a slump recently, but they have a chance to right the ship tonight as the New Jersey Devils come to town. They look to be facing Jonathan Bernier in net tonight, and while he has not been playing poorly, he has not been great either. The Jets are a much better home team than they are on the road, so tonight is a good spot for them.
Vegas Golden Knights 2 – Nicolas Roy/Jonathan Marchessault/Reilly Smith/Alex Pietrangelo: The Knights have a nice little matchup tonight, and while the top line is in a good spot, this second line looks to be in a better spot. The second line should see mostly the Arizona top line tonight, which is a very nice plus matchup. Most people will flock to Edmonton and the Vegas top line, and this line should help get some leverage in tournaments.
High Risk Lines
These are plays that carry significantly more risk, but could pay off at low ownership. They will be listed by position in the following order: Center/Winger/Winger/Correlating Defenseman (if applicable).
Arizona Coyotes 2 – Barrett Hayton/Christian Fischer/Lawson Crouse/Shayne Gostisbehere: The Coyotes are an interesting GPP play tonight against the Golden Knights. They have been playing a little better of late, but have gotten fantastic goaltending. The Knights have been giving up 4 goals against over their last five road games, and Lehner has been less than average, with a 3.99 GAA over his last five games. Arizona is a very sneaky play tonight, and with all of the eyes on Vegas and Edmonton, this could be the leverage you need. The even strength matchup tonight looks very good for this second line, as they get the Vegas top line.
New York Rangers 1 – Mika Zibanejad/Chris Kreider/Kaapo Kakko/Adam Fox: The addition of Kakko to this line makes it a little more appealing, but the focus on this line is Zibanejad/Fox. Another really good way to stack the Rangers is to add Artemi Panarin in, creating a three-man stack with Zibanejad/Panarin/Fox. They are high risk because San Jose has been pretty good on the road this season. The Rangers are scoring 3.25 goals per game on home ice this season, making them a solid play.
Honorable mentions: CGY2, ANH2, VGK1, SJS1, NJD2, SEA1
Value Options – DraftKings
Center: Nicolas Roy ($3200) – Vegas Golden Knights
Wing: Kaapo Kakko ($3500) – New York Rangers
Defense: Jamie Oleksiak ($3100) – Seattle Kraken
Value Options – FanDuel
Center: Nicolas Roy ($3500) – Vegas Golden Knights
Wing: Zack Kassian ($4100) – Edmonton Oilers
Defense: Jamie Drysdale ($4000) – Anaheim Ducks
Cash Considerations – DraftKings
Connor McDavid/Leon Draisaitl – C – Edmonton Oilers (if you can’t get both, at least get one)
Kyle Connor – W – Winnipeg Jets
Adam Fox – D – New York Rangers
Robin Lehner – G – Vegas Golden Knights
Cash Considerations – FanDuel
Connor McDavid/Leon Draisaitl – C – Edmonton Oilers (if you can’t get both, at least get one)
Kyle Connor – W – Winnipeg Jets
Adam Fox – D – New York Rangers
Robin Lehner – G – Vegas Golden Knights
Make sure to hop in our Expert Discord Chat for FREE! Jon and the NHL team will be there answering questions right up until lock! Be sure to be on the look out for future articles at https://windailysports.com/daily-fantasy-hockey/
All line combinations are courtesy of www.dailyfaceoff.com, and the advanced rates referenced in the above article are pulled from www.naturalstattrick.com.
