Joel Bartilotta 
Welcome to New Year’s Eve edition of the Saturday Slapshot. On this final day of the year, we have a total of 12 games on tap. However, many of the games are spread throughout the day. I’ll be focusing on the 5-game slate of NHL DFS that kicks off at 7pm EST.
Let’s dig in and see if we can make some money.
NHL DFS Goaltending
Jake Oettinger ($8.4K DK/$8.2k FD) vs. San Jose Sharks – If you’re looking to pay up for a goalie tonight, Jake Oettinger should be on your radar. He’s in arguably the best matchup of any of the expensive goalies tonight and also the most talented. He’ll be facing off against a Sharks team that has been scoring less than 3 goals per game over the last 2 weeks.
Oettinger has been having a solid season, with a career-high .920 save % and a nearly career-low 2.38 GAA. Dallas doesn’t give up too many shots, so with Oettinger, we have a limited ceiling and a high floor. Oettinger would be the ideal choice for your Cash game lineups.
Ilya Samsonov ($7.8k DK/$6.5k FD) vs. Colorado Avalanche– This pick is somewhat predicated on Nathan MacKinnon still being out. There is a chance that he plays though and if he does, pivoting may make sense. That said, this is a solid spot for Samsonov tonight. The Avalanche offense has not been powerful recently, scoring just 2.5 goals per game over the last 2 weeks.
Samsonov’s price on FD tonight is criminal. He shouldn’t be that low and makes for a great GPP play, even if MacKinnon plays. We won’t need too much for him to return value on that site and even a goal or 2 won’t hinder his value. I still may run out Samsonov on DK even if Mac plays because that will just mean more volume, and more volume equals the chance for more DK points.
NHL DFS Stacks
Ottawa 2 (Pinto, DeBrincat, Batherson) + Hamonic vs. Detroit
Vegas has Detroit as slight favorites in this one, but I’ll be honest, I think Ottawa dominates in this one. Detroit has been challenged defensively all year and it hasn’t been much better of late. Over the last 2 weeks, they’ve given up on average 4.8 goals per game. Detroit will also more than likely have Alex Nedeljkovic in net. He’s given up at least 4 goals in each of his last 3 starts. He’s not a good goalie and one that anytime he’s in net, we want to pick skaters against him. Think Jake Arrieta or Dallas Keuchel type bad.
Both of the top lines for Ottawa are in play tonight, but I have a slight preference for their second line. Alex DeBrincat leads the team in goals over the last 5 games with 4 of them and that’s what I’m looking to chase. I’ll look to pair him with Batherson who leads the Sens in points over the last 5 games with 6. These 2 have been leading the offense for Ottawa and my hope is that it continues tonight in a favorable matchup. If you want to go full stack, Pinto is in play, but as of right now my lean is locking in DeBrincat and Batherson.
Dallas 1 (Hintz, Robertson, Pavelski) + Heiskanen vs. San Jose
Another team that’s been challenged defensively recently is the Sharks. Over the last 2 weeks, they’re giving up slightly more than 4.3 goals per game. Goaltending has mostly been their issue as their goalies have a save % of just 85.71% over that stretch. In the net for San Jose tonight should be James Reimer. Reimer has given up 6 goals in 2 of his last 3 games. That’s bad, no other way to put it.
We’re going to attack San Jose tonight with the top line for Dallas. I’m going to be mostly focused on Hintz and Robertson here. They’re the core of not only this line but this team. Over the last 5 games, they’ve combined for 12 points. Hintz being the goal scorer and Robertson being the playmaker. You can go certainly go full stack here with Pavelski, but I don’t think he’s needed. Roll out Hintz and Robertson with confidence tonight.
Calgary 1 (Lindholm, Dube, Toffoli) + Hanifin vs. Vancouver
This top line for Calgary tonight is very affordable and in a great spot. The Canucks just aren’t a good team. Over the last 2 weeks, they’re giving up close to 4 goals per game and nearly 14 high-danger chances per game.
The 2 guys that I’m mostly focused on here are going to be Tyler Toffoli and Elias Lindholm. Toffoli leads the team in goals over the last 5 games with 4. He’s also added in a pair of assists to give him 6 points over the last 5 to lead the team in points. Lindholm has had 5 assists in his last 5 to lead the team in assists. This line tonight has some really high upside, especially Toffoli and Lindholm. Dube can be added in to bring the cost of the line down as he’s just $4k on DK tonight. Just know there’s little upside with him.
Other Stacks: Ottawa 1, Calgary 2, Tor 1 and 2, Col 1(only if MacKinnon plays), Edm 1(McDavid is on an epic run right now and you can certainly play him as a 1-off)
NHL DFS Top Value Defenseman
- Jake Walman – $3.4k on DK – He’s been a blocked shot machine recently.
- Tyler Meyers – $2.7k on Dk
- Brett Kulak – $2.6k on DK – 11 blocks in his last 3.
Summary
Hope everyone reading this today has a safe and Happy New Year! Let’s make smart decisions with both our NHL DFS lineups and when going out tonight.
Make sure to use our Projection model when setting lineups.
Good luck and hope to see you in the green!
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