This article focuses on 12/2 NHL Picks for both DraftKings and FanDuel Sportsbooks and FanDuel and DraftKings Daily Fantasy. We analyze tournament tactics, statistics, pricing, and attempt to tackle this highly variable Daily Fantasy format so that we can gain an edge on the field at large. Full rankings for each position for both sites are available below.
Thursday 12/2 NHL Slate and DFS Gameplan
Welcome back to the Hot Shot for December as we prepare for a ten-game Thursday slate!
With these larger slates, I highly advise passing on full three-man lines but instead going with pairs of two-man stacks as the goal is to attempt to capture the top scorers on the night across multiple games.
Full DraftKings and FanDuel Rankings can be found below as well as cash game considerations for each site.
Three Favorite Lines
Colorado One “Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Gabriel Landeskog” – DraftKings or FanDuel
Reunited, this line is ready to make up for all of the lost time by dominating their foreign opposition. The Avalanche have been involved in some epic track meets lately with results looking like baseball scores without Nathan Mac around. They will be on the second night of a back-to-back but shipped it into Toronto after Darcy Kuemper was scratched last night 8-3 so hopefully, the Avs didn’t push too hard in the third period “it doesn’t look like they did per the scoreline”. Getting the Canadiens tonight should provide the perfect opportunity for a Colorado bounce back. There is very little data on these gentlemen collectively so far this season but for those who don’t already know, if data from prior seasons remains applicable, they’re very, very good at their jobs.
Florida One “Jonathan Huberdeau, Sam Bennett, Owen Tippett/Possibly Anthony Duclair GTD so watch that” – DraftKings or FanDuel
It seems like every time I write, Florida is in a great spot, as in tonight where they come in as slate high -320 favorites against the Sabres. Those losers have dropped six of their last seven including an embarrassing 7-4 home loss to the Kraken last time out. The sample size on this line doesn’t go back too far and prior data includes Anthony Duclair as opposed to Owen Tippett but these are the Panthers I’d target first, with the second line also a viable option.
Calgary One “Matthew Tkachuk, Johnny Gaudreau, Elias Lindholm” – DraftKings or FanDuel
This line is my favorite tournament line of the night. They have put up some mind-blowing statistics so far this season including a full 99 SATF “shot attempts for including all shots on goals, missed shots, blocked shots” at 299 then the line with the second most, Boston’s Perfection Line at 200. Only Washington’s top line has more full-line goals. Calgary comes in a -150 favorite here in a late-game, in which they should go overlooked given the size of the slate as well as the presence of many big favorites early on. The Flames are hot “no pun intended”, winning four of their last five while L.A. is locked in a heavy skid dropping six of their last seven with the only win against the moribund Ottawa Senators.
12/2 NHL Game Odds and Totals
Main Slate of Games – Beginning 7 p.m. ET
Buffalo Sabres (+250) at Florida Panthers (-320) – 6 Projected Goal Total
St. Louis Blues (+120) at Tampa Bay Lightning (-145) – 5.5 Projected Goal Total
Chicago Blackhawks (+170) at Washington Capitals (-210) – 6 Projected Goal Total
Colorado Avalanche (-165) at Montreal Canadiens (+145) – 6 Projected Goal Total
Ottawa Senators (+235) at Carolina Hurricanes (-300) – 6 Projected Goal Total
Late Games
New Jersey Devils (+140) at Minnesota Wild (-160) – 6 Projected Goal Total
San Jose Sharks (+105) at New York Islanders (-125) – 5.5 Projected Goal Total
Boston Bruins (-120) at Nashville Predators (+100) – 5.5 Projected Goal Total
Columbus Blue Jackets (+150) at Dallas Stars (-175) – 5.5 Projected Goal Total
Calgary Flames (-150) at Los Angeles Kings (+130) – 5.5 Projected Goal Total
12/2 NHL FanDuel Individual Rankings
Centers
- Nathan MacKinnon – Colorado – $8,900
- Sam Bennett – Florida – $6,100
- Elias Lindholm – Calgary – $7,700
- Patrice Bergeron – Boston – $8,500
- Roope Hintz – Dallas – $6,500
Wingers
- Alex Ovechkin – Washington – $9,900
- Jonathan Huberdeau – Florida – $7,600
- Owen Tippett – Florida – $4,300
- David Pastrnak – Boston – $8,900
- Matthew Tkachuk – Calgary – $7,000
Defense
- Cale Makar – Colorado – $7,200
- Devon Toews – Colorado – $4,700
- Aaron Ekblad – Florida – $6,600
- Mackenzie Weegar – Florida – $4,900
- Erik Karlsson – San Jose – $4,900
Goalies
- Jacob Markstrom – Calgary – $7,900
- Colorado goalie? $6,800
12/2 NHL DraftKings Individual Rankings
Centers
- Nathan MacKinnon- Colorado – $8,700
- Roope Hintz – Dallas – $5,700
- Elias Lindholm – Calgary – $7,100
- Sam Bennett – Florida – $7,000
- Patrice Bergeron – Boston – $8,500
Wingers
- Alex Ovechkin – Washington – $9,700
- Owen Tippett – Florida – $3,500 “If Duclair isn’t back”
- David Pastrnak – Boston – $9,200
- Jonathan Huberdeau – Florida – $7,000
- Vladimir Tarasenko – St. Louis – $6,100
Defense
- Noah Dobson – Islanders – $4,100
- Erik Karlsson – Sharks – $5,000
- Brandon Montour – Florida – $3,500
- Ryan Suter – Dallas – $2,900
- Cale Makar – Colorado – $8,000
Goalies
- Jacob Markstrom/Dan Vladar – Calgary – $7,200
- Andrei Vasilevskiy – Tampa Bay – $7,900
Cash Considerations “DraftKings”
Alex Ovechkin, Owen Tippett “if no Duclair”, Nathan MacKinnon, Roope Hintz, Jacob Markstrom/Dan Vladar
Cash Considerations “FanDuel”
Alex Ovechkin, Owen Tippett “if not Duclair”, Sam Bennett, Nathan MacKinnon, if Darcy Kuemper returns for Colorado lock him in
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