The NHL returns from the holiday break with one of the biggest slates of the year. We have fourteen games and there are lots of options to choose from and we will cover a few of them below. I highly suggest against running full three-man lines tonight and instead recommend pivoting to two-skater pairings. Aside from reading this 12/27 NHL DFS article, don’t forget to check out our NHL DFS Projection Model which is available every morning. If you like what you see, sign up for more Win Daily content here.
12/27 NHL Main Slate of Games – Beginning 7 p.m. ET
*All odds and player pricing below have been obtained from DraftKings Sportsbook and are accurate as of the time of writing*
Boston Bruins (-155) at Buffalo Sabres (+130) – 6 Projected Goal Total
Florida Panthers (-108) at Tampa Bay Lightning (-112) – 6.5 Projected Goal Total
Ottawa Senators (+145) at Toronto Maple Leafs (-175) – 7 Projected Goal Total
Washington Capitals (+180) at New York Rangers (-218) – 6 Projected Goal Total
Pittsburgh Penguins (+105) at New York Islanders (-125) – 6 Projected Goal Total
Columbus Blue Jackets (+215) at New Jersey Devils (-265) – 7 Projected Goal Total
Dallas Stars (-162) at St. Louis Blues (+136) – 6.5 Projected Goal Total
Detroit Red Wings (+124) at Minnesota Wild (-148) – 6.5 Projected Goal Total
Carolina Hurricanes (-135) at Nashville Predators (+114) – 6 Projected Goal Total
Winnipeg Jets (-225) at Chicago Blackhawks (+185) – 6 Projected Goal Total
Colorado Avalanche (-162) at Arizona Coyotes (+136) – 6.5 Projected Goal Total
Seattle Kraken (+124) at Calgary Flames (-148) – 6 Projected Goal Total
Vegas Golden Knights (-225) at Anaheim Ducks (+185) – 6 Projected Goal Total
San Jose Sharks (+280) at Los Angeles Kings (-355) – 6.5 Projected Goal Total
12/27 NHL Favorite Popular Line
Los Angeles Two – “Phillip Danault ($4,400), Trevor Moore ($5,900)” – Two-Man Only
What can I say when all I have to say is “facing the Sharks”. Los Angeles’s -355 money line odds stand out by a mile, even on a fourteen-game slate. If we’re going to plug in three 2-man lines than one of them is going to be from the Kings. Both of the King’s top two lines have been solid as of late. The top line is ninth among all NHL lines in terms of SATF over their last ten games. However, the second line is fourth among all NHL lines by the same metric.
The key pieces on the first line Anzi Kopitar ($6,100) and Adrian Kempe ($7,100) are fairly pricy. For reference, Kempe has nine goals, 19 assists on the season. Meanwhile Trevor Moore ($5,900) has been less of a setup man with 16 goals, 9 assists for $1,200 cheaper. Phillip Danault ($4,400) has not exactly been tearing it up but has seven goals, 13 assists, is very cheap, and fills one of the two center spots for us.
12/27 NHL Favorite Secondary Line
Columbus One – “Adam Fantilli ($3,900), Johnny Gaudreau ($4,200)” – Two-Man only
This is the sort of slate where I’ll want to find a way to jam in some stars. The path to getting there involves a couple of spenddowns. Let’s start here. The defensively challenged Blue Jackets are big underdogs at +215, visiting New Jersey. However, offensively there has been a bit of a turnaround lately, despite Patrik Laine’s absence. This game has a seven total and the Devils have been generous on the other side of the ice. Their 115 goals allowed this season is tied for sixth worst in the NHL.
While still not quite his former self, Johnny Gaudreau ($4,200) comes in riding a three-game point streak. As for Adam Fantilli ($4,000), he has scored a point in three of his last four. We are probably grabbing the third overall pick in the 2023 draft for as cheap as he will be moving forward in a good matchup. With the salary savings we add here, we can do anything moving forward.
Defensemen and Goalies
Defensemen
Brock Faber – Minnesota -$4,300 – Faber is on the top line and is quarterbacking the Wild’s top power-play unit as well. In addition, as of late, he is getting nearly thirty minutes of ice time. I am not of fan of how their lines are put together for DFS purposes, but this gives us some Minnesota exposure. With a lot of lower projected scoring games tonight, it gives us access to a favorite in a 6.5 total matchup.
Morgan Reilly – Toronto – $5,900 – We have some money tonight, so don’t need to double punt here. You can also consider Victor Hedman ($5,500) but Reilly is very fairly priced and gives us some Toronto exposure on a night they are -175 favorites in a seven total game. This all said Cale Makar ($8,100) is too rich for my blood, so I think one of the two defensemen mentioned as high as I’ll pay up.
Goalies
Ilya Sorokin – New York Islanders – $7,900 – With so many six projected total games on the slate, let’s start there. While at -125, the Islanders aren’t as big a favorite as some others, this has potential for goalie upside. I’d expect the Penguins to get their fair share of shots, so hope for a low scoring game in which Sorokin is the main reason that the Islanders win.
Igor Shesterkin – New York Rangers – $8,100 – Igor is picking things up at the right time. The Rangers are heavy favorites tonight and should help him grab the win. Some of the other low total games have questionable goalie situations so this makes sense.
12/27 NHL Best Bet
Boston – 60 Minute ML (-110) – DraftKings – The straight money line at -155 is a bit too rich but the 60-minute line is much fairer.
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